The dog nestled close to Jiang Jiuniang and whispered, "Mother, what about Father?"
He was worried that his father would be at a disadvantage because there were so many of them on the other side.
"It's alright, they won't dare to do anything openly."
Jiang Jiuniang was still quite at ease, otherwise she wouldn't have gone directly into the city.
She and the dog were at the prefect's house; they wouldn't dare do anything to him.
The dog nodded, but was still a little uneasy and wanted to join in the fun.
Jiang Jiuniang, however, wouldn't let him go, saying, "You've been working hard lately, get some sleep, your father will be back later."
"All right."
The dog responded and then fell silent, sitting obediently beside Jiang Jiuniang as they went to the prefect's house.
The prefect's family was quite good, but it was still far inferior to the military governor's family.
The southwest region has always been poor, and this time it has been hit by a natural disaster, making it difficult for many families to survive. They make no attempt to hide it and even set up such a luxurious place, clearly thinking that the emperor is far away and they are not afraid of being investigated.
"My humble abode is simple and unadorned; please do not mind, Madam."
Hou led the way with a smile, appearing very gentle and easy to get along with, while Jiang Jiuniang kept a sullen face and looked difficult to get along with.
"To have such a mansion in this place, and yet you say it's simple, is truly too modest."
Upon hearing this, Madam Hou's smile only widened: "Madam, you flatter me. My family runs a small business, which is why we are able to offer some assistance."
That was a clever remark, instantly absolving Ji Ziqiu of any blame.
Jiang Jiuniang rarely smiled, looking as if she had just realized how it was.
Hou's vigilance gradually subsided; she had thought Jiang Jiuniang would be difficult to deal with, but now it seemed there was no problem at all.
When they arrived at the courtyard that had been arranged for them, it was clear that it had been prepared in advance, with everything being very thoughtful. Several maids had also been assigned to serve them.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't try to keep her, saying she was a little tired, so Hou Shi left on her own.
The mother and son took separate showers and then went back to their respective rooms to sleep.
The dog originally thought it wouldn't be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, it fell asleep shortly after lying down.
Ji Ziqiu only found out that Lu Baichuan was there when he arrived, and that he had even kidnapped all of Lu Baichuan's men, waiting for him to demand an explanation.
"General, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
He stepped forward with a mournful face, his heart pounding with panic. It was bad enough that Consort Zhao's people had come, but now Lu Baichuan had also arrived.
Not only did he come, but he also happened to see his men about to make a move. How can I explain this?
"Her Majesty the Dowager has sent people to order me to rescue Prince Jing immediately, but the mountain's terrain is complex, and we dare not move it recklessly. As I mentioned before, otherwise I would never have allowed Prince Jing to suffer for so long..."
Lu Baichuan said directly, "I've never seen anyone move a stone starting from the middle. In just this short time, how many injuries has Prince Jing suffered? Don't you know?"
Ji Ziqiu's expression stiffened. He glanced at the several people tied up beside him, then angrily stepped forward and slapped them several times.
"You insolent fools! I ordered you to rescue him, and this is how you do it? You've injured His Highness Prince Jing, and all of your heads combined wouldn't be enough to cover your losses!"
The group was taken aback, realizing that Ji Ziqiu wanted them to talk back.
This group of people had followed Ji Ziqiu for many years and helped him do many immoral things. They knew that this day would come, but they didn't expect it to be so soon.
They wanted Ji Ziqiu to save them, but they knew it was impossible. Their family's lives were all in Ji Ziqiu's hands, and they had no right to ask Ji Ziqiu for anything.
"My lord, we are innocent! The stone was a bit loose, and we were just worried, so we tried to help it up. We didn't expect the general to see us like that. We are all innocent!"
Even so, they still wanted to fight for a chance to survive.
Ji Ziqiu was surprised by their response and instead held them in higher regard; he hadn't even considered this excuse.
"General, you see, this is truly a misunderstanding..."
"They misunderstood and thought they would attack me knowing my identity?"
Lu Baichuan snorted coldly and continued with a cold face: "Enough nonsense, take them all back. Murdering members of the royal family is a serious crime, and I, the general, will interrogate them personally!"
He seemed unwilling to pursue Ji Ziqiu's issues, focusing all his attention on those few people.
Ji Ziqiu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt agitated.
He wasn't worried at all that these people would betray him, since their lives were in his hands.
The problem now is how to kill Prince Jing without anyone noticing. If we actually rescue him, he will definitely say that we didn't take good care of him, and the secret in the mountains will also be exposed. It's really worrying.
"Yes, yes, yes, I will certainly make the arrangements. General, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you come back with me and have something to eat first..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Baichuan sat down on the ground, refusing to get up.
"General, what is this...?"
"Someone is trying to harm Prince Jing. I will stay here and guard him. Let's see who dares to make a move."
Lu Baichuan had a fierce look on his face, appearing as if he was not to be trifled with.
Ji Ziqiu thought to himself that Lu Baichuan and Jiang Jiuniang were indeed a couple, their attitudes were exactly the same.
With a smile still on his face, he stepped forward and said, "General, you are too kind. No one here wants to harm Prince Jing. I assure you, Prince Jing will be safe. Let's sit down and discuss how to rescue Prince Jing and Princess Sheng'an after we finish eating, shall we?"
Lu Baichuan turned his head to one side and ignored him completely.
Ji Ziqiu continued to try to persuade Lu Baichuan, but Lu Baichuan simply wouldn't leave.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves approached, indicating that someone was coming.
Ji Ziqiu looked up and saw the group of people sent by Consort Zhao.
Weren't those people asleep? Why are they here again?
This is already chaotic enough, why add to the chaos?
Ji Ziqiu felt like his head was about to explode.
Those people recognized Lu Baichuan and were quite pleased that he had arrived so quickly. They stepped forward to greet him and asked, "General, why are you sitting here? Weren't those people here to rescue His Highness? Why are they all tied up?"
Lu Baichuan didn't want to say more, so Ji Ziqiu, who was standing next to him, could only bite the bullet and explain that whatever he said was a misunderstanding.
Among the group was a hot-tempered man named Geng Qing. Upon hearing this, he stepped forward without saying a word, grabbed Ji Ziqiu by the collar, and said fiercely, "I told you to rescue His Highness, but you secretly tried to harm him. Are you tired of living?"
"Misunderstand……"
"Fuck your misunderstanding!"
Ji Ziqiu had barely opened his mouth when he was punched in the face and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time. When he finally managed to get up, he found that his face was crooked.
"Ji Ziqiu, I gave you one hour to find people to rescue them, and you only brought this few? Who are you trying to fool? Get out!"
Geng Qing was a relative of Consort Zhao's maternal family. Although he didn't hold a high official position, he was at least acting on Consort Zhao's orders. He was now taking advantage of her power and was enjoying himself immensely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com