Ita Era

Chapter 151 Deduction
The leader of this group was the Prince of Wei, one of the Shrimp King's younger brothers. Like the Prince of Qi, he had been allocated a small fiefdom, but even with such a small fiefdom, he was still a prince. A few days ago, the princess had a nightmare, so the prince took the child he had with her to the White Horse Temple in the prefecture to pray for blessings.

Unexpectedly, the King of Wei discovered that his daughter was having an affair with a man of unknown origin. He arrested the man and learned he was a student from Yong'an County. He bound the man and brought him to the inn to interrogate him. The target of his interrogation was the educational administrator of Yong'an County, who was asked: "How could someone of such depraved character be a student? As the educational administrator, don't you bear any responsibility?"

Ding Shi now felt some sympathy for Su Su. Su Su was basically just a bystander in the first round, and even the assassination attempt on the first night was glossed over by her unconsciousness.

In the second round, Su Su must first pass four levels. Assuming Ding Shi is not with her, Su Su can only pass two levels at most. When she encounters an attack by bandits in the third level, she may die or be seriously injured.

The system offered Su Su a way out: hire bodyguards. But bodyguards were too expensive, and she couldn't afford them. Ding Shi took 50,000 taels from Prince Qi, which was the first source of funding for Huozi. It was a bit late, and Su Su missed out on her share, so she could only set off with 200 taels of silver.

As for the prince in the fourth challenge, Su Su and her bodyguards are definitely no match for him. First of all, the bodyguards would never lay a hand on the prince. Therefore, in the fourth challenge, Su Su has no choice but to abandon the student the prince has his eye on.

That's not all. Once they reach the prefectural capital, Su Su will learn about the case of the suspected body of a novice scholar found downstream, and she will have to assist in the investigation. At the same time, she also needs to protect the novice scholars at the inn, preventing them from going out and overseeing their meals to prevent them from being poisoned.

So tragic, so tragic...

Why am I the one suffering now?
Thinking of revealing the person in the dream, Ding Shi said, "King Wei, please wait a moment, I will go and invite the Minister of Education."

Ding rushed to the clinic and, grabbing the overpowered doctor, asked, "How long will it take for Xue Zheng to wake up?"

The doctor replied, "At least four hours."

Ding Shi drew his cleaver and placed it on the table, then took out his official seal and asked, "And now?"

The doctor thought for a moment and then asked, "Does Your Honor wish for her to wake up or not?"

Ding Shi: "I hope she wakes up soon."

The doctor hesitated, saying, "That will hurt a lot."

Ding Shi: "It's okay." He's her brother, not her boyfriend.

The doctor then took out a large silver needle and pierced the philtrum of the unconscious Su Su. The next second, a horrific scream echoed throughout the prefecture.

Shrimp says: The medical principle behind waking someone up by pinching their philtrum is pain. Why choose the philtrum? Because it's extremely painful.

Su Su jumped up from the bed. Before she could even see her surroundings, she felt her collar tighten and was pulled out of the room, heading towards the inn.

The issue of the Prince of Wei was a feudal one. Before Zhu Xi, although the strict separation of men and women wasn't as pronounced, one rule remained constant: the prohibition of private relationships. This "private relationship" didn't mean men and women meeting in private. During the Sui, Tang, and Northern Song dynasties, a foundation for free love emerged, but the consent of both sets of parents was required.

Private engagement refers to a relationship or sexual intercourse between two parties without the knowledge of their parents. This was a serious offense, and it is said that it was strictly prohibited because of numerous cases of siblings engaging in private engagements among feudal lords during the Han Dynasty.

Simply put, parents need to oversee their children's marriages. Even now, while free choice is important, parents still have a certain degree of influence.

In some respects, prohibiting private transactions is not necessarily a bad system.

To confirm whether a secret exchange occurred, it's necessary to see if the two parties exchanged tokens of affection. These tokens are usually private items, such as embroidered sachets for girls or jade pendants for boys.

