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Chapter 871 Actor
The news that the old emperor promoted Sheng Hong to be the Minister of Works soon reached Jiangning Prefecture, and Sheng Hong was naturally very surprised and nervous. He was surprised that the court of the Song Dynasty was still the orthodox and righteous one in Sheng Hong's mind, but he was nervous because their Sheng family was too deeply involved with the Ning Wang Mansion, which was obviously to send the Sheng family to Bian Jing as a hostage.

"Hong'er, what do you think?" How could Old Lady Sheng not see Sheng Hong's ecstasy? She looked at Sheng Hong with some concern and asked.

"Mother, do we still have the right to refuse? I guess Prince Ning doesn't care at all?" Sheng Hong knew that the old lady's question was a reminder, but he shook his head with a wry smile on his face. He could feel that he was nothing in Su Ning's heart.

"Hong'er, you have matured a lot." At this time, Old Lady Sheng showed a relieved expression, realizing that the illegitimate son in front of her had finally matured.

"Mother, I am going to Prince Ning's mansion to report to Prince Ning in person. Whether I go or not is up to His Highness Prince Ning to decide."

"Well, that's fine too."

"Mother, I heard that the emperor has also issued an order to inspect Jiangnan?" After seeing that his proposal was approved by the old lady, Sheng Hong then asked about the emperor's southern tour.

"Alas! The current Prince Ning is no longer the same as before. He is even being wooed by the Khitan and Western Xia countries. I believe the officials and ministers in Bianjing are worried." After all, the Ningyuan Army occupied the fertile land in the south of the Yangtze River. The emperor and the ministers would never give up.

"Yes! The Ningyuan Army is now too powerful. It has indeed grown into a major force that cannot be ignored. I just don't know if it can resist the methods of the great ministers."

"Hong'er, this time when we go to Bian Jing, I intend to let Changbai stay in Jiangning Prefecture. In this way, even if our Sheng family encounters an accident in Bian Jing, I believe Prince Ning will always treat Changbai well." Then, old lady Sheng made her proposal. After all, it is hard to say which will come first, death or tomorrow.

"Yes! Mother, I will follow your teachings in everything." Sheng Hong naturally understood that this was arranging a way out for the Sheng family, and naturally agreed very much with Mrs. Sheng's proposal.

"Go! You should meet Prince Ning as soon as possible."

"Yes! My son resigned."

Looking at the back of her adopted son Sheng Hong leaving, Old Lady Sheng's heart was filled with melancholy and helplessness. She had never expected that the small Sheng family would become the center of attention. Her original desire to just stay in Shou'an Hall and spend her old age in peace had faded, and she was also willing to personally help the Sheng family to get through this difficult time safely.

At this time, Suning naturally disagreed with the old emperor's behavior. There was no one in this world who could make Su Ning compromise, and now his own power had been formed. Since Sheng Hong himself wanted to go to Bian Jing to take up a position, Suning naturally had no reason or need to object, and then he agreed to Sheng Hong's family moving to Bian Jing.

"Changbai, you are almost eighteen years old this year. From now on, you will take over the responsibilities of supervising the construction of the military camp left by your father." Su Ning handed over the work left by Sheng Hong to Sheng Changbai.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

"Changbai, these military camps are very important to our Ningyuan Army. We must ensure the quality of their construction." At this time, Su Ning couldn't help but look at Sheng Changbai and gave him more instructions.

"Yes!"

Of course, Su Ning knew clearly that the old emperor and the eunuchs wanted to control him, which was why they transferred Sheng Hong to Bian Jing to be the Minister of Works. He also knew that Bian Jing City was not as simple as it seemed, so he asked Su San, the female steward of the Ning Palace, to select a group of servants who she trained personally and gave them to the Sheng family. Of course, he could not be so arrogant as to give away his own AI robot. Anyway, these trained servants were absolutely loyal to the Ning Palace.

Sheng Hong and his family quickly packed their luggage and boarded the ship. Sheng Hong was very excited to be recognized by the emperor and the ministers. As for whether to let Suning restrict his son-in-law, Prince Ning, he did not care. As long as the Sheng family could make a big leap forward, it would bring honor to his family. Naturally, he had no intention of continuing to hesitate in Jiangning Prefecture.

"Mother, what should we do with these servants given by Prince Ning?" Looking at the group of servants sent by Suning, Sheng Hong was a little troubled.

"Leave a few in each courtyard! Don't say anything and don't ask any questions." Old Madam Sheng naturally knew that this group of people had some surveillance function, and she arranged it casually without taking it seriously.

"Yes! Mother."

"In addition, our Sheng family is no longer the same as before, so we still need to establish the necessary rules." Then Old Lady Sheng looked at her adopted son in front of her again and said.

