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Chapter 862 Nothing

Although Jiangning Prefecture was occupied by the Ningyuan Army of the Daning Kingdom, it was still not much different from other cities of that era. It became quiet as soon as it got dark, and all the people returned to their homes to rest. Of course, there was also the night culture of this era.

After accepting the warm hospitality of Prince Ning's banquet, Prime Minister Shen had returned to the residence arranged for him by Prince Ning. He immediately sat down at his desk and began to write down what he had seen and heard today. He then quickly rolled it up with a small piece of kraft paper. He then took the carrier pigeon handed to him by the soldier of the Imperial City Division and tied the small paper roll directly to the pigeon's legs. Finally, he walked to the open window sill and released the pigeon.

"Liu Yasi, how is your Imperial City Division's observation in Yangzhou and Jiangning Prefecture today?" After seeing the carrier pigeon fly away with his own eyes, Lord Shen looked at Liu Yasi standing beside him and asked.

"To reply to Lord Shen, what we have seen and heard today is truly horrifying. Prince Ning not only levied heavy taxes on merchants in Jiangnan, but also forced all officials and gentry to pay taxes. Agricultural taxes are also paid according to the amount of land. This has caused widespread complaints in Jiangnan." Then, Liu Yasi briefly mentioned the key points. In the minds of the Song people, this was cruelty and inhumane.

"What? Pay taxes according to the amount of land?" At this time, Prime Minister Shen was also stunned. He did not expect that the Ningyuan Army would be so thorough and decisive. As a prime minister, he certainly understood what this meant.

"Yes! Merchants in Jiangning Prefecture are required to pay 20% of their taxes. Any merchant who fails to pay will be ordered to close down. For this purpose, Prince Ning has even set up a tax department called the Tax Bureau."

"Hmph! It seems that our King Ning really has big ambitions!" Prime Minister Shen knew that if the Ningyuan Army was really allowed to implement these policies in Jiangnan, then their Song Dynasty would never be able to return to the south of the Yangtze River.

"My Lord, what should our Imperial City Division do next?" Then Liu Yasi of the Imperial City Division looked at Lord Shen in front of him with confusion and asked.

"Continue the in-depth investigation, and then report everything to the emperor and the Privy Council in detail. Also, send people to other areas in Jiangnan controlled by the Ningyuan Army to check. We must ensure that all the things we investigate are true and reliable." Minister Shen suddenly realized that they knew too little about the Ningyuan Army. They were not the ordinary rebels they imagined. Their intentions were to overthrow their Song Dynasty court.

"Yes! Sir."

After the bailiff of the Imperial City left, Lord Shen was no longer sleepy. He looked out the window at the tranquil night scene of Jiangnan, and thought of what Su Ning had just said about "gift from heaven". He couldn't help but suspect that Su Ning had really obtained the so-called "gift from heaven", because many objects in Jiangnan were beyond the reach of current human power.

At the temporary Prince Ning's residence in Jiangning Prefecture, south of the Yangtze River, Jinyiwei Commander Su Yi walked straight into Su Ning's study. He then looked at Su Ning and reported, "Master, Grand Minister Shen just released a carrier pigeon. The people from the Imperial City Bureau have also left Jiangning Prefecture for other places. Do you want someone to shoot the pigeon down?"

"No need! We have already opened the bug, so we naturally have to have some confidence." Suning waved his hand indifferently, feeling that things were becoming more and more interesting.

"Yes! Master, the Imperial City Division has been active in my Jiangnan area recently. It seems they want to investigate something."

"Well, the unknown is often the most terrifying, but as their understanding deepens, they become more afraid of us." At this time, Suning showed a smirk on his face. As their understanding deepens, they will find that there are more mysteries to come.

"Master, according to insider reports from the Bianjing Palace, the Emperor and the Empress have decided to marry Princess Huirou to you."

"Oh? Princess Huirou? Is she the one who is known as the most miserable daughter of Song Renzong?" Su Ning couldn't help but show a surprised expression for the first time, realizing that the emperor of Bianjing was going to spend a lot of money. You know, the various restrictions on the son-in-law of the emperor in the Song Dynasty do not apply to Su Ning.

"Exactly."

"Haha, it seems that our official is really willing to spend a lot of money to win over our Ningyuan Army."

"Master, according to a more detailed report from an insider, Song Renzong initially planned to marry Prince Yong's daughter, Princess Jiacheng, to you. However, he was worried that Princess Jiacheng would be reluctant after being overwhelmed by the Ningyuan Army. Therefore, he had no choice but to choose the official's biological daughter, Princess Huirou."

"Well, you Jinyiwei have done a great job. Also, you should pay more attention to Zhao Zongquan in Yuzhou. This master is the one who hides the deepest, and is definitely more powerful than ordinary people imagine."

"Yes! Master."

Yuzhou.

