Seeing that Li Tongpan and his entourage were carrying those weapons, Jiang Yimian pulled Lu Cijian aside and whispered, "What's the deal with these weapons? Why would the King of Chu make such weapons? Is it to make money from them, or what?"
Last time at the mine, all her attention was on Jiang Dazhuang, and she was also busy converting the manor into a workshop, so she didn't pay attention to what happened at the mine.
Judging from Lu Cijian's appearance just now, he was obviously familiar with these weapons and could see their strangeness at a glance.
Lu Cijian looked at her and asked, "Do you still remember the war a year ago?"
Jiang Yimian nodded, somewhat puzzled as to why he would suddenly bring up the war from a year ago, but still said, "Of course I remember."
The Jiang family came up the mountain because of that war, and the second branch of the family was abandoned because they had to flee famine during the war.
How could she not remember?
If it weren't for the war, so many people wouldn't have fled famine, and so many people wouldn't have lost their lives.
She could never forget this memory.
Lu Cijian then continued, "There is still no evidence as to who was behind those rebellions, so I cannot draw a conclusion. But given the strength of the Great Jin Dynasty at that time, tens of thousands of troops would not have been able to take over so many prefectures."
The reason why several prefectural cities fell one after another was because of this weapon.
Such crudely made weapons are tantamount to suicide on the battlefield. Last time, I found one of these things in a cave in the mine.
It was then that I realized the reason the rebels were able to capture several prefectures in succession was because the King of Chu had manipulated things.
These weapons must have been a batch removed from the mine.
The mine has existed for many years, and this weapon may have been found all over the Great Jin Dynasty, but because there has been no war, no one knows about it.
By the time war breaks out, it will be too late, and anyone can trample on the territory of the Great Jin.
The King of Chu did this not only to cut corners and replace the weapons from the Imperial Arsenal to obtain silver, but also for the throne.
If General Wei hadn't arrived in time, who knows what the Great Jin Dynasty would be like now.
The throne has probably changed hands long ago.
Jiang Yimian was only slightly surprised. Recalling the King of Chu she had met before, she felt that this man was an absolute lunatic.
To be willing to sacrifice all the people of the Great Jin for the throne—if such a person were to become emperor, when would the people of the Great Jin ever have a day of peace?
In a way, this person was also her enemy.
If it weren't for the King of Chu, the war a year ago wouldn't have been so severe, Jiang Qingyuan wouldn't have been conscripted, and the original Jiang Yimian wouldn't have died.
They don't have to endure anything that happens on the mountain.
Not to mention the suffering Jiang Dazhuang endured in the mine, all of which was related to the King of Chu.
How ironic that someone who treats human life so lightly is now so beloved by the people of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Whether it's for revenge or for the sake of a peaceful life for the people of Jin, the King of Chu must die.
Now that they have a grudge against the King of Chu, it's either them or the King of Chu who will die.
Jiang Yimian asked earnestly, "What do you plan to do after returning to the capital?"
The King of Chu had many capable and extraordinary people around him, making it virtually impossible for them to get close to him, and killing the other party would be extremely difficult.
Lu Cijian simply said, "Take it slow. The King of Chu is not easy to deal with now. We must proceed cautiously."
If the King of Chu were truly easy to deal with, Xie Jingxuan wouldn't have kept him alive for so many years; he would have killed the King of Chu long ago when Xie Jingxuan ascended the throne.
Especially since the King of Chu is now so famous among the people of Jin, it is indeed not easy to touch him.
They must at least tear off the mask of the King of Chu.
Just then, Wang San returned with his men. "Sir, this fellow is dead. It was my fault for not keeping a close watch on him. Please punish me, sir."
He had planned to capture the man and bring him back as soon as possible, but he never expected that the man was so cunning. Before he could even make a move, the man saw that the situation was not good and committed suicide by poisoning himself.
He was so loyal to the King of Chu that it was difficult for him to get any information from him.
Lu Cijian simply said, "It's alright."
This person is no longer important to him; what matters are the weapons. If he brings them back to the capital, they will surely cause a huge uproar.
The Jin Dynasty's Military Equipment Bureau and several military equipment workshops have always been as impregnable as a fortress, with strict rules and regulations. The weapon craftsmen inside have all been carefully investigated, so in theory, no one should be able to sneak in.
But all of the King of Chu's current actions prove that he has people working for him in the Military Equipment Bureau and several other military equipment workshops.
Otherwise, how could his substitution of the beams and pillars have gone unnoticed back then?
*
By the time the group returned to the yamen, it was already dark.
As soon as Jiang Yimian returned to her courtyard, she saw Chunyue waiting outside.
Chunyue bowed respectfully to her before saying, "Miss Jiang, the Princess is waiting for you inside."
Jiang Yimian responded and pushed open the door, where she saw people sitting at the table drinking tea.
Xie Yu wore only a simple dress today, and only a few hairpins on her head.
Although she looked rather plain compared to when she first arrived in Yuncheng Prefecture, her noble air was still undeniable.
When Xie Yu saw her, he just smiled and said, "You're finally back. Try this tea, a special flower tea from Qingnan. It tastes quite good."
I heard you learned quite a bit from the King of Chu's men, how was it?"
These past few days she has been comforting the disaster victims at the city gate and distributing porridge to them. Jiang Yimian also has a lot to do. Today is the first time they have sat down together for tea since arriving in Yuncheng Prefecture.
Jiang Yimian glanced at her, then sat down on a chair nearby and asked curiously, "If you want to ask these questions, shouldn't you go to Lu Cijian?"
Lu Cijian was already aware of the King of Chu's plans, and given his position as an Inspector General of the Censorate, he certainly knew even more details.
It was only natural for Xie Yu to ask, but it's really strange that she ended up asking her instead.
Thinking it over, she simply raised an eyebrow and said, "I heard you two are cousins? You've been hiding it for so long, and I never even realized you knew each other."
If Lu Cijian hadn't brought it up, she would have thought there was some other relationship between the two. After all, the way Xie Yu looked at Lu Cijian in front of the Qingshui County government office the first time didn't seem like they didn't know each other.
At the time, she only felt strange, but seeing that Lu Cijian didn't seem to know Xie Yu, she put the matter out of her mind.
It wasn't until Xie Yu came to Yuncheng Mansion that she suddenly realized that the relationship between the two was unusual.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yu immediately coughed lightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. "Don't even mention it. That guy doesn't even remember being my cousin. What kind of cousin am I?"
"But you, with Lu Cijian's murderous gaze that could kill at any moment, you've managed to get along with him for so long, that's truly impressive."
When she first met Lu Cijian, he was already like this, which terrified her for a long time when she was a child. It was only as she grew up that she understood why he was like this.
Thinking of that incident, she glanced at the person beside her, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
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