When the Capital Governor Mansion was mentioned, Marquis Gu scoffed coldly and said, "If it weren’t for the news we received and guarded early outside the prison, Monk Zhiguang would have long disappeared without a trace, and how would we know that he had people from Black Wind Village behind him?"

"Black Wind Village?"

Everyone was taken aback again upon hearing this.

Black Wind Village occupied the treacherous Black Wind Ridge at the intersection of several state mansions, surrounded by hundreds of miles of interconnected lakes, crisscrossed with web-like piers, the shoals covered with reeds and shrubs taller than a person, capable of hiding thousands of boats, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. As a result, successive prefecture officials failed to suppress the bandits and lost many soldiers.

Later, it alarmed the Emperor, who sent troops several times to suppress the bandits, but they couldn’t beat the local bully that was Black Wind Village and returned without success.

Luckily, the bandits from Black Wind Village only robbed near Black Wind Ridge and rarely caused trouble in the state mansion, so over time, it turned into a situation where the well water didn’t disturb the river water. The government also tacitly accepted their existence, only posting notices along the road, cautioning travelers to be vigilant.

Could it be that Black Wind Village had long since pledged allegiance to Empress Lin and the Crown Prince?

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but frown.

In her previous life, when she followed Lin Ziqi to take office, because the state mansion under his jurisdiction bordered Black Wind Ridge, she knew some inside details.

The Black Wind Village didn’t just want to be kings of the mountain but once had thoughts of recruitment, unfortunately, they could never reach an agreement with the court.

The prefecture officials bordering them had discussed terms with the leaders of Black Wind Village; even the Emperor had sent envoys with imperial wine and brocade clothes to Black Wind Ridge to proclaim the recruitment decree, yet due to various reasons, it all fell through at the crucial moment.

This last step was never made, so it dragged on and on.

When Gu Jinghui pacified the Northern Border, the court was no longer keen on the recruitment matter, and when Lin Ziqi took office, the courtiers thought that now with peace throughout the land, it wasn’t necessary for Daxing to recruit these mountain bandits, otherwise the people might follow their example, profiting by becoming mountain kings and looting at will, and when defeated, surrender—a situation that could not be afforded.

But having suffered a lot before, the court was also unwilling to send troops again to suppress bandits. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After the Crown Prince and Prince Qi passed away, she followed Lin Ziqi to be promoted to the capital, and in the following ten years, Daxing, which had experienced good weather and smooth sailing, began to suffer from many disasters. First came droughts and floods, then epidemics spreading rampantly, leaving refugees homeless, and mountain kings appeared one after another in each state mansion.

However, Black Wind Village, located at the intersection of several states, quietly vanished without a trace, and she never heard any news of it afterward.

She never expected that these people had long been entangled with Empress Lin, the Crown Prince, and even got involved with the Yelv people.

As she was musing, Marquis Gu spoke again, "Turns out it was a stroke of luck. People from Black Wind Village were scouting the Capital Governor Mansion prison when a few porters recognized them. Do you know why? It was quite a coincidence. Those people had been robbed of their goods when they were selling tobacco and silk years ago. Although they escaped with their lives, they were left without capital and too ashamed to return home, so they ended up in the Capital City doing labor work to eke out a living, and thus remembered the bandits clearly, sending the message early. The bandits bribed the jailer with silver to deliver food and messages to that bald monk, intending to collude inside and out, but it so happened that a little beggar squatting at the prison gate overheard it."

"So that’s why Third Brother left the mansion that night," Gu Baoshu realized, "I was wondering why none of the guards could tell me anything."

Qin Yuan frowned, "There is a curfew at night, how did they avoid the Patrol Camp people...?"

Marquis Gu explained, "During the curfew, no one can move. The Yelv people claimed that a thief had broken into the Hostage Mansion, suspecting it was the same person who set the previous fire, thus delaying the North City Patrol Camp. Meanwhile, the people from Black Wind Village set a fire at the gate of the Capital Governor Mansion, and the death warriors from the Chengen Marquis Mansion mingled with the crowd that came out to fight the fire, escorting them to escape from the city."

