Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Some

Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Some

I miss this man.

After the Lantern Festival, the New Year was over. Cheng Yian had some free time and went to the Princess's Mansion every day. These days, she helped Chen Changshi pack the Princess's luggage. Compared with Lu Xusheng's two bags, the Princess's departure was a grand affair. Before she set off, more than a dozen carriages were lined up in front of the door and in the alleys on both sides. In order for the Princess to choose a bed, even a long couch for daily use was moved onto the carriage. Except for a female official and half of the stewards, most of the attendants, from Chen Changshi to the chief guard, followed her to Jiangnan.

On the day of departure, Cheng Yian felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the endless line of cars.

"Your Highness, after you leave, you will not stay in Jiangnan for the rest of your life, right?"

It is said that Jiangnan is a beautiful place, a paradise on earth. She was afraid that the eldest princess would go to Jiangnan and would not want to come back.

The princess raised her hand and pulled her onto the carriage, told the guards to start the ride, and said to Cheng Yian,

"If Jiangnan is really nice, it's not impossible for me to live there permanently. I will then buy you a yard in Jiangnan, and you can come and accompany me."

Cheng Yian burst into tears after holding back for days, and he threw himself into her arms, hugging her around the waist.

"Then I will go to Xiangshan Temple to burn incense every day, praying that Your Highness will meet a beautiful man who will always be by Your Highness' side."

Ever since the princess said she wanted to let it go, she has obviously lost weight in recent days. The capital city is also a sad place for the princess. As long as her father is in the capital city, Your Highness will not be able to let it go. Leaving may not be a bad choice.

The princess laughed out loud when she heard this, "Then I will accept your good words."

The phoenix carriage circled to Zhengyang Gate, where all the officials saw it off. Cheng Yian quietly opened the curtain and took a look outside. He did not see his father, but he saw his second brother.

The eldest princess knew what was going on from her expression, and her face remained unchanged.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Lulin Army escorted the princess out of the south gate. Once outside the city, the view became wider. There were endless low hills and forests stretching in the distance. The spring grass had not yet grown, and the scenery was still desolate.

Just at this moment, a group of birds suddenly flew overhead and headed south.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites saw this, clapped their hands and smiled.

"Your Highness, the birds are sending you off. This is a good sign. Your Highness will surely have a successful journey."

The princess was also very happy, and then she said to Cheng Yian in a gentle voice,

"Child, go back. It's windy outside the city. Don't catch a cold."

Cheng Yian sniffed hard, and her longing for Lu Xusheng also came out. She held the princess' wrist while crying.

"Your Highness, please remember to write to me when you have time. Please also help me look after Lu Xusheng and don't let him get into any danger."

The princess only needs to stay in Nanjing, but Lu Xusheng has to travel outside. Daddy is such a capable person, but he was exhausted in his previous life. It can be seen that it is not easy to pacify the powerful.

The princess knew that she missed her husband.

"Don't worry, I will bring him back to you safe and sound."

Although she said so, the princess had no idea at all.

Cheng Yian is still young and does not know how dangerous the court is, let alone the complicated situation in Jiangnan. He may be more difficult to deal with than the Northern Qi Iron Cavalry.

But she couldn't bear to worry about Cheng Yian, because invisible and intangible worries are the most exhausting.

The eldest princess, Lu Xusheng and Cheng Mingyu tacitly lied to her.

Cheng Yian has always believed in the ability of the eldest princess. As long as she is willing to take care of him, Lu Xusheng will have nothing to worry about.

"Then I feel relieved." She burst into laughter.

The princess raised her hand to help her wipe the tears from her cheeks and instructed, "Feed well and have fun, and gain some weight, so that Lu Xusheng will know that you are not alone, and he won't be so arrogant."

Cheng Yian laughed, "Okay."

Rulan and the female official stepped forward and helped Cheng Yian get out of the carriage. Cheng Yian was waiting in the thatched cottage nearby, watching the eldest princess' carriage drive away until the last carriage went around the woods and returned to the city.

That day and night, he could not sleep well. Without the stove beside him, Cheng Yian slept miserably. He stared at the curtains awake, wondering where Lu Xusheng was. He closed his eyes in the early morning.

The Cheng family was indeed worried about Cheng Yian, so Cheng Yiyan came to pick her up in person and asked her to stay at the Cheng family for a while. Cheng Yian entertained him in the front hall and shook her head.

"Grandma, you're worrying too much. I'm fine. After he left, I couldn't leave the Lu family anymore. I was afraid someone would take advantage of the mistress' absence to cause trouble. Don't worry, second brother. I'm living a comfortable life without Lu Xusheng."

