Cao Mao stared at the young man in front of him in shock, and couldn't help but swallowed secretly.
After a long while, he said in a trembling voice: "You, you...are..."
Luo Junyao smiled and made a silent gesture towards him, and said with a smile: "Remember to tell your eldest son when you go back."
Cao Mao composed himself and hesitated for a moment before saying: "My lord and son are far away in Qingzhou, I'm afraid it will take some time. That Chen Xun..."
Luo Junyao said: "As long as the Cao family does not interfere with my affairs, Chen Xun will naturally die forever and will not come out to cause trouble to the Cao family again."
Cao Mao nodded and said, "I understand."
Looking at the young man in front of him, Cao Mao hesitated for a moment and finally gritted his teeth and took out a stack of banknotes and said: "It's really inconvenient to carry one hundred thousand taels of banknotes with you. This is 30,000 taels. Please accept it first, and the rest will be collected later."
I will definitely offer it."
"I knew you were not very honest, and you almost bullied me, a person with solid eyes." Luo Junyao glanced at him with a half-smile, which made Cao Mao's scalp tighten. If you are a solid-eyed person in this world,
They are all fools.
Fortunately, Luo Junyao was not embarrassed and glanced at Ye Feng who was standing by his side. Ye Feng understood and stepped forward to accept the banknote.
Cao Mao looked at the people around him, trembled in his heart, and quickly said, "I'll excuse you."
Luo Jun shook his head and said, "Let's go slowly without seeing you off."
Upon hearing this, Cao Mao felt as if he had been granted amnesty, and quickly turned around and headed towards the peach grove. When he was far away, he simply started running and disappeared into the peach grove a moment later.
"Prince... Young Master." Until Cao Mao's figure disappeared, Ye Fengfang returned the banknote to Luo Junyao.
Luo Junyao didn't answer it, but said slowly: "Take it to Qu Tiange, he knows what to do."
Ye Feng nodded and put the banknote back into his sleeve pocket. Then he raised his hand and blew a whistle. After a while, a group of black-clothed and masked people appeared in the peach forest, saluted the three of them and then started
Dispose of bodies on the ground.
Just by looking at their quick and organized actions, you can tell that they are all well-trained veterans.
Luo Junyao was not worried about what these people would leave behind for people to seize, and walked outside with Qu Fang and Ye Feng.
Qu Fang looked at Luo Junyao with a somewhat penetrating gaze, "You want to fabricate the power of the former royal family out of thin air?" He was born outside the Great Wall, so he didn't know what happened to the descendants of the former royal family. However, in so many years, he has never seen anyone pretending to be the former royal family.
The banner of the DPRK was used to revive the country. It seems that there are not many people left in the former DPRK.
Ye Feng, as a confidant of the Regent's Palace, knew better. In the previous dynasty, the royal family was withered and the number of people was sparse, which led to the young emperor ascending the throne and the powerful ministers ruling the country. When Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, there were no longer any direct descendants of the Dongling royal family.
As for those side branches that cannot be hit with eight poles, there are naturally some, but even the Luanyisi people are making trouble in the name of Yu Ji, which shows that few people really care about the surname Dongfang.
Luo Junyao looked up at Qu Fang and asked, "Mr. Qu, do you think they will believe it?"
If you don't answer, it may be difficult to be deceived, but it is still very easy for the Regent's Palace to deceive you.
After all, Dasheng took over the Dongling family back then, not only Shangyong Imperial City but also the entire palace. If there are any people and things about the Dongling royal family, the ones who know them best in the world today are probably the Xie family.
Qu Fang's eyebrows were furrowed, he still didn't understand what the little princess wanted to do.
She said she had some plan, and she made it look like she was joking, and she was ruthless enough to say she was just fooling around, and her thinking was obviously very clear.
However, Ye Feng looked at Luo Junyao with some embarrassment and said nothing. Luo Junyao raised his eyebrows and said, "Just say what you want to say."
Ye Feng whispered: "Princess, you are doing this... to seduce the Cao family?"
Luo Jun smiled and said: "Although I am fishing, I am willing to take the bait. Let's go back. The first place in the palace examination should be announced by now, right?"
On the other side, Cao Mao hurriedly returned to a secret residence of the Cao family in the imperial city. Because someone came to the previous residence, Cao Mao moved to a more secret place.
It wasn't until he closed the door that he breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"What happened?" A deep voice suddenly sounded in the room. Cao Mao was startled and stood up quickly.
A ball of fire slowly ignited and bounced for a few times before settling down. Cao Mao couldn't help being surprised when he saw the person under the fire, and quickly bowed and said: "The... eldest son."
Sitting under the lamp was a young man of twenty-four or five years old. The young man had a handsome appearance and sharp eyebrows. His appearance under the firelight looked a bit sinister.
This young man was none other than Cao Jie, the eldest son of Qingzhou Governor Cao Mian.
"Eldest Young Master, you... why did you come to Shangyong?" Cao Mao was obviously a little afraid of Cao Jie. Although he was a cousin, he only dared to ask respectfully with his head slightly bowed, and he called him Eldest Young Master instead of his cousin.
Cao Jie snorted lightly and said calmly: "If I don't come, can you handle this matter well?"
