"Why would I ask you to go through fire and water? I just want you to answer my questions; the rest depends on my mood." Zhao Shu walked forward slowly with her hands behind her back.
Zhen Qizhong followed excitedly behind. Even though he didn't believe Zhao Shu would release the person, his feelings wouldn't allow him to miss any opportunity.
"What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything."
Zhao Shu glanced back at him and noticed that he looked anxious and his complexion was much worse than before. He was already weak, and now he looked even more haggard.
"No rush, let's find a place to sit first." Zhao Shu headed straight for Yipinju.
Upon arriving at Yipinju, she requested a private room and ordered a pot of tea. She slowly sat down in a chair. The window was open, and several clusters of begonias outside were in full bloom.
"Where would the princess like to begin listening?" Zhen Qizhong asked.
Zhao Shu was skeptical that he would compromise so quickly, but she had basic discernment and wasn't afraid of him playing tricks.
"Sit down, let's start from the day you met Jiecao."
Zhen Qizhong didn't stand on ceremony and sat down as instructed. Then she began to reminisce. In fact, he had a very distinctive appearance. Although he wasn't stunningly beautiful, he had a kind of temperament that made people feel sorry for him.
If you observe him quietly, those with weak willpower will be overcome with tenderness and pity, while those with a stronger personality will easily feel a sense of conquest from him.
"My grandfather was a musician in the previous dynasty. Emperor Dao was incompetent, and Emperor Taizu raised an army and entered the capital. My grandfather then took his family and left the capital. Later, many local lords refused to submit to Emperor Taizu and declared themselves kings. My grandfather and his clansmen had just arrived in Jiangnan when the Lu family of Jiangnan began recruiting soldiers..."
"My grandfather was also conscripted into the Lu family army. Because he was literate and had come from the palace, he had read military strategy and was appointed as one of the military advisors. When Emperor Taizu led his troops south, the Lu family army was routed. Emperor Taizu did not massacre the entire Lu family and issued an edict to recruit them. However, most of the generals and subordinates of the Lu family army were executed along with their entire families."
Hearing this, Zhao Shu greatly admired Emperor Taizu. He only killed his subordinates and not the masterminds. Even the rebel forces must have been terrified.
“My grandfather was one of them. My father was my grandfather’s illegitimate son. He was raised in a concubine’s house and was not recorded in the family genealogy, which is why he escaped this calamity.”
"But many officials, eager to curry favor, conducted a thorough search, and my father was eventually found. Fortunately, a girl from the Lu family saved him." He spoke slowly, and although he had not experienced that period of history, just hearing his elders talk about it made his heart turn to ice.
It turns out that Emperor Taizu could be so ruthless. He executed all nine generations of the Lu family's retainers. It's estimated that a third of the people in Jiangnan would die.
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