Wang Jin stood at the door and saw off Lin's aunt and niece. When only the couple was left, his face turned gloomy.

  Madam Wang couldn't help but ask: "What's going on? It seems like someone has bullied you."

  "Isn't this just bullying me?" Wang Jin said: "You don't even know how many things I promised her in this one hour."

  Madam Wang smiled casually, "You always say you treat her like a younger sister, don't you? She and her aunt are weak and alone, what's wrong with you as the older brother helping out a bit? Look at your petty expression."

  Wang Jin's face turned red with anger, but he couldn't tell his wife the truth, so he could only hold it in and feel even more stifled.

  Then he went to see Cui Liang and Wu Yang, and couldn't help but get angry. It was all because of these two people. Although it is said that scholars are light, they always want to compete for the first place. However, there has never been a case where someone uses sinister plots to suppress those in front of them and replace them with themselves.

  This heretical method can be used for a while, but can it be used for a lifetime?

  People aren't fools, they will eventually find out.

  The Cui family is also a prominent aristocratic clan, and now they are even more prosperous than the Wang family, with military power in their hands.

  So they had to be extra careful when dealing with him, and Wang Jin didn't dare tell anyone, not even his family members, secretly sending out his trusted men.

  At the same time, Xie Dalang was also being watched. The people sent by Yi Han were watching him for twelve hours a day, and at the same time, his activities over the past three years were being investigated bit by bit.

  He didn't have any major problems in the capital, after all, it was under the emperor's feet, and the Xie family's status was ordinary here. The emperor was strict, not just him, many noble sons didn't dare to be too arrogant.

  So Lin Qingwan thought that grasping the opponent's handle and killing them was a bit difficult, big mistakes were rare, but small mistakes kept happening, and these small mistakes wouldn't accumulate to the point of killing someone even after ten years.

  Yi Han silently stood below, watching as the master of their household slowly shifted his gaze to the right and nodded towards the table: "Where are Xie Hong and Xie Yan? Go investigate them."

  "Good heavens, madam! This involves state affairs!"

  Xie Hong is a high-ranking official of the third grade, and if you want to bring him down, you'll need a big handle.

  Lin Qingwan tapped on the table and said thoughtfully: "Xie Hong is cautious, if he can't find anything there, he will investigate Xie Yan."

  Lin Qingwan didn't believe that the Xie family father and son, who had been officials in the imperial court for so many years, didn't have any dirt on them. However, what Yi Han said was also right, dealing with this father-son duo would indeed involve imperial politics.

  She is already in a whirlpool, and adding this one is just adding another.

  Her eyes dimmed slightly, and she took out a letter from her side and wrote it. "Send the letter to General Zhong in Hongzhou."

  "Hongzhou is at war, I'm afraid General Zhong won't be able to take care of this side."

  "This is cooperation," Lin Qingyan said: "Pass the letter to her, if we want to cooperate, I have shown my sincerity, she must also make a return."

  "Is Auntie still angry with her?"

  Lin Qingwan remained silent, her eyes fixed intently on Yi Han. Yi Han lowered his head and said, "Yes, I'll go deliver the message now."

  The battle in Hongzhou is intense, and the reinforcements have rushed to Hongzhou. The first batch of grain and fodder has also been sent from Suzhou to Hongzhou. Zhong Ruying now has both men and supplies, and since his goal has already been achieved, he no longer suppresses the Zhong family army. This explosion directly drove out the Chu army that had crossed the border, and they even marched triumphantly across the Chu territory, with their sights set on taking down the small county town of Chu at the border.

  The envoys who had just rushed to the capital of Chu immediately changed their tone, not seeking peace, but demanding that Chu compensate them for their losses.

  The State of Chu was enraged and its ruler and ministers were also very indignant, so on the one hand they dragged out the envoys who had come to negotiate a peace treaty, while on the other hand they continued to increase their troops at the border.

  Zhong Ruying suffered heavy casualties at the time, and in a fit of anger, she disregarded the emperor's orders and sent people to sneak around and launch a surprise attack. She took down two small towns overnight and led a light cavalry to kill for ten miles, bringing back the head of one of the enemy generals.

  This move directly provoked the war spirit of both sides, and now without the emperor's encouragement, the warriors on both sides burst out with a fierce war spirit, as if they would not stop until one side died.

  Not only were the officials of both countries frightened, but also the emperors and pro-war officials of the two countries were scared to death, fearing that the border conflict would get out of control and escalate into a large-scale explosion.

  Even the Minister of War, who had been shouting to fight all the way to the capital of Chu State, couldn't help but tell the Emperor privately, "At this time, it's not suitable for a big war between Liang and Chu. Otherwise, Jiangling and Liao Guo will take advantage of the situation, and even Min Guo, which is biased towards one side, will also be eager to move. Even if we want to conquer Chu State, we should do it when the army of Da Liang is strong."

  It means it's not time yet.

  At the same time, the ministers of Chu also advised their emperor, "Your Majesty, this time we deployed troops to the border of Liang was originally intended to catch them off guard and incidentally probe the strength of the Zhong family's army. Now that we have a good idea of it in our hearts, why must we continue to be bogged down in this war?"

  "Yes, this expedition has yielded a lot, at least we know that Zhong Ruying is in a precarious situation in Daliang, and there's a big story to be made out of this."

  For the people of Chu State, Daliang is a general threat, but Zhong Ruyi and the Zhong family army are an immediate threat. Every year, those small skirmishes cause some casualties, but as long as they think of Zhong Ruyi guarding Hongzhou, they feel like a fishbone stuck in their throat.

  This time they originally just wanted to take advantage of Da Liang's inattention and tear off a piece of meat from Zhong Ruyi's hand, the guardian general would lose, the crime name could be big or small, at that time they would operate again, even if they couldn't pull down Zhong Ruyi, at least they would damage her reputation, so that afterwards their hands and feet could be more open.

