A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Wei Zhao stared at the woman in white for a couple of moments, forgetting to even look at the military report in his hand.

Su Qingyun did not invite Fang Zhaoru back.

But they brought back a young woman whose face was covered by a veil.

This doesn't seem right at all.

Wei Zhao could actually guess that Fang Zhaoru, that old geezer, was unwilling to come out of seclusion.

He was a veteran official of three reigns, with a stubborn temper. He refused to see Lu Song even after three invitations. Why should the new Emperor Wu be able to summon him with just one imperial edict?

If the person in question doesn't come, what's the point of sending a girl instead?

Wei Zhao put down the military report and leaned back in his chair.

"Pure and elegant".

Su Qingyun looked up.

"who is she?"

The gazes of several people in the hall also fell over.

Liu Jingshuang placed her hand on the hilt of the knife and remained silent.

Hua Jieyu smiled, but she had already looked the woman up and down.

Nie Yinniang stood in the shadows, her fingers only half an inch from the short blade hidden in her sleeve.

Wei Zhao could see it clearly.

it is good.

Nobody believed it.

That's normal.

There are all sorts of weird things in Beijing now.

The Ten Rebel Kings, the Holy Fire Cult, former officials, and aristocratic families—any of them could send someone into the palace.

Fang Zhaoru was famous, but no matter how famous he was, it couldn't stop some people from using his name to set up schemes.

What Wei Zhao lacks most right now is talent, not ancestors.

If hiring someone is going to cause trouble, it's better not to hire them at all.

Su Qingyun walked to the imperial desk and put down an old letter.

"Her name is Fang Fuyao."

Wei Zhao's brow twitched slightly.

"square?"

"Mr. Fang's little granddaughter."

The expressions of several former officials in the hall changed.

Wei Zhao didn't look at them, only at Su Qingyun.

"continue."

Su Qingyun's voice was still gentle, but it carried a hint of weariness from the journey.

"When I arrived at the bamboo hut where Mr. Fang lived in seclusion, it was already empty. The bookshelves had been moved away, the medicine stove was cold, and she was the only one left waiting in the courtyard."

Wei Zhao tapped his fingers on the imperial desk.

"Wait for you?"

"No."

Su Qingyun glanced at the woman in white.

"Waiting for the people of the new Wu Dynasty."

That's an interesting statement.

Wei Zhao's wariness hadn't dissipated; in fact, it had intensified.

If Fang Zhaoru truly wanted to escape the world, he could have simply disappeared along with the letter.

But he left his granddaughter behind.

Who are we waiting for?

Wait for Wei Zhao to lower himself and beg for help?

Should we wait until the new dynasty is most short of people and then send in someone from the Fang family?

Wei Zhao picked up the old letter but didn't open it immediately.

"Where is Fang Zhaoru?"

Su Qingyun shook her head.

"His whereabouts are unknown."

"You didn't pursue her?"

"We went after them."

Su Qingyun said, "There are three paths behind the bamboo hut, and the hoofprints have been swept clean. I had people investigate for two days, and they only found that the old master had seen a few former students before he left. After that, it was like the connection was broken."

Hua Jieyu clicked her tongue softly.

"That old man knows how to hide things."

Wei Zhao cursed inwardly.

It's not surprising that they would hide it.

Fang Zhaoru's ability to survive under Lu Song's rule and maintain a clean reputation is not solely due to his stubbornness.

An old fox pretending to be virtuous, still an old fox.

Wei Zhao opened the letter.

The letter is short.

The characters are quite strong.

"Respectfully presented by the new Emperor Wu."

"I am old and frail, my bones and muscles are decaying, and I can no longer enter the court to compete with the dogs for food."

Wei Zhao's eyelids twitched when he saw the first sentence.

it is good.

No wonder he dared to call Lu Song a traitor.

He started by cursing all the officials in the court as dogs.

Several former officials in the hall lowered their heads, their faces stiffer than the last. Wei Zhao wanted to laugh.

Well said.

I also want to curse.

He continued reading.

"However, the world is in chaos, and the people are suffering. If the new emperor continues to follow the old Wei's path of recommendation, he will only be replacing the old emperor with a new batch of hypocrites. Since Your Majesty dares to issue a proclamation to recruit talented people, you should dare to use extraordinary individuals."

