My lord, spare his life!

Zhang Yang only glanced at it briefly.

Just as she was about to close the data, she suddenly came to her senses.

Something's not right!

She then carefully examined each attribute data.

If I remember correctly, her original "power" was unknown, but now it has become Tianyue County. There's not much to say about this change; she is now the de facto governor of Tianyue County, and the forces within the county that resisted her were wiped out not long ago.

The strange thing is the other items!

[Talent] It's actually spending money like water? Just four words gave Zhang Yang a profound understanding of his current financial situation.

[Loyalty] Originally there were three points, now it's negative three.

The Morality and Wisdom stats each gained ten points.

Zhang Yang wasn't interested in anything else, but the increase in her [Intelligence] stat made her feel incredibly refreshed. Look at that, that's her strength! As the only legendary NPC to awaken self-awareness, she gained ten points in Intelligence in just over six months!

What does this mean?

This means she can increase her [Intelligence] by 20 points a year, and in less than five years she can reach 100, surpassing Fan You and Yuan Xie!

This realization made Zhang Yang feel excited and elated.

She decided to refrain from criticizing game designers so much from now on.

It turns out it wasn't that her attributes were bad, but rather that the homestead side quests intentionally gave players such low initial stats. Thinking about it, it makes sense; how else would you get the sense of accomplishment from leveling up?

"Does Uncle Yan also think I've become much smarter?"

No wonder he has 93 points in intelligence; his insight is truly remarkable.

Fan You: "..."

No, his so-called enlightenment was probably just an illusion.

The lord is always a mix of cleverness and stupidity.

He didn't reveal his true feelings, but Zhang Yang had already begun to investigate the source of her enlightenment and increased wisdom. She pondered deeply, wondering if her dramatic transformation was related to the poisonous mushroom soup, the sandalwood mixed with poison, the superior antidote pill, and the antidote soup given by the doctor?

Or perhaps it is the result of the combined effects of these factors?

Zhang Yang stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Fan You: "..."

He had a bad feeling.

This premonition was quickly confirmed.

Zhang Yang sent people to the dungeon to interrogate those people about whether they still had that kind of deadly poison, what dosage they used when they poisoned her, and also asked if Du Guan had any stock of the poison. He also collected sandalwood and asked a doctor to prepare another bowl of the same antidote soup for him.

The doctor was so frightened that he thought there was still some poison left in her body.

They rushed to check on her but found that she was healthy and strong and there was nothing wrong with her.

He hurriedly asked the reason, and Zhang Yang said that this method could lead to enlightenment.

"...You don't know, when I was feeling the worst, my head was throbbing with pain, like someone was using an ice axe to chisel away at my skull. It hurt a lot, but afterwards I felt so refreshed!"

The doctor's lips twitched, his expression one of unspoken difficulty: "...After recovering from a serious illness and shedding the lingering effects of the disease, one will feel refreshed and invigorated."

Zhang Yang said, "That's different."

The doctor flatly rejected Zhang Yang's suggestion.

There was an element of luck involved in being able to detoxify last time.

If the Lady were to be poisoned again, the already unpredictable mixture of toxins would undergo uncontrollable changes, and her life could be lost. Whether as a healer or otherwise, a physician could not stand by and watch the Lady risk her own health.

Zhang Yang: "Do you need the medicine?"

Could it be that you need to complete a quest to get the antidote soup?

It's not impossible.

The first bowl of detoxifying soup is a must-have item in the quest; if Zhang Yang wants another bowl, he will have to go through other quest channels.

The doctor gritted his teeth: "I cannot obey your command!"

Even if Zhang Yang is the Prefect, he cannot force her!

Surprisingly, Zhang Yang did not make things difficult for her.

"Never mind, you can go now."

What I was thinking was—

It's definitely because the mission hasn't been triggered yet, or the timing isn't right.

The physician, filled with mixed emotions, slung his medicine chest over his shoulder, bowed, and took his leave. He then turned to complain to Chief Clerk Fan and his officers. Except for Fan You, the others exchanged bewildered glances: "Could it be that the lingering poison hasn't completely dissipated, and our lord is still deeply deluded, mistaking this poison for something good?"

This is the only explanation.

"Junior, have you thought of something?"

"Please use the title—" Fan You subconsciously corrected, "My lord has probably misunderstood something. It's alright, I'll handle this matter!"

Yuan Xie: "I'll go instead. Uncle Yan is very busy with official duties."

Fan You: "..."

He stared intently at Yuan Xie with a chilling gaze: "Could you please stop using your 'Broken Star Subduing Fiend' to eavesdrop on the lustful demon within me?!"

You lustful devil, you lustful devil, why is your mouth so loose!

Yuan Xie smiled broadly: "I wasn't eavesdropping."

It was clearly a perfectly legitimate inquiry.

