The characters “Ye Shu” express her own aspirations, making Liu Hong unable to help but be less guarded against Qiao Yan.

A young genius with perfect skills and the ability to seize power and make real changes, what she would become after she truly matured, whether he could control her, or whether she could be controlled by his future heir, was indeed a difficult question to explain.

But what if she became a lone minister or a harsh official?

There was an example from before—Yang Qiu, the Commandant of the Capital.

It was not only Lu Zhi who was involved in quelling the rebels in Jiujiang Mountain, but also Yang Qiu.

It was because of his outstanding performance in suppressing bandits during his tenure as the Prefect of Jiujiang that he became the Grand Commandant and Commandant of the Capital.

In the matter of the execution of the eunuch Wang Fu, Yang Qiu was the main person responsible.

His brutal methods forced the eunuchs to unite and seek help from the emperor.

In the end, Cao Jie falsely accused Yang Qiu, leading to Yang Qiu being imprisoned and executed.

But did Liu Hong really know if the “false accusation” at that time was really false?

Perhaps not.

He used the talents of capable officials like Yang Qiu to kill eunuchs like Wang Fu and Hou Lan, who abused their power, took full control of the power, and then, when the remaining eunuchs, out of despair, turned to him, he killed Yang Qiu as a way to win them over.

Now that Qiao Yan had handed over her aggressive actions to him as a handle, what he saw was whether she was a more astonishing talent than Qiao Xuan, or the second Yang Qiu.

The culture of the Great Han Dynasty emphasized martial virtues and valued martial arts skills, allowing Yang Qiu to kill the county officials in Jiujiang who had humiliated his mother while suppressing the rebels in Jiujiang Mountain.

Such a person could be a fire that burned away pests and dead wood for a while, but he would inevitably become a target of reckoning after a while, and eventually, the fire would burn to himself.

But even with the lessons of Yang Qiu six years ago, there were still people who targeted him, not seeking high positions and eternal stability, but only seeking a moment of fame in history.

In Qiao Yan’s apology, which was filled with the meaning of “will dare again next time,” and in the courtesy name she gave herself, Liu Hong saw this potential.

This was undoubtedly good news for him.

Watching Zhang Rang, who was paying close attention to his expression, clearly saw that the dark clouds and rain on Liu Hong’s face had turned into a kind of pleasure of discovering a new balance at this moment, rather than satisfaction.

Qiao Ye Shu…

This was a name that Zhang Rang had never heard before.

But if we combine this with Bingzhou, it’s not hard to guess who it is.

It’s probably Qiao Yan.

After a year, seeing this Marquis of Leping involved in another major event, for some reason, Zhang Rang had a feeling that it was indeed her.

But some people might not be so happy about it.

He then saw Liu Hong pick up the two letters that came with Qiao Yan’s letter of apology.

One of them was indeed what Qiao Yan had said.

After the incident with the Dragon Bone in Leping, she also wrote a memorial to the governor of Bingzhou, the date of which was three or four months ago.

And the other one…

“Yuan Shi is outrageous!”

Liu Hong only read a few lines, and he was initially pleased with the future tool man, but now he turned angry and slammed the book in his hand to the ground.

Liu Hong knew about Yuan Shi’s efforts when Zhang Yi was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou.

After all, this was part of the exchange and balance of interests after he implemented the system of provincial governors.

But in the letter Yuan Shao wrote to Zhang Yi, the words made him slightly reduce his attention to the important matters in the province at this time, which undoubtedly turned Liu Hong’s focus directly.

Leaving aside what the situation would be if the locust plague had not occurred, let’s just talk about the current situation.

If Qiao Yan had not decisively chosen to take advantage of the prefect and order the treatment of the locust plague in Bingzhou, in Zhang Yi’s case, who still had to obey the instructions of the Yuan clan of Runan, could he really have the determination to get rid of the locusts and quickly calm the chaos like Qiao Yan?

Compared to the capable ministers Liu Hong has controlled, he obviously cannot!

So in this case, without Qiao Yan’s unexpected action, would Bingzhou become like Liangzhou today?

In Bingzhou, there is also the potential for rebellion like Liangzhou.

But Liangzhou has already caused him to deploy so many troops, how many can Bingzhou have left?

Liu Hong couldn’t help but be angry.

Since he had tacitly allowed the clans to have an influence in nominating governors, he wouldn’t mind if Yuan Shao’s letter gave guidance to Zhang Yi.

But what he minded was that someone, in such a situation, was undermining his rule.

Another candidate nominated by the aristocratic families, Huang Wan, who was appointed as the governor by the Hongnong Yang family, has already proven his extraordinary political achievements during his tenure as the governor of Qingzhou, showing that he is a talented minister suitable for the Three Excellencies.

In comparison, Zhang Yi’s performance really made Liu Hong feel a bit uncomfortable.

But fortunately, Zhang Yi’s existence was not entirely useless.

At least, through this sharpening stone, he had honed Qiao Yan into a sharp blade.

The problem now is how to deal with Qiao Yan’s actions.

What was said in this letter of apology is indeed correct.

He cannot lightly dismiss the accusation of overthrowing the prefect just because of Qiao Yan’s achievements after seizing power, otherwise it will surely be imitated by others.

Indeed, there are still officials in various provinces like Zhang Yi.

For example, Liu Yan became the governor of Yizhou because the governor of Yizhou, Xie Jian, extorted and oppressed the people during his tenure.

On a smaller scale, the governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, although not as harmful to the people as Xie Jian, can only be considered mediocre.

So if Qiao Yan’s actions are directly affirmed by the court, it is likely to become a model for other provinces to follow.

But those who are likely to do things under a similar banner may not have the courage and means like Qiao Yan.

By then, not only will chaos reign in the world, but there will also be no benefits at all!

So Liu Hong cannot be complacent.

But he somewhat feels regretful about how to punish this burning fire of self-sacrifice.

With such talent and determination to be the emperor’s sharp blade, how could he bear to put her in jail and ask for punishment in the capital?

He signaled Zhang Rang to pick up the book he had thrown away, and read it repeatedly, calculating in his mind.

Three days later, at the court meeting, Liu Hong, who was sitting at the head, listened to the various reports from the people below, especially the disaster relief situation in the three regions.

Suddenly, he said, “I intend to restore Yang Boxian to the Three Excellencies.”

Yang Boxian?

Yang Boxian is also known as Yang Ci.

In the past year, several people who were originally in the position of the Three Excellencies have been replaced one after another, and even Yang Ci is no exception.

However, Yang Ci was already prepared for this—he was getting older, and the position of Grand Commandant, which involved overseeing military affairs, was too exhausting for him, which was indeed inappropriate.

Moreover, his son, Yang Biao, had already accumulated enough political capital.

In a few more years, he could make the Yang family produce another Three Excellencies.

He really had nothing to worry about.