Old Fang turned back, took his seat, and nodded with a smile, pulling out broken silver from his sleeve to place on the table as a tip for the shop attendant, quietly inquiring: “These Shouyang troops… are they the bandit-suppressing soldiers trained by Princess Zhenguo?”

The shop attendant accepted the tip with an even brighter smile, his tone becoming more flattering: “Oh my! Thank you for your generosity, sir! You’re asking about those patrolling Shouyang troops… they are indeed the soldiers trained by Princess Zhenguo to suppress bandits for us Shouyang people. Now the Shouyang troops patrol the city all day long. Not to mention those bandits… even those scoundrels who commit crimes and break laws in the city don’t dare come out anymore!”

Old Fang nodded and asked again: “That Fifth Miss… is she the Fifth Miss of the Bai family?”

“Exactly! Isn’t it said that the Bai family’s direct line has an ancestral teaching that all Bai family descendants, male or female, must train in military camps? Later, all the Bai family men died in battle, so the Fifth Miss and Sixth Miss’s military camp training was delayed. But then… after our Shouyang army was established, the two young ladies trained together with the Shouyang troops. Those two young ladies started from the most ordinary soldiers and now… they’re already centurions! That’s why they say they’re truly Bai family descendants – they’re just exceptional! Look at our Princess Zhenguo and Princess Gaoyi… when campaigning against the Liang Kingdom, they’re invincible!”

When the shop attendant spoke of Princess Zhenguo and Princess Gaoyi, when speaking of the Bai family, his admiration was impossible to hide. He smiled and said: “Who says women are inferior to men! Don’t you agree, sir!”

Old Fang’s heart kept sinking. He hadn’t expected Princess Zhenguo’s prestige in Shouyang to be so high.

“I’ve wandered around the city for quite a while and don’t seem to have seen any beggars…” Old Fang asked with another smile, “I remember it was said before that refugees from Huayang City all came to Shouyang City. Have they all left?”

Speaking of this, the shop attendant’s eyes became even brighter: “Left? What for! Our Shouyang did indeed receive large numbers of refugees from Huayang City. Princess Zhenguo thought about how to settle these refugees in the future. Later… those who were strong and healthy after being treated joined the military, while those who were weak in body, well… we saved your lives in Shouyang, it can’t be for nothing! These people were settled inside or outside Shouyang City, repaying with labor the costs of medicine and food consumed to save them initially!”

“Princess Zhenguo didn’t want them to repay any medicine fees, but she just didn’t want those disaster victims to think they could get something for nothing after coming to Shouyang! They could repay the medicine and food costs through their labor and also earn silver to live on.”

“Later, Princess Zhenguo issued reward measures. After these people settled down in Shouyang, anyone who showed outstanding performance in any field would be rewarded! For example, Wang Ren from the year before last, who improved irrigation methods for farmland and increased grain yield per acre – look at him now… Wang Ren has not only been employed by the government, but Princess Zhenguo also had people arrange housing for him. His whole family now has a small courtyard! Their life is incredibly comfortable!”

“Our original beggars in Shouyang were also properly arranged. Those without household registration… were given new registration. After this type of person is registered, their household registration documents are filed separately. Every half month, Shouyang troops check what these people are doing now. Even if these newly registered former beggars want to sell themselves or engage in business, local officials and Shouyang troops don’t interfere! The only rule is that Shouyang people are not allowed to give silver or food to beggars, to avoid encouraging laziness! Naturally… for those who are truly too old to work and have no sons or daughters, Shouyang troops will also make proper arrangements.”

The shop attendant, considering the generous tip Old Fang had given, spoke a bit more than usual and smiled: “In our Shouyang now, everyone lives prosperously, just as Lord Bai Qingping, who oversees the Shouyang army, said – as long as one is willing to work hard, everyone in Shouyang can live a good life! Sir… please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything! I’ll go busy myself now!”

Old Fang nodded. The more he heard, the more frightened he became. These things in Shouyang – neither the local prefect nor Bai Qingyan had reported them to the court. Bai Qingyan wanted to turn Shouyang into the Bai family’s private domain!

Old Fang was calculating in his mind how he should tell the Crown Prince about this when he heard the tables nearby discussing events in the capital.

“I heard Prince Liang conspired with Left Chancellor Li Mao and Imperial Guard Commander Fan Yuhuai to rebel! They want to kill the Crown Prince and the Emperor! You just returned from the capital – is this true?” someone asked his friend.

The person who had just returned from the capital, after his initial shock, nodded repeatedly: “Your news is surprisingly fast! The heavens are about to change! That day, I had already reached the capital’s gates when I heard all four city gates of the capital were sealed! Entry permitted but no exit! I didn’t dare enter, so I had my workers deliver the tea leaves into the city while I found an excuse to turn back! I was just preparing to tell you all about this today!”

“What more is there to say! I just returned from the neighboring county, and it’s spread everywhere there… they say the Crown Prince and Emperor are now trapped in the imperial palace, and it seems the Bai family’s Second Miss is leading troops in stubborn resistance!”

“Right, on my way back from the capital, it spread everywhere. Even the rest stops and restaurants were all talking about this!”

“I think it’s impossible, though. If Prince Liang intended to act, how could news spread everywhere just as he made his move?”

“I heard the Crown Prince detected Prince Liang’s actions and sent people to spread the news, hoping someone could lead troops to protect the emperor! It was also to let the people know that if one day… Prince Liang killed His Majesty and blamed the Crown Prince; he hoped someone could clear his name. The Crown Prince was afraid of being reviled for eternity after death!”

“Even if the Crown Prince didn’t send people to spread the news, I wouldn’t believe the Crown Prince committed regicide! Think about it – the Crown Prince is already the Crown Prince. As soon as His Majesty passes away, the throne will be the Crown Prince’s! Why would the Crown Prince need to commit regicide? It doesn’t make sense!”

“Imperial power struggles are always life-or-death matters. It’s always been a case of victory and defeat determining everything…”

Upon hearing this, Old Fang could no longer sit still. He suddenly stood up, and the chair behind him fell over with a crash. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at Old Fang.

Old Fang’s face was pale, his breathing unsteady…

Prince Liang had rebelled?

He didn’t dare stay any longer and hurriedly turned around, running downstairs.

The four guards who had escorted Old Fang to Shouyang and were eating downstairs hadn’t finished their meal when they saw Old Fang rushing down. They wiped their mouths, left silver, got up with their swords, and followed Old Fang: “Sir, where are we going?”

“Back to the capital! Immediately! Right now!” Old Fang’s voice couldn’t help but rise and tremble. He didn’t dare imagine… if Fan Yuhuai and Li Mao had both become Prince Liang’s faction, and now Prince Liang was rebelling while Liu Hong and Princess Zhenguo had taken Jin Kingdom’s main forces to Great Liang, how long could the Crown Prince hold out?

“Yes!” One of the guards quickly rushed out to fetch the carriage.