Qu Dubian addressed Emperor Chongzhao as "Imperial Father" in his memorial.
In truth, this was a slight concession, playing the family card.
This was a unique system of addressing intimacy and distance between him and Emperor Chongzhao. Ever since he was fourteen, he had been calling the old geezer "Your Majesty." He could sense that the old geezer actually minded this a bit.
The pressure from the impeachments in the royal court was too great; Prince Ming couldn't hold them off anymore. That single sentence in his memorial, along with this bit of father-son affection between him and the old man, could still serve as a shield for a while.
However, things on the Supervisory Bureau's end had to be sped up. The family card was useful, but it would lose its effectiveness if overused.
Qu Dubian summoned Yi Shier. For the first time, he set a deadline for Yi Shier and demanded that he use any means necessary.
Among the hidden guards, there were certain interrogation methods that went against nature and humanity. Unless absolutely necessary, Yi Shier did not want to use them on anyone.
He wasn't soft-hearted toward everyone; he just had an inexplicable sense of chivalry in his bones. Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved Qu Dubian when he was just over two years old.
Qu Dubian knew Liuliu's personality. Such a temperament was entirely unique among the hidden guards.
But now, they could not delay any longer.
After Yi Shier agreed, that very night, he locked the captured Northern Frontier man into an even smaller, solitary cell and did not come out again.
Three days later.
The Northern Frontier man appeared completely unharmed on the outside, and Yi Shier's clothes were not stained with a single drop of blood. Yet, he presented the confession extracted from the Northern Frontier man, which mentioned that there was a mole within the Supervisory Bureau.
This time, they finally had a legitimate reason to conduct an open interrogation. Qu Dubian immediately brought out the imprisoned members of the Supervisory Bureau and interrogated them one by one.
Soon, the matter yielded results.
Some were truly innocent, while others had guilty consciences.
Those with guilty consciences had been locked up for so long that their nerves were already stretched to the limit.
After only a brief interrogation, someone couldn't hold out and exposed their superior. "It's the people at the top! We were only acting on orders from our superiors. But as for how exactly to contact them or how messages were passed, we have no idea!"
Yi Shier had been investigating them all this time. Now that he had a clue, he struck swiftly and captured a middle-aged man in the main city who was skilled at forging handwriting.
This man was named Wu Kewei. He was one of the informants Feng Bing had gathered at the border. The altering of letters and forging of handwriting had all passed through his hands.
It was also he who had altered Princess Axiang's final letter back then.
He had a good memory, better than Ahanli's, and could even recite the contents of the original letter. Yi Shier dragged him before Qu Dubian.
Wu Kewei knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, and recited the final paragraph of the original letter:
"...Please pass word to my imperial brother. Axiang wishes that after her death, her ashes may be returned to the Xiang River, back to her homeland."
"Axiang will hold on for a few more days... to wait for my imperial brother's decree."
"That's... that's roughly it," he said sorrowfully. "This lowly one was also forced into it. I truly had no other choice but to audaciously forge the letter. I beg you, milord, please spare my life!"
Qu Dubian sat in the military tent, resting his head on one hand, slowly massaging his temples.
Ye Lianyang stole a glance at him, swallowed hard, and quickly lowered his head.
The atmosphere inside the tent froze into an ice cellar.
Qu Dubian had always had a good temper. He was tolerant and emotionally stable, rarely getting truly angry. This was especially true recently, as major emotional fluctuations would give him a headache.
But right now, a ball of fire was suppressed in his heart. No matter how much he tried to control his emotions, flames still seeped out.
Hearing it from Ahanli was one thing; actually catching the traitor and hearing him describe the process of altering the letter was entirely another.
Qu Dubian ignored his pleas for mercy. "Take him down."
Wu Kewei was taken away for detailed interrogation. Everything he had done under Feng Bing's command had to be confessed.
"Which cell is Feng Bing in right now?"
"To answer Boss, you mentioned moving them to a larger one a while ago. They are all currently in the main prison of the First City."
Qu Dubian stood up. "I'll go see him."
The prisoner-of-war jail.
Feng Bing and the other eunuchs from the Eastern Depot were all confined in a separate cell together.
The cell was equipped with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as good wine and fine food, beds, and bathing tubs. Everything one could need was available.
