"You're going to Pingjiang now?" Gu Wu Chen stroked his white beard, which had turned gray after ten years of hardships in the army. Although he was only forty years old, his hair and beard were already flecked with white, and his thick eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the list of bandits provided by Qu Wu Yang under the candlelight. Lin Xie's suggestion made him hesitate, and after a moment of contemplation, he raised his head and said, "It's too dangerous for you to go to Pingjiang..."

  "Ah……” Gu Jun Xiang was helping her father pick up the wick with scissors, listening to him say that Lin Xie going to Pingjiang Prefecture voluntarily would be extremely dangerous. As she lost focus, her slender fingers like jade got scorched by the flame, and she couldn't help but reveal her concern for Lin Xie. She only pinched the scalded finger, thinking to herself: Is going to Pingjiang really that perilous?

  Because Gu Wu Chen is going to take a boat to Dongyang tomorrow morning, Lin Xuan didn't care that it was already midnight and directly knocked on the door of Zhu Tang Xi Yuan to discuss with Gu Wu Chen about going to Pingjiang Prefecture.

  Gu Jun Xun listened to the commotion over here, found an excuse to come over and serve tea and water, and at this time, lingered without leaving, using scissors to help trim the wick.

  Gu Suiyuan was dragged over by Gu Wudu to broaden his horizons, but he didn't care about Lin Xian's safety in Pingjiang, and couldn't help but yawn.

  Yang Pu was originally asleep. He saw Lin Xie come over in the middle of the night and thought there must be something urgent, so he quickly got up. He heard that Lin Xie actually volunteered to go to Pingjiang.

  The battle at the river mouth, Taihu thieves were killed more than 200 people, Lin Fu and Taihu Shui Zhai forces hatred is settled, now go to Taihu naturally extremely dangerous.

  Lin Xian saw Gu Junxun just scalded the fire head, and said to Gu Wudeng: "Those Taohu thieves who colluded with Qu's family to ambush Hekou naturally do not need to be tolerated. Please ask Ninghai Town officials to eliminate them, but we cannot let all the forces of Taohu Shui Village be pulled over by Sha's family. We must also prevent Liu An'er's chaos from happening again in Taohu."

  Gu Wudu stroked his chin, and with the position of the inspector already in sight, it was only a matter of time before the official appointment letter arrived. The Jiangdong County would once again produce a big basket, and the responsibilities that the Inspectorate should bear could no longer be pushed onto Jia Pengyu's head. The situation east of Jiangning was indeed worrying.

  Lin Jia said, "Your Excellency is directing the battle in Dongyang and training the local militia. I will go to Pingjiang as a private individual to raise military funds for you. I will ask those Taohu water bandits who have not been bribed by the Qu family to contribute military funds for your battle in Dongyang, giving them an opportunity to clear their names; even if it's dangerous, it's worth trying."

  Hong Zepu is in a state of chaos, and the conditions for organizing the village militia are all ripe. This was something that Shen Rong had been trying to do in Dongyang for years. Gu Wudian took advantage of the opportunity to supervise the war and put Lin Tingli in charge of this matter, but in reality, he personally controlled it, with the intention of plucking the peach. The issue of military funding for the village militia has always been a problem.

  "What about the situation on this side of the river after you left?" asked Gu Wu Chen.

  Lin Xian saw Gu Wu Chen say to himself, "The prison island has Zhangsun Gong and Yang Shi, Zhao Hu is training new recruits, there shouldn't be any problems; the river mouth has Zhao Qinmin, Lin Mengde assists him, and also has Chen Yuanliang and Zhang Yubo responding, can also cope with ease."

  "It's always better for you to stay at the river mouth and put my mind at ease," Gu Wu Chen said, "With you at the river mouth, you can also take care of things in the city. If you could leave, I would have taken you to Dongyang long ago."

  "I won't be staying in Pingjiang for much longer." Lin Fu said, he was unwilling to go to Dongyang at this time, with his hands tied.

  "It's better for you to go," said Gu Wu Chen, "the East Sea pirates might become a headache later on. You can familiarize yourself with the situation for me; dealing with the Xi family shouldn't rely too heavily on Li Zhuo."

  "What name is good?" Lin Xuan asked.

  "Are you here to supervise the grain supply?" Gu Wu Chen asked, "It's more convenient for us to handle things."