Cheng Yiyan glanced at her slightly dark eyes and did not expose her.

The following days were peaceful and uneventful.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Cheng Yixin and He Qingyun used the excuse of going to their hometown to pay homage to their late mother and left the city for Taihang Mountains. The child was sent to the Cheng family and handed over to the old ancestor to take care of him personally. Cheng Yiqiao was busy taking care of his nephew and had no time to go out for fun.

The second day of the second lunar month is the day when the dragon raises its head. It is the wedding day of Prince Ning and Zheng Ying.

The emperor specially arranged for Prince Ning to get married on this day, and his meaning was obvious.

The prince's advisers were all so angry that they blew their noses and glared, but the prince remained calm and tried to comfort everyone.

"Don't be angry, it's just a popular saying, it doesn't hurt anything."

One of the conspirators said angrily,

"How can you say it's harmless? The people believe this the most. Over time, they will think he is the authentic dragon vein. After a while, the people will only know Prince Ning and not your Highness."

The prince was of course upset, but he did not show it on his face. As a master, one must not be impatient and let the subordinates look down on him. He slowly moved his thumb ring, smiled and said,

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Since ancient times, victorious kings defeat bandits. When the day comes when he wins, all these will be nothing.

The ministers knew that the prince had a plan, and their anxiety eased a little.

Cheng Yian was invited to the palace to act as a matchmaker that day. If it weren't for her and Lu Xusheng, Zheng Ying might not have won the first prize that day, so both palaces regarded her as a matchmaker, and Madam Zheng even went to the palace in person to deliver a thank-you gift.

The Crown Prince used the excuse of being unwell and did not come in person. The Eastern Palace sent the Crown Princess to come out and congratulate him. Prince Ning is the Queen's son in name only, and Queen Chen is also a generous person. She did not bother with the past and came in person today to support her adopted son.

This wedding banquet was held with great fanfare.

The only regret for Prince Ning was that Lu Xusheng was not present. He buried a pot of good wine under the osmanthus tree in front of the study and drunkenly told the chief secretary,

"When Shenzhi returns, I will offer him this wine to congratulate him on his return to the court. This way, he will have drunk my wedding wine."

Prince Ning and Lu Xusheng grew up together when they were young. Lu Xusheng was three years older than Prince Ning. When Prince Ning was five years old, the emperor threw Prince Ning to Lu Chang for discipline and asked Lu Chang to teach him martial arts. Lu Chang, on the other hand, threw his eldest son Lu Xusheng to the Su Study and asked the emperor to teach him to read.

When Prince Ning was young, he always followed his brother. Whenever he got into trouble, his brother would carry him on his back. Whenever he sneaked out of the palace to play, it was Lu Xusheng who covered for him. The two had such a good relationship that they could even wear the same pair of pants.

Court officials often jokingly called Lu Xusheng the emperor's own son, and in Prince Ning's heart, Lu Xusheng was even more like his own brother.

When Prince Ning was feeling sad in the study, Cheng Yian sat with Zheng Ying in the bridal chamber. The nanny left by the Queen went outside so that the two could talk in private.

Zheng Ying, still tightly bound, asked Cheng Yian through the red veil,

"I'm panicking, what should I do?"

"Look, you're here again. You were nervous when you first saw His Highness, but later, you followed him to the Moon Pavilion to eat barbecue."

"You are panicking now. Once you get used to it in a few days, you won't be panicking anymore."

"You are the one who says sad words but actually acts more wisely than anyone else."

Zheng Ying chuckled.

Cheng Yian sat for a while and saw that it was getting late, so he had to leave.

Zheng Yingfei held her back and said, "Please wait a little longer."

Cheng Yian quickly pried her hands apart, "You silly girl, I'm standing here, are you letting Prince Ning in or not?"

Zheng Ying stopped talking.

As soon as Cheng Yian left, Queen Ning followed into the bridal chamber.

Zheng Ying straightened her back when she heard the footsteps.

A pair of black boots embroidered with python dragon patterns and gold thread slowly came into view. The big red dress fell in front of her, and the tentacles with bared fangs and claws seemed to pounce on her, scaring Zheng Ying so much that she closed her eyes.

The next moment, the bed beside him sank, and the ambergris on his body instantly filled his nose.

The corners of their clothes were tucked together and their arms were very close to each other. Zheng Ying held her breath and dared not make a sound.

