1036 I would rather die than live, we have a common enemy
During the day, Shandong became extremely lively because of the five merchant ships. The people of Shandong saw that they could buy more things by spending fewer copper coins than usual, and they were as happy as if it were New Year's Day.
When they learned that the Su family's shop would be opened in Shandong in the future and the prices of the goods sold would be the same as now, the people of Shandong had already forgotten about the Lu family. When they mentioned the Lu family, they were full of resentment and cursed the Lu family for eating human flesh and drinking human blood, and that the Lu family had made most of their money from them.
"This is the disadvantage of monopoly. All of Shandong's business is in the hands of the Lu family. In order to accumulate wealth, the Lu family must exploit the people of Shandong." Feng Qingchen smiled when he heard Su Wenqing excitedly talking about the local people's welcome to him.
No matter where the people are from, they all welcome cheap goods into the city. They all want to spend the least money to buy the most things. The Lu family has raised the prices in Shandong to extremely high levels. When Su Wenqing came, he didn't even need to dump the goods. As long as he sold at normal prices, the people of Shandong would quickly accept him.
Feng Qingchen's original plan was to strike the Lu family economically, but she had no power and the Governor of Shandong was too protective of the Lu family, making it impossible for foreign merchants to gain a foothold. She was not wealthy enough to engage in dumping at any cost.
However, she can't do this, but the Ninth Prince and Su Wenqing can. The Ninth Prince has power and Su Wenqing has money. With the two of them together, the economy of Shandong can be controlled by the Ninth Prince, thus strangling the economic lifeline of the Lu family.
Without the means to make money, how long can the Shandong Lu family last? Can the Shandong Lu family still remain undefeated?
This was Feng Qingchen's original plan. Although it was a little slower, it was the safest way. At least the emperor could not openly find fault with the Ninth Prince.
In comparison, the Ninth Prince was much more ruthless than Feng Qingchen. As soon as the Ninth Prince made a move, he intended to beat the Lu family to death with one stick and never give the Lu family any chance to turn things around.
The Ninth Prince brought five hundred personal soldiers and three thousand strong soldiers and attacked directly outside the Lu family.
The Lu family occupies a thousand acres of land, and the streets on both sides are all Lu family houses. Ordinary people would never dare to enter on weekdays. Therefore, even if the Ninth Prince made such a big move, it did not alarm the people in the city.
As for the city’s defense troops?
Without the governor's military token, they dared not act rashly.
The Ninth Prince's troops surrounded the Lu family, but the people inside did not make any movement. The eight generals stepped forward and challenged the Ninth Prince: "Your Majesty, please allow me to go and investigate the situation first."
They still don't know how many private soldiers Lu Yuan has, and they don't know if the three thousand of them can escape safely.
"No need, just hand over my visiting card." It would be best if they could win without fighting, so the Ninth Prince decided to take a gamble.
If that person is really the one in Lu's house, then that person will definitely meet him.
"Your Highness?" The eight generals all disagreed, saying that this was too risky.
"Do as Wang Ben says." No one can change the decision of the Ninth Prince.
The eight generals had no choice but to follow orders. They shot the note written by the Ninth Prince into the Lu family with an arrow and shouted outside: "My master is here to visit. Please meet the owner of Lu Garden."
When saying this, the Eighth General was unhappy. He felt that the Ninth Prince was too polite and there was no one in the world who deserved the Ninth Prince's politeness.
"Wait a moment." A deep voice was heard from Lu Garden, and then the Ninth Prince's visiting card was taken away. The Ninth Prince waited outside patiently.
If the person in Lu Garden is really that person, then that person will definitely meet him, the Ninth Prince can be sure of that.
In Huayuan, after Su Wenqing finished telling what happened during the day, he looked at Feng Qingchen's lazy and comfortable look and asked, "Aren't you worried?"
"What are you worried about?" Feng Qingchen raised his eyebrows.
"Of course I'm worried about the Ninth Uncle. He insisted on leading his troops to Lu Garden today. Aren't you afraid that he will be in danger? You know, we still don't know how many private soldiers there are in Lu Garden." Although they didn't know, they estimated that there were at least tens of thousands of private soldiers in that place. Even with the Black Cavalry, the Ninth Uncle's move was quite risky.
"Since the Ninth Prince has decided to go deep into the tiger's den, it means he is confident. You know, he never does anything without preparation." If the Ninth Prince hadn't mentioned it later, Feng Qingchen would not have known that the Ninth Prince had started preparing for the Lu family's affairs so early.
"Swords have no eyes, and no one can guarantee what will happen on the battlefield." Su Wenqing was quite against the Ninth Prince going into battle personally.
To be honest, the life of the Ninth Prince is more noble than that of all of them. Anyone can die, but the Ninth Prince cannot die. If the Ninth Prince dies, none of them will be able to survive.
"What are you afraid of? I'm just a doctor. As long as the Ninth Prince is still alive, I'm sure I can save him." Feng Qingchen understood the dangers of the battlefield better than anyone else, but so what? She couldn't stop the Ninth Prince from going to the battlefield just because she knew there were dangers. Besides, whether the battle could be fought tonight was still a question.