The few of them were held in isolation, cut off from the rest of the world. Their only means of contacting the outside was the impeachment memorials in their hands.
Therefore, they were still unaware of the chaos outside.
Much less did they know that the person sent by the Northern Frontier to contact them had been caught, interrogated, and had already implicated them.
At this moment, they were weighing their words, thinking about how to use an even more indignant and pitiful tone to file a complaint against the Seventh Prince to Emperor Chongzhao.
"Eunuch Wang, we should still revise this sentence. It's a bit too tactful. The tactful impeachment memorials we submitted before were of no use," Feng Bing suggested in a low voice. "Instead of 'uncomfortable,' let's change it to 'in excruciating pain'..."
"Yes, yes, that works."
"And this sentence..."
After several rounds of discussion, a warning cough came from outside the cell.
The hairs on their backs suddenly stood on end.
Feng Bing and the others turned their heads, only to see a young man standing outside the cell. He was wearing a light scarlet robe with a lapel collar, his eyes pitch-black and his expression calm.
Feng Bing said, "Seventh Highness?"
He glanced at Ye Lianyang and the other soldiers standing behind Qu Dubian, hesitating before revealing a smile. "May I ask why Your Highness has come?"
Qu Dubian ordered someone to open the cell door and slowly stepped inside.
The cell was exceptionally clean, without even a trace of dry grass or straw. Wine had been poured on the table, accompanied by some peanuts and pastries.
They were living quite comfortably.
Even he, someone who had been suffering from sleep deprivation every day recently, wanted to move into the jail and live here.
After observing for a moment, Qu Dubian said, "Naturally, I am here to pick up Eunuch Feng and the other eunuchs so you can all leave."
Feng Bing was overjoyed, thinking that their impeachment memorials had finally taken effect and the Seventh Prince, unable to withstand the pressure, was going to release them. He hastily said, "How could we dare trouble Your Highness to come in person?"
"Sigh, it was also due to careless management on the part of our Supervisory Bureau. I promise that from now on, Your Highness's orders will definitely be transmitted top-down without fail. There will absolutely be no loopholes!"
He missed the gold, silver, and treasures he had accumulated over the years to death!
Once he got back, he would hold them tightly and get a good night's sleep.
On second thought.
The fact that the Seventh Prince came to pick them up in person probably meant he was backing down. After all, he still had to stay at the border in the future, and offending their Supervisory Bureau to the bitter end would do him no good.
Still too young, ah. He held out for a few days but couldn't take it anymore, right?
Of course, these petty thoughts only circled in his mind. On the surface, he was very slick, appearing exceptionally sincere.
Qu Dubian looked at his smiling face, the fingers of his hands clasped behind his back uncontrollably rubbing together.
"Feng Bing, is the wine here good?"
Feng Bing froze for a moment. "Uh, it's alright."
Qu Dubian picked up the half-drunk bowl of wine from the table, chuckled, and then suddenly turned and smashed it over Feng Bing's head!
Smash! The wine bowl shattered on top of Feng Bing's head.
Ye Lianyang's eyes widened in shock.
The boss was hitting someone; aside from sparring, this was the first time he had seen it!
A stream of warm blood flowed down Feng Bing's forehead. Qu Dubian grabbed him by the collar and punched him hard in the face. "It's alright?"
He slammed the dazed Feng Bing onto the ground, landing punch after punch.
"So when you secretly swapped Aunt Axiang's letter, making it impossible for her to return home, did you also think it was alright?"
"When you made deals with the Northern Frontier, did you also think it was alright?"
"Watching the First Central City on the border being trampled by the iron cavalry of the Northern Frontier, and the blood of the soldiers spilling all over the wilderness, do you still think it's 'not bad'?!"
Feng Bing's mouth was already full of bloody froth. He spat out a mouthful, looking at Qu Dubian in horror, and constantly struggled to retreat backward. "I didn't! This... this is slander!"
"I didn't do it!"
"You didn't?" Qu Dubian released him, stood up, and took two steps back.
He glanced at the bloodstains on the back and knuckles of his left hand, which he had used to hit the man, shook it in disgust, and then extended his right hand.
Ye Lianyang handed him a copy of the confession document.
Qu Dubian threw it at Feng Bing's face. The papers scattered all over the ground. He then looked at the other eunuchs nearby and said coldly, "You all take a look too. There might be a surprise."
