"Understood!"
Ever since the previous incident, the incense offerings at the Divine Firmament Longevity Palace had truly plummeted. Wang Daolu, as the abbot, was unaffected, but the living standards of the young Taoist priests like them had drastically declined.
Everyone in the Divine Firmament Longevity Palace hated Han Mo to the bone. Upon hearing that Wang Daolu was going to find trouble with him, these young Taoist priests became incredibly swift in their actions.
An hour later, Wang Daolu, who had made a special trip to the riverbank, finally arrived at the county yamen.
"No, turn around, we're not going to the county yamen anymore. We're going to Yuan City to cry injustice!"
However, at this moment, a flash of inspiration struck Wang Daolu, and a better idea directly popped into his head. Although he was just a Taoist priest, how could he be unaware of the commotion throughout Hebei East Road? Everyone knew that the new Tokyo Inspector, Wen Zong, was currently at Han Mo's county yamen. It would be a miracle if he could make his case there. Since he had irrefutable evidence this time, to truly escalate the matter, he had to go to Yuan City.
With so many Taoist priests parading through the streets, such an event naturally could not escape Lü Ying's notice. However, by the time he received the news, these people had already left the city and were heading straight for Yuan City.
"County Lieutenant Lü, I'll keep an eye on things here. You should report this news to the Master first!" Although he knew from the beginning that this matter was very likely to escalate significantly, when it came down to it, Gao Zhiyao still felt a pang of fear.
"Then I'll leave this to you. I'll report back to the Master immediately!" This matter, in the best possible light, could be called acting out of necessity to alleviate the people's suffering. But if someone were to strictly adhere to the law, it would be considered actual encroachment on royal land. The crime of encroaching on royal land was punishable by death… After briefly giving instructions on his current tasks, Lü Ying hurried back to the county yamen.
"Master, that old Taoist is now leading people to go and complain in Yuan City!" When he saw Han Mo again, before Han Mo could say anything, Lü Ying quickly reported.
"What are you afraid of? I have this matter under control. You just go and attend to your own business!" Han Mo said as he picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard in front of him.
"I say, why don't I excuse myself for a moment?" Seeing Lü Ying almost in a panic, Zhong Yanchong casually suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm about to win this game, don't try to renege!" Han Mo rolled his eyes and urged Zhong Yanchong on.
"Master, if you're too embarrassed to handle it, why don't I go and catch up to them and stop him? At worst, we can offer him some financial compensation…" Seeing Han Mo's completely unconcerned demeanor, Lü Ying was truly worried for no reason.
"Didn't I tell you? You don't need to worry about this matter anymore. Besides, do you think this is something that can be solved with money at this point? If you go to him now, it would be a miracle if he didn't demand an exorbitant price!" Whether this vast tract of land would be something he'd be willing to part with, even if he were willing, his disciple's business was not something he could decide. Moreover, given the animosity between Han Mo and Wang Daolu, how could this old fellow give up this hard-won opportunity for a mere pittance?
"Master!"
"Alright, alright, stop talking. Don't waste my time playing chess here. Go and attend to your business!" Rudely ushering Lü Ying out, Han Mo once again turned his attention to the chessboard.
"What you're doing is inviting trouble upon yourself!" Zhong Yanchong said casually as he played chess.
"Isn't this also a case of being forced into a corner? But for the Master, isn't this good news?" Han Mo smiled and said casually.
"How so?"
"With the scale of this incident, instead of letting them focus all their attention on the imperial granary, it's better to give them an opportunity now to focus their energy here. Once the matters in Bianliang City are settled, it will be their time to be eliminated!"
"The situation in Bianliang is becoming more and more bizarre. I really don't understand what the Emperor is thinking. Do you really think Li Bangyan has a chance to rise to power?" Since only the two of them were in the room, Zhong Yanchong no longer had any reservations in his speech.
"Don't worry. If my prediction is correct, it should be settled within three to five days at most!"
"Are you that confident?" Zhong Yanchong looked at Han Mo with some doubt.
"I'm not confident in myself, I'm confident in our Prime Minister Wang and Minister Bai!"
"You mean…"
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits! These two have already gone mad; neither of them will let the other go. If Li Bangyan is smart enough, he should be squatting down and watching the show right now!" Han Mo spoke as he stealthily moved another chess piece while Zhong Yanchong wasn't paying attention.
"I say, can you not do this? You're at it again!" After a long while, when Zhong Yanchong finally reacted, he realized he had no escape. He understood almost immediately that this must be Han Mo's doing.
"You were destined to lose this game anyway, why shouldn't I finish it quickly and save my strength? You're treating me to dinner at the Wanfu Tower tonight!"
"You fellow, you're really…" Although he was unhappy about losing the game, Zhong Yanchong had to admit that what Han Mo said did have some logic to it.
"What if, at this moment, he suddenly enters the fray personally?" The outcome of the chess game was not important, but the struggle in Bianliang City was causing Zhong Yanchong immense pressure. If the position of prime minister fell into Li Bangyan's hands, they might still have room to maneuver. However, if this position fell into Wang Fu's or Bai Shizhong's hands, Xu Churen's situation would likely take a sharp turn for the worse.
"Don't worry. At this time, our Mr. Yuan should already be at Minister Li's residence!" Han Mo said as he stood up and stretched his arms. The continuous rain for several days had even left a faint moldy smell in the air, which made Han Mo particularly uncomfortable.
"Sometimes I'm really grateful that I'm not standing opposite you. Otherwise, I don't think I would even know how I died…" Zhong Yanchong had been with Han Mo every day recently, and he was completely awestruck by Han Mo's overall control and calm analytical abilities.