Shao Yao pushed aside the two imposing figures standing before her, just as others expected her to speak — but the whip had already cut through the air with fierce momentum.

Li Shiren was not about to take that lying down. Without some depth of foundation, the position of Jingzhou’s garrison commander would never have fallen to the Li Family in the first place. His earlier silence and refusal to acknowledge the charges was not out of any particular fear — if this matter were brought before the Emperor himself, the worst he would receive was a reprimand. He was hardly the only one who had privately deployed men; who among them had not taken on a few off-the-books arrangements?

But the other party was the Seven Lodges Division, and that name alone demanded caution. So he had kept his teeth clenched around the charges and refused to admit them. Had that Mu Yunyang been smarter, the two of them could have shouldered this matter together — and even if the Seven Lodges Division were genuinely determined, would they really be able to simultaneously remove a provincial administrator and a garrison commander? Even if they truly had the heart to do so, that depended on whether the forces behind the Li and Mu families agreed!

But never in any scenario he had imagined did he expect her to simply strike without warning — one whip, just like that. What was this? This was planting a boot on his face and spitting into his mouth!

When she raised the whip a second time, he instantly drew his saber to meet it. The personal guards who had accompanied him saw that their general had made his move and drew their blades all at once, while the garrison soldiers also surged into motion, surrounding the small group on all sides.

Yu Tao and Wang Cheng split apart in perfect unison, each taking on half — yet both felt a gnawing worry. This was, after all, the front gate of the Administration Office. If the opposing reinforcements kept arriving in endless waves, then—

“Chen Zhen — bring Mu Yunyang over here.”

“Yes.” Chen Zhen exchanged a look with his brother before stepping away. His Highness had too few people around him, yet this outing had kept running into trouble at every turn, always leaving them with a sense of being stretched dangerously thin.

When they dragged him over, Mu Yunyang could no longer sustain the dignified bearing of before. His hair hung loose and he wore only his inner robes — a thoroughly wretched sight. Having him in their hands, the garrison soldiers’ movements visibly faltered.

The Sixth Prince looked at him briefly. If a provincial administrator had already come to such a state, what could one expect from any other official? As the saying goes, when the beam above is crooked, the beams below will follow — how upright could the conduct and integrity of Jingzhou’s entire officialdom possibly be?

It was fortunate that the Seven Lodges Division had always wandered across the nine provinces year-round, or his father would have known even less of the true state of things — though even so, the picture he received was probably limited. From what he knew, the Seven Lodges Division did not ordinarily keep close watch over local officials; they were more focused on neighboring kingdoms, and on patching the gaps across this vast nation.

In recent years, though no great calamity had proved insurmountable, lesser disasters had never been rare either. It was only after coming to the Hua Family that he had learned from Elder Sister Shao Yao that some matters were suppressed at the local level and never had the chance to reach his Imperial Father’s desk.

Exactly where had things gone wrong? Little Six stared at the brawling crowd with a touch of bewilderment. These men sat in high positions, gripping enormous power in their hands — even if they devoted only two parts in ten of their energy to official duties, the common people would have enough. So why could they not manage even that? Greed could not be stamped out; thus the Great Qing Dynasty, from its very founding, had adopted a live-and-let-live attitude on such matters and had never clamped down hard. But as Elder Sister Hua had put it — you cannot pocket all the benefits and then refuse to do the work.

Little Six lowered his head, lips pressed into a thin line. Elder Sister Hua had said that if there were more capable officials — even somewhat corrupt ones — that would not be so terrible. But what exactly made a capable official? Many who started out decently grew crooked over time. He personally knew of several such cases. The same smiles on their faces — once those smiles had seemed perfectly fine, now they turned his stomach.

Little Six searched for an answer. The fighting by now had reached its most intense. In terms of martial skill, Li Shiren was marginally superior to Shao Yao — yet Shao Yao had the advantage of poison enhancement, and in the end Li Shiren became the defeated party. His personal guards had all been knocked down. Only the garrison soldiers continued to grow in number; but hamstrung by Mu Yunyang being held in enemy hands, the additional men did not meaningfully increase their fighting strength.

