Joy of Life: I, a man, became the Queen of Northern Qi?

Chapter 99 The true identity of the person behind the scenes.

"Daughter? Daughter!"

A man whose exact age could not be determined due to his weathered appearance rushed over from outside the field. Xu Chu, who was beside Li An, was about to move, but was stopped by Li An who raised his hand.

Sure enough, the man fell to the ground due to excitement and weak legs. He crawled to the female corpse with his hands and feet, hugged her body, shook her gently, and slapped her cheek from time to time, crying out in pain, as if this could wake up his daughter in his arms.
He had no hope in his heart, he just couldn't accept it emotionally.

Everyone around was quiet, and a sympathetic anger rose in the eyes of the people.
After seeing all of this, Li An turned around, looked directly into Zhou Jing's eyes, and said, "This Da Qi is indeed not my Da Qi, but the Da Qi of the people of this world!"

“The people are like water, and the king is like a boat! Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!”

"I want to see what you can do to me." Li An chuckled and said with a tone full of sarcasm, "Don't be like you are now, just barking and making me laugh like a clown!"

"you!"

"My son is still young. He has made some mistakes. Why doesn't Your Majesty give him a chance to reform? At worst, you can follow the law and hand him over to Jingzhao Prefecture for punishment. He can also grow and be corrected!"

No, growth?
Can't you just grow up before going out?
Who has time to stay here every day to watch your son grow up? Besides, this is a pet, watching him grow up every day!

The life of a commoner’s daughter is not a life?
It's better to have a pet at home!

"You are worse than an animal. I don't have time to watch you grow up. If you die, you die. Do you need me to compensate you with some silver? Just consider it as money to buy your life!"

Zhou Jing had been an official for many years, but he could still hold back his anger when Li An humiliated him like this. He pointed his finger at Li An, but in an instant, he restrained himself and took it back, saying harshly: "Then please open your eyes, Madam Defei, and see how I can make you laugh!"

Oh, then I'll have to see what kind of aphrodisiac you're selling!

No matter what means you have, believe it or not, I can make you die without a burial place with just a whisper of my pillow talk?

If you can admit your mistakes and correct them, you are still a good kid!
But Li An was not going to give the other party a chance. This person had money and power. Although Li An was not afraid of any means, he did not like to cause trouble for himself!
"I'll wait and see!"

Minister of Revenue, haha, the court asked you for money and grain, but you were arrogant; now that you have offended Li An, your life or death is in danger!
"Hmph! Let's go!"

Zhou Jing stood up and prepared to leave.

Accompanying him were many servants from the mansion. These people had nothing in their hands but bulged on their waists, presumably they were all carrying weapons. Their faces were dark with murderous intent and vigilance. Sure enough, a man who was not short of money had such elite 'servants' in his mansion. He was really a good official!

There is only one Minister of Revenue in a country. As the empire's money bag, it is reasonable for him to have strong protection when he travels. Isn't it?

In order to prevent these people from harming the Empress Defei, Zhao Gao and Xu Chu did not dare to neglect their duty. They were on guard and protected Li An in the core.
"Wait!"

Li An did not have the joy of being a winner, he just said calmly: "You can go, but you have to leave your head behind!"

The head here is naturally not referring to Zhou Jing's head, but the head of his "son".

This man is the culprit in this case. He should be suspended from the city for three days to serve as a warning to those who come after him!
"Li An'er, do you really want to be so cruel?" Zhou Jing's eyes were red at this time, as if he had conjunctivitis. It seemed that his eyeballs would explode in the next moment, which made people feel uneasy.

"Sister An'er."

The eldest princess hesitated to speak.

Haitang Duoduo stepped forward to block Zhou Jing's gaze and said, "It's so disrespectful to Concubine De. Can you try to say it again?"

Li An laughed, as if he didn't care at all.

"I also want to be like the crescent moon in the sky, with dissatisfaction written on my face."

