Unlike Hu Yong’s panic and confusion, Madam Hu remained calm from beginning to end.

She stood before the bookshelf, tidying the books as she listened to Hu Yong’s incessant chatter beside her, her expression composed.

Such an attitude easily influenced others. As Hu Yong spoke, he gradually calmed down as well. Though his brows were still furrowed, his words were no longer as frantic as before.

Hu Yong said, “Madam, stop fussing with those books already. Given the current situation, you should hurry up and come up with a solution.”

“You’re so sure the people outside will attack the city?” Madam Hu asked in return.

The question made Hu Yong hesitate a bit. “Well, I haven’t heard anything… but isn’t it obvious? Madam, you’re more capable than I am—just tell me what we should do, and I’ll follow!”

Madam Hu tilted her head while holding a book.

With her back to Hu Yong, the disdain in her expression was obvious and unmasked.

She walked deeper into the bookshelf area and said as she went, “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never be in danger. You don’t even know what’s happening outside the city, yet you talk about fleeing. If things turn out peaceful in the end, have you thought about how you’ll explain yourself to Lord Guo?”

For an official to abandon his post without permission—if the court found out, it would be a capital crime, punishable by family extermination and exile.

But as the saying goes, a distant magistrate is less useful than a nearby one.

In Ji Prefecture, Guo Xiu was essentially the local tyrant. All the officials below him were firmly under his control.

If Hu Yong fled, the court might not find out, but Guo Xiu would know immediately. If Hu Yong managed to win Guo Xiu’s favor, perhaps Guo would even help cover up the offense.

As for how to explain himself to Lord Guo after fleeing—Hu Yong hadn’t really thought about that.

He was about to lose his life—who had the time to worry about explanations?

As long as he survived, the rest could be figured out later.

Still, what Madam Hu said made sense. If he could avoid catching Guo Xiu’s attention, that would be safest.

Hu Yong thought for a moment. “Then I’ll send a letter to Lord Guo now? Report the situation here and ask him to send troops?”

In Great Wei, military power was actually separate. Guo Xiu was the prefect and the highest civil official of the prefecture, but the troops were under the command of the Commandant.

The relationship between the two could be described as the Commandant supporting the Prefect.

And the relationship between Guo Xiu and Ji Prefecture’s Commandant—well, they were birds of a feather.

After all, if the Commandant were truly competent, the bandits in Ji Prefecture wouldn’t be as rampant as they were now.

Ziyang County lacked military strength. If it really came to fighting, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the bandits. Hu Yong wanted to send a letter to Guo Xiu hoping that Guo would have the Commandant dispatch troops—so he could pass the responsibility along.

Seeking help from a superior when uncertain was indeed a smart move.

However, Madam Hu wasn’t pleased.

She turned to look at Hu Yong. “Send a letter? You want Lord Guo to see you as a useless coward who can’t handle anything?”

Hu Yong frowned. “What do you mean, Madam? Are you saying we shouldn’t send a letter?”

“Has my lord ever enjoyed Lord Guo’s trust?”

Hu Yong’s brow furrowed more deeply.

A faint smile appeared on Madam Hu’s face. “Lord Guo is highly suspicious. Besides those closest to him, only the Magistrate of Heyang is in his good graces. The magistrate of Qiling was incompetent—he provoked the bandits and dragged Heyang and Lingbei counties into trouble. Now is the perfect time: Lord Guo’s trusted men have failed him. If you, my lord, can handle the situation outside the city, wouldn’t this be your chance to show your worth before Lord Guo?”

Knowing how to curry favor with a superior was an art.

Please your superior, and the resources will follow.

Hu Yong’s eyes lit up, though he still looked troubled. “But with so many bandits outside the city, what am I supposed to do?”

Madam Hu’s gaze lingered on his contemplative face for two seconds. “The most important thing you should do now is send someone to Oxhead Mountain to scout the situation.”

“Of course, but who should I send?”

Madam Hu replied, “…The workers at the Ding family grain shop.”

Hu Yong suddenly understood.

“Oh, right, right! The Ding family grain shop—the servants did say they only delivered half the grain today!”

Now that he knew what to do, Hu Yong clapped his hands in delight and grasped Madam Hu’s hand. He said with deep gratitude, “Madam, your wisdom is that of a true strategist.”

Madam Hu smiled faintly, lowered her eyes, withdrew her hand, and turned back toward the bookshelf. “My lord should get to it quickly. Once we know what’s going on at Oxhead Mountain, we can plan the next step.”

Hu Yong nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, Madam is right. I’ll go right away.”

With that, Hu Yong left the study tower.

Once he was gone, Madam Hu finally appeared at the tower’s window.

A maid approached from behind, carrying a basin of water and a white towel, asking if she wanted to wash her hands.

As she watched Hu Yong’s figure gradually disappear, Madam Hu turned, and began washing her hands in the basin held by the maid.

Afterward, she dried her hands with the towel and said, “I’ll write a letter in a moment. Take it to the Ding family grain shop and give it to the manager. Tell him to hand it over to the steward of Oxhead Mountain next time they deliver grain. Understand?”

“Yes, Miss.”

–

The second grain delivery from Shopkeeper Ding was the next day.

Familiarity breeds ease. This time, the workers transporting the grain were much more relaxed, no longer worried about being harmed outside the city.

All except for Shopkeeper Ding himself.

He had the magistrate’s wife’s letter tucked in his chest and was a bundle of nerves.

Normally, he wouldn’t have come in person to deliver grain, but the county magistrate’s wife had given him a task—and she didn’t allow him to tell anyone else. He had to give the letter personally to the person in charge of Oxhead Mountain, and only when they were alone.

This job was way beyond his scope. If it weren’t for the fact that the one asking was the magistrate’s wife, he wouldn’t have agreed no matter what!

It was terrifying.

Even though the manager of the Delight Inn, Qi, had said that Oxhead Mountain was now ruled by some chivalrous folk and that the bandits had turned over a new leaf… they were still bandits!

He was a weak man without the strength to truss a chicken—how could he deal with bandits?

The magistrate’s wife really was asking too much. Couldn’t she have sent a yamen officer up the mountain?

Shopkeeper Ding trudged along, wronged and fearful, all the way to Oxhead Mountain. It wasn’t until he saw the actual situation up there and double-checked it several times that he finally believed the bandits had indeed been brought under control.

Since only a deposit had been paid earlier and the rest of the payment was pending, Shopkeeper Ding went to find the person in charge of transporting the grain to inquire.

Shopkeeper Ding: “Excuse me, young man, we’ve delivered all the grain. What about the payment?”

The person he stopped—Ding Facai—was speechless.

As a broke guard, he had no money to give. So he brought Shopkeeper Ding to the one person who did: His Highness.

His Highness was lounging under a tree, legs crossed, reading a novel. When he heard footsteps, he glanced over and saw the overly eager and flattering Shopkeeper Ding.

Wei Yu: ?

Tch. That look people give when they see the God of Wealth.