Dress up as a sickly person to capture the villain princess!

After the imperial court cleared out the pirates in Xizhou City, some died, some were injured, and some escaped.

He was one of them. After much difficulty, he killed an old fisherman who was alone a few days ago and submitted his surrender letter.

But they didn't expect that before they could eat and drink for a few days in the bandit camp, the entire camp was wiped out by the imperial court.

That day, because of his humble status and being just a handyman who had just joined the bandit camp, he was sent to the shore to salvage small fish from the sea to prepare food for the dogs raised in the bandit camp at night.

After just putting down a few baskets, we heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance and a cloud of dust filled the sky.

He crouched down, holding the fish basket, hiding in the reeds, and carefully watched the situation on the distant shore.

Then I saw a woman in black and gold armor leading the way, pulling a bow and arrow, with arrows burning with blazing flames, cutting through the sky.

It was fast and accurate. The pirates' ship was set on fire in an instant. The fire was raging and burned for several hours.

He dared not move, thinking that all was over. For the next few days, the imperial soldiers searched the reed marshes.

Fortunately, these bandits were familiar with every path in the reed marshes, and they slipped away for several days like mice hiding from cats.

The imperial soldiers withdrew.

Returned to Xizhou City.

Just when he thought that his future was uncertain again, he unexpectedly met the boss who had also survived a disaster.

The boss had already collected more than a dozen pirates who had not been burned to death or discovered by the imperial soldiers. After they counted the number of people, there were only more than twenty left.

The village, which was once bustling and noisy, now had only about twenty people left.

The heads of the boss and the second in command were hung on the city wall of Xizhou City to give the people of Xizhou City a vent.

"More than 20 people?"

Xia Zhiyuan immediately realized something was wrong. She pressed her fingers on the cloak and waistcoat that were blown by the wind. The fluffy white rabbit fur felt very warm.

More than twenty people escaped from the reed marsh. I'm afraid their faces are cleaner than their butts. How could they have enough money to recruit more soldiers and expand to a scale of one or two thousand?

Even if they went back to their old ways as pirates and robbed passing merchants, it would take them several years to save up a large fortune.

Moreover, he had already determined the route of the canal under Xizhou City at that time, and the mountain bandits, horse bandits, and water bandits who were afraid of being hunted down by the court's elite troops had already packed up and left.

It is impossible to hide in the wilderness of Longcheng.

"Yes... The boss made us build a temporary shack and spend the whole day fishing for small fish and shrimps on the beach... The boss also said that he wanted to rebuild the glory of the pirates and... make the imperial court fear him again..."

"Until one day...we...we saw a man with burns all over his body...!"

"Boss, we thought he was also a half-dead brother, so we found some herbs for treating burns and applied them on him."

Hearing this, Xia Zhiyuan's expression changed for the first time. She frowned slightly. It seemed that the person who supported this group of bandits should be the man who was rescued by the bandit leader.

"Do you know the identity of that person?"

Zhao Changlin turned sideways and blocked the cold wind blowing from afar for Xia Zhiyuan. There was a layer of white lime on Zhao Changlin's body, but he did not look embarrassed at all.

She spoke in a cold voice, and naturally noticed the "burned man" that the person was talking about.

You know, to have such financial resources to support so many people, this person's identity and background must be extraordinary.

"I don't know..."

"That guy only talks to the boss. He looks down on us... illiterate fools..."

"The eldest brother attended a private school for a few years, so... he can read a few words, which is why he likes him."

After hearing this description, Xia Zhiyuan was more certain that this person's identity and background were probably not ordinary, and he was most likely from a noble family.

This kind of arrogance and pride is exactly the same as that of the second generation of officials.

"That's all I know."

"I say all this without expecting the court to let me go... Life for a life... Life for a life... As long as you can promise me... not to look for my parents... not to look for my sister... I can die with my eyes closed."

.........

The sound of horse hooves clattered as Zhao Changlin held the man to his chest and trotted along the muddy path.

"Do you really want to go and see the battle situation ahead?"

Zhao Changlin originally wanted to persuade Xia Zhiyuan to stay in the big tent, but Zhiyuan insisted on going to the front to see how the group of horse bandits and the imperial garrison troops were fighting.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"If you don't see it with your own eyes, you won't be able to find those clues."

"I want to find out who shot that arrow."

"At present, all clues point to the person behind this group of thieves."

Feeling the warmth of Zhao Changlin behind him, Xia Zhiyuan didn't feel afraid at all, even though the wind was very strong today.

"I do have a guess in my mind...but I can't be sure."

Zhao Changlin thought of that day when his soldiers brought back the bodies of Marquis Zhongyong, Xia Zhisong, and Gu Zhao.

The bodies were wrapped in white cloth, and all three were covered in blood.

There is no good part of his body.

The flames almost devoured their skin, leaving only the charred epidermis, which was curled and even... maggots had already grown in the rotten areas.

The residence of Marquis Zhongyong was searched, and the old man of the Gu family took the initiative to request a demotion.

Zhao Changlin originally planned to deal with the Gu family, but Old Man Gu seemed to feel guilty. Before she and the ministers could discuss the punishment, Old Man Gu took the lead in writing a letter to voluntarily transfer out of the imperial city.

Old Master Gu had taught many officers in the military camp in the past, and his students were all over the world. This is why Zhao Changlin could not deal with him cleanly.

As the saying goes, broken bones are connected by tendons. If I really issued an imperial decree to execute Grandpa Gu because of Gu Zhao, then I am afraid that the military officers of the court who once regarded Grandpa Gu as their mentor would be indignant.

In addition, he had also searched and confiscated the mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Now, the military officers who held heavy fists were even more nervous, fearing that one day the little emperor, who was high above them, would use a trick of "releasing military power with a cup of wine" to take back the power in their hands.

The essence of imperial art lies in the way of balance.

Just like playing chess, the winner is not the winner, but the draw. You cannot let the black piece beat the white piece, nor can you let the white piece beat the black piece.

Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.

Zhao Changlin understood this truth, so when she sought official positions for women, she started with the aristocracy, gradually influencing the upper class and making them accept this new rule of boiling the frog in warm water.

Hearing His Highness's voice, Xia Zhiyuan looked back, and the two of them seemed to be in perfect sync with each other.

She smiled and said softly, "Zhiyuan knows who your highness wants to talk about... because Zhiyuan thinks the same thing."