Zhai Huan was naturally reserved and cool. He rarely smiled in front of outsiders, but he never begrudged his family a smile—especially his younger cousin, Zhai Le, whom he had watched grow up. He understood him best, too.
To put it crudely, if Xiao Fang so much as stuck his rear out, Zhai Huan knew what kind of crap he was brewing and what scheme he had in mind.
So he asked, "What's Xiao Fang thinking about?"
Zhai Huan's smile carried a hint of danger.
Zhai Le instinctively straightened his back and replied timidly, "I was just thinking... Brother seems... unhappy that things are going smoothly?"
"Of course. The more chaotic, the better."
The Tax Silver affair might be a fuse.
Zhai Le jerked his head up to look at his cousin. His mouth opened and closed as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't figure out where to begin. He wiped the sweat from his clenched palms on his knees and muttered, "How could that be for the best? It's not as if you haven't seen how those people are living..."
A stable situation was what allowed the people to recover and rebuild.
Even small skirmishes between villages affected people's lives, let alone medium- and large-scale wars involving thousands or tens of thousands.
Thinking of all they had seen along the way, Zhai Le still hoped they could avoid war if at all possible, so the people could at least enjoy a few peaceful days.
How could Brother not understand that?
"Heh. Xiao Fang is still thinking too simply. This place in the northwest isn't large, but plenty of people have their eyes on it. Only by muddying the waters can we see who's up to no good."
Zhai Huan knew full well that chaos in the