  Unexpectedly, they achieved a pleasant result. Not only did they advance into Liang territory, but it seemed that something had also happened on Zhong Ruying's side. There was no relief army, and it seemed that even food and grass were not enough.

  It was precisely because they had obtained this information that they were in a hurry to increase their troops along the border, thinking that before Emperor Liang reacted, they could occupy a place first and preferably wipe out Zhong Ruoying and the Zhong family army.

  What a pity...

  The Emperor of Chu also said, "What a pity! The previous probe took too long, and we didn't find out that something was wrong with her rear until she had already sent out the rescue message."

  "It's also unknown who on the other side of the river is dealing with her, it's stupid enough. If they had sent us a message early on, we would have definitely accelerated our attack. Now it's possible that Zhong Ruying has died early, and the good situation has allowed her to escape."

  "How can you believe the news from the other side when it's about Liang people?"

  The official hesitated for a moment and said: "After verifying one aspect and confirming it is credible, I will naturally dare to believe it."

  "Originally I thought the subjects of Chu were so formidable, yet they can investigate matters in Liang while being in Chu?" Humph! If he can investigate, doesn't that mean the person in charge of the Ministry of War is not doing his job?

  "Alright, alright," the Emperor of Chu stopped their argument and asked: "Then what do you think should be done? The border is like a raging fire, if we don't handle it now, I'm afraid a big war will really break out."

  "Your Majesty, isn't the envoy of Da Liang still here? Summon him. I think Da Liang wouldn't dare to wage a large-scale war against our Great Chu now, as they have Liao State on their northern border. And I heard that Jiangling Prefecture is also not at peace today."

  The ministers of the Emperor of Liang also advised him, "Your Majesty, why not let the envoys still in Chu leak a little wind? We have just conquered the territory of Southern Han and it is time for us to rest and recover. It is really not suitable to have a big war."

  Also have to give General Zhong's instructions, restrain the soldiers, at this time should not add fuel to the fire.

  Liang Di thought for a moment, hesitating between taking a risk and playing it safe, and asked: "If the Liao army advances southward, can the Northeastern Army stop them?"

  All the officials were shocked in their hearts, knowing that the emperor was partial, and they all looked up at the three Shangshu above.

  The Minister of the Board of War stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, there are only nineteen generals in our great Liang who can fight now."

  The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue also reminded: "The national treasury is empty, and now more than half of the grain and grass at the border are still provided by Lin Jun. Your Majesty, can't we fight a war and still ask Lin Jun to provide grain and grass?"

  The imperial court is really shameless, they have taken so much money and grain from the Lin family.

  The emperor coughed lightly and said: "Isn't the autumn harvest approaching? The summer tax has already started being collected."

  The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Works, who quietly stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the canal to Nanhans is blocked, and this year's budget will be allocated for dredging. The memorial I submitted was approved by you and the Minister of Revenue."

  The cost of Tongyun River is not small, plus the daily maintenance costs of other water conservancy projects. This year, the Ministry of Revenue has allocated the most funds to the Ministry of War and possibly the Ministry of Works.

  Suddenly there's a feeling that this department is a place where people can get rich easily.

  The Minister of War hesitated for a moment, although his heart was moved, but still stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, if we launch a strong attack on Great Chu, our Great Liang has a 60% chance of winning. But if the Liao army advances southward, I'm afraid even 30% is not guaranteed."

  And at that time, Daliang also had the danger of being destroyed by the country.

  The small spark in Liang Di's heart was extinguished, and he sighed: "Then let's give the order to General Zhong, and have her restrain herself."

  The other side of the Chu River also needs to communicate.

  In the past, ceasefire agreements were always dragged out, but at this time there was an unpredictable bomb clock on the border, and a large number of troops were stranded at the border, making every day a huge expense. Therefore, this ceasefire agreement was negotiated particularly quickly.

  There's no way, Daliang is afraid that Zhong Ruying will not be able to hold back her temper and run to the Chu army to kill people, provoking their anger, what if a big war breaks out?

  The Chu army was also afraid that Zhong Ruo Ying would take the opportunity to provoke a war and wipe them out, although they were the ones who made the first move, but isn't it time to stop now?

  In short, both Daliang and Dachu are now shouting "peace is precious", and Zhong Ruying was stifling a belly full of anger.

  But she also knew that being willful now would only send the Zhong family army and Daliang to their deaths, so she suppressed her temper, but was heartbroken for the soldiers who died in this battle.

  Her deputy saw her and hastily brought over a letter received in the past few days, "General, take a look at the letter to relieve boredom?"

  Zhong Ruying frowned, "Wasn't it supposed to be handed over to the military advisor for review?"

  "These are all unread by the military advisor, General, isn't this making you anxious?"

  Zhong Ruying flipped through the letters, and when she saw the letter mixed in with them, she couldn't help but get angry. She slapped his head: "What kind of messenger wears this? Why is Lin Guizhu's letter also thrown in here?"

  "Deputy General was stunned, 'The last general didn't know, this isn't an urgent and confidential letter...'"

  Then General He and Master Lin's letter was always encrypted and urgent, so they didn't pay much attention to it, and the envelope wasn't right either.

  Zhong Ruying also noticed the change on the envelope.

  In the past, Lin Qingyan had written to her with envelopes that read either "Zhong Jiejie" or "Ruoying Junzhu", but this time it was addressed to "General Zhong", and even the handwriting didn't match.

  If it weren't for the seal of Lin's family at the bottom of the envelope, she could hardly tell that this was a letter from the Lin family.

  She rubbed her forehead and said with a headache: "She's annoying me."