"Yes." Xu Yixing couldn't help but despise his father in his heart. He only knew how to flatter others. This time, I am the one who did the most!
Just as his father left, Lu Anyuan came out of the Lizheng Hall, his face flushed. "Let's go, we'll return to Beijing immediately."
"Where's the Second Prince? Where are those rebels? Have they all been left alone?"
"The Queen Mother has ordered Uncle to take charge and clean up the mess here. Everyone else will return to the capital with the team."
Xu Yixing understood that since King Cheng was in charge of the coordination, there was naturally no need for anyone else.
The so-called "returning to Beijing with the team" was nothing more than a disguised form of house arrest and detention. After all, today's incident had not yet been concluded, and everyone on Gushan would be screened one by one to find the real culprit.
"Okay, let's go."
August 15th should have been the day for the moon-viewing party, but those officials who had left the capital in glory yesterday returned to the capital today, looking dusty and dejected.
Fortunately, martial law was imposed on both sides of the street early on, otherwise the people would not know what to think when they saw everyone like this.
Xu Yixing had originally thought he would be sent back to the prince's residence, but unexpectedly, he was taken directly to the palace. In fact, not only him, but all the princes, princesses, and relatives except the second prince were taken to the palace. It seemed that the Queen Mother and the Empress did not believe that others were completely innocent.
"What palace is this? Why have I never been here before?" Xu Yixing collapsed on the unfamiliar couch exhausted, looking around but still had no impression.
Lu Anyuan stepped forward to help her take off her armor and put it aside carefully. It looked heavy.
"This is my mother's Yixiao Pavilion. No one has lived there for a long time. It's amazing that they cleaned it up."
"Oh!" Xu Yixing sat up. Without his armor, he felt much lighter. "Then why don't you arrange for us to stay in Madam Jing's palace? I heard that Madam Jing also has her own palace in the palace."
"Maybe they don't trust us that much yet." Lu Anyuan leaned against Yixing. They had both been up all night and were exhausted. But he also knew that someone would be investigating their whereabouts soon, so he couldn't sleep either.
"So what happened to you yesterday? How did the Second Prince control the Dragon Guards?" Xu Yixing's mind was a mess now. He was even more confused than when he saw the rebels all over the mountain yesterday.
"Well, it's all because of you."
"Bullshit!" Xu Yixing straightened his back and leaned his head against the window sill behind him. "Don't put such a crime that can kill all my clans on me!"
Lu Anyuan smiled and reached out to press her head into his arms. "Really? Do you still remember the idea you gave me before? The one about lying about the gold mine in Qibei?"
Xu Yixing leaned on his chest, and the voices he heard had a buzzing reverberation, which was a bit strange and a bit interesting.
"I remember, so you really made the Second Prince believe that there is a gold mine in his Qibei?" This is easy to say, but extremely difficult to do. The Second Prince is not a fool. He will not believe such a thing unless he finds ten or eight people to confirm it.
"Yes, even before my second brother was driven out of the capital, they had been laying the groundwork. They had people spread rumors about gold ore being dug up, including having the villagers or barbarians 'dig up' gold sand.
Anyway, before my second brother went to Weep North, he had already heard rumors of a possible gold mine there. Of course, given his personality, he would have kept the news secret, and that was exactly what I wanted."
"It seems that you are faster than I thought." It was just an idea he casually came up with during the New Year. In less than two months, the second prince was banished from the capital, and the time left for Lu Anyuan was really limited.
"I have to thank my fifth brother. Over the years, the military and civilians of Southern Xinjiang have become one people. They look at the remote and barbaric land with tears in their eyes. In fact, the common people have relied on my shops throughout the fiefdom for their survival from birth to death. In addition, more than 80% of the officials in the entire Southern Xinjiang have already joined my name.
Sealing off the mountain and transporting stones, fabricating gold mine geology, and the dozens of geological masters invited by his second brother finally confirmed that he was the chosen one. It was a beautiful and carefree life.
This was the first time Lu Anyuan had displayed a kingly aura besides murderous intent in front of Xu Yixing. He spoke so confidently and so frankly, as if he had suddenly transformed from an unknown figure into the manipulator behind the scenes. This was unfamiliar to her, but also fascinating.
Weeping North had been without a ruler for many years. Xu Yixing knew that Lu Anyuan's influence had infiltrated the region, but he hadn't expected that 80% of the officials in Southern Xinjiang had joined Lu Anyuan. As a result, the Second Prince, believing himself to be the king of his own fiefdom, had no idea that someone else had already taken over.
It's no wonder that he was led by Lu Anyuan. Shadow Six and Shadow Seven reported that he sent people to wander around in the mountains, most likely to confirm the location of the gold mine, which was also Lu Anyuan's work.
"But I don't understand. This plan has only been in place for a little over eight months. Unless you're a deity who can turn stone into gold, how could the Second Prince have the guts to rebel without seeing the real deal? And how could the Dragon Guard rebel against the Emperor without receiving any concrete benefits?"
"How could there be no real stuff? In order to make my second brother believe in the gold mine, I lost all my family fortune over the years. As for the gold bars refined from the gold mine that He Bin saw and got, they were all real.
To be honest, it's only been eight months. If it had been any longer, my second brother would have given all my savings away to those bribed people!"
Lu Anyuan spoke lightly, but thinking back on the steps of this plan, he still felt it was too risky. If his second brother hadn't started an army and instead quietly accumulated gold, he would have discovered the gold mine was fake in a few years, and he would have been dragged to death long before that.
"You are really rich and brave." This is Xu Yixing's most sincere and objective evaluation. The person who can implement this plan must be rich, courageous, have countless good helpers, and have the courage to trust people.
For example, if any of those masters raised a little objection, the Second Prince would probably think about it for a long time; for example, the Fifth Prince was obviously helping the Second Prince manage his property, so it was impossible for him not to know about such a big move. If he chose to point it out or accidentally let it slip, it would be a "mishap" that could directly cause Lu Anyuan to suffer a devastating disaster.
"There's nothing I can do. I'm desperate. Look at my second brother's attitude. If he really stays in Weeping North for three to five years and becomes a powerful figure, won't we in Weeping South suffer? The people of Southern Xinjiang already have a harder life than those in other places. They shouldn't become victims of our conflict."
"That's a pretty high-sounding statement. From now on, just tell others about this kind of high-sounding truth. If you're trying to deceive me, forget it!"
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