Prince Ning saw that her hands were folded together, and her slender fingers were trembling slightly, showing that she was nervous.

he

Suddenly there was a sneer.

Zheng Ying heard him laugh, and for some reason she lifted the red veil and looked at him, "Your Highness, what are you laughing at?"

The two men's eyes met, Zheng Ying looked into his bright black eyes, and then shrank back in fear.

Prince Ning was amused by her. This time, he personally lifted the red veil and asked her gently, "Are you thirsty? Would you like me to pour you a cup of tea?"

"No, no, no, I can't trouble Your Highness..." Zheng Ying hurriedly stood up and went to the table to pour herself some tea. After drinking it, she felt relieved. Seeing that Prince Ning was staring at her, she immediately poured another cup, "Your Highness, do you want to drink?"

Prince Ning shook his head, "I just drank some hangover soup, so I shouldn't drink tea."

Zheng Ying looked at the teacup and poured it into her mouth. She drank too quickly and her stomach made a gurgling sound, which made Zheng Ying blush.

Prince Ning laughed loudly and waved at the stupid girl.

"Come here."

It was obvious what to do next. Zheng Yingzhe's anxiety that had lasted for a whole day finally reached its peak at this moment. She closed her eyes and walked towards him with a fearless attitude.

Prince Ning looked at her heroic sacrifice and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Can this king eat you?"

"Ah?" Zheng Ying opened her eyes and saw a melting smile in his eyes. As if she was bewitched, she placed her hand in his palm, "No..." She lowered her eyes shyly.

Prince Ning pulled her onto the bed and scanned her body with his eyes.

Wondering where should he start?

Although Prince Ning was a prince, he never had a concubine.

The emperor set his sights on several large families, knowing that these families were extremely picky when choosing sons-in-law. If Prince Ning had a concubine, he would probably be excluded by them, so he disciplined his son strictly.

Zheng Ying followed his line of sight. She was wearing an elaborate wedding gown and a heavy phoenix crown on her head. She couldn't ask Prince Ning to do it herself, so she had been quick-witted since she was a child, and in a hurry she stripped herself down to just a pink middle layer. Prince Ning was still sitting there motionless, and Zheng Ying's cheeks turned red as if blood was dripping out. She remembered the nanny's instructions that the prince was not like an ordinary husband. She had to treat him as both her husband and her master. So Zheng Ying's eyes fell on his collar, and she reached out her hand tremblingly to help him untie his clothes.

Prince Ning was immediately surprised. This girl looked shy, but she was actually very brave.

He smiled and said, "No need, you lie down first, I will change my clothes myself."

Zheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief, quickly crawled into the quilt, and lay down obediently.

After a while, the palace lanterns outside were blown out, leaving only two pairs of red candles in front of the bed. The light inside the curtains was dim, and Zheng Ying was quietly breathing heavily.

The curtains were drawn, and Prince Ning came in and lay down under the quilt with her.

Zheng Ying saw him lying down, but she sat up.

Prince Ning was about to raise his arm to grab her when he saw her suddenly sit up and his arm stiffened.

"What's wrong?"

Zheng Ying blushed and stammered,

"Please lie down, Your Highness."

The nanny taught her how to serve the prince.

The emperor sent a eunuch to teach Prince Ning how to have sex, but Prince Ning refused. He is now eighteen years old, how could he not know about the relationship between men and women? Not to mention other things, he has read the pamphlets available in the market.

Not only did I read it, I even kindly gave a copy to Lu Xusheng.

Unfortunately, it was thrown back by Lu Xusheng.

He wasn't sure what Zheng Ying meant, but he lay down anyway.

Seeing this, Zheng Ying took a deep breath, clenched her fists, encouraged herself, and slowly lay down beside him. Then she stretched her hands around his waist and hugged him whole in a cuddling position.

Zheng Ying could feel Prince Ning's breathing pause.

Prince Ning thought that Zheng Ying wanted to hug him. That was fine. He couldn't just rush into battle with a knife in hand. He needed to calm down first.

So Prince Ning started chatting with Zheng Ying to calm her nervous mood.

Talking about the horses in her stable, I asked her whether Little Red Hare still liked to fight with the other horses.

In the past, Zheng Ying would be beaming with joy when talking about horses, but today, she didn't hear a word he said and responded absentmindedly. Her little hands had already begun to think about where to start, as if his belt had been untied, which would surely be convenient for her to do, so Zheng Ying's cool fingers penetrated under his waist and abdomen.

When they touched his hot skin, they were both startled.

