"How's the lawsuit going? Any results yet?"

Raindrops fell in the courtyard. Inside the study, the charcoal stove was burning, and the water in the kettle was already boiling.

Li Pin, dressed in light clothing, came out of the room and sat down at the tea table. He waved for the two siblings to sit down as well. Then, he took out a tea cake, knocked it, and threw it into the tea grinder.

He began to inquire. The brother and sister sat there. Yue Yun looked at his sister and didn't answer for a moment. Li Pin ground the tea for a while, and only when he poured the crushed tea into a cup did he look up and raise his eyebrows. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Not speaking."

In the past, at Yue Fei's request, he had instructed the siblings in their studies, so in a sense, he was their teacher. The usually unruly Yue Yun stood up somewhat cautiously. "Sister said that you, teacher, are eloquent and good at arguing, and we'd be no match for you. We'd inevitably be...be persuaded, so...we don't know what to say. Besides...aren't you asking the obvious, teacher?"

Yue Yun's tone went from loud to soft, almost a mumble by the last sentence. Yin Ping, seeing that he had directly sold her out, had no choice but to stand up as well. Li Pin, hearing this, frowned and threw the tea used to rinse the tea foam into the bowl, making a clanging sound.

"What, what, what...what persuading? What eloquent and good at arguing? Who told you I was here to persuade you?" He was disappointed. "Two young people, not even a hint of progress, and you're already busy pushing everyone away. How can you accomplish anything great?"

He glared at the two of them. Yin Ping also mumbled beside him, "But Teacher, you called us here at this time naturally for the Houguan County lawsuit. You just said..."

"Of course, it's for the lawsuit, so didn't I ask you how the results were?"

"Isn't that asking the obvious..."

"Then doesn't a conversation need a starting point! It's not like we're strangers; did I have to ask you if you've eaten?" Li Pin picked up the tea and knocked it against the bowl a few more times. "Sit down. Make it yourselves. I don't feel like entertaining you—I'm angry!"

At this time, the tea ceremony involved several steps, such as grinding tea, mixing paste, and making tea, which was quite troublesome compared to later generations. The siblings exchanged glances and had no choice but to sit down again. Li Pin was angry for a while and then exhaled. "Still talking about persuasion, really thinking you're something great...The Zhong Ergui affair is inherently a miscarriage of justice. Even His Majesty knows it well. You're appealing the injustice, which is as it should be. You should have written to Marshal Yue about this matter. Didn't he give you a response? Did he stop you?"

Yue Yun said, "Father said: Allowed."

"That's right." Li Pin said, "When governing a large country, so many things happen every day. What's the big deal about two people appealing an injustice? Even if you two really had ulterior motives and wanted to stir up trouble, the higher-ups wouldn't necessarily resort to underhanded tricks. Besides, you yourselves understand that Zhong Ergui was wronged, but how he was wronged and who wronged him, there's no evidence, and it's still unclear. The higher-ups can't possibly give you much of an explanation at the moment, but so what? Do you two want to rebel and have your dad come and drag you back and beat you to death!"

"Teacher, we're not important..." Yue Yun said, "But Zhong Ergui, he really is a good person, he really...was wronged so much."

He was not moved by Li Pin's words. The core was still on Zhong Ergui's side. Hearing him say this, Li Pin was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I know."

Li Pin paused and continued after a while, "This matter, not only do I know, but His Majesty also knows. Didn't Yin Ping even go to the palace to scold him? His Majesty's temperament is also very aggrieved about this kind of thing, but isn't he being played by others now? Can't find the person, what to do? Like you, just vent your anger on your own people? It'd be best to anger yourselves to death; then you'd be comfortable?"

"Since last year, the problems at the Military Academy have been very big." Yin Ping said with a straight face. "Some scholars, after shouting slogans for a few days, go to the army and point fingers, acting like bullies. The people below are very unhappy. It would be fine if they had the ability, but they don't. This time in Houguan County, if the county magistrate and the military law officer hadn't kept talking about the big picture and getting scared when they saw the people's grievances boiling over, Zhong Ergui wouldn't have been forced to death by them. I was there; I know the cause of the matter."

