Thief Emperor

Chapter 1094 Happiness upon happiness
A powerful official, the Prefect of Jinling, who was also in charge of the Jiangdong Circuit, and an imperial envoy who had just been dispatched by the court, arrived at the gate of the government office one after the other. As soon as they arrived, they saw a man in his early thirties dressed in blue standing silently at the gate with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

The two men exchanged a glance, and both forced a smile. They bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Lu."

The visitor was none other than Lu Bing, who had been in Jiangdong for three years.

The Jiangdong Salt Transport Commissioner's Office was not in Jinling, but in Wu County. Lu Bing received the news early on and rushed to Jinling.

However, Jinling Prefecture was also part of the Jiangdong Salt Road, so Lu Bing also had a residence in Jinling City.

Seeing the two men bow to him, Lu Bing returned the greeting with clasped hands and slightly bowed his head, saying, "You two are too kind."

"In terms of rank and official position, I should be the one bowing to you two."

Zhang Sui stepped forward and said with a smile, "The last time I saw Lord Lu was when His Highness the Crown Prince was in Jinling last year. More than half a year has passed since then, and Lord Lu is still as dashing as ever."

Qin Zhongcheng also said with a smile, "This is the first time I have had the honor of meeting Lord Lu in person."

Lu Bing glanced at the two men's expressions and smiled as well: "You two are too kind. Let's talk inside."

Zhang Sui quickly stepped aside and invited Lu Bing in. Soon after, the three sat down in the main hall. Zhang Sui and Qin Tong insisted that Lu Bing sit in the main seat, but Lu Bing refused. After some pushing and shoving, the imperial envoy Qin Tong finally sat in the main seat.

After everyone was seated, Zhang Sui looked at Lu Bing and asked with a smile, "When did you arrive in Jinling, Lord Marquis? I had no idea."

Lu Bing waved his hand, corrected Zhang Sui's self-reference, and then said seriously, "Half a month ago, I received an imperial edict and came to Jinling after making some preparations. I should have arrived in Jinling three days ago."

"Because the imperial envoy has not yet arrived, I have been staying in the city without disturbing Lord Zhang."

Zhang Sui and Qin Tong exchanged a glance, then both turned their gaze to Lu Bing.

Lu Bing lowered his head to drink his tea, glanced at the two men unhurriedly, and said with a smile, "You two don't need to overthink it."

He said quietly, "I am the Salt Commissioner of Jiangdong, and I have not yet resigned. Since the court has sent Vice Minister Qin to handle this matter, I, Lu, will certainly not overstep my bounds. His Majesty's decree..."

"I just wanted Lu to come over and see the process of the Jiangnan official kidnapping case. In the end, the three of us will each submit a report."

"You two can handle your own cases and just pretend that I'm not here."

Upon hearing this, both Qin and Zhang couldn't help but smile wryly.

How could I pretend you weren't here?

What difference is there between you watching from here and the emperor watching from here?
If it were other officials, they might try to have a proper talk, but anyone who knows even a little about the Lu family's past would know that Lu Bing is someone you can't talk to.

An imperial envoy is simply someone who carries out imperial orders.

However, people like Lu Bing are practically the "incarnations" of His Majesty the Emperor scattered throughout the land.

Qin Zhongcheng forced a smile and asked, "Lord Lu, how do you intend to investigate this case?"

Lu Bing shook his head slightly and said quietly, "You two."

"I've already made myself very clear. I won't participate in any investigation, and..."

He looked at Zhang Sui and said, "Lord Zhang, His Majesty asked me to oversee your case, but he didn't specify whether I should be overtly or covertly overtly. I've come here openly and honestly."

"It's better for you two than to do it in the dark."

"What do you two think?"

Zhang Sui sighed, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I will remember Lord Lu's favor."

Qin Zhongcheng also cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Lu."

Lu Bing gestured for the two to sit down and continued talking.

Zhang Sui lowered his head to drink his tea, then cleared his throat and said, "The case of the kidnapping of the official happened more than two months ago. The magistrate involved was frightened, so I did not let him return to his post. I just let him recuperate in Jinling City."

"As for those who smashed up the examination hall..."

Zhang Sui said with a wry smile, "Afterwards, everyone scattered in a panic, and it's impossible to figure out exactly who was involved."

"As for the case of kidnapping officials, Jinling Prefecture arrested five suspects in total. The rest have already dispersed because there were too many people and Jinling Prefecture did not arrest them all."