King Wei had Wang Tong bound and demanded an explanation from the supervising education official, but in reality, he wanted to define the nature of the incident and lay the groundwork for future treatment of Wang Tong. After all, Wang Tong held the title of a student of the lowest rank.

The situations of the King of Wei and the Crown Prince were completely different. After hearing the situation, Su Su looked at Ding Shi: "Sell Wang Tong?" She made a lewd gesture of rubbing money in her hand.

Ding Shi understood and asked, "King Wei, how much money can you offer? If you offer a high enough price, there are still 18 students waiting for you to choose from."

Su Su bumped into Ding Shi, shoving him aside, and said, "Your Highness, what do you suggest we do?" No matter how small the fiefdom of the Prince of Wei is, he is still the brother of the current Shrimp King. It wouldn't be difficult to deal with a mere child, so why make such a fuss?
The King of Wei sighed, "My daughter's reputation is now ruined because of that scoundrel. Killing him won't solve the problem. After much thought, the only option is for him to marry into the family."

Wang Tong said urgently, "I'd rather die than marry into this family." This is so unfair!

Ding Shi persuaded, "It's great to marry into the family. Look at the sons-in-law in the picture books, they're all incredibly capable, enjoying the bliss of having multiple wives." Ding Shi and Su Su's core values: as long as Wang Tong participates in the prefectural examination, they'll do anything, even marry into the family.

Wang Tong said solemnly, "I am the eldest son of the Wang family..."

Ding Shi said, "Do you believe it or not? If you keep talking, you'll become the only son of the royal family, and an orphan at that. Brother, commoners can't fight with officials, let alone princes. Although a prince is young, he still represents the face of the royal family. You being able to marry a princess is a stroke of good luck."

Taking advantage of the situation, the King of Wei said, "As long as you marry into the family, I will grant you hereditary privileges and allow you to serve as an official in the court." Hereditary privileges were a characteristic of feudalism, divided into two categories: one was that powerful nobles could have their eldest son inherit their titles; the other was that high-ranking officials could recommend their family members for official positions.

Ding Shi immediately objected: "Your Highness, if you do it this way, this matter will not be settled. Wang Tong must participate in the prefectural examination."

Su Su nodded repeatedly: "As the education administrator, I absolutely will not allow any student to neglect their studies because of love."

The King of Wei seemed to understand and said, "Of course, it would be best if you could take the imperial examination. I will definitely support your participation in the prefectural examination."

Wang Tong objected: "No..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ding Shi knocked him to the ground. Su Su and Ding Shi then proceeded to punch and kick Wang Tong, who cried out in pain, "I agree! I promise!"

Su Su gave him a disapproving look: "Don't blame us for being ruthless because you caused this mess yourselves." Damn it, we give you free food and lodging, treat you like royalty, all we ask is that you study and pass your exams. And what do you do? You're all traitors.

Falling in love during the best years for studying, working on screws during the best years for falling in love, and remaining single during the best years for marriage.

And so the decision was made happily. Of the 20 students that Su Su was protecting, all but Zhang Kong, who was involved in a murder case and died, were present. As long as they held on until the deduction exercise, an S rating was guaranteed.

Ding Shi and Su Su stood guard at the inn's entrance and discussed Zhang Kong's matter. Su Su immediately felt immense pressure. If she hadn't been on this business trip with Ding Shi, she wouldn't have been able to handle so many troublesome matters.

A man carrying bamboo baskets delivered tonight's ingredients. Ding Shi and Su Su checked the ingredients at the door, and after confirming they were non-toxic and fresh, they let him go. The man took the ingredients to the kitchen. As the man walked out of the inn, Ding Shi noticed he was carrying empty bamboo baskets, so he stopped him: "Wait." In Ding Shi's memory, after unloading, the two bamboo baskets should be nested together, and the baskets should be lifted by one end of a carrying pole.

