Merely two or three days later, the Demon Suppression Department in the Capital received a pigeon-carried message from Ba Shu.

The Demon Suppression Department was stunned. Homing pigeons were not creatures that could be raised just anywhere, like in any house or even an underground lair; they were trained to follow sophisticated routes to return to their nests. In the past, the pigeons raised by Ba Shu's Demon Suppression Department would only fly back to the original site of the Department, which amounted to delivering themselves right into Li Shentong's hands. After going into hiding, the Department had absolutely no way to train homing pigeons, so what was the deal with this unexpected pigeon from Ba Shu?

Qin Dingjiang removed the scroll tied to the pigeon's leg, broke the seal, and his eyes widened. He immediately rushed to find Tang Wanju, "Head, Head! A letter from Ba Shu!"

Ba Shu? Tang Wanju paused, then smiled slightly, "Why be alarmed? Give it here for me to see."

Just this morning, Tang Wanju had received a letter from Zhao Changhe, written from the Miao Region—yes, the one Sisi wrote while hiding under the desk. The letter detailed the current situation of the Spirit Clan and the Miao Region, Sisi's ascension to the throne of Dali, and requested the court to send envoys to officially seal and communicate, as well as whether to continue establishing the Demon Suppression Department and the Provincial Government in the Miao Region, etc. It mentioned that Zhao Changhe would depart for Ba Shu immediately in hopes of good news.

The letter ended with a sincere "I miss you all…" which, due to the word "all," seemed comical no matter how you looked at it, so Tang Wanju automatically ignored it and reported to Xia Chichi, beginning to arrange the Miao Region affairs.

Before Xia Chichi and Tang Wanju had even finalized their choices for the people to be stationed in the Miao Region, the letter from Ba Shu arrived, as if it was part of a non-stop play performance.

The letter read:

"Dearest Wanzhuang to meet with you: I don't know if this letter or the one from the Miao Region will reach you first. Are you missing me?"

It was just the first two words that made Qin Dingjiang make a hasty retreat, not daring to read further. He felt that even the Head would blush with anger upon reading it. Someone as earnest as she was, even if she were in love, wouldn't use "dearest" in official correspondence, right?

Nobody knew in the quiet office of the Head, Tang Wanju snuck glances left and right, and seeing no one around, the stern facade of her face quietly broke into a smile, her cheeks flushed as she murmured softly, "If the last letter had been worded like this, I wouldn't have to be at odds with Your Majesty. 'I miss you all,' who is 'all' with him?"

Bao Qin pointed to her nose, gesturing "someone is here," but was ignored by her mistress.

Bao Qin frankly said, "The way the letter was written this morning, it really wouldn't lead to mutual loathing, only Your Majesty would tear you up for it."

"She can't beat me, so let her master come," Tang Wanju said indifferently as she fondled the letter, continuing to read.

Bao Qin: "..."

Such a solemn Head, a loyal minister of Great Xia—it's like oranges that have grown north of the Huai River, if she were in Great Han, she would be a definite rebel.

"Li Shentong started a people's uprising, which I witnessed firsthand, and it has been only a little more than half a year. However, when I see him now, the original intentions of the Divine Brilliance Sect have dwindled considerably, and even Li Shentong himself has changed somewhat, only Situ Xiao remains pure-hearted… It's known that the cycle of Dragon Slayers turning into evil dragons is hard to break; once they seize power, some ideas begin to change. Fortunately, it's still early days, and Li Shentong hasn't entirely deteriorated. After I explained some fundamental actions for the benefit of the people, he seemed moved, and he might be persuaded."

"Actually, a part of the reason could be that he's too proud to lose face. What did he initially claim when slaying the dragon? 'A common man's anger, blood spattered over five steps,' it sounded grand, so much so that Xia long mourned deeply. But if he ended up leading the Divine Brilliance Sect to become yet another bureaucratic wave like that of Great Xia, then who would be inciting the common man's anger? Would he dare to meet the old Xia in the netherworld, or face you and me on the battlefield? I didn't put it so bluntly to save his face, but he should understand the implications."

"Now, he has taken the initiative to reestablish the Demon Suppression Department, responsible for supervising the equal distribution of land among the peasantry and the illegal activities of officials, asking me to organize the former members of the Demon Suppression Department. It is a risk for the brothers of the Demon Suppression Department, but it is worth a try. People's hearts are continuously changing, and our men joining serves not only as a check on the officials but also as a reminder to him. Every time he sees a member of the Demon Suppression Department, he should remember and consider whether some matters might be mocked if they reached Zhao Changhe's ears. This is also his true intention in asking for the Demon Suppression Department again; he's reminding himself."

"But since there is now a Demon Suppression Department, the nature of Ba Shu's governance has become somewhat delicate, suddenly bearing a resemblance to the subjugating influence over the Miao Region, as if it could at any moment transition to an official Great Han seal granting the title of King of Shu. However, this is not our goal. The Miao Region can be so, but Ba Shu cannot; it cannot have a king but must be governed by a Governor we appoint. This step cannot be directly achieved yet... My casting of the cauldron at the city gate secretly carried the implication of conquest, and Li Shentong has not moved it away, indicating that he is also observing what comes next."

"He watches our battles with Guanglong, with the barbarians, scrutinizes my strength, and eyes the edge of your troops. It would be impossible for him to become loyal merely due to being charmed by a few words from me. In any case, his willingness to send troops from Hanzhong and to join me beyond the border is enough; it aligns with the original intentions and cannot demand more. The rest is up to us."

"For starters, he attaches great significance to certain concepts I proposed, and indeed, it's time to start exploring whether these can be implemented. Some things require technological advancements to achieve. For instance, I know we have movable type printing, an idea put forward by old Xia decades ago, and artisans created it. Yet until now, it's fragile and inefficient, and paper production is also very limited, which makes it challenging to implement widespread education constrained by these limitations."

"It warrants our attention, as everything is missing just that—focus... This would also greatly benefit our imperial examination strategy. I hope to gather craftsmen to improve the technology, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and facilitate the spread. Once this is accomplished, when word gets to Ba Shu, it will be like posing a challenge to him, to see how he follows up."

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