After handling the matters in Gaoyi as instructed in the letter, Song Nanlou wrote to Shi Zhu, reflecting with emotion on the Emperor’s foresight.
The Emperor had anticipated that the Marquis of Quanling would not spare the lives of the two commandery administrators and had also guessed that the Marquis intended to use their deaths for her own schemes. Accordingly, the Emperor had made targeted preparations.
Moreover, for Song Nanlou, who had carried out the orders, fulfilling the Emperor’s commands brought him no moral pressure. After all, after entering the city, he had indeed publicly executed the individuals in question, upholding the law with due process, and thus his actions could not be considered deceitful.
In fact, Yu Ping’s earlier assessment was quite reasonable. This was an era that placed great importance on personal integrity. Moreover, Song Nanlou came from an influential family – if he had resorted to deception just to enter the city, even if he ultimately achieved his goal, he would have become an object of ridicule. This was precisely why Wen Yanran had instructed him in the letter to publicly reprimand the commandery administrator and cut off his hair in lieu of his head.
This approach took into account both the enemy’s perspective and the stance of their own side.
In his letter, Song Nanlou also expressed admiration, noting that he had initially found it hard to believe the Emperor was only thirteen this year. Yet upon reflection, he recalled that throughout history, many children from prominent families had gained renown for their intelligence at a very young age. Why, then, could the present emperor not be such a person? It was only because Her Majesty had long been confined within the deep palace that her reputation remained little known.
Shi Zhuhe sighed inwardly. Song Nanlou was not one to offer empty flattery – if he spoke this way, it was because he was genuinely and completely convinced. With the Emperor’s ability to perceive situations so keenly, he suspected that his friend had resolved to devote his life entirely to her service.
The Commandery Administrator of Gaoyi certainly possessed some armed forces of its own, but both the individual combat prowess of its soldiers and the command ability of its leaders were far inferior to those of the well-equipped Imperial Guards. At first, some had attempted to organize the city guards to resist, but once the Imperial Guard warriors struck down their commander on the battlefield, they quickly chose to submit.
The more seasoned local officials found this particularly perplexing. They had initially hesitated about whether to confront the Imperial Guards head-on, but it was only after learning that the commander leading them was a young nobleman known only for his literary pursuits and playing chess, and that the team also included family members of palace eunuchs – essentially dead weight – that they resolved to resist. After all, from the composition of their opponents, it seemed to be a case of one incompetent plus a liability. Even if their own soldiers’ individual skills were no match for the Imperial Guards, they believed they stood a strong chance of victory, given their advantage in familiarity with the terrain and local support.
The analysis was quite reasonable, but it was only when the two sides clashed that the local officials realized with their own flesh and blood something even the present Emperor had not yet fully grasped – regardless of his family background, Song Nanlou had been appointed as the Cavalry Commandant purely due to his fierce temperament and formidable prowess.
The Imperial Guards from Jianping swiftly took control of the entire city. Most of the officials still within the city were detained on the spot and held for interrogation. While directing the operation, Song Nanlou also summoned a physician to treat the Commandery Administrator of Gaoyi.
Their group consisted not only of military officers but also civil officials, including the Chief Cleric of the prefecture and numerous subordinate staff. To ensure the city could maintain normal operations, Lu Yuanguang had specifically selected promising young officials for the task, among them Han Shijing, a minor official from the Ministry of Revenue.
The equally poor horseman Han Shijing – a civil official whose complexion now looked even worse than Record Officer Hou’s had earlier – trembled as she raised her hands in a feeble salute and said weakly, “Commandant, there is no need for concern. Before our departure, Her Majesty had already instructed me on how to proceed, and Vice Minister Lu also provided thorough guidance.”
Song Nanlou asked curiously, “Might I ask what plans Her Majesty has devised?” Then, adhering to the wariness expected of an official of the court, he immediately added, “If it is not convenient to speak of, simply consider the question unasked.”
Han Shijing replied, “It is no particular secret – you would have needed to learn of it sooner or later, so there is no harm in speaking now. Her Majesty instructed that given the severity of the situation in both regions, while natural disasters played a part, human failures were the greater cause. Such matters often require swift and decisive action – the longer they drag on, the harder they become to resolve. Upon our arrival, if the commandery administrator is still able to manage, we are to question him to determine the true culprits. If the commandery administrator is no longer in a state to respond, we are to inquire about the family names of the local officials. Whichever clan has the most officials serving in the region shall be held accountable, and the entire clan shall be convicted with their properties confiscated.”
Confiscation refers to the process of clarifying and seizing private assets for public ownership. According to the customs of the Great Zhou, local officials were often selected from powerful and influential local families. A glance at the personnel roster of any government office would easily reveal a striking lack of diversity in surnames.
