Zhou Weizhao was only half a month slower than Song Chuyi. Standing on the deck gazing into the distance, he could see that the originally lush forests on both banks had been burned a fiery red—this was the strategy Song Chuyi had provided to Commander Zhou: attack with fire. For all these years, local officials had been unable to eliminate the water bandits. The reason was simple—there were accomplices in the court above, and common people providing cover below. Now Song Chuyi’s fire had forced out the water bandits hiding deep in the mountains. Commander Zhou, driven to desperation with no way out, naturally followed Song Chuyi’s suggestion without hesitation and slaughtered those water bandits to the last man.

Above, common folk were chopping wood—whenever mountains were burned, the villagers were always delighted. No matter what, a season’s worth of firewood was assured. They scrambled to go up the mountain to chop down these already dead trees to take home as fuel.

Ye Jingchuan followed his gaze and looked over, lowering his head with a soft laugh: “Who knows how thrilling and dangerous it must have been on that boat that night. This Sixth Miss Song truly surprises people every time.”

Although he had praised her many times already, he still couldn’t help but feel shocked by her intelligence and composure. The more people there are, the more chaotic and difficult to manage, not to mention there were also escorts and other jianghu types among them. If the subordinates weren’t kept in line, they could easily become a disaster. When traveling away from home, as long as the subordinates caused any trouble, accidents would easily occur. Yet Song Chuyi not only managed to keep her subordinates in line but also eliminated all those water bandits in one sweep. Although without the Crown Prince’s help and Song Chengru’s personal letter she might not have been able to handle it so cleanly, Ye Jingchuan believed that if Song Chuyi had only wanted to escape from the water bandits, it would have been extremely easy.

Zhou Weizhao’s expression remained as calm as always, but a layer of worry vaguely surfaced in his heart. He remembered that Qing Zhuo’s letter had mentioned Song Chuyi burned with fever for several days, and when it was severe, she even spoke deliriously. He had almost forgotten that after all, she was a pampered young lady from an earl’s manor. No matter how capable she usually was, she couldn’t withstand the mental exhaustion of such a long and arduous journey.

Since he had decided to help, he shouldn’t have just done surface favors like Lai Chenglong. He should have thoroughly eliminated the hidden dangers for her. Zhou Weizhao sighed, then felt this sigh was somewhat inexplicable, and his brows involuntarily furrowed.

Ye Jingchuan had already voiced his concern: “No matter how capable, she’s still a pampered young girl. Encountering such matters and having to protect a whole boatload of people—who knows how much mental energy it must have consumed.”

The river surface reflected the setting sun, creating the perfect scene of half the river rippling, half the river red. Ye Jingkuan glanced at him and couldn’t help but find it amusing: “Yes, yes, yes. In your eyes, it would be best if Sixth Miss Song didn’t need to expend a single bit of effort and could just be a pampered young lady.”

Ye Jingchuan indeed thought exactly that. Sixth Miss Song was exquisitely beautiful like a porcelain doll, her eyes clear as crystal when looking at people. Such a wonderful young lady, in his eyes, shouldn’t have to trouble herself over anything and should be well protected by others.

Zhou Weizhao’s brows twitched, and he turned to ask Ye Jingkuan: “What’s the situation at Yangquan?”

Ye Jingkuan’s expression became serious. This trip out was to accompany Zhou Weizhao on official business: “According to the news just sent back, that group of common people has been incited and has already occupied the mountain as kings and raised the banner of rebellion.”

The one who incited these common people and wanted to seize the mines for himself was a famous wealthy household in Yangquan. It was said that last year someone told his fortune, claiming he possessed the aura of a true dragon. He actually believed it and, relying on the wealth his family had accumulated from generations of mining, recruited soldiers widely. He truly managed to gather some rabble together and quite impressively imitated others in ‘holding court and discussing affairs.’ He successively seized all the surrounding mines through dishonorable means. The previous county magistrate had accepted his bribes and colluded with him, covering for him and gradually allowing him to grow powerful, ultimately becoming the present disaster.

Emperor Jianzhang specifically wanted him to come quell this rebellion as a way to temper him. This was making him begin to learn to interfere in court matters—it was both trust and a test.

Ye Jingkuan didn’t dare relax in the slightest. This was the most critical time—the Crown Prince didn’t like the Crown Prince’s son but doted on his youngest son. If Zhou Weizhao didn’t firmly cling to the currently reigning Emperor Jianzhang to consolidate his position, the future would be completely uncertain.

Thinking of this, Ye Jingkuan felt somewhat puzzled—his elder brother-in-law was truly excessively obsessed. He indulged and spoiled Consort Fan and her son with the bearing of a prospective incompetent ruler, yet the Eastern Palace hadn’t produced any mishaps all these years.

Princess Rongcheng had always been aligned with her cousin, Crown Princess Lu. When Zhou Weizhao was first born, he was as weak and tiny as a kitten. At that time, Crown Princess Lu’s health was poor, and the Empress was busy with numerous affairs, so it was Princess Rongcheng who raised Zhou Weizhao bit by bit until he was plump and fair. Later, as Crown Princess Lu grew increasingly weak and Consort Fan’s eastern wind overwhelmed the western wind, Crown Princess Lu had no choice but to send Zhou Weizhao to Longhu Mountain to cultivate and recuperate with the Celestial Master. It was the unmarried Princess Rongcheng who personally escorted Zhou Weizhao there. Zhou Weizhao was still too young at the time, so Princess Rongcheng simply stayed with him at Longhu Mountain for over two months. Only when New Year approached did she truly have no choice but to rush back to the capital.

From the day he married Princess Rongcheng, he had already taken his stand with the Eastern Palace and naturally became part of the Crown Prince’s faction within that camp. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was truly no ordinary person. In just a few short years, he adapted to palace life, established a firm foothold, and gained Emperor Jianzhang’s deep affection.

Zhou Weizhao stared thoughtfully at the river surface for a while, then suddenly asked: “Uncle, what do you think—how should this matter be resolved?”

They had already discussed this countless times with staff members and people from the Zhanshi Bureau, but still hadn’t reached a definitive conclusion. Some advocated deploying troops for suppression, while others said that since the common people of an entire county were involved and the momentum had grown large, direct suppression might not be a good strategy. After all, the two neighboring counties were also causing trouble, and if it truly spread like wildfire, that would be disastrous.

Emperor Jianzhang wanted Zhou Weizhao to quell the rebellion, not to add fuel to the fire and make things worse.

Ye Jingkuan thought of this, and his considerations naturally came out: “The momentum is already considerable now—a full forty thousand people, most of them common folk. The numbers are too great. If we deploy troops, we can only mobilize from the nearby garrison forces, but the garrison only has four thousand men. Compared to those rebels’ numbers, it’s still far too few. We need to think of other methods.”

Four thousand against forty thousand—the gap in between was truly too vast. Moreover, these garrison troops were all from Jin territory and would inevitably have relatives and old ties with those rebels, so they might not be willing to fight wholeheartedly.