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Chapter 831 - 831: Overstepping

Lord Li was stunned and speechless.

Although there were many bailiffs in the government office, there were only a few who were really skilled and could fight others. The others were in charge of patrolling and running errands. They looked impressive, but they were actually useless.

However, he couldn’t say this.

Seeing that he was silent, Yu Youyao continued, “Although it’s time to arrange for the refugees and the government is indeed a little busy, there’s still time. Manpower is not a big deal. The government can even put up a reward to suppress the bandits. There will definitely be brave men when they are offered large amounts of money. I think we can gather enough manpower to suppress the bandits.”

Many martial artists liked to accept rewards from the government office.

The rewards also involved a lot of money, but Liancheng was a large county. The nobles controlled the silkworm industry, so there were pros and cons. At the very least, the taxes were stable, and the government office did not lack money.

Now, Liancheng had opened up many more silkworm farms. The trade in forest land was higher than ordinary farmland. Seventy percent belonged to the treasury, and the government office would get 30%. They were even richer.

At this point, cold sweat broke out on Lord Li’s forehead. “The North is under King Yue Fei’s rule. In the future, the development of Liancheng will depend on you. If the silkworm business in Liancheng develops, it will be because Princess Shaoyi is kind and benevolent. It will also be because of the good governance by me. The Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs will definitely say the word ‘excellent’.”

Yu Youyao’s calm smile finally became a little more sincere. She felt that this was still reasonable.

Lord Li also said sincerely, “My future depends on the Princess and King Yue Fei. Just say it. What do you want me to do?”

Princess Shaoyi was such a smart person. How could she not understand what he meant?

She did not agree or refuse, but her words were sharp. With just a few words, he was forced to reveal his true colors.

He was not a fool.

Princess Shaoyi indeed wanted to manage the matter of the bandits, but this matter was a hot potato. She would not rashly accept it, in case it was exposed and she caused trouble for King Yue Fei.

She did not agree immediately to force him to express his stance.

After all, it was inappropriate for King Yue Fei to interfere in the suppression of the bandits. As a local official, Lord Li did not have the right to ask King Yue Fei to send troops. He had to have the cooperation of the government.

If anything went wrong, the government should be the one to take care of it and ensure that King Yue Fei would not be implicated.

However, in that case, he should bear all the risks.

It wasn’t that Lord Li didn’t understand this.

Everyone said that wealth came from danger. He had already gotten into a noble’s carriage. The benefits were right in front of him, and his future was at hand. Wasn’t it stupid to get out of the carriage?

The matter of suppressing the bandits concerned his political achievements, evaluation, and future. It also coincided with Princess Shaoyi’s intention to develop the silkworm industry vigorously, and it was also in line with King Yue Fei’s interests.

King Yue Fei was in charge of the manpower, and the person who contributed was still King Yue Fei. In other words, he was sitting back and reaping the benefits.

It was not a big deal to take some risks.

Princess Shaoyi and King Yue Fei were such powerful people. Their actions were watertight. There was probably no risk.

Lord Li added, “I’ll listen to the Princess’s instructions regarding the suppression of bandits.”

Yu Youyao really treated Lord Li differently. Although Lord Li was not a good official, he was not a bad person who had lost his conscience. He was smooth in dealing with people and was sensible. What was rare was that he was not weak. He did everything he did to arrange for the refugees in an orderly manner and did not cause too much trouble.

He knew how to seek benefits for himself, but he did not just take the benefits and not work.

Such a person was very capable if used well.

If he wasn’t used well, the situation would change.

From the looks of it, Lord Li’s interests were the same as hers and Yin Huaixi’s. As long as he did not leave Liancheng, Lord Li would always be in her hands.

Even if he had a bright future one day, he couldn’t afford to offend her and Yin Huaixi.

However, the more anxious he was to eliminate the bandits, the more problematic this was.

After weighing the pros and cons, Yu Youyao had already made up her mind. “Although I’m Princess Shaoyi personally conferred by the Imperial Court, I’m only a woman. The government should be in charge of suppressing bandits. If I interfere, wouldn’t I be interfering with the rules of the court? Since I’ve received the emperor’s grace and Empress Dowager Meng’s kindness, I should set an example and follow the law. I shouldn’t overstep my boundaries.”

She did not believe in Lord Li’s character. It was fine as long as he expressed his stance. She had a plan and would not tell Lord Li, in case she caused trouble.

At the moment, it seemed that Lord Li was a sensible person and had the same interests as them. However, there were no eternal interests in this world. The human heart was unpredictable, and she did not have the habit of being used against others.

There was a saying that a thousand-mile dike could collapse because of an ant’s nest.

Sometimes, even an insignificant weakness could cause a monstrous disaster.

Lord Li was speechless. Which of the major events that had happened in the court recently did not have Princess Shaoyi’s shadow behind them?

She did not personally interfere in the court, but she could still order the Yu Clan behind her to interfere.

However, at this point, if he continued to insist, it would seem that he did not know anything. He would seem insensible and annoying.

Princess Shaoyi looked like a gentle and magnanimous person, and she also gave others dignity when interacting with others. However, looking at what she had done since she came to Liancheng, could it be as simple as it seemed?

He was just a small figure, so he did not dare to gamble on the temperament of a superior. Lord Li quickly stood up from his chair and walked to the hall. He bowed to Princess Shaoyi. “I understand the Princess’s difficulties. Today, I was worried about the development of Liancheng and did not think it through. I was rude and made things difficult for you. Please forgive me.”

Yu Youyao sighed slightly. “Lord Li also has his difficulties. How about this? This matter is important after all. Let me think about it carefully.”

She did not make herself clear, but she still left some leeway.

“Princess, you’re kind.” Although Lord Li had not achieved his goal, he was not far away from it. However, he did not feel happy. He only felt exhausted, both physically and mentally, as if his body had been emptied.

He wanted to use Princess Shaoyi’s importance to the development of the silkworm industry to instigate her to order King Yue Fei to eliminate the bandits. He also expressed his stance on the spot and was willing to cooperate fully.

Even though this matter was in line with the interests of the three sides, Princess Shaoyi did not refuse explicitly, but she did not let him have his way. She took off his “clothes” and played with him.

He finally understood that in the eyes of those in power, his little schemes were just a joke.

“However.” Yu Youyao smiled and changed the topic. “The suppression of bandits is ultimately the government’s business. Helping Lord Li solve his problems can be considered doing our best for the local commoners.”