Their faces turned pale.
Feng Bing trembled as he finished reading the few pages.
In fact, among the upper echelons of the Inspectorate, he was the one who had the most frequent and deepest contact with the Northern Frontier.
The other few might have had some vague suspicions, but since Feng Bing occasionally gave them gifts, they turned a blind eye and pretended not to know anything.
If the others were guilty of harboring traitors, then Feng Bing was absolutely guilty of treason.
He could not escape the death penalty.
Feng Bing: "Impossible... impossible..."
His imprisonment was sudden, but his subordinates had always remained deeply hidden; it was impossible for them to be found out so easily.
"Extorted confession! Yes, it must be an extorted confession! I refuse to accept this, I... Ah!"
Ye Lianyang dislocated his jaw.
He saw his boss's brows furrowing deeper and deeper amid the old eunuch's shouting.
He was afraid that his boss would lose his temper and kill this old eunuch. After all, his boss had promised Ahanli that once the culprit was confirmed, they would wait for him to return and execute the man personally.
Qu Dubian: "Thoroughly investigate the Inspectorate. Tear up the floor tiles and search every residence and frequently visited place of anyone colluding with the Northern Frontier."
"Call Imperial Uncle Ming from the Second City and let him see what kind of trash makes up the Inspectorate!"
Ye Lianyang: "Yes, Boss!"
Qu Dubian left the prison, bumping into Xia Fuyang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, right at the door.
Xia Fuyang glanced at his hand.
"Let's go."
He pulled Qu Dubian to the side of the water well, drew up a bucket of water, and used a ladle to pour water for him to wash his hands.
The bloodstains were hard to clean. It took several washes before Qu Dubian's hands were clean.
The two sat on a rock by the well.
Xia Fuyang: "You beat someone. You didn't beat him to death, did you?"
Qu Dubian: "Mhm."
Xia Fuyang: "I'm not surprised you hit someone. It's just that I feel your mood isn't quite right." He leaned in to look into Qu Dubian's eyes. "You're holding something back."
The nerves inside his head throbbed with pain. Qu Dubian avoided Xia Fuyang and washed his face with cold water. "I was just pissed off by Feng Bing. I'm very unhappy and want to go beat him up again, but I have to save him for Ahanli."
Xia Fuyang slowly sensed that something was off.
Little Seven had been speaking very little these past few days.
A few days ago, he mysteriously submitted a memorial to His Majesty. Soon after, His Majesty stopped harping on the Inspectorate and even single-handedly suppressed the voices of opposition and impeachment in the court.
He was really curious and wanted to ask what Little Seven had written in the memorial.
Of course, Qu Dubian didn't tell him.
The words "Imperial Father" in the memorial were equivalent to yielding. It was enough that he and the old fogey knew; as for others, forget about it.
The more he refused to say, the more Xia Fuyang felt that the memorial was extraordinary, even attributing Qu Dubian's recent silence—which was actually due to his headaches—to that memorial.
Xia Fuyang pondered.
What on earth was written in that memorial?
The news of the Inspectorate's collusion with the enemy quickly exploded.
Prince Ming arrived at the First City from the Second City. Upon seeing the confession, his face turned livid.
He never dreamed that among the people his imperial brother had sent to supervise the border army, there would actually be traitors.
Feng Bing didn't hold out for long at all before he confessed everything.
He was the one who leaked the defense map of the First Central City to the Northern Frontier, which was why they were able to break through the city defenses so quickly.
As for how it was leaked—
The number of people from the Inspectorate who went up the city walls to patrol every day varied, and their different groupings in twos and threes represented the number of defenders and defensive measures in different locations.
A little bit was transmitted every day.
The people of the Northern Frontier were responsible for observing and recording.
Over time, the complete city defense map fell into the hands of the Northern Frontier.
Therefore, even if they couldn't leave the city, and even if they returned to their designated rooms after their daily patrols and never came out, they still successfully committed treason right under the noses of the Great Zhou soldiers.
The soldiers of the First Central City were so angry they were about to explode. They almost stormed into the prison to skin the Inspectorate personnel alive.
They could die on the battlefield.
They could accept their comrades dying because their weapons and martial arts were inferior to the enemy's.
They could accept being used as bait and sacrificing themselves to lure the enemy into a trap.
