Golden Branch

"Since he has already found out about Quchifang, let's cancel the previous plan."

Lou Yu's original plan was to transfer people out without anyone noticing.

Whether it is placed in other districts or sent to the suburbs of the city, it is imperative to ensure that all ties with Rong'an are cut off.

Lou Yu acts cautiously and meticulously.

He controls several secret forces, which are numerous and capable.

As long as Lou Yu gives the order, the task will be done without any flaws and without leaving any trace.

"I underestimated Zhou Jiming. Although he is mean and ungrateful, and acts in an extreme way, he does have real talent and knowledge."

The key is that he is brave enough to fight and has the madness and recklessness to "sacrifice his life and dare to bring down the emperor."

Perhaps this is the main reason why he was able to gain the favor of the saint in a short period of time.

Even a wise ruler needs a mad dog that bites people.

When the officials in the court become "upright", they can really make a generation of war god generals so angry that their throats choke and their stomachs hurt.

But a sage is a wise ruler. Not only should he not block the channels for speech, but he should also be good at accepting advice.

Tsk, sometimes, seeing the saint’s face change color because of being frustrated by some old ministers, Lou Yu couldn’t help but feel pity:

"It's not easy being a saint. Even the most respected person has to endure and swallow his anger."

It is better to raise a dog. As long as you pull the leash tight and don't let the "dog" grow bigger, you can vent your anger when you need it!

Lou Yu recognized Zhou Jiming's talent, but he did not feel any "mutual appreciation" for him.

What a joke!

Looking around the capital, anyone who can stand in the court is a person with real talent and knowledge.

He is not just an ordinary talented person, but a genius picked out of millions.

Lou Yu has seen many geniuses, and he himself is a monster among geniuses. He doesn't take Zhou Jiming, a mere man who got to the top by betraying his wife, seriously.

He couldn't even muster any respect or desire to get close to her.

Zhou Jiming's speed in investigating the case was faster than Lou Yu had expected. However, it didn't matter. Lou Yu would never have just one plan when he acted.

He has a backup plan.

After thinking for a moment, Lou Yu stood up and said, "Take my business card and let's go pay our respects to Princess Rong'an!"

As the prince's confidant, Lou Yu has a very close relationship with the Yang royal family.

Not to mention, he married a princess.

A fake princess is still a princess. As long as she has this title, Lou Yu is the legitimate junior of Princess Rong'an.

Princess Rong'an is not completely "arrogant because of her favor", she is a very experienced and shrewd person.

The reason why she was able to become the first person in the royal family was not only because of her niece relationship with the saint, but also because of her knowledge and interests.

For example, when Wang Heng and Lou Yu got married, although Princess Rong'an did not come in person, she first asked her youngest daughter to give Wang Heng some extra dowry, and then asked her eldest son and his wife to bring valuable gifts to the Duke of Qi's mansion for the wedding banquet.

It can be said that Princess Rong'an fully demonstrated her kindness towards the two younger generations, Wang Heng and Lou Yu.

Between the two families, there may be more considerations of interests, but as they interact with each other, they will gradually develop a so-called friendship.

Rong An is a kind and loving elder to many younger generations. As a younger generation, it is reasonable for Lou Yu to go to the princess's residence in person to pay his respects to the ancestor after the wedding ceremony.

This is not surprising, and will not become "evidence of connection" that people will worry about later.

As for what was discussed specifically when visiting elders, there is no need to tell outsiders.

"Yes!"

The servant agreed and went to do his job.

After preparing his business card and packing some gifts, Lou Yu changed into a round-necked robe suitable for going out and strode out the door.

However, just as he reached the door, a secret guard appeared.

Lou Yu's eyes flashed, "Tell me, have you found out anything about that Miao girl?"

He stood in front of the horse, but did not jump over the saddle and mount. Instead, he covered his mouth with his hand and asked softly.

The secret guard bowed his head and whispered back, "Let my lord know, I've found out that the Miao girl isn't from Shu as the rumors say. Her origins have been covered up several times, and the final clue is that she's from Yongzhou!"

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows. He was well versed in geography and had been in the court for many years, so he naturally knew what Yongzhou was and where it was exactly.

This is already considered Lingnan.

More than ten years ago, Lou Yu became familiar with Lingnan because of Wang Mian.

But at that time, the north and the south had not yet been unified, and Lingnan still belonged to the southern border.

Lou Yu was not in a position to send people through official channels in a high-profile manner, so he secretly formed a number of "merchant caravans".

Go to Lingnan, buy land and forests, and occupy the ownerless barren mountains and wastelands.

Lou Yu's men also went deep into Champa and got the Champa rice that Wang Mian had been longing for.

In the farms of all sizes in Lingnan, rounds of trial planting, screening, and hybridization... three harvests of rice a year gave Lou Yu a pleasant surprise.

Coupled with the shipping that developed along with it, the three little guys, Wang Mian, Lou Yu and Wang Heng, were able to provide a large amount of food to the prince.

Lingnan is a vast, undeveloped and wild land.

Toxic gas and miasma were rampant, snakes, insects, rats and ants were rampant, and the weather was hot and humid, but Lou Yu and Wang Heng invested enough manpower and financial resources and carried out the development step by step.

In addition to grains, there are also various exotic fruits...The lychees that Wang Heng loves to eat are produced in their own orchard.

