At this time, on the border between Yuzhou and Yizhou, Fang Qing led her group to find an inn to stay in.
Fang Qing entered the room and closed the door.
"Little Bean, how are you?"
Don't worry, the person is nearby.
Fang Qing made a praying gesture.
The reason she's here dates back to a few days ago.
At that time, she led these people to Yuzhou, and they were almost at Anxian when Xiaodou told her that something had happened at home.
Fang Qing and her men hurriedly followed Xiao Dou's directions.
"Further south is the southwest region. Why did these people bring my parents here?" Fang Qing asked Xiao Dou.
Don't ask me anymore; these plot points have long since deviated from the system's original settings.
"What about Zhao Shi'an? How is he doing?"
Don't worry, anyone else in this world can get into trouble, but he's absolutely safe.
"I'm asking if his villainous stats are okay."
Yes, things are stable at the moment.
Actually, a big fluctuation happened a couple of days ago. At that time, Fang Qing was focused on following this second place, so it didn't mention it.
Fortunately, Zhao Shi'an's villain rating stabilized quickly.
The Gao family had captured Fang Daniu and his wife, but their purpose was still unknown. Fang Qing dared not make any rash moves and could only wait here.
Fang Qing is now staying in a small town called Nanzhen, a plain area where houses are scattered in a neat and orderly manner.
The inn they stayed at was the only one in town. Right next door on the street stood the most magnificent house in the town, called "Gao House".
This is the Gao family's property. According to Xiaodou's clue, Fang Daniu and his wife are inside.
The next morning, Fang Qing sent people to the house to investigate.
Fang Qing was unaware of what was happening in the capital, but the people from Fengyulou who followed her knew very well.
Therefore, they were extra careful when inquiring about the Gao family's residence.
But things turned out to be even more difficult than they had imagined.
Not to mention the Gao family's house, even the street next door was blocked by people in armor.
It turns out that Gao Wancheng did not flee to Yizhou, but stayed in this small town.
The people at Fengyulou hurriedly wrote a letter to the capital.
The Gao residence is heavily guarded, and rescuing Fang Daniu and Zhao Shi will not be an easy task at the moment. At best, we can only listen to our subordinates and wait for the right opportunity.
Fang Qing wasn't sure what the timing was.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Zhao Shi'an received the message from the other side and hurriedly summoned Uncle Luo.
"You stay here in the capital, I'm going to Yizhou."
Uncle Luo naturally tried to stop him.
"My lord, this is a critical time for things in the capital as well. I'm afraid you cannot leave the capital."
"I'm leaving things in the capital to you."
"How should I explain this to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"Why bother explaining anything to him? We've already arranged things for him to this extent. If he still hesitates, then it's better not to help the Crown Prince at all."
As he spoke, Zhao Shi'an arranged many things for Uncle Luo.
That evening, Zhao Shi'an secretly left the capital with Xiao Liu and Shiqi.
When the Crown Prince received the message, Zhao Shi'an had already left the capital.
Uncle Luo secretly came to the East Palace and reported the matter to the Crown Prince.
"Is Zhao Shi'an trying to back out?"
"I dare not. My master said that the situation in the southwest is much more serious than in the capital. He is worried that Gao Ren might defect in the face of danger, so he has to go there in person."
The crown prince's complexion improved somewhat.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. Our Fengyu Tower has cooperated with General Fanli to thoroughly investigate everyone around you to ensure your safety."
The crown prince gradually calmed down.
"How do you explain what happened with the Gao family? We should have been able to bring them down smoothly, but now they've resorted to desperate measures. What benefits do we expect to gain?"
"This master said that His Majesty's days are numbered, and in case His Majesty really has the idea of passing the throne to Princess Wu'an, he has no choice but to expose the secret relationship between the Gao family and Princess Wu'an."
The Crown Prince also recalled the look of disappointment in the Emperor's eyes when he looked at Princess Wu'an that night.
He even called out his name after a long time and wrote a decree to pass the throne to him.
Indeed, Zhao Shi'an's move was effective.
"Can Zhao Shi'an handle things in the southwest by himself?"
"My master said it's a bit troublesome, but he will help His Highness the Crown Prince stabilize Yizhou."
The crown prince nodded in satisfaction.
"I have arranged for Mian'er to go and assist him. If he encounters any difficulties, please let me know immediately."
Uncle Luo thought to himself, "What's the use of telling you this now? If it weren't for our master, would you, the Crown Prince, be where you are today?"
Uncle Luo respectfully withdrew.
The next day, the Crown Prince came to the Emperor's side and asked for the Emperor's opinion on sending the Eighth Prince to conquer Yizhou.
Because of the Zhong family's situation, the Emperor had complicated feelings towards the Eighth Prince, and the Crown Prince understood his thoughts.
"Father, because of the Gao family's involvement, there's no one in the court we can trust anymore. If we can't send Mian'er to war, then we can only send our third brother..."
Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, the Emperor raised his hand to interrupt him.
The Emperor now distrusts both the Third Prince and Princess Wu'an.
"Let the Eighth Prince go. As for the troop deployment, you can decide that yourself."
"yes."
The crown prince left and happened to run into the chief eunuch who came in to deliver the soup.
"Your Highness."
The crown prince's gaze fell on him.
“Eunuch Fu, you are not young anymore, and you have family outside the palace. Before doing anything, you should think about your family.”
Grandpa Fu lowered his eyes.
"Your Highness is right."
Clearly, they hadn't heeded the Crown Prince's warning.
The crown prince gave him a cold look and walked away.
The next day, the Eighth Prince left the capital with a portion of his troops. He planned to first detour to Jingzhou, borrow troops from the Jingzhou general, and then go to Yuzhou. After that, he would take the Yuzhou troops to Yizhou to capture the remaining members of the Gao family.
The rebellion in the southwest caused widespread panic among the people, which led to soaring food prices. Even worse, some unscrupulous merchants took advantage of the war to inflate food prices and profit from the national crisis.
Such things have happened in every dynasty in the past, but now that we have Qingtian seeds and Dali has sufficient grain reserves, we will naturally not allow such things to harm the people.
Within a few days, the Crown Prince issued an order to all prefectures, stating that any merchants who maliciously hoarded grain and inflated prices would be severely punished.
*
While Mian'er was still gathering troops in Jingzhou, Zhao Shi'an had already arrived at the border between Yizhou and Yuzhou.
The people from Fengyulou have come to meet him.
Nanzhen was already protected by the Gao family's troops, allowing only exit but not entry, so Zhao Shi'an could only secretly enter after dark.
After finishing her meal, Fang Qing went back to her room upstairs.
There were soldiers patrolling the streets outside. Fang Qing stood at the window for a while and then closed it.
For the past few days, she has sent people to check on the Gao residence almost every day, but the response has been the same every day. Finally, two people managed to get into the Gao residence under the guise of delivering vegetables, but two days have passed and there has been no news of them. Fang Qing is starting to worry about their safety.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