Cao Mao couldn't help but feel a little hot on his face, because he obviously didn't get things done today. If Cao Jie doesn't come, he will now be preparing to send people to rush back to Qingzhou again.
"I originally thought that those people would take advantage of the imperial examination to cause trouble, but now that the imperial examination has ended, Shangyong is still calm. It seems... Cao An is the only one who made a mistake." Cao Jie said in a calm tone, and Cao Mao could only say so.
Cao Jie continued: "I received news on the way to Shangyong that Cao An's family was burned to death in the fire."
"..." Facing Cao Mao's shocked look, Cao Jie said coldly: "The Cao family didn't do it."
Cao Mao immediately understood and said: "Cao An betrayed the Cao family!" Those who were burned were probably not the real Cao An family.
Cao Jie stood up slowly. He was eight feet tall and tall, and it was obvious that he was not a simple scholar.
Seeing him walking towards him, Cao Mao couldn't help but take a step back and lowered his head.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Cao Mao lowered his head and glanced at him, saying: "Let's talk about today's events."
Cao Mao didn't dare to hide it, so he quickly told what happened by the Peach Blossom Pond outside the city.
There was silence in the dark room. Cao Jie did not speak and Cao Mao did not dare to say anything more. The room was so quiet that it was as if he could hear his own heartbeat.
"madness!"
I don't know how long it took before Cao Jie's voice sounded in my ears again.
Cao Mao was shocked and said quickly: "Please give me some advice, eldest son."
Cao Jie sneered: "He said he is a descendant of the Dongling royal family, so he is? Even if he is really, is the surname Dongfang very valuable these days?"
"But..." Cao Mao said hesitantly, "The two people beside him look very extraordinary. He dared to kill Fang Shuo of the Fang family, and he also killed so many people in the suburbs of Shangyong. The forces behind him are probably not weak.
The most important thing is..."
Cao Mao paused, "If what he said is true... This man is very ambitious at a young age. Not only is he very ambitious, but he is also incredibly courageous. I'm afraid he will be a disaster in the future."
Cao Jie frowned and said, "Tell me the appearance of that person in detail."
Cao Mao described the appearance of Luo Junyao he saw in detail, not even ignoring the folding fan in her hand.
"Are you really a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy?"
Cao Mao nodded and said: "I have used many channels to investigate these days, but I have never heard of such a prominent figure in Shangyong Emperor City. So, I am wondering if he was not originally in Shangyong, but was also in the city years ago.
That matter came to Shangyong just before. There was a chaos in Shangyong City before and they were not involved, so it was ignored by others?"
As for whether this lack of involvement is simply irrelevant or whether he is deliberately hiding himself, that is a matter of two opinions.
Cao Jie sneered and said: "If you want to cooperate with the Cao family, you can't hide your head and show your tail. You have someone tell him that I can consider his proposal, but... you have to let me see what he is capable of first."
I think I can replace the Fang family."
"What do you mean, Master?"
Cao Jie said: "One hundred miles away from Yangxin City, the Lingjiang Salt Lake Water Village is a hidden stake of the Fang family in the Central Plains."
Cao Mao was stunned, a little confused as to what Cao Jie meant.
Cao Jie glanced at him lightly and said, "Just tell him this."
Cao Mao raised his head and saw a flash of murderous intent in his eyes, and a shiver in his heart suddenly became clear. He hesitated and said: "Master, this matter... should I tell you, sir, first, the Fang family and our family..."
Before he could finish his words, he was blocked by Cao Jie's cold eyes.
I didn't dare to say anything at the moment, so I could only say, "Yes, I'll send someone to do it right away."
Cao Jie then nodded and signaled that Cao Mao could go out.
Soon he seemed to have remembered something again and ordered: "I won't see anyone when I come to Shangyong this time."
"Yes." Cao Mao responded.
Cao Jie means not to tell others that others are in Shangyong, including relatives, friends and old friends of the Cao family and even other members of the Cao family in the capital.
When Luo Junyao returned to the city, the palace examination was over.
According to the custom, the regent appointed one, three, and three persons in the palace.
Among them, the top pick is the Yingzhou Jieyuan who was second in the previous examination, named Chu Songzhi. The second place is the third place in the previous examination of the Imperial College, named Chen Zhi. And the first-level Tanhua is the former academician of Xueyang Academy.
The fifth student in the exam is named Xiao Jian, and is said to be a branch of the Xiao family.
The ranking of the second class after the first class will be announced the next day after the examiners have agreed.
From this point of view, the ranking of the results of the general examination is relatively reliable. The first, first and third places are all from the top five in the general examination, and there is no situation where those who are ranked lower come from behind.
It's just that another student from Xueyang Academy who was originally ranked first in the palace examination fell to the second place. Instead, his classmate who was originally inferior to him came from behind. I don't know how he feels at this time?
When Luo Junyao returned to the city, the horse-riding parade had already ended, and he could only hear people who had seen the excitement talk about how young, handsome and graceful the No. 2 overall pick was.
Luo Junyao couldn't help but think of a legendary traditional play in every imperial examination - catching a son-in-law under the list.
The average age of this year's No. 1 pick is around 20 years old. I don't know if they are married or not? If not, it would be hilarious.