"It's a pity that I have entered the harem, and you have also entered the court! In this case, Lord Zhou should suppress all dissatisfaction in his heart!"

Zhou Jing no longer had the patience to respond.

He took the box handed to him by the servant, placed his son's head inside and gently placed it on the ground. He glanced resentfully at the dead father who was already crying, then left in a huff.

But before he had walked far, he heard Li An's faint voice:

"If anything happens to the deceased's family, I will exchange ten lives for one of yours!"

Zhou Jing's body shook, as if he didn't hear anything. With the help of his servants, he got on the horse and went home.

Zhou Jing traveled light and came and went in a hurry.

He had been riding on his horse and had been away from the river bank for a long time. A man with a strange appearance approached him and said, "Sir, the matter has been investigated clearly."

"Master Jiang, you need to spread the word about this matter!"

Zhou Jing's expression was uncertain. Although his face kept changing, there was not a trace of anger on it, as if the confrontation with Concubine De was just a disguised performance. "Exaggerate the death of my son. Even if it means highlighting the pity of the commoner woman! We must make everyone forget that he went to Guo's house in the first place!"

"This is very important. I believe Master Jiang should understand it."

"Of course." This strange-looking 'Master Jiang' didn't look like a servant, but more like a man of the world. The conversation between him and Zhou Jing seemed equal and measured.

Zhou Jing nodded, and then asked softly, "How did he get there? Was this a trap set by him?"

"It seems like a coincidence."

Master Jiang frowned and recounted the incident from the beginning. Finally, he confirmed: "That woman is indeed an ordinary person, including the last man."

"So, my son went there, apart from his two followers, because Concubine De's carriage blocked the way?"

With a gleam of conspiracy in his eyes, Zhou Jing said harshly, "This Li An'er disguised himself and left the palace today. As soon as he arrived outside, he went to the Guo family! It seems that some people have different ideas!"

"Do you need me to take action and remove him? This person is really an obstacle."

"She is favored by the young emperor!" Zhou Jing snorted coldly. He had already seen the whole story. "I know that Master He was arranged by the empress dowager to protect the eldest princess. But the saint Haitang Duoduo was arranged by the young emperor to protect Concubine De. How could such a top ninth-rank master be willing to be ordered around to protect others without any complaints?"

He stopped talking, and murmured as if asking, or testing, "With this person present, Master Jiang is sure he can kill Concubine De?"

".Not at all sure."

There is really no need to hide the fact that you are not as skilled as others. The more you deceive yourself, the faster you will die when a real fight comes!
Master Jiang paused for a moment, then tilted his head to glance at Zhou Jing, and said faintly: "Keren, there will always be a day when you are not around, right?"

"Hahaha, Master Jiang is right!"

"As far as I know, the village where Li An'er was born is in a rural area not far from this city."

Master Jiang did not respond, but maintained the same speed, parallel to the horse.

"This Concubine De dares to ignore the ministers. She has the support of the young emperor." Zhou Jing finally showed a trace of sadness at this time. "What are the common people? What's the big deal if my son plays with his daughter?"

"Haha." No one knew what Master Jiang was thinking. He just raised his chin a little and replied with a smile, "It should be the honor of that man!"

river bank.

The eldest princess took out a banknote from her sling bag and wanted to give it to the middle-aged man who lost his daughter. She didn't know how to comfort him now, but she saw his clothes and wanted to make him feel better. In her logical thinking, she was blaming herself.
If they had not come to Guo Heng's mansion today, how could the road be blocked?

If the road had not been blocked, how could the Shangshu's son go somewhere else to seek entertainment?

Perhaps, the dead woman also had her share of responsibility. Of course, she would not blame her sister An'er for this, but only by doing so would she feel at ease.

A hand grabbed her wrist as she was about to stretch it forward. Li An looked at the hundred-tael silver note in the princess' hand and shook his head slightly.

"Do you think these are what he needs now, sister?" Li An asked.

"Don't you need it? This will allow him to bury his daughter properly, buy some food, and wear warmer clothes. He won't have to work so hard in the future." said the eldest princess.

