Upon learning that Zhao Baji was confined to his bed with an illness, Shentu Yang immediately led a group of his subordinate generals to visit the Zhao residence.

The grand leader of a clan was lying on a couch with only a few maidservants and an old butler attending to him. There were also several young boys kneeling before the couch. Seeing the Duke of Yan arrive with his generals, they hurriedly stood up to pay their respects, revealing themselves to be Zhao Baji’s sons born to concubines.

Shentu Yang cast a meaningful glance at the sons fulfilling their filial duties before sitting down on the couch. “You were perfectly fine just a few days ago, so how did you suddenly fall so gravely ill?”

Sitting before the couch, Shentu Yang looked at the clan leader, whose eyes were heavily bruised with dark circles and whose lips were deathly pale. With an expression full of concern, he offered warm words of comfort. “What did the physician say?”

The honest-looking second butler of the Zhao estate looked at Shentu Yang, who was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to, and then looked at his master, whose breath was as faint as a thread. He replied respectfully, “The physician said my master’s illness was caused by a sudden rush of severe anger and anxiety. He needs absolute peace and quiet to recuperate and must not be provoked to anger.”

As they spoke, a maidservant approached carrying a bowl of liquid medicine. One of Zhao Baji’s sons stepped forward quickly to take the bowl and help his elderly father take his medicine.

Hearing this, Shentu Yang feigned sudden realization. “Of course. During the Xuzhou uprising, the Zhao clan’s fortified manor was surrounded by the rebel army for dozens of days, leaving over a thousand lives hanging by a thread. As the leader of the Zhao clan, you naturally worried deeply for your family’s safety, which inevitably brought on severe anxiety. Fortunately, the imperial court arrived in time to rescue you, and the threat of total annihilation turned out to be a false alarm. Now that the entire clan is safe and sound, you have finally relaxed, which is why your body suddenly collapsed under the strain.”

Shentu Yang sat by the couch and spoke eloquently, acting as though he were highly experienced. While analyzing the illness for Zhao Baji, he did not forget to praise his own achievements, framing himself as the savior of the Zhao clan of Xuzhou through his every word. The generals behind him nodded in agreement and stroked their beards, while the maidservants and sons standing by looked at one another before turning their eyes toward Shentu Yang with profound gratitude.

Only Zhao Baji flinched as the hot medicine scalded him, causing him to cough violently. His old eyes filled with tears of rage as he stared at the brazen Shentu Yang. In all his long life, he had never encountered such a shameless man.

If Shentu Yang had not spread the Zhao family’s scandal far and wide for everyone to know, how could he have suffered a sudden stroke of rage and become bedridden?

“What is wrong?” Shentu Yang looked with genuine concern at the disheveled and silent Zhao Baji, sighing deeply. “You are advanced in years, so you must take good care of your health…”

Zhao Baji took a deep breath and quickly cut off Shentu Yang’s hypocritical display. “The Duke of Yan has led an army of one hundred thousand to Xuzhou, so you must bear a heavy responsibility. Though I lack talent, I am willing to serve you with absolute loyalty.”

Zhao Baji understood perfectly that given the status and influence of the Zhao clan in Xuzhou, Shentu Yang would normally have to rely on and win over the Zhao family if he wished to peacefully take control of Xuzhou and the various commanderies of Jiangnan. Furthermore, the court’s suppression of the rebellion had saved the Zhao family’s lives. Both in terms of reason and morality, the Zhao clan of Xuzhou should stand with the court, as they were originally allies.

Yet now, Shentu Yang had allowed his one hundred thousand troops to spread the Zhao family scandal everywhere. This proved that Shentu Yang had never viewed the Zhao clan as an ally from the very beginning. Moreover, his arrival in Xuzhou was definitely intended to strike at the Jiangnan gentry and weaken the local elites.

Otherwise, Shentu Yang would not have given the Zhao family such an embarrassing blow right upon his arrival. This was clearly designed to strip them of their dignity and turn them into a laughingstock.

Although Zhao Baji did not know exactly what Shentu Yang and the central court in Jixian planned to achieve in Jiangnan, he understood that in times of chaos, one should never offend those who hold military power, nor stand in the way of heavy cavalry. To do so would only invite being crushed to dust by tens of thousands of armored horsemen.

Furthermore, he had already been blindsided and left battered and bruised without any warning. Since he had lost heavily in their very first encounter, he had to learn to bow his head. After all, a wise man knows how to bide his time for revenge.

Shentu Yang looked at the clan leader, who was clever enough to show weakness and bow his head despite his confusion. He smiled slightly. “I have followed His Majesty’s imperial decree to come to Xuzhou to suppress the rebellion and relieve the disaster victims..”

Without waiting for Shentu Yang to finish, Zhao Baji immediately interrupted with great understanding, “Our Zhao clan has received immense imperial favor and is willing to donate one hundred thousand dan of grain…”

At this point, Zhao Baji glanced at the expressionless Shentu Yang and immediately corrected himself, “Twenty thousand dan of grain to assist the court in relieving the disaster victims.”

“You are truly public-minded,” Shentu Yang said with a gratified smile, before sighing. “But do you understand the concepts of temporary fixes, desperate measures, and being too far away to help?”

Zhao Baji grew suspicious but kept his face neutral as he asked, “What do you mean, Duke of Yan?”

Shentu Yang sighed again, putting on another hypocritical display. “Have you ever calculated exactly how far Xuzhou is from Youzhou?”