  "'Rationing is convenient,' Lin Xie said, 'I'm just a small-time tax collector, wearing a big hat doesn't suit me.'"

  "......" Gu Wu Chen lightly laughed and said, "It's okay, as long as you don't feel restricted in your movements."

  "The Grain Supervisor" has the name of supervisor, and can urge and blame local governments in grain preparation. This temporary position is given by the Censorate to lower-ranking officials to handle affairs in prefectures and counties with special privileges, so that even low-ranking officials can wield great power over local officials. "Grain Preparation Envoy" would be much less important; it's suitable for Lin Xian to temporarily take on the title of Grain Preparation Envoy as a eighth-rank Lang officer to go to Pingjiang Prefecture, but it's hard to say whether his arrival will be taken seriously by local authorities.

  This matter was settled, and Lin Xie bid farewell and returned to Caotang.

  Gu Su-yuan couldn't stand Lin Xie, and after he left, she ridiculed him saying: "He's just looking for an excuse to use his father's influence to bully the locals..."

  "What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Wu Chen's face turned cold as he disapproved of his son's sarcastic remarks behind his back.

  "Everyone outside says that the reason why Qu Wu Yang entered the trap was because Lin Kui killed his son and sought revenge," said Gu Siyuan, "I think this is probably true, what's the difference between his actions and those of a bandit who kills people and steals their money?"

  "This is something others can say, but you can't." Gu Wu Chen's face sank.

  "Why can't I speak, didn't Father teach me to know 'benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and faith, loyalty, filial piety, integrity and shame, bravery'? This is the foundation of self-cultivation, governing the family and establishing a career," Gu Siyuan said. "Father, you often say I don't understand things, but I haven't spoken nonsense outside, let alone in front of Lin Lian. Can't I speak the truth even in front of Father and Yang Shu?"

  Gu Wudu did not scold his son again and said: "Now you also know the truth of 'being careful with words', it's considered progress."

  Many things at the river mouth, Gu Wu Chen saw with his own eyes. The case of Qu Wu Yang's only son being kidnapped, he also tended to believe it was Lin Xuan's doing. However, Gu Wu Chen is a pragmatic person. "When the water is clear, there are no fish; when people are too cautious, they have no followers." This simple yet true principle he still understands in his heart. To say that someone is unreliable, Chen Yuan Liang is even more unreliable than Lin Xuan. Yet, isn't he still being used? Moreover, under his command, it's hard to find someone who can stand out like Lin Xuan. Without any ambition, without any greed, and without resorting to unscrupulous means, how can one accomplish great things?

  The way of governing is to seek loyalty and integrity, for only then can one be considered a superior ruler. To manipulate and control through power and influence is merely a lower form of governance, whereas to guide and rule with virtue and moral authority is the hallmark of a truly superior leader.

  Gu Wudu saw that his son had the intention of speaking out, so he thought that scolding him would not work and let him speak freely, in order to guide him in a favorable direction.

  Yang Pu saw Gu Wu Chen wanting to instruct his son, and Shi Yuan would inevitably have to mention Lin Xie's matter again, so he also found it inconvenient to stay and first took leave to rest.

  Gu Xun heard her brother's words, puffed up with anger, but she couldn't think of anything to say in Lin Xuan's defense, so she just sat there fuming, refusing to go back to her room even though it was already late at night.

  "Lin Xie doesn't know shame, Lin Duan is not courteous and has no benevolence. Although they have wisdom and bravery, how can we be sure that in the future they will uphold loyalty and filial piety?" Gu Siyuan's courage also grew bigger, and he spoke out boldly.

  "You're still too young," Gu Wu Chen said, having spent years in the border garrisons, where would he still hope for unwarranted loyalty and filial piety? Seeing his son's righteous indignation, he instead recalled his own youthful vigor and calmed down, no longer scolding him. "It's good to have ideas, but remember to be cautious with your words, these things absolutely cannot be spoken wildly outside."

  "I didn't want to say anything," Gu Siyuan said with a scowl, "but Lin Xie has set his sights on Xunniang, and his intentions are truly despicable..."

  "What?" Mrs. Guo also hadn't gone to sleep, and had been sitting in the inner room listening until now. Hearing this, she couldn't help but get up and ask, "What do you mean by saying that Lin Ju has set his sights on Xiangniang?"