Han Shijing added, “The commandery administrator of this region has committed errors, but the primary faults did not originate with him. Now, even the chief official, whose mistakes were relatively minor, has been punished. It is only natural that subordinate officials should also face consequences.”
Upon hearing this, a young man from the He family, who had accompanied Song Nanlou and the others, nodded in agreement.
Wen Yanran had not only included Imperial Guards, local officials, and Ministry of Revenue personnel in the team but had even embedded a censor responsible for supervising officials. This approach completely bypassed the authority of the two provincial inspectors, demonstrating the Emperor’s decision to handle local affairs directly.
Song Nanlou smiled and said, “You speak with such ease and confidence, it seems you already have a well-formed plan in mind.”
In terms of family background and social status, the gap between Han Shijing and Song Nanlou was vast. As such, there were actions the latter could take with impunity – perhaps even earning a reputation as a capable official – while if the former appeared too forceful, he would be highly susceptible to retaliation afterward.
Han Shijing thought for a moment and replied, “Her Majesty once asked me what plan I had in mind. In my view, it is best not to rely entirely on force to compel submission. As the saying goes, ‘A thousand people, a thousand faces; a hundred people, a hundred natures.’ Where there are wicked people, there are naturally good ones; where there are bandits, there are also elders. In a city as large as Yicheng, surely we can find at least one person who is discontent with the current state of affairs. When dealing with these prominent local families, if they are virtuous, appeal to their morality; if they seek profit, tempt them with power and influence. Her Majesty is the sovereign of all under heaven. Now that the roles of ruler and subject are clearly defined, why fear that no one will pledge their allegiance?”
Song Nanlou quickly grasped Han Shijing’s meaning – in this era, the central authority inherently wielded immense power, and the new emperor in Jianping had, beyond all expectations, swiftly taken control of the sovereign’s rightful authority. If the Emperor and the Marquis of Quanling were to remain locked in a stalemate, popular sentiment would inevitably and gradually tilt toward Jianping.
At its core, the powerful families in Gaoyi and Xiangqing were not of one mind, creating a natural opportunity to win over some while targeting others.
In fact, Wen Yanran also agreed with Han Shijing’s perspective and had offered a remark of her own: if everyone had truly been intent on supporting the Marquis of Quanling, there would have been no need for her to use the two commanderies to establish her authority.
A wry smile suddenly appeared on Han Shijing’s face. “Her Majesty agreed with my assessment, but did not approve of my proposed strategy.”
Hearing this, Song Nanlou initially looked puzzled, but moments later, his expression cleared as if he had suddenly understood. “Her Majesty is truly wise.”
The reason the Emperor did not agree was that, under such an approach, the situations in Gaoyi and Xiangqing would not be fundamentally different from before – one powerful family named Zhang would simply be replaced by another named Li. The previous two commandery administrators had failed not because they lacked ability, but because they relied too heavily on the local influential families to accomplish their tasks. Once they lost control over these families, they also lost control over the entire commandery.
While the two of them were discussing matters in Gaoyi, Wen Xun and her team, who had arrived in Xiangqing half a day later via the water route, also began preparing to enter the city.
The local officials in Xiangqing, much like their counterparts in Gaoyi, intended to make things difficult for the envoys from Jianping. However, before they could exchange more than a few words, the fierce-tempered Wen Xun directly drew her bow and shot one of them through the throat. The remaining officials were instantly terrified by the scene, and none dared to persist in their defiance. Moreover, mistakenly believing that the visitors from Jianping intended to drag the governor out for a public execution – which aligned with their original plan – they quickly chose to comply, thus inevitably following in the footsteps of their counterparts in Gaoyi.
While handling local affairs, Song Nanlou and his team did not forget to maintain communication with Jianping. Almost immediately after the two teams had taken control of the respective cities, messengers were dispatched back to Jianping to report.
Wen Yanran was drinking tea with the State Preceptor in the Tianfu Palace. Though she was not skilled at chess, that didn’t stop her from idly toying with the pieces. When Chi Yi came to deliver the report, she took the letter directly and opened it in front of Wen Jingmei.
The situation in both regions had progressed more smoothly than she had anticipated, with no unexpected developments arising.
Wen Yanran smiled faintly and casually handed the letter to her distant cousin, signaling for him to read it as well. At the same time, she remarked, “No wonder the Marquis of Quanling has been so reluctant to come to the capital.”
The wealth, connections, and prestige he had accumulated over years of careful planning – all of it, except for some material possessions that could still be retained – had begun to rapidly erode the moment Wen Yanran ascended the throne.
Wen Jingmei read the contents of the letter, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
Song Nanlou and the others were all newly appointed officials with no prior experience in their roles, yet they had carried out their tasks so smoothly – it could truly be considered a testament to their innate abilities. Of course, he did not overlook the line in the letter that stated, “It is entirely due to Your Majesty’s profound foresight and meticulous planning.” During the previous emperor’s reign, Wen Jingmei would have likely dismissed such words as mere modesty from court officials, but based on his understanding of Wen Yanran, she had undoubtedly made certain arrangements behind the scenes.
