The officials in the study stood stunned for a long time.
"What exactly does the governor-general mean?"
All the officials shook their heads slightly.
"He probably has some intention we can't fathom. We can only say everyone in Taihe Prefecture is unlucky."
"We'd better not speculate recklessly about this. Since the governor-general has given his orders, we need only obey."
"Ah... purging an entire prefecture and county is even more troublesome than dealing with a whole province's Qing officials last year."
"What should we do with the clerk who betrayed... no, who leaked the information?"
"Void Sage Fang has spoken, so naturally we must punish him severely and strictly. We can only say he's unlucky."
"Let's go. We mustn't delay..."
Every move Fang Yun made drew the attention of the world, and a thorough purge of an entire prefecture and county was exceedingly rare in the present age. The affair soon became a hot topic on the Discourse Ranking, with scholars and even officials from every region joining the discussion.
"In my opinion, Void Sage Fang is pounding the mountain to frighten the tiger. Someone in Taihe Prefecture is probably colluding with the Qing Kingdom."
"Exactly. His sword is clearly pointed at the Qing Kingdom. After all, the previous prefect of Taihe was a concealed Qing official."
"Of course, he might also be seizing on the officials' weaknesses to establish his authority. Having become the lord of three territories, failing to establish his authority would be like wearing brocade robes out into the night."
"This is the imposing might of the lord of three territories-using an entire prefecture and county to establish his authority."
"To us, this is a major affair, but to Void Sage Fang, it probably really is something utterly insignificant."
"But Void Sage Fang has gone a