However, for now, tracing the ultimate root cause isn’t the most important thing; the subsequent impact it brings is the real priority.

Great General Yuan has not only not died, but according to reports, he has actually benefited from the misfortune and is now in much better health than before.

One might ask, does this Young Master Yuan hold grudges?

Naturally, especially a grudge like having his home stolen. In short, just as An Ning had previously thought, both sides have once again fallen into a stalemate. Although hindered by the powerful enemy still lurking behind them, coupled with internal strife among their sons, there are no large-scale armed conflicts for now. But today I snatch one of your cities, tomorrow I seize one of your territories—such incidents are endless.

While developing her own strength, An Ning specifically observed the situation.

One can only say, worthy of being the most powerful major warlord whose influence spans three prefectures. Perhaps having experienced a life-and-death defeat stripped away his earlier arrogance and aloofness, between the two sides, Young Master Yuan still holds a slightly greater advantage.

Of course, as a great and formidable figure, Cao Camp is no pushover either, frequently employing ingenious strategies, leading to a temporary deadlock for a time.

Just as the two sides were locked in their intense struggle, in the spring of that year, accompanied by the visible tension of Si Qi and a few others, at dawn, a loud cry announced that the next successor of Northern Ji Prefecture had finally made her appearance.

It wasn’t until the little girl wrapped in a pink-blue swaddling cloth was carried out that many people, especially those who had been away recently, belatedly realized something was amiss, apart from a few sharp-eyed and perceptive individuals.

Ah, wait, the Young Master has a child!

Come to think of it, no wonder the Young Master’s figure seemed a bit odd before. Probably because An Ning’s demeanor was too natural, her actions no different from before, plus the thick winter clothing, it subconsciously led people to overlook it.

Indeed, who would think that a woman seven or eight months pregnant, even on the verge of giving birth, could still practice swordsmanship vigorously for a good half-hour every day!

Not to mention the spies occasionally hidden in the city, even some subordinates were dumbfounded.

But then, considering their Young Master’s martial prowess…

Hmm, one can only say, truly worthy of our lord!

However, overall, at such a time, the Young Master having her own flesh and blood is ultimately a good thing, finally putting the hearts of those below somewhat at ease.

Especially when they saw, one month later, their Young Master, still radiant and energetic, practicing martial arts and handling official duties as usual, no different from before…

Everyone breathed an even greater sigh of relief.

Most of these people have followed her from the remote little county to this day. Now, seeing the situation becoming clear, to be honest, including General Feng Yuan, none of them are willing to see any mishaps.

Especially since everyone present knows clearly who truly has the ability to subdue the various forces and who holds real prestige among the army and even the common people!

In short, perhaps because their Young Master acted too ordinarily, after a brief moment of stunned silence, everyone quickly returned to normal.

“A Yue, let’s call her Shen Yue!”

During a break from handling official documents, An Ning casually scooped up the little tiger toy beside her, teasing the little one not far away who was staring with big, round eyes as if searching for something!

Then she declared decisively:

“Yue, meaning divine pearl!” On the side, a certain Guo carefully placed the child’s waving hand back into the swaddling clothes, fanning himself while saying with a pleased expression:

“I observe this child has a full and broad forehead, strong hands and feet. She will surely be as accomplished in both civil and martial arts as you, Young Master, in the future.”

Her gaze pausing on the other’s somewhat slender frame, An Ning fell silent for a rare moment:

“When Yue’er is a bit older, I will personally oversee her martial arts training.”

Though not really understanding, the little one in the swaddling clothes instinctively blinked. A pair of phoenix eyes, strikingly similar to An Ning’s, were exceptionally bright.

Hmm, so eager, definitely promising material for martial arts training in the future!

Gently poking the little one’s cheek twice, An Ning thought to herself contentedly.

Little A Yue, who couldn’t understand words yet: “…”

Although the newly born little one was quite amusing, she still couldn’t halt her own biological mother’s pace.

Unlike the earlier commanderies, which were mostly somewhat remote in terrain, and coupled with the earlier large-scale epidemic, the influence of the scholar-official clans wasn’t that significant. Here now, once her policies were fully implemented, just the assassins and killers she occasionally encountered when going out numbered more than one wave.

Dealing with them swiftly and decisively, An Ning showed no mercy. Once she found out who was behind them, regardless of which family, she directly imprisoned them and carried out confiscation of property in one go.

It was a perfect excuse to deal with people and also take the opportunity to redistribute a wave of farmland and manors.

As for private troops, what use were they in the face of absolute martial prowess? If they banded together to cause trouble, even better. All these years, whether from subordinates who defected or those she trained herself, she was just worried about not having places to use them!

In short, no matter how covert, anyone who made a move absolutely had no chance of escaping. And she could righteously eliminate you under the banner of justice.

After several rounds of this, An Ning herself was fine, but the earlier aristocratic clans were left in disarray.

Yet, An Ning, the master of Ji Prefecture, didn’t refuse to promote people from all clans. For those truly talented and exceptionally pragmatic, rising with the wind was only a matter of time.