Ding Shi asked, "How long have you been working in the delivery business?"

The man replied, "Sir, it's been seven or eight years already. I'm in charge of delivering fresh vegetables to various inns and taverns."

Ding Shi said, "Take off your outer clothes."

The man, puzzled, took off his outer garment, revealing that he was only wearing a jacket underneath.

Ding Shi pressed down on the man's shoulder, then drew his official knife and held it to the man's neck: "Su Su, check the ingredients he brought again."

Su Su went to the back kitchen to inspect the newly delivered vegetables. The inspection method was simple: turn the vegetables into cards. Carrot card, white radish card, carrot card, cabbage card, bok choy card, and a poisonous cabbage card. After resetting them and peeling them open, she found two poisonous needles inserted into the root of the cabbage. The needles were short, ensuring she wouldn't cut herself while chopping, since cabbage is basically only cut in one way.

Ding Shi arrested the man and took him to the judicial office. The man quickly confessed that he was a student from the neighboring county. Last year, during the prefectural examination, students from Yong'an County added croton oil to the food from the neighboring county to reduce their competition, resulting in the complete failure of the neighboring county's candidates, including three outstanding students. This man was one of those outstanding students.

The man took the imperial examination again, and out of revenge and to reduce competition, he soaked a needle in poison. He claimed it wouldn't kill anyone. Ding Shi countered, "What if someone swallowed the poisoned needle? They wouldn't die from the poison, but from choking?" The man had no rebuttal and confessed.

When Ding Shi returned to the inn, Su Su was very curious about how Ding Shi could identify someone by their shoulder. Ding Shi explained, "Porters and other similar professions have concave shoulder muscles, while ordinary people have flat shoulder muscles. You can tell the difference by pressing on them slightly."

Su Su: "Why do you know all this?"

Ding Shi: "I overheard a chat in Taoyuan Village." He may not have great wisdom, but he has some cleverness.

At 6 PM, Ding Shi ate dinner at the inn and received a message from a courier, instructing him to return to Yong'an County for a collective planning meeting. Even if he set off immediately, Ding Shi wouldn't return to Yong'an County until 11 PM, leaving little time for everyone to work on the plan.

"Don't go." Su Su's eyes were blurry with tears. Without Ding Shi, she had no confidence that she could take good care of the 19 ancestors.

Dante wasn't going to fall for her act. He shoved the resentful Su Su aside, mounted his mule, took 50,000 silver notes, went to the Provincial Judicial Office to get a few torches, and rushed back to Yong'an County overnight.

……

In the Yong'an County government office, everyone except Su Su gathered in the conference room to begin writing the simulation plan.

The main theme of this simulation is loyalty to the emperor. This theme is similar to that of loyalty to the ministers, but there are some differences. The difference lies in the fact that the emperor has some reservations about the attitude towards the crown prince.

Before Ding Shi returned, they already had a plan, but Ding Shi brought back another 50,000 taels of silver, so everyone decided to revise the simulation plan.

The main character in this simulation is the woman in red. In reality, Yu Yuan relinquished command in the second round, taking charge of strategic planning and adjusting direction—a process commonly known as choosing sides. Chu Yu was in charge of logistics, commonly known as making money.

During the six-hour discussion, everyone carefully reviewed the plan repeatedly, and submitted it to the system after confirming it was correct. The system raised questions about some details, such as whether there were any requirements for the deputy generals who were not on duty, given that Wang Meng had two deputy generals. For example, they were not allowed to leave Yong'an Pass. Since one deputy general had a family, being too demanding of him might lead to his passive resistance or even rebellion.

At 7:30 a.m., Su Su was teleported back to Yong'an County. Hot pot, lobster, and king crab were served, and everyone watched to see how the second round would go.

