Shipin Dalizheng

Chapter 278 Chaos

Li Dequan felt that there was an abyss ahead, but he had no idea how to refute it.

"What do you want to do?"

"What can I do?" Rong Tang smiled, "Protect the country for His Majesty!"

After cooking several rounds of porridge outside the temple and finishing a cart of grain, it was time for Xutou to return to the city.

During this period, Rong Tang assigned tasks. Thirty people followed him into the city, and the rest were scattered outside the city to provide support.

The inspection before entering the city was very strict, but Rong Tang's identity as the Earl of Annan was not fake. He took twenty people with him when he left, and taking ten more people with him now was not too many. The guards at the city gate let him pass without making it difficult for him.

Li Dequan came back to his senses, his scalp tingling. It was so terrifying. Who on earth was Rong Tang? Did His Majesty know him...

I feel like my brain is just a temporary storage and could be gone at any moment.

The desolation of the Nanyue capital was shocking. There were almost no soldiers or officers to maintain order on the streets, and robberies and crimes were common. When they reached the entrance of an alley, they saw a gangster dragging a young woman into the alley. The woman struggled and screamed desperately, but the doors on both sides were bolted tighter at this time.

"Rong Zhan."

Rong Zhan did not hesitate. He dismounted and stepped forward, picked up the knife, and used a white knife to cut it in and a red knife to cut it out.

The woman ran away crying, not daring to stay for a moment.

Rong Tang frowned and asked, "Is there no one to maintain law and order in the city?"

Xu Tou said, "The Imperial Capital's garrison was already quite small. Eighty percent of them were out collecting grain, and the remaining twenty percent were guarding the Imperial Palace. The various government offices couldn't pay salaries, and were essentially in a semi-paralyzed state. The nobles' residences were left to their own devices, with all their servants assigned to guarding the gates to prevent anyone from stealing their food. Of course, many people also considered escaping, but those who fled early left, while those who fled later found the situation even more chaotic and returned."

"Jingzhao Prefecture, Dali Temple, Wucheng Military Command, all of these..."

Forget it. A court abandoned by the crown prince, an empty imperial capital, and an emperor who is barely surviving, what else can you expect him to do?

There was a dull and dead atmosphere everywhere, and the occasional sound was the tragedy that occurred in various places. Rong Tang kept issuing orders along the way. Anyone who was seen robbing or committing a crime would be killed without mercy with one order.

Passing by the door of the relief agency, he found it incredible that many city dwellers were also queuing up to get porridge. He even saw Mrs. Gui among the people making porridge.

This place was relatively peaceful because there were officers and soldiers from the relief agency maintaining order.

After turning a few corners, the Annan Marquis's Mansion came into view. Steward Lu, who had received the news in advance, was waiting at the intersection with the servants of the Marquis' Mansion. He knelt on the ground early, tears streaming down his face, "My Lord, you are finally back."

The servants behind him also started crying. Some of them had been in the Earl's Mansion before Rong Tang left, while some were bought after he left. Today was the first time they met their real master.

Amidst the cries and shouts, there was a thud beside Rong Zhan, and Li Dequan fell off his horse and landed on the ground unconscious.

"The boss."

Following a call, several men dismounted, carried him up, and brought him into the Annan Earl's Mansion.

Li Dequan woke up in a daze. The pain in his head was no big deal. He was so scared that his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

He tiptoed out of the bed and walked out quietly. Outside was the living room, where Rong Tang was talking to Butler Lu.

Butler Lu first gave a detailed report on what had happened in the past few months. Although there was a summary in the letter, it was not clear in the end.

From him, combined with the information Wu Ji had given him before, Rong Tang basically understood all the truth.

After saying this, Butler Lu took out another secret letter, his eyes filled with anxiety, "Master, this was sent back by Jiao Qing. It is so shocking that I dare not reveal a single word to anyone."

This meant he had read it himself. Rong Tang opened the secret letter and fell silent after reading it. Jiao Qing was the leader of another team that had left the imperial capital. While they had headed north, Jiao Qing's team had gone to Southern Xinjiang with great fanfare.

