Tiger Guards

Chapter 682 Lure the snake out of its hole
West of Jinyang City, in the suburbs.

A slightly larger courtyard house is right next to the West Gate Pavilion. The courtyard house is empty, and through the outer earthen wall, you can see that there are about a hundred acres of flat and fertile fields inside.

At this moment, the ground is covered in snow, and only a dozen or so cattle, horses, and thirty or so sheep are digging in the snow and foraging for food in this huge courtyard.

In terms of scale, it is no less than the manors and fortresses of some powerful families.

It only had a low earthen wall for protection against animals, and no other fortifications such as walls, arrow towers, or antlers, so it could only be considered a very large courtyard, not a manor.

Within this large courtyard is a smaller courtyard, surrounded by animal sheds and granaries for storing hay and grain.

Zhao Lian led over thirty cavalrymen slowly to the outside of the courtyard. Outside the courtyard was the West Gate Road Pavilion. The pavilion chief led over a dozen pavilion soldiers carrying clubs and crossbows. Upon seeing the banner that read "Acting Prefect Zhao," they immediately stopped and raised their hands, shouting at Zhao Lian's dozens of cavalrymen: "Halt!"

Zhao Lian reined in his horse. He was a chivalrous and unrestrained man by nature. Since he no longer needed to bow his head to others, his true nature was further unleashed. His normal words and actions would attract all sorts of chivalrous and desperate men to join him.

Zhao Lian no longer needs to compromise on livelihood or family development. He eats well, dresses well, and is taken care of by a large group of chivalrous swordsmen. Following these young people, he feels as if he has become younger as well.

Not only her mindset, but even her personal demeanor seemed to have become younger.

Having spent his days hunting with his cavalry, Zhao Lian's archery and horsemanship skills were now far superior to those of his prime.

Seeing that a mere village head dared to shout at him even though he knew who it was, Zhao Lian was furious. But behind this village head stood Zhao Ji and Zhao Yan.

So he had no choice but to rein in his horse. One of his riders stepped forward and shouted to the village head, "My lord has come to visit his eldest grandson."

"By order of the Grand Tutor, without the written order of the Grand Preceptor or the Grand Tutor, no subject or commoner may disturb the Grand Tutor's villa!"

The official rank of the pavilion chief of Ximen Road Pavilion was no more than 100 shi (a unit of grain), and he only reached the rank of squad leader in the army before he had to retire due to disability.

He held up a wooden tablet in his right hand, glared and shouted: "If you dare to harass us again, don't blame me for reporting you to the city gate captain!"

"Don't stoop to his level, come with me into the mountains to hunt."

Zhao Lian shouted and spurred his horse forward, bypassing the village head. The village head merely turned to look back, and none of his dozen or so soldiers dared to stop Zhao Lian.

Zhao Lian rode his horse and turned his head to look at the small courtyard a few dozen steps away through the low wall. Thick smoke rose from the chimney there, suggesting that the house must be very warm inside.

He really just wanted to visit Alan's house to see his grandson, but when he was stopped, he lost interest.

Zhao Lian now has a large family of children and grandchildren, but his affection for them is actually more dispersed and not as strong as before.

Especially after meeting Zhao Ji in Dai County, Zhao Lian saw that he no longer had the opportunity to be the "Emperor Emeritus". He was furious with Zhao Ji's heartlessness and filial impiety, so he simply let his nature run wild. He stopped managing any political affairs and spent his days hunting and suppressing bandits with his cavalry. He lived a very comfortable life.

But how can any carefree life compare to the supreme status of an emperor emeritus?

Inside the city, the new Grand Tutor's residence is located near the important warehouse area in the northwest corner.

Zhao Yan's original Jinyang Marquis residence was given to the Empress Regent, and after some minor renovations, it became the Empress's temporary palace.

Zhao Yan had no choice but to rebuild his mansion in a different location, so he converted the government office in Cangcheng into the Grand Tutor's residence.

Therefore, the mansion was not large in scale, but fortunately, Zhao Yan's Grand Tutor's Mansion was never fully staffed.

A fully staffed Grand Tutor's mansion would instinctively have its clerks vie for power with the Grand Preceptor's and Grand Protector's mansions.

Moreover, the Three Departments system has now been restored, so Zhao Yan only needs to keep an eye on the three provinces.

