"Oh? So the county magistrate is pitting the tenant farmers against you?"

Chu Qiguang knew that He Wenyan was making his first move.

"That's right," Hao Xiangtong said with a sigh. "In the past, many tenant farmers willingly handed their land over to our clan to avoid taxes. We even paid to acquire some of the land, but now, all of them are turning against us for their own benefit."

The Hao Clan had undoubtedly used many questionable methods to acquire their land. If the county office were to conduct a thorough investigation, they would surely discover a lot of undisclosed land.

These wealthy clans are used to doing whatever they want. Trying to make them return what they've taken will be extremely difficult. There's no way they will back down so easily.

In his opinion, none of this would truly change anything. Even if the land reforms were successful, they would only buy the empire a few more decades. It still didn't solve the core issue at hand, which was the unsustainable nature of the feudal system.

That said, this could be an opportunity.

"What does your clan plan to do?" Chu Qiguang asked.

"I don't know," Hao Xiangtong replied with a shrug. "I heard that my father and brother are going to visit the Wu Clan to meet their clan leader and decide what to do."

Have the Hao Clan and the Wu Clan forged an alliance with each other?

"Can you pass a message to your father for me?" Chu Qiguang said. "Tell him I have a way to make the county magistrate back down."

A skeptical look appeared on Hao Xiangtong's face at Chu Qiguang's request.

"For starters, ask your father whether the imperial court is planning to negotiate a truce and establish trade relations with the wolf fiends," Chu Qiguang said with a smile.

Hao Xiangtong remained skeptical, and Chu Qiguang didn't speak any further on the matter. Instead, he resumed the story, and Hao Xiangtong was quickly drawn back in.

Wu Zetian gradually seized power in the imperial court. She opposed all the nobles and officials on her own as she began enforcing land reforms, uniform taxation and forced labor.

She stood against the entire world, constantly having to deal with opposition from the male officials, the lust of the old emperor, slanderous rumors being spread about her, and even disapproval and skepticism from her own parents. In spite of all of this, she continued to forge ahead with no regrets and unwavering determination. Her story filled Hao Xiangtong with a sense of inspiration and exhilaration.

"Alright, that's all for today. I have to get back to my reading," Chu Qiguang said.

As usual, Hao Xiangtong still wanted to hear more, but there was nothing she could do.

He's not interested in me or my money. It looks like I have no choice but to come here every day if I want to hear the rest of the story.

***

The next day, the leader of the Hao Clan, along with his wife, concubines, and all his children, Hao Yongtai, Hao Xiangtong, their two younger brothers, and younger sister, gathered at the table for breakfast.

The leader of the Hao Clan had made it a rule that every member of the family had to be present for breakfast every day. Even Hao Yongnian hadn't dared to spend the night outside when he was still alive.

During the meal, Hao Xiangtong recalled what Chu Qiguang had told her the day before. After breakfast, she approached her father and started a conversation.

When she felt the moment was right, she feigned a nonchalant expression as she asked, "Father, I heard that the imperial court is planning to negotiate a truce and establish trade relations with the northwestern wolf fiends, is that true?"

"Where did you hear that?" her father asked, his brows furrowing slightly in disapproval. "A girl like you shouldn't be talking about national matters that you clearly don't understand!"

Hao Xiangtong stormed back to her room, both furious and embarrassed.

I was a fool for believing that bastard! How could someone like him possibly know what the imperial court is up to? I'm going to make him compensate me by telling me a few more chapters next time!

After reprimanding his daughter, Clan Leader Hao Wen put the matter aside, and left for the Wu Manor with Hao Yongtai to discuss the land reforms.

***

The decision-makers of the Wu Clan and the Hao Clan gathered in the guest hall of the Wu Manor to discuss He Wenyan's recent move.

At the moment, the leader of the Wu Clan was the second son of Compiler Wu of the Imperial Hanlin Academy, while Compiler Wu and his eldest son were based in the capital city.

The clan leader, Wu Wei, wore a grim expression as he sighed, "This is a very aggressive and targeted move from He Wenyan."

Hao Wen nodded in agreement, then proposed, "What if we return five hundred or a thousand acres of land as a gesture to He Wenyan? That way, we'll be making a compromise, and he may be willing to back down and meet us halfway."

"What will the other clans think if we make this compromise? What will the tenant farmers under us think?" Wu Wei countered coldly. "If we set such an example, then all the other major clans in the county will follow suit, and once the dam has been opened, the tide will be unstoppable. If you compromise by returning five hundred acres of land, he'll soon demand five thousand, then fifty thousand! What will you do then?"

"Is Compiler Wu not able to do anything?" Hao Wen asked carefully.

"The land and tax reforms have been ordered by the grand secretariat, so even my father can't do anything from his end. We'll have to find a solution ourselves," Wu Wei replied. "I just didn't expect them to start with our Azure Sun County. I suspect someone in the imperial court is targeting my father."

"Someone's targeting Compiler Wu?" Hao Yongtai exclaimed.

"Under normal circumstances, county land disputes wouldn't matter much. However, if word of this reaches the capital, and someone decides to make a big fuss about it, then things could escalate quickly," Wu Wei said.

The Hao Clan and the Wu Clan were connected to each other through multiple marriage alliances, and they had always always maintained a close relationship.

After hearing Wu Wei's concerns, Hao Wen nodded and said, "No matter what happens, we have to protect Compiler Wu's reputation. Why are the people from the Ding Clan not here yet?"

"The Ding Clan doesn't own much land to begin with," Wu Wei sneered. "In recent years, they've invested all of their energy and resources into their coal and iron mines on Plum Mountain. Even if they have to return their land, it won't hurt their finances. Even so, they still have to be present. At the very least, we must come up with a plan and face the county office together."

Hao Wen was still shocked by the revelation that someone in the imperial court was targeting Compiler Wu. Compiler Wu was the Hao Clan's most powerful backer. With that in mind, he cautiously continued asking questions, trying to find out who exactly was behind this.

After some probing, Wu Wei finally revealed, "Over the past few years, the northwestern wolf fiends have grown more aggressive, frequently attacking and plundering our border cities. The northern military bases have managed to hold them back, but these battles are extremely costly. To make matters worse, maritime trade has been heavily disrupted by the dragon race of the Eastern Sea.

"The northern military bases are owing more and more salaries to their soldiers with each passing year, and the Ministry of Revenue isn't able to do much about it. Even the officials in the capital have gone several months without receiving their salaries, let alone those in our Spirit Province. In light of all of this, it's been decided that we're going to negotiate a truce and establish trade relations with the wolf fiends.

"That way, there will be peace in the north for the next dozen or so years, and the financial strain on the northern military bases and by extension, the imperial court, will be greatly reduced. Additionally, the trade relations with the wolf fiends will provide more revenue for the imperial court, and only then will we have the funds and resources to deal with the dragon race.

"However, not everyone agrees with this decision, and they're beginning to pull some strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could a mere county magistrate like He Wenyan dare to do something like this? Those people are completely irrational and want to put a wrench in the imperial court's plans to negotiate a truce with the wolf fiends!"

Hao Wen was astonished to hear this. He immediately thought back to his earlier conversation with Hao Xiangtong.

How did Xiangtong find out about all of this?