Chapter 124: Hateful Beauty

Su Zhenzhen had no idea what Jiang Sijin was thinking.

Jiang Sijin was unaware of Song Anbang's thoughts. In her view, he was a hypocrite and a villain of the highest order, capable of anything for power.

If he were to ask Hensheng to do something and Hensheng refused, Hensheng might actually become enraged and kill him.

Meanwhile, the imperial court began to speculate about Song Anbang's thoughts.

It's been so long, they should have crawled back from the border by now, why haven't we heard a word from them?

The old prime minister couldn't help but wonder, was Song Anbang dead or alive? If he was dead, all the better; if he were alive…

A glint of shrewdness suddenly flashed in his aged eyes. "Send someone to investigate where our Marquis Enyi got lost?"

Two dark figures swiftly disappeared, their movements completely obscured except by the ripples in the air.

The bodyguards trained by such aristocratic families are incomparable to those from humble backgrounds.

Chunzhi acted swiftly; upon receiving Su Zhenzhen's message, she immediately dispatched all her troops.

Later historical records state that on the tenth day of the fifth month of the twenty-first year of the Xin Dynasty, the Marquis of Enyi held the last emperor's orphan hostage, intending to establish a separate court. The remnants of the Huo family army, under the command of a female general, marched eastward from the border prefecture, determined to reclaim His Highness the Crown Prince.

The Huo family army advanced with unstoppable momentum, launching attacks day after day, and within just a few days they had reached the foot of Yangcheng.

The sounds of fighting broke out outside the city, and Hu Wen was in a panic.

"Where did these rebels come from? How dare they fly the banner of the Huo family army? The Huo family army was wiped out twenty-one years ago."

The people in the county government office also looked worried. Although Yangcheng had three thousand troops stationed there, they had not fought in recent years and had become rusty. How could they possibly be a match for these aggressive rebels?

"My lord, the best course of action now is to seek assistance from the imperial court as soon as possible," the county magistrate suggested.

Hu Wen felt uneasy. The last emperor was trapped in the capital and died. The prime minister, together with the powerful families, put a puppet emperor from the imperial clan on the throne. He had been taking advantage of the loopholes and had missed paying taxes for several years.

How could the imperial court possibly send troops to rescue us at this time? Even if they did send troops, they would probably demand an exorbitant amount.

"You said..." Hu Wen's expression was unclear, "How about we negotiate with these rebels? All they want is money, just give it to them."

At this time, Hu Wen only knew that an army was advancing eastward, but he had not yet found out why it had launched the attack.

"Report!" The scout rushed into the county government office. "Prefect, I took a detour westward and found out the intentions of this rebel army. They say that the last emperor's legitimate son has been kidnapped by the Marquis of Enyi. As General Huo's subordinates, they are determined to take back the last emperor's orphan. That's why they have been attacking all the way, preparing to march to the capital and capture the Marquis of Enyi."

"Bullshit!" Hu Wen cursed angrily, "The last emperor didn't have a son at all, otherwise..."

Hu Wen paused halfway through his speech, recalling that the Empress had been six months pregnant back then. Although the rebels had besieged the area, everyone assumed that the Empress and her unborn child had been killed.

But who knows if that child was even born? Don't forget, the Empress is the sister of the Marquis of Enyi. If there really was a child, that child would be the Marquis of Enyi's nephew.

The county magistrate immediately changed his mind. "Sir, Marquis Enyi is in Yangcheng. Otherwise, we can hand him over and avoid this disaster."

Hu Wen suddenly burst into laughter, his short hand stroking a tuft of beard on his chin.

“Foolish. Why would Marquis Enyi leave the capital? I had my doubts before, but it turns out it was for important business. If he really has the late emperor's eldest son, we'll have more room to maneuver.”

After all, who wouldn't want to be the emperor's most trusted confidant?

"Someone, let's go and pay a proper visit to this orphan of the late emperor."

At this time, Song Anbang was unaware that a fight had broken out outside, after all, the peasants under his command were of extremely poor quality.

Hensheng originally wanted to sneak out, but as soon as he got out of bed, he found that he had no strength left.

It turned out that Song Anbang drugged him the moment he picked him up, in order to prevent him from escaping.

When Hu Wen and his group arrived, Hen Sheng was still trying to walk out, but his whole body seemed to be floating on clouds, his steps were unsteady, and anyone who didn't know better would think he was performing a shamanistic ritual.

Song Anbang was brewing tea in the courtyard. There was nowhere else to pass the time, so he could only do something that looked elegant but was actually extremely boring.

"Is Your Highness enjoying your stay here?" Hu Wen immediately tried to ingratiate himself. "Yangcheng is poor and there's not much to offer in terms of hospitality. How about this, I'll have some maids from the noble families come over and dance for Your Highness to relieve your boredom."

Song Anbang raised his hand to stop him, "Prefect, you jest. I have already caused you a great deal of trouble by coming uninvited. How can I trouble you further?"

In fact, Song Anbang simply didn't like that kind of thing.

Hu Wen was just being polite. Yangcheng is a tiny place, and people live a hard life. Every maid in the mansion of an official is so busy that they wish they could do the work of two people. How could they possibly pull one over to dance for Song Anbang? What if he takes a fancy to one or two of them? Should they give them to him or not?

Hu Wen sat down directly opposite Song Anbang, while the other officials simply stood quietly behind him.

"Whom did you bring with you to Yangcheng this time, Lord Marquis?" Hu Wen went straight to the point without beating around the bush. "You probably don't know, but fighting has broken out outside Yangcheng."

Song Anbang said calmly, "Is the prefect worrying unnecessarily? In these chaotic times, where isn't there war?"

Hu Wenxin cursed the old fox, no wonder he could move between the old and new dynasties, even at this level, he could still put on a show.

However, being someone who has been immersed in officialdom for many years, he still needs to maintain a certain facade.

"Your Excellency has been staying in this villa, so you probably haven't heard the news outside. Rumors are circulating that you have kidnapped the last emperor's eldest son, and the Huo family army is currently hunting you down everywhere."

While speaking, Hu Wen did not forget to observe Song Anbang's expression, trying to find some clues on his face.

Song Anbang remained silent and poured Hu Wen a cup of the brewed tea.

Hu Wen remained calm and took a small sip.

"boom--"

The sound of the heavy object falling to the ground immediately drew everyone's attention.

Hu Wen only saw a gray-shirted man lying on the ground, half of his body inside the house and half outside.

Only after they propped themselves up could they see her stunning face.

How can someone be as beautiful as a fairy in a painting?

His face is perfect in every way; no single word can fully capture his beauty.

Hensheng frowned slightly upon seeing so many people in the courtyard.

Little did they know that this fold would fold right into the hearts of a group of officials.

The beauty frowned, wishing she could smooth her brows.

There weren't many women in Yangcheng. Sometimes, some handsome but weak men were forced to become the lovers of the powerful and wealthy.

Song Anbang wasn't surprised that Hensheng had been discovered by these people, but their wolf-like eyes were really unpleasant.