Hua Zhi's powerful words finally made Lu Peiyu take a serious look at this woman who had been acting too calm all along. She was very different from those women who were short-sighted and would argue about right and wrong over trivial matters.
She possesses courage, vision, strategy, and responsibility, qualities that are supposed to be possessed by men, and she seems to be no less capable than anyone else. That's why the leader of the Qisu Division entrusted Jin Yang's affairs to her, and it was not just for personal reasons as he thought.
"What are you going to do with the silver you intercepted?"
"No matter what it's used for, it's better than the emperor using it to fill the big hole in the canal." Hua Zhi was standing in the direction of the stands. She looked at that direction with a faint look in her eyes. "My grandfather was the Minister of Revenue. He once told me frankly that the national treasury is not rich now, and the troops need food and grass before they move. General Lu would never think that the Chaoli tribe would give up the fat piece of Daqing after so many years of preparation and still hide in the bitter cold."
Everyone knew that it would not happen. Even though Lu Peiyu was a general who had never experienced a large-scale war, his ancestors had made their fortunes through military merit. He knew the Chaoli tribe better than most people. Their cruelty and tyranny had been recorded in the blood of their ancestors.
But, "You can't bear this crime. He won't care whether you have good intentions or not."
"I can't afford it, but the Seventh Constellation can. And General Lu, don't forget why Yan Xi went there this time. Even if the Chaoli tribe has been transferring silver, they won't move it all away. Yanzhou is Daqing's territory after all."
Lu Peiyu followed her line of sight and looked at the stands for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Just because of your words that food and grass must be prepared before troops move, I agree with you. Once a war breaks out, none of us can be immune. We must have a full stomach before we can carry a sword, ride a horse, and kill the enemy."
Hua Zhi leaned towards him and said nothing more, nor did she need to say anything.
None of them is selfless, but isn't this matter closely related to themselves? The country is at home, and the family is safe, and the family can be safe.
And she had much more to do than that. If handled properly, this matter could also give Yan Xi the most appropriate reason to leave the court. It was better for her to cut off her own path with her own hands than to be found and brought up again in the future. No matter who sat in a high position in the end, he would not be able to use this matter to punish her. Moreover, at this critical moment, everyone had to admit that he did this for the greater good. He sacrificed himself, rather than relying on his power to do whatever he wanted.
There was no time to be sad, Hua Zhi was ready to go back to the city, "Just send someone you trust to guard the silver, don't let anyone go down."
"I know what to do." Lu Peiyu nodded her chin towards the stands, "What about those people?"
"Let them go back tomorrow morning. It won't be freezing cold at night in this weather." Hua Zhi looked calm. "Jinyang has developed to this point. None of them is really innocent."
Watching her walk away, Lu Peiyu suddenly laughed. It was really interesting that a woman who was supposed to be protected took on the role of a protector. He felt anxious for the man.
"Hua Ling." Someone in the stands shouted.
Hua Zhi looked up and saw that it was Wang Yu.
There were soldiers guarding below, so Wang Yu didn't dare to go down. Instead, he trotted along the empty space at the bottom of the stands from the right to the left where the man was. This position was closest to Hua Zhi.
"Hua Ling, what happened? Why are you not letting us leave?"
At a time like this, knowing clearly that her identity was problematic she didn't ask, but instead asked her to find out the situation. This was the cunning of a girl from a noble family. Unfortunately, she didn't intend to let her get her wish.
Hua Zhi gathered her cloak and walked a few steps forward, looking up slightly to meet Wang Yu's gaze, "I am Hua Zhi, from the Hua family in Beijing."
Although one was on top and the other was on the bottom, Hua Zhi didn't lose out in momentum. Instead, she was so frank that Wang Yu couldn't even ask her why she used a fake name to play with them.
She didn't ask, but Hua Zhi answered.
"Jinyang was once known as the Little Capital. When I first came here, I heard the young master of the Zeng family proudly say that Jinyang City had the East and West Markets during the day and the South Night Market at night. Jinyang also had a lotus river full of lotus flowers, which could be enjoyed during the flower season, and the lotus seeds could be eaten when they were ripe. Jinyang also had the largest horse farm in Daqing. Just by hearing about it, I knew how prosperous it was, but after truly understanding it, I realized that it was in the past, not now."
Hua Zhi walked towards the stands while talking, lifting her skirt slightly as she climbed the stairs. "In Jinyang now, 50 to 60 percent of the workshops are closed, and nearly half of the shops are only used as gambling funds, and have been transferred from one owner to another. The merchants are suffering and have no choice but to cut their losses. As a result, more and more shops are closing, the Fangshi Night Market is getting more and more deserted, the Lotus River is not as clean as it used to be, and the lotus flowers are getting worse year by year. However, the horse farms used for horse racing are getting more and more lively."
She glanced from left to right and saw many familiar faces, but the way they looked at her was unfamiliar. Hua Zhi didn't care. She could imagine what her eyes were like at that moment, and it probably wouldn't be much more affectionate than theirs.
"Since gambling started in Jinyang, what else have you done besides gambling? Ask yourself, have you done anything meaningful in the past few years?"
"This is our own business. Why do you, an outsider, have to interfere?"
Hua Zhi looked at the woman who was speaking. She recognized her. She was a girl from the Zhu family, Zhu Ling's daughter.
"Someone come."
"I'm here." Liu Zheng stepped forward immediately.
"Miss Zhu, please go to another place to tell us something."
The Zhu family girl's face changed drastically. If she was taken away by a man, what reputation would she have? She screamed, "How dare you! My father is Zhu Ling, the magistrate of Jinyang. Who dares to touch me?"
"It's you that I'm touching. The real identity of Jinyang Tongpan is the remnant of the Chaoli clan. Do you really not know it?"
The Zhu family girl's heart skipped a beat. "Chao... Chaoli tribe? How is that possible? Don't accuse me of anything at all!"
Hua Zhi ignored her, and Liu Zheng and four other people walked towards her.
The Zhu family girl's seat was right next to the aisle. She walked out and took a few steps back, but was still forced to walk to the stands unwillingly.
The stone stairs were not wide, and two of the four soldiers walked down the stairs first. The girl from the Zhu family took the opportunity to attack, kicking the two soldiers off the stairs first, then bending down and squeezing out from between the two soldiers. As soon as her hands were freed, she pulled out the hairpin on her head and pounced on Hua Zhi.
With a cry of surprise, Hua Zhi pushed away Bao Xia who wanted to protect her from disaster, and instead of retreating, she advanced with the dagger in her hand. She dared to fight with a man, so why would she be afraid of a woman's hairpin
After just a few moves, most of the hairpin in Zhu's daughter's hand was cut off. Zhu's daughter looked at her weapon hatefully, and reached out to take out a short knife. The front end of the knife was curved and pointed, and looked very sharp.
Unfortunately, she was facing a dagger made of black iron.