[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-47":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364316,4623,"Chapter 47: The Frame-Up","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-47",47,"\u003Cp>My lord, we truly cannot speak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d better not ask either—anyone who has offended the Seven Great Families has lost their family and perished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the former Salt Inspection Censor was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-robed scholar’s trembling words further stoked Li Mu’s curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous Salt Inspection Censor died of smallpox, which caused quite a stir; the court even issued a formal reiteration banning officials from visiting brothels and taverns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it seems the death of the former Salt Inspection Censor also concealed hidden truths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough. I’ll take you to meet Marquis Wuyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an imperial envoy and the emperor’s own uncle, I believe he has the authority to handle this matter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merit is good, but so is the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lowly soldier does a lowly soldier’s work—once he’s traced the Seven Great Families, his task is done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How exactly to convict these families should be left to those above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elderly white-haired man scattered grain into the pond, tossing it again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master, disaster has struck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something has happened in Yangzhou!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward’s truncated words shattered the old man’s good mood; instinct told him trouble was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, since the salt merchants were arrested, he had sensed danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t taken it to heart—those salt merchants had grown far too arrogant these past few years; it was only natural the court had taken notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similar incidents had happened before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the court arrested them, it was the perfect chance to replace them with more obedient agents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allowing these salt merchants to continue expanding their networks would have been the true disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What has happened in Yangzhou?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has the court convicted those salt merchants?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-haired man sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t wasted his time these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had mobilized every connection within the clan to compile a full summary of recent court affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Factional strife in the court was fierce, the emperor was investigating military lands, and every faction was too busy to care about anything else!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master, Yangzhou has suddenly sealed its gates—no one is allowed to leave, only enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our inside source risked sending word: the court has dispatched Marquis Wuyang as imperial envoy, who arrived in Yangzhou yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t come alone—he brought a large contingent of soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, while Yangzhou’s officials hosted a banquet, they were suddenly attacked by rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Details are unknown, but afterward, Marquis Wuyang’s men took control of the city’s defenses, and all Yangzhou officials were detained in the yamen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the steward finished speaking, the white-haired man’s brow instantly knotted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smuggling salt was rampant among the people; the court couldn’t collect salt taxes, so sending an imperial envoy to handle it was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were reasonable people—they wouldn’t push things too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When an imperial envoy came to inspect, a generous gift would be presented, and salt tax revenues would rebound slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the storm passed, everything would return to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But an imperial envoy arriving with an army? That had never happened since the founding of Great Duyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things are going to turn bad!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qi, immediately send word to summon the clan’s managers—they must come tonight for a meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-haired man gave the order at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, his heart suddenly grew restless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our family’s involvement in smuggling had always been behind the scenes, manipulating puppets, with multiple layers of risk isolation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, no matter how hard the court investigated, they could never trace it back to us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface, the Zhou family of Huainan were exemplary gentry, law-abiding and virtuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They donated generously for disaster relief, built bridges and repaired roads—public reputation was excellent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the founding of the dynasty, the Zhou family had never lacked juren or jinshi candidates; the highest among them had even served as Minister of one of the Six Ministries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across all of Great Duyu, they were a renowned aristocratic clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their network of connections stretched throughout the Jiangnan region, forming the backbone of the Pure Stream faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they had received no prior warning about such a critical event as an imperial envoy arriving with troops—it was clearly abnormal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similar scenes unfolded across the major clans of the Two Huai regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing danger, each family hastily summoned their senior members to discuss countermeasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yangzhou Yamen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a round of interrogations, the identities of the Seven Great Families were finally confirmed by eyewitnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a heavily embellished transcript appeared before them, leaving Li Mu stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder he was an imperial relative—he handled such matters with effortless skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witnesses had merely mentioned the Seven Great Families of the Two Huai; the transcript now listed them as members of the “Rebel Seven-Family Alliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the scholars tremble as they signed and stamped their confessions, Li Mu felt like the villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excellent—the rebels have finally been uncovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captain Li, you deserve first credit for solving this case in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we return to the capital, I shall personally report to the emperor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang said cheerfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebellion of last night had been solved the very next day—this astonishing efficiency would shame all officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for flaws in the evidence, those were minor issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the suspects were captured, the evidence would quickly be solidified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At worst, there were plenty of eyewitnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witnesses and survivors from last night could testify that the Seven Great Families had plotted the ambush on the imperial envoy, resulting in the deaths of several noble youths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your Lordship overstates it—these are merely duties I must fulfill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for merit, it is unquestionably yours, Your Lordship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without your meticulous planning, I could never have found the clues or identified the masterminds so quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu immediately demurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First or second merit didn’t matter—what mattered was that he truly didn’t want to stand out in such a case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Seven Great Families hadn’t even been captured yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could guarantee these deeply entrenched clans would be completely wiped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any survived and escaped, they would surely seek revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might lack the power to strike back at the court, but targeting individuals with assassinations was still possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough—do you think I’d steal your merit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard should be arriving—hand over everything we’ve uncovered to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital garrison will assist them in raiding the Seven Great Families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From now on, we only need to secure Yangzhou city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang snapped irritably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raiding the Seven Great Families was a rare golden opportunity—he could only watch from the sidelines, and it was maddening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he didn’t want to claim it; it was simply that such a task was utterly unsuitable for the Five City Military Command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A den of rats—if even mountains of gold passed through their hands, they’d shrink drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these men were all connected—either imperial relatives or descendants of meritorious officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the foundation of imperial power, the pillars of the empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If corruption became too public, even the emperor would struggle to handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, imperial authority always extended ten paces out, yet stretched a thousand li in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must show sufficient leniency toward close associates to win their loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best approach was to avoid testing human nature with temptation, and to give them no chance to commit grave errors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1219,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","dfec11637e42068bee3abfd9bbc5fef9968055a04688403978015287f360245f","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-48","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-46",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]