Proving with actions that as long as there is profit to be made, there are no truly unbreakable blocks in the world.

However, what was truly terrifying wasn’t this.

In Yangcheng, several middle-aged men dressed in fine clothes gathered, but at this moment, their expressions were all extremely grim:

“What benevolent ruler? This woman, she is clearly digging up our very foundations!”

“Such a tyrannical and unreasonable person, and there are still people from our ranks willing to lick her boots, picking up the scraps she leaves behind! It’s simply…”

At the gathering, a middle-aged man dressed as a blue-robed scholar couldn’t help but snort coldly:

“Grinding away the backbone of our kind!”

The expressions of the others were equally unpleasant.

It turned out that previously, various commanderies and counties had suddenly begun household registration checks. Originally, this wasn’t a big deal.

For great aristocratic clans, concealing population was no longer a secret. They had plenty of ways to make those officials return empty-handed.

This time was the same.

However, while those people did leave then, who would have expected that several months later, a new administrative decree was suddenly issued from the prefectural government.

Along with it came a series of new agricultural tools, new crop varieties cultivated by the agricultural gardens under the Governor’s office, fertilizers for farming, and even a range of daily necessities like fever-reducing medicine.

However, for these items, anyone registered in the household registry could purchase a fixed quantity at a rather low price.

The key point was the quota based on household registration! For others, especially for bulk purchases, the price increased more than threefold.

Not buy?

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these things had already been witnessed by everyone when nearby manors were established one by one.

Combined, they could increase yield by more than double.

So now the problem was laid bare:

If you don’t buy, then when the common people’s grain increases while yours remains the same, plus the wasteland being reclaimed and water conservancy projects being built by the soldiers around, local grain prices will inevitably drop significantly.

The once sure-profit manors would instead lose their value.

If you buy!

At three times the price, after such large-scale expenditure, the final harvest would be meager.

Heh, how laughable!

The once valuable fertile land has now become a chicken rib—tasteless to eat yet a pity to discard.

Not to mention the cheap medicine!

If this continues, seeing the living conditions of those outside, forget others, even the private troops under their command would likely riot first.

It’s said that she also plans to establish official schools…

Even precious books have become cheap goods!

“Each cut, truly vicious!”

Everyone present understood clearly that no matter how grandly one speaks of noble bloodlines, the main reasons scholar-official clans could maintain their transcendent status were, apart from the intricate network of connections and deep-rooted foundation in officialdom.

Fertile land and manors, population resources, thousands of private troops in their households, and even the near-monopoly on educational resources were the most crucial.

Yet precisely these three!

Thinking of this, a man in blue Confucian robes with a refined face at the gathering couldn’t help but laugh angrily:

“Heh! Everyone says this Young Lady is so benevolent, unwilling to plunder wealth from cities or fields even when attacking them. Who would have thought this person is truly a master at cutting flesh with a blunt knife!”

Truly a master, isn’t she?

At the gathering, many looked despondent.

Unlike some who slaughter at the drop of a hat, this one appears gentle and benevolent, her reputation firmly established. Apart from “forced” purges after assassination attempts and cleaning out some incompetent officials, she rarely actively raises the butcher’s knife.

For some petty benefits, countless lowly commoners below even compete to worship her as a deity.

However, open blades can still be defended against, but this one before them!

Thinking of this, undoubtedly, the expressions of everyone present grew even darker.

One might ask, who would willingly have their family’s honor and status, passed down through generations, taken away?

Unfortunately, lately many have tried countless methods on their behalf.

Assassination? That one is already a master among masters, said to be a formidable figure who can move with ease among a hundred men.

Even crossbow ambushes couldn’t harm her in the slightest.

Poison? Even more a pipe dream. After the earlier incident with the Yuan clan, who doesn’t know she is a true divine physician capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh!

Trying to secretly collude with external enemies? The moment you reach out, you’re immediately treated as a traitor. Rebellion? Hmm…

With her methods, you’d probably die even faster.

Besides, lately, they haven’t failed to notice that among their household private troops and servants, quite a few have their own ideas. Probably already brainwashed by the sugar-coated bullets outside.

Thinking it’s so great to be a law-abiding citizen or a soldier!

In short, every step before them seems wrong!

Truly beset with troubles both internal and external.

However, at this time, these people still didn’t know that the real internal trouble was more than this. Shortly after they dispersed, one of them, using the excuse of returning home, had already stealthily made his way to the Governor’s mansion…

“What? As part of the same aristocratic clans, Family Head Yang wishes to abandon the alliance and join my ranks?”

At the gathering, her gaze pausing briefly on the visitor, An Ning couldn’t help but say with a smile, her words not lacking suspicion.

The man didn’t mind:

“Replying to the Governor, as the saying goes, ‘The wise adapt to circumstances.’ Though lacking talent, I am willing to lead the Yang Family to serve as the blade in Your Lordship’s hand!”