In the first month of winter, the number of refugees increased. Yu Yuan improved the treatment of the city's garrison while simultaneously enforcing discipline to ensure the safety of the soup kitchens. Furthermore, Yu Yuan recruited refugees and displaced people, turning them into patrol teams on the condition of having enough to eat. As a result, the county's security improved.

In the second month, public security improved. Under Chu Yu's persuasion, most businesses resumed operations, and Yu Yuan strengthened patrols in some areas.

In the third month, a large number of refugees were recruited and sent to the vicinity of Yong'an Pass to participate in the construction of barracks and workshops.

In the first month of spring, the county government leased 400 mu of land and invested 30,000 taels of silver to help villagers return to their villages to cultivate the land, including the cost of purchasing grain from other places. Good news: the Ministry of Revenue allocated an additional 10,000 taels of silver as incentive funds for farmers.

In the second month of spring, 20 soldiers from the Princess's residence moved into the recruit camp and began recruiting new soldiers from among the refugees, gathering a total of 400 men. This recruitment was ordered by Wang Meng, reported to the prefect, and only began after the prefect's approval.

In the third month of spring, the military camp began training refugees. From the first month of winter, the soup kitchens set up by Yu Yuan had been falsely reporting the daily food expenditures to the princess, replenishing a granary in a manner that resembled rats carrying food.

In the first month of summer, a eunuch secretly met with Yu Yuan and Wang Meng in Yong'an County and delivered a secret edict. The next day, Yong'an was closed. The 2000 city guards of the prefecture began to move towards Yong'an Pass and set up camp 30 li away from the pass.

One night, a mutiny broke out at Yong'an Pass. A squad leader led 50 armored soldiers to attack the military headquarters at Yong'an Pass. Another squad leader led 20 soldiers to infiltrate the barbican and seize the southeast winch.

At the same time, a force of 5,000 men suddenly appeared south of Yong'an Pass and launched an attack on the pass overnight. In coordination with this attack, several spies set fire to Yong'an Pass and Yong'an County.

For a time, Yong'an Pass was in imminent danger.

At a crucial moment, the woman in red, carrying a fake tiger tally and a forged imperial edict, mobilized one hundred armored cavalrymen at the Ironclad Army camp. The system assessed this based on factors including items, planning, wisdom, luck, nighttime conditions, and unforeseen circumstances. Based on this assessment, the system gave the woman in red, who was currently enjoying her crab-eating adventure, ten minutes to prepare and see if she could persuade the four Ironclad Army generals.

Ultimately, the decision was successful. 100 armored soldiers rushed to Yong'an Pass, 50 armored soldiers went to the city wall to defend the city, and 50 armored soldiers, under the command of Wang Meng, joined the battle to restore order.

Hua Shan took the fake tiger tally. Because the new recruits had a high degree of identification with the magistrate of Yu Yuan County, and with many adults siding with them, the new recruits maintained a natural fear of the officials. Hua Shan did not need to contact the new recruits. After passing the three-dimensional assessment, she directly took over the command of the new recruits.

Hua Shan led the new recruits to kill 20 instructors from the Princess's mansion and rushed to surround the mansion overnight.

The next morning, the enemy vanguard retreated ten miles. After eliminating the spies at Yong'an Pass, Wang Meng ordered the armored soldiers to eat and rest. He laced their food with sleeping potion, and after they all fell unconscious, they were beheaded.

Meanwhile, after Hua Shan and her new recruits had eaten and drunk their fill, they launched a three-pronged attack on the Princess's mansion with the help of Hong Yi and Chu Yu. The battle lasted for most of the day. At 5 PM, Hong Yi led 100 fresh troops in a surprise attack on the Princess's mansion, storming it.

The battle lasted until 9 p.m., and the princess was eventually captured. Chu Yu stole 100,000 taels of silver from the princess's private treasury and activated the backup livelihood plan. This plan included encouraging land reclamation, establishing an orphanage, establishing caravans with government participation, and rewarding those who had children, among other things.

(End of this chapter)