He added, finding Fan You's complexion too pleasant, "Shuyan, you should really talk to the lustful ghost. After all, it's a ghost that originated from the depths of your soul, sharing the same roots as you. If you make it miserable, it won't let you have a good life either."

Fan You sneered: "If it lives well, how can I survive?"

Yuan Xie said, "Isolated yin cannot produce, and solitary yang cannot grow. It's not that I'm telling you to submit to the lustful demon, but to control it, even if that's extremely difficult. If you don't do this, not only can I easily find out your secrets from the lustful demon, but others can too."

Unfortunately, Fan You was also the lord's chief advisor and strategist.

If Fan You doesn't overcome this, there's nothing wrong with him staying in his current position—Tianyue County is just the countryside, and the governor of Tianyue County is just a rural governor. The enemies who are eyeing him won't be too powerful, and the probability of Fan You encountering his nemesis is also small—but if one day the dragon plunges into the sea, and the tiger runs to the high mountains, and the lord goes to a wider world, Fan You will also encounter more opponents who can be called geniuses.

At that time-

His weakness is his lord's fatal flaw.

Fan You had no choice but to step down and give way to a more capable person.

Although Yuan Xie wouldn't mind replacing everything he had, he would find it boring if he could win against Fan You so easily.

"If you don't know how, I'll teach you."

Yuan Xie wouldn't dare say he had the most celestial beings descending upon evil spirits in the world, but he was definitely among the top. Others might not have as much experience dealing with ghosts as he did, nor would they know as many secrets as he did.

Fan You glared at him fiercely.

Yuan Xie smiled radiantly.

"The day will come when you beg me."

In short, this task still fell to Yuan Xie.

Fan You didn't know how he persuaded him, but he knew that his lord resumed his normal routine the next day, wandering around, either feeding the children or helping the laborers with various heavy tasks. He also made a trip to the Puyang military camp and brought back a bunch of chickens and ducks.

These chickens and ducks were then handed over to Zhang Dami.

Zhang Yang's threats were more intimidating than a tiger's. Zhang Dami got new chickens and ducks, and aside from eating and sleeping and serving as Zhang Yang's mount, she followed them everywhere, afraid they might fall or get hurt and affect their egg-laying mood. Anyone who tried to approach her would be met with her baring teeth.

Where did that constipation guy go?

It wasn't until the third day that Zhang Yang discovered the young man Qin Huang had sent to take over as the prefect of Tianyue County was missing. Could it be that he had taken advantage of the chaos to escape?

Du Guan coughed lightly.

He asked, "Who is that?"

What parent would name their child Constipation?

Even if it's not those two characters but a homophone, it's still incredibly idiotic.

Zhang Yang said, "Sent by Qin Huang."

Why call him "Secretary Brother"?

Naturally, it was because the other person had chronic constipation, or perhaps Zhang Yang's kick had expelled the feces from his abdomen. However, this forceful method of inducing bowel movements was rather rough; the constipated man developed anal fissures and had to stay in bed. This fellow then proceeded to curse and insult Zhang Yang quite a bit.

Du Guan: "...He is already dead."

Zhang Yang: "Dead?"

Du Guan: "He was also secretly involved in this mutiny. During the time he was detained, Qin Huang did not send anyone to investigate, which shows that his value is only so-so. The Prefect has completely consolidated the power of Tianyue, and in the future, he can cooperate with the counties in the mountains through the Dongfan Mountains. Although his foundation is not as solid as Qin Huang's, it will not be easy for Qin Huang to eradicate the Prefect. In that case, let's get rid of this cancer."

Zhang Yang said, "Oh, then kill him."

It's perfectly normal for an NPC with little screen time to finish filming.

Zhang Yang quickly put the matter out of her mind and focused her attention on the post-disaster reconstruction of Weiyin County for two consecutive days. Only after the rebels' families and their wealth were all brought into the city did she have time to deal with them. And let me tell you, each family was quite large.

The list that was presented to her left her speechless.

"How can this person have so many children?"

The masterminds who were arrested included both men and women.

The male masterminds' direct descendants can be ranked in the teens or more. Keep in mind that their children's birth order is separate, meaning they have a dozen or even twenty children at a time? Good heavens, aren't these NPCs a bit too prolific? The female masterminds are no less impressive. Not only do they have children themselves, but they also let their siblings have children, and all the children are ranked together in the birth order.

Anyway-

Each household has a sizable population.

What a lively family!

Zhang Yang sighed and glanced at the account books that had been confiscated from various households. These account books recorded the household expenses, including the monthly allowances for everyone in the family, the monthly wages of servants, and social obligations... Just when she thought these expenses were truly enormous, she saw some unusual entries. For example, the purchase of antiques and curios, the keeping of top courtesans, and the purchase of maids and concubines.

These expenses are all measured in thousands of taels.

Zhang Yang looked at it again in disbelief.

Suppressing her anger, she looked at the account books of other farmhouses and shops. Just as she was engrossed in reading them, the guards carried in more than a dozen large boxes, which were filled with deeds to their properties, land, and houses... Most of the deeds were signed by their tenants.