Qin Yuan nodded slowly.

Their actions were so thorough, it seemed that the soldiers at the city gate must have already been bribed.

Sixth Master Gu suddenly said, "Third Sister-in-law is right. These people indeed proved to be very useful."

Marquis Gu was taken aback for a moment, then praised, "Indeed, if it weren’t for Madam’s suggestion, we would have gotten the news so quickly, and Monk Zhiguang would have long been at large."

Now the news from the Marquis Mansion is much more informed than before, storytelling folk, beggars, street sweepers, porters, and even idlers in the Capital City will continuously bring in all sorts of news.

After Gu Jingcheng found out, he simply, taking advantage of his position in the Five Cities Military Department, privately recruited many low-ranking officials to help gather intelligence.

The Five Cities Military Department has a low rank, with many overseers above, and governs various complex matters like capturing thieves, tidying city appearance, checking household registrations, patrolling streets, maintaining cleanliness, etc., thus making the information quite accessible.

With little pay for much work, everyone was more than happy to oblige.

Gu Baoshu tilted her head towards Qin Yuan, as if wanting to ask something, but Qin Yuan already intercepted the conversation, "I heard that when the eighteen leaders of Black Wind Village swore allegiance, they claimed that they weren’t rebelling against the Emperor, nor would they betray Daxing. They just weren’t satisfied with the corrupt and treacherous in court and didn’t want to be driven by mediocrity. That’s why they became kings of the mountains, pledging lifelong loyalty to Daxing, and their actions were all to rob the rich to help the poor and act on behalf of heaven. If they’ve involved themselves in the matter of the former Crown Prince, wouldn’t that mean they’ve gone against their vow and become the pawns of certain people?"

Speaking of this, Gu Jinghui sighed, "The eighteen leaders of Black Wind Village have long since passed away. Black Wind Village has long changed within, and even if they were still alive, they would be seventy or eighty-year-old men unable to restrain their subordinates. Every new Emperor brings new courtiers. Perhaps they couldn’t succeed in being recruited, so they instead turned to rely on the faction of Empress Lin."

Qin Yuan pondered silently.

Gu Jinghui added, "The Gu Family has been operating in the Northern Border for many years, and we know little about Black Wind Village. Although we are more informed now, it is limited to the Capital City, and beyond that, our power is insufficient. Prince Qi is investigating Black Wind Village, and I have ordered General Jin to guard near the Imperial Manor, just waiting for them to run out of steam and show themselves."

Everyone nodded.

There seemed to be no better strategy.

Gu Baoshu said, "Let’s hope Prince Qi can find something soon and General Jin can catch them quickly."

That, of course, was everyone’s wish too.

When no one else spoke, Old Madam Gu heavily placed the string of prayer beads on the table and asked in a deep voice, "Is that everything?"

Gu Jinghui hesitated slightly, lowered his eyelids, and murmured, "These days, I’ve been busy with the matter of Monk Zhiguang; that side... that side needs to be postponed for now."

In the end, still feeling sorry for her son, who had been running around for days, Old Madam Gu didn’t say anything more.

Marquis Gu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Sixth Master Gu, who awkwardly changed the topic, "Mother, Third Brother, Third Sister-in-Law, I have something else to say... Someone from the Xu family came, saying that Mrs. Xu initially claimed that buying pepper could bring great wealth, and having high-priced dealt in Persian merchant’s pepper through their hands, now it has mostly been a loss. Without money, they can only use pepper to settle the debt. The Xu family also complained about being dragged down terribly. All their household assets have been invested into pepper, and now being stuck without a solution, they’re asking us, for the sake of kinship, not to pursue the matter further. The Magistrate of the Capital Governor Mansion also requested I go to the Capital Governor Mansion tomorrow to sign and conclude the case. What do you think about this matter..."