Without giving Zhao Baji a chance to speak, Shentu Yang continued, “The commanderies of Jiangnan are far from the capital. If a crisis arises, the court is too far away to help. Just like this Xuzhou flood, which led to a popular uprising—if the court had not sent warships to transport one hundred thousand troops to land at Guangling, the Zhao clan might have been wiped out entirely. His Majesty feels deeply that transportation between the two regions is inconvenient and wishes to clear the canals stretching from Jiangdong all the way into Ba-Shu…”

Hearing this, Zhao Baji’s expression changed slightly. He seemed to finally understand why Shentu Yang had ruined his reputation. The court wanted to use the opportunity of suppressing the rebellion and relieving the victims to seize total control of Jiangnan and even the Ba-Shu region in a single stroke.

No wonder Shentu Yang had brought a hundred thousand troops south; it appeared the court was determined to succeed this time. Thinking of this, Zhao Baji could only shake his head with a bitter smile. If the court truly intended to dominate Jiangnan, had he essentially invited a wolf into his own house?

“I have long heard that His Majesty loves the people like his own children, and seeing it today, the Emperor is indeed farsighted.” Zhao Baji sighed silently in his heart and immediately declared his stance, “The Zhao clan is willing to assist the Duke of Yan..”

“To assist His Majesty,” Shentu Yang corrected him gently, leaving it at that.

It was often said that a general in the field may disregard imperial orders, but the further Shentu Yang traveled, the more cautious he became. Ultimately, he did not want any misunderstandings to arise between himself and Yin Shuhuai, nor did he want to give malicious individuals any opportunities to exploit. More importantly, although the Zhao clan of Xuzhou appeared eager to surrender, a man’s face does not reveal his heart. Who could guarantee that the main branch of the Grandee Secretary’s family, which had managed Xuzhou for centuries, genuinely wanted to pledge allegiance to him? What if they were merely using a show of submission as a front while waiting in secret for the perfect moment to stab him in the back and avenge their humiliation?

Shentu Yang had no interest in wasting time with these aristocratic clans. A single Zhao clan of Xuzhou was not worth the risk of playing along and making His Majesty suspicious.

Since Shentu Yang had a hundred thousand troops stationed in Jiangnan, it was ideal if the Zhao clan cooperated. Even if they refused, he had plenty of ways to make them willing.

“You can put your mind at ease. With me here, and with the court’s one hundred thousand troops present, the Zhao clan can sleep without worry. You only need to focus on resting and recovering; you do not need to trouble yourself with anything else.” Shentu Yang smiled brightly and patted Zhao Baji on the shoulder.

His underlying meaning was simple: stay in bed and mind your own business.

All the Zhao clan members present understood Shentu Yang’s threat, and those with less self-control immediately let it show on their faces. Shentu Yang surveyed the room and said with a smile, “The Jiangnan region is too far from the capital core, and the roads are blocked, so much so that no taxes have been paid for quite a few years. The court’s arrival this time is also to conduct a new land survey and reclaim all ownerless fields for the state.”

Hearing these words, the expressions of the Zhao clan members darkened further.

Shentu Yang ignored them entirely. The court’s upcoming implementation of new policies in Jiangnan would inevitably infringe upon the interests of the local gentry. The local elites would naturally feel dissatisfied and might even resist fiercely, but all of these reactions were well within Shentu Yang’s expectations. He was not worried at all, because the hundred thousand troops under his command were not here just to look pretty.

Looking at the unbothered Shentu Yang, Zhao Baji felt his breath catch in his throat once more.

Seeing his master roll his eyes in anger, the second butler attending to him quickly urged, “Master, please do not let yourself get angry. When Physician Qiao examined you, he explicitly warned that your condition requires absolute rest and that you must not overexert your mind…”

Shentu Yang caught the subtle hint and immediately said, “In that case, please rest well. I shall take my leave now.”

Before walking out, Shentu Yang looked around the empty master bedroom and asked curiously, “Why do I not see the madam or the young master here attending to your illness?”

As for the other main character of the scandalous rumors, the head butler of the Zhao estate, Shentu Yang refrained from asking about him. Bringing him up at a time like this would look far too deliberate.

Even so, Zhao Baji flew into a towering rage. You are still asking! Still asking! Have you not had enough of watching my humiliation? You northern barbarian, you are truly pushing things too far!

“You—” Zhao Baji pointed a trembling finger at Shentu Yang. Just as he was about to speak, the second butler interrupted him, “The madam and the young master have gone to the Qingyun Temple outside the city to pray for the master’s health.”

“Ah,” Shentu Yang let out a meaningful reply. “So they have gone to pray. The devotion of the madam and the young master toward you is truly plain for all of heaven and earth to see.”

Looking at Shentu Yang, who was barely holding back his laughter while offering these perfunctory, dismissive remarks, and the expressionless but sharp-eyed generals standing behind him, Zhao Baji wished he could immediately call forth five hundred axemen to slaughter Shentu Yang right there in the hall to shock the world.

Unfortunately, he could not.

Even though he knew perfectly well that the only reason the Zhao family scandal had become the talk of the town was because Shentu Yang had instructed his men to spread it, and even though he desperately wished to kill Shentu Yang on the spot to silence public criticism, he could not. He lacked both the ability and the freedom to do so.

In the end, Zhao Baji could only swallow his anger and respectfully see his guests out. He even had to thank Shentu Yang for taking time out of his busy schedule to humble himself and visit a sick man.

Living like this was truly an absolute misery.