The weather in the capital became colder day by day, and the emperor always decided to stay in the study or bedroom temporarily. The eunuchs prepared charcoal basins in both rooms to keep them warm as spring.

In the study, Meng E was good at me and took a step back. She was now a palace maid and could no longer stand quietly in the corner.

Han Ruzi picked up the pen and dipped it ink but didn't write for a long time. After a while, he put down the pen and turned his head and asked, "Is there any grudges in Yishi Island?"

Han Ruzi originally planned to reply to Yang Feng, but didn't know what to write.

Yang Feng was in full swing in Yunmengze to elect the leader of the gang. There were so many people involved. Even many heroes in the capital were moved and went to show their faces. Even if they couldn't become the leader, they had to work hard to contact each other.

"Of course, there are more sects on the sea than Yunmengze. There are only a small battle every six months and a big battle every three years, which is definitely inevitable."

Han Ruzi suddenly smiled, "It's such a strange thing. Why do I always forget that you are a person on the sea? I'm looking for pirate generals everywhere, but you are the most suitable."

Meng E looked down at the palace outfit on her body, "I can't be a general. Don't talk about the Great Chu, there was no female general in the previous dynasty, right?"

Han Ruzi was just a joke, but he did ignore Meng E's value before, so he put down the letter and asked: "How many 'sects' are there on the sea?"

The so-called sects are all pirates. Han Ruzi followed Meng E and did not point it out.

"Well... it is said that there are seventy-two island owners, thirty-six cave owners, and a total of one hundred and eight."

Han Ruzi pointed to a stack of official documents on the table, "The same goes for the official documents sent by the coastal generals. He also said that the seven islands and three caves are respected, and his strength and status are higher than other families. There is Yishi Island, but the strongest one is...Zuanxianshan."

"Penglai Island." Meng E sneered, "It's all nonsense. The various sects fight each other. Every few months, a few are destroyed, and at the same time, a few groups will arise, and they will swallow each other. It is even more common for them to become kings after being strong. There are hundreds of sects on the sea, and when there are fewer sects, there are twenty or thirty, and there are no fixed 108 companies. The most important reason for Yishi Island is that it exists for a long time. However, when everyone gathers, they always prepare 108 chairs. Anyway, there are so many big and small leaders, just sit on them and make up the numbers temporarily."

"Is Penglai Island true or false?"

"There are true and false. To say it is true, there are always people who claim that they have been to Penglai Island, and there are even people who claim that they are ordered by Penglai Island to rule all sects on the sea, and those who disobey will do whatever they want. They say that they claim that they either die or escape, but they have never seen the fleet on Pengpu Island come out to take revenge."

Han Ruzi laughed.

"What's strange is that even so, many people still believe that there is a powerful Penglai Island hiding in the distant sea. They refuse to show up until the time is right. We, Yishi Island, have sent people out to search, but no one has returned alive yet. I don't know if they died at the sea or were left by Penglai Island."

Han Ruzi smiled and shook her head, suddenly put away her smile, "It's a bit like Chunyu Xiao, the one who looks at the air. Everyone says they have seen him and learned the art of sophistry and lobbying from him. Some people claim to be him, but they are not after they are caught."

Yang Feng stubbornly believed that Chunyu Xiao really existed, and Han Ruzi felt it was difficult for him to understand.

He sighed and asked again: "If you were a general, how would you destroy the various sects at sea?"

"I will inform you so that they can escape if they can, and hide if they can, and do not confront the officers and soldiers."

Han Ruzi was stunned, then smiled again, remembering why she hadn't consulted Meng E about the situation in Donghai. She was a descendant of Chen Qi from Yishi Island and had no intention of loyalty to Da Chu.

Someone knocked on the door outside, and Meng E went to open the door. The person who came was a eunuch. He did not enter the house. He bowed and handed a letter to Meng E.

The letter was written by Jing Yao. He was on his way back to Beijing and sent someone to deliver the letter to the capital in advance. The content was extremely simple, with only one name: Huang Pugong.

Most people cannot understand the meaning of this letter, and Han Ruzi immediately understood, although this was the first time he had seen this name.

"Shi Yan Pengshi really misled the merits of others." Han Ruzi put down the letter, but although he was expecting it, he was disappointed. "It's really strange, why did this Huang Pu Gong refuse to write a letter to explain the truth?"

More details will be known only after Jing Yao comes back. Han Ruzi sighed again and said to Meng E: "For the emperor, the most difficult thing is to choose people. With the greatness of the world, there are very few people that the emperor can see. Among these people, there are many falsehoods. After finally seeing two or three people, they may not be willing to serve the court."

Meng E thought about it, but no answer.

Han Ruzi asked again: "Some people tried every means to increase their positions, but some people abandoned their positions as bad as bad. I am really a little confused. Why are some people unwilling to do things for the court?"

One hundred people will have one hundred answers. Meng E's answer may not be the most accurate, but the most direct, "Because some people also want to be emperors. If this is a chaotic time, they are all enemies of His Majesty. Unfortunately, the Great Chu has not been in such a state of chaos. They have no chance to compete for the world and would rather retire than surrender."

"'All the king's land under the world, and all the king's ministers in the boundaries of the earth' is just a dream after all."

