However, if these people are not dealt with, the contents of this paper will be made public by tomorrow, and that would be a devastating blow to my career.

In an instant, I would lose the people’s support and their fear of me.

It could be said that this would directly turn into a play where the court takes control of local affairs.

By then, I would lose all my power and become merely a tool executing the court’s orders every day.

At that point, there would likely be no good outcome awaiting me.

If it really comes to that, serving as an official would be meaningless to me.

And if I lose my position and the official cap on my head, my enemies would emerge from all directions to seek me out.

After all, in these years I’ve been in power, I’ve done quite a few immoral deeds.

The number of people I’ve offended is countless, and once I fall, they would show no mercy toward me.

By then, I fear only death would await me.

Thinking of this, a fierce gleam began to flash continuously in the corners of his eyes.

Since this is the case, I might as well live one more day if I can, enjoy one more day if I can, and take out all these people.

It seems that King You side would not receive the news so quickly; after all, this is my territory. Once I block off the information, it won’t spread.

Moreover, by then, I can completely shift the blame, saying I never met these people, and who knows if they encountered robbers or were taken by wild beasts halfway?

In short, these guys came in the latter half of the night. At this time, no one could have seen them, except for a few Garrison soldiers.

This provides Lord Liu a better opportunity to act.

So, he glanced at the Steward beside him and gestured at him.

Instantly, the Steward understood the implication, nodded to Lord Liu, and got up to leave.

In just a moment, the Steward returned, not only that, but he was followed by more than a dozen men.

To be precise, it was more than ten soldiers in armor.

Although they were military personnel, one should not forget that Lord Liu has been operating here for many years, turning it into an impenetrable fortress.

Because of this, the Garrison here could be regarded just like his Household Servants.

Especially these few in front of him, who are his closest confidants.

These people are very tight-lipped; after all, he holds their weak spots in his hand. Once they anger him, not only would they pay the price, but even their families would meet a grim fate.

Most importantly, he holds their family members in his hands at this moment.

Therefore, Lord Liu trusts these individuals very much and does not worry about them doing anything against his wishes.

When these people entered, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation or unnecessary words. Instead, they directly lifted the people off the ground in groups of two and carried them out.

In no time, Lord Liu heard muffled grunts from outside.

Soon after, there was no sound at all.

About half an hour passed before the Steward hurried back.

Seeing him, Lord Liu lifted his gaze toward him. Although he didn’t speak, his intentions were clear, and the Steward nodded quickly and spoke to Lord Liu:

"Rest assured, sir. Everything has been handled properly, and not a trace will be revealed."

Lord Liu was evidently very pleased and assured of this person’s handling of the matter.

"Very good, you may go. Tomorrow, come to collect fifty taels of silver. Also, give ten taels of silver to each brother aware of this matter today."

The Steward, who received silver, was visibly excited as he cupped his hands to Lord Liu before exiting.

After the Steward left, Lord Liu stepped forward, slowly approaching the crackling oil lamp in the center of the hall.

He took out the somewhat yellowed paper with a flick of his wrist and held it over the oil lamp. Instantly, the paper ignited fiercely. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Seeing this, Lord Liu couldn’t help but reveal a smug smile and tossed the burning paper onto the ground.

Watching the paper turn to ashes, Lord Liu was finally satisfied, got up, left the room, and returned to his bedroom to continue resting.

As for the events of the evening, he didn’t give it another thought, treating it as if nothing had happened.

In fact, similar events were playing out in several places within Dayou, although the timings varied with distance, as soldiers responsible for transportation to distant cities were still camping in the wilderness.

Regarding these matters, Lin Yi had somewhat underestimated them.

Although he anticipated resistance and mischief, which led him to dispatch soldiers in squads of ten, Lin Yi could never have imagined the depths of society’s cruelty.

For their own benefit, not just ten soldiers, even a hundred would be eliminated.

Of course, paper cannot cover fire. While some places hid events well, feedback two days later still caused Lin Yi to frown.

According to his orders, each squad of ten was to go down and read the paper and stay for an extended period.

However, Lin Yi demanded that one person leave daily, providing reports of local developments back to him.

Of course, this doesn’t mean there would be no one left after ten days.

To ensure safety, Lin Yi sent supplemental reinforcements, with people arriving daily to provide support.

To be precise,

[To be continued....]

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