But they absolutely could not accept betrayal.
Why!
The soldiers' outrage seethed.
After compiling the list of all Inspectorate personnel who had direct or indirect contact with the Northern Frontier and laying out their crimes, Qu Dubian first selected ten people.
According to military law, they were sentenced to stoning—
That is, being stoned to death.
The executioners were all the soldiers.
These ten people were smashed into a bloody pulp, impossible to even gather for burial.
Only then was the furious anger of the soldiers somewhat alleviated.
Qu Dubian and Prince Ming gathered all the evidence of the Inspectorate's treason, the list of personnel, and the deeds they had committed, and sent them to the capital.
Emperor Chongzhao was furious.
He ordered the execution of all personnel related to the Inspectorate. The crime of harboring was punished with the maximum penalty alongside treason. With a stroke of his vermilion brush, anyone even slightly connected to the Inspectorate was put on the King of Hell's list.
When an emperor is enraged, millions of corpses fall.
Every stroke of his brush was a crimson path paved with human lives.
This was far more people dying than Qu Dubian had expected.
After the execution order was issued, Emperor Chongzhao immediately promulgated an official imperial edict to welcome Princess Axiang back home. The edict also stated that if Princess Axiang's son, Ahanli, was willing, he could be enfeoffed as a Commandery Prince and return to the Great Zhou.
Although this edict came too late because the letters had been secretly swapped.
But it had finally arrived.
Qu Dubian sighed and carefully put the imperial edict away.
Emperor Chongzhao agreed to the decision for Ahanli to deal with Feng Bing personally. Feng Bing remained imprisoned, while all other involved persons were executed according to Emperor Chongzhao's orders.
No one in the court dared to say that the Inspectorate was innocent or speak of releasing them ever again.
The matter of the Inspectorate thus came to an end.
The Northern Frontier encampment.
Jirgal's plan to contact Feng Bing and steal the formula for the new gunpowder was completely ruined.
He had even personally handed the Great Zhou a breakthrough.
Upon hearing the news of the Inspectorate's executions, Jirgal couldn't help but wonder if the Heavenly God, after leaving his dreams, had taken the side of the Great Zhou.
He looked at the brightly lit city of the Great Zhou in the distance and felt that the Great Zhou's steadily advancing front lines were like a sharp sword slowly piercing toward the heart of the Northern Frontier.
If it weren't for the shields provided by Nanning, their casualties would likely be even higher.
Right now, none of the tribal leaders were willing to charge at the front and clash head-on with the Great Zhou's gunpowder, so they could only remain in this stalemate.
Jirgal muttered, "I hope the Emperor of Nanning is right."
The interior of the Great Zhou is hollow, and their provisions won't last long.
Once the Great Zhou soldiers don't even have enough to eat, it will be time for their counterattack.
The reason Qu Dubian and Xia Fuyang did not continue their offensive was that they were waiting for news from Xu Tingfeng.
When the connection between the two countries was severed, the smoke rising from that natural moat would serve as the horn for their assault on the royal court.
However, before they could receive any good news from Xu Tingfeng, they heard a piece of bad news first.
The official who came to deliver the rations and forage sighed heavily as he handed them over. "The amount delivered this time is full, but next month, the rations will likely be reduced."
Qu Dubian knew the domestic treasury was empty, but he had not expected it to happen so quickly. "Is it already not enough?"
The official replied, "The granaries storing military rations are nearly emptied, and there is no sight of new grain being brought in to replenish them."
Qu Dubian's heart sank slightly.
The lessons of history were laid bare before them: without sufficient rations, the soldiers' combat effectiveness would diminish. If they starved for too long, there would even be massive casualties, and the corpses would trigger a series of cascading consequences like plagues.
But with the war having reached this stage, how could they retreat?
The Great Zhou Imperial City.
Minister of Revenue, Lord Lin Zongping, nearly fainted from heartache after finishing his calculations on the abacus.
Pinching his philtrum to keep himself awake, he grabbed the grain and financial ledgers without looking back and rushed into the Zichen Palace, wailing and shedding tears.
Lord Lin knelt on the ground, weeping endlessly.
"Your Majesty! We truly cannot fight anymore; the grain supply can no longer keep up!"
The grain in the Great Zhou granaries was divided into several parts: military use, civilian emergency reserves—which included the charity granaries—and grain for everyday commercial trade.
