At the words "this princess", Lu Tongpan's brain instantly exploded with a buzzing sound. As the Tongpan of Hetian Prefecture, which is closest to the capital, he always pays more attention to the appointment and dismissal of officials in the capital. He knows that there were originally two princesses in the Dashun Dynasty, Qingle and Wuyang, but Qingle was just the daughter of a different Wang family and had been demoted to a commoner. The only legitimate princess was Wuyang. Later, Wuyang was conferred the title of princess, and the position of princess was given to a person who made Dashun feel excited when he mentioned her, and Qianzhou hated her to the bone when he mentioned her, Feng Yuheng.
The girl in front of me calls herself a princess. Looking at her appearance and age, she is a little different from Princess Wuyang, but very similar to Princess Ji'an.
Panist Lu finally realized that he had made a fatal mistake. If this girl was really Princess Ji'an, then how many wolves had he borrowed to have the courage to not only treat her as a maid but also send her to the Dutong Mansion as a concubine?
"I, I don't know." Judge Lu said in a trembling voice, "I didn't know you were a princess. Didn't you say that you were from the home of Right Prime Minister Feng?" After saying this, he realized that he was breathing out more than breathing in. The hand on his neck was like an iron clamp, pinching him so hard that he was almost fainting.
"If my aunt is happy, she could even say she is the emperor's daughter." She pouted, "But my father doesn't have a daughter, so I'm afraid this lie will be easily exposed."
When she called out "father", Pan Lu's heart was completely shattered. Now that Princess Ji'an's identity was confirmed, what hope did he have to survive?
Judge Lu felt a chill in his heart, and even a sense of death spread. But Feng Yuheng ignored him, just turned his head and followed him, saying: "This kind of slavery is really bad. It is understandable to pay people to do production labor for you, but if you can buy the lives of the laborers just because you have money, and decide their marriage and life and death, this is simply too inhumane."
Ban Zou asked her, "So what do you think is good?"
Feng Yuheng said: "Everyone should be an independent individual, free to love, free to marry, free to work, and free in life. No one has the power to control. Even parents are only opinion providers, not the final decision makers."
Such words were unbelievable to Ban Zou, not to mention Lu Tongpan. But the servants around Feng Yuheng were good in this respect. No matter what their master did, they would firmly support him. Even if Feng Yuheng said she wanted to rebel today, Ban Zou would help her to strike the first blow towards Dashun without hesitation.
"Okay." Ban Zou nodded. "Let's give it a try someday when you have the final say in the world."
Feng Yuheng nodded happily, but Judge Lu was so upset that he wanted to commit suicide.
Yes, he wanted to commit suicide. He knew the rules. If he saw something he shouldn't have seen, he would die. If he heard something he shouldn't have heard, he would also die. She just said she wanted to rule the world. What exactly did Princess Ji'an want to do? If he heard this big plan, would there be any way to survive?
As he was thinking, Feng Yuheng finally remembered him again. This time, he loosened his hand and threw him to the ground with a "bang". Then he asked him, "I said we'd make a deal before, but you haven't agreed to it yet. Do you agree or not?"
After a long coughing session, Judge Lu finally managed to catch his breath, but he lay on the ground trembling and did not dare to speak.
Feng Yuheng sat down cross-legged and asked him seriously: "I just want to ask you, what is the birthday gift you brought to Songzhou? If your answer can satisfy me, I will keep you alive."
Judge Lu was startled, and quickly turned the matter over in his mind, then asked uncertainly: "When the princess talks about saving her life, does it mean saving it in this northern border, or..."
"Of course, I will send you back to Dashun to reunite with your family. With this princess here, the Dashun court will not hold your Lu family accountable."
Judge Lu's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again. He said helplessly, "My lord, you are joking. The northern border is so heavily guarded that even a fly can't fly out, let alone a human. If my lord, you have something to say, just tell me. I have no power to resist."
Feng Yuheng shook his head, "You can't force the truth. I can only tell you that I, Feng Yuheng, will definitely be able to get out of the three provinces of the Northern Boundary. I can't stand the Dutong Mansion, so I burned it down. What can Duanmu Anguo do to me? Lord Lu, you are still gambling whether Duanmu Anguo can spare your life, but I can give you a clear chance to live now. It's up to you to choose between the two sides. In addition, I must remind you that Mrs. Lu's matter is always a knot in Duanmu Anguo's heart. The relationship between you two is accurately considered as enemies. Cooperating with him is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger."
Judge Lu sighed inwardly. He knew that what Feng Yuheng said was true, which was why he did not immediately go to Duanmu Anguo. As for why he was still allowed to live here, he thought that something big must have happened in the Dutong Mansion, and now people have not taken care of him.
Finally, he mustered up the courage to look up at Feng Yuheng. This girl had been with him in the carriage for more than two months, but this was the first time he saw such a sharp and shrewd look in her eyes. She was like a stranger, no longer the timid Qian Xi.