Zheng Ying was hesitating about what to do next, and King Ning was really shocked by her.

What is this girl trying to do?

Based on his understanding of Zheng Ying, she should have been careless. But now, she was frozen and had no choice but to move forward or backward?

Zheng Ying is still weighing whether to go up or down, and it will take great courage to go either way.

Cheng Yian was right, Zheng Ying was indeed a dwarf in thought but a giant in action, so he decided to go all out and wait until his palms were warmed by his skin before starting to test his way down step by step.

But the girl had no experience at all, and she bumped into something clumsily, and then she came to her senses instantly.

Great, then we don't need her help.

Prince Ning did not have a concubine, and the Queen was not very clear about his background. He was not her biological son, so it was not easy for her to test him casually. However, she had to tell Zheng Ying everything in detail. The nanny had anticipated all kinds of situations and repeatedly reminded Zheng Ying that she must serve the prince well, so that the wedding night would go smoothly and the couple would live in harmony in the future.

Zheng Ying has always been careful, so she remembers the hard work that went into every word.

After confirming that Prince Ning was fine, Zheng Ying felt much more relaxed, so she timidly climbed onto him and sat on him, looking at the man below tenderly.

"Your Highness, I am not very experienced yet, please be patient..."

Prince Ning: “….”

Ever since that little hand started making trouble, Prince Ning stopped saying anything and began to doubt whether he had married the wrong wife, or whether the people who came to welcome the bride had got the wrong wedding sedan chair. Was this still the same Zheng Ying who blushed and avoided him with dodgy eyes when she saw him?

While he was stunned, the girl had already climbed on top of him.

After hearing this, Prince Ning suddenly understood.

The girl has been corrupted by those maids.

If Zheng Ying had to be bothered with such a matter, it would be a complete loss of face for him as the prince.

Prince Ning placed his broad hands on her waist and pulled her under him without hesitation.

*

After the banquet, all the ministers saw the Queen and the Crown Princess off to the palace. Cheng Yian also saw his elder sister Cheng Yixin in the crowd.

Cheng Yixin is Zheng Ying's cousin. She was invited by the Zheng family to come and see off the bride today. Cheng Yian and other guests gradually dispersed and came to Cheng Yixin's side.

"Eldest sister."

Three days ago, she heard that Cheng Yixin and his wife had returned from Taihang Mountains.

I guess there must be results.

When Cheng Yixin saw her sister, all the politeness she showed in front of others disappeared. The two sisters went out together and got on the carriage. As soon as she got in the carriage, Cheng Yixin's face became completely gloomy.

"What's going on?" Cheng Yian leaned over to ask her.

Cheng Yixin covered her face and looked at her sister with a headache.

"We met the doctor and stayed there for seven days. We had acupuncture for the first three days and then every other day. After we came back, the effect was not obvious..."

Cheng Yian comforted her and said,

"Don't worry, sister. Even if you are well, you will need some time to recover mentally. What did the doctor say before you left?"

Cheng Yixin said tiredly, "The doctor said it should be fine."

Cheng Yian smiled and said, "That's fine. As for you, elder sister, just pretend that nothing happened and do what you should do on a daily basis. When the day comes, everything will fall into place."

Cheng Yixin was comforted by her sister and realized that she might be a frightened bird and was too anxious.

"I was too impatient. The doctor also told me that if something like this creates stress, men will have mental problems. I have to give him some time."

"Besides that," Cheng Yian recalled that Lu Xu got up early every morning to practice martial arts, and couldn't help but suggest,

"My elder brother-in-law has been working at his desk all year round, so his health is definitely not as good as our generals. I don't know that our generals would do horse stance and practice boxing before dawn every day unless there was an urgent matter at court. Although my elder brother-in-law is not a military general, he also needs to keep fit on a daily basis and not waste his muscles and bones. This is the way to solve the problem from the root."

"That makes sense." Cheng Yixin also calmed down, "The doctor also prescribed three months of additional medicine, I'll take it first."

"Well, remember not to rush him, wait for things to happen naturally."

Cheng Yixin looked at her sister's calm expression and hugged her in her arms, "Thank you for being safe."

*

Lu Xusheng rushed to Jinling on January 18th. Before the arrival of the princess, he did not show up, but quietly sneaked into the lair of the wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River to gather information.

The princess did not arrive in Nanjing until early February. As soon as she arrived, she summoned officials from the secondary capital to discuss matters. She promulgated the court's national policy of land survey and set a deadline for each county to complete the survey. Those who failed to survey the land on time would be dismissed from their posts and punished according to the severity of the circumstances.

