Chapter 350 A Difficult Situation (Riding a Tiger)

Shen Qingjun was indeed having dinner with a short man at that moment.

"Lord Duke, our young master said that I should do whatever you say here."

How this play is performed depends entirely on how you write it.

"He also told me not to add anything on my own and that I had to follow his instructions completely," the short man said with a smile.

Shen Qingjun appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he sighed.

In just the last two days, he has gained four secret guards arranged by His Majesty.

Including the two who came out with him earlier, he had six bodyguards by his side.

The imperial family came out specifically to protect him, and there were six of them at once.

Nobody in the entire Chongqing area receives this kind of treatment!

In addition, Lian Qianli also sent two people to accompany his guard team.

Both of them were quite skilled.

Furthermore, there were as many as fifty Imperial Guards who came with them.

Now, another assassin, hired by the Wang family at great expense, has arrived specifically to kill them.

The crucial point is, this assassin is also one of our own...

Shen Qingjun wondered how, with so much protection, he could be casually assassinated and wounded by this killer...

"Lord Duke, our young master said that you are of noble status and we cannot really harm you."

I've been thinking, how about I tie a blood pack to your arm beforehand, and then I'll cut into that blood pack?

That would make the scene more realistic and also more frightening.

After all, it's an assassination, and it's never good if there's no bloodshed.

However, what kind of blood is this... as long as others know it's human blood!

"Also, you should prepare a doctor in advance," the short man continued, offering advice.

Shen Qingjun nodded.

That's right, our bodies and hair are a gift from our parents, so we should avoid damaging them if possible.

It's not that he's afraid of pain...

"These are all minor matters, but I'm afraid you'll have to make do with this afterward," Shen Qingjun said with a smile.

The short man smiled and waved his hand, then pointed to his pocket.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, I have medicine here!"

If I fail, I will commit suicide by overdosing on medication.

This medicine makes me look like a dead person.

When the time comes, you can just have someone drag me to a secluded place.

"As for what happens next, that's not my business," the short man laughed.

Shen Qingjun looked at the short man with admiration.

"You guys are amazing, you even have this kind of medicine!"

"Hehe, our young master gave it to me, saying that this is the best outcome. Also, the young master had me bring the Wang family's letters, silver notes, and so on."

They said you'd definitely find it useful.

As the short man spoke, he handed a small bundle to Shen Qingjun.

Shen Qingjun took it and opened it.

Wow! Two hundred thousand taels of silver notes...

Wow, I was actually worth that much...

"Let's set the date for the fifteenth! There will be lanterns to see in Suzhou that day, and I will go out."

"I'll release this news, around that day!" Shen Qingjun said.

Upon hearing this, the short man immediately stood up and bowed, then disappeared after a few leaps.

The guards who had been following Shen Qingjun exchanged glances.

This kid is pretty skilled. If he were a real assassin, he'd probably give them a run for their money.

"Lord Duke, are you really planning to set the trap on the fifteenth?"

"There were a lot of people that day," the guard reminded him.

"It is precisely because there are so many people that all of this can be taken for granted."

They would think I was certain they wouldn't dare to do it, after all, assassinating an imperial envoy is an unforgivable capital offense.

They want to take a risky tactic, so I'll play along.

Don't worry! I know what I'm doing. The longer things drag on, the more troublesome it will become if I don't find them a good opportunity sooner.

"I heard that the Grand Princess plans to go to the capital after the fifth day of the month?" Shen Qingjun asked.

"Reporting back to the Duke, the information I received is indeed true."

The journey from Suzhou to the capital by carriage is slow, taking at least ten days.

"Once that princess arrives in the capital to meet the emperor, our message should be sent back," the guard said.

"Okay, then everyone can relax for a while."

Have a good New Year, and do what you're supposed to do.

As for those people... just hold them off for me.

The guards all agreed.

Shen Qingjun lost his appetite and got up to wander around his temporary residence.

These noble families in Suzhou must be dealt with.

The nobles, led by the Wang family, have been oppressing the local people year after year, doing countless things that have angered both heaven and man.

Farmers in Suzhou dared not cultivate the barren fields.

They knew that once they planted the land and had a harvest, those nobles would come knocking on their door with the land deeds.

At that time, not only would they lose a year's harvest, but if they were unlucky, they would become tenants of those nobles.

Ninety percent of the land in Suzhou was under the names of those people.

The common people lived in dire straits, while the nobles were rolling in wealth.

After Shen Qingjun arrived and investigated, he discovered how many bad things these nobles had done.

Of course, those nobles also made a lot of preparations when Shen Qingjun came.

When their attempts to bribe the Wang family failed, they all turned their attention to them.

The Wang family is the most prominent family in Suzhou. In addition to a princess, the family also has the most senior princess in Dayu.

Moreover, the Wang family possessed the most land in Suzhou.

Three months ago, Emperor Xiaowu issued an edict.

Regardless of whose land it is, if it is left uncultivated, it will be punished.

You either grow it yourself, or you have to rent it out to someone else.

Land that has an owner must not be left uncultivated.

If you can no longer cultivate the land, I'm sorry, but this land will be taken over by the nearby garrison.

The land was rented by the garrison to tenant farmers who had no other land to cultivate.

At the same time, the edict also stated that tenant farmers who leased land from the garrison would only have to pay half the rent of ordinary noble families...

As a result, the tenant farmers would certainly not want to rent land from the noble families.

This approach weakened the power of the nobility while also ensuring the supply of provisions for the soldiers.

At the same time, the conflict was shifted to the local nobles and the garrison.

As a result, the nobles had no other option but to buy more people to farm the land.

However, the nobles of Suzhou also knew that the Duke of Dingguo was sent from the capital this time, and that Suzhou was being used as a pilot area.

Success! It's being promoted throughout the entire Chongqing area.

If it doesn't work, then Suzhou will suffer.

Because of their intertwined interests, all the nobles in Suzhou banded together.

The Wang family is now in the eye of the storm.

"Princess, is Mother ready to leave after the fifth day of the month?"

Inside the Wang family compound in Suzhou, the Marquis of Changning, who was over forty years old, asked wearily.

"Don't worry, my husband!"

My mother set off on the sixth day of the lunar new year and should arrive after the fifteenth. At that time, she and my uncle will meet the emperor together.

"A little brat who hasn't even grown all his feathers yet won't listen to reason, so he'll have to suffer the consequences." Princess Heyue said with a sneer.