The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Su Zhe did not stay in his own palace, but used it as a temporary wartime command post.

A huge sand table was placed in the center of the study, accurately recreating the topography of the capital city and its surroundings.

He was holding a thin wooden stick, simulating the various changes in the battle situation on a sand table.

Wei An walked in with light, quick steps, so light that not a sound could be heard, like a phantom.

He bowed and presented a newly written secret report with both hands.

"Your Highness, the fish you asked me to keep an eye on... have all gathered together."

Su Zhe shifted his gaze from the sand table and took the secret report.

He quickly glanced through it.

The secret report, written in tiny, meticulous characters, detailed everything that had happened at the Wu family residence that day.

The entire conspiracy, including Wu Chengdao and others, their planned timing, the list of aristocratic families involved, and their ultimate goal—burning down the granary in the west of the city.

Su Zhe put down the secret report and let out a cold laugh.

"These ungrateful parasites are truly incorrigible. It seems my blade is still not fast enough, not ruthless enough."

Wei An lowered his head and asked softly in his distinctive hoarse voice:

"Your Highness, should I send the Shadow Dragon Guards now to wipe them out in one fell swoop? Just in case things get complicated and something else happens."

"No." Su Zhe shook his head and casually tossed the secret report into the brazier beside him.

The paper quickly curled up in the flames and turned to ashes.

"If we arrest them now, they will only deny everything. At most, we can only charge them with talking recklessly and conspiring to have a chat. They will say that they were just venting their frustrations about my policies and will never admit it."

Su Zhe raised his eyes, his expression focused and dangerous, like a hunter locking onto his target.

"That's not what I want."

"What I want is to catch them red-handed! I want them to be caught red-handed by my men the moment they make their move, when they think they're about to succeed!"

"I want all the people of the capital to see for themselves what kind of ugly, traitorous faces these seemingly respectable aristocratic families are hiding behind the scenes when the nation is in peril!"

Wei An frowned, his tone filled with worry: "But Your Highness, the granary is of utmost importance; it is the lifeline of our entire city's soldiers and civilians. What if... what if they really succeed in taking it? The consequences would be unimaginable."

"Then give them a fake granary and burn it down."

Su Zhe's answer surprised Wei An.

He walked to the sand table and pointed to the location of the western granary on the sand table with the wooden stick in his hand.

"Pass down my order. Starting tonight, over the next three days, secretly move all the grain stored in the western granary of the city to the ice cellar beneath the palace."

"Then, fill the granary back up with sand and fodder. Remember, make sure the appearance is perfect, make it look exactly like the real thing."

Su Zhe's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"Oh, right. Also, 'accidentally' pile all the tung oil we seized, the most flammable kind, around that fake granary. Give them a little convenience."

Wei An suddenly realized.

This is not a precaution; it is clearly a plan to turn the tables on those powerful families and dig a grave from which they can never escape!

But then a new problem came to his mind.

"Your Highness is wise. However, Wu Chengdao mentioned an inside man he had in the granary west of the city, the garrison officer. We haven't yet found out who this person is. If we can't take him into custody in advance, I'm afraid... things might still change."

"No need to check anymore."

Su Zhe's answer surprised Wei An once again.

Su Zhe turned around, walked back to his desk, picked up his pen, and wrote a name on a piece of white paper.

Wang Wu.

He handed the paper to Wei An.

"It's him."

Wei An took the note, looked at the name on it, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

"Your Highness... how did you find out? The Shadow Dragon Guard has been investigating for a long time, but still has no clues."

Of course, Su Zhe couldn't tell him that this was a minor supporting character who had left a deep impression on him when he read that online novel in his previous life.

He simply turned his back and said in a mysterious tone:

"I have my own way of dealing with people."

"This Wang Wu is a compulsive gambler who has racked up a huge gambling debt. But just a few days ago, he suddenly paid off all his debts and even went to brothels several times in a lavish manner."

"He can't hold onto the money Wu Chengdao gave him. People like that are the easiest to investigate."

After listening, Wei An looked at Su Zhe with even greater awe.

This ability to see into people's hearts and find flaws in the smallest details goes far beyond the scope of ordinary intelligence gathering.

This is simply... unpredictable!

He bent down and carefully tucked the note into his pocket.

"This old servant understands. Then this Wang Wu…"

"Don't touch him yet." Su Zhe's tone was full of mockery. "Send men to keep a close watch on him 24 hours a day. I want to see when and how he will light that fire."

"It also allows Wu Chengdao and his ilk to walk into the trap we have carefully prepared for them, step by step, with peace of mind."

After settling things with the "rats" in the city, Su Zhe turned his gaze to the vast darkness outside the city.

He said to Wei An, "We need to catch the rats in the city, and we also need to feed the wolves outside the city."

"How are the preparations going with Zhang Hu?"

Wei An replied, "Your Highness, everything is ready. General Zhang and his one hundred loyal confidants have changed into civilian clothes and brought the 'grand gift' you prepared for Huyan Ba."

"After dark, they will quietly leave the city through the secret passage you had dug in advance at the east gate."