Chapter 194: Counter-Espionage

Li Li Yuanxiu walked into the middle hall quickly, followed by Li Li Yuanjiao. He saw several clan uncles waiting in the middle hall with eager eyes, their expressions panicked and their behavior cautious, and they whispered one after another:

"Young Family Head... my son is reckless, please let him return home..."

"Exactly! Young Family Head, governing the family should also talk about human feelings..."

Li Li Yuanxiu swept his gaze and knew that they were the elders of the clan brothers who had been doing evil in East East Shanyue, slaughtering and insulting people. He just hugged his fists and said in a deep voice:

"It's not that I am strict, it's really that the brothers did too much. Some slaughtered people for fun, some bullied other people's wives and daughters, and even put infants on spears and danced... Can you elders bear to look at it?!"

Hearing this, the few people were also shocked. They looked at each other and stammered a few times. Li Li Yuanxiu sighed in a low voice and continued:

"Establishing the Clan Justice and regulating the clan members was the last wish of the Ancestor back then. There is no reason to change it after so many years."

"Besides, this matter has reached the ears of the Uncle, and the Lord is quite furious... Even if I have the heart to help, I am powerless. If you elders can get the Uncle's order, I will release them immediately!"

The Ancestor in Li Li Yuanxiu's words naturally referred to Li Li Mutian. The establishment of the Clan Justice Courtyard was exactly what Li Li Mutian had repeatedly instructed before his death. He also used Li Li Tongya to suppress them, which immediately made them speechless and sighed as they retreated.

Li Li Yuanxiu watched them leave, then shook his head with a smile and entered the back hall. Li Li Yuanjiao, who was behind him, was amazed and praised:

"To bump into this aggressive group so abruptly, but the eldest brother was able to make them speechless in a few breaths. What a good means."

"Just a small path."

Li Li Yuanxiu smiled in a low voice and said softly:

"In the end, this world is respected by the strong. It is most convenient to suppress people with strength. The means of our governance are just borrowing power from the elders who are strong in strength. If there is no power, even if you talk until your mouth is dry, it is useless."

The two were laughing and entered the back hall. The hall was filled with incense and smoke. In the middle, a person was standing respectfully, wearing leather armor, full of energy. He looked at the two who walked up and hugged his fists, smiling:

"Tian Tian Zhongqing has seen the two adults."

"Hmm."

Li Li Yuanxiu responded, walked to the top, and said directly:

"There is a person in the Wan Huaqian Town under your jurisdiction, named Ma Ma Haiji, who is a spy for the Yu family. Do you know?"

"The subordinate does not know!"

Tian Tian Zhongqing was shocked by these words, his pupils widened slightly, and he knelt on the ground in a hurry, saying:

"The subordinate failed to recognize the person..."

"Eh."

Li Li Yuanxiu directly waved his hand to stop him and said softly:

"This has nothing to do with you. I deliberately indulged this person. Dealing with these spies is not to kill them as soon as you say. It is far more reassuring to manage them than to eliminate them. At critical moments, they can still be used."

After speaking, he waved his hand, and immediately a clan soldier handed over the bamboo tube containing the secret letter to Tian Tian Zhongqing. Li Li Yuanxiu smiled lightly and opened his mouth:

"I want the Yu family to know the matter in this letter. Among the several spies, this person's name is the most unpleasant and the easiest to deceive, so let's use this Ma Ma Haiji."

Tian Tian Zhongqing nodded repeatedly. Li Li Yuanxiu gave details again and instructed:

"Things must be done naturally, so that Ma Ma Haiji feels that he saw it inadvertently."

Tian Tian Zhongqing listened carefully, then retreated respectfully. Li Li Yuanjiao was still sitting carelessly at the foot of the stairs. Seeing this person retreat, he opened his mouth:

"Brother, Yu Yu Mugao is not easy to deceive. Whether he believes it or not, this person named Ma will most likely be abandoned by the Yu family after being used. Does the brother have a way to deal with it?"

