Chapter 848: Extremely Intelligent

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Everyone in the court knew about Imperial Concubine Xu and the Xu family’s scheme in the Duke Rong’s Residence back then.

They had probably never dreamed that Eldest Miss Yu would become Princess Shaoyi.

The world praised her for being extremely intelligent.

She was one of the few virtuous women in the world with high morals, talent, and virtue.

The Marquis of Zhen suddenly recalled what his mother had revealed earlier and patted Yu Zongzheng’s shoulder. “Brother Yu really gave birth to a good daughter!”

Lord Qi agreed deeply. “In this generation of the Yu Clan, there’s a smart and holy Princess Shaoyi. There’s also Yu Shande, who’s renowned in the world and has learned the teachings of the sages. The reputation of the aristocratic family has also been established. It’s only a matter of time before you restore your ancestors’ merits.”

An aristocratic family had fallen but was now thriving. In addition to the emergence of talents in the family, there would also be exemplary people. It was said that a single factor could not give rise to something new. They were both virtuous inside and out, so usually, there would be a man and a woman who formed Yin and Yang.

Men often governed the world.

With a woman who could be an example, the other sisters in the family naturally competed to learn. Their characters would not be bad. Others would also think highly of them, and their status would rise.

In the future, when they discussed marriage, they would be able to choose a good family that was most in line with the family’s interests.

Furthermore, there were a few brothers of the right age in the Qi Residence. When it was time for marriage, the Matriarch would first take a fancy to the young ladies of the Yu Clan.

The others also praised Yu Youyao.

To Yu Zongzheng, this should be a very honorable thing. However, they were family and knew about his family matters. His father-daughter relationship with Yu Youyao had long ceased to exist in name.

However, the corners of Yu Zongzheng’s mouth twitched. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t, so he couldn’t not answer. “She’s just a woman, so she doesn’t deserve such praise from everyone.” At this point, he quickly changed the topic. “Mingzhao has been demoted to Dehua. It’s been almost two months. Although Dehua is a good place to go, being demoted isn’t as stable as being in the capital. Dehua has suffered from the Japanese pirates earlier. I wonder how he’s doing now.”

The interests of the royalists were intertwined. Song Mingzhao was a new talent that the royalists had nurtured vigorously in the royal court. Everyone was very concerned about this matter.

The Marquis of Zhen frowned slightly. “Only after arriving in Quanzhou did he send a message to report his safety. There has been no news back recently. I’m not sure how he’s doing now.”

His mother supported Mingzhao’s decision, so he had no choice but to agree. Thinking that there were often troubles with Japanese pirates in Dehua, he arranged for 30 strong martial arts guards for Mingzhao. In addition, he arranged for five secret guards to protect him.

Under heavy protection, Mingzhao’s safety was not a problem.

When they encountered troublesome matters, there were also people under them who could be ordered around.

However, after Mingzhao had been gone for so long, there was still no news. The Marquis of Zhen was still quite worried. He secretly sent someone to investigate, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

He vaguely felt that something was amiss in Quanzhou. A few days ago, he had already sent more people to investigate, waiting for the news to return.

Yu Zongzheng hurriedly said, “Don’t look at how the county is only seventh-grade. The matters involved are messy and varied. Dehua is still a large county. Previously, it was plagued by the Japanese pirates. When it was first established, it was mediocre and incompetent. That’s why the Imperial Court established a position. Perhaps it’s because Mingzhao has just gone to Dehua and is busy with the handover and adapting to the new environment. He’s too busy.”

Lord Qi also said, “Previously, Quanzhou sent over an urgent report. It said that before the new year, a group of pirates had secretly infiltrated Quanzhou. They killed people and set fire in Quanzhou. This matter has blown up quite a bit, and the city has been under martial law because of it. Until now, it hasn’t been lifted. It’s not easy to gather information. Mingzhao is outstanding, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong. It won’t be difficult for him.”

The others agreed one after another.

However, the Marquis of Zhenguo was worried. “Quanzhou is by the sea. People travel in all directions by sea. The pirates who entered the city are either pirates or Japanese pirates. Only they can cause such a huge commotion in Quanzhou City and make the government so afraid. The situation in Quanzhou is unknown now. I think the government hasn’t caught them yet. I’m really worried about Mingzhao.”

Previously, the Japanese pirates had colluded with the pirates to invade on a large scale. In the southeast coast, Lord Ye had killed them until they fled in a sorry state. As a result, these people had a grudge and quietly went ashore to kill and set fire. This kind of thing had happened before in every dynasty.

Therefore, the full martial law in Quanzhou did not arouse the suspicion of the Imperial Court.

The few of them also felt sad.

At this moment, Song Mingzhao, who was worried about his family, had been in office for almost two months.

Two months was enough for him to flip through the many files, accounts, and so on in the government office to understand the basic situation of the entire Dehua. He would also start to deal with the heavy backlog in the government office.

As the previous county magistrate was mediocre, there were too many official matters accumulated in the government office. The things he had to deal with every day were also very complicated.

In just two months, he had already accumulated a lot of prestige in Dehua. This was all because he was strict with the law and diligent in government affairs.

Eighty percent of Quanzhou consisted of mountains. As porcelain was prosperous, most of the local commoners were involved in this fortification, so food was scarce. Last year, they encountered the Japanese pirates, and many commoners were living a difficult life.

He encouraged the local people to explore and plant sweet potatoes.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had a clear rule. The land that the commoners had explored on their own belonged to them. They would not have to pay taxes for obtaining the land, but they had to pay land tax for five consecutive years.

Due to Princess Shaoyi’s influence last year, the Xie family had also planted a lot of sweet potatoes in Quanzhou, and the sweet potatoes had spread in Fujian.

Song Mingzhao had contacted some rich families in Quanzhou who were planting sweet potatoes. In the name of the government, he had bought a batch of sweet potato pieces and distributed them to the commoners for free.

This move bought over the hearts of the people, and he quickly established himself in Dehua.

However, Song Mingzhao did not have an easy time in Dehua.

Previously, he had taken a boat to Quanzhou and planned to go to the state government office to meet his superior, the state official of Quanzhou, at the Jiazhou Residence to complete all the documents as the county magistrate of Dehua.

However, he was informed that there was a sea of thieves in Quanzhou City who had killed and set fire. Thus, it was already completely under martial law. The Jiazhou Residence sent a message and asked him to go to Dehua on his own to take office. A document was then sent to him.

What kind of thief had committed such a monstrous crime that the government office was so afraid of, to the point that even the previous court officials were not allowed to enter the city?

Was this really a rebellion by pirates or the Japanese pirates?!

Song Mingzhao sensed that something was amiss, but he did not say anything and brought his trusted aides to Dehua.

Song Mingzhao had always been meticulous. When he came to Quanzhou to take office, he felt that it was too eye-catching to have a group of guards by his side. These guards were prepared for him by the Marquis of Zhenguo and formed his foundation in Dehua. He should not expose them in front of others.

Therefore, before setting off, he had ordered the guards to disguise themselves and arrive at Jin County first. Then, he ordered the guards to go to Quanzhou before him.

After reaching Dehua, Song Mingzhao realized that no news of Quanzhou could be spread, and naturally, no news from the outside could spread to Quanzhou.

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