They were clever enough to catch up with the southern expeditionary force and follow them from a distance to ensure their safety. They encountered no danger along the way. However, in the process of following, they discovered a huge secret: General Fu was framed by his own people. General Fu was dying. Jiao Qing, who had delivered a military report to replace the general and returned to the city to report the news, witnessed the prince torturing Fu Qingshi. Fu Qingshi's legs were chopped off and thrown into the river. Jiao Qing took advantage of the distance when the people walked away and jumped into the river to save Fu Qingshi, who was still breathing. He could not take Fu Qingshi back to the city, so he could only place him in the ruins of Fengming Villa.

"This old servant knew that this matter was too horrific, so he dared not reveal it to anyone. He occasionally asked people to send some food over. Fortunately, God has mercy on him, and General Fu is not dead, but he is disabled."

Rong Tang drummed his hand on the table. No one could guess what was going on. His best guess was that it was related to Nangong Yan's past life experiences. He and Feng Yingying, and Feng Yingying and Fu Qingshi, had always been a mess. Perhaps he had been betrayed by his love in his past life, and in this life, he was still using his emotions to seek revenge. He was increasingly disdainful of Nangong Yan.

After Butler Lu finished speaking, he felt relieved. He was just a servant and he didn't know how to solve such a big problem. After telling his master, it was no longer his responsibility to think about it.

Rong Tang didn't comment on the matter immediately, but instead talked about something else. "Butler Lu, there are some things I must tell you in advance to prevent you from being surprised later. During the time I was away, I found my biological parents. Coincidentally, they were from Shangjing, the capital of the Northern Dynasty. My mother's family had a title, and I inherited it there, with the title of Earl of Jian'an."

Steward Lu was indeed very surprised, but after being surprised, he was not very panicked. He already knew that his master was the adopted son of the King of Southern Xinjiang. Since he was an adopted son, it was normal for him to have biological parents. How could he not be a noble of the Northern Dynasty?

He immediately asked, "Should we evacuate immediately?"

In just a few words, he had already accepted his master's new status and even felt a faint sense of relief. He saw that the Southern Dynasty was about to fall into chaos. No, it was already in chaos. The fate of them was in a precarious state. What if the emperor changed? As nobles of the Southern Dynasty, would there be any chance of survival?

It’s great that the master has another identity. They can survive in the Northern Dynasty.

Rong Tang held his forehead with his hand. "Not so fast. I came here with a mission. The Northern Dynasty Emperor gave me a secret order to bring his trusted eunuch Li Dequan..."

Li Dequan lost his balance in the inner room and knocked over a chair. He walked out awkwardly, "Young Master..."

Rong Tang pretended not to know he was eavesdropping and introduced him to Butler Lu, "He is Eunuch Li, a close confidant of His Majesty the Northern Dynasty."

Li Dequan straightened his chest and heard Butler Lu say with awe, "Eunuch Li."

Li Dequan hurriedly said, "No, this isn't the Northern Dynasty. Just call me... uh... Old Li!"

Rong Tang said, "Old Li is our boss, and we all have to listen to him. During this period, you have to pass on the instructions. His words are my orders."

Butler Lu readily agreed, and Li Dequan rebuilt his self-image in his mind. Yes, although the young master was a little naughty, he had always respected him.

Then... stay!

After appeasing Li Dequan, Rong Tang began to tend to the affairs of the mansion. Actually, there had been no business to attend to during this period. The shop was closed, and even if it had been, there would have been no business. The fields outside the city had yielded some results, with the rice harvest coming in early and yielding half of the usual annual yield. Steward Lu was kind enough to leave most of it for the tenant farmers as food. He then brought back several carts of vegetables and had the maids and servants at the mansion prepare them into dried vegetables.

Fortunately, Rong Tang had told him before he left to buy more food, regardless of wealth. At this time, there were still tens of thousands of kilograms of rice in the warehouse of the Marquis' Mansion, which became the confidence of the Annan Marquis' Mansion.