Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Qin Ming felt warm in his heart.

It seems that except for that cheap dad.

There are still people who have noticed my hard work in the court over the years.

"Thank you very much."

He was not modest, but got out of the carriage and bowed to all the officials present.

Today was a private farewell, and Qin Ming's mortal enemies and officials from Concubine Xiao's lineage did not come.

Despite this, the streets were still full of people.

Some of them were not even officials, but just minor clerks.

"I'm full, let's go for a walk."

In the crowd, Chen Shimao stood up with a smile.

He can give you the farewell that the court cannot.

The officials behind him put down their tea bowls and chopsticks one by one.

He spontaneously followed the convoy.

Looking at the lively scene, Qin Ming suddenly remembered a sentence.

Why worry about having no friends on the road ahead? Everyone in the world knows you.

Guan Yue held Qin Ming's hand and smiled even happier than him.

"My Lord, you didn't tell me about this grand ceremony before you came."

The crowd slowly walked towards the outside of the city.

Out of their sight, Wang Bao stood in the crowd with his head down, watching all this in confusion.

"This kid has been stationed at the border and won't even be able to return to the capital."

"He's worthless, and you're here to see him off?"

"I don't know what these people are thinking. Aren't they afraid of His Majesty's punishment?"

Don't blame him for not being able to figure it out.

These eunuchs live in a palace full of intrigue, and are entangled in conflicts of interest all day long.

But some real scholars are different.

In their minds, interests are not the first priority.

In life, there are always some things that are more important than immediate interests.

Wang Bao found it difficult to understand this.

He only knew that the ministers were once again defying the court's decision.

Turning around, he quickly rushed towards Concubine Xiao Shufei's bedroom.

Qin Ming's team marched at a fast pace. After walking out of the south gate of the capital, he came to the carriage.

He turned around and said to the people behind him:

"Thank you all for seeing me off. I'll take my leave now."

"Your Highness..."

When the officials left the capital, there were fewer people paying attention to them, and they became bolder.

One by one, they came forward to say goodbye to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming couldn't stand such occasions, as he always felt they were too pretentious.

After saying a few simple words, he turned and left.

As they watched the convoy slowly drive away, the crowd gradually dispersed.

But after they dispersed, the turmoil in the capital had just begun.

Wang Bao has come to Concubine Xiao Shufei and reported everything that happened today.

Especially when it was mentioned that Prime Minister Chen Shimao brought all the officials to see Qin Ming off along the way.

He wrote down the names of many officials and read them to Concubine Xiao Shufei one by one.

"That's unreasonable!"

I heard that all the pillars of the court went to see Qin Ming off.

Jealousy, resentment, unwillingness, fear and other emotions immediately surrounded Concubine Xiao Shufei.

"He's a demoted prince, why?"

"Are these people crazy? They weren't this attentive even when Yue'er was crowned Crown Prince!"

People are afraid of comparison.

Concubine Xiao Shu was very angry now and stood up to go out.

She planned to report the matter to Emperor Qian and punish these unruly bureaucrats.

Wang Bao quickly stopped him.

"Your Majesty, calm down. If we punish them at this time, we will be standing against many high-ranking officials."

"What should I do?"

Concubine Xiao Shu frowned. Wang Bao was her loyal lackey. Since he said this, there must be a way.

He took out a letter from his pocket.

"Look at this, this is the information sent by Lord Xiao."

Xiao Qinian, the governor of Huguang, was a distant cousin of Concubine Xiao Shufei.

Concubine Xiao Shu took the letter and glanced at it, feeling even more confused.

"There's a plague in the Huguang region under his rule? What's the point of telling me this nonsense? Let the court allocate funds for him to suppress it!"

"No, Madam, this plague will spread..."

Wang Bao spoke in a gloomy tone.

"You mean to spread the plague to Qin Ming's fiefdom?"

Concubine Xiao Shu quickly understood.

Xiao Qinian sent the message specifically to see what Concubine Xiao Shufei thought.

After all, doing so will expand the plague.

There is a high probability that there will be countless casualties.

This is a vicious plot to cut off the family line. If something goes wrong, Xiao Qinian dare not take the blame.

Wang Bao advised sinisterly:

"My Lady, it's really nothing to send a few people infected with the plague over there."

"I heard that Qin Ming only has a few hundred thousand taels of silver. If he encounters thousands of patients, he will definitely spend all the money, and the court will not help him..."

While Wang Bao continued to advise.

Concubine Xiao Shu interrupted him directly.

"No need to say so much, just let Xiao Qinian do it and block the main roads in Huguang area to prevent the spread of the plague."

"Don't let anyone from Qin Ming's side escape, and don't give him any support!"

Concubine Xiao Shufei is even more cruel than Wang Bao.

He didn't need to persuade her about this strategy.

After hearing this, Concubine Xiao Shufei made the decision immediately.

Wang Bao nodded immediately.

"I see."

……

Because it was a feudal era, transportation in various places was very underdeveloped.

Many official roads are dirt roads.

Once it rains the road becomes muddy and difficult to walk on.

It took Qin Ming more than two months to bring his army to the Lingnan region.

It's already the end of the year.

Fortunately, this is the southern region, and even when it gets cold, the temperature is not too low.

Although the temperature was pleasant, Qin Ming only discovered it as he walked along.

This place is not only backward, it can almost be called an uncivilized and barbaric area.

Qin Ming's palace is located in Linjiang City in the Lingnan region.

I don’t know if it was because of the instructions of Concubine Xiao Shufei and Xiao Qinian, but there was not even a single official to welcome them along the way.

It doesn’t matter if no one answers, Qin Ming is happy and at ease.

This will avoid having too much contact with local officials, as they might develop some bad intentions.

But now that we have arrived in Linjiang City, we are ready to move into the palace.

It would be unreasonable if an official didn't come out to greet us.

Qin Ming looked up.

Outside Linjiang City, there was a desolate scene.

There were only a few scattered officials.

Following here stood a middle-aged man with thin clothes, a skinny body and a sad face.

"Your Highness, I have come from afar, and I apologize for not welcoming you. I beg your forgiveness!"

The prefect of Linjiang City was named Song Dingsheng.

Although he had gained fame, he passed the imperial examination and became a juren.

He didn't rise very high in his career.

After being promoted from the county seat to the position of prefect, he wasted decades here.

But even so, it is already considered good among the countless officials of Daqian.

"Master Song doesn't look well. Has he been ill recently?"

Qin Ming got off the carriage and looked at Song Dingsheng, whose face was as pale as a ghost, feeling puzzled.

This guy is very strange. He is obviously a prefect, which is not a low position.

He is also in charge of three or four counties.

But he doesn't look wealthy at all.

Instead, he looked overworked.

When Song Dingsheng mentioned this, he said with sorrow:

"Your Highness, something happened here on your way here."

"what's up?"

"The plague has broken out, affecting over thirty villages. Even Linjiang City and several of its subordinate counties have been infected."

"According to our investigation, the number of people infected with the plague around Linjiang City has exceeded a thousand!"