However, it was just as Cheng Mingyu and the emperor expected.

The results were minimal.

The Jiangnan nobles were like cows that could not be moved.

No matter how harshly Lu Xusheng, who advocated peace, spoke, they just stood there and refused to cooperate. Even when the Governor-General of Liangjiang led troops to help, he was unable to do anything to them.

They were accused of occupying farmland, but they said no, the farm and fish registers were still there, and they were taken out one by one to check. They said that due to famine in recent years, the tax collection in Jiangnan had been less than the previous year, and a lot of land had been abandoned. Not only did they not occupy farmland, but they actually lost a lot of land. Isn't that infuriating?

Then, they held the income accounts of their families in one hand and the tax bills to be submitted to the court in the other. When they compared the two, they found that they were all penniless. According to them, they made a lot of sacrifices for the prosperity of the Jin Dynasty and almost sold their children to supplement the court.

One of the wealthy family heads threw the tax bill that his family paid to the imperial court last year in Lu Xusheng's face.

"General Lu, if we hadn't tightened our belts, saved money and sent food to the border, you soldiers wouldn't have had enough food to survive the winter."

"That's right. It's said that when you drink water, you should remember its source. General Lu is not only ungrateful to us, but he even took the lead in checking our land? Okay, General Lu, you can take back our land. Those tenants will depend on you for food and drink in the future. We don't care about them. You don't have to pay taxes. I'm afraid I can live a few more years and save more for my family."

"Yes!"

"General Lu, you are the commander of the frontier army who is on the battlefield killing the enemy. You should use your gun to target the Northern Qi cavalry. Why are you stabbing your own people now? A wise man would not do that!"

After they had finished exchanging money with Lu Xusheng, they came to the eldest princess and changed their expressions.

"Your Highness, you are a princess, you should just eat, drink and have fun. Why are you mixing with that Lu Xusheng?"

"It's not easy for you to come here. My family has many entertainers. I would like to invite you to my house soon and perform for you."

"Your Highness, my family has built a villa in Changzhou. It has beautiful scenery and is surrounded by mountains and clear waters. There are many beautiful boys and girls in it. The leader looks very much like Cheng Mingyu. Your Highness, would you like to come and see it?"

The eldest princess said no, and they immediately stopped saying good things.

What kind of words are being uttered by women like hens crowing at dawn?

His mouth was more powerful than those of the court officials, and it made the Princess and Lu Xu very angry.

"Go, go, go, let Cheng Mingyu come instead!"

"Let the head of the Cheng family show up and discuss the land measurement."

We can't really kill them one by one. After all, these people hold the lifeline of the entire Jiangnan region, and the treasury of the Jin Dynasty depends on them.

Not only that, all the wealthy families here have backers. When the eldest princess arrived in Jiangnan, two tables were piled with letters of intercession in her study.

A month passed and there was no progress.

Not only was there no progress, but in January and February, the amount of tax collected by the Jiangnan Branch was reduced by half.

Those powerful families were very smart and used this method to force the court to change people.

"If you want to take money from us, it depends on whether you have the ability to do it!"

Memorials were thrown at the emperor's desk one after another. When the officials saw that the tax in Jiangnan was reduced by half this month, they were as anxious as ants on a hot pot and wrote to the emperor one after another to ask him to replace the person.

The emperor showed his courage at this time.

Don’t employ people you doubt, and don’t doubt people you employ.

He believed in Lu Xusheng.

Cheng Mingyu was summoned to the palace overnight to discuss countermeasures. Cheng Mingyu decisively said,

"Your Majesty, please erase the words 'minister' in the imperial edict and hand it over to Lu Xusheng for disposal. Not only that, anyone who disobeys the law will be killed without mercy."

"In addition, I would like to ask Your Majesty to issue an additional edict, clearly stating that those who are willing to break away from the powerful and join the court will be exempted from taxes in the first year, and will be exempted from population taxes in the second, third, and fourth years. The population tax will be included in the land tax."

When the emperor heard about the exemption of population tax, he was immediately shocked. "Mr. Cheng, the population tax has lasted for two thousand years. I am afraid that if this precedent is set, other states and counties will be eager to make the same move."

Cheng Mingyu bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about this plan for a long time. Once the population tax is lifted, the people of Dajin can move freely. This will enable hundreds of shops to flourish, and trade will flourish, which will fill the national treasury."

