Cypress Boat Floating

By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Nan Chengyi, the Lord of Nancheng, has plotted to murder others, robbed others, and bullied the people. I now order the Minister of Justice Gao Yuankai to go to Nancheng and arrest him.

When everyone was unprepared, an imperial edict came down, catching everyone off guard. Although most people in the court did not know who Nan Chengyi was, the emperor specially sent a minister of the Ministry of Justice to go to Nancheng to capture him, which proved that this person had committed a serious crime. So everyone talked about it behind his back, and those who were capable also went to various places to investigate what had happened.

Gao Yuankai, the Minister of Justice, who received the imperial edict, packed up his things and headed for Nancheng overnight. He didn't care what other people were thinking. He only knew that since the emperor ordered him to go, there must be something important to tell him. Sure enough, it was true. His goal on this trip was not only to arrest Nan Chengyi, but also to deal with other things.

Now, he had no choice but to hurry up and rush there overnight with all the things he had arranged.

At the same time Gao Yuankai set off, Lu Zhixing's letter was delivered to Lu Ciqiu who was far away in Nancheng. Lu Ciqiu read the contents of the letter over and over again.

Holding the letter, he paced back and forth in the room in a tangled manner. After hesitating for about a day, Lu Ci Qiu finally made up his mind and took the initiative to go to Ye Jianqing's room. He must now tell Ye Jianqing the whole process of the matter and can no longer hide it from her.

Even if Ye Jianqing would be angry with him after she knew it, and beat and scolded him, he would have to endure it. After all, it was he who made the decision on his own and sent Arnold to the capital without discussing it with Ye Jianqing, so he had to accept her anger.

After a few days of rest, Ye Jianqing's injuries are gradually getting better. Although she hasn't seen Arnold for many days, she believes that Lu Ci Qiu must have made some arrangements for him, and she believes that nothing will happen to Arnold.

As the situation in Nancheng was getting better and better and Ye Jianqing was about to complete the mission in Nancheng, he began to feel conflicted.

Arnold had killed someone, and according to the law he should be beheaded. However, when she thought of the innocent look in Arnold's eyes, Ye Jianqing admitted that she softened her heart.

If she handed him over to the authorities, they would certainly deal with him according to the law. If she didn't hand him over to the authorities, she would feel guilty.

While she was in distress and unconsciously fiddling with her fists and feet, Lu Ci Qiu knocked on the door and came in.

"That..." Lu Ci Qiu had already thought about what to say to her before he came, but he hesitated as soon as he saw her. Being able to accept her anger and directly accepting her anger are two different things.

Ye Jianqing saw him come in, stopped what he was doing, looked at him puzzledly, "What's the matter?"

Lu Ci Qiu was in a state of uncertainty. After hesitating for a moment, he walked in boldly. "Um... haven't you always wanted to know where Arnold is? I just received a letter about him. Do you want to listen to it?"

Ye Jianqing frowned. What did he mean by receiving a letter about him? What did he do to Arnold? She looked at him puzzledly and asked, "What did you do to him?"

"I asked him to follow my second brother's people back to Beijing to find my second brother." Lu Ci Qiu licked his lips and said nervously: "Then I asked my second brother to take him to sue Nan Chengyi in front of the emperor."

Ye Jianqing sat down, poured himself a glass of water, said nothing, and just looked at him quietly. Unexpectedly calm, but the calmer it was, the more scared Lu Ciqiu became. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but suddenly he felt that Ye Jianqing exuded an aura very similar to Lu Zhixing, which made him feel scared.

"The results of it?"

Lu Ci Qiu coughed twice, then stood up straight and said, "I asked my second brother to plead with the emperor to spare his life, and the emperor agreed. He said that he was influenced by his living environment since childhood, and was brainwashed by his master, so his understanding of human life was too weak, so people took advantage of him and used him to kill people. So the emperor ordered him to reform in prison, and then make a decision based on his performance."

Ye Jianqing rubbed the teacup unconsciously and nodded with satisfaction. "It's true that Arnold made a mistake. It's good enough that the emperor spared his life. He should pay for the mistake he made."

Her reaction was beyond Lu Ci Qiu's expectations. He was very confused by her behavior. Seeing that Ye Jianqing cared so much about Arnold before, he thought that when Ye Jianqing found out that she had sent Arnold to jail, she would be so angry that she would have a big quarrel with him. However, Ye Jianqing has been very calm from the beginning to now, so calm as if Arnold was just a passerby.

He found that he didn't seem to understand her very well.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

Ye Jianqing groaned and asked in confusion: "Why should I be angry with you?"

"I sent Arnold to the capital without your consent, and I asked him to apologize to the emperor. I have caused him to spend the rest of his life in jail." Lu Ci Qiu counted on his fingers and said word by word.

Seeing him like this, Ye Jianqing was a little touched by his cuteness and couldn't help laughing, "Silly, you are the eighth prince of Da'an, this is what you should do. You are the executor of the law. If you choose to let Arnold go because of me, it is wrong to do so. The law is used to restrain people. When someone breaks the law, no matter who he is, no matter what relationship he has behind him, he should be treated equally."

Lu Ci Qiu raised his eyebrows in surprise, surprised that she could say such a thing.

Before his rebirth, Ye Jianqing would stand in front of him silently to protect him, would exchange martial arts with him, and would argue with him, but other than that, he never seemed to show this side of his mind. He used to be carefree, and even if the sky fell, his second brother would protect him, so he was heartbroken when his mother passed away, and he felt helpless and lost everything when others told him that his second brother was dead.

It seemed like he had never thought about it more deeply. All his previous thoughts were superficial. Was that why Ye Jianqing had never talked to him about these things?

Her calm and supportive attitude made Lu Ci Qiu feel a different feeling in his heart. At the same time, he also understood Ye Jianqing at a deeper level from more different perspectives, understood her thoughts, and understood the real her.

Lu Ci Qiu wanted to hear more from her. He wanted to understand Ye Jianqing from a deeper perspective.

"Then if brothers and sisters make mistakes, should they also be arrested?"

Ye Jianqing glanced at him. Although she didn't know what he was thinking during this short period of time, she still answered this question very seriously: "The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. The law is not only used to restrain the people, but also to restrain the royal family and the officials of the court. No matter who you are, you should stick to the moral bottom line, stick to the legal standards, and don't do things that you shouldn't do. As for whether your brothers and sisters should be arrested for breaking the law, it depends on what you think in your heart."

"What if it's them and I can't bear to let them go?"

Ye Jianqing spread his hands helplessly and said indifferently: "Anyone is like this. When facing their relatives, no one would really sacrifice their relatives for the sake of justice. Just do whatever you can as long as you have a clear conscience."

Seeing Lu Ci Qiu lost in thought, Ye Jianqing reached out and pushed him, asking curiously, "What's wrong with you today?"

Lu Ci Qiu hesitated and didn't answer. Ye Jianqing didn't urge him either. He just sat there quietly drinking his water and waited for him to speak. After a while, he seemed to have made a decision and said to Ye Jianqing seriously: "I have never talked to you like this before. I feel like I don't understand you very well. From now on, I want to get to know you seriously."

Although Ye Jianqing didn't understand what he meant, he nodded: "Oh, okay."

After getting her answer, Lu Ci Qiu left in high spirits, leaving behind Ye Jianqing who was confused. Ye Jianqing had no idea what was wrong with this little brat, but she didn't delve into his thoughts. Anyway, there was still time, and he would definitely reveal himself later.

After Lu Ci Qiu left, Ye Jianqing sat on the chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Lu Ci Qiu's actions were carried out according to his own plan, to a large extent, it also helped Ye Jianqing solve a problem.

Even if Lu Ci Qiu didn't ask Arnold to confess, she still had this intention. Arnold killed someone, this is an indisputable fact, even if he was driven to do it. But the education she received from childhood to adulthood told her that this was wrong.

Even though she felt sympathy for Arnold, even though she felt sorry for him, she couldn't avoid it. Now that Lu Ci Qiu had asked Arnold to confess, it had largely eased her inner anxiety and made her feel a little relieved.

At least, she didn't send him in personally.

Under Lu Ciqiu's overall planning, the flood in the south city has gradually improved. The river water outside the city is gradually receding, and the houses of the people in the city are also being rebuilt. Lu Ciqiu, Ye Jianqing and others have also moved to the post station to live, and everything is slowly getting better.

Just when everyone was excited and actively rebuilding their homes, Gao Yuankai arrived with the imperial edict.

As soon as he entered the city, he went straight to the City Lord's Mansion without saying a word, and arrested Nan Chengyi for oppressing the people, using conspiracy to harm innocent people, and even worse, murdering the eighth prince of Da'an. He was taken to the county dungeon, and Nan Chengyi's City Lord's Mansion was confiscated. All his property was put into the national treasury, and all the properties under Nan Chengyi's name were temporarily sealed.

For a while, all kinds of rumors spread everywhere in Nancheng, saying all the bad things Nan Chengyi had done in the past. Someone also said that Nan Chengyi had deliberately set up a maze in Sannan Mountain, killed many innocent people, and killed Shi Wenjie. The families of the innocent victims who died in Sannan Mountain came to the post station crying, and each of them wished they could pull out Nan Chengyi's tendons and bones. The people of Nancheng also took rotten vegetable leaves and stones to smash the city lord's mansion.

The common people also knew that it was Lu Ci Qiu who helped, and they often went to the post station to kowtow to Lu Ci Qiu, and gave him things every time they saw him.

Of course, these are all things for later.

After Gao Yuankai captured Nan Chengyi, he rushed to the post station to meet Lu Ci Qiu and handed the emperor's handwritten edict to Lu Ci Qiu.

"Your Highness, the Emperor said that you will be the envoy to negotiate with Nanlin in person. The Emperor has also arranged for someone to deliver the letter to Nanlin, so you can go directly. In addition, the gunpowder you need to dig the mountain is on the way. The Emperor also instructed that you should be accompanied by me when you go to Nanlin to assist you in handling all matters."

Lu Ci Qiu took the imperial edict, smiled at Gao Yuankai, and said respectfully: "Then I'll trouble you, Master Gao."

Gao Yuankai is the Minister of Justice. Although he has to bow to him and address him as the Eighth Prince when they meet, Lu Ci Qiu also knows that officials like them are practical people. He has no real power now and will inevitably have to rely on them in the future. Moreover, they are his predecessors who know much more than him. He is also willing to give them some respect so that everyone can do their work better.

Now, it can be said that everything is ready except for the east wind.

Without further ado, Lu Ciqiu took Ye Jianqing, Gao Yuankai and Zhao Wenbin to Nanlin the next day. This matter was of vital importance, concerning the people of both countries and himself, so Lu Ciqiu could only succeed in this battle and not fail.

They rode at full speed all the way and arrived at Junyang, the capital of Nanlin, in less than five days.

Prince Gongyang Junyu of Nanlin personally welcomed Lu Ci Qiu's team outside Junyang City.

The two sides met and exchanged greetings before Gongyang Junyu led them to the palace. The ruler of Nanlin, Gongyang Bo, had already prepared wine and drinks for him in the palace.

As soon as Lu Ci Qiu sat down, Gong Yangbo said, "Eighth Prince, I already know your intention. Your emperor wrote to me saying that you plan to dig through Sannan Mountain to divert river water to the sea. This is a very good idea. If you can really do it, then the people of my Fengcheng and your Nancheng will no longer be affected by floods."

Lu Ci Qiu stood up and said respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, regarding the excavation of Sannan Mountain, I, Da'an, have gone to Sannan Mountain to collect data to ensure that everything is foolproof. Sannan Mountain spans two countries, and if the mountain is to be excavated, it will definitely not be decided by me alone. So I came here this time to discuss this excavation with Your Majesty."

Gong Yangbo nodded in satisfaction. He looked around and then fixed his gaze on Gong Yangjunyu who was sitting at the side. "How about this? The Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince will handle this together."

Hearing Gongyang Bo's words, Gongyang Junyu quickly stood up, bowed and saluted, saying, "Yes, I will handle it properly and ensure that the people will not suffer any more."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Ci Qiu also bowed.

Before coming, he had never thought that Gongyang Bo would discuss this matter with him in person. Sending the prince was not a perfunctory move, and the people of Nanlin all agreed with the prince's abilities.

Lu Ci Qiu looked over and happened to meet his gaze. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly put on a smile. The other party also smiled back, and the two raised their glasses and clinked them across the river.

Lu Ci Qiu now only hopes that this not-so-difficult matter can be dealt with as soon as possible without any further delay.