Li Li Yuanxiu nodded and smiled:

"Coming to my Li family to be a spy, is there any reason to let him retreat and live a rich life? Once his news is passed out, he will be made to wish he were dead."

Li Li Yuanxiu raised his brush and looked at Li Li Yuanjiao, smiling and drawing a circle on the cloth. Li Li Yuanjiao raised his eyebrows, his expression inexplicably saying:

"Tian Tian Zhongqing, Xu Gongming, both are talents that can be used. After all, there are many people with surnames, and there will always be a few powerful figures."

Li Li Yuanxiu lowered his gaze, staring at the round circle drawn by the brush, and said softly:

"Talents that can be used are enough, don't have figures like An Jingming. My family's pond is shallow and cannot raise dragons."

————

The four towns under Wan Huaqian Mountain, with Wan Huaqian Town at the foot of the mountain, are the most prosperous. In the past few years, many courtyards have been built. People in rain gear come and go in the sparse spring rain, which is very lively.

"The subordinate came to visit, please inform Brother Tian Zhongqing!"

Ma Ma Haiji waited outside the courtyard in the continuous spring rain for a while. A servant pushed open the room door with a creak. Seeing that it was him, he said respectfully:

"So it's Master Ma, please come in and speak."

Ma Ma Haiji nodded, walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, stepped over the threshold, and took off his rain gear. There was no figure of Tian Tian Zhongqing in the main courtyard, and not even a slave. The empty courtyard made him raise his eyebrows and ask:

"Where is Master Tian Zhongqing?"

"The master received an urgent letter early in the morning and took people out, leaving only me to look after the house. Please wait a moment, I will serve you tea."

Tian Tian Zhongqing was frugal by nature, and there were only a few personal servants in his house. This kind of situation was not once or twice. Ma Ma Haiji nodded when he heard this, and the servant answered repeatedly and went down in a hurry.

Ma Ma Haiji heard the words "urgent letter," and immediately his eyes lit up. He sat on a wooden chair, looking at the bamboo tube used to hold the letter that was rolling gently with the wind on the table, thinking to himself:

"I don't know if I can get some news."

Ma Ma Haiji fled from the road ten years ago. He was eloquent and good at arithmetic, so he got a position in the granary and worked under Tian Tian Zhongqing.

And he actually had another identity. Ma Ma Haiji was actually surnamed Yu and was a branch of the Yu family. He had long since fallen into decline. Fortunately, he was agile and recommended by others, so he got the identity of a spy and sneaked into the Li family.

His gaze stayed on the bamboo tube on the table for a while. Ma Ma Haiji couldn't help it. He had been here for ten years and could only pass on some scattered news. He hadn't had any big moves and was about to forget his surname.

"If this news is important enough, maybe I can return home in brocade and don't have to ghost around here anymore..."

Ma Ma Haiji looked around for a while, stepped forward quickly, squatted at the corner of the table and looked. The wax seal of the bamboo tube had been slapped off, and it was empty inside. Most likely Tian Tian Zhongqing had already taken it.

"What a pity."

Ma Ma Haiji sighed, sat back and crossed his legs, his gaze swept across the ground, only a piece of white cloth was stuck at the table leg, shaking gently in the soft spring breeze.

"Hmm?"

Ma Ma Haiji's eyes lit up immediately. He was quick-thinking, and his brain moved lightly, and he immediately knew what this white cloth was.

"This Tian Tian Zhongqing must have received an important urgent letter and rushed out of the courtyard, not fastening the letter tube firmly. The spring breeze is urgent, blowing the letter under the table!"

Ma Ma Haiji was overjoyed, leaned over and glanced, only to see the ink on it had blurred, leaving only a few words.

"An Jingming... has broken through to Qi Refining eighth layer..."

"Master! The tea is delivered"

This call scared Ma Ma Haiji out of his wits. He sat back on the chair with a thud, took the tea bowl, and his mind was full of thoughts of running away immediately. Seeing the servant retreat, he wiped his face with a long sigh and recalled the process, secretly saying:

"I did it flawlessly... run away quickly!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 195 =====