To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 327 The Northern Border of Qin, the Northern Foothills of Yinshan Mountain.

She blinked her captivating peach blossom eyes, stared blankly at the closed door, then at the fish in the pond, completely bewildered by Zhang Fan's startled and rambling reaction.

"What kind of hysteria is this person having?"

Mi Yueyao's lips twitched slightly, her beautiful face filled with disbelief. She hadn't even had a chance to say a word, and he was already putting on this whole show?

Meanwhile, in the bedroom...

Zhang Fan skillfully pulled out his phone and hurriedly reported everything that had happened at Zhangtai Palace that day, including Ji Dan impersonating him and the possibility of cheating in the Jiangnan imperial examinations, to Chief Zhu Feng.

"Sir, that's the situation. Should I go to Jiangnan or not?"

After the message was sent.

Zhu Feng immediately convened the bureau's experts for an emergency discussion regarding the intelligence sent by Zhang Fan.

About half an hour later.

Zhang Fan's phone vibrated twice; Zhu Feng had sent him the countermeasures they had discussed.

Upon clicking, several core analyses were listed densely:

[Strategic Guidance and Countermeasures of Bureau 749]:

[First, Comrade Zhang Fan, going to Jiangnan is optional! But the Jiangnan area is the stronghold of the Xiang clan, which has been established for many years. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; your safety is the top priority!]

[Secondly, regarding Ji Dan impersonating you. That's a modern bionic mask; ancient people simply couldn't distinguish the real from the fake. Local officials are easily misled, and even the Black Ice Guard's spies might be deceived. But with Ji Dan's abilities, even if he were impersonating you, he wouldn't pose a threat; on the contrary, it might even have surprising effects!]

What the hell!

Zhang Fan gasped.

The think tank's analysis is ongoing:

Third, local officials will inevitably try to peek at the exam questions. We will use fake exam papers with similar questions and fake answers in a certain order! We will deliberately let the governor of Kuaiji steal the fake exam papers, and the Xiang family members will inevitably memorize the answers based on the fake questions. At that time, we can find out who saw the fake exam papers in advance from the wrong answers.

After reading the strategic analysis sent by Bureau 749, Zhang Fan couldn't help but gasp.

"Incredible! No wonder they're a national-level think tank! They've taken psychological warfare to the extreme!"

Zhang Fan put away his phone, his previous frustration and guilt vanishing, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He pushed open the door and strode into the yard.

Looking at Mi Yueyao, who was still feeding the fish, Zhang Fan cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and spoke condescendingly:

"Ahem! Miss Mi!"

Mi Yueyao paused, turned her head, and narrowed her alluring peach blossom eyes slightly, with a hint of wariness and doubt: "What does this mean, young master? Do you think I'm an eyesore in this courtyard and want to kick me out to make room for the Tenth Princess?"

"Stop trying to sow discord between me and this official!"

Zhang Fan sneered and said bluntly, "I will be inspecting the imperial examinations in a few days."

Mi Yueyao's pupils suddenly contracted, before any thoughts could even form in her mind.

Zhang Fan's next sentence completely broke her down.

"You, as my personal maid, will accompany me at all times!"

Mi Yueyao's increasingly cold brows suddenly relaxed, and Wan'er smiled, gently stepping forward to support Zhang Fan's shoulder.

Then, with a captivating charm, she said, "Since you wish, young master, then I will grant your wish!"

Before long, screams of agony echoed from the courtyard!

……

It was evening.

The northern border of the Qin Dynasty, at the northern foot of the Yin Mountains.

Caixu Village.

The autumn wind in the north has already brought a bit of chill!

But at this moment, Cai Xu Village is a scene of bustling activity and warmth.

Wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, filling the entire village with the aroma of potatoes. The faces of every household beamed with undisguised joy.

Several seven- or eight-year-old children, holding freshly made potato pancakes, were laughing and chasing each other in the threshing ground.

"Slow down! Cuicui, don't drop the pancake in the mud!"

Ah Zhu, a sturdy young man in his early thirties, smiled and patted his daughter Cuicui's head with her little lamb horns, his eyes full of affection.

Cui Cui took a big bite of the potato pancake, panting as it was scalding hot, but her eyes crinkled with laughter: "Dad! This potato pancake is so delicious, a hundred times better than millet!"

"Eat more if you like it, we'll have plenty this year!" Ah-Zhu patted his daughter on the back and told her to go play nearby.

Not far away.

Under the cover of night, many villagers, sweating profusely, pushed wheelbarrows, carrying loads of potatoes, and hid them in their cellars.

Ah Zhu turned to the old village chief, his expression showing some worry, and lowered his voice to say:

"Uncle Village Chief, the imperial court issued a strict order that before the government promotes this divine seed, it is strictly forbidden for people to plant it privately. Violators will be punished with hard labor. Our whole village has secretly planted so many..."

If the officials in the county find out, will things turn out well?

The old village chief tapped his pipe and reached out to stroke his white beard:

"You little rascal! What are you afraid of?"

"These potatoes are a life-saving gift from the immortal master in Xianyang City, a gift from him out of pity for us common people! Look at that cellar, it's overflowing with grain! I've lived for over sixty years, and I've never seen so much food grown from a single acre of land!"

A tear welled up in the old village chief's cloudy eyes. "If the officials really find out, I'll just have to do a month of forced labor! What can I do?"

"As long as we have a bumper potato harvest, no one in our Caixu Village will starve to death this winter!"

Hearing this, Ah Zhu scratched his head thoughtfully, then grinned and said in a simple and honest way, "Uncle Village Chief is right! If the officials come, I'll take the blame!"

As long as my parents and my daughter Cui Cui can have enough to eat this winter, what's a month of forced labor? It's just physical labor, better than the whole family starving to death!

Upon hearing this, the old village chief immediately burst into laughter and tapped Ah Zhu on the shoulder:

"You silly brat, you're not as smart as this old man! Go, go, go, hurry up and seal the cellar!"

The old village chief smiled and shook his head, then walked slowly and unsteadily toward his thatched hut with his hands behind his back.

A cold wind blew by, stirring up the withered leaves on the ground.

The old village chief tightened his tattered hempen clothes, glanced up at the gray sky, and muttered to himself, "It's getting colder and colder. Judging from these clouds, it'll probably snow in a few days. Thank goodness for the immortal master's potatoes..."

In this warm and peaceful moment.

"Boom!"

A muffled tremor suddenly came from the northern horizon of the village.

At first it was very mild, but in the blink of an eye it came like a rumbling thunder, and even the pebbles on the ground began to jump!

What was that sound?

Ah Zhu put down the carrying pole in his hand and straightened up in confusion.

The villagers also stopped what they were doing and looked blankly to the north.

The sound of horses' hooves!

The sound of countless horses' hooves!

Accompanied by a chilling, eerie howl, countless dark figures suddenly emerged from the northern mountain ridges, forming a black torrent that rushed madly down toward Caixu Village!

"They are...the Huns!"

A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the village!