Casually setting down the fine wine beside her, An Ning smiled again: “Actually, what they said isn’t wrong. What I did earlier indeed damages your family’s interests!”

Even their foundations.

Dressed in a series of sandalwood-colored robes, the middle-aged man before her still bowed deeply:

“Governor, you jest. As the saying goes, ‘The influence of a gentleman lasts five generations before fading.’ No one can predict the future. In these chaotic times, in my humble opinion, seizing the present is the most crucial matter.”

“Land, population, private troops—these can be lost. But as long as talented individuals remain in the family, under your leadership, there may yet be a time for resurgence!”

“To me, these are the true foundations of a family.”

After a moment of silence, the man looked up again:

“Moreover… allow me to guess. Although Your Lordship has great ambitions, you do not intend to completely exterminate us aristocratic clans, do you?”

Everyone says this person is best at cutting flesh with a blunt knife, but in his view, this is still much better than those who slaughter cities at the slightest provocation!

***

Indeed, nowhere lacks smart people.

Watching the departing figure, An Ning couldn’t help but think to herself.

Yes, just as that person said.

She did target the aristocratic clans, but she indeed had no intention of beating them to death with one stroke.

No other reason—aristocratic clans can never be completely eradicated.

Just like in the court, factions and cliques will never cease. The Song Dynasty earlier saw the decline of aristocratic clans, but what was the result?

Fellow townsmen, marital ties, disciples, even those who passed the imperial exams together could quickly form networks of interest. Banding together for warmth, excluding dissidents—one could say for thousands of years, there have been no exceptions.

Even to some extent, among the humble families, those who suddenly rose high, greedy, short-sighted, acting without considering the consequences, were also common.

Not necessarily much better than scions of aristocratic clans.

So blindly suppressing them is meaningless.

What truly disgusts An Ning about these aristocratic clans is the large populations hidden within their households, even private soldiers, the constantly annexed land in their hands, and the mediocre individuals they push into officialdom.

Even worse, the later Nine-Rank System thoroughly pushed this monopoly to its extreme, making comfort, indulgence, and lack of ambition the norm. It laid the groundwork for the later chaos of the Five Barbarians and the collapse of the realm.

Even the Sima family, cursed for countless years, who murdered the emperor without scruple and completely hollowed out the foundation of Cao Wei. But in reality, without the Sima family, wouldn’t there have been a Si Niu family?

In essence, in An Ning’s view, this was merely those scholar-official clans choosing a spokesperson who better suited their interests.

In summary, these are what she truly cannot tolerate.

If not, as long as you are useful, who cares about your background?

Perhaps having fully realized assassination attempts were useless, things finally quieted down around An Ning. With the Yang Family being the first to eat the crab, many subsequently softened, even taking the initiative like the Yang Family, reporting concealed populations and proactively giving up most of the land under their names.

However, for the reclaimed land, An Ning didn’t take it for free. She exchanged it for gold, silver, cloth, or medicines and medicinal wines for strengthening health. In short, equivalent exchange, fair to all.

For those who submitted, if they truly had talent, she didn’t hesitate to promote them. Of course, necessary precautions were also taken.

Only after seeing the other side’s attitude clearly did many finally set their minds completely at ease.

In short, within just a few months, the registered population of the entire Northern Ji region increased by nearly half.

Ah, this, how can it not be considered a kind of gray humor!

An Ning couldn’t help but want to laugh:

Thinking of the Eastern Jin period, when population statistics showed a population half that of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

One has to say, these people really know how to hide!

However, on the other side, watching the liberated “servants” who, after receiving their land, were overjoyed, practically jumping for joy in the streets, everyone couldn’t help but feel a chill down their spines!

But looking at the situation, it wasn’t just her; many others were also being assassinated?

In the fifth year of Jian’an, the year Little A Yue turned one, news also came from the Jiangdong region that Sun Ce had been assassinated.

Yet unexpectedly, An Ning waited several days, but no news of his demise came from Jiangdong. It was said they used top-grade medicine bought at great cost from the north through entrusted persons.

An Ning: “…”

Oh, so everyone talks tough, but actually acts quite efficiently.

Meanwhile, in Jiangdong:

Only after the person on the bed woke up again and the physician declared him completely out of danger did a handsome man in white robes not far away finally heave a deep sigh of relief.

But his tone was:

“Knowing Your Lordship is usually the most fearless and unrestrained, though lacking talent, I had long ago spent a fortune sending people to purchase good medicine from Northern Ji.” Then he gave him a meaningful look:

“It seems now that preparing early was somewhat useful!”

Sun Ce: “…”

“Hahaha, it’s fine! It’s fine!” Knowing his actions that day were indeed improper and nearly cost him his life, facing his brother’s gaze now, he felt somewhat guilty. Immediately laughing it off, he said with bold spirit:

“No problem, however much it cost, I’ll make it up to you later!”

As his words fell, the person before him spoke calmly:

“Oh, it’s not much, merely three thousand gold pieces!”

Sun Ce: “!!!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep