Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

Wei Xingming burst into tears and choked with sobs. She had never foreseen the pain of her family's decline in fortune, let alone thought it would be like this today.

"Thank you for your rescue, my Lord. If not for this, my fate would be disastrous."

Wei Xingming was moved to tears.

Xiao Zhixue handed her a thousand-liang silver note with a firm look in her eyes: "Don't mention the past. This is the last thing I can do for you. When you arrive in Jingzhou, you will get a new identity and start over. Forget the past and look forward."

Wei Xingming nodded with tears in his eyes, feeling extremely grateful: "I will never forget the princess's kindness. If there is an afterlife, I will repay her by working like a cow or a horse."

Xiao Zhixue pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile: "Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? There is no need to thank each other between friends. Let's set off quickly and don't delay the trip."

Wei Xingming expressed his gratitude again and got on the carriage.

Xiao Zhixue watched the carriage go away, then her face darkened and she gave a clear order to her followers: "Deal with the remnants of the Northeast, leaving no one behind, and make sure it's done cleanly and efficiently. Do you understand?"

The coldness in his tone was completely different from the gentleness just now.

Qingming looked solemn, his hands folded respectfully in front of his chest, and responded in a firm tone: "My lord, rest assured. I swear that I will not let any villain escape the law."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qingming waved his hand, and everyone under his command followed him as quickly as an arrow.

Before leaving, he turned around and bowed deeply to Xiao Zhixue, his eyes full of loyalty: "Princess, please take care. I will do my best to find out the details of the other party."

Xiao Zhixue nodded slightly, her brows full of trust in her subordinates: "Well, be careful along the way and find out the whole story. Go, Fu Dong and the others are here to protect me, I will be fine."

Soon, Xiao Zhixue's carriage, under the strict protection of Fu Dong, Liu Yi and others, passed through the bustling crowd and drove smoothly into the prosperous streets of the capital. People along the way cast curious or admiring glances at her.

At the same time, Fan Yanmu received news that someone had ill intentions and wanted to follow Xiao Zhixue. Upon hearing that Qingming had been properly dealt with, his inner anxiety was slightly relieved. He looked out the window with a far-reaching gaze, with complex emotions intertwined.

In the northwest corner of the capital, in an inconspicuous, dilapidated house, the sound of angry rebukes was deafening: "Good-for-nothings! A bunch of good-for-nothings! The owner of the manor spent a lot of money to support you, just to get such a result?"

In the room, a man in a black brocade robe had his eyes wide open. His subordinates around him were silent and lowered their heads, not daring to meet his fiery gaze.

One of them reluctantly stepped forward and tried to defend himself: "Manager Qian, it's not that we didn't try our best, it's just that Princess Changle is too powerful, and the people around her are all superb in martial arts, and it's hard to match them."

Manager Qian is well aware of Princess Changle's strength, not to mention that the brothers behind her are no ordinary people.

A few months ago, the Wei family had intended to recruit these experts to help King Huai plan something big.

At that time, they thought they only needed to target a few people from the Xiao family, but they did not expect that the Xiao family was so smart, capable, wise and brave. In the end, the Wei family was completely defeated, and some of them died or became prisoners.

As May was coming to an end, the case of Prince Huai's treason came to an end, implicated many court officials and led to the fall of their posts. Suddenly, the court was short of talent. Emperor Kang Zhong had no choice but to select talented people from local bureaucrats and recall them to the capital to fill the vacancies. He also announced that a special spring examination would be held in the capital in February of the next year to recruit talented people.

This news spread like wildfire, and scholars from all over the country were eager to make the move. Those who were far away were even more eager to prepare for their trip to Beijing, for fear of missing out on this rare opportunity to advance themselves.

On the other hand, Xiao Zhixue's body became heavier day by day. The fetus in her belly was more than nine months old. According to Doctor Wang, she would give birth around the end of June.

Xiao Wang has also recovered and returned to his post. Emperor Kang Zhong personally authorized him to lead 50,000 troops to garrison outside the capital to ensure the safety of the capital.

Due to his outstanding achievements, Fan Yanmu was ordered to take charge of all defense affairs of the imperial palace, and his deputy was the crown prince Fan Zikun, which was undoubtedly a great honor.

What was even more surprising was that Emperor Kangzhong actually issued an imperial decree, announcing that he would abdicate the throne to Crown Prince Fan Dening at the end of the year, and that he would retire to the palace with the empress and no longer interfere in state affairs.

Xiao Zhixue couldn't hide her surprise when she first heard this: "Is grandpa tired of the Huai Wang affairs and has lost interest?"

Xiao Zhixue's speculation was not groundless. The Huai Prince incident did make Emperor Kang Zhong heartbroken.

After the arrest of Prince Huai and his son, Emperor Kang Zhong secretly summoned Fan Qijun.

"Sheng'er, do you feel any regret at this moment?"

Facing his father's question, Fan Qijun smiled bitterly, with a hint of helplessness in his smile: "Father thinks that now that things have come to this, what's the point of talking about this?"

Emperor Kang Zhong's eyes were sharp and his words were powerful: "When I first ascended the throne, I made your brother the crown prince, clearly showing the world that he was the only legitimate heir to the throne. I made you and the third brother kings just to stop your extravagant thoughts."

However, Fan Qijun laughed loudly, his laughter mixed with tears: "Father, do you know how many people in this royal family are forced to do things against their will... I have no intention of usurping the throne, but my subordinates, my wife's family, and even my in-laws have been constantly encouraging me to take that path of no return. I originally planned to make a plan after my father, Long Yu, passed away, but they couldn't wait and gathered ten masters in the martial arts world, claiming that they would help me get rid of the Xiao family."

"Father, you have always praised the martial arts of the young men of the Xiao family and my brother-in-law. Didn't you notice something strange? Everyone in the Xiao family is extraordinary. Even a martial arts master needs to be fifty years old to achieve some success. However, the young man of the Xiao family has already become famous at a young age."

Emperor Kang Zhong stared at Fan Qijun quietly, his eyes deep: "You don't need to pretend to be mysterious in front of me. I know why their martial arts are so strong. It all comes from what Xue'er's master taught them."

After hearing this, Fan Qijun lowered his head in silence, unable to respond.

Emperor Kang Zhong was not without his guard against the Xiao family, but as an emperor, how could he hesitate because of doubts? Since he had decided to use the Xiao family, he would not be timid.

Even though the Xiao family had extraordinary martial arts, they were ultimately no match for the overwhelming force of an army. Emperor Kang Zhong firmly believed that his control was enough to handle everything.

Fan Ziyi looked at his grandfather and father in front of him, feeling sad.

He felt extremely resentful about this family disaster caused by his grandfather, uncle, father-in-law and brother-in-law, which undoubtedly pushed the entire Fan family into an abyss of no return.

Emperor Kang Zhong looked at Fan Qijun and Fan Ziyi with an almost compassionate look, shook his head, then turned around and left the dungeon resolutely.

In the end, Fan Qijun and his sons and their families were exiled to a remote manor in Qingzhou Prefecture. The manor was strictly guarded by 500 elite soldiers. They would be trapped there for the rest of their lives and would not be allowed to take a single step forward.

In comparison, Xiao Zhixue had a very peaceful time during this period, while Fan Yanmu often felt his heart beating faster and he felt uneasy for unknown reasons.

After Xiao Zhixue learned about this, she thought for a moment and said softly, "My husband, why not write a letter to my father and remind him to be extra careful in the near future? I wonder what the current situation is in Linzhou and Wuzhou."