There was also sugarcane. The white sugar and rock sugar made by Wang Mian caused a sensation as soon as they were released in the capital.

The Dayu Dynasty had never had such snow-white and sweet sugar. There was only malt sugar or natural honey.

Wang Mian directly sold sugar at the high price of white powder, but the supply still could not meet the demand.

Various spices were also continuously transported out from Lingnan.

Farms that produce three crops a year, orchards covering mountains and valleys, sugarcane plantations covering tens of thousands of acres... Lingnan, this place of exile, has brought unimaginable wealth to the three friends from Yizhou.

As his own "treasury", Lou Yu is particularly familiar with Lingnan.

When mentioning Yongzhou, Lou Yu's mind instantly emerged with the vast map of Lingnan and the specific location of Yongzhou.

and also--

"King Yong?"

A figure flashed through Lou Yu's mind, and alarm bells went off in his heart.

Prince Yong is the former emperor's illegitimate son and the saint's half-brother.

He is not a confidant of the saint, nor is he from the same family as the former emperor or the King of Chu.

Not favored, but not ignored either.

After the late emperor ascended the throne, he conferred titles on the princes and gave this inconspicuous son the title of King Yong, and directly sent his family to the fiefdom.

Prince Yong: ...That is Yongzhou, which belongs to Lingnan, a place of exile!

Of course, it is not entirely unreasonable that King Yong was "exiled".

People become arrogant when they succeed.

No matter how unfavored he was, he was still the biological son of the late emperor and a real prince.

In the first two years after the emperor ascended the throne, he was still a saint of the King of Qi, and even a princess of Jincheng, but he was busy continuing the war.

However, Prince Yong lived a life of luxury and violated laws and regulations in the capital.

The idea that a prince who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a commoner is nothing more than a beautiful lie propagated by those in power.

A true prince, as long as he does not plot treason, will not die no matter how many evil things he does that anger God and man, and he will not even be punished.

At most, they would choose a not-so-good fiefdom and send the person away far away.

It is tantamount to exile, a light punishment but a severe warning.

This is what King Yong did.

After the former emperor abdicated, the sage ascended the throne. He neither got close to nor took revenge on his indifferent brother.

The sage continued to let King Yong stay in Yongzhou.

As for whether he will oppress the people and bring disaster to the local area... well, no news is good news.

It is originally a place of exile, and its population, taxes, etc. are not enough to attract the attention of the saints.

The sage really doesn't care what's happening in Yongzhou or King Yong.

But Lou Yu couldn't help but care——

Oh, a Miao girl originally from Yongzhou, but she concealed her true identity, traveled thousands of miles to the capital, and even extended her hand to the Eastern Palace. If you say that this is just the arrogance of a Yi woman, Lou Yu doesn't believe it.

As a good politician, you have to think carefully about even the most vague things.

Now that he has a clear clue, he should be even more cautious.

"Let's go to the East Palace first!"

Lou Yu leaped up and sat steadily on the horse's back.

"Gee!" A red shadow quickly rushed towards the road.

While riding a horse, Lou Yu's brain did not stop thinking.

By the time he arrived at the palace, he had already sorted out all the information about Prince Yong.

This guy may not have any ambition to rebel, he is just a stupid, bad waste.

But the sudden inspiration of a fool can cause far more serious consequences than those caused by an evil person.

"This Miao girl may not be ordered by King Yong!"

"It's possible that something has changed in Yongzhou."

Since Prince Yong did not dare to rebel, he would not take action against the Crown Princess and her family who had no vested interests in him.

Ani, a Miao girl with a mysterious origin, may have acted "autonomously".

Considering the fact that Prince Yong dared to act recklessly in the capital, it would be hard for him to cause trouble in Yongzhou, where "the emperor is far away".

Officials forcing the people to rebel?

A civil uprising broke out in Yongzhou?

"Go and check if there's any trouble in Lingnan, especially in Yongzhou!"

Lou Yu rolled over and got off the horse.

He summoned a secret guard and gave a low-pitched order.

The secret guard agreed and disappeared in a flash.

Lou Yu threw the reins to the guards following behind him and strode into the palace.

When the prince saw Lou Yu, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "What? Something else happened?"

I just saw him last night, and now he’s rushing over again.

It was hard for the prince not to worry.

Lou Yu did not keep the secret and directly reported all the news he had received and his own speculations to the prince.

"...Hanzhang, you're right. Things might really be changing in Yongzhou!"

Yongzhou is an important prefecture in Lingnan. Although it is remote, it is also the kingdom of Dayu.

There were provincial governors and county-level officials.

As a governor, regardless of whether there was an important event or not, he would submit memorials to the court and the emperor every once in a while.

Even if it is just a letter of greeting, it can prove that this land has not lost contact with the central government.

The prince thought about it carefully and suddenly realized, "I haven't seen any memorials sent from Yongzhou for three months!"

This is indeed a bit abnormal.

Either a natural disaster or a man-made disaster occurred in the area, which delayed or even interrupted the news!

The prince's discovery also proved Lou Yu's guess from another perspective -

Something really happened in Yongzhou!

The prince lowered his eyes and thought carefully. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at Lou Yu.

There was hope and a hint of guilt in his eyes.

Lou Yu met the prince's gaze and instantly understood what he meant:

There have been some changes in his career!