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

When Liu Ruhui locked the door to the secret room from the inside, the air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.

The heavy copper bolt fell with a dull thud, yet it struck the hearts of everyone present like a hammer.

This is the ancestral home of the Liu family in Jingzhou. The secret room has no luxurious furnishings, only a huge nanmu square table and fourteen chairs.

At this moment, all thirteen chairs were occupied, and all of them were heads of prominent families in Jingzhou.

They usually either entertained each other or secretly competed with each other, but today, everyone's attention was focused on Liu Ruhui, who was standing in the main seat.

Liu Ruhui did not sit down.

Looking at these thirteen "allies" with different expressions, he felt no excitement, only a sense of frustration at being cornered by the current situation.

Among these people, there are those who are afraid of death, those who are greedy, and those who are still hesitant and trying to leave themselves a way out.

If Wei Zhao hadn't held that knife almost to their necks, they would never be sitting together like this today.

Without saying a word, he pulled out a thick scroll of parchment from under the table and slammed it onto the table.

Splash!

When the parchment was unfurled, what was revealed was not mountains and rivers, but a detailed and astonishing map of the defenses of Jingzhou.

"Ten days from now will be the day the new military examination begins."

Liu Ruhui's voice was not loud, but it drowned out the faint sound of the wind outside the window.

His finger touched the scroll as if it were touching the lifeline of everyone:

"At that time, three thousand 'disaster victims' will gather at the foot of Jiming Mountain outside the city to riot, shouting that they want to enter the city to demand food. Inside the city, I will have people set fire to the East Market, the South Granary, and the three official granaries next to the canal wharf at the same time."

He raised his eyes and scanned the crowd.

"The garrison has limited manpower. They need to divide their forces outside the city to stop the disaster victims and inside the city to fight the fire. At that time, they will be unable to attend to both, and the Azure Dragon Gate will open for us."

On the map, three granaries are circled in vermilion ink, and a route leading to Qinglong Gate is clearly marked.

No one spoke inside; only the heavy breathing of a few people could be heard.

The plan sounds simple, but every step involves gambling with the lives and fortunes of the entire clan.

Finally, a slightly overweight family head, dressed in a brocade robe, couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a dry voice:

"Lord Liu, although the garrison in the city is small, they are all from the New Martial Army, and they are fearless. What if... what if they ignore the disaster victims outside the city and the burning granaries, and stubbornly defend the city gates? What will we do then?"

"They will," Liu Ruhui replied quickly, without the slightest hesitation in his tone.

He pointed to a mark on the map: "The commander guarding Qinglong Gate is Wang Meng, a newly promoted military hero who rose through the ranks after the Battle of Black Wind Ridge. These kinds of people value military merit the most and are also most afraid of taking responsibility. The disaster victims outside the city are his defense zone, and the granaries inside the city are his jurisdiction. If anything goes wrong, his term as general is over. He dares not gamble."

These words put everyone at ease.

Liu Ruhui, a former minister of the previous dynasty, understood best the human nature and constraints within the officialdom.

"But...but what about Wei Zhao?"

Another elderly man with gray hair spoke with concern:

"He was able to subdue the Eight Princes' Alliance overnight, and the five major northern tribes all knelt before his court. This man is meticulous and ruthless. Wouldn't he have sent troops to garrison Jingzhou in advance, just in case?"

The moment this question was asked, the atmosphere in the locked room, which had just eased, tensed up again.

This is what they fear most.

Wei Zhao.

The name of that emperor in white robes now weighs like a mountain on the hearts of all the former officials and noble families.

Liu Ruhui gave a cold laugh.

"he?"

His laughter was laced with undisguised contempt: "He has no time to worry about Jingzhou right now."

He held up his fingers and counted them one by one for everyone to see:

"The old tribes of the northern grasslands are stirring up trouble. The old prince Xiao Heng was sent to appease them, but no news has come back yet. This shows that the fire in the north has not been extinguished."