"This money may make his life easier, but the needs in his heart cannot be satisfied by money. He just wants revenge now, to return this resentment and unwillingness to all those who have harmed others! Look at the eyes of the people around him. There are all kinds of people here. One hundred taels of silver will only make him become like his daughter, a coveted existence. This will harm him instead!"

"Can"

The eldest princess felt so uncomfortable that she could only say stubbornly: "Then we can give it to him secretly."

"In your imagination, one hundred taels would indeed be of great help to him, and I don't deny that." Li An explained patiently, "But he can't even take the first step!"

"If he wants to spend this money, he has to go to a bank to exchange it, right? There will be people watching him there."

Looking at the man who seemed to be mourning more than despair, the eldest princess nodded in agreement.

Sister An'er came from a poor family, so naturally she knew more about how to survive outside than herself. After thinking about it, she took back the banknotes and searched in her purse. She found that there were no smaller denominations than one hundred taels, and she couldn't help but become anxious.

Zhao Gao stepped forward, took out a few silver coins from his sleeve and presented them to the eldest princess, which made her feel better.

The princess squatted down and silently handed the silver to the expressionless man. The man did not take it, and did not even look at it, as if he had lost his soul. Until Li An's voice came, "The three murderers have been executed on the spot, and the people behind them will also pay the price!"

The man's eyes moved, and he gently placed his daughter's upper body on the ground, then he knelt down towards Li An and said:
"Thank you, noble man, thank you, noble man!"

After saying this, he buried his head in the ground.

Looking at this scene, not only the eldest princess felt uncomfortable, but even the usually calm Haitang Duoduo was filled with anger. She wanted to roar, and wanted to swing the axe in her hand to split all the injustices in half! But human power is limited, and the only one who can do all this is His Majesty. She must help His Majesty to reach that day as soon as possible!
Ang Lee would not say what these injustices have to do with him?

There are too many tragedies in the world that cannot be saved, but if ordinary people could reach the pinnacle of power, they could actually prevent most of these tragedies from happening.

And now he is on the road to the top.

There is no consolation, just look at his behavior.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Shall we go back to the palace?" Zhao Gao stepped forward and asked.

Li An did not answer, but just looked at the lights rising from the river from time to time in the night. It was the people who used the boat as their home who illuminated the river surface.

As Li An remained silent, the place fell into a stiff atmosphere again.

After a short while, the person we were waiting for arrived.
"Your Highness, the Princess."

Some people have already moved around. They walked up to him with heavy steps and said straight to the point: "Zhou Jing has twelve wives and concubines, two sons and one daughter. I have collected some information. Although I cannot overthrow him completely, I think it will be enough to keep him busy for a while."

Zhao Gao was slightly surprised and said that he had learned something new.

The crowds of people watching here have gradually dispersed, and they have something new to talk about tonight. It is conceivable that some of Ang Lee's reputation will spread further and there may be many versions, but most of them are expected to be positive.

Many people have lived in Shangjing City for a long time, and even some ordinary people have developed a keen eye. They know which people they can provoke and which people they should avoid when they see them.

Obviously, the Jinyiwei is the latter.

Seeing the eldest princess getting on the carriage, Li An slowly asked, "Has Zhou Jing returned home now?"

Shen Zhong smiled sinisterly and gave an answer that was beyond everyone's expectations: "The Prime Minister's Mansion."

"In this way, the people who helped Guo Heng in the beginning now have the answer!"

Li Anke has not forgotten why this incident started. Zhou Qinsheng's first destination was the Guo family! Don't say that he could have wandered here. Although the Ministry of Revenue often interacts with some private businessmen, it should not be the Guo family who sold horses during the war.

There is a misunderstanding in thinking here.

The more grand Zhou Qinsheng's arrival is, the less strange it will seem to everyone given his reputation as a dandy guy.

