Under that intensely oppressive gaze, Gu Bing’an, who had fallen sitting on the ground, felt his throat tighten and his whole body stiffen.

“Mountain Lord.”

He smiled bitterly:

“Throughout all dynasties, has there ever been a principle where the nation is adrift and in peril, yet bandits safely isolate themselves in a corner? Today, Hongye Stronghold has strong soldiers and sturdy horses, and can still resist. But twenty years from now, thirty years from now? Whether Nanyong catches its breath or Beiyue unifies the world, I am not scheming for myself alone, but also planning vertical and horizontal for everyone in the stronghold.”

“Go sit over there.”

Danzhu, carrying the meal tray for him, kicked him.

“You don’t want to stay in Hongye Stronghold, then go find your own path. I will die in the stronghold no matter what, and never accept an amnesty offer.”

Gu Bing’an sighed.

Muttering “those who know me say my heart is anxious; those who know me not say what I seek,” he silently took the meal tray and went to eat by himself.

Lizhu observed their expressions.

Although Danzhu’s words were cold and sharp, she wasn’t truly angry. Pei Zhaoye’s expression was also calm. Clearly, this kind of conversation was not happening for the first time.

Lizhu’s mind stirred.

She suddenly thought of a very important matter.

In her previous life, Pei Zhaoye returned to the Pei family, replaced the sickly Pei Yinzhi, pursued studies, entered officialdom, and went to Luoyang—all these actions were swift, with clear objectives.

Then what about the Hongye Stronghold on Yu Mountain?

Lizhu didn’t know if he had ever returned to Yiling Commandery before her marriage to Pei Zhaoye, but during their three years of marriage, apart from going to war, he never left Luoyang.

Moreover, even during the court’s inspections for salt and bandit suppression, from what Lizhu witnessed firsthand, he never showed the slightest mercy.

What happened to Hongye Stronghold?

“…What are you pondering?”

Pei Zhaoye’s shadow fell over her. He set down the meal tray and half-knelt before her.

“Don’t know your tastes. Try it.”

Lizhu returned to her senses and looked at the tray full of dishes before her, identical to those in her previous life. For some reason, her throat felt somewhat sour and astringent.

Pei Zhaoye, noticing her unusual expression, glanced back.

“What did you say to her?”

Gu Bing’an coughed lightly: “Just confessing to receive leniency…”

“The princess knows you’re a major salt smuggler now!”

Chang Jun blurted out.

“You damned bird—” Pei Zhaoye’s eyes darkened as he snatched up his bamboo chopsticks and flung them at Gu Bing’an.

Danzhu, however, was nonchalant: “What’s the big deal? She’d find out sooner or later anyway. Little princess, are you angry? I won’t make excuses for our lot either. Thieves are thieves. The money we stole does indeed belong to your family.”

Lizhu drew a sharp breath.

She was quite frank, admittedly.

“If you feel unhappy, then stay. Spend our stronghold’s money ruthlessly, wear gold and silver every day, feast on delicacies from land and sea, and ruthlessly use our mountain lord like a donkey, make him pound your legs and wash your feet, have clothes come when you reach out and food arrive when you open your mouth—”

Lizhu listened to her words in a daze, long eyelashes fluttering.

“What wishful thinking are you all engaged in!”

Chang Jun un scolded angrily.

Danzhu pointed at him: “Be quiet, or we’ll keep you here too as a pressed stronghold wife.”

The young eunuch’s face flushed deep red.

While the two argued, Lizhu had already eaten a few mouthfuls of food. Pei Zhaoye waited for her evaluation, but she just lowered her head, chewing dryly like a rabbit eating grass without a word.

“It’s not as good as the delicacies from land and sea in your palace, but it’s not so bad that you can’t think of a single comment for half the day, is it?”

Lizhu swallowed the food in her mouth and suddenly looked up.

“Pei Zhaoye, after I return, I will think of a way. You should become the Salt Official of Yiling Commandery.”

The man before her looked at her for a good while before saying:

“You mean to say, you can’t even hold a grudge against the Empress and officials who want to kill you; you can’t even ensure your own safety on the journey back to Luoyang; once back in the palace, your foolish and vicious younger brother is watching you like a tiger eyeing its prey—but you still have the time to get me a post as Salt Official? Princess, you are truly impressive.”

His drawn-out, lazy tone carried undisguised mockery.

Lizhu’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“You look down on me?”

“I don’t look down on you.”

A few strands of hair fell before her eyes. Pei Zhaoye stared at those strands but didn’t move.

“But then again, to say something that might seem a bit dismissive, you, a clay Bodhisattva who can’t even ensure your own safety, shouldn’t worry about how a salt smuggler like me can establish myself. Being able to protect yourself is already quite difficult enough.”

“You still look down on me,” Lizhu said unhappily, but then added, “However, you do have the capital to do so.”

