After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Pang Hong said, "Sir, it's not that I'm unwilling to send men to reclaim the tax revenue, but I'm simply powerless to do so. Not only have several of our county officials been lost, but we've also angered those bandits, who have harmed many people in the vicinity."

As he spoke, he unconsciously wiped away tears, seemingly lamenting his own incompetence.

"The chieftain of this mountain stronghold is extremely skilled in martial arts; the yamen runners are no match for him. I have written to the garrison commander of Huzhou many times, requesting him to send troops to suppress the bandits, but I have received no response whatsoever."

"Speaking of bandits, I captured a group of them on my way here. They were actually making a living by extorting money on the official road; they were incredibly audacious."

Pang Hong's brow twitched violently, then he asked casually, "Did these people reveal who was behind it all?"

While observing Pang Hong's expression, Zhao Su said, "No, that's not the case."

Pang Hong sighed almost imperceptibly. Fortunately, these people knew how to save their lives.

However, even if they didn't expose him, they couldn't let him live...

Zhao Su then asked, "According to Master Pang, what is the safest course of action for dealing with these bandits?"

Pang Hong said, "Naturally, we should kill all those who can be killed, leaving no trouble behind."

Zhao Su said meaningfully, "I admire Lord Pang's iron-fisted methods. Then let Lord Pang deal with these audacious bandits."

"Rest assured, Lord Zhao, I will certainly not let them off easily."

Pang Hong dared not say more and smiled as he brushed the matter aside.

After Zhao Su left with the tax records from previous years, Pang Hong angrily smashed the paperweight on the table.

"Damn it! This time, the imperial envoy came down without giving us a single piece of information. They took so much of my bribery, and now they're playing dead at this crucial moment. How wonderful!"

The registrar said, "Sir, please calm down and take care of your health."

This registrar was someone Pang Hong had personally promoted, and the two were related by marriage, so Pang Hong trusted him quite a bit.

"If it weren't for our men's caution and their early discovery of the imperial envoy's entourage, we might have been wiped out today," Pang Hong said. "How could I not be furious!"

"Sir, should we...?" The registrar made a throat-slitting gesture.

Pang Hong nodded. "I'm entrusting this matter to you. Make sure you eliminate the threat completely."

The registrar said, "Don't worry, sir."

Meanwhile, inside the post station.

Lord Yi was very puzzled. "Sir, why don't we take those bandits with us? What if Pang Hong silences them? Wouldn't we then lack witnesses?"

Zhao Su said, "Don't worry, they won't die."

Lord Yi said, "Couldn't Pang Hong have killed someone to cover his tracks?"

"He can do it." Zhao Su took a sip of tea and genuinely felt that the feeling of being down-to-earth was wonderful.

Lord Yi was bewildered, completely unable to understand what Lord Zhao was up to.

Zhao Su said, "Stop overthinking it. Sit down and have some tea."

Young Master Yi, whose full name is Yi Feng, is the youngest newly appointed scholar and a protégé of the Emperor.

He had just turned sixteen when he took the palace examination.

Because he was too young, he was assigned to work under Zhao Su.

Yi Feng sat on the stool, holding the teacup in both hands, and sipped the tea slowly.

Not long after, a guard came to report that Pang Hong had made a move, but one of them had been rescued by their men.

Zhao Su nodded, "One is enough. Take good care of him; he will be useful in the future."

The guards acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Yi Feng still looked completely bewildered.

"Lord Zhao, what are you doing?"

Zhao Su said, "Leave one alive so that he can testify against Pang Hong in the future."

"A crime?" Yi Feng was even more bewildered, his face filled with innocence and stupidity.

"..." Zhao Su patted Yi Feng on the shoulder, "The tea is good, drink it slowly, you'll figure it out sooner or later."

Yi Feng: "..."

After Zhao Su left, Yi Feng pondered deeply and genuinely felt that the adult world was very difficult to understand.

.

The Bai family has been very busy lately.

The emperor and Lord Bai, who were secretly observing Pang Hong's movements, discovered a secret.

Tian Hai has countless ways of making money. From the moment he enters the city, he charges a fee for everything he does.

There are several bridges in the city, and Tian Hai has sent people to guard them. You have to pay a toll to cross the bridge.

In addition to paying stall fees, small vendors who come to the city to do business also have to pay a protection fee.

There are obstacles in front of the temple; if you want to pray to the gods and Buddhas, you have to pay money to get in.

...and so on, the list goes on and on.

It wasn't that no one resisted, but those who did were all suppressed by the Tian family.

Those who can't afford to live are ordinary people with little money; life is already difficult enough, let alone learning martial arts to protect themselves.

The government doesn't care, and even helps the Tian family oppress the people.

In short, the people of Red Maple County were having a very difficult time.

However, a large portion of the wealth Tian Hai amassed did not match the actual amount.

In other words, Tian Hai hid some of his wealth.

Where did this money go?

Even if it was to help his brother-in-law Pang Hong with his official career, there was no reason to spend so much money.

Just when the emperor was at his wit's end, the grand gift that Yin Cheng had prepared for Tian Hai was delivered.

Several masked men broke into Tian Hai's house and tried to kill him without saying a word.

The guards of the Tian family were no match for these masked men, and even the servants were terrified.

Tian Hai tried desperately to hide, sometimes making threats and sometimes begging for mercy.

All these methods were useless; the longsword, gleaming coldly, was aimed straight at his face.

Yin Cheng then appeared, and after a difficult defeat of several masked men, he pretended to be injured and came to Tian Hai.

"Big brother, are you alright?" Yin Cheng helped the fat man up from under the table. "Who did you offend? Why would they send assassins to kill you?"

Tian Hai has offended too many people, and he himself can't say for sure who would want to harm him.

Yin Cheng said, "Those assassins won't give up until they achieve their goal. It seems you're in danger, brother."

Tian Hai disregarded everything else and quickly said, "Big Tiger, big brother, I'm counting on you to protect me."

Yin Cheng said, "Don't worry, elder brother."

After this incident, Tian Hai practically worshipped Wang Dahu.

The next day, Tian Hai took Yin Cheng to the outskirts of the city. "Brother Da Hu, the other businesses are just small parts of our family's business. The real big business is here."

Yin Cheng asked, puzzled, "What good things could be in a cave?"

Tian Hai smiled mysteriously, "You'll see when you go inside."

Yin Cheng, without suspicion, stepped into the cave.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yin Cheng finally got a clear view of the situation inside the cave.

This turned out to be a very large weapon-refining workshop.

Weapons of all sizes, shields, bows and arrows, were all available.

Yin Cheng exclaimed, "Brother, this place of yours is truly wonderful!"

Tian Hai smiled and said, "There's still a lot of iron ore down there. The craftsmen estimate they can make tens of thousands more weapons."

"Brother, you've prepared so many weapons, are you planning a rebellion?" Yin Cheng asked casually.

To everyone's surprise, Tian Hai said, "Why not?"

Of course not! Because only I in this world can rebel against my brother! Only me!

"Of course, weapons alone are far from enough, Brother Dahu. Today, I'll be frank with you," Tian Hai said. "As the saying goes, it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general. You help me train the troops, and once I conquer the world, I will appoint you as my Grand Marshal of the Army."