It was said that on that day, after Qi Rong left the Prime Minister's Mansion, he didn't return to the Prince's Mansion directly. Instead, he evaded people's attention and entered a gambling house.
Qi Rong walked familiarly into a secret chamber. At this moment, three people were already waiting there. One of them stepped forward and said,
"My lord, there's definite news from the border. The confidants around General Luo Yuan have all defected and now have joined Chen Chong's camp. The Luo Family Army has been re - split and incorporated into several other camps. It will be very difficult to assemble them again for a while."
In order to weaken the power of the Luo family, the emperor sent General Chen Chong to assist in guarding the border on the pretext that the old Duke Luo was old.
As soon as he took office, Chen Chong, under the banner of the emperor, took drastic measures and broke up the Luo Family Army, the most elite army in the whole country that the Luo family had trained for decades.
With the death of the old Duke Luo, the border generals also saw that the Luo family was on the decline and defected one after another to support Chen Chong.
Moreover, although Luo Yuan was brave, he was straightforward in character and had no far - reaching strategies in military governance.
If things continued like this, the power of the Luo family would surely be devoured clean by Chen Chong!
Qi Rong opened the bamboo tube and looked at the secret letter inside. His black eyes were solemn.
Then, he bent over the desk and wrote quickly. After the ink dried, he rolled up the note, stuffed it into the bamboo tube, and handed it to the black - clothed man.
"Deliver this letter to the second young lady of the Luo family. Urge Uncle to be patient and bide his time. Secretly transfer the remaining Luo Family Army that hasn't been incorporated to Honggu without being discovered!"
The Luo family was small in number. The old Duke Luo had only one son and one daughter. The eldest son was Luo Yuan, and the eldest daughter was Qi Rong's mother, Empress Xiaoyuan.
Luo Yuan had one son and two daughters. The eldest daughter died prematurely. The eldest son, Luo Kai, was as brave in battle as his father, but he was only a reckless warrior. He didn't inherit half of the old duke's steadiness and was even more reckless than his father, Luo Yuan, in handling things.
However, the second daughter of the Luo family, although not very old, was as brave as a man. She could not only fight with her father against the enemy but also had been influenced by the old duke since childhood. She was extremely intelligent and deeply appreciated by the old duke.
Therefore, in the current situation, only the second young lady of the Luo family in the Luo family could come out to take charge and had the means to restrain her father and elder brother.
"Yes, I'll go and do it right away!"
The black - clothed man took the bamboo tube, immediately knelt down, and took his leave.
After resolving one matter, Qi Rong took out an envelope and handed it to one of them.
"You secretly deliver this letter to Lord Han of the Censorate. Tell him that 'the fish has taken the bait and it's time to close the net'."
The Prince of Huai and the Prince of Xiang, these two foxes, even though harboring ambitions, only dared to cause trouble in secret. Their petty tricks couldn't amount to much.
Since that was the case, he would give them a push and force them to come out into the open and rebel!
After the second person left, Qi Rong didn't say a word. He leaned lazily on the chair and closed his eyes to rest. The remaining person also stood silently without daring to disturb him.
After a long time, Qi Rong unfolded a letter written to him by the old Duke Luo before his death. The old duke passed away the next day.
In the letter, the old Duke Luo was full of expectations and reluctance for him in every word. He also mentioned his worries about the future of the Luo family and his prediction of the future situation in the court.
It had to be said that as a veteran of three dynasties, the old Duke Luo had already guessed the dilemma Qi Rong was facing now.
Since the former crown prince was killed, the whole situation had taken a turn for the worse. He had long noticed that Qi Hong would usurp the throne, but he was powerless to stop it. By the time he reacted, it was already a foregone conclusion!
Now, the emperor was jealous of the Luo family. As long as the old duke was alive, the emperor would have trouble sleeping and eating, and Qi Rong would also be persecuted by the emperor again.
So, the old Duke Luo didn't die suddenly. Instead, he chose to commit suicide to protect the Luo family and Qi Rong.
