"The more than one hundred generals and county princesses of Ninghua Prince's Mansion were all appointed by the old Prince Jin. Most of their official stipends ended up in the hands of Prince Jin's Mansion."
“Those who disobeyed were eliminated by the Prince of Jin under various pretexts. Even the officials sent by the court to investigate could be bribed by them.”
"I have met those two imperial attendants you mentioned."
"It was because he was dissatisfied with the fact that most of his stipends were being withheld, making it difficult for him to make ends meet, that he took the desperate step of filing a complaint, only to be turned around and falsely accused by the old Prince of Jin."
Lu Xingjian frowned, his eyes flashing with coldness: "Eliminate the White Lotus Sect, and they will have nothing to rely on, so they won't be able to cause any trouble."
The original plan was to find their accomplices in Beijing and capture them all in one fell swoop.
Now, because Yan Ge'er and Wan Wan are pregnant, he has to adjust his strategy and first eliminate the White Lotus Sect, this malignant tumor that dares to carry out assassinations and attacks.
The Prince of Jin's residence can be dealt with slowly; the safety of his wife and children must be the top priority.
...
The next day, when they set off, Su Wanwan was surprised to see the rather thick mattress in the carriage.
He Ying was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, the Emperor really cares about you. He even wrapped the wheels in leather to reduce shock, just in case you get jostled."
Su Wanwan replied calmly, "Didn't you see him walking away with Maggie?"
"Your Highness," He Ying advised her with a hint of resentment, "you shouldn't always focus your energy on Ma Ji."
"The Emperor didn't say anything about you adopting a son named Yan Ge'er."
There's a big difference between an adopted son and an illegitimate child.
Since even the Emperor doesn't care, what right do outsiders have to comment?
Su Wanwan's eyes flickered, but she didn't say anything more.
He Ying was somewhat downcast: "Your Majesty, I did not do well before, but I will do my best in the future."
Su Wanwan held He Ying's hand: "What's wrong?"
He Ying's eyes reddened.
"Regarding Yan-ge'er's matter, you could have actually asked me to take care of him back then. I wouldn't have let you down."
Su Wanwan was now at a loss for words.
"Yan Ge'er is a child I adopted in Jinling. I adopted him only to protect myself in old age in case I leave the Duke of Wei's mansion one day and have no one to rely on."
"Of course, the fewer people who know, the better. It's not that I don't trust you, don't be sad, okay?"
Xiao Bin was very thoughtful. He specially went to the charity to adopt a little boy whose eyes and eyebrows resembled Su Wanwan's, and named him Yan Ge'er.
Although it was done discreetly, traces were deliberately left behind, making it verifiable.
They lived on the back side of Yan Ge'er's house.
Every time Su Wanwan secretly went to see Yan Ge'er, she would first go to the courtyard where Yan Ge'er lived, and then go to another house through a secret passage.
This is to prevent people with ulterior motives from spying on Su Wanwan's whereabouts.
Unexpectedly, the people Lu Xingjian sent to Jinling not only found out about Yan Ge'er, but also brought him back.
This could provide a reasonable explanation for the mother and child crying out to each other across the canal.
She never expected that Lu Xingjian would use Ma Ji to send Yan Ge'er over, catching her completely off guard.
Now that Yan Ge'er is being raised by her as her adopted son, Yan Ge'er, who was hidden away by Lu Xingjian, is actually safer.
Su Wanwan felt utterly exhausted.
They really put in a lot of effort to protect Yan Ge'er.
I don't know where Xiao Bin is now or what his situation is.
He Ying nodded solemnly, wiped his eyes, and stuffed a pillow behind Su Wanwan.
"Your Majesty's most pressing concern right now is to take good care of your pregnancy; all other matters should be put on hold."
"Don't worry, I would rather risk my life than betray the girl like that traitor Yan Rong."
Su Wanwan's eyes welled up with tears, and she squeezed He Ying's hand.
Throughout her years in the palace, starting with Diexin, she always maintained a degree of vigilance towards those who served her, leaving herself room for maneuver.
He Ying's confession of loyalty made her feel somewhat ashamed.
At least on that day, when she acted impulsively and eloped, she didn't consider her trusted confidants like Heying.
"Heying, you've reached the age to get married. Have you thought about where you'll settle down?"
He Ying blushed with anxiety. "Your Majesty, you're so short-handed right now, are you really going to kick me out?"
Su Wanwan laughed: "I'm not kicking you out. A girl grows up and can't stay at home forever. You should take your time to find someone suitable and don't limit yourself. I'll make the decision for you when the time comes."
She was an experienced person, and she had seen He Ying's reaction to Liu Qi that day.
They're just so mismatched.
However, if Heying really likes him, she could help the Liu brothers and turn their mismatch into a good match.
Thinking about it this way, an idea suddenly came to her mind.
“I’m short-handed here. You and Zhang Zhong should keep an eye on the Liu brothers and see what kind of character and ability they have, and whether they can be used by me.”
He Ying had clearly already researched the matter, and he spoke with great confidence and clarity.
"Their ability is not a problem. They captured a White Lotus Sect elder and brought him over, receiving a reward of ten thousand taels of silver."
"It is said that the elder was a highly renowned expert in the martial arts world, undefeated, but he was subdued by Liu Qi."
He Ying paused, then asked curiously, "I wonder who would win if Liu Qi and Master Gu were to fight?"
She had witnessed Gu Ziyu's swift and ruthless beating of Xu Pengju, and she had also seen Gu Ziyu's brutal act of dragging the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan along Chang'an Street.
In her view, Gu Ziyu was the epitome of a young man's willful and reckless behavior.
He even tries to freeload a meal when the emperor and empress are eating.
Su Wanwan felt that this comparison was inappropriate.
"Gu Ziyu learned the essentials of military strategy, such as troop deployment. Personal martial arts skills are important, but not the most important."
"As for Liu Qi, he is nothing but a brave man. He can do well in a one-on-one fight or in a situation with a few dozen people, but once it comes to a situation with thousands or tens of thousands of people, no matter how powerful he is, he will hardly be able to play a significant role."
A general who commands an army and a wandering knight who fights in the martial world are not comparable at all.
However, if the wandering knights can be used properly and become a hidden force for her, they are worth utilizing.
He Ying nodded and pointed to a large expanse of farmland outside the carriage, asking, "Your Highness, would you like to acquire some land?"
"I heard that recently a large amount of grain has been docked at Tianjin Port and transported to Beijing along the canal. Grain prices have dropped a lot, and the prices of farmland have also dropped considerably."
"Those martial arts figures who received the bounty immediately went and bought a lot of land, becoming country bumpkins."
Su Wanwan thought of the Xia family estate and the Yixing Grand Princess's estate, and nodded:
"Buy some land, preferably not far from the estates of the Xia family, the Grand Princess of Yixing, and Prince Rong. Buy a few plots of land in each of them, and it's best to keep it a secret."
Despite making the trip to Bazhou, I still haven't figured out the truth behind the fire at the Su family's residence.
Su Wanwan beckoned He Ying over and whispered a few words to her.
He Ying nodded solemnly.
...
Marquis Chen Qiong of Pingjiang waited at an inn not far from Huangcun Post Station with the White Lotus Sect Pure Land Hall Master, who was bound tightly.
He spoke very politely, "Eunuch Zhang, please inform His Majesty."
Zhang Zhong's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant: "Wait for now, the Emperor will see you when he has time."
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