Switching Sides

Liu Hongyu was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

He was a low-ranking official with no connections, and he always viewed factional struggles and the fight for succession as a monstrous threat, daring not to get involved in them, for fear of not gaining any benefits and ending up as cannon fodder.

Especially since he was about to retire and his son was good-for-nothing who wouldn't amount to much in the future, he only hoped that his son could honestly be a low-level official, live a good life, and be safe and sound.

However, because he protected Cai Yaozong, Zhao Ruxi wrote a letter to the capital, causing people to mistakenly believe that he was part of the Crown Prince's faction. It seems that it will not be easy for him to retire peacefully.

Having figured this out, he immediately turned to his attendant and ordered, "Summon Lord Cai."

The attendant quickly went next door.

Meanwhile, Cai Yaozong lived next door, knew that Zhao Ruxi had come out of Liu Hongyu's room shortly after entering and then left the yamen. He was wondering what she was up to when he heard Liu Hongyu call him.

He got up and went next door, where he saw Liu Hongyu with a dark face, who immediately started cursing. "If you didn't want to agree, you should have just stood your ground and refused. What kind of behavior is it to agree and then not let her see the files and accounts? If she submits a single report to the higher-ups, both of us will be in trouble."

Cai Yaozong sneered inwardly.

This Liu Hongyu is truly "the older he gets in the world, the more timid he becomes." He wants the benefits but doesn't want to take any risks, and he panics at the sight of anyone with a bit of power. It's a shame that I was so wary of him.

He shook his head dismissively, saying, "If she were truly favored by the Emperor, she wouldn't have been sent to an outside post; she would have stayed in the Hanlin Academy in the capital. If she couldn't get into the Hanlin Academy, she could have gotten into the Ministry of Revenue. Clearly, she's just trying to scare us. The Emperor is extremely busy; how could he have time to read the memorials from local officials? The memorials we submit have to go through layers of screening by various ministries; they don't easily reach the Emperor's ears."

"Besides, we didn't do anything wrong. We didn't say we wouldn't let her manage things, nor did we say we wouldn't let her see the files and accounts. It's just that we couldn't find the files and accounts she wanted for a while, and she's going to complain about it if we made her wait for a day or two. Not to mention that the Emperor wouldn't care, even if her senior brother Wu Huaisi found out, he wouldn't dare to mention it in front of the Emperor."

"The Emperor's selection of a young girl as the top scholar has already drawn criticism. Now that she's arrived here, she's already had a falling out with her superiors and senior officials within half a day, and even submitted a memorial to complain. Being an official isn't child's play. If she really does that, the censors are just waiting to find fault with her and impeach her. Isn't she just giving them ammunition?"

"Leaving aside what she herself is like, Wu Huaisi and the others are all doomed to die because of her."

If it weren't for Zhong Liang's analysis, Liu Hongyu might have wavered after hearing his words.

Now that he has chosen a side, even if Zhao Ruxi cannot file a complaint, he still intends to abandon his alliance with Cai Yaozong and stand on Zhao Ruxi's side.

He said, "No matter what, we can't let anyone find any leverage over us. Have someone quickly compile the files and accounts. I'll have her come to take them over the day after tomorrow."

Cai Yaozong's face slowly darkened.

He looked at Liu Hongyu for a while, then suddenly laughed, a laugh devoid of warmth.

He stood up and said, "Since you have given the order, I will obey without question. If you have no further instructions, I will take my leave." With that, he cupped his hands in greeting and left.

Back in his room, he sat there with a gloomy face for a long while before going to Chen Kang's place.

"Huh? Lord Cai didn't come home for dinner?" Chen Kang asked.

Cai Yaozong didn't speak. He sat down, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, gulped it down, then let out a long sigh, wiped his mouth, and said, "How can I eat after being bullied by a little girl?"

Chen Kang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Lord Liu has sided with her?"

Cai Yaozong nodded.

Chen Kang stroked his stubble and nodded, saying, "It seems the power behind her is stronger than I imagined."

He glanced at Cai Yaozong and added, "This Lord Zhao is no ordinary young lady; she's even more capable than you Lord Cai. Otherwise, having powerful backers wouldn't be enough. She has to be able to establish herself and persuade Lord Liu to side with her."

Cai Yaozong: "..." There's something I'm not sure if I should say.

He couldn't help but glance at Chen Kang sideways. "Don't forget, we're in the same boat. Someone like her, young, with a high starting point, arrogant, and looking down on everyone, might not even be interested in someone like you."

There was plenty of profit to be made from salt and grain, and he and Chen Kang shared all of it. Liu Hongyu was an upright official who valued his reputation and never got involved in such matters. This was why Cai Yaozong was able to quickly cooperate with Chen Kang after arriving in Nanyang and secure the salt and grain for himself as soon as possible.

"So what do you plan to do? Stand up to her head? As long as you can hold your own here, I'll naturally be fine here," Chen Kang said calmly.

Cai Yaozong was speechless.

Liu Hongyu was, after all, his superior, and not a weak or incompetent one. Once Liu Hongyu got serious, he really had no way to deal with him. After all, he had to rely on Liu Hongyu for the final year-end evaluation and the recommendation before leaving office.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Have Wang Yongshou find the salt and grain records from four years ago and deliver them to her room tomorrow afternoon. Then, take these next two days to review the recent accounts carefully and correct any problems promptly."

Chen Kang said, "Don't worry, I'm more careful with those accounts than you are. Lord Zhao a young girl; she absolutely can't see through anything. So what if she's good at math? You can't find problems with math alone."

The reason he dared to embezzle salt and grain over the years was because of Wang Yongshou's bookkeeping skills. Of course, he didn't mistreat Wang Yongshou either. Over the years, Wang Yongshou had taken no less than him.

With that, Cai Yaozong felt relieved and said, "Okay, then there's no problem."

"But isn't reviewing the files and accounts just Lord Zhao's first step? Is she planning to take the salt and grain from you?" Chen Kang asked.

Upon hearing this, Cai Yaozong was deflated.

He sighed, "You're right. That young lady is greedy."

He looked at Chen Kang, a smirk playing on his lips. "It doesn't matter to me; I can simply give up this power and money. But Administrative Clerk Chen, you're going to lose these rights. It's not a big deal if you don't want them, but do you think your subordinates will agree?"

Chen Kang's expression changed slightly.

"So, don't just stand by and watch the show. We're in this together." Cai Yaozong returned these words to Chen Kang.

Chen Kang thought for a moment and asked, "How about we take a gamble? A feint attack while secretly advancing?"