It was quiet in Lu Garden. A quarter of an hour had passed since the Ninth Prince's visiting card was sent in, but there was no response at all. The eight generals were a little anxious, but seeing that the Ninth Prince looked calm, they dared not say a word. They could only stand beside the Ninth Prince with full vigilance to protect him.
Time passed little by little, and nearly four thousand people gathered outside Lu Garden. Apart from the sounds of breathing and sparks, there was nothing else. Everyone was quietly waiting for the Ninth Prince's orders, and no one dared to show impatience.
Another quarter of an hour later, a response finally came from Lu Garden: "My master said that only the Ninth Prince is invited to enter the garden."
"No." Before the Ninth Prince could say anything, the eight generals all refused.
There was no telling how many experts and elite soldiers there were in Lu Garden. Allowing the Ninth Prince to enter the garden alone would be like sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth.
"That……"
"Okay." The person in Lu Garden had just said a word when he was interrupted by the Ninth Prince.
"Uncle Ninth Prince, you are so brave. My master said that you would definitely come in, and it turned out to be true." The people in the garden praised loudly.
The Ninth Prince was unmoved and dismounted. At the same time, the eight generals also dismounted and knelt at the Ninth Prince's feet: "Your Majesty, it's dangerous."
"Your Highness, think twice. We can attack by force, why take the risk? If it doesn't work, we can wait for the emperor's army to arrive." The eight generals knew that the ninth prince had already collected evidence about Lu Yuan and sent it to the capital, so the emperor should send troops to Shandong to suppress the rebels.
"I know my limits." The Ninth Prince ignored the eight generals' requests and insisted on entering the garden.
Because he knew that there must be that person in the garden, and that person's identity could not be made public, never!
The door of the Lu family creaked open, and it was pitch black inside the door, without a trace of light, just like a ferocious beast with its mouth wide open, dark and terrifying, as if the Ninth Prince would be swallowed up as soon as he entered.
In this atmosphere, the eight generals became even more worried, but the Ninth Prince seemed not to notice anything and walked in step by step. When he reached the threshold, he waved his hand and said, "You leave."
"Your Highness?" The eight generals were about to cry. The atmosphere in Lu Garden was not right. It was too dangerous for the Ninth Prince to go in like this.
"What? You want to disobey my order?" The Ninth Prince's words revealed his dissatisfaction. The eight generals knelt down with a thud: "I dare not."
The Ninth Prince ignored the eight men and walked in. As soon as he stepped in, the door closed, blocking the eight generals outside. No matter how anxious the eight generals were, there was nothing they could do.
The garden was still pitch dark and silent without a sound. Fortunately, the Ninth Prince could see in the dark, and even without anyone to lead the way, he walked steadily to the flower hall.
In the darkness, the Ninth Prince's silver armor was particularly eye-catching, like a shining rake, but no one dared to attack him.
There was no light in the hall either, but the Ninth Prince could sense that there were at least ten people in the room. Their breaths were weak and steady. They were all martial artists, standing in different positions. As soon as he came in, they would block all his escape routes and leave him with no way to retreat with one move.
The Ninth Prince pretended not to know. He stood in the center of the flower hall and said to the main seat, "Third Brother, is this how you treat guests?"
Bang... As soon as the Ninth Prince finished speaking, the room lit up. The dozen or so masters hiding in the dark retreated immediately. There was only an old man sitting in the main seat in the room.
Yes, old man...
His hair is grey, but if you look closely, you will find that he is not that old. At least looking at his face, he does not look like a man in his seventies or eighties.
“Third brother, you…” The moment the Ninth Prince saw that face, he knew that he had made a gamble. However, seeing his nominal third brother become like this, for some reason, the Ninth Prince felt a little sad.
His third brother is less than fifty years old, but his hair is already full of white. He must have had a hard life in recent years.
"Third brother? Are you so sure that I am your third brother?" The Ninth Uncle's third brother, the Third Prince, spoke sarcastically.
"I wasn't sure at first, but after coming in, I was sure." The shock lasted only a moment. The Ninth Prince quickly regained his composure and sat down in the first seat on the left.
The man in front of him was his third brother, so he should be more respectful out of both moral and logical reasons.
"Because I didn't kill you?" The Third Prince said coldly, but there was deep admiration in the depths of his eyes.
His ninth brother is brave and resourceful, and his future is promising.
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "If it weren't for the Third Prince, I would be a dead body right now."
"In that case, how dare you come in?" The Third Prince looked at the Ninth Prince as if he were a madman.
This Lu Garden is in danger at every step. If he wants to kill the Ninth Prince, the Ninth Prince will be dead the moment he enters.
"Third brother, you have invited me so warmly, so how dare I not come?" He dared to take the risk to come in, of course he was prepared. Even if the Third Prince wanted to kill him, it would not be such an easy task.
"A cordial invitation? When did I invite you? Don't be so conceited." The Third Prince turned his face away proudly, the pride of the royal family evident without revealing it.
"Third brother, what you did today is to tell me that the owner of Lu Garden has someone else. Since there is someone else who owns Lu Garden, how can I not come to visit?" The Ninth Uncle didn't care. Everyone in the royal family is proud. He has seen it many times in the emperor and is used to it.
His brothers were all arrogant and conceited, thinking that the world was all under their control, but they didn't know that no one in the world was dumber than anyone else...