However, if the Minister of Revenue was the person who offered the tribute as Guo Heng said, then this matter would be too simple! It would not be so simple that Guo Heng would only find out about Prince Gong and Gao Hong after searching for a long time.
Is it that Jin Weixian again?
"Zhao Gao!"

"The slave is here!"

"Tell me tomorrow how the Prime Minister responded tonight."

"I will deliver the message later."

"Yes." Li An waved his hand and got on the carriage. He seemed to have thought of something and said slowly, "Has the Hanlin Academy been off duty at this time?"

"To reply to Your Majesty, I have not yet left my post." Zhao Gao pulled the reins and turned the direction of the carriage.

The Hanlin Academy was an institution for the palace to serve the emperor, housing talents in literature, classics, divination, medicine, astronomy, calligraphy, painting, and chess. Initially it was just a department responsible for accompanying the emperor on banquets and entertainment, but later it evolved into an important institution that specialized in drafting secret imperial edicts, and was known as the "Emperor's private staff."

To put it bluntly, these people also have some of the functions of official secretaries.

The highlight is the 24-hour rotation. As long as the emperor needs them, they will be there at any time!
"Let's go to the Hanlin Academy first."

Following Li An's order, the carriage started slowly.

On the way back to the palace, Haitang Duoduo had some doubts. She reminded him, "I saw that Zhou Jing had a gloomy look on his face when he left. He will definitely take revenge later. I'm afraid he will use some means before he goes to court tomorrow. Sister An'er should be careful!"

Haitang Duoduo is not a political animal. Out of a warrior's intuition, she has such concerns, which forces Li An to take it seriously.

He pondered for a moment and asked Haitang Duoduo: "Master Haitang, if you were the other person, what would you do?"

"Although Sister An'er has no blood relatives in the world, her hometown is still there!"

Haitang Duoduo said bluntly, "These are just my guesses. Sister An'er warned Zhou Jing before he left that if the other party didn't want to fight to the death, they wouldn't even touch the civilian man. But what if the other party has gone crazy? If I were him, in addition to exerting my strength in the court, I would also cause a big fire in your hometown, Sister An'er!"

"Revenge is secondary. If I can disturb my sister's mind with this, it will be a win!"

Haitang Duoduo can think of these things, not because she has a dark heart, but because she has seen too many
These can be regarded as common methods used by officials - destroying the enemy's family and clan at any time!

"Heavy!"

"What does your Majesty want to tell you?" A heavy voice came from outside the carriage.

"Send the information you collected about Zhou Jing to the palace, and then dispatch a team to my hometown village. After everything is over, withdraw."

"My subordinate understands."

"Complete the task and come to the palace tomorrow!" After giving the order, there was no further words along the way as the carriage slowly drove into the palace.

Hanlin Academy.

It was still those young familiar faces, and Ang Lee was deeply impressed by them.

Of course, the other party was even more surprised to see the arrival of the Empress Defei. At the same time, they felt a pain in their livers! To be honest, they have given up the five-in-a-row game. They don't even like to play Go anymore!
"Are you familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue?" There was no delay as Li An was still waiting to go back for dinner.

"Does the queen want us to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue?" There were naturally many smart young people among the young people. When the queen asked this question, they knew what she meant without thinking. The man hesitated and said, "We are scholars of the Hanlin Academy. This is impossible regardless of the rules or procedures."

"When I asked your chief officer who was the most capable and competent person under his command, I carefully selected you, all the young people in this room!" Li An said in a calm tone, and everyone stood up and looked at him. "I know this is difficult and unconventional! But don't you want to change the current situation of corruption in Da Qi? You have the opportunity and ability to do it, and leave it in the history books! I want everyone here to have a share of this honor."

Some people began to nod, with determination on their faces; some people were in deep thought, vaguely touched.

"I will trust you with all my heart. Can you bring me good news?"

The audience was silent for a moment, and no one knew what Li An had promised them.
If you want to paint a big picture, then just paint it!

Who can draw better than Li Ang?
(End of this chapter)