But each part had a fixed quota.
Governing a large country was like cooking a small fish.
Even the Emperor had to budget carefully and live frugally.
These past few years had already been difficult for Great Zhou. Every year, the expenditures exceeded the revenues, depleting the silver saved from previous years.
If the war only had to be fought on one front, they might have barely been able to hold on.
But after Nanning started the war, the combined consumption of Zhennan Pass and the northern border was nothing short of terrifying.
Money was needed everywhere, and grain was required every day.
Even during Great Zhou's peak, fighting a war like this would severely drain its vitality, let alone when it was already at a low point.
Emperor Chongzhao had a headache. "...Has everything that can be mobilized been mobilized?"
Lord Lin said, "We can't just uproot our foundation, Your Majesty. If we squeeze any further, we won't even be able to distribute the officials' salary grain at the end of next year."
Emperor Chongzhao did not utter a word, just listening to him howl.
After howling for a long time, Lord Lin opened his weeping eyes a slit and stealthily looked up at Emperor Chongzhao.
The monarch and his minister locked eyes. "..."
Speechless, Emperor Chongzhao slapped the table. "Lin Zongping, be serious! Exactly how much longer can we hold out?"
Lord Lin looked embarrassed for a second. He stopped kneeling, sat cross-legged on the floor, and sighed melancholically, counting on his fingers to calculate for Emperor Chongzhao.
"I am not lying. Even if we squeeze dry all the existing ration reserves, we can only last for another half a month."
They either had to end the battle swiftly, or make peace with Nanning and the Northern Frontier.
But looking at the current state of the war, where did Nanning and the Northern Frontier show any intention of making peace? They had come taking advantage of the country's peril, aiming to bleed Great Zhou to death through attrition.
While the soldiers were risking their lives on the front lines, those handling logistics were losing their hair from worry every day.
Emperor Chongzhao nodded in understanding. "So that means we can hold out for a little over a month."
He knew this miserly old minister of his very well. When Lin Zongping claimed there was no grain or money left, one had to multiply the remaining figure he provided by two or three times.
Having his bluff called, the old man Lin Zongping got a little annoyed and flapped his sleeves. "Your Majesty, that's still not very long!"
He was right; the situation was very critical.
Emperor Chongzhao's heart began to ache again. He chewed a pill hand-rolled by Imperial Physician Yang, the clear, bitter taste spreading in his mouth.
He reviewed the financial and grain ledgers of various provinces and counties from recent years and marked a few provinces and counties with decent harvests that could withstand forced grain requisition.
"Notify the officials in these areas to enforce grain requisition. If once is not enough, requisition twice."
Lin Zongping sighed once more. "I fear this will breed some chaos."
"If there is chaos, suppress it," Emperor Chongzhao said. "Nanning and the Northern Frontier want to suck our marrow and swallow Great Zhou whole. Then let us see whether Great Zhou dies first, or they retreat first."
The named provinces and counties began requisitioning grain.
Rations and forage referred to food for humans and fodder for horses. The latter was secondary; the most crucial was the grain.
But under the current circumstances, it was very difficult to collect grain.
The families subjected to the requisition would feel it was unfair, wondering why they were being targeted while other places were spared.
The most foolish people in the world were the commoners, and the smartest people were also the commoners.
They knew that Great Zhou was currently at war, the times were most unstable, and grain prices were soaring. But nothing was more important than having a bite to eat. Those who caught wind of the situation had long started hoarding grain and salt.
Like little hamsters, they hoarded a bit here and a bit there, even burying rotten cabbage leaves in the ground.
The more they hoarded, the more secure they felt.
When the local government handed over part of the grain from the charity granaries and led the bailiffs around beating gongs and drums to requisition grain, all they saw were weeping commoners and bottomed-out rice vats.
Those slightly better off would hand over a little: one handful, two handfuls, half a sack.
But no more than that. They would rather tangle with the bailiffs to the point of bashing their heads against the wall than give any more.
Requisition was requisition, but no one wanted to cause any loss of life. There were countless instances of trivial squabbles and people playing the rogue. Back and forth, the progress was agonizingly slow.
A single order from above left the officials below running their legs off.
With the slow pace of the requisition, the pressure on the provincial and county magistrates mounted, and some local officials began resorting to violent grain collection.
