With the words "this imperial daughter," magistrate Lu's mind immediately exploded with a "weng" sound. As the magistrate of He Tian Prefecture, which was the closest to the capital, he would always pay a bit of attention to the appointments and removals of officials in the capital. He knew that the Dashun court's imperial daughters originally had Qing Le and Wu Yang, but Qing Le was nothing more than the daughter of a different royal family, and she had already been demoted to a commoner. There was only one proper imperial daughter, Wu Yang. Later on, Wu Yang was conferred the title of princess, and the position of imperial daughter was given to someone that Dashun would feel a surge of emotion when mentioned and someone that Qian Zhou would hate to the bone, Feng Yu Heng.
The girl before him referred to herself as imperial daughter. Looking at her appearance and her age, she was a little different from imperial daughter Wu Yang; however, she was a perfect match for Princess Ji An.
Magistrate Lu finally realized that he had made a fatal mistake. If this girl really was Princess Ji An, how many wolves had he borrowed the courage of not only treating her as a maidservant, but he had also sent her into the palace as a concubine?
"I-I didn't know." Magistrate Lu said with a trembling voice, "I didn't know that you were an imperial daughter. Didn't you say that you were from lord right prime minister Feng's family?" Upon saying this, he realized that he was exhaling more than he was inhaling. The hand around his neck was like an iron clamp, and he was on the verge of fainting.
"If grandaunt is happy, it's possible to say that I am the Emperor's daughter." She smirked, "But father Emperor does not have a daughter. I fear that this lie will be easily exposed."
She had called him father, causing magistrate Lu's heart to become completely cold. With Princess Ji An's identity being confirmed, what hope did he have of surviving?
Magistrate Lu's heart became cold, and a feeling of death began to fill his heart. But Feng Yu Heng did not pay any further attention to him. She just tilted her head and said to Ban Zou: "This sort of slavery system is truly not good. Spending money to hire people to work for you is understandable, but if you rely on your own money, you can even buy the lives of workers. You can decide marriage and life and death, this is truly too inhumane."
Ban Zou asked her: "Then what do you think is good?"
Feng Yu Heng said: "Every person should be an individual. They should have the freedom to love, to marry, to work, and to live their lives. Nobody should have the right to control them. Even if it's their parents, they should only be the ones providing opinions. They should not have the final say."
Let alone magistrate Lu, even Ban Zou felt that these words were inconceivable. However, this was the good thing about Feng Yu Heng's servants. No matter what their master did, they would firmly support her. Even if Feng Yu Heng said that she wanted to rebel today, Ban Zou would still help her deliver the first blow to Dashun without hesitation.
"Alright." Ban Zou nodded, "There will come a day when you have the final say in this world. Let's give it a try."
Feng Yu Heng happily nodded her head. Magistrate Lu already wanted to commit suicide after hearing this.
Yes, he wanted to commit suicide. He understood the rules. If he saw something he shouldn't see, he would die. If he heard something he shouldn't hear, he would also die. Just now, she had said something about having the final say in this world. What exactly did this Princess Ji An want to do? This kind of grand plan had been heard by him. Was there any chance of survival?
Just as he was thinking this, Feng Yu Heng finally remembered him. This time, she let go of him and threw him to the ground with a "peng". She then asked him: "Before, we said that we wanted to make a deal. You still haven't agreed. Do you agree or not?"
Magistrate Lu coughed for a long time before finally catching his breath. However, he lay on the ground and trembled, not daring to speak.
Feng Yu Heng sat down cross-legged and asked him seriously: "I just want to ask you, what is the gift that you brought to Song Zhou? If I'm satisfied with your answer, I'll keep you alive. "
Magistrate Lu was startled. He quickly turned this matter over in his mind. Then he asked with uncertainty: "The life that Princess is talking about, is it in the North, or … …"
"Naturally, it's to send you back to Dashun to reunite with your family. With this Imperial Daughter here, Dashun's court will not pursue your Lu family in any way. "
Magistrate Lu's eyes lit up then dimmed again, helplessly saying: "Imperial Daughter must be joking. The North is tightly guarded. I fear that even a fly would not be able to escape, much less a person. If Imperial Daughter has anything to say, just give the order. This lowly official does not have the ability to resist. "
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, "You will not be able to obtain the truth by force. I will only tell you that the three northern provinces will be handled by me, Feng Yu Heng. I will definitely be able to get it out. That palace, I could not get used to it, so I burned it down. What can Duan Mu An Guo do to me? Lord Lu, you are still gambling on whether or not Duan Mu An Guo can keep you alive. Right now, I can clearly give you a chance to live. How you choose between the two will be up to you. Also, I must remind you that madam Lu's matter is a knot in Duan Mu An Guo's heart. The relationship between the two of you can be considered enemies. Cooperating with him is no different from asking a tiger for its skin. "
Magistrate Lu sighed internally. He knew that what Feng Yu Heng had said was the truth. This was also the reason why he did not immediately go and find Duan Mu An Guo. As for why he was still allowed to live here, he thought that something big must have happened at the palace. Right now, they still could not take care of him.
Finally gathering his courage, he looked up at Feng Yu Heng. This girl had interacted with him in the carriage for over two months, but this was the first time that he had seen such a sharp and astute gaze. It was as though she was looking at a stranger. She was no longer that timid Qian Xi.