"You're right about this." Li Pin nodded. "The magistrate of Houguan County will have to be transferred sooner or later, and the military law officer as well. However, the case hasn't been overturned yet, so some punishments haven't been handed down yet, after all, the magistrate is currently still in charge of disaster relief and rehabilitation."

"But if that's the case, is it enough to just deal with two people?" Yin Ping glared at him.

"Of course not. After this happened, the higher-ups held many meetings, and many measures have been taken, and many responses are underway. You can find out about these things if you ask. Have you asked?"

Li Pin's gaze swept over the two of them. Yin Ping was slightly stunned.

Li Pin focused on making his tea. "This official matter of your appeal isn't as important as you think, requiring so-and-so to come out and plead for you, telling you not to do it, not to cause trouble. When His Majesty, the Eldest Princess, and I meet privately, we talk about this matter and think it's quite good. Young people, for the sake of justice and indignation, not being so considerate of the overall situation is also a good thing. There must be this kind of ambition; in the future, they can become good people. As for the court, if it can't even withstand your appeal, then what's the point of governing the country? If it can't withstand the appeal of good people, then what about the appeal of bad people?"

Li Pin picked up the bowl and smelled the aroma of the tea.

"Then why did you call us here, Teacher..." Yue Yun frowned.

"It's just...there's a rumor..." Li Pin said, "When I was chatting with His Majesty and others, I mentioned that people your age, martial artists who know internal energy, have too many distracting thoughts. It's said that when practicing Kung Fu, they might suffer from what is called *zou huo ru mo*, going into Qi Deviation, lightly injuring tendons and bones, heavily becoming disabled, so we're a little worried. If you two young people get fixated on something and something happens, how can we face Marshal Yue. Um, so it's just this little personal matter that brought you here to have a look."

"..."

"..."

Li Pin looked at them: "...That's not the case?"

Yue Yun shook his head, then clenched his fists: "Teacher, anger makes me stronger!"

Yin Ping opened her mouth, thought for a moment: "Sir...are you talking about the martial arts novels from the Southwest..."

"Um...damned Ning Liheng." Li Pin took a sip of tea, then said, "The book was read by the Eldest Princess; she's also concerned about you..."

The direction of the topic was somewhat unexpected, causing a misunderstanding. The room was silent for a while because of this. Yin Ping's fingers were intertwined, and after a while, she spoke.

"Teacher, then how is the higher-up responding to this matter?"

"Interested?"

"Teacher, don't keep us in suspense..."

"..." Li Pin looked at the two of them and shook his head. "Actually...after this matter happened, everyone met and suggested a lot of ideas. The response in Houguan County that day was indeed too hasty. After realizing that they had been tricked, they didn't turn around and capture the mastermind. When Iron Official went to investigate, many clues had already disappeared...How to eliminate the impact of this incident and redress Zhong Ergui's grievances, everyone put forward several expedient measures, such as people framing us, we also find a family to frame back, and then publicize it in the newspapers, or even...find a few people who participated in the trouble in Houguan County that day, even if they were forced to confess, anyway, they're not innocent, in short, first stabilize the morale of the army, but everyone immediately rejected this idea."

"The most powerful argument against these ideas came from Zuo Wenhuai and others." Li Pin said, "At that time, he said that this matter is nothing..."

Hearing this, Yin Ping's expression changed, and she was about to speak. Li Pin waved his hand: "I know you have some opinions about him now, but don't rush to refute..."

"But he's in charge of the Military Academy himself..."

