Chapter 968 I feel disgusted
"Tang Ning..."
Lu Zhinian frowned and wanted to speak, but Tang Ning spoke first, "I want to take Yuejian with me. I just gave birth, and I'm injured after being poisoned, so I need someone to serve me closely. Mr. Lu, you don't want to tell me that you want to serve me personally, do you?"
She paused, "I find it disgusting, and I'm worried I can't stand it for a moment."
Lu Zhinian's expression froze, his heart aching from her words. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Change someone."
"No, I'm used to Yuejian."
"Tang Ning..."
"You don't have to agree, then don't leave."
Lu Zhinian stared at the extremely strong Tang Ning, pursing his lips for a moment:
"Okay, you can let her come with you, but she has to take the medicine."
Lu Zhinian had witnessed Yue Jian's abilities with his own eyes, and he also knew that the maid serving Tang Ning was given to her by Xiao Yan. He directly took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his arms.
"The things in here can dissipate internal energy, suppress qi, blood, and tendons, and make you like an ordinary person within three months. If you want to follow Tang Ning, then..."
Before he could finish his words, Yue Jian took the porcelain bottle, poured out the contents, put it into her mouth, and swallowed it.
In just a moment, Yuejian's face turned visibly pale.
Tang Ning's heart tightened. Yue Jian saw her worried look and shook her head at her: "Don't worry, Madam, I'm fine. I just lost my inner strength."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Lu Zhinian:
"I have taken the medicine. Can I follow the Empress?"
Lu Zhinian glanced at the guard beside him, and the guard who followed him stepped forward to feel Yue Jian's pulse, then nodded to him to indicate that Yue Jian had indeed taken the medicine and her internal energy had been completely dissipated. Lu Zhinian then nodded and agreed: "Okay, you can follow Tang Ning and serve."
Lu Zhinian looked at Tang Ning: "The poison in your body cannot be delayed, we must leave the city now."
Tang Ning said calmly: "Okay."
Wu Kui and the others were all anxious, thinking that Tang Ning shouldn't have agreed to Lu Zhinian. This man was too dangerous, and there were too many uncertainties after leaving the city. However, Cao Dejiang reached out and stopped the two of them. He stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The old ministers in the court will take good care of it."
Tang Ning hummed, "With Lord Cao here, I'm not worried. I just want to ask Lord Cao to take good care of the little princess for me, and to find a way to keep my news secret until His Majesty returns. Also, tell my aunt and the others not to worry too much."
"I've been through so many desperate situations in the past two years. I've been abandoned and plotted against, but I've still managed to survive. With the gods and Buddhas blessing me, I'm blessed with a long life. No one can hurt me."
Cao Dejiang paused and nodded, "This old minister understands. This old minister believes that the queen will turn danger into safety as usual, and the evildoers will not be able to approach her."
…
Lu Zhinian took the Queen and Yue Jian away. No one followed them openly, but someone followed them secretly all the way. However, in just half a day, the people who followed them out of the city returned to the city. Wu Kui, who led the people out personally, looked even more ugly.
"After the carriage left the city, it soon entered a farm. Our people secretly went in, and they were all poisoned and knocked out."
"There were quite a few people hiding in that manor. I was afraid Lu Zhinian would harm the Empress, so I didn't dare take the risk of bringing anyone in. We waited until there was a sudden movement in the manor at night, and when the carriages came out again, they were divided into several groups. When our people split up and chased them, they found they were all covert operations. When the people guarding the manor went back in, they found that both the Empress and Lu Zhinian were gone."
"There's a secret passage in that village that leads directly to the back mountain. When I led my men to chase after it, all traces had been cleared..."
Yu Yanfeng kicked the table and said angrily, "This Lu Zhinian is so cunning!"
Cao Dejiang remained calm. "He dared to enter the Tiger Cave alone and even took the Empress away openly. He wasn't afraid of being caught up. It's obvious that he had already prepared a retreat."
"The Lu family collapsed suddenly back then. Although their property was confiscated and their clan was exterminated, many of their assets outside of the family fell into the hands of Lu Jiuan. Some of their hidden assets and businesses were also unknown to the public. Lu Jiuan was later controlled by Lu Zhinian, so it's not surprising that those assets have become his strength now."
A cunning rabbit has three burrows. How could a shrewd person like Lu Chongyuan not leave a way out for himself and his clan?
At that time, the throne was still occupied by the deposed emperor, and his methods were far less ruthless than those of Xiao Yan and Tang Ning. The last time the noble families were cleared out, Tang Ning ordered his men to plunder all their lands, squeeze their bones and marrow, and clear out all their possessions, both openly and covertly. However, the Lu family "escaped" because they collapsed early.
Just as Lu Zhinian was able to use the chess pieces sent into the palace ten years ago, it was also normal for him to have hidden several private residences with secret passages.
Feng Qiuli stood aside and asked, "What do you think, Lord Cao, should we do next?"
Cao Dejiang looked at him: "What do you think?"
Feng Qiuli said, "I think that if Lu Zhinian insists on taking the Empress away, she won't be hurt in the short term. Besides, the Empress is smart and will definitely find a way to deal with it for herself. At least, the Empress should be safe until Lu Zhinian falls into a desperate situation."
"The Empress was frightened during childbirth, and she told everyone she was injured and needed to rest. This could be concealed for a while, but His Majesty is in a bit of a pickle."
The army was not far from the capital when it returned to the capital. His Majesty had led his men away from the army in advance, and the two sides were only a few days' journey apart. Before the army reached the capital, they could still conceal the news of His Majesty's attack. However, once the Northern Expedition army returned to the capital, His Majesty's whereabouts were still unknown.
Then everything will be exposed, and the Queen Mother will not be able to take charge of the situation. This is the most difficult thing.
Cao Dejiang said in a deep voice: "This is also what I am worried about."
He pondered for a moment before saying:
"In the capital, we'll first appease the court and block any news from the palace. We'll continue to send forces out of the city to search for Lu Zhinian. Commander Wu, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to personally lead a team to Pingchong Prefecture to search for His Majesty. We must find His Majesty and bring him back to the capital safely as soon as possible."
Wu Kui hesitated: "But the Queen's side..."
Before leaving the capital, His Majesty said that he must stay in the capital to protect the Empress, and that he took the Black Armor Guards with him. If anything happened in the capital...
Cao Dejiang stepped forward: "Yu Tongling and his men are still in the capital."
Seeing Wu Kui's hesitation, he said:
"Since Lu Zhinian was able to use the news of His Majesty's attack to frighten the Empress, I'm afraid it can't be hidden from those with ulterior motives. I'm worried that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to add insult to injury, and..."
Cao Dejiang suddenly leaned close to Wu Kui's ear and whispered a few words. Wu Kui was stunned for a moment and suddenly looked up at him.
"Prime Minister..."
Without waiting for Wu Kui to speak, Cao Dejiang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I will have people continue searching in the capital and find a way to rescue the Empress. I'll rely on you for His Majesty's help."
Wu Kui felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, and the hesitation on his face disappeared. He said:
"Okay, I will immediately take people to Pingchong Mansion and do my utmost to search for His Majesty's whereabouts."
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