Qin Zhongcheng glanced at Lord Lu, then at Zhang Sui, and said, "So, for such a big matter, Jinling Prefecture has only arrested five people in total."

Zhang Sui glared at the fellow.

These Beijing officials are damn slippery; their words change faster than anyone else's!
Thinking of this, he sighed: "I wasn't in Nanjing at the time."

"As you both know, His Majesty has entrusted me with the new policies for Jiangdong. Since last year, I have had to travel around Jinling and various parts of Jiangdong, and I haven't had a single day of rest."

Qin Zhongcheng glanced at him, secretly grumbling to himself.

That's quite a convenient excuse.

Both of them looked at Lu Bing again.

Lord Lu stroked his chin thoughtfully. After a while, he spoke, “Gentlemen, I am not involved in this case. However, if you are trying to investigate but cannot find any evidence or the people involved, I know two of the heads of the Jinling Division and the Jiangdong Division of the Nine Departments. They might be able to help.”

Zhang Sui looked at Lu Bing, feeling quite helpless.

Who doesn't know that you, Lord Lu, are from the Nine Departments?

Pretending!

He didn't speak, he just looked at Qin Tong.

Qin Zhongcheng stood there stunned, speechless for a long time. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, "Lord Lu, I will investigate this case with the local officials first. If we find that we are unable to do so, we will ask for your help."

Lu Bing nodded, then smiled and corrected, "It's seeking help from Jiu Si, not from me."

"I am a salt commissioner."

He shook his head and said, "I can't be of any help."

With that, he stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Then I won't bother you two any longer. I'll be staying in Jinling for a long time from now on. If you need anything, you can send someone to find me."

Having said that, Lord Lu didn't waste any more words, turned around and strode away.

Qin and Zhang escorted him all the way out of Jinling Prefecture. Watching his departing figure, Qin Zhongcheng shook his head and sighed, "Lord Lu, this salt commissioner, is even more impressive than you, Brother Gongda, a regional governor."

Zhang Sui's expression changed, and he said irritably, "Brother Zongyuan, stop trying to sow discord."

"Not to mention Lord Lu's three nephews, just his niece and nephew-in-law."

"They are not people that you or I can afford to offend."

Qin Tong and he turned and walked into the Jinling government office. As they walked, Qin Tong sighed and said, "Those scholars from Jiangnan are people that neither you nor I can afford to offend?"

Zhang Sui waved his hand: "Brother Zongyuan, you are the imperial envoy, in charge of this case."

"I am busy with the new policies and I am afraid I cannot help Brother Zongyuan much."

Qin Tong strode forward, grabbed Zhang Sui's sleeve, and sneered, "This case is under your jurisdiction, and you are involved in every aspect. Don't even think about getting away with it!"

"If your Jinling Prefecture decides to abandon this plan..."

"I will then submit a memorial to the imperial court, accusing you of protecting a rebellious subject!"

Zhang Sui wore a bitter expression.

"Brother Zongyuan, it's not that I don't want to help you, I really need to get busy with the new policies..."

Without waiting for a reply, Qin Zongyuan shouted, "Stop arguing and come with me to look at the case files!"

"Otherwise, even if I go to Prime Minister Du, I will still impeach you!"

…………

Meanwhile, in Luoyang city.

The Empress entered the Ganlu Palace with great joy. At this time, her belly was already swollen, and the news of her pregnancy had already spread throughout the court and the country.

Throughout the court and among the public, many people were discussing the child in the Empress's womb.

Some speculators are already calculating the child's birth date.

Some people in the court, like Yao Zhong, even felt that if the child were a prince, the probability of this second son inheriting the throne would be far greater than that of the current Crown Prince once he grew up.

However, the Empress's happiness at this moment was not because of the child in her womb.

She walked up to Li Yun and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince just went to the Eastern Palace to have his pulse checked, and our daughter-in-law there is finally pregnant."

More than half a year after the Crown Prince returned to the capital, the Crown Princess Qian finally became pregnant and was about to give birth to the legitimate grandson of the Emperor.

Of course, it could also be her granddaughter.

In any case, in this era where the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is clear, the child in the Crown Princess's womb is far closer to Empress Xue than the nearly two-year-old illegitimate grandson in the Eastern Palace.

Emperor Li looked up at Empress Xue, took a document from the table, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence today, double happiness."

Empress Xue stepped forward and looked at the document.

This is a document sent by the Prince of Yue's residence; it is, in fact, a document announcing good news.

Princess Fei, wife of the King of Yue.

She was also pregnant.

(End of this chapter)