"I told you not to rush to refute, so noisy..." Li Pin sighed. "To be honest, after such a thing happened, most people, including me, were just like you, aggrieved and angry. When we thought of Zhong Ergui, we would actually think a little more, we would think of the Qin Prime Minister in Bianliang City back then...The first reaction is to engage in some conspiracies and tricks to fight back against the other party. Even if we can't hit them for a while, we must first put on a few shows to stabilize the morale of the army. But Zuo Wenhuai, first of all, asked for thirty military sticks, saying that punishment cannot be without, but after receiving the military sticks, he made it very clear."

"The reason why such a thing happened, on the one hand, of course, is because the enemy is very cunning, and on the other hand, it exposes our own problems, our abilities are not enough, and our response is not good...In the past six months, less than a year, we've been running the Military Academy, respecting the king and resisting the barbarians, and half of the people we've taken in are soldiers and half are scholars. We've given them some ideas and improved their subjective initiative, so in Houguan County, the military law officer and the county magistrate believed that they were thinking of the big picture and were eager to deal with it. Their pace was disrupted because we gave them this eagerness to do things and want to settle things."

"Of course, we hope that everyone can do things in all aspects, and that there will be capable people from the beginning..." Li Pin took a sip of tea. "But ah, isn't it just that there are not enough such talents now? Just like a child, he grows up slowly, he will always make mistakes, always fall, fall to the ground, bleed and scab, learn lessons, and he can grow up. The people in the Southwest don't do things in all aspects from the beginning. Ning Yi first cultivated the Bamboo Records and the Secret Intelligence Division, and then slowly expanded to Qingmu Village and Xiaocang River. After more than ten years of development, there are many talents available..."

"As for us, it's only been a year since the overall operation. Since we first regard the idea of subjective initiative as the most important issue, then in other aspects, we will definitely make mistakes. And every mistake should be regarded as an opportunity to train troops. First, there must be punishment, and then everyone must be found to face the problem and analyze the problem, to let them gather together and rehearse how everyone should solve the problem next time the same problem occurs. In this way, next time someone uses the same method to cause trouble, or causes similar incidents, we can deal with it calmly...But if the upper layers take action and use conspiracies, it seems to take effect quickly on the surface, but in reality, the next time something happens, they will still be in a hurry, and people will never grow up."

"Look at the rain outside." Li Pin raised his teacup and gestured towards the rain. "Fujian is mostly mountainous. In most places, the mountain roads are also winding and difficult to navigate. Once the rainy season or typhoon season arrives, there will be landslides blocking the roads. The same is true in winter. In some places, heavy snow seals the mountains. When such unexpected disasters occur, the official government and the army can't take care of them, so what can the people here do? Naturally, they can only band together in the mountains and seek help from clan forces to protect themselves."

"We have come to Fuzhou, there are troops, there are officials, mainly to occupy large cities such as Fuzhou. As for many small places, we cannot defeat and eliminate all the clans and large households, but take large cities as the core, and take the materials and convenience of large cities as the axis to establish the authority of the court, and then influence these places. Last year, we surveyed the land in all directions. This is what the court should take. We must take it in order to have authority. If they don't recognize it, then we have no choice but to fight. Sooner or later, a result will be achieved. And in the meantime, what we can rely on in the end is our own strength."

"Zuo Wenhuai talked about the Southwest's style, saying that admitting the problem, facing the problem, analyzing the problem, and solving the problem, this is the best *yangmou*—overt strategy. After doing it once, you become stronger. Calm to the point of being almost indifferent and ruthless, this is Ning Yi's style. But if you use conspiracies, so many clans in Fujian, when you talk about it in private, you will be exposed sooner or later. If you use a conspiracy once, fewer people will stand on your side in the future. It's like...your two problems are the same. If you want to appeal the injustice, the higher-ups will accept it. Isn't that what Marshal Yue thinks? You appeal the injustice according to the rules, and the higher-ups will accept it according to the rules. What's the big deal?"

The rain rustled, and the room was quiet for a while.