However, with Zhao Lian's entry into the court, Zhao Yan had no choice but to keep an eye on Zhao Lian as well.

This cousin has been a troublemaker since he was a child. I thought that after wandering around for so long and suffering so much, his rough edges would have been worn down.

Unexpectedly, as Zhao Ji's empire grew ever more magnificent, Zhao Lian, instead of studying classics to enhance his knowledge or recruiting talented individuals to accumulate strength, was able to expand his influence and indirectly consolidate the foundation of the Zhao family by frequently recommending his disciples.

But Zhao Lian did something else entirely. Not only did he revert to his chivalrous ways, he went even further, recruiting fugitives and lawbreakers. He was practically robbing women and killing innocent people to claim credit within the Dai County.

These people, relying on Zhao Lian's special influence, have caused harm not only in Dai County. Many of them have even returned to their hometowns to recruit companions, and officials along the way dare not supervise them or even report them, as if they have not discovered anything.

As a result, with the help of these proletarian scoundrels, Zhao Lian's influence in the martial arts world grew day by day, to the point that Zhao Yan could no longer ignore him.

Now, Zhao Lian can easily gather thousands of desperate men with a single call to arms.

This is not terrible; what is terrible is that the county and prefectural officials dare not restrain or stop Zhao Lian.

At this moment, Zhao Lian, though without the titles of Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, or Grand Protector, possessed similar unrestricted power.

In a sense, Zhao Lian obtained special power similar to that of an "emperor emeritus" through his dissolute behavior.

Even Zhao Yan, when he wanted to deal with Zhao Lian, had to consider Zhao Ji's feelings and various other consequences.

However, Zhao Yan was extremely patient with the increasingly arrogant Zhao Lian.

Inside the Grand Tutor's residence, Zhao Yan and his former officials gathered together, all deep in thought and analyzing the situation.

Zhao Ji was worried about changes in Jinyang while he was at the front line, and Zhao Yan had similar concerns.

Therefore, he lived in the Grand Tutor's residence and would not go out unless necessary.

Even the Empress, with the year-end approaching, issued an edict to close all government offices and yamens, to be reopened during the grand court assembly on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the following year.

Therefore, in terms of political affairs, there is no possibility that Zhao Yan will need to appear or leave the residence.

Zhao Ji's several villas were also placed under special military blockade.

City gate captain Gao Chong is an absolutely insane man. Even if you get lost and wander into a few villa areas, being caught by Gao Chong will make you wish you were dead.

However, elements like Zhao Lian, who seem restless, are more like smokescreens thrown out by the enemy to deceive them.

The real enemy will always be lurking in key places, waiting for the opportunity to deliver the fatal blow.

Especially at times like these, Zhao Yan became even more determined to stay inside his residence and not come out.

As long as he is healthy and alive, no one else, including Zhao Lian, will have a chance to seize power.

For now, we can only stall until Zhao Ji returns to the Pingyang camp.

As soon as Zhao Ji returns to the Pingyang camp, all the restless probing will immediately cease!

"Grandmaster..."

Joyful sounds came from outside the meeting hall. An official led a panting messenger into the hall, who was supported by two guards.

Upon entering the meeting hall, the envoy's legs gave way, and he looked at Zhao Yan and uttered two words: "A great victory!"

"Take him to rest and recuperate quickly."

Zhao Yan urged him on, and several of his trusted former officials quickly stepped forward to unload the waterproof lacquered wooden buckets that the messenger was carrying.

Several people carried the wooden bucket to Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan saw that the lacquer mark was intact and immediately nodded. The people then took the bucket to the side and used a knife to break open the lacquer mark and take out the official documents inside.

The highest-ranking person read the document first and then stepped forward to deliver it: "Grand Tutor, a great victory has been achieved in Liangzhou! No fewer than 120,000 Han and Qiang youths who rebelled have been captured or killed!"

"not good!"

Another former official beside him gasped, looking at Zhao Yan in shock: "Grand Tutor! If such a great victory is reported to the court, the men and women of Jinyang will surely understand... that the Grand Tutor is no longer in Pingyang. Only the Grand Tutor could have achieved such a great victory!"

Zhao Yan frowned, his tone resolute: "No, report to the Regent Empress immediately. I want to see who is plotting this rebellion!"

(End of this chapter)