"In the court, the newly rich military officials and us old ministers are fighting to the death. That old dog Li Huai is wielding a butcher's knife every day; just investigating the fields is enough to keep him busy."

"And then there's the imperial examination system."

Liu Ruhui tapped his knuckles on the table, his voice cold:

"He thinks he can replace all the officials in the country and help the poor rise to power with just one imperial examination? That's utterly delusional! How to set up the examination hall, how to select the examiners, how to prevent cheating on the papers—aren't all these things more important than Jingzhou?"

He looked at the crowd, his voice suddenly rising: "By the time he finishes all this and remembers to take a look at Jingzhou, we will have already taken control of the entire city! At that time, Jingzhou will be the first place in the world to raise the banner of 'removing the emperor's corrupt advisors'!"

"It's difficult to manage both ends."

These four words acted like a reassuring pill, rekindling the light in the eyes of the family heads present.

Yes, no matter how strong Wei Zhao is, he is still just one person with only two hands.

He cannot control every part of the world at the same time.

As long as chaos breaks out here first, the powerful families in other places who dare not speak out will naturally follow suit.

The secret meeting continued until late at night before it ended.

One by one, the heads of the families left through the secret passage, their faces showing both the excitement of being persuaded and the tension of about to gamble big.

The last person to leave was a young man.

He was the head of the Wang family, having recently inherited the family business, and still retained a scholarly air about him.

"Master Liu".

The young patriarch stopped Liu Ruhui, who was about to blow out the lamp, and lowered his voice: "This junior has another question."

Liu Ruhui stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him.

"Is that Mr. Liu Suan... really reliable?"

The young patriarch asked cautiously, "Since our parting at the teahouse in the west of the city, he hasn't sent us a single message. Such a large-scale operation of ours, if it weren't for the support he mentioned from the northern border…"

A flicker of anxiety, which even he himself was unaware of, flashed deep in Liu Ruhui's eyes.

This was also what troubled him the most.

Liu Suan seemed to have vanished into thin air.

The men he sent north couldn't find a single hair on Liu Suan's head. That man was like a gust of wind, leaving no trace after he passed by.

But he cannot panic, especially not in front of these "allies" who have staked their lives on this.

"rest assured."

Liu Ruhui forced a calm smile and patted the young man on the shoulder:

"Who is Mr. Liu? He is handling important matters in the northern border. If things get chaotic here, he will act simultaneously, sending the grassland tribes south to burn the border towns of Xinwu and cut off their supply lines. At that time, Wei Zhao will be unable to attend to both ends, and that will be our real opportunity."

The young patriarch was reassured by his words, the doubt in his eyes dissipated, he bowed respectfully, and turned to leave.

The door to the secret room was closed again.

Liu Ruhui stood alone in the darkness, his smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a somber expression.

He walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and looked out at the myriad lights of Jingzhou City.

The night was beautiful and quiet.

But his mind was a jumbled mess.

Liu has not written to me for too long.

This is not normal.

With Liu Suan's abilities, even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard pursued him closely, sending out a secret letter would not have been difficult at all. But he simply vanished.

A vague unease, like a venomous snake, began to gnaw at his confidence.

What if... what if Liu Suan fails in the northern border?

What if there's no simultaneous development in the north and south, and they're just isolated in Jingzhou?

The moment this thought crossed Liu Ruhui's mind, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

But he quickly suppressed that fear.

Now he has no way out.

The heads of the thirteen prominent families have all boarded the ship, the knives have been sharpened, the oil has been prepared, and even the "disaster victims" who are going to cause trouble outside the city have been found.

The arrow is on the string, and it must be released.

He looked up at the direction of the capital, his eyes turning fierce and resolute.

Even without Liu Suan, he was still going to take this gamble!

He refused to believe that Liu Ruhui, who had managed Jingzhou for three generations, couldn't bring down a mere twenty-something-year-old brat!

We had no choice but to grit our teeth and keep going.