That evening, Harry submitted his daily observations to the prince’s castle. After reading them, Simon became even more certain of the current situation.

The village elders, often the most respected figures in their communities, were typically elected as village heads. However, the reality was that many of these village heads colluded with powerful local families for money, oppressing the common people. They were the claws and fangs of these powerful families. Harry also mentioned the reactions of these village heads, noting that they had likely already reported the impact of the newspaper to their masters.

For Simon, this was a serious issue. Although village heads held the lowest official rank, they were the foundation of governance. Their actions directly affected his ability to win over the people.

After all, village heads held significant influence in their communities. With the support of powerful families, they also wielded considerable power within their villages.

"My Lord, are you worrying about governance again?" Joan entered, carrying a bowl of lotus seed porridge.

By now, both she and Ysabeau had grown accustomed to their interactions with Simon. While they respected him, their relationship also carried a sense of the master-servant bond they had shared with Lady Isolde.

Simon nodded. "Yes, the newspaper has been distributed, but if a village is controlled by a village head who serves the powerful families, the people remain under their tight surveillance. It’s quite frustrating."

Joan and Ysabeau were well aware of what Simon was doing. As his influence grew, his next step was to eliminate the influence of local powerful families in the domain and fully consolidate his control over all aspects of governance.

"Isn’t this like a single piece of rotten meat spoiling the whole pot? If we can just remove that piece, wouldn’t that solve the problem?" Joan asked, puzzled.

"Easier said than done. The tradition of villagers electing their own village heads has persisted for over a thousand years. If I were to break this tradition now, it would cause an uproar. Moreover, I don’t have suitable candidates to send down to the villages as village heads." Simon explained.

Joan said. "My Lord, you haven’t lived in a village, so you might not understand. Just like in Brambleford City, there are conflicts between people in the villages. When it comes to electing a village head, there are often different candidates. Since Your Highness knows how to pit the Chandlier and Goldwynd families against each other, why not let the villagers do the same?"

Simon’s eyes lit up, feeling as though a cloud had been lifted. He praised her. "Well said! Spending so much time with Ysabeau has taught you how to think critically."

Joan blushed and spoke. "My Lord, don’t praise me too much. I was just sharing what I remember from my village."

"No, you deserve a reward. Tell me, what would you like?" Simon smiled.

Joan hesitated for a moment, not wanting to dampen his mood, so she shyly said. "I’d like to eat clay pot chicken."

Simon laughed heartily. "No problem! Not only will you get clay pot chicken, but I’ll also let you try braised pork."

"Braised pork? Just the name sounds delicious." Joan said, her mouth watering.

Simon replied. "Once I settle the matter of the village heads, I’ll have the chef prepare it for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Joan left, beaming with joy.

Simon paced excitedly. Joan’s words had reminded him that he could simply split the role of village head into two positions, one primary and one deputy, to dilute the power of the village heads. Then, using his secret agents to sow discord, he could promote village heads who aligned with his interests.

Of course, his current headache stemmed from the fact that the powerful families still held significant influence. Once he had weakened them, he would deal with these scheming village heads.

As he pondered this, Simon picked up the bowl of lotus seed porridge and began to drink. At that moment, Gius appeared at the door and spoke. "My Lord, village heads from various villages have entered the city and gone to the mansions of local powerful families."

"So quickly?" Simon was surprised. These village heads were indeed eager to curry favour.

"Record the information of these village heads and bring it to me," Simon said, his anger burning. The fact that the village heads in his domain were reporting to the powerful families was a blatant disregard for his authority.

Gius replied. "My Lord, I’ve already gathered the information on these village heads."

With that, he handed a piece of paper to Simon.

Simon glanced at it. Brambleford City had twelve subordinate counties and hundreds of villages. The paper was densely filled with the names, villages, and backgrounds of thirty village heads.

Gius had undergone specialized training in intelligence systems under Simon, and his professionalism was beginning to show.

"My Lord, these village heads eat the grain provided by the government but collude with powerful families. They’re truly traitors. In my opinion, we should make an example of them to warn others." Gius suggested.

Simon glared at him. "Don’t think that just because you have a few skilled men, you can act recklessly. You’re still far from building a secret service that satisfies me."

Gius immediately lowered his head.

"If we kill people now, wouldn’t that clearly tell the powerful families, led by the Goldwynd and Chandlier families, that I’m feeling insecure?" Simon said coldly.

"Then how does Your Highness plan to break this deadlock? Do you need the secret service to assist?" Gius asked.

Simon pondered for a moment and spoke. "That’s why your timing is perfect. There’s something I need you to do..."

Simon instructed him to gather evidence of collusion between the village heads and the powerful families and to incite the villagers to elect new village heads. At the same time, he decided to slow down his efforts.

The publication of the newspaper, which exposed the Goldwynd and Chandlier families, had been a test to gauge the depth of the powerful families’ influence. Now, it was clear that their roots run deep.

These village heads were obstructing his ability to establish direct connections with the people. Only by gaining the support of the people could he ensure a steady supply of soldiers and grain.

Having settled on this plan, Simon began his preparations. As for the village heads seeking favour with the powerful families, he wasn’t worried. He had struck both the Goldwynd and Chandlier families equally, focusing only on the facts without implicating other powerful families.

Even if they were dissatisfied, it would only be the Goldwynd and Chandlier families who were upset. The other powerful families would simply watch from the sidelines.

Moreover, the dissatisfaction of these two families would be directed at the newspaper’s public exposure of their misdeeds, not at Simon’s true goal of inciting long-standing grievances among the people.

The next day, he only needed to publish another article, offering some mild praise to the Goldwynd and Chandlier families to placate them.

As Simon had anticipated, Lothair and Cedric were both extremely angry upon learning of the newspaper’s contents. As the saying goes, ’family shame should not be aired in public,’ and Simon had humiliated them in front of everyone.

However, after their initial anger, they found themselves powerless. The newspaper had simply reported the facts.

But the next day, their anger subsided when the newspaper praised the contributions of the Chandlier and Goldwynd families to the domain’s revival, leaving them both pained and pleased.

Simon’s diversionary tactics had thoroughly confused them, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.

Under these circumstances, Simon swiftly began replacing village heads across the domain. Many believed that high-ranking officials posed the greatest threat, but in reality, corruption at the grassroots level was far more dangerous. If the branches of a tree rot, they can be cut off and regrown. But if the roots rot, the tree dies.

Recognising this, Simon had launched this propaganda campaign as both a test and a probe. Now that his target was clear, he could proceed step by step.