[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-171":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"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},2338634,4572,"Chapter 171","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-171",171,"\u003Cp>“Secretary Neio, look ahead—that’s the Storm Domain, where three nobles have died within ten years! Hmm, who’d have thought it still looks so prosperous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neio nodded. “It seems this Viscount Gervas truly has some ability—he’s turned this land of death into something respectable. But…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neio changed tone. “But this fellow has offended Cabinet Minister Willard. You all know about that, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Offended Cabinet Minister Willard? Is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all know that Cabinet Minister Willard’s son was sentenced to hanging, don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secretary Neio, we’ve heard—apparently, the minister’s son committed a grave error during this campaign and was sentenced to hanging…” His subordinates answered cautiously, their voices hushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. I hear it was this Baron Gervas’s testimony that confirmed the minister’s son’s crimes and led to his hanging!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, what are you suggesting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My suggestion is simple: we can teach this petty noble a lesson—and make some profit while we’re at it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sure Cabinet Minister Willard wants to punish this petty noble too—but he can’t act directly, or others will see it as revenge!” Neio whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several subordinates’ eyes lit up. They had little interest in helping the minister punish a minor noble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even if they did, the minister wouldn’t care for such insignificant ants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the phrase “make some profit” caught their attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secretary Neio, what should we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just watch how I handle it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellencies, welcome to the Storm Domain. I am John, the domain’s steward, specially dispatched by Lord Gervas to receive you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the castle gate, old John personally greeted Neio’s party, having been alerted by the guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To show hospitality, even the ground was lined with red carpets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, a secretary’s rank wouldn’t warrant such treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this concerned his lord’s land grant—old John wouldn’t dare be stingy or negligent, not if he wanted good fortune and smooth sailing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Neio and his entourage showed no appreciation for John’s warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They merely nodded faintly, offering no further response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>John paused, bewildered—but he still didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He assumed they simply hadn’t seen any gifts yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, any noble who’d dealt with officials from the Viceroy’s court knew this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greedy envoys always acted this way before receiving payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he continued inviting them into the castle and seated them in the guest dining hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was already laid with lavish fare: meat soup, roasted meats, even lobster and fresh sea fish—delicacies rare elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellencies, please don’t be formal. You’ve traveled far and endured hardship—these dishes are the Storm Domain’s special offering for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of Neio’s aides couldn’t help swallowing hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d assumed this mission to the border offered no profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who’d have thought they’d stumble upon such a windfall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d heard of fresh sea fish and giant lobster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Eagle City, only true nobles could afford such seafood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each dish cost several silver coins—or even dozens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neio’s eyes flickered with desire, but he forced his expression to remain neutral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He murmured, “Not bad. Then we won’t refuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his signal, everyone quickly began eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old John frowned but quietly withdrew, not disturbing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master John, these men are utterly rude!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they left the dining hall, John’s servant couldn’t hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though displeased, John was an experienced steward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For his lord’s sake, he could endure a little disrespect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring me the money bags I prepared earlier. And add some copper coins to a few more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? More copper coins?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do as I say—don’t ruin your lord’s affairs!” Seeing the manservant’s reluctance, John snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master John!” The manservant grumbled but didn’t dare delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the men in the dining hall finished their meal, comfortably patting their full bellies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the servants temporarily gone, the aides chuckled. “Secretary Neio, these seafood dishes are delicious—this is the best lunch I’ve had in twenty years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah, yes! Secretary Neio, I never expected the Storm Domain to have such wealth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good wealth means we can squeeze more out of them. Stay cold and distant afterward. If we meet a fool like this and don’t extract every last coin, we’ve wasted this trip!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood! We’ll follow your lead, Secretary Neio!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellencies, were you satisfied with the hospitality?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning they had finished eating, John returned to the dining hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not comparable to Eagle City, but for this backwater, it’s passable,” Neio replied coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servants’ eyes burned with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But John didn’t anger. He continued: “Your Excellencies, you’ve rested enough, I presume? Might we now hear the decree regarding my lord’s land grant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, we’ve rested sufficiently. But do you understand the proper protocol, steward?” Neio said lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>John understood perfectly. He gestured to his servant, who brought forward over a dozen bulging money bags and placed them before the envoys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of Neio’s aides took the bags, feeling their weight and fullness, and broke into broad smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d taken bribes before—but never so full, so heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least a few hundred copper coins each?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, each aide’s bag held exactly three hundred copper coins—three times the usual “custom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neio’s own bag held even more: atop the full copper coins lay five gleaming silver coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Altogether, worth eight silver coins—equal to his monthly salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secretary Neio, is this acceptable now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bags had been left slightly open—Neio saw everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a faint nod of approval. “Very well. Since you understand the rules, I’ll read the grant decree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Neio wasn’t satisfied with eight silver coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was only the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason nobles had no choice but to endure such petty officials—mere honorary knights, barely worth notice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was because the secretary held absolute control over one crucial step in the land-grant process.\u003C\u002Fp>",953,"2026-06-20T22:44:01.160Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a95924e1bdd24a79f4570a1eada904485acf9ef419c9a741c40dc4edb54caaca","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-172","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-170",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]