"Mother, please speak." Sheng Hong looked at his mother with surprise and said.

"From now on, all the children of the Sheng family will be sent to Shou'an Hall. They cannot be raised by their biological aunt and mother."

"Ah? Will this make my mother too tired?" Thinking of his shrewish wife and clingy concubine, Sheng Hong immediately wanted to refuse directly.

"Hmph! The best arrangement is to place all the children in the eldest lady's room. Do you and your concubine Lin agree?" At this time, Old Lady Sheng looked at Sheng Hong unhappily and questioned him.

"Ah? This..."

"Hong'er, I can't stop you from favoring your concubine over your wife. Your eldest wife, Wang Ruofu, is indeed stupid, but I will never allow the children of the Sheng family to grow up crooked or disabled. This is the last line for an old lonely woman like me."

"Yes! Everything depends on mother."

"Hmph! Go warn that Ringo Frost of yours that if she doesn't want to work in the workshop anymore, she'll have to behave herself."

"Ah? Yes! Mother."

……

The fact that the Emperor and the Empress were going to personally inspect Jiangning Prefecture undoubtedly made Princess Huirou the happiest and most surprised. She immediately came forward to prepare for the reception. Suning also instructed the Ningyuan Army Navy to send 20 iron ships to protect the Emperor. She believed that the old Emperor should be satisfied with her attitude.

"Princess, you just need to instruct the people below to prepare these things. You should just stay in the palace and take care of your pregnancy." Seeing her busying around with a big belly, Su Ning shook her head helplessly and persuaded her.

"How is that possible! The royal dignity and etiquette cannot be ignored. How could these officials in Jiangnan know about it?" Princess Huirou retorted disapprovingly. She did not believe that the officials in Jiangning Prefecture understood these things.

"Okay! I'll let Lord Zhang Fangping be personally in charge of this matter. Also, the Ministry of Rites in Bian Jing will send officials over, so you can just stay in the palace without worry." Although Su Ning was very indulgent towards his women, he would not let them cross the bottom line.

"This……"

"Okay! This matter is settled." Suning made the final decision. After all, Princess Huirou still needed to take care of the pregnancy.

"..."

At a certain inn in Jiangning Prefecture, Zhao Yingce, the legitimate son of Zhao Zongquan, came to Jiangning Prefecture in person. Originally, everything had been arranged, and he was just waiting for the right time to arrange for Zhao Linger to approach Su Ning. Unexpectedly, the news that the emperor was about to go on a southern tour suddenly appeared, which once again made Jiangning Prefecture panic. At this time, Zhao Yingce had to temporarily abandon the assassination plan. "Uncle, it seems that the assassination plan has to be postponed again." Zhao Yingce looked at him with regret.

"Yingce, since Zhao Linger has been arranged on the other side of the Qinhuai River, why not continue to approach King Ning as planned? We still have to be patient and wait for the assassination." Shen Congxing persuaded his nephew disapprovingly, feeling that his nephew was still too impatient.

"How easy is that! Prince Ning has been hiding in his mansion and never leaving the house. He has never been to places like Qinhuai River where there are brothels and theaters. I am now beginning to doubt whether he is really lecherous."

"Yingce, you don't know this. Jiangnan is a land of abundance, rich in beauties. The most beautiful women have long been taken to Prince Ning's mansion. Besides, the Ningyuan Army's southern expedition some time ago also caused Prince Ning to be seriously injured."

"Hey! We have to think of a solution. We can't always be unable to get close to Prince Ning!"

Zhao Yingce and his uncle Shen Congxing and others had been staying in Jiangning Prefecture for a long time. Finally, they waited for King Ning to go out to inspect the construction of the military camp. Naturally, the people of Yuzhou who were unable to get close to Suning were very surprised. But just when they wanted to assassinate Suning directly, they saw that they were suddenly preempted by an inexplicable man and woman.

"Ah... Help me..." A woman looked at the man chasing her from behind with a face full of panic, and knelt down on the ground to stop Suning's carriage.

"How dare you! Who dares to offend the king?" The guards in front of the king drew their sharp swords and looked at the man and woman in front of them warily.

"Prince Ning, help me! Prince Ning! My brother is greedy for money and loves gambling. He wants to sell me to a brothel. Please have mercy on me and save me." The woman looked at the sharp blade in the guard's hand without fear, and then cried at the top of her lungs. It was so sad that it made people cry.

"Su Yi, what's going on in front?" Hearing the sudden cry of a woman coming from outside, Su Ning asked Su Yi outside the car frame with some confusion.

"Master, it's Man Niang who showed up." Su Yi looked at Su Ning in surprise and reported.