  "Outside, people are saying that Xiangniang is already seventeen and has not yet been promised to anyone, Father is staying behind to plot against Lin Fu..." said Gu Suiyuan.

  "Nonsense, can you believe such rubbish?" Gu Wu Chen's face suddenly changed. He had indeed thought about marrying his daughter to Lin Lian, but this idea was deeply hidden and had never been revealed before. He wanted to find an appropriate time to mention it to his wife, but in front of his daughter, he told his son that he would use his daughter as a pawn to lure Lin Lian, how could he bear the shame? Gu Wu Chen was furious, his words no longer polite, and he raised his hand again to slap his son.

  "If this were to spread outside, it would be fine. Which words can be heard and which cannot, the child is not completely unaware of the boundaries," said Gu Suiyuan, "But since this word was first spread in the countryside, there's something fishy about it?"

  "What does it mean that Lin Xuan spread such rumors?" Madame Gu's face changed, "Are you going to force you to marry Xiangniang to him?"

  Many things are like this, others don't come to ask for it, but instead think of giving it to them, while others insist on asking for it, yet in their heart they harbor unwarranted resentment.

  Gu Wudu's hand that had been raised finally did not pull back, and instead fell onto the table, furrowing his brow as he said: "Don't make wild guesses about this kind of thing, and absolutely do not blindly believe in this kind of talk."

  Gu Jun Xun was wronged and wanted to cry, but her elder sister Gu Ying Xue had already hinted at the intention of marriage. Why would Lin Xuan do such a foolish thing? Unfortunately, she couldn't explain things for Lin Xuan, after all, her elder sister's words hadn't been explicit, and she could only guess what they meant. Besides, even if her elder sister had spoken clearly, this was not something that Gu Jun Xun had any right to comment on.

  ************

  Xue Fei Hu's residence in the city was a half-acre lotus garden, and on this night, two wind lanterns hung in the main courtyard. The rain had just stopped, and there were no stars or moon in the sky. The flickering lights of the lanterns cast an eerie gloom over the entire courtyard.

  "Can the plan of sowing discord be carried out?" Xie Feihu asked, "If Gu Wudeng didn't have the intention of marrying his daughter to Lin Lian, but because of this rumor, he ends up marrying his daughter to Lin Lian, wouldn't we be helping that beast instead?"

  "Could it get any worse than now?" Qin Zitan smiled and asked, "Gu Wudu and Lin Xian are already inseparable at this point. Even if the scheme to drive them apart backfires, things won't be worse than they are now."

  "I think Song Jia still wants to marry his daughter off to Lin Lian," said Song Jia, yawning. "Who wouldn't want to keep such a capable and brave general by their side? If we compare him to the ancients, Lin Lian is like Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms. Unfortunately, not everyone has a Diaochan to use as leverage. Zi Tan is on the right track with his plans for Diaochan."

  "We'll now expose Gu Wu Chen's thoughts and make them public, under the bright sunlight, so that Gu Wu Chen can't marry off his daughter," Qin Zi Tan said with a smile. "Gu Wu Chen has always thought of himself as a noble person, let's see if he can bear the shame of 'using his daughter to manipulate people's hearts'. Moreover, we need to make an issue out of Lin Shu's birth, that he is the son of a Gu family slave and servant girl, this point must be thoroughly publicized. Even if Gu Wu Chen eventually marries off his daughter to Lin Shu, these two points will still be like thorns in their hearts..."

  "Speaking of heart and eyes, there are hardly a few people in the world who can compare with you," Xue Fei Hu listened to Qin Zi Tan's analysis and found it very interesting, laughed and asked, "You're leaving for Pingjiang tomorrow, why not get some rest early? Do you really think it's necessary to go personally?"

  "The prince's side can't spare anyone, so we'll have to send someone over," said Qin Zitan. "The Qu family's bandit case has made the Taihu Lake stronghold's power precarious, and if we don't take advantage of this opportunity to win them over, when will we? The young master and mistress in Jiangning need to persuade the provincial military commander's office to use force against the Taihu Lake stronghold, at least to create a show of strength. The more pressure applied here, the easier it will be for me to win them over..."

  ***************

  P.S: Looking for red envelopes (with money).