There was another knocking on the door outside, and the sound was lighter, and he seemed a little hesitant, not sure whether his behavior was appropriate.

"Jin Chunzhong, let him come in." Han Ruzi heard it was him.

Sure enough, Jin Chunzhong walked in lightly. He was the son of Guiyi Hou, but he was bullied since he was a child in the noble circle and did not have such a high arrogance. After returning from the Huns, he was more cautious and more careful than many eunuchs.

Although it was not formally summoned, Kim Chun-jung still knelt down and kowtowed, and only stood up after getting permission.

When Han Ruzi faced him, he always maintained the majesty of the emperor, not casually because he was a close minister, sitting in a straight position and nodding to indicate that he could speak.

"Weichen found some clues these days. The man named 'Yunxiong' must have not left the capital. He is likely to be hidden in a noble man's mansion, and it is a place where Jingzhao Yin Mansion cannot enter."

Jingzhao Yin was in charge of the capital, equivalent to the county magistrate, with a higher rank and powerlessness to the high-ranking officials of the court.

"Continue to check, no matter whoever covers the house is, you must find it out."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jin Chunzhong continued: "Many clues show that there are not only Yunxiong who is mingling among the merchants. Lian Danchen, the judicial officer of the Jingzhao Yinfu, has already locked up seven people, but has not alerted the snake. He has to wait until more of the assassin's accomplices appear before they can catch them all."

Han Ruzi nodded in agreement. Although King Donghai made a contribution, he arrested people too early. The assassin named Mamu knew very little and could not provide much useful information. Jin Chunzhong and Lian Danchen would not make similar mistakes again.

Jin Chunzhong wanted to speak but stopped, and finally said: "Weichen discovered some other things during the investigation."

"explain."

"It is said that the court will issue an edict to pay the debts of the Shaofu in one size fits all, and only pay 30% to 50%. The merchants gathered in the capital have been bewitched recently and have sold their IOUs to others at a low price."

Han Ruzi thought for a moment and slapped the table, "Hey, it's true that there are all businessmen who are traitorous. It must be the businessmen in Luoyang. They heard that I have their handle, so they have to use a trick to get a mix of fish and dragons to hold all the IOUs in the hands of a few people. If I don't pay back, I will break my trust in the world. If I pay back, I can't tell the difference."

Jin Chunzhong said nothing. He was only responsible for providing clues and not giving the emperor any other ideas.

Han Ruzi thought for a while, "What else?"

"Weichen also found a rumor, but it is not very credible."

"But it's okay."

"It is said that Yunmengze invited a rare master in the world who could enter the thousand troops to assassinate a general, and never failed within a hundred steps. Yunmengze placed his hope on this person, and everything he did was to send this person to His Majesty's 'within a hundred steps'."

Han Ruzi couldn't help laughing, "If there is really such a master in the world, you can become the emperor directly, why just threaten the emperor?"

"Martial arts must be exaggerated, but please be careful, and don't summon strangers easily in the near future."

Han Ruzi nodded without comment. He could not make a promise that he had not finished seeing the generals sent from all over the country, and his uncle's family would soon arrive in the capital... These are all strangers he must meet.

Jin Chunzhong was about to leave, and Han Ruzi happened to see the letter from Jing Yao on the desk, so he called Jin Chunzhong, "Wait a minute, have you heard of the name Huang Pugong?"

Jin Chunzhong looked up, with a clear look of surprise on his face, and nodded, "I heard that this person is a follower next to Master Yan Peng. He has been to Juehou's Mansion with him. How could His Majesty know about him?"

After all, the assassin Ma Mu was brought into the capital by Master Yan Peng. After Jin Chunzhong was granted the title of Xuanyi Envoy, the first person to investigate was that everyone around Master Yan Peng, even the groom and the cook did not let go, and naturally this Huang Pugong was included.

"What kind of person is he?" Han Ruzi did not disclose the source of the letter.

Jin Chunzhong thought for a while, "At the age of 42, a native of the Donghai Kingdom, a fisherman from a background. He sold himself as a servant at the age of 17, and was a little slow. He entered Yan Mansion at the age of 30, and served his master until now. He is honest and doesn't seem to have any problems. Does Your Majesty want me to investigate again?"

"No, he should have nothing to do with the assassin."

Jin Chunzhong withdrew, Han Ruzi was confused and said to Meng E: "Can an ordinary servant help the master command the naval battle?"

"Resumes can be faked."

"Jin Chun-jung was cheated? His methods of asking questions are very proficient. He will not listen to one-sided words, and there must be evidence."

"It may not be Jin Chunzhong who was cheated, but the Yan family. In order to cover up the false military merits, the Yan family needs a statement that is not suspected."

"Hey, Yan family." Han Ruzi originally had a good impression of Yan Pengshi, and once had extremely high expectations. After experiencing many problems, she became even more disappointed.

Assassin, merchants collect debts, uncle Wang family... many trivial matters gathered together, and Han Ruzi couldn't concentrate on finding the general. He picked up Jing Yao's letter and threw it into a nearby charcoal basin, watching it burning into ashes.

"Troubleshooting the merchant first, this matter cannot be delayed." (To be continued.)8

...
Chapter completed!