Upon hearing this, Liu An was overjoyed.
Just as he was about to express his gratitude for the Empress's wisdom, Chen Qingwan continued:
"The monthly tax revenue of Lu Yanshan Southern Prefecture will be increased by 30%!"
Liu An was dumbfounded.
What?
That's it?
The other ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
What kind of punishment is this? Increased taxes?
Isn't this punishment a bit too lenient?
Chen Qingwan chuckled inwardly as she looked at the astonished expressions on everyone's faces.
We'll fine you, you scoundrel, more taxes, and see if you dare to be so arrogant again!
All the money you've earned from me must be returned to me!
Liu An's face turned ashen, but he dared not say a word and could only kowtow to express his gratitude.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."
Liu An and the others slunk out of the main hall, their faces looking worse than if they had eaten shit.
"Your Excellency, this..."
An official asked cautiously.
Liu An glared at him fiercely.
"Shut up! Go back to the manor!"
...
Shannan Mansion.
After receiving the message from the cheetah via carrier pigeon, Lu Yan couldn't help but frown.
With martial law declared in Beijing, is it impossible to leave?
It seems things are more complicated than he imagined.
"Sir, what's wrong?"
Seeing that Lu Yan's expression was off, Li Kui quickly asked.
Lu Yan handed the letter to Li Kui.
"Martial law has been declared in the capital, so Cheetah and his men can't get out."
After reading the letter, Li Kui also looked worried.
"What should we do?"
Lu Yan pondered for a moment, then a wicked smile appeared on his lips.
"They can't get out? Then let them stay in the capital forever."
Li Kui was taken aback.
"What you mean, sir..."
His eyes lit up, and an idea came to him.
"Xiao Kui, grind the ink!"
Li Kui dared not delay and quickly ground ink and laid out paper.
Lu Yan picked up his pen and quickly wrote a reply, which contained only a few words.
Yet it reveals an unquestionable decisiveness.
After finishing writing, he handed the letter to Li Kui.
"Send someone to deliver this letter immediately, and make sure to hand it to the cheetah personally."
Li Kui took the letter and glanced at it.
Despite his doubts, he respectfully accepted the order and left.
Lu Yan watched Li Kui's departing figure, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Liu An, Liu An, do you think you can trap me by sealing off the capital?"
"My people can come and go as they please. What can you do about it?"
In the letter, Lu Yan did not allow Cheetah and the others to force a breakout.
Instead, they were instructed to hide temporarily in the capital.
Observe the situation and prepare for any eventuality.
The capital city was the center of power of the Great Tong Dynasty.
Placing one's own people there is like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth—extremely dangerous.
But it is also full of infinite possibilities.
Lu Yan liked this feeling of being in control of everything.
Especially those who think they have everything under control.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, Night Owl and Princess Bright Moon appeared at the doorway.
Princess Mingyue's face still showed a hint of shock.
His clothes were also slightly disheveled, clearly indicating that he had gone through some ups and downs.
"Lord Lu!"
Upon seeing Lu Yan, Princess Mingyue immediately rushed over, tears welling in her eyes.
"Thank you so much, Lord Lu, for saving my life!"
Looking at Princess Mingyue, whose face was streaked with tears, Lu Yan couldn't help but find it amusing.
This little girl is such a troublemaker, always getting into trouble.
If it weren't for the fact that she was the King of Beixiang, he wouldn't have bothered with her at all.
However, the little girl's tearful appearance...
She is... quite cute.
He reached out and gently patted Princess Mingyue's shoulder, saying in a seemingly casual tone:
"It's nothing, just a minor incident. Be more careful next time, so you don't get caught again."
Princess Mingyue raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, and looked at Lu Yan, choking back sobs:
"Lord Lu, I am so grateful to you for sending Night Owl to rescue me this time, otherwise... otherwise..."
Lu Yan waved his hand, interrupting her.
"Alright, alright, stop crying. Anyone who doesn't know better will think I'm bullying you."
"Night Owl, you tell me, what exactly happened?"
Night Owl stepped forward and gave a detailed account of what had happened.
It turns out that Liu An was willing to harm Princess Mingyue in order to deal with Lu Yan.
She was abducted from Shannan Prefecture and imprisoned in a secret mansion in the capital.
They were trying to use this to blackmail Lu Yan.
Fortunately, Night Owl arrived in time and rescued Princess Mingyue.
After Night Owl finished his report, he coughed lightly.
He walked up to Princess Mingyue and said, feigning seriousness:
"Your Highness, you'd better learn your lesson this time."
"That old fox Liu An is no pushover."
"If you run off again next time, I can't guarantee I'll be able to save you in time."
Princess Mingyue sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Lu Yan:
"Lord Lu, I know I was wrong."
"I will never dare to do it again... I will never dare to do it again."
As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed Lu Yan's arm and rubbed her head against his arm.
"Lord Lu, you are so kind."
Lu Yan froze. This little girl was really... audacious.
He subtly withdrew his arm and gave a dry laugh:
"Your Highness, men and women should not touch each other. Please... have some self-respect."
Princess Mingyue blushed, quickly released her hand, and whispered with her head down:
"I'm sorry, Lord Lu, I... I was too excited."
Princess Mingyue sniffed and added:
"Liu An even forced me to write a letter to my father, saying... saying that Lord Lu..."
"You have humiliated me and are trying to start a war between our two countries..."
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