Li Pin said: "After saying these things, Zuo Wenhuai went to receive the sticks. You shouted for justice and scolded him at the same time, but these days he's been groaning and moaning, and he's already gone to the Military Academy. He's been calling in batches of dispatched officials from various places, and he should have told them about the situation this time, discussed gains and losses, and emphasized that once an event occurs, even if they're anxious, they must not act at their own discretion, and must strictly follow the prescribed steps. In addition, there are also teachers from the Military Academy. It should have been the day before yesterday that they have been leaving Fuzhou one after another and going to the disaster relief troops in various places to tell them about the enemy's cunning and how to respond after encountering such things...To be honest, the incident in Houguan County, on the one hand, the county magistrate and the military law officer were very anxious and messed up the pace, on the other hand, Zhong Ergui had a staunch character—of course, this is a good thing as a soldier—but if everyone was more steady, maybe the ones who suffered would be the ones who were causing trouble."

After he finished speaking, the siblings opposite him were silent. Yin Ping opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment. Yue Yun said, "Then...Teacher, what can we do?"

"There's something that needs to be done." When the other party brought up this topic, Li Pin clapped his hands, then moved his chair, stood up, "Speaking of which, Zuo Wenhuai's words gave everyone a great inspiration, and also like what you said, Yin Ping, those scholars in the Military Academy, aren't very familiar with the army, and it's not so easy to reason with the soldiers below. When this matter was mentioned, I was a little ashamed. I wanted to write an article and talk to people about the Houguan County case, but after thinking about it again and again, I felt it was too pretentious and not easy enough..."

He walked to the desk next to him and brought an article over. The siblings looked at it. The title of the article was *On the Houguan County Case*. Li Pin is now in control of the newspaper's public opinion. He may be writing these things to be published at the top after the case is decided. Just as the two were about to look back, pens and paper fell in front of them.

"Then I thought, you two siblings, are enthusiastic and came out of the army, that's just right. Also use words familiar to you to write about the ins and outs and lessons of this matter, and in the future, you can also take it to the Beiwei Army to tell everyone, don't you think...Here are pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. You two, don't drink tea, write articles, write articles...After you finish writing, let's discuss how to modify it..."

The rustling of the rain was still resounding outside the door. At this moment, it seemed to have become louder, noisy and jarring. Sitting at the table, the siblings opened their mouths, their bodies seeming to shrink. They blinked their pale eyes. Li Pin stood in front, his attitude sincere and enthusiastic. Then, he said some things about the elders' concerns about Yin Ping not being able to marry...

The gloomy rain continued for a long time. In the afternoon, when the two siblings went out from the back door of the Tongli Residence, they seemed to have been cruelly tortured, their eyes were dull, and they had become a little muddled.

Yue Yun was already dumbfounded. He breathed in the fresh air and laughed "hehe" again: "Sister, do you think Teacher is targeting you...But I think what he said also makes sense. You're so old, and so fierce, you definitely can't look up to those who are older and married, and you're not worthy of those who are younger. Then last year, it was the best arrangement for them to arrange a marriage for you and let you go to the palace. His Majesty is a nice person..."

Yin Ping shook her head, and after a moment, she said quietly: "...What do you mean not worthy?"

"Not worthy...Oh, I said you're not wor—"

With a bang, Yue Yun's body flew out of the rain. He was holding an umbrella in his hand. His body landed and splashed a large area of water on the bluestone road outside, stopping until he reached the wall. With his sturdy body, he sat in the water for a moment, and then stood up like a drowned rat, shaking the water off his head: "Look...you're so violent..."

Yin Ping turned around and walked to the other side of the street. Yue Yun then followed.

The two walked through the rain-soaked city of Fuzhou all the way, and after a while, they arrived at the location of the Military Academy. The siblings used to be quite close to the Zuo family, but after the Houguan County incident happened—in fact, after the Military Academy started sending scholars to the army—there were some frictions between the two sides, but it wasn't considered enmity. The two came over and entered the academy with ease.

