After Lu Yancai and his son returned, they sat in the main room without moving or speaking.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lu Yan finally sighed, stood up, and patted Lu Tianbao on the shoulder, "Don't overthink it, go wash up and go to sleep!"

Lu Tianbao pursed his lips, took Lu Yancai's hand, and whispered, "Father, will Mother... die?"

Yes, he knew that what Ma had done was unforgivable, but she was still his mother! Even if she went to jail, he didn't want her to really die.

Moreover, Ma was arrested because he and his father handed her over voluntarily. If she really died, he felt he would never be able to get over it for the rest of his life.

Lu Yancai was silent for a while before saying, "I don't know either, but your uncle and aunt are not people who kill people indiscriminately. If your mother had behaved better, she might not have been executed."

Although he was angry with Madam Ma and even wanted to divorce her, deep down he didn't want her to really die.

Lu Tianbao remained silent upon hearing this, and after a moment he spoke, "I believe in my uncle and aunt."

Although he is young, he can still tell who is good and who is bad.

Lu Yancai remained silent, which was clearly an admission of agreement.

The father and son washed up in silence and slept in the same room. They didn't say a word all night, but neither of them slept well.

Unlike Lu Yancai and his son, Lu Yanzheng slept very well.

“Your Highness.” A-Ping’s voice rang out from outside the door, but he kept his voice very low.

Lu Yanzheng was already awake and was smiling as he looked at Jiang Qinyu's sleeping face. Hearing the noise, he lowered his head and kissed Jiang Qinyu's lips before getting up and dressing briskly.

It's obvious that Qinqin will be angry again today. Fortunately, he's going out today and can avoid her for now. He can coax her when he comes back tonight.

Before leaving, Lu Yanzheng glanced at Jiang Qinyu one last time, then quietly opened the door and left.

"Let's go." Lu Yanzheng strode forward, and A Ping quickly followed.

The two men arrived at the livestock shed and each signed for a horse.

"Have you made arrangements for those two?" Lu Yanzheng asked casually.

He was naturally asking about Jiang Chengyou and Liu Ruyi.

Aping nodded, "Yes, they were sent away last night at 1 AM."

Lu Yanzheng didn't ask any further questions, mounted his horse, and the two quickly left.

The road from Dingshui Village to Yongshan County has been renovated, reducing the travel time by 25 minutes on horseback.

Lu Yanzheng and A Ping arrived at the Yongshan County Government Office not long after.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Wei Chengzong bowed respectfully to Lu Yanzheng.

Lu Yanzheng stepped forward and helped him up, saying, "Lord Wei, you may rise."

"Propriety must not be disregarded, Your Highness, please do not be so harsh on me," Wei Chengzhong said solemnly.

Lu Yanzheng was at his wits' end with his rigid thinking and quickly got down to business.

Now that the decision has been made to develop the Dingshui Village area into a place like Kyoto, there will be a lot of preparations to be made in the early stages, and Lu Yanzheng is not as idle as he appears at home.

Lu Yanzheng and A Ping stayed in Wei Chengzong's study for an entire day.

As dusk approached, A-Ping reminded him, "Your Highness, we should head back."

After finishing the last document, Lu Yanzheng glanced out the window, put down his pen, and stood up. "Okay, let's go back then."

If I get back late, I won't be able to have dinner with Qinqin.

At this moment, Wei Chengzong also stood up. "Your Highness, what should be done with Madam Ma?"

Lu Yanzheng paused for a moment before remembering who Ma was, and said without changing his expression, "Lord Wei, you should handle this according to the law."

"Yes, I understand," Wei Chengzong replied, bowing.

The reason he asked was because he already knew Ma's identity and wondered if Lu Yanzheng would give any other instructions. He didn't expect the prince to be so impartial to his sister-in-law.

After Lu Yanzheng and A Ping left, Wei Chengzhong immediately called over his advisor.

"Sir, what are your orders?" the clerk asked as he trotted in.

Everyone in their county government office is extremely busy these days, especially the clerk and the county magistrate. Managing the six departments of the county government office alone leaves them no time for anything else.

Wei Chengzong said, "The Ma family sent from Dingshui Village yesterday released a serious criminal who should be sentenced to death by hanging according to the law. However, considering that the serious criminal was caught in time, I will spare Ma family from hanging and exile her to the saltpeter mine in the border town to serve thirty years in prison!"

"Uh..." The clerk hesitated for a moment, "Sir, are you sure you want to make this judgment?"

Although the part of the law that the adults mentioned is not wrong, such cases have always been severely punished throughout history!

Wei Chengzong cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Dingshui Village, saying, "His Highness has instructed that the matter be handled according to the law."

His judgment was naturally based on careful consideration of various factors.

Madam Ma has committed a crime, and whether she was angry or not, it is certainly not a problem to punish her severely. However, Madam Ma is, after all, the Prince's sister-in-law, and she gave birth to Lu Tianbao for the Lu family. If something happens to the Lu family in the future, he will easily be blamed.

The current verdict is quite good. It not only punishes the Ma family but also leaves room for the Lu family to renege on their decision later.

The advisor hadn't thought of all that, but since the master had spoken, he naturally had to comply.

...

On the road from Jinzhou to Yunzhou, Hanba led a thousand elite troops at a rapid pace.

"Faster! Faster!" Hanba shouted at the people at the back of the line.

He had to hurry and lead his men to rescue the Fifth Prince. The Emperor of Dayue had only given him seven days, during which he could lead his thousand elite troops to travel freely within Dayue.

They are about to enter the Northwest region. Following their planned route, they will pass through the deep mountains and reach Yunshan.

These men were all handpicked soldiers from the Western Qiang, skilled in jungle warfare, so Hanba wasn't worried about wasting time.

As he expected, these people quickly disappeared into the mountains after entering Yunzhou.

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