Qi Rong looked up again, his eyes filled with gloom.
Only when he became truly powerful could he be invincible and protect the people he loved deeply.
On the contrary, before his wings were fully grown, he had to be patient and never expose his weaknesses to others!
He poured out a black token from the envelope given by his grandfather. Qi Rong handed the token to the last person and said in a deep voice,
"You take this token and recruit two capable secret guards in the capital. Order them to keep a close eye on Yun Xi, the eldest young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion, at all times and protect her safety."
"If there's any abnormality, report it to this prince immediately!"
Qi Rong's eyes were cold and his face was stern. However, the black - clothed man was stunned when he took the token. Thinking he had misheard, he summoned up his courage and said,
"My lord, is it a bit of an overkill to deploy secret guards just to keep an eye on a woman?"
This Black Feather Token represented all the painstaking efforts of the old Duke Luo in the capital over the past ten years. Among those under its command were peddlers, farmers, shop owners, and even women of the night in the red - light district.
Under these disguises, all of them were capable and extraordinary people, some with excellent martial arts skills. There were only about twenty - odd people like this in the whole capital.
They should have been put to great use, but Qi Rong, without batting an eyelid, asked him to dispatch two well - trained secret guards to protect a woman?
No matter how one thought about it, it seemed a pity!
Ignoring the man's look of pity, Qi Rong's face darkened, and his eyes instantly turned as cold as ice.
"Does this prince need to explain to you what I want to do?"
Facing Qi Rong's menacing and intimidating gaze, the man's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.
"I deserve to die. Please forgive me, my lord!"
Having served his lord for many years, he had already understood that his lord's words were not to be questioned. It was all because he was too shocked just now that he had overstepped the mark!
Looking at his subordinate lying prostrate on the ground with sweat on his forehead, Qi Rong's anger gradually subsided. His cold lips parted slightly.
"Remember, you won't have a next time. Go and do it!"
"Yes!"
The man lowered his head. When he got up, he was already soaked in sweat.
He constantly warned himself to take this as a lesson and never overstep the boundaries in front of his lord again.
This incident also made him realize that the eldest young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion seemed to have a special significance to his lord. He needed to be more careful in dealing with her in the future.
After dealing with several matters, Qi Rong looked through some previous materials, all about the incident of the former crown prince's death.
As far as the public knew, the former crown prince, Qi Xiao, had died in a foreign land of the plague while handling the matter of the disaster - stricken people by the emperor's order. But in fact, he had been assassinated.
It was self - evident who the mastermind behind it was. However, there were many people involved at that time, and almost all of the crown prince's attendants had died. Only one person was missing, and his body hadn't been found.
Since a long time had passed, it was very difficult for Qi Rong to verify the people involved in that year, but he didn't give up.
Doing this was not only to clear the name of the crown prince in the future but also for the final reckoning!
When Qi Rong returned to the Prince of Xian's Mansion, it was almost high noon. Zhan Feng, who had stayed up all night, had already been waiting outside the mansion. Seeing Qi Rong coming back, he immediately greeted him.
"Is he dead?"
Qi Rong glanced at the man hanging on the tree and asked casually.
In front of the prince's mansion, there was already a crowd of onlookers who were eager to watch the excitement. They were pointing at the man's body and whispering. But the moment they saw Qi Rong, their faces changed, and they scattered like birds and beasts.
Qi Rong had a notorious reputation in the capital. His ability to clear the field instantly was simply unparalleled!
"Report to my lord, he's still breathing."
Zhan Feng looked at the people who couldn't be driven away just now but had all disappeared at this moment. He couldn't help but sigh at his lord's prestige.
However, thinking of another thing, Zhan Feng's face immediately became solemn. He whispered beside Qi Rong,
"Just now, Eunuch Liu sent a message. At the morning court today, the Prince of Huai and Lin Hai both accused you in the court. They said they suspected that you had close contact with the border and had the ambition of disloyalty."