"My lifelong learning is half from books and half from people. The Confucian teachings of Fangmen have already spread far and wide."

"She is my youngest granddaughter and the only disciple of the Fang Sect. If Your Majesty does not employ her simply because she is young or because she is a woman, then please tear down the recruitment notice to avoid disappointing scholars from humble backgrounds."

Wei Zhao stopped pointing when he saw this.

The hall was very quiet.

Nobody dared to urge them.

Wei Zhao placed the letter on the table and looked at the woman in white.

Fang Fuyao remained standing there, her face half-covered by a veil, revealing only her eyes.

Those eyes showed no panic, no fawning, and not even the restraint that comes with being confined by the imperial palace.

Very stable.

She's so composed, unlike a girl in her early twenties.

Wei Zhao's anger was suddenly ignited.

Fang Zhaoru's letter was very venomous.

I'm not praising him.

They used his recruitment notice to shut him up.

Didn't you, Wei Zhao, say that you wouldn't care about someone's background?

Isn't the rule that talent should be utilized?

Is that woman suitable?

Is being young enough?

Are the disciples of the Fang Sect capable?

If you don't use it, then your recruitment notice is fake.

If used, it would be tantamount to acknowledging that although Fang Zhaoru did not come, his door had already entered the Xinwu Dynasty.

Old man.

Before the person arrived, the knife was handed in first.

Wei Zhao handed the letter to Su Qingyun and slowly said, "Did Lord Fang send her to serve in the government?"

Su Qingyun nodded.

She said that Mr. Fang left a message before he left.

The woman in white finally spoke.

"My grandfather said that if Emperor Xinwu only seeks fame, he would let me deliver the letter and leave. If His Majesty truly wishes to save the world, then I will stay."

The sound wasn't loud.

It's not soft either.

Wei Zhao looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"To save the world?"

He pointed to the military report on the table.

"Does Miss Fang know what the world is like now?"

Fang Fuyao did not answer immediately.

Wei Zhao pushed aside the military reports one by one.

"Han Dashan and Zhou Laodao led ten rebel kings to establish themselves in the Chenqiao area. The Bianzhou granaries were emptied and the grain supply routes were blocked. The Qingzhou Holy Fire Sect gathered 300,000 followers and marched straight for the capital under the banner of Holy Fire Peace."

He picked up another account book.

"The capital's granaries only have enough for twenty days. The grain transport routes to Jiangnan are still en route. I have investigated all the officials in the court; the rich can have their homes confiscated, while the poor are left with nothing but empty mouths. The powerful families are watching from the sidelines, the wealthy are hoarding grain, and the displaced people are waiting for food."

Wei Zhao stared at her.

"You look to be about the same age as me."

He paused.

"Do you have the power to save the world?"

After these words were spoken, no one in the hall spoke.

It wasn't that Wei Zhao was deliberately making things difficult for him.

He had to make things difficult for him.

A recruitment notice may disregard background, but it cannot disregard ability.

Now is not the time for the Xinwu Dynasty to cultivate famous scholars.

If one person is put in the wrong position, thousands or even tens of thousands of people might go hungry.

What about Fang Zhaoru's granddaughter?

So what if he's a disciple of the Fang Sect?

If they really lacked ability, Wei Zhao would still not have used them.

What bothers him most right now is when people use their fame to pressure him.

Lu Song suppressed it, the old officials suppressed it, and the powerful families also wanted to suppress it.

If Fang Zhaoru also thought he could get someone into the court with a single letter, then he was mistaken.

I am short of people.

But we have no shortage of ancestors.

Fang Fuyao looked at him, a smile suddenly appearing in her eyes.

It's not about trying to please.

It's more like they find the question interesting.

"If Your Majesty can pacify the four directions and change the world at such a young age, why can't I, a humble woman, try to save the common people?"

Several former officials in the hall suddenly looked up.

Hua Jieyu smiled first.

Liu Jingshuang's eyes also flickered.

Wei Zhao's finger stopped on the imperial desk.

She neither claimed she could save the world, nor did she humbly say she dared not.

She pushed the question back to her as it was.