They found some familiar young students in the relatively lively campus, asked a few questions, and the students also talked about the interesting things in the academy recently, including how Zuo Wenhuai was discussing things with people while lying down after receiving the military sticks, and also about the recent personnel dispatch related to the Houguan County incident.

Yue Yun changed his clothes.

The two didn't stay here for too long. After leaving the school gate, Yue Yun asked: "Sister, are we still appealing the injustice?"

"The petition has already been submitted. There will be a result sooner or later. It's useless to make too much noise. Let's not make trouble." Yin Ping thought for a while. "But there's one thing we can still do. Let's go and find out the news and find that guy named Chen Shuangran and make her confess!"

"Um." Yue Yun nodded, then remembered, "But, Sister, after we came back from Jiangning last year, everyone in Fuzhou knows us from the ring we fought in, ah. If we go to catch people again, will it be a bit troublesome? They'll run away when they see us."

Yin Ping also nodded. After a while, she said, "Let's find Official Tie and discuss it with him."

The anger caused by the wrongful death of a comrade gradually subsided, turning into the motivation to handle the matter. The figures of the siblings gradually walked into the distance in the rain. On the streets of Fuzhou, people wearing straw raincoats and holding umbrellas occasionally passed by, and carriages were also slowly running forward. And at the end of this street, on the second floor of a courtyard, there was a beautiful maiden with an oval face and a cold, indifferent expression, sitting in front of a chessboard by the window, casting her gaze to the distance in the rain.

Passing over this window, in the distant view, faintly visible eaves and upturned corners, soaring pavilions, that was the corner of the new emperor's palace in Fuzhou.

The maiden's appearance was cold and beautiful. The only flaw was that her skin was slightly dark. While lost in thought, she gently stroked the white chess piece on the chessboard with her fingers. During this time, unknowingly, a voice sounded outside the door.

"Miss, Young Master Pu has arrived."

The maiden turned her head and looked at the door. She didn't speak right away. After a long silence, she spoke softly, "Uncle Yan."

She paused, "Let him in."

The servant outside the door left, and after a while, a man named Pu Xingui came in from outside the door. He opened his arms and laughed loudly, then came over here: "Haha, my good sister, I missed you so much, planning strategies, winning from a thousand miles away, you've really opened the eyes of those old guys in the countryside, haha哈哈——"

The maiden sat by the window, looking at him with a clear gaze, until the other party walked to the side, seemingly wanting to hug her, she didn't react at all, just silently watched with a cold gaze, her plain lips seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm.

Pu Xingui didn't really hug her.

The Pu family in the past had basically changed from a big pirate to an officially recognized sea merchant, while the Chen family was still more inclined to the bloody pirate business. If Pu Xingui hadn't taken the other party seriously before, after the Houguan County incident and the events of appeals of injustice and framing in various places broke out, he wouldn't dare to tease the other party casually anymore.

The maiden was still stroking the chess piece, her voice soft: "I thought of something to do here."

"What thing? Sister, just say it."

"Something...you used to want to do but couldn't..."

The maiden always spoke like this, seeming to be lost in thought, and always had a feeling that she didn't take anyone in the world seriously. In the past, Pu Xingui thought she was crazy, but now he was a little in awe, and lowered his body: "...Um?"

The maiden pointed to the distance, and then turned her eyes back, looking at him fixedly.

"Want to...ask you for some people."

"..." Pu Xingui looked at her, looked at the distance, and then looked at her again, and was quiet for a while, "...Oh."

He didn't know what she was talking about.

……

These were the events that happened in early May. At the same time, Ning Ji was busy repairing the house with a clang in his new residence with Qu Longjun. By the time the house was repaired, it was already mid-May. Not long after, the two pushed the cart and set up their first stall in the Fuzhou night market.

The signboard they used was still: Hua Tuo Reborn, Cures All Diseases;

And: Bamboo Records Branch, Trading All Goods.

The entire truck was extremely arrogant.