Youzhou was in turmoil, and Yihe River was the center of the turbulence. In this tragedy, only in Yihe City, there were 24 families and more than 40 families. No less than 700 people were killed on the spot in Yihe City. Most of the people who survived were sent to the border. According to the continuous reports of the spies, the Turf Lords, who had wisely chosen to protect themselves, did not have much resentment now. The reason was very simple. After people died, they gained more territory. Other than the Northern Liang who took away most of the profits, the leftovers were also quite considerable. These were all taken over by the fence-sitters like them. The retainers and servants who gave them food and money, the maids and maidservants from other families whom they coveted, and the precious calligraphy and paintings that were sold cheaply, were all real benefits. After Hsu Fengnian entered the city, he lifted the curtain and looked out several times. He could see many cold eyes, numbness, hatred, fear, hatred, and so on.
When Hsu Fengnian returned to the General's Mansion, Song Yan and Wang Xihua had not returned yet. The two senior officials of Lingzhou who were temporarily transferred to Youzhou did not directly intervene in the specific affairs of Yihe River. Instead, it was mostly managed by General Huangfu Jin and Provincial Governor Wang Peifang. Hsu Fengnian did not know how these two political rivals could get together. At that time, he made up his mind to bring them to Youzhou. He intended to let Song Yan serve as an assistant to the new Provincial Governor Hu Kui who was a military general. It was not that he did not trust Hu Kui who had made outstanding contributions as the Provincial Governor of Liangzhou, but that in the future, the four provinces of Beiliang would complement each other and balance each other. This trend was not limited to the positions of General and Provincial Governor on the surface. As for Wang Xihua, who was outstanding in literary knowledge in Beiliang, it was a bit like the "auspicious event" in Youzhou where there were endless bloody storms. Moreover, the Green Deer Cave Academy also needed a literary expert to hold the fort. Everything was difficult at the beginning. It was impossible to stuff all scholars into the officialdom of Beiliang at once. This was a relatively gradual process. Moreover, there were many scholars who were just there to make up the numbers. Hsu Fengnian sat in Huangfu Jin's unusually simple study. There were not many books, and even the decorations were lacking. It was a dull and gloomy room, which was indeed similar to Huangfu Jin's character.
Hsu Fengnian was flipping through a mediocre physiognomy book. Without raising his head, he said, "Come in."
The person who entered the room was surnamed Liu, the head of the spies in Yihe City. He reported to the King of Beiliang what he had seen and heard today, which were all bits and pieces of the conversation between Song Yan and Wang Xihua. It turned out that after witnessing the bloodshed in Youzhou and learning of the cause of the matter, the two of them had no objection to the punishment of the Huang family of Yihe. However, they had a serious disagreement over the matter of the restaurant's property being confiscated. Wang Xihua insisted that the sixty-five storytellers, regardless of whether they were commoners or tyrants, did not deserve such a heavy punishment from the King of Beiliang. On the other hand, Song Yan, who had always advocated legalism, believed that everyone deserved to be punished. The two of them had rushed to Youzhou. Originally, as expected, Song Yan would assume the position of Youzhou's Prime Minister, while Wang Xihua would be in charge of the provincial administration. The two of them could not come to an agreement, so they made a bet. If Wang Xihua won, the two of them would exchange positions. Song Yan, on the other hand, said that he would definitely win and that his position would remain the same. However, when Wang Xihua saw him in the future, Song Yan would have to pay respects to his superior.
Upon hearing this, Hsu Fengnian put down the book and said with a smile, "The two of you are really leisurely and elegant. Don't tell me you investigated the sixty-five people one by one."
Spy Liu said softly, "That's not the case. Wang Xihua only picked three people."
Hsu Fengnian nodded and said, "A scholar's spirit is because he is afraid of winning an unfair battle. Go on, tell me which three people he picked. "
The unremarkable Yihe spy said respectfully, "They are Cao Sheng, a disciple of the Cao family of Yihe; Qi Fengnian, the shopkeeper of Qiji Silk Store; and Han Laicai, a villager. Among the three, Cao Sheng is a regular customer of Jingyi Xuan Restaurant, while the Cao family is a low-ranking family of Yihe. Qi Fengnian is a live-in son-in-law and has a good reputation in Yihe West Street. Han Laicai, on the other hand, pretended to enter the restaurant to buy wine. In fact, he was embarrassingly short of money, so he hid in the back and took the opportunity to listen to the storytellers. Regarding these matters, Song Yan and Wang Xihua carefully went through the files after the bet. Wang Xihua picked three people within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, and Song Yan nodded in approval. "
Hsu Fengnian stood up and said, "Wang Xihua believes that the human heart is good and that everyone has a compassionate heart. What Song Yan learned is that the human heart is evil. The battle between the two is not a battle of moral essays. In the end, it is a battle of the human heart outside of books. If I were to guess, the loser is definitely the moral Wang Xihua, but the one who won an unfair battle is the old fox Song Yan. If we were to switch places and look for good deeds among the evil people, the loser would naturally be Song Yan. It's just that Song Yan would not agree to such a bet. "
The spy leader surnamed Liu hesitated for a moment, but he still gathered his courage and said, "In my humble opinion, Song Yan did not win an unfair battle. Apart from Cao Sheng's two murder cases, the rich merchant Qi Fengnian and the villager Han Laicai, according to the law, should be imprisoned."
Hsu Fengnian shook his hand. "In a place like Beiliang, chivalry is strong, but chivalry is not necessarily strong. It is easy to commit crimes, but difficult to not commit crimes."
The spy was silent.
Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "This time, there are many clans in Yihe City who are busy fishing for profits. Liu Jingxing, why don't you seize some gold and silver from their hands and treat it as a reward for your brothers. There is no reason for you to work hard and stare at them while those who don't work hard to take advantage of you. I think they won't dare to not open their mouths and spit out some fat meat. However, This King will tell you in advance that this is just a special case, not a new rule for you to do things in the future. "
Liu Jingxing grinned and laughed. He still didn't have the slightest craftiness of an outsider's impression of a shrewd spy. Instead, he became more and more honest. He didn't look like a cold spy who called Song Yan Wang Xihua by his name. Hsu Fengnian continued to pick up the book, and Liu Jingxing tactfully said goodbye. When he crossed the threshold and gently closed the door, he caught a glimpse of a little girl from the corner of his eye. From beginning to end, Liu Jingxing didn't notice such a girl. She had a golden hairpin on her head and was squatting beside a blue and white porcelain vase that was half the height of a person. She was looking at Liu Jingxing. Liu Jingxing quickly retracted his gaze, lowered his head, and completely closed the door. Not long after Liu Jingxing left, Song Yan, who was temporarily the guest of Lingzhou, knocked on the door and entered. Hsu Fengnian held the book and pointed to the chair opposite the table. Song Yan sat down calmly. Hsu Fengnian joked, "Our Wang Gongcao really fell into your trap."
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