All the An families in Luzhou gathered in the front yard, set up incense and an altar, and respectfully welcomed the imperial edict.
The masters changed into official robes, and the ladies who had been granted imperial edicts wore a phoenix crown and the clothes of women of official rank.
Masters and ladies who had no official positions would put on the most formal attire.
The group of people lowered their heads and looked respectful and solemn.
The envoy announced the imperial decree, promoting the head of the An family to the rank of fifth-rank Tongzhi, in charge of Luzhou's river defense and water conservancy affairs.
The An family received the imperial edict and expressed their gratitude. They invited the envoy into the hall and treated him well.
The messenger politely declined, and then asked the eldest master of the An family to go into the inner room alone, saying that he had something to say to An Tongzhi.
The two men entered the inner room and closed the door tightly. There were officials guarding the door.
The messenger gave An Tongzhi a secret decree, and An Tongzhi knelt down to receive it. After reading it, he said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will do my utmost to complete your trust."
The messenger nodded.
The news of the eldest prince being attacked and missing was quickly reported back to the capital. The emperor and empress were shocked and furious.
Two days later, Shang Xingjian sent a secret letter into the palace through the secret guards, and the emperor and empress learned that the eldest prince had been rescued safely.
Emperor Ning pondered this matter carefully and felt that there was something fishy about it. The assassination had taken place in Luzhou, and the eldest prince had said in a secret letter not to announce his rescue...
I'm afraid there's something seriously wrong with this Luzhou prefect.
Judging from the eldest prince's intention, he wants to use his own strength to find out what is happening in Luzhou.
He wanted to give his son this opportunity to gain experience, and at the same time, he wanted to provide him with protection.
The master of the An family is this guarantee.
The messenger did not stop, and after conveying the secret message, he rode away.
Everyone in the An family felt completely at ease.
————
Su Wanti was worried about her family, so she walked out of the building, found Mrs. An, and asked her to send someone to deliver a message to her family.
He told his family that he still had to prescribe medicine for Mrs. An and would stay at the An family for the next few days, so they didn't have to worry.
But a quarter of an hour later, the An family servant came running back panting, saying, "Miss Su, was the address you gave wrong? No one lives in that house!"
Su Wanti's heart suddenly sank, her eyes turned, and she turned back to the small building in the backyard.
She knew Shang Xingjian was in An Jing's room, so she pushed the door open and went in.
The two people in the room looked up in surprise and met Su Wanti's angry gaze.
"Miss Su, who offended you? If the servants fail to serve you well, I will ask my mother to replace them." An Jing said.
Su Wanti didn't respond to him, but just looked at Shang Xingjian and walked straight to him.
Shang Xingjian saw her reaction and guessed why she came. He said, "Miss Su, are you going to ask about your family?"
"Where did you hide my family?" The woman raised her chin, sparks burning in her eyes, her chest heaving rapidly, and her hands clenched into fists.
Shang Xingjian remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Something happened, so we have no choice but to ask your family to move somewhere else."
"Where did you move to?"
Shang Xingjian shook his head. "I don't know the exact address now, but it's a very safe place anyway."
"You, you are so despicable. You kidnapped my family and threatened me to surrender?" Su Wanti gritted her teeth.
"Huh?" An Jing heard something wrong and widened his eyes.
It turns out that the relationship between the two was not consensual, but that the eldest prince had taken a fancy to Miss Su and forced her to give herself to him?
His eyes widened and he looked at Shang Xingjian in surprise.
My goodness, I never thought that the eldest prince, who always presented himself as a gentleman with good conduct, would actually do such a robbery behind his back...
Facing Su Wanti's questioning, Shang Xingjian remained calm and said slowly, "Your family is in danger, and my people had to act immediately, so I didn't have time to tell you."
"You are the one who is in danger for my family, right?" Su Wanti frowned.
Shang Xingjian said, "I left some people secretly guarding the house, and they discovered that people from the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion had come looking for us. Not only that, my people also discovered that there were several other unidentified people wandering around the house. I'm afraid they are coming for me."
"Whether they are from the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery or those who come after me, they will bring danger to your family. For the safety of your family, I can only transfer them elsewhere."
"Everything you said is true. You didn't lie to me?" Su Wanti frowned.
Shang Xingjian looked calm and sincere, "I have no reason to lie to you. If Miss Su really doesn't want to, I can send someone to send your family back to that house. However, if you do that, your family is likely to be in danger, you see..."
His eyes were gentle as he looked at Su Wanti, as if waiting for her answer.
Su Wanti's eyes flickered slightly, and she clenched her fists and then unclenched them. After a moment, she said coldly, "Then I'll trouble you, sir. I just hope my family is safe. Also, can I see them?"
"When we are safe, you will be able to see your family." Shang Xingjian said in a deep voice.
Su Wanti lowered her eyes, biting her lips with her pearly teeth. She sighed silently, "Okay."
After saying that, she turned and walked out of the room. Her back was thin, but revealed a sense of tenacity, like a blade of grass growing in the wind on a cliff.
An Jing looked at Shang Xingjian with a searching gaze, "Sir, has someone really followed us to the house where we're temporarily staying?"
Shang Xingjian nodded, "Yes, they are all people with great martial arts skills. I asked Changliu to investigate, hoping to find out who their master is."
An Jing just felt a headache, the situation was becoming more and more complicated.
Su Wanti returned to the room, locked the door, then lay on the bed and looked at the information searched by the system.
[Host, it's a good thing you didn't agree to him directly before, otherwise why would he spend so much time on you? Although these thoughts are a bit shameless...]
Su Wanti looked at the system screen and said, "What he said just now is most likely true."
"I left a tool in that house. That tool can scan the whereabouts of people approaching the house."
"An hour after we left, several people came to the vicinity of the house. They have been active outside the house and have not left."
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