The most common items were various IOUs.

Looking at the densely packed palm prints and finger marks on the surface, along with the outrageously high interest rates for beheadings, Zhang Yang could no longer contain his anger.

She shattered the bamboo IOU into dust with one hand.

"...Why are there still some?"

Zhang Yang paused for a moment as he watched the boxes being moved inside.

For some reason, Du Guan's expression was quite unpleasant.

Zhang Yang keenly noticed something.

"What's inside?"

Opening the wooden box, one of the contents was a glistening, shiny bone. Each bone varied in size, but their shapes indicated they were all taken from the same part of the body. Zhang Yang picked up a bone, his face growing increasingly grim. Even Da Mi, in the courtyard, sensed the impending storm and timidly shrank back, tiptoeing to shoo away the chickens and ducks.

Du Guan: "It is someone's collection."

Zhang Yang looked at the information that popped up in the system log.

"...Heh, it's actually human bones."

It is unknown whether these human bones were taken from the dead or the living.

Du Guan: "These are all gifts that I'm preparing to give away."

Zhang Yang: "A gift? For whom?"

Du Guandao said, "It is Xuyang, a general under Zhao Chai."

Zhang Yang felt that the name Zhao Chai sounded somewhat familiar.

After a while, she remembered.

How could it not sound familiar?

Zhao Chai was Zhang Yang's nominal "lord".

The appointment letter for Tianyue Commandery that Zhang Yang seized was written by the warlord Zhao Chai. He had also killed two Tianyue Commandery governors sent by Zhao Chai, framing both of them to the Eastern Bandits. Zhang Yang suppressed his surging anger: "So you're one of Zhao Chai's men. How could you accept such a gift?"

Using human bones as a gift—the giver is a pervert, and the receiver is an even more perverted one. Zhang Yang already disliked Zhao Chai's forces, and this only intensified his disgust. Du Guan, knowing to some extent that Zhang Yang had no rebel forces backing him, showed no surprise.

She said, "Xuyang is notorious for his cannibalism."

Zhang Yang: "???"

She doubted her ears: "What did you say?"

Then, Du Guan revealed a truth that Zhang Yang found unacceptable: "It wasn't just Xu Yang; his lord, Zhao Chai, also had a great fondness for this. No, it should be said that most warlords had this penchant for human food. Xu Yang was Zhao Chai's brother-in-law, and the rumors about him were mostly about his cruelty and tyranny. Xu Yang's favorite food was human ears, eaten raw. After buying people and giving them only a little cleaning, he would grab them, tie them up, and bite off their ears raw, chewing them in one go. He would eat a plate of human ears with each drink, enough for about seven or eight people... Zhao Chai's favorite food was human legs, especially those from young boys and girls..."

"Yuan Yi, do you know what you're saying?"

When Du Guan heard Zhang Yang's absent-minded question, he was stunned.

My lord doesn't even know these things?

"Where warlords go, vegetable markets often gather. This kind of thing is commonplace... Otherwise..." Du Guan swallowed back the words she was about to say, because what she didn't finish was—otherwise, why would the Tianyue Old County Government be so afraid?

Why would Xu Jin of Weiyin County be so wary?

The appointment letter that Zhang Yang showed at the time was signed by Zhao Chai!

certainly--

Zhao Chai was not the most fond of this kind of thing among the warlords.

It can only be said that his fearsome reputation is well-deserved, and since his stronghold is relatively close to Tianyue, everyone is naturally worried.

Zhang Yang: "..."

She opened her mouth, and for some reason felt a momentary deafness in both ears, unable to hear any sounds around her except for the sound of her heartbeat.

"How long has it been?"

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

"I asked, 'How long has this trend been going on?'"

Du Guan sighed, "Of course, it happens every year. It didn't suddenly appear in one year. As long as people can't survive, there will naturally be cannibals. But to insist on saying when these warlords became so brutal..."

It's probably been around for the last three hundred years.

It is not a glorious thing for people of the same kind to eat each other.

But chaotic times can turn people into monsters.

If you don't consider these vegetable-like figures as people, then they can be a dish. And who would treat ingredients as their own kind?

Du Guan added, "This practice has clearly become a trend."

Not to mention these warlord forces that were constantly short of food and under immense mental stress, even the royal court had its enthusiasts.

Du Guan: "Back in the day, there were banquets held by princes and nobles."

"and then?"

"The absence of servants at a banquet is considered a sign of neglect and disrespect towards the guests." The entire text is delivered in a flat, monotone tone, revealing a chilling truth: "The wealthy and powerful, indulging in extravagance and competition, spend vast sums of money to employ prostitutes and servants as servants to entertain their guests."

These prostitutes were all purchased from the public at high prices.

??(?_?)

I sniffle every seven or eight seconds... and either my nose is running or blocked... will it really get better in a week?