Xianghe County.
Le'an District.
Early in the morning, District Magistrate Hua was shaken awake by his advisor. "What are you doing!"
The advisor, looking ecstatic, pointed outside the district office. "Go, go, go look!"
Frightened, District Magistrate Hua thought a major crime had occurred outside. He hastily put on his shoes and ran out.
Unexpectedly, when he opened the doors of the district office, he saw piles of grain heaped right at the entrance.
As he pulled the doors open, a bundle filled with grain even slid down and hit his foot.
The commoners of Le'an District were continuously bringing grain over.
Some brought beans, some brought rice, some brought wheat flour... There was an endless variety of grain, and even freshly baked flatbreads, creating a dazzling sight.
Some brought a lot, delivered by wealthy households in one or two carts. Poor families tightened their belts to squeeze out two handfuls of grain, carefully packing them in small cloth bags.
After setting down their grain, they stood awkwardly outside, rubbing their hands together.
District Magistrate Hua was dumbfounded.
"You... what are you doing?"
Someone in the crowd said, "We heard there's a call for grain donations, so we came to donate some."
District Magistrate Hua hurriedly said, "Our three counties of Xianghe suffered a disaster and are still in a period of recovery and recuperation. We are not within the scope of the grain requisition! I just said this a few days ago, everyone should know it."
"We do know. But we also want to give a little. Our Little Benefactor is fighting in the Northern Frontier, and we heard he won a great victory! We can't let him lose in the end just because there's no food."
"That's right, that's right. We all know it's our Little Benefactor who needs grain, so we came to give it..."
The Little Benefactor they spoke of was the Seventh Prince.
It had only been three years since the plague drug trials, and they had not forgotten that young boy.
Among the commoners, Geng Da said, "Originally, we wouldn't be very willing to part with it, but for His Highness the Seventh Prince, we'd be willing to give it all."
Someone gave a light cough and said, "Actually, we originally wanted to leave the grain at the Longevity Shrines to show it was our gift to the Seventh Prince. But the shrines in the county were already piled high, so we came here instead..."
"Isn't there a war at Zhennan Pass too? I heard the commander is the Seventh Prince's uncle. Whether this grain goes to our little benefactor or his uncle, we are perfectly fine with it."
"They are fighting for our sake, so donating a little is nothing."
In truth, many people did not understand the current political situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty at all. They simply heard that their little benefactor needed help, so they hoisted sacks of grain onto their shoulders and came.
If you need it, I will give it.
County Magistrate Hua was speechless for a long time.
After a long while, he finally addressed the commoners, "Thank you all. I will certainly report your heartfelt intentions to the higher authorities!"
The grain from one county was certainly not enough, but what Magistrate Hua did not expect was that the donations from Le'an County were merely the beginning.
Centered around Le'an County, the grain donation movement rapidly radiated to the surrounding counties, gradually expanding to the entire Xianghe Prefecture, and ultimately sweeping across two other major grain-producing prefectures along the Xiang River.
In front of the Longevity Shrines, erected by the people of the three prefectures for the Seventh Prince after the plague ended three years ago, grain was piled into mountains.
At the county offices, prefectural offices, and governor's mansions, the commoners dropped off their grain and turned to leave without looking back. On their way home, they would pick Cangyan flowers and place them in front of the shrines.
True gratitude was not merely spoken, but held deep in the heart. Just as the Seventh Prince loved Cangyan flowers, these little blue blossoms gradually and quietly bloomed across the three prefectures.
The Imperial Court's first-phase grain collection quota was pushed to bursting capacity in just a few days by these three weak prefectures, which were still in their period of recovery.
Officials from other provinces and prefectures did not believe it, but when they saw the overflowing granaries with their own eyes, they finally believed. Their hearts were deeply shaken, leaving them utterly at a loss for words.
The news spread rapidly.
Deeply moved, some merchants also began to voluntarily donate grain.
When scholars and men of letters spoke of this matter, they were filled with impassioned fervor, wielding their brushes to write:
In times of war when hunger leaves the belly bare,
Officials must collect the people's grain to share.
What need is there for threats or cruel demands?
Before the shrines, Cangyan flowers are raised by willing hands.
The devotion of the three prefectures—what is the true will of the people?
This is the will of the people.