The new emperor was an individual with an exceptionally strong desire for control.
Wen Yanran rested her chin on one hand, seeming somewhat lost in thought.
She wasn’t daydreaming – she was observing her system interface.
The game assistance system, which had been quiet for so long that she hardly remembered it, had finally shown some changes recently. The retro, DOS-like interface occasionally flickered a few times before quickly stabilizing again, much like an old television set with poor signal contact.
Unbeknownst to Wen Yanran, if she had the permission to view the log files, she would have noticed a series of reminders repeatedly appearing in the system records, including but not limited to: “Attempting to start up…”, “Insufficient Tyrant Points, unable to start normally”, “Inadequate energy, only basic interface retained”, “Attempting to load new features…”, “Failed to load new features”, and so on.
The system was a legitimate Tyrant Training System, but the player was clearly not a legitimate tyrant.
Wen Yanran suddenly said, “Speaking of which, the end of the year is not far off.”
Wen Jingmei knew that every first month of the year, the Emperor would summon envoys from various provinces and commanderies in Jianping, and many feudal lords would take the opportunity to travel to the capital to pay their respects.
By bringing this up now, she was likely planning to formally summon Wen Jinming to the capital.
Wen Jingmei asked, “Is Your Majesty intending to summon the Marquis of Quanling?”
Wen Yanran smiled. “Naturally, she will be summoned.” She then added, “Do you believe the Marquis of Quanling will come to the capital?”
Accustomed to the Emperor’s sudden questions, Wen Jingmei pondered for a long moment before finally shaking his head. “It has been many years since I last saw the Fourth Highness, so it would be improper for me to make a hasty judgment.”
Wen Yanran leaned against the armrest and said unhurriedly, “The Marquis of Quanling has reasons to come, and reasons not to come.” She added, “However, since she did not come when I ascended the throne, it is likely she will not come for the New Year either.”
Wen Jingmei’s mind stirred, and he suddenly became acutely aware of one thing.
The Cui clan and the Marquis of Quanling had originally relied on each other, but when the Emperor had Wen Jingong executed and treated the Zheng clan generously, it was tantamount to hinting to the Cui clan that as long as they switched sides in time, Wen Yanran would not hold their past actions against them. In such a scenario, could the Cui clan and Wen Jinming truly remain as closely united as before?
Wen Yanran noticed the expression on her distant cousin’s face and, after a moment’s thought, understood what he was pondering. She smiled and said, “It may not be as dire as that. The Marquis of Quanling and the Cui clan have supported each other for many years – it is unlikely that discord would arise so easily. Moreover, back then, the Seventh Brother brought misfortune upon himself through his own misdeeds. His crimes were clearly established by the late emperor, and it was by my order that he was dealt with. Only then did the Zheng clan complete their break with their former master. Now, if the Marquis of Quanling has not abandoned the Cui clan, how could the Cui clan hope to establish themselves in the court and beyond if they were to deliberately betray their lord?” She added, “Besides, the Marquis of Quanling has long been known for her virtue and integrity. Even if seven-tenths of that reputation is false, perhaps three-tenths are genuine. Thus, she would not easily discard the Cui clan merely to save herself.”
There was one more thought she left unspoken: while a certain amount of cunning might cause various factions within the enemy camp to waver, it was only a possibility. For Wen Yanran, the outcome of victory or defeat could never rest on such peripheral moves.
Wen Yanran glanced at the sky and extended an invitation. “If you have the time, brother, why not join me for dinner at the Western Yong Palace? I have already summoned General Xiao to the palace.”
Wen Jingmei knew that she had been meeting with Xiao Xichi quite frequently lately, often summoning the hostage from the Qingyi tribe to the palace for dinner. Since Xiao Xichi held no actual official position and was typically in good health, she couldn’t follow the example of the Marquis of Quanling, who was far from the capital, by using illness as an excuse to decline the palace invitations. Of course, Xiao Xichi had previously expressed that as an insignificant figure from a border region, it was inappropriate for her to frequently enter and leave the palace. However, before she could finish her modest remarks, the Emperor interrupted her and publicly praised her instead.
Although Wen Jingmei lived a secluded life in the Tianfu Palace, he had still heard about the Emperor’s remark about Xiao Xichi. “General Xiao is a hero of our time. When I see the General, it is as if I am seeing all the talented individuals of the realm.”
Given the Emperor’s temperament, such actions likely indicated that she had some plans for Xiao Xichi – though Wen Jingmei himself could not yet discern what they were.
Not wanting to become involved in border affairs, Wen Jingmei politely declined. “If I were to join, I fear it would only make General Xiao even more uneasy.”