At this moment, Zhao Zongquan was extremely worried about the affairs of the Song Dynasty. In his opinion, although there were constant rebellions of varying sizes in the Song Dynasty, no one dared to propose dividing the country with the Song Dynasty. Therefore, Zhao Zongquan and his son Zhao Yingce both believed that the Ningyuan Army and the King of Ning were the main threats to the Song Dynasty, and there was no need to compromise or recruit them.

"Father, this Prince Ning wants to split up with our Song Dynasty. We have to kill this Prince Ning as soon as possible!" Zhao Zongquan and his son Zhao Yingce have been hiding their power, preparing to strike at the most appropriate time.

"Well, have you found the person you were asked to look for?" Zhao Zongquan was naturally reluctant to use his hidden power, and then he looked at his eldest son in front of him and asked.

"Found it! This person is named Zhao Linger. She opened a teahouse in Yuzhou. Her father, Zhao Nianfan, was a well-known scholar. After failing the imperial examinations many times, he became disheartened and opened a private school in Yuzhou. He made a living by teaching and educating people on weekdays." Zhao Yingce then gave a concise introduction, and at the same time he roughly guessed Zhao Zongquan's assassination plan.

"Oh? He is a scholarly family, so why would he let his daughter sell tea in public?" Zhao Zongquan felt a little confused at this time. After all, doing business was not a respectable thing in the Song Dynasty.

"Father, it's mainly because of Zhao Linger's grandmother, Zhao Pan'er, who is also the wife of Gu Qianfan, a distant relative of the Ningyuan Marquis Gu family." Zhao Yingce had anticipated that Zhao Zongquan would ask this question, so he prepared a detailed explanation early. In the final analysis, it was another injustice created by the Gu family. "During the Zhenzong period, Zhao Pan'er, who was originally the daughter of an official, fell into poverty at the age of nine and became a musician in the Jiaofang Division. Later, after luckily scraping together enough money to redeem herself, she opened a teahouse in Qiantang County in Jiangnan. Then she met Gu Qianfan, the deputy commander of the Imperial City Division, who went south to investigate a case. After they got married, they were not accepted by the Ningyuan Marquis Gu family. After Gu Qianfan, the deputy commander of the Imperial City Division, died in battle, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan's orphan, Gu Nianfan, were driven out by the Gu family. Later, the stubborn Zhao Pan'er neither stayed in Bianjing nor returned to Qiantang County in Jiangnan. Instead, she came to the remote Yuzhou under an assumed name and opened a teahouse."

"Hmph! It's the Gu family's bunch of fools again." At this time, Zhao Zongquan was also feeling depressed about these exiles from the Gu family. It was rare to see someone go to such a crazy extent of "eating up the entire family".

"Father, do you really want to let Zhao Linger get close to Prince Ning and wait for an opportunity to assassinate this traitor?" Ever since Zhao Yingce met Zhao Linger, he felt reluctant to see such a beautiful woman die.

"Rumor has it that the young and frivolous Prince Ning is extremely lustful. The so-called Prince Ning's Mansion doesn't require a single eunuch to serve, and is filled exclusively with delicate beauties from the Jiangnan water towns. Naturally, they would be unable to resist the stunning beauty Zhao Linger. As long as we control Zhao Linger's family, we can't believe she won't follow our orders." Zhao Zongquan, unaware of his eldest son's aberration, instead looked at Zhao Yingce with a mocking expression and explained. "Yes! Father, then I will have Zhao Linger's training intensified." Thinking that the Zhao family's imperial ambitions were more important, Zhao Yingce decisively rejected his inner evil thoughts.

"Well, Yingce, although the emperor has already abandoned my father and me, we are still descendants of the Zhao Song royal family. Naturally, we cannot ignore the traitors who are harming our Song Dynasty."

"Yes! Father."

Zhao Zongquan and his father Zhao Yuanrang were actually quite miserable. When Song Zhenzong was in power and had no children, he was forced to adopt Zhao Yuanrang, a son of the royal family, as his stepson in the palace. Later, Song Zhenzong had his own biological son Zhao Zhen, so he naturally drove his stepson Zhao Yuanrang out of the palace, and then canonized Zhao Yuanrang as the King of Puyang of the Song Dynasty. Later, when Zhao Zhen ascended the throne and became emperor, he was naturally on guard against Zhao Yuanrang.

Later, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen also had few children and was forced to bring Zhao Yuanrang's son Zhao Zongquan to the palace. Poor Zhao Zongquan repeated the tragic fate of his father Zhao Yuanrang and became the most pathetic "spare tire" of the Zhao royal family. Finally, he was driven to the remote Yuzhou by Song Renzong Zhao Zhen, who already had a biological son.

However, if you think that Zhao Yuanrang and Zhao Zongquan, father and son, are people who just accept their fate, you are totally wrong. You must know that it is not easy to sit on the throne of the emperor. In the original drama, even if there was no protection and encouragement from the male protagonist Gu Tingye, Zhao Zongquan would still be able to ascend the throne of the emperor smoothly.

