Fang Zilan pursed her lips into a straight line, "I heard that in the southeast, the most important people are the heads of the five major palaces. Qian Wenxiang counts as one, so I guess Lord Cheng also counts as one?"
Cheng Zhiyan did not comment, so Fang Zilan took it as his acquiescence and continued, "In this case, no matter what Mr. Cheng knows, I am not surprised."
"Oh?" Cheng Zhiyan's eyes became more probing, and Fang Zilan snorted coldly, "Master Cheng, since I saw you, you have called yourself a lower official. Even King Rongan was destroyed by you, so you are so audacious. , why are you respectful to me?"
Only then did Hongtai realize why he felt so inconsistent after seeing Cheng Zhiyan. In the past, when he met Cheng Zhiyan, although his attitude was modest, his inner arrogance as a scholar could not be concealed at any cost, let alone for a bandit leader like him, who claimed to be a subordinate.
Then this sentence of disgrace can only be given to Fang Zilan.
"The Duke of Xian Yue is very handsome. Even if he is a scribe, he admires him very much." Cheng Zhiyan said, ignoring the sharp knife on the side of his neck, and saluted solemnly.
"The Duke of Xian Yue is dead." Fang Zilan lowered his eyes to deny it. Cheng Zhiyan nodded and said, "Miss Zixiu doesn't want to admit it, and my subordinates don't want to force you."
"Master Cheng, what makes you think that you can still force yourself against me now?" Fang Zilan's expression turned cold, and with a little force on her wrist, there was a blood mark on Cheng Zhiyan's neck.
"Miss Zixiu, even if you have evidence, you won't use it." Cheng Zhiyan curled his lips and showed a proud smile, "From the moment I learned that you were looking for the bones of King Rongan, I knew it .”
Fang Zilan remained silent, and Cheng Zhiyan continued: "Just because you know that once some evidence is exposed to the public, it will be like a huge rock falling from the sky, which will arouse public resentment and make people's hearts unstable. So it is safest to start from within. This way Thinking, unless one is in a high position, ordinary people will not have it.”
He looked at Hongtai downstairs as if he meant something, "When ordinary people encounter injustice, their reaction is usually to be filled with indignation and rise up to resist. There are almost no people who can think of the last step from the first step."
"Isn't resistance a good thing?" Fang Zilan's voice was deep, and Cheng Zhiyan smiled slightly, "Miss Zixiu, do you know how to tame an animal?"
"I don't know." Fang Zilan's hand holding the plum sword tightened, and Cheng Zhiyan slowly spoke, "When Xianguan was a child, there would be a circus troupe performing near his house, and there was an animal tamer among them. He tied the cubs with iron chains, no matter how young they were. No matter how hard the beast struggles, it cannot escape. Over time, it no longer struggles. Even if it grows up and has enough strength to break the iron chain, it will no longer struggle."
He paused and said, "The lower officials privately believe that disciplining the people is the same as taming animals."
"I can't see Master Cheng being so arrogant." Fang Zilan gritted his teeth, and Cheng Zhiyan smiled warmly, "Is what the official said wrong? Whether you struggle or resist, timing and strength are indispensable. If not, Yin Quanzhang is an example. "
"Master Cheng, this trick of yours may be useful." Fang Zilan's face was as cold as ice, "But not everyone is like you said, giving up struggling and being indifferent. As long as someone resists, one day, the iron chain will be broken Break.”
"Miss Zixiu, when did you say one day?" Cheng Zhiyan raised his hand and tapped the sword on the side of his neck, signaling the owner of the sword to look downstairs.
"There are no bones left of King Rongan, Zuiyue Tower was burned to the ground, and Fang Lihui was seriously injured and unable to walk." Cheng Zhiyan said, suddenly laughing, "Miss Zixiu, by the time you find someone who resists, I'm afraid they have already said no. A single word has come out, let alone revealing the truth and bringing justice to the people? Idiots are just talking, that's all."
"Cheng Zhiyan, are you an official just to whitewash the peace?" Fang Zilan's voice was stern, but the hand holding the sword trembled for the first time.
She knew that killing Cheng Zhiyan would not only be useless, but would also bring panic to the entire Suzhou Prefecture, and she could not kill him.
"Isn't the whitewashed peace not considered peace?" Cheng Zhiyan suppressed a smile and said seriously: "I have been in the Suzhou Prefecture for twelve years. I have worked hard and have no regrets. Everything I do is for peace. …”
"Sir Cheng, are you colluding with the bandits and oppressing the people for the sake of peace?" Hongtai raised his head, his eyes as bright as a torch, as if he wanted to see through the filth in Cheng Zhiyan's heart.
But Cheng Zhiyan remained indifferent, "If a few people die and some money is used, more people can be protected. What choice will you make, Master?"
"I..." Hongtai opened his mouth, and then Cheng Zhiyan continued to talk to himself, "Sacrificing small righteousness for the long term, what's my fault?"
"Cheng Zhiyan, what do you think of the people?" Fang Zilan finally couldn't bear it anymore. She inserted the plum sword on the railing and raised her hand to grab Cheng Zhiyan's throat. "They are living people, not a chess piece in your hands, let alone You are just a brick to build political achievements by whitewashing the peace."
"Insignificant people... there are as many as you want..." Cheng Zhiyan's veins popped out and he said with difficulty: "Why can't they die?"
"Then, why can't it be you?" Fang Zilan's eyes were full of murderous intent, but there was a hand on her shoulder, it was Hongtai.
"Cheng Zhiyan can't die yet." Hongtai leaned close to Fang Zilan's ear and whispered: "At least, not now."
Fang Zilan took a deep breath and slowly let go of her hand, "Cheng Zhiyan, human life is not a small matter of justice. The moment you give up, it is destined to be short-lived."
Cheng Zhiyan's expression was stagnant, while Fang Zilan's expression was sharp, "The whitewashed peace will eventually break. If the people in this world are nothing but ants, then the so-called prosperous age is just a dead leaf covering the eyes of those in high positions. .”
After she said that, she drew her plum sword and left without looking back.
Hongtai chased after her until he had left the government office for quite some time before he asked aloud: "Now that King Rongan's body has been destroyed, what are you going to do?"
"Nothing else to do." Fang Zilan stopped and said thoughtfully: "Where did Cheng Zhiyan get the flowers and trees in the courtyard just now? And..."
She looked gloomy and said in a deep voice: "Where did the poisonous insect that poisoned King Rong'an come from?"
Hongtai frowned, "Even if we can find out the twists and turns, without the bones of King Rongan, as long as they refuse to admit it, we can't do anything to them..."
"If it doesn't work, let's start with Fu Congnan." Fang Zilan's eyebrows were dyed with a hint of violence, "A ghost like Fu Congnan is much easier to deal with than the tiger behind him."
"Don't forget, Fu Congnan is the son-in-law of the Dugu family, and he has personally seen Murong Qing controlling the Silver Armor Army." Hongtai frowned even more tightly, "Aren't you afraid that with the support of the Dugu family, he will bite back and kill Murong Qing?" Clear the compensation in?"
