Mr. Jiang knew very well that these people were by no means ordinary bandits, so he obediently followed their request and served as free labor in the stronghold together with his more than 30 followers.
Of course, this obedience was only on the surface. While working hard, he was actually collecting intelligence and looking for opportunities to escape.
What Mr. Jiang, who was concentrating on saving himself, didn't know was that at this moment, Yu Zizhen had actually received news that a large number of troops were approaching from the Zhenbei Palace.
She had never thought of hiding her true identity forever. Her strategy for dealing with those people from the Zhenbei Palace was to delay as much as possible, and while she could delay, she would concentrate on managing the states and counties that she had already obtained.
This is also why she directly sent out the "bandits" who, relying on their numerical advantage and geographical advantage, captured the diplomatic team led by Mr. Jiang without bloodshed.
When this matter can no longer be delayed, Yu Zizhen plans to come clean and openly admit her identity as a woman.
Anyway, she didn't want to keep it a secret forever. After all, this was not something that could be kept secret forever.
As for her subordinates.
Those who can accept her identity as a woman can stay and do what they should do.
As for those who cannot accept her identity as a woman, it depends on their reaction. If they have no intention of harming her, but simply cannot bear her loyalty to a woman, then she will wait for the storm to pass and send them away.
But if anyone thinks he can go to heaven just because she is a woman and wants to rebel against her, she will just get rid of that person directly.
Yu Zizhen was not afraid of her identity as a woman being made public. Naturally, she would never give up the things she had painstakingly planned for and worked so hard to obtain just because of her identity as a woman.
The King of Zhenbei, who was unaware that all his arrangements had been seen by Yu Zizhen, immediately sent someone to contact Lu Mingyuan, the border guard general on Yu Zizhen's side, after receiving the news that Mr. Jiang and others had disappeared without a trace.
The other party sent a counselor from their side. As soon as he arrived, he questioned Lu Mingyuan, the border guard general on Yu Zizhen's side, and asked them where they had taken Mr. Jiang and others.
"...Even when two countries are at war, they still don't kill envoys. What's more, we are all citizens of the Great Qi. Aren't you afraid of arousing public outrage by doing this?"
The skinny old man with a goatee looked extremely distressed. Those who didn't know the truth of the matter would think that Yu Zizhen and his men had done something that was wrathful to God and man.
Lu Mingyuan, who had long received Yu Zizhen's instructions, brought out his best acting skills. He looked at the skinny old man with a puzzled look, "I wonder who this Mr. Jiang is referring to? We haven't arrested anyone from the Northern Territory."
The skinny old man was not surprised at all that Lu Mingyuan refused to admit his mistake, but Mr. Jiang's team had more than 200 people.
In addition, they wore armor and robes that were completely different from those of ordinary people, and rode tall horses that ordinary people could hardly afford even if they had money. Anyone who saw them on the road would definitely be impressed by them.
As the saying goes, when a goose passes, it leaves traces; when a person passes, he leaves voices. It is impossible for Yu Zizhen's people to kill them quietly.
He patiently told the King of Zhenbei how he was shocked to hear that his eldest son was still alive. He was overjoyed and immediately sent an envoy to confirm it. However, the envoy team disappeared not long after entering Yu Zizhen's sphere of influence. Now he was telling the whole story of how the son was missing, with no one found alive or dead.
Lu Mingyuan listened attentively, and after the old man finished speaking, he said sincerely, "In that case, this general will help you inquire with all parties to see if anyone has seen the envoy team you mentioned."
The skinny old man's eyes twitched when he kept calling him "old man", but he was indeed over fifty years old. When people called him old man, even if he suspected that they were implying that he was restless at his age, he still had to honestly accept this "honorific title" given to him.
However, accepting the title did not mean that he had to accept Lu Mingyuan's solution.
Not to mention that they have limited time now, even if they are not in a hurry, the skinny old man does not believe that Lu Mingyuan will really put in enough effort to help them find someone.
He even had the same suspicion as Mr. Jiang. He felt that the disappearance of Mr. Jiang's team must be related to these guys from Yu Zizhen's faction.
But unlike Mr. Jiang who personally experienced the hijacking, he did not have any evidence at hand to bring charges against Yu Zizhen and his group.
"That's one thing. On the other hand, I hope General Lu can arrange for us to meet with your master as soon as possible."
Although finding Mr. Jiang and others is urgent, compared with the huge power held by Yu Zizhen, the safety of Mr. Jiang and others becomes insignificant.
He was eager to meet Yu Zizhen and wanted to persuade Yu Zizhen before Duke Jingguo could react.
If he could persuade Yu Zizhen to give up his power and return to the inner house, or persuade Yu Zizhen to give up his power and continue to contribute to the great cause of the Zhenbei King, then all the counselors under the Zhenbei King would definitely follow his lead.
And when the King of Zhenbei actually sits on that position and rewards everyone according to their merits, he will surely be able to be made a marquis and appointed as a prime minister for his great achievements, and his descendants will be blessed with good fortune.
By then, all those guys who originally looked down on him and joined forces to exclude him from the core circle would surely be firmly under his feet.
The skinny old man was eager to slap the faces of the core group of advisers of the King of Zhenbei, including Mr. Jiang, and was eager to seize this opportunity to establish an unprecedented feat for himself.
However, Lu Mingyuan, who had received Yu Zizhen's instructions long ago, did not want to help this arrogant old man at all. He followed Yu Zizhen's instructions, making false statements and delaying time as much as possible, while continuing to deploy troops quietly, guarding against the Zhenbei King's troops attacking them by surprise.
They were fighting each other in the north, while the diplomatic team sent by Duke Jingguo was slowly coming from the south.
The fourth son of Duke Jingguo, who served as the chief envoy, and Chen Hushan, the eldest grandson of Duke Jingguo, who served as the deputy envoy, were both shrewd men. They did not rush straight to their destination, but slowly went to Jiangning City where Yu Zizhen was, and at the same time, without causing resentment from Yu Zizhen's faction, they sent people to inquire about the latest news in a discreet manner.
Yu Zizhen was also well aware of what they had done. After a little thought, Yu Zizhen asked someone to sell the news that she was a woman at a high price.
As the leader of a newly emerging mysterious force in the eastern region, many people are very interested in Yu Zizhen's personal information.
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