So, seeing that Su Ning was delusionally trying to divide the country with the Zhao Song court in Bian Jing, Zhao Zongquan and his son, who were pretending to be stupid in Yuzhou, began to take action. The first thing they did was to investigate the secrets of the Ningyuan Hou Gu family. Zhao Linger, who had the same tragic experience as Su Ning, must be able to get close to Su Ning. At that time, they just need to wait for the right opportunity to kill Su Ning with one blow.

The old emperor who was far away in Bian Jing soon received the carrier pigeon message sent by Prime Minister Shen from Jiangning Prefecture. After seeing what Prime Minister Shen saw and heard along the way in Jiangning Prefecture and his evaluation of Prince Ning, the old emperor was stunned for a moment, because Prince Ning was very different from the playboy in his impression.

As the son of a noble family, Suning was naturally known to the old emperor at a very young age. The old emperor used to like this strong and brave son of a general very much. However, later when he heard that Suning often liked to hang out in brothels, the old emperor naturally believed the outside world's opinions and discussions, and then gradually distanced himself from this disgusting devil.

"Dong Liang, is the Gu family still imprisoned in the Sky Prison?" Knowing that Suning's reputation was the pride of the Gu family, the angry old emperor looked at the deputy commander of the Imperial City Division and asked.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

"Issue an imperial decree to strip Ningyuan Hou of his title and the golden medal of immunity from death. All three members of the Gu family will be demoted to commoners, and three generations of their family will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations or become military officers." The angry old emperor immediately announced the punishment for Ningyuan Hou's Gu family, making the entire Gu family live a life worse than death.

"Yes! Your Majesty, should we drive them out of Bianjing?"

"Oh! Forget it! Considering the Gu family's loyalty to the emperor and patriotism for generations, it's better to leave the original mansion to them." In the end, the angry old emperor did not choose to kill them all, and still left a mansion for the Gu family.

"Your Majesty has mercy."

Thinking of the content of the pigeon message from Prime Minister Shen, the old emperor's face was full of emotion and melancholy. When Suning said the word "God-given" to Prime Minister Shen, the old emperor had made up his mind to kill Suning, the King of Ning. However, thinking about the reality of his own weak situation, he could only temporarily allow the Ningyuan Army to march directly to the Dali Kingdom and the Jiaozhi Kingdom. This would also quickly deplete the strength of the Ningyuan Army. However, thinking of the trump card hidden in the southwestern Dali Kingdom, the old emperor smiled sinisterly at this time.

As for Suning's request for full responsibility for all military affairs south of the Yangtze River, in the old emperor's view, it was just another way of saying "divide the river and rule separately", which was just relatively better than "divide the river and rule separately". However, the old emperor no longer had the capital to refuse at this time, and could only continue to indulge and flatter the arrogant and domineering Ningyuan Army, hoping that the Ningyuan Army would go to self-destruction more quickly.

"Draft an edict." The old emperor, having made up his mind, showed an attitude of determination.

"Yes! Your Majesty." The secretary immediately stepped out to prepare to enter the imperial edict information.

"Princess Huirou is bestowed with the title Princess Fukang, and becomes the consort of Prince Ning Zhao Ning of Jiangning Prefecture. Prince Ning is ordered to take full responsibility for military affairs south of the Yangtze River and to attack the rebellious pseudo-states of Dali and Jiaozhi in three months."

At this time, the Gu family finally walked out of the dark prison alive, but their status had become that of common people with nothing. In fact, it could be said that they were in a situation worse than death. Gu Yankai looked at Xiao Qin, whom he hadn't seen for almost half a year, and said sadly, "Madam, I'm sorry for the injustice you have suffered."

"My Lord, I am not wronged." Little Qin wiped the tears from her face with a pitiful look.

"Madam, I am no longer a marquis. You can just call me husband from now on." Hearing that Xiao Qin still called him the old marquis, Gu Yankai explained to his wife with tears on his face.

"Mr. Hou, Tingye is now the Prince of Ning in Jiangning Prefecture. Why don't our whole family go to him for help?" Xiao Qin then looked at Gu Yankai and stated her proposal, believing that there was no need for them to stay in Bianjing anymore.

"Hmph! I, Gu Yankai, don't have this evil son, and he is not a member of my Gu family." Gu Yankai immediately and angrily rejected Xiao Qin's proposal. Anyway, he would not make any compromise with his son.

"Sir, why are you so stubborn? The emperor has already married the eldest princess to Tingye as the princess, which means that the emperor has recognized Tingye as the King of Ning." At this time, Xiao Qinshi could not understand Gu Yankai's stubbornness, and the emperor's canonization had already explained a lot of things.

"Hmph! Unless I, Gu Yankai, die, I will never acknowledge Gu Tingye as my son." Although he knew that Xiao Qinshi's proposal was the only way to survive, Gu Yankai still rejected it decisively.

"This"

"Mother, let's go home quickly! Fortunately, the emperor is kind and has left us a house so we don't have to sleep on the streets in the future." Gu Tingyu, who was standing aside, knew clearly how stubborn his father was, so he quickly spoke up to stop Xiao Qinshi from chattering.

"Yes! Let's go home."

(End of this chapter)