It had been a long time since there was a war between the Western Rong and the Great Qi.
Back then, after the Su family blocked the Western Rong outside the pass, they suffered setbacks and dared not march southward recklessly anymore. Over the years, there had been occasional frictions between the two sides, but they never escalated to the level of war.
However, the discovery of spies by Su Anhe in Yuheng Pass was another matter. If it was just a minor skirmish like usual, why would they send spies into the pass?
Was the Western Rong about to make a major move?
"Uncle, is this information accurate? Are you really sure those were Western Rong spies?"
Shang Luoshu didn't dare to draw a hasty conclusion. The threat of Shang Mozheng in the capital had not been completely eliminated. If something happened with the Western Rong, they would be caught between two fires. So he had to be extremely cautious with every decision he made!
"I dare not deceive Your Highness,"
Uncle Su of the Su family also knew that this matter was of great significance. He immediately handed the letter that his eldest son had sent back at full gallop into Shang Luoshu's hands.
The man was a bit surprised. After all, Su Yuanliang was just a commoner. Why would Su Anhe inform him of such a confidential matter? Just because he was his father?
Then he thought of the information Fang Qinhu had retrieved some time ago, and he understood a bit more.
Although Su Yuanliang was a commoner, hardly anyone in Longxi dared to offend him. Whether it was the local magistrate or the generals in Yuheng Pass, everyone would humble themselves when they saw him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the local emperor of Longxi.
The reason he was in this position was, on the one hand, due to the foundation the Su family had established in Longxi in the early years, and on the other hand, because of his own abilities.
More than a decade ago, he fled back to Longxi with the idea of revitalizing the Su family. By then, the locals already knew about the tragic death of General Su. They were all indignant and wanted to seek justice for General Su.
Su Yuanliang was extremely calm. The days of fleeing had completely tempered his character. He knew that he was no match for Shang Mozheng at that time, so he personally appeased the common people and then secretly accumulated his strength.
What did the operation of a dynasty need most?
Money!
So he started doing business.
Su Yuanliang was not stupid since childhood. Even though he suffered some small setbacks at the beginning, he still made a fortune later. After having money, the rest of the things were much easier to handle.
He sent grain, military pay, and money to the soldiers in Yuheng Pass and to the local magistrate, helping him get promoted. Then he filled the vacant positions with Su family members.
Now, Longxi was like the most special piece of the regional map. Nominally, it belonged to the Great Qi, but secretly, it already seemed to be under the control of the Su family.
Prime Minister Lu vaguely knew something about Longxi, but he thought his elder brother-in-law just didn't want the Su family to repeat the same mistakes as before. So he still took care of Longxi in court from time to time.
Shang Mozheng knew more than Prime Minister Lu, but he couldn't do anything to Longxi. On the one hand, it was too far from the capital, and it was really difficult for him to reach there. On the other hand, he never took those people in Longxi seriously.
He thought that he would have time to deal with them after he got the throne. He didn't expect that during this period, Su Yuanliang had developed Longxi into a different place.
Shang Luoshu skimmed through the letter in a hurry. His face sank a bit. This matter was really tricky!
"Uncle, please write to Captain Su to be more vigilant inside the pass first. After I make the arrangements, I'll go to Yuheng Pass."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Su Yuanliang was overjoyed and bowed again. This was the reason why he came to see Shang Luoshu.
The fact that Western Rong spies had sneaked into the pass seemed to be a very serious matter no matter how you looked at it. It seemed only a matter of time before the war broke out again. So he thought of Shang Luoshu in the mansion.
After all, Uncle Su of the Su family had heard of this man's great reputation on the battlefield back then.
The people who had driven away the Western Rong back then were either old or disabled. The young people guarding Yuheng Pass, even though they had fought against the Western Rong people, still made Su Yuanliang a bit worried.
So after learning that His Highness the Prince of Jing had recovered from his injury, he rushed here with this letter.
"Uncle, you're welcome. Defending the country has always been the duty of a soldier."
Bending down to help Su Yuanliang up, Shang Luoshu smiled. Uncle Su of the Su family blushed. After all, he had calculated him. Defending Yuheng Pass should have been the responsibility of their Su family...
The capital was still unaware of the Western Rong's small moves.
Shang Luoze, after being admonished by Prime Minister Lu several times, finally gave up the idea of forging evidence to frame Shang Mozheng. In a dynasty, if the emperor could only punish his ministers in this way, then the empire would be close to collapse.
The young emperor had grown up under the shadow of the Regent Prince since childhood. Prime Minister Lu knew that he was obsessed. He probably wouldn't get better until Shang Mozheng was eliminated. So when talking to him on weekdays, his words were much gentler, no longer as formal as before.
"My lord has been working hard these days!"
Seeing Lu Wenhan come back home, Lady Lu immediately motioned for the servant to bring tea. She stepped forward herself to help him take off his outer robe and change out of his court clothes.
"If I can bring peace and prosperity to the world, it doesn't matter if I work a bit harder."
Prime Minister Lu smiled. Even though he knew that Shang Mozheng hadn't completely fallen and they couldn't relax their vigilance, he still felt much more relieved these days.
As if thinking of something, he asked again, "By the way, how is Qianqian?"
Last month, Lu Yinqian, who had married into the Marquis of Yongchang's family, gave birth to a son. The child's full - moon feast would be at the end of the month. Apart from taking care of the family affairs, Lady Lu had been running to the Marquis of Yongchang's family these days.
"Don't worry. Everything for Qianqian has been arranged. You don't know how much the heir loves her."
"That's good!"
The safety of his wife and children and the well - being of the common people were the greatest wishes of a father and a courtier. After this matter was over...
Prime Minister Lu suddenly pulled Lady Lu, who was untying his belt in front of him, into his arms and sighed softly, "After this matter is over, I'll resign from office and go back to Longxi with you."
The Regent Prince's Mansion
It had been a month since Shang Mozheng last went out, but his secret activities never stopped.
"Your Highness, the southern army has assembled and is ready to set off at any time!"
"Very good!"
Shang Mozheng grinned. In the flickering candlelight, he looked a bit sinister.
"Give the order. Set off immediately!"
The next day, the capital, which had been calm for several days, was shattered by the sound of horses' hooves. It was like throwing a stone into a quiet lake. The ripples spread, and there were huge waves under the water.
Lin Siqing, who had disappeared in Yangxian's Lin Temple together with His Highness the Prince of Jing, had actually returned?!
At that time, the morning court had just ended. Shang Luoze was approving memorials in the imperial study when he heard the eunuch announce that Lin Siqing was asking for an audience.
The young emperor didn't hesitate and immediately summoned him.
Lin Zihan had deliberately gone back to change his clothes before daring to enter the palace. Even so, the exhaustion and weariness between his brows couldn't be concealed. But when he thought that he was about to bring the Regent Prince to justice, he felt full of energy.
"Your Majesty, I, Lin Zihan, the Minister of the Court of Judicature, accuse the Regent Prince Shang Mozheng of attempting to murder His Highness the Prince of Jing and subvert the foundation of the Great Qi. Please investigate clearly, Your Majesty!"