After figuring these things out, Liao Yifeng went mad.
Yes, he's gone mad. He's started yelling and screaming again, even tearing at his own hair. He won't listen to anything Ji Ziqiu says; he just keeps going crazy.
The other prisoners couldn't sleep because of the noise, but no one said anything, since those locked up here were all his former subordinates.
They haven't completely fallen out yet; they're still waiting for Liao Yifeng's men to come and rescue him, and then take them along as well.
Having followed Liao Yifeng for so many years, they knew he wasn't so easy to deal with. He had left himself many escape routes; as long as one of them succeeded, they could all survive.
Only Ji Ziqiu knew that it wouldn't succeed.
Not only will they all die, but even the official in the capital who has been covering for them will be dragged down and will not escape.
In the following days, there were almost daily attempts to break into Lu Baichuan's family of three and assassinate them. Gou'er was the most closely watched, and several times the target was Gou'er.
Jiang Jiuniang has been sleeping a lot lately, and she gets particularly irritable when she doesn't get enough sleep. So she sent Lu Baichuan to sleep with her son, so that he could protect her son and not disturb her sleep.
Lu Baichuan readily agreed, saying that nothing mattered more than his wife sleeping.
Fortunately, being assassinated every day wasn't without its benefits; quite a few people were caught, and the interrogations yielded positive results, leading to the capture of even more individuals.
With the matter mostly settled, Lu Baichuan began recruiting workers to continue mining in the mountains, paying them two coins more than the market price. He also wrote an agreement that if anyone was injured or died in the process, they would receive corresponding compensation.
Mining is inherently dangerous and prone to accidents; this is unavoidable.
Even so, the people still flocked to him. They believed that Lu Baichuan could keep his word and would definitely pay the promised wages. Moreover, Jiang Jiuniang had been treating them for a while and they had built a certain friendship. Furthermore, Liao Yifeng and the others had been arrested, and the people's lives could finally be better. Everyone was full of energy.
Lu Baichuan originally wanted to hand over all these matters to Prince Jing and then continue his journey with his family of three, but Prince Jing refused, saying that he couldn't do it well by himself and that he had to wait for the official sent by the court to take over before he could leave.
Jiang Jiuniang then said, "Alright, let's see if the people who came this time are reliable, so that the people don't fall into the abyss after just escaping from the sea of suffering."
Prince Jing nodded frantically beside him: "That's right, that's right!"
Since his wife had agreed, Lu Baichuan naturally wouldn't refuse. In the days that followed, he began to assist Prince Jing in investigating those matters and then report the findings to the emperor. As for how the emperor would handle it, that was his business.
What's intriguing is who the emperor sent to manage the southwest region this time. After all, it's a huge mess, a tough job. Doing it well is expected, but doing it poorly will likely result in being heavily criticized by the censors.
Lu Baichuan originally wanted to send someone to investigate and make preparations in advance, but he couldn't find anything. The information was intercepted by the emperor's people, and he was told not to worry, they would know when the person arrived.
Everyone waited with curiosity, and finally, on a sunny afternoon, a convoy arrived.
To save face for everyone, Prince Jing and Lu Baichuan personally went to greet them.
Then they saw a head pop out of the car, looking around, and then, upon seeing them, excitedly and frantically waved.
Neither of them expected that the visitor would be an old friend. They exchanged a glance and smiled.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jing and General. We apologize for keeping you waiting!"
Mr. Kang jumped out of the car first. Just as he was about to turn around and help his wife, Chen Feier, out of the car, he saw that his wife had already jumped out first and bowed to Lu Baichuan and Prince Jing before him.
The two returned the greeting politely, and Lu Baichuan said, "Jiu'er would be very happy if she knew that Madam Kang was coming!"
"I've been thinking about her for a long time. I even brought a lot of things that Aunt Lu gave you this time. I'll take them to Sister Jiu Niang in a bit!"
Chen Feier has a straightforward and lively personality, so she doesn't stand on ceremony with them.
Knowing they had something to say, Chen Feier went to find Jiang Jiuniang first, leaving the three men alone to walk into the city and talk.
"So what if you're coming? Why all the secrecy? I thought you were some mortal enemy!"
"Hahaha," Mr. Kang laughed heartily, "wasn't this just to give you a surprise?"
"How did you come up with that idea, sir?"
You know, officials in the capital are naturally better than those anywhere else, and Mr. Kang is a favorite of the emperor, his mouth double. I don't know how the emperor was willing to let him come.
Mr. Kang smiled and said, "Seeing you all running off to the outside world, I also want to gain some experience, feel the suffering of the people, and do something for them. So I beg Your Majesty to give me the opportunity to be sent out for training for three to five years before returning. After that, I will be able to better understand what the people really want and how to truly do what is best for them."
A truly good official must have personally interacted with the people, understood their thoughts, and worked towards their aspirations, rather than simply standing in the court and talking about what he thinks is good. That would be nothing more than empty talk and meaningless.
He wasn't a talkative person by nature, nor was he an aggressive or wicked person. The reason he was called "Kang the Iron-Tongued" was because he spoke up for the Lu family.
Now that Lu Baichuan has temporarily withdrawn from the court, there's no need for him to stay and argue with people every day. It would be better for him to do more practical things for the people.
"admire."
Lu Baichuan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, expressing his deepest admiration for Mr. Kang.
Over the years, I have received Mr. Kang's help, and I have been able to ask for many things without having to ask. He has always kept this kindness in his heart.
Prince Jing also thought that Mr. Kang was quite impressive, but he still kindly reminded him: "Don't blame me for scaring you, the southwest region is very complicated. If you become the military governor, you may not be able to get a good night's sleep. It's not too late to regret it now!"
Because the surrounding prefectures are all under the jurisdiction of the military governor, there are too many people, and things have become very complicated. What they have caught so far is only a minority. As a scholar, Mr. Kang is afraid that he will find it difficult to contend with these forces.
Mr. Kang smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I understand all of this. His Majesty has sent many experts to me, and we will be visiting Madam Lu soon. I believe my wife and I will be able to survive safely in this southwestern region."
Prince Jing paused for a moment. "You're going to find Jiang Jiuniang? Then it's alright. Putting everything else aside, she really won't die."
The two chatted and laughed as they went to the governor's mansion, which was formerly the Liao family's residence, but would later become the residence of Mr. Kang and his wife.
Mr. Kang's arrival put Lu Baichuan's mind at ease. Knowing that Mr. Kang would treat the people of the Southwest region well, he could travel far away with peace of mind.
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