Finally, he nodded helplessly, "Okay, I believe the princess."
Feng Yuheng's lips curled up into a smile, which was full of the feeling of conspiracy success, very cruel, but Lu Tongpan had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree. Is cooperating with Duanmu Anguo like courting a tiger? Why does he feel that cooperating with this Princess Ji'an is like courting a wolf?
"I wonder what deal the princess wants?" He lowered his head and asked Feng Yuheng, wondering in his heart what he wanted to trade with the other party. Could it be that?
Just as he was thinking, Feng Yuheng's voice came again. She said, "What I am trading with you is the lives of your entire family, and the thing I want to exchange with you is the birthday gift you brought to the Northern Territory to give to Duanmu Anguo. Although people from the Governor's Mansion came to this inn last night and collected the birthday gifts from each household, you and your wife were not in the inn. I think the thing should still be in the hands of Lord Lu, right?"
Lu Tongpan's heart sank. He had guessed it right. The county lord really wanted that thing. That was his last resort to save his life. He had already thought about it. If Duanmu Anguo wanted to kill him, he would threaten him with that thing and give it to him after he left the northern border. Then he would report to the authorities immediately and ask the Dashun officials to save his life even if he had to risk going to jail.
But now, Feng Yuheng asked for it.
Judge Lu was conflicted again, but he was a straightforward person. He just thought about it for a moment and made a decision immediately. He stood up, asked Feng Yuheng to come over, fumbled in his clothes for a while, and finally took out an envelope. When he turned back to Feng Yuheng, he handed the envelope forward and said, "This is the birthday gift I prepared for Duanmu Anguo. Please take a look, Princess."
Ban Zou took the envelope before Feng Yuheng, and then opened it himself. After taking a look, he handed it to Feng Yuheng and said, "This thing can really win favor with Duanmu Anguo." Then he looked at Lu Tongpan and sneered, "Lu, you are just the Tongpan of Hetian Prefecture, but you have this list in your hand. I really want to know where this thing came from."
That's right, what Lu Tongpan handed over was a list. After Feng Yuheng received the list, he also had the same question as his classmates, "Almost half of the officials in Dashun are on this list, and it's even detailed to the extent of how much silver was received for each case. Sir Lu, where did you get this thing?"
She was almost certain that this thing could not have been collected by Lu Tongpan himself. She only glanced at the list of people, and there were at least thirty people, and their official ranks were marked on them. Many of them were from the third rank and above, and there were even no less than five people who were officials in the imperial court. The amount of bribes was so large that she was shocked. Feng Yuheng knew that if this kind of thing fell into Duanmu Anguo's hands, it would be equivalent to the lifeblood of these high-ranking officials being held in the hands of the Northern Frontier.
Although corrupt officials are no different from parasites, they should be dealt with step by step. It is impossible to eradicate them all at once. That would affect the foundation of the country. Moreover, she has seen the list now. Does Xuan Tianming know about it? Does Emperor Tianwu know about it? I am afraid that even if he knows some of it, he may not know all of it. Emperor Tianwu can turn a blind eye to these people. As long as they have made contributions to Dashun, he can keep them for use temporarily. But the only thing to worry about is that these people will be controlled by Duanmu Anguo. In that case, Dashun will be in danger.
Feng Yuheng took a deep breath and cast his cold gaze at Lu Tongpan again. With just one glance, Lu Tongpan felt cold all over, as if those eyes could see into his bones and make him unable to keep any secrets.
"I said..." His voice was trembling, his calves were shaking, and if Ban Zou hadn't helped him up, he would have almost knelt down again. "I secretly copied this list, and the person who recorded it was Zheng Huaian, the governor of Hetian Prefecture."
Feng Yuheng frowned slightly. As the governor of Hetian Prefecture, a second-rank official, with his status, if he put in some effort, he could indeed investigate and compile such a list of famous units. Although he didn't know why Zheng Huaian made this list, but Lu Tongpan secretly copied it down to send to Duanmu Anguo. It was too good of a bargain for such a traitor to keep him alive.
She sneered in her heart and made a decision quietly, but she remained calm on the surface. She asked Judge Lu: "Besides Madam Lu, who else knows this list?"
Judge Lu quickly shook his head: "No more! At least I haven't shown it to anyone else. As for whether Zheng Huaian has revealed it before, I don't know."
Just as he said this, he heard a sudden commotion in the lobby of the inn. Someone pushed the door open, someone went upstairs, and soon a familiar voice shouted, "Everyone inside, listen up! The banquet of the three provinces in the northern border will be held as scheduled on New Year's Day. The venue is at Lord Duanmu's winter palace. A carriage will come to pick you up. In addition, you will have a moment to change your clothes and gather outside the inn. I will take you to see the fate of those who tried to escape!"
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