“Everyone in the manor has been captured,” Liu An said with difficulty, then added, “Whether there are any who have escaped, we need to check in detail and we will know tomorrow.”
Liu An spoke calmly.
There are only a few places where powerful families reside. As long as things go smoothly outside the city, there shouldn't be any problems. Elder An is extremely capable and there won't be any oversights.
I was initially worried that something might go wrong, but since His Majesty has returned safely, it means there's nothing seriously wrong.
"Send more people to find out the truth as soon as possible. I'll give you three hours," Ji Xuan paused, then continued, "Also, after you've taken the confiscated items, take them back to the national treasury. As for these people... throw them all into the Zhao Prison!"
Upon hearing this, Liu An's eyes narrowed. "This old minister obeys."
The Zhaoyu Prison is a place for serious criminals. It's understandable that scions of noble families go to Zhaoyu, but why are their families and servants not spared as well?
With growing doubts in his heart, he quickly turned his gaze to Jiang Nuan beside him.
Jiang Nuan saw this, secretly made a "don't ask" gesture, and continued to observe calmly.
As expected of a family with centuries of heritage, they have a lot of good stuff.
Boxes of gold, jade of various colors, three-foot-tall coral, and perfectly round pearls...
Each and every item was a priceless treasure, making Jiang Nuan's eyes dazzled.
For a moment, I was so engrossed in watching that I forgot about the important matter at hand.
until……
"Lady Jiang, will you return to the palace with me or go to the residence of the Lady Protector of the Nation?"
Jiang Nuan realized what was happening and immediately replied, "Back to the Lady Protector's Residence."
"Alright," Qi Yong said slowly, his expression softening. "I'll have someone send you there."
"No need to trouble yourself, An San should know the way. You go about your business, I'll go by myself."
"It's fine if Madam Jiang makes the decision. If anything happens, you can come to the palace at any time."
After Qi Yong finished speaking, he handed over the jade pendant that Ji Xuan had indicated he should give away.
Jiang Nuan didn't refuse, nodded, and left with An San.
Seeing this, Liu An instinctively wanted to follow, but stopped when he thought of all the things he had to do.
As soon as Jiang Nuan left, Qi Yong's expression turned cold.
"Does Grand Secretary Liu know what happened to us outside the city?"
"What happened?"
"His Majesty has been assassinated. Qin Chun ordered his men to do it."
Upon hearing this, Liu An was immediately shocked. "How dare he?"
He's just a minor commander, only a third-rank official. He only rose to his current position by relying on the Cui family, yet he dares to be so rebellious.
How is that possible?
“That’s exactly what he did,” Qi Yong said with a cold snort and a grim face. “Qin Chun is in cahoots with the aristocratic families. None of them can be let off the hook!”
“I understand,” Liu An said seriously after realizing that this was Ji Xuan’s intention. “Don’t worry, Eunuch Qi, I know what to do.”
"Don't make decisions on your own regarding the Liu family," Qi Yong cautioned worriedly. "This matter is too complex; let His Majesty decide."
"Everything is up to His Majesty to decide."
Liu An had no intention of showing mercy to the Liu family members.
Having been oppressed and leeched off for over thirty years, he had long wished he could just kill him.
These days, without a good reputation, an official's position is unstable. No matter how unwilling one is, one can only grit one's teeth and endure it.
Now the opportunity has come; it's a perfect time to settle both old and new scores.
However, I never imagined that the Liu family would be involved in the regicide.
Thinking about this, Liu An felt a headache coming on.
Killing the emperor is a crime against the world. If successful, there is still a sliver of hope for survival, but if it fails, not only will the entire family be executed, but all relatives will also be implicated.
Qin Chun is a real menace. If he wanted to die, he could have just slit his own throat. Why did he have to drag so many innocent people into this mess?
And then there's Cui Minghao. Has he lost his mind? Why would he want to kill the Emperor? What benefit would it bring him?
"Hmm!" Qi Yong said coldly, then turned and left.
At the residence of the Lady Protector of the Nation, Jiang Nuan had just returned and hadn't even finished a cup of tea when her two elders rushed over to find her.
"Honey, are you alright?"
“There were indeed some unexpected events,” Jiang Nuan put down her teacup, “but fortunately, we escaped danger.”
"What happened?"
"Someone is plotting a rebellion!"
Upon hearing the word "treason," the old lady's eyelids began to twitch. "Who would dare to be so audacious?"
This was something the old lady, who held the emperor in high esteem, truly couldn't understand.
The emperor is the ruler of the world!
"Is His Majesty alright?" Old Man Huang asked anxiously.
Although I felt there was nothing seriously wrong, I couldn't help but ask.
“It’s alright. His Majesty is neither injured nor frightened. Everything is fine. However,” Jiang Nuan changed the subject, rubbing her temples before speaking, “the capital will not be very peaceful for the time being.”
"What do you mean by 'not peaceful'?" the old lady asked cautiously. "Is someone plotting a rebellion again?"
“No, not at all,” Jiang Nuan said, both amused and exasperated. “Mother, don’t think that rebelling is as simple as fighting. There’s no room for carelessness in it, and the slightest mistake could lead to the extermination of your entire family.”
"That's good," the old lady patted her chest, her face softening as she calmed down before speaking. "I originally thought the capital was where the emperor lived, so it should be the safest and most secure place. Who knew it would be so chaotic here? It's not even as good as the village."
It seems being an emperor isn't so easy.
He appears to be living a glamorous life on the surface, but only he knows the truth.
“Exactly,” the old man complained, “I told you all to behave yourselves and stop causing trouble, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you know how chaotic things are outside.”
“Let’s keep things separate, okay?” The old lady was very dissatisfied with the old man’s complaint. “We shouldn’t go looking for trouble, but we can’t be afraid of trouble either. If trouble comes knocking on our door, we can’t just sit back and give up, can we?”
Upon hearing this, the old man snorted dismissively.
That old woman in his family is always good at pretending.
Now that he looks presentable, he has forgotten who was the one who almost cried from fright just now.
"In short, it's best to stay home these next few days," Jiang Nuan said, having long since grown accustomed to the two elders bickering. "If I'm not mistaken, at least a thousand people will lose their lives."
It was the kind of beheading that happened in public.
"Nearly a thousand people? More than the entire population of Jiangjia Village," the old woman covered her mouth, "So many people are going to die?"
"Um."
“The capital is too terrifying,” the old man couldn’t help but click his tongue. “Girl, let’s find a chance to go home as soon as possible.”
Wouldn't it be better to just live a quiet and peaceful life in the village? You won't have to worry about food or drink, and you can sleep until you naturally wake up.
It's not good outside at all. I haven't had a full night's sleep since I left home.
The old lady hesitated as well.
She wasn't very confident to begin with, and this incident really made her panic.
"Don't panic, this has little to do with us, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"So many people have died, it's bad luck even if it's not related to us," the old woman said, her face very depressed. "Tell me, why did this have to happen out of nowhere?"
I just came to the capital to inquire about the situation, and I ran into such bad luck. It's so unlucky that I'm speechless.
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