Lu Baichuan glanced at him and realized that he was trying to plead poverty.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes and known exactly how much money Liao Yifeng had, he might have really thought that Liao Yifeng was a good official who cared for the country and its people, but was just stuck with money. After all, with all those things that happened, even the most capable person couldn't do anything without the government's funds.
Thinking that it was too early to break ties with him, Lu Baichuan went along with him and said, "Don't worry, we brought disaster relief funds with us this time. We can use them as soon as the main force arrives. We can arrange everything now so that we don't end up in a mess and delay things."
Lu Baichuan was inclined to favor him, but he couldn't be too obvious. On the surface, he had to act in a businesslike manner so as not to arouse suspicion.
Indeed, that was the case. Liao Yifeng was easily swayed by Lu Baichuan's words, and said with a smile, "This humble official understands. Furthermore, I will also have people keeping an eye on Ji Ziqiu. That old rascal, I sensed something was off about him before. If he truly intends to harm His Highness Prince Jing, I will certainly not let him off easily!"
This clearly stated his position, and Lu Baichuan was very satisfied, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Liao."
"Of course."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Liao Yifeng was about to leave to settle the refugees. Before leaving, he told Lu Baichuan that someone would be sent to pick him up that evening, and that he could stay at his residence.
Lu Baichuan naturally wouldn't refuse, and the two of them laughing together made Ji Ziqiu, who was sitting not far away, clench his fists.
Sure enough, the way he treated his wife yesterday is how he's treating me today; they've been in cahoots for a long time.
He had been hesitant about whether or not to expose Liao Yifeng, but now it seemed necessary.
Before leaving that evening, Lu Baichuan spoke a few words to Prince Jing.
"Liao Yifeng's men are on watch tonight, so nothing should happen. My men will be watching from the shadows and will intervene if necessary."
The Empress Dowager Zhao's men have been keeping watch for three nights; they can't keep guarding them forever.
Furthermore, a group of his men arrived last night and have already contacted him. He instructed them to temporarily hide in the shadows and take turns watching Prince Jing to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Prince Jing's trust in him goes without saying. He nodded and then said, "There is something very important that I have been wanting to talk to you about, but I was afraid that something might go wrong, so I am telling you in advance. You must send someone to investigate."
Lu Baichuan guessed what he wanted to say, but still nodded and said, "Go ahead."
“I am in this state because I was framed, as you know. But the reason I was framed is because I suspected that Ji Ziqiu and his group were doing something harmful in secret. Because this mountain is full of man-made caves, and when the earthquake happened, none of the people working in the mountain were able to escape.”
“I wanted to go into the cave to investigate what was going on under the guise of rescuing people, but I was stopped several times. There were still a few people alive down there. Princess Sheng’an couldn’t bear it and wanted to go down to rescue them. Then an earthquake occurred, and I went in with her and we were buried together.”
"That earthquake wasn't a natural disaster, it was man-made, because we could feel the shaking in the cave where we were. After we were buried, it went back to calm."
"After that, although they didn't kill us immediately, they gradually stopped caring about us and tried to starve us to death. If it weren't for the medicine you gave us, the two of us wouldn't have survived until you came."
Prince Jing described the matter as briefly as possible, afraid that Lu Baichuan would be deceived. He wanted to say more, but Lu Baichuan interrupted him: "I know all that you're talking about. I'm already making arrangements. Don't worry."
Although there were no outsiders around, it's always better to be safe than sorry, so Lu Baichuan didn't want to say too much. He decided to wait until they came out to talk.
A simple sentence put Prince Jing and Wu Jiao at ease. Lu Baichuan's abilities were indeed impressive. No wonder he hadn't shown himself for so long; he must have been investigating these matters.
The two were so impressed that they were speechless.
Lu Baichuan went back, and that very night something happened to Prince Jing.
Someone tried to push the stone in the middle of the night, intending to crush Prince Jing and Wu Jiao to death, but was caught red-handed.
Interestingly, this is the person Liao Yifeng left behind.
After being interrogated overnight, the man confessed that it was Liao Yifeng who gave him the task of killing him before successfully rescuing Prince Jing.
Lu Baichuan received the news in the middle of the night, but he wasn't in a hurry. After confirming that Prince Jing was alright, he continued to sleep with his wife in his arms. Liao Yifeng, on the other hand, couldn't sleep at all after hearing the news. He started going crazy in the middle of the night, wanting to come and explain to Lu Baichuan, but was told that the general was sleeping.
His official rank was not as high as Lu Baichuan's, so even if he had something urgent to do, he had to wait for Lu Baichuan's permission to see him. Therefore, he lingered outside the courtyard where Lu Baichuan and the others lived all night.
When Lu Baichuan got up early the next day to leave, Liao Yifeng, with a weathered face from staying up all night, knelt down in front of Lu Baichuan.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Baichuan had just woken up and appeared confused and bewildered. He was even startled by Liao Yifeng's behavior.
"General, something happened to His Highness Prince Jing last night. Someone was arrested; he was one of my men..."
As he spoke, he carefully observed Lu Baichuan's expression, only to find that Lu Baichuan didn't take it seriously at all, saying, "Oh, that matter? I found out last night. I can still tell from such an obvious frame-up, Lord Liao, there's no need to worry."
As he spoke, he personally helped the person up.
Upon hearing this, Liao Yifeng felt as if he had misheard. He had been anxious all night, only to find that his worries had been in vain.
"General, you are wise! This matter has nothing to do with me. I don't know who is framing me like this. I will definitely send someone to investigate and give you an explanation!"
Liao Yifeng was certain that Ji Ziqiu was acting like a mad dog, biting people indiscriminately. He had only been there a short while and had already lost his composure. Who knew what he would do to harm him later? Therefore, Ji Ziqiu had to die, and he had to die quickly.
More importantly, Lu Baichuan trusts him now, so even if Ji Ziqiu were to die, Lu Baichuan would only feel relieved, not suspect him.
Lu Baichuan said politely, "Don't worry, Lord Liao. My wife said that you and your wife are both straightforward people and would not do anything to harm others. This matter is definitely caused by a villain behind the scenes, who is trying to frame you. I will not listen to slander! I will go and see how His Highness is doing. Lord Liao, please continue with your work."
With that, he took the lead, mounted his horse, and rode away.
His effortless and decisive manner left no room for doubt.
Liao Yifeng realized that Lu Baichuan was henpecked. He trusted the couple so much just because of a few words from Jiang Jiuniang. It seemed that he would have to work harder on Jiang Jiuniang in the future.
And Jiang Jiuniang is greedy for money, so isn't it easy to cater to her tastes?
Liao Yifeng had a gut feeling that this was a sure thing!
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