Once she knew he was that salt smuggler from the Hezhou area, many things along the journey became clear.

“You can maintain close relationships with these high officials in Yiling Commandery; you’ve given them quite a few benefits, haven’t you?”

Pei Zhaoye neither affirmed nor denied.

“Before implementing the state monopoly on salt and iron, my father also ordered the promotion of another method to increase state revenue. The original intention was good. However, the new policy had its flaws. When implemented locally, the policy originally meant to ‘increase state revenue without raising taxes’ instead became a harsh governance tool for the authorities to exploit the common people and intensify land annexation.”

Lizhu glanced at the ledger beside her.

The Pei family held multiple roles, versatile and talented; they even engaged in things like indirectly collecting high-interest loans for the government on its behalf.

“You used the profits from illegal salt to buy up the land the common people were forced to sell cheaply from the officials, then gave these fields to those landless people to farm. As long as Hongye Stronghold stands, neither the government nor the powerful families can seize these fields—am I right?”

Her eyes were bright, looking very pleased with herself.

“However, haven’t you realized? If we consider one commandery as one state, the reason you can accomplish so much is not because of private salt and iron operations, but precisely because of state operation. It’s just that, currently, you are the ‘state’.”

Pei Zhaoye licked his lips: “What do you mean?”

“The reason Yiling Commandery can still be orderly is partly due to your abilities and partly due to the size of the city. Yiling is just one commandery; you still have the capacity to manage it. But what if it expanded to one entire region? Within Nanyong, how many Yiling Commanderies are there? How many Hezhous?”

Pei Zhaoye very much wanted to refute her, thinking it was all nonsense and fallacious reasoning.

But after thinking along her lines for a while, he actually found it… quite reasonable.

Fine.

She has read many books; she indeed has a point.

Seeing Pei Zhaoye silent, Lizhu tilted her head and carefully studied his expression, saying:

“I’m not blaming you. Although what you’ve done is enough to have ten sets of nine familial generations exterminated, at least the common people of Yiling Commandery live well. That is your merit.”

Pei Zhaoye smiled: “Since there is merit, what does the princess plan to reward me with?”

“Reward you by making you the Salt Official.”

Lizhu blinked.

“Who wants some lousy Salt Official.”

His pupils were very dark, his gaze sweeping over her lips. “Change it to something more practical.”

Lizhu thought seriously.

Something practical…

In her previous life, Pei Zhaoye suddenly changed his mind and entered officialdom. There must have been some upheaval in Hongye Stronghold.

Perhaps it was related to these officials in Yiling Commandery.

Before returning to Luoyang, she wanted to find the cause leading to this change.

Lizhu thoughtfully said: “Tomorrow, I will go to the government office…”

“Don’t want any Salt Official. Kiss me, and then I’ll send you back to Luoyang.”

Pei Zhaoye tossed out these words with a determination to shock if not succeed.

Lizhu thought she had misheard.

She looked up blankly, instinctively wanting to see Xuan Ying and Chang Jun’s reactions, only to realize they had retreated to the shade of the trees behind them at some point and had not heard their conversation.

“……What?”

Pei Zhaoye’s smile remained unchanged:

“If news from the Pei family gets out, the entire government office will definitely be as tight as an iron bucket. You won’t gain anything by going. If you really want to manage this matter, it’s better to go back and tattle to the dog… to your father.”

Lizhu: “No, you just said, kiss…”

“I did say it. But whether you kiss or not is up to you. If you really aren’t willing to kiss, I will still send you back.”

His expression held a kind of calm, frank rascality.

Lizhu felt as if she were listening to some celestial script, clouded and foggy with confusion.

He continued persuasively: “But truthfully, I really, really do want to kiss you.”

Lizhu was utterly disoriented by the several ‘kisses’ he hit her with one after another.

“…Why… suddenly…”

Lizhu was so tangled by his words she completely forgot what she had intended to say just moments before.

Even in her previous life, every time Pei Zhaoye returned from the frontier, after being separated for so long, there would be a strange sense of unfamiliarity and distance between them upon reuniting, taking several days to dissipate.

Let alone now, when even his appearance was much younger.

Although she knew it was the same person, the sense of unfamiliarity still remained.

Hearing such words abruptly, Lizhu felt her entire head was steaming with heat.

“It’s not sudden. I often think about this when I’m staring at you. Didn’t you notice it too?”

He sat across the meal tray, propping his head up as he studied Lizhu.

Seeing her remain silent for a long time, his tense fingers relaxed slightly.

“Is it very unpleasant? If you’re unwilling, it’s fine. Don’t worry about anything. I said I’d give it to you, so I’ll give it to you.”

“……”

Lizhu picked up the bowl.

“It’s not unpleasant.” She raised her eyes and shot him an annoyed glance. “But it can’t be now, right! When it’s a bit darker, a bit darker, then we’ll kiss!”