This was the difficulty that the Cheng family steward encountered in running the silk farm. For example, the silk farm employed a lot of coolies, but these coolies had to perform labor service and farm the fields every year, and they had to be free to come to work, which greatly affected the efficiency of the silk farm. The fact was that in recent years, Nanyang merchants had close contacts with Dajin, and the demand for silk increased. Many times, the Cheng family's farm was too busy to handle it.

Cheng Mingyu, who was a high-ranking official and a man of foresight, soon sensed the opportunity and the source of the conflict. He secretly ordered the Cheng family to reduce their investment in farmland, follow the trend of the imperial court to survey the land, and turn to maritime trade. After all, population and land were the wealth that the emperor valued most. If the Cheng family followed the trend and changed their ways, they would be able to maintain their wealth forever, and would not become a thorn in the emperor's side because of their size.

Cheng Mingyu then explained in detail to the emperor the connection between Jiangnan's commerce and population, and the emperor suddenly understood.

"It's a good idea. I'm just worried that the officials and local gentry won't cooperate, and I'm also worried about instability."

Cheng Mingyu smiled and said, "So, I am just taking this opportunity to try it out in Jiangnan first. If it works, we will implement it in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. If it doesn't work, everything in Jiangnan will be the same after four years, and no one will have any complaints."

In name, it was to pacify the powerful and recruit tenant farmers, but in reality it was to carry out a new round of tax reforms.

The emperor had to admire Cheng Mingyu's scheming. He was able to plan three steps ahead and have a long-term vision. He was worthy of being the most capable minister of the Jin Dynasty.

The emperor once again demonstrated his greatest strength: he dared to employ people and trust people.

"As you wish!"

Cheng Mingyu drafted the imperial edict that night and had the emperor seal it and issue it to all regions.

After the edict was issued, the emperor looked at the dark sky and sighed deeply.

"Can Xusheng catch it?"

Cheng Mingyu pondered and said, "I'm afraid he is waiting for this fire."

Late at night on the third day of March, Lu Xusheng came to the eldest princess' study and slowly took the love letters to look through them.

The princess was learning Chinese characters and did not even raise her head to ask him.

"Is the time right?"

Lu Xusheng nodded expressionlessly, "Here we are." He then wrote down the names of those who had written the letters of apology one by one.

The princess paid no attention to his little action and just sighed.

"Come back alive, or else..."

Lu Xusheng thought she would say "I'm afraid I can't explain to Cheng Yian", but unexpectedly the princess stopped writing and smiled.

"Otherwise, I will definitely find eight or ten male pets for An An."

Lu Xusheng's handsome face darkened, and he threw the papers into the basket in the corner.

"Because of what you said, Lu must come back safe and sound."

Three days later, Lu Xusheng disappeared without a trace. Not only could the court officials not find him, even the princess did not know where he was. The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Jiang Chengbin, was furious and brought his soldiers to surround the mansions of several wealthy families living in Jinling.

"I was ordered to protect the safety of the Princess and General Lu. Now that they have disappeared, I order you to release them immediately."

This was a leader of a wealthy family named Shen. He had been in Nanjing for many years and was familiar with the officials of the Nanjing secondary capital. He had been to Jiang's residence countless times. He immediately rushed out to greet him and bowed to Jiang Chengbin.

"Governor, please calm down. I guarantee with my life and property that I really did not kidnap Lu Xusheng."

Jiang Chengbin also bent down and said with embarrassment,

"Master Shen, let's be frank. We have been friends for so many years, you can't make things difficult for me. Lu Xusheng is not only an imperial envoy, but also the son-in-law of my eldest brother-in-law. If something happens on my territory, how can I explain it to Cheng Mingyu?"

"Well, if you release the person, I promise to find a way to persuade my brother-in-law to go south in person and bring him back alive."

The head of the Shen family complained bitterly.

"Governor Jiang, I really didn't kidnap Lu Xusheng."

Seeing that he refused to change his words, Jiang Chengbin straightened up and looked at him idly.

"You don't have it, what about the people under you?"

The head of the Shen family stopped talking.

Since Lu Xusheng went south, Jiangnan has sent countless assassins to assassinate him.

Could it be that this time it was a lucky success?

As soon as Jiang Chengbin saw his expression, he knew that he had guessed right.

"Master Shen, I will give you a three-day grace period at most. Three days is enough for you to vent your anger. After you have vented your anger, hand the person over so that I can report to the court."

Seeing Jiang Chengbin's sincerity, the head of the Shen family found it difficult to refuse.

"Don't worry, Governor. I will go out of the city and take a look to help you find General Lu."

I was thinking, who hid Lu Xusheng?