Finally, he helplessly nodded, "Alright, I trust Imperial Daughter."
Feng Yu Heng's lips curled into a smile. That smile carried a feeling of having succeeded in a scheme. It was very cruel, but magistrate Lu could only grit his teeth and agree. Was cooperating with Duan Mu An Guo the same as asking a tiger for its skin? Why did he feel that cooperating with this Princess Ji An was like asking a wolf for its heart?
"I wonder what Imperial Daughter wants in exchange?" He lowered his head to ask Feng Yu Heng. He was also guessing internally. What did he want her to exchange for? Could it be that?
Just as he was thinking, Feng Yu Heng's voice came over once more. She said: "The thing that I am using to exchange with you is the lives of your entire family. As for the thing that I want to exchange with you, it is something that you brought to the North and wanted to give to Duan Mu An Guo as a birthday gift. Although there were people from the Commander-In-Chief's Palace who came to the inn last night to collect the gifts from the various families, you and your wife were not in the inn. I think that the item should still be in Lord Lu's hands, right? "
Magistrate Lu's heart went "thunk". He had guessed correctly. Sure enough, this Imperial Daughter wanted that thing. That was his final trump card to save his life. He had already thought it through. If Duan Mu An Guo did not recognize his family and wanted to kill him, he would use that thing as a hostage. After leaving the North, he would hand it over to him and immediately report it to the authorities. Even if he risked going to jail, he would ask the officials of Dashun to save his life.
But now, Feng Yu Heng had spoken up to ask for it.
Magistrate Lu felt conflicted once more, but he was also a straightforward person. This conflict only took a moment for him to come to a decision. He stood up and walked past Feng Yu Heng. Feeling around in his clothes for a while, he finally pulled out an envelope. When he returned to Feng Yu Heng, he handed the envelope forward, saying: "This lowly official prepared this for Duan Mu An Guo's birthday gift. Imperial Daughter, please take a look."
Ban Zou rushed to receive the envelope before Feng Yu Heng could. He then opened it up on his own. After taking a look, he handed it to Feng Yu Heng, saying: "This thing really can get some benefits from Duan Mu An Guo." As he spoke, he looked at magistrate Lu and sneered, saying: "The one surnamed Lu, a lowly magistrate of He Tian Prefecture, yet you have this list of names. I really want to know where exactly this thing came from."
That's right, the thing that magistrate Lu handed over was a list of names. After Feng Yu Heng received the list, she had the same question as Ban Zou, "Nearly half of the officials in Dashun have bribed and taken bribes. It's even detailed down to how much money each person received. Lord Lu, where did you get this?"
She was almost certain that this was definitely not something that magistrate Lu had gathered on his own. She had only glanced over the names on the list, and there were at least 30 people. Their ranks were also indicated, and there were quite a few that were standard third rank or higher. There were even no fewer than five that were officials that could enter the court. The amount of bribes received was so large that it left her tongue-tied. Feng Yu Heng knew that if this sort of thing fell into Duan Mu An Guo's hands, it would be equivalent to the lifelines of these high-ranking officials being held in the North.
Although officials that accepted bribes were no different from vermin, even if they were to be treated, they would be treated one step at a time. It was impossible to get rid of them all at once. That would be a matter that would affect the country's foundation. Moreover, she had seen this list of names. Did Xuan Tianming know about it? Did Emperor Tianwu know about it? Perhaps even if he knew a bit, it was not everything. Emperor Tianwu could turn a blind eye to these people. As long as they had performed meritorious deeds for Dashun, they could be kept for the time being. But what she feared was that these people would be controlled by Duan Mu An Guo. If that happened, Dashun would be in danger.
Feng Yu Heng took a deep breath and turned her cold gaze toward magistrate Lu once more. With just a glance, magistrate Lu felt his entire body turn cold. It was as though those eyes could see into his bones, making it impossible for him to keep any secrets.
"I'll speak … …" His voice trembled, and his legs trembled. If it was not for Ban Zou supporting him, he would have fallen to his knees. "This list of names was secretly copied by me. The person that recorded it was the prefect of He Tian Prefecture, Zheng Huai An."
Feng Yu Heng furrowed her brow slightly. The prefect of He Tian Prefecture was a standard second rank official. Based on his position, if he put in a bit of effort, he would indeed be able to investigate and record such a list of names. Although she did not know what goal Zheng Huai An had in creating this list, magistrate Lu had secretly copied it down to give to Duan Mu An Guo. For this sort of person that would betray his country for glory, leaving him alive would be letting him off too easily.
She sneered internally and made a decision; however, her expression did not change. She then asked magistrate Lu: "Aside from madam Lu, who else knows about this list of names?"
Magistrate Lu quickly shook his head: "No one else! At the very least, this lowly official has not shown it to a third person. As for whether or not Zheng Huai An had leaked it, this lowly official does not know. "
Just as he said this, a commotion suddenly came from the main hall of the inn. Someone forcefully pushed open the door, and someone rushed upstairs. Very quickly, a familiar voice shouted: "Everyone inside, listen up! On the first day of the new year, the hundred family banquet in the three northern provinces will be held as scheduled. The location will be Lord Duan Mu's Winter Palace. When the time comes, a carriage will come to pick you up. Also, I will give you 15 minutes. Immediately change your clothes and gather outside the inn. This general will bring you to see the fates of those that tried to escape! "
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