With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

Liu An paced back and forth in the study, thinking about how to deal with Lu Yan.

He was well aware of Lu Yan's talents and knew that he was popular among the people.

If we act rashly, it may cause public outrage and the results will outweigh the gains.

"Zhao De, go spread the news that Lu Yan wiped out the Black Wind Village, recruited bandits, expanded his army, and is planning a rebellion!"

Liu An said sinisterly.

"I will make him lose his reputation and never be able to stand up again!"

Zhao De was shocked when he heard this and said quickly:

"Prime Minister, this... isn't this too risky? Without solid evidence, it would be difficult..."

"Evidence? Humph!" Liu An sneered.

"Evidence can be fabricated! Go and make some arrangements, find a few reliable people, and have them disguise themselves as bandits."

"Accusing Lu Yan of colluding with bandits and plotting rebellion!"

"Remember, you have to do it perfectly without leaving any loopholes!"

Zhao De is extremely efficient in his work.

Within a few days, several "bandits" fell into the hands of the government.

These "bandits" were originally ruffians and hooligans.

Under the double attack of Liu An's silver and the cruel officials' whips.

He soon "confessed" to his "collusion" with Lu Yan.

In his confession, Lu Yan was portrayed as a sinister and cunning person.

He secretly colluded with Black Wind Village, intending to rebel, overthrow the court and establish himself as king.

This was not enough, Liu An secretly bribed several censors.

Let them publicly impeach Lu Yan in the court.

These censors are usually known for their integrity and outspokenness.

Now they have jointly written a letter to denounce Lu Yan's various "crimes".

For a moment, the entire capital was in an uproar.

"Have you heard? Lu Yan from Shannan Prefecture is planning a rebellion!"

"That's right! I heard that he has been colluding with the bandits in Black Wind Village for a long time!"

"Alas, human nature is truly unpredictable!"

"This Lord Lu seems quite kind, but I didn't expect him to be such a traitor!"

All kinds of rumors spread like a plague.

The charge of "rebellion" against Lu Yan was almost confirmed, and public opinion was in an uproar.

And at this time.

The upper room of the inn was filled with a faint scent of ambergris.

Chen Qingwan was leaning on the couch, holding a book written by Lu Yan in her hand, reading it with great interest.

The book was widely acclaimed in Shannan Prefecture, but she had originally scoffed at it.

I feel that this scoundrel's mind is full of thieves and prostitutes.

But since I opened the first page, I couldn't put it down.

The book is rich in pictures and texts, and some passages made her blush and her heart beat faster.

She has been in a good mood recently, especially Lu Yan's weird stuff.

Soaps, perfumes, and glass mirrors were all sold out in the capital, and the national treasury was filled with gold.

She even planned to kidnap Lu Yan and bring him back to the capital once she had saved enough money.

Let him work for me and develop new gadgets for me every day.

Suddenly, a secret guard came to report.

"Your Majesty, urgent news from the capital!"

Chen Qingwan was startled and the book fell to the ground.

She quickly picked it up and hid it behind her, pretending to be calm and asked:

"Why are you so panicked?"

The secret guard handed over a letter with both hands, saying hurriedly:

"Shannan Prefecture Governor Lu Yan destroyed the Black Wind Village, recruited bandits, expanded the army, and intended to rebel!"

"rebellion?!"

Chen Qingwan raised her eyebrows, snatched the letter and glanced through it.

She stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the room, her heart in turmoil.

On the one hand, she was unwilling to believe that Lu Yan would rebel.

During her incognito visit to Shannan Prefecture, she witnessed Lu Yan's governance ability with her own eyes.

I also felt his dedication to the people.

Although that guy is smooth talker, he is a doer at heart.

I am only thinking about making the people live a good life.

On the other hand, as an empress, she is responsible for the safety of the country.

Have to consider the worst case scenario.

If Lu Yan really rebelled, the consequences would be unimaginable.

I remember what Lu Yan once said:

"All I want is for the people to live and work in peace and for the country to prosper."

Is all this fake?

Chen Qingwan's heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and breathing became a little difficult.

"Damn Lu Yan, if you dare to lie to me, I will cut you into pieces!"

She cursed fiercely in her heart.

But she thought again and felt something was wrong.

A man who talked about reform plans in front of her and was willing to offend the powerful for the welfare of the people.

Could he really be a traitor who is plotting a rebellion?

If Lu Yan really wanted to rebel, he could have declared himself king.

Why go to all that trouble and sign a business agreement with me to help me make money?

Could it be that someone deliberately framed him?

The cunning face of Prime Minister Liu An emerged in Chen Qingwan's mind.

This guy has always believed that women should not be emperors and is dissatisfied with his own identity.

He's against me everywhere, maybe he's the one behind it!

"I don't believe he will rebel!"

Chen Qingwan stood up suddenly with a firm tone.

The secret guard knelt on one knee and bowed his head and said:

"Your Majesty, but now we have both witnesses and evidence..."

"Witnesses and evidence?" Chen Qingwan sneered.

"Those so-called evidences are nothing but groundless rumors!"

"I want to see who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes and trying to frame Lu Yan!"

At the same time, in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Liu An sat upright, playing with a pair of jade balls in his hands, with a meaningful smile on his face.

"Your Majesty hasn't issued an edict yet. It seems he's still worried about Lu Yan."

He took a sip of his tea, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"A woman's kindness will never accomplish anything great."

Over the past few days, rumors about Lu Yan's rebellion have intensified, but the empress has not taken any action.

This made Liu An more determined in his thoughts:

A woman as emperor is ultimately weak and incompetent.

"Master, the spies report that His Majesty is now in Shannan Prefecture."

Master Zhao De bent his body and reported carefully.

The jade ball in Liu An's hand fell to the ground with a "bang" and shattered into pieces.

"What? She went to Shannan Prefecture again!"

He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth, feeling anxious.

The Empress's move undoubtedly disrupted his overall plan.

He wanted to take this opportunity to completely bring Lu Yan down.

But I didn't expect that the empress would show up in Shannan Prefecture.

Could it be that she has noticed something?

"No, we can't let her come back alive!"

There was a fierce look in Liu An's eyes and his tone was cold.

"Send someone to Shannan Prefecture immediately, and make sure..."

He made a motion of wiping his neck.

“…put the blame on Lu Yan!”

Zhao De was shocked, but didn't dare to say anything. He quickly responded and retreated.