Shao Yao’s chest rose and fell in rapid heaves. “Bind them and throw them in the cells.”

Li Shiren struggled and shouted: “This official is the garrison commander of an entire province — you cannot humiliate this official this way! Nor do you have the authority to deal with this official!”

“Throwing your rank at me?” Shao Yao snorted coldly. “Even if I cut you down here and now, your Li Family would have no choice but to accept it!”

“Does the Seven Lodges Division truly think so little of imperial law and the Emperor’s authority? This official refuses to accept this! This official demands an audience with the Emperor!”

“Rest assured — that opportunity will come. Throw them in.”

Mu Yunyang was considerably more compliant — when the men came to bind him, he obediently placed his hands behind his back and let them proceed without a word of resistance. The very picture of knowing which way the wind was blowing.

Shao Yao paused to collect herself, then formally declared her authority. “The Seven Lodges Division is assuming control of the Administration Office. Within the time it takes to burn one incense stick, I want to see every officer of the garrison and every official of the Administration Office assembled here — every single one.”

A person’s name carries their reputation like a shadow. If those earlier moments had frightened the assembled men, this announcement somehow also settled them. Looking back through the history of the Great Qing Dynasty, the Seven Lodges Division had never once done anything to harm the nation — they had always held the Emperor’s profound trust. Even the most stubborn among those present softened at this moment. Whatever they were told to do, they did. In less than the allotted time, every last person had arrived — not a single one missing.

Shao Yao used the interval to assess the personnel situation on both sides. Once everyone was assembled, she announced directly: “Song Qi — you will assume temporary oversight of the Administration Office while awaiting the court’s instructions.”

“Yes.” Song Qi jolted from head to toe. He had not imagined that such an enormous windfall would come crashing down on him. It was called “temporary oversight” — but if he applied himself, who was to say it could not become permanent?

“Zhu Yichun — you will assume temporary command of the Jingzhou garrison while awaiting the court’s instructions.”

Zhu Yichun drew a slow, deep breath. “This subordinate accepts the order.”

“Dispatch riders immediately to carry word back to the capital and have the court send people here to handle this matter. Until those individuals have departed, no one — and I mean no one — is permitted to visit the prisoners.”

“Yes.” Song Qi and Zhu Yichun exchanged a glance with a mutual understanding — both knew they would apply themselves fully in this regard. Official positions were like radishes and holes: without the person above vacating a slot, there was no room for anyone below to rise. This was their opportunity.

“Do not exchange glances in front of me. Mutual non-interference between civil officials and military commanders is an iron rule — the garrison and the Administration Office are meant to keep watch over each other, not to conspire together while both grow fat off the arrangement. Keep your conduct pulled tight. The Seven Lodges Division will henceforth pay close attention to this matter — if corruption is discovered again, severe punishment will follow without exception!”

Both men felt a chill shoot through them and dared not look at each other again. Their acknowledgments came with the most genuine sincerity they could muster. The lesson before them was plain — they could not stumble down the same path before they had even steadied their footing.

Shao Yao harbored no illusions that these two would from this moment dedicate their hearts entirely to the court — even Little Six would not dream such a dream. She could only hope they would prove somewhat better than their predecessors. Otherwise, what had been the point of all this effort to swap one batch of people for another?

“As for the men brought back from Zhenyang — I trust you know how they ought to be handled.”

“Yes. This official will give you a satisfactory answer.”

“I do not need you to give me an answer. Handle it as it ought to be handled.”

“Yes.”

Thoroughly weary of these affairs, Shao Yao returned to their temporary lodgings. Finding Little Six sitting there lost in thought, she was not the least bit surprised. Hua Zhi had been teaching him so much throughout this journey — if he still could not develop any real sense in his head, he had better stay well away from Hua Zhi in the future and stop wasting her time.