"Oh? Man Niang?" Su Ning couldn't help but be surprised. He had suspected that Man Niang was deliberately arranged by someone. He didn't expect that even though he was now the King of Ning, he still couldn't change Man Niang's greedy and mad heart. "Well, just kill her brother. Also, I intend to form an opera troupe and perform in the Ningyuan Army, just like the military art troupes in later generations, to provide entertainment for our soldiers."

"Master, do you want to leave this Man Niang in the troupe?" The AI robot Su Yi looked at Su Ning in front of him with surprise and asked.

"That's right! Since Man Niang has such superb acting skills, we can't let her waste this skill. In fact, I was thinking of capturing Ling Qinshuang and Sheng Molan and throwing them into the troupe, but I was a little worried that it would not look good on my father-in-law." At this time, Su Ning said with some regret that he should have arranged Ling Qinshuang and Sheng Molan in the troupe earlier.

"Master, then I know what to do."

Su Yi quickly turned back and walked in front of Man Niang and her brother, then drew his sword and killed Man Niang's brother in full view of everyone. This frightened Man Niang and the surrounding onlookers and made them scream, "Ah..."

"What's your name? What do you do?" Su Yi retracted the blood-stained sword in his hand, then looked at Man Niang expressionlessly and questioned.

"Ah... Your Excellency, my name is Man Niang. I used to sing in a Southern Opera troupe."

"Humph! How can you lowly actors like you disturb the carriage of Prince Ning?"

"Ah...Sir..." At this moment, Man Niang was completely confused.

"Come here! Take this opera singer named Manniang away."

"Yes! Commander." Soon several Jinyiwei soldiers came out and dragged away Daman Niang, who had superb acting skills.

"Sir... Prince... You can't be so cruel to me..." Man Niang, who was dragged away by the Jinyiwei soldiers at this time, was completely dumbfounded, and soon she started shouting and screaming there.

Unfortunately, Prince Ning's carriage continued to move forward, and he didn't bother to pay attention to the shouting Man Niang. In fact, the onlookers were also confused. They had never seen such a neat and timid way of handling things, and they all stared at what was happening with wide eyes in shock.

The people of Yuzhou standing on the second-floor balcony of the inn were equally restless. Only after Prince Ning's carriage had departed did they finally regain consciousness. Zhao Yingce then turned to the beautiful masked woman and said, "Zhao Linger, you've seen how cruel and merciless Prince Ning is. He killed people in public without even conducting a thorough interrogation."

"Mr. Zhao, I am willing to help you, and I hope you can keep your promise and release my family." The woman with her face covered with a scarf said in a cold voice with disapproval.

"Don't worry! As long as you do what we ask, regardless of whether you succeed in the end, we father and son will definitely release your family."

In fact, when the Yuzhou group just appeared in Jiangning Prefecture, they were already under close surveillance by the Jinyiwei of the Ningyuan Army. Every move they made was reported to Su Ning by the Jinyiwei. Soon, Su Ning lifted the curtain of the car and asked in confusion, "Su Yi, on the street we just passed, there were people from Yuzhou waiting to be assassinated, right?"

"Yes! But they did not act according to the plan. They must have been disrupted by the sudden appearance of Man Niang and her brother." Then Su Yi looked at Su Ning and reported with speculation.

"Hmm, how boring! The future Emperor Shenzong of Song is such a coward! I gave them such a great opportunity and they didn't use it. I wanted to see Zhao Linger's appearance as soon as possible. Do you think Zhao Linger looks a lot like her grandmother Zhao Paner?"

"Master, why don't we just capture them all tonight? There's really no need to waste time with them here." Knowing that the Ningyuan army had no need to play hide-and-seek with them in Yuzhou, Su Yi couldn't help but look at Su Ning and directly stated his suggestion.

"Alright! Since I've already traveled to this world, I won't let Zhao Zongquan and Zhao Yingce, father and son, ascend the throne smoothly. I suddenly want to turn the future Song Shenzong into a eunuch. That might be very interesting."

"Master, which prince of the Zhao family do you most want to ascend the throne?" Then the AI robot Su Yi looked at Su Ning in confusion and asked.

"Of course it's the one who bids the highest! You know, the wealth accumulated by the Zhao Song court over the past hundred years is still astonishing. I must take this opportunity to wipe it out for them."

"Master, if that's the case, then how about having the Jinyiwei contact Prince Yong and Prince Yan? You know, the last time we attacked Prince Yong's official ship, it really annoyed Prince Yong's family."

"No need! No matter who wants to sit on the throne of the emperor, they can't do without the support of our Jiangnan Ningyuan Army. They will take the initiative to ask for it."

"Yes! Master, I will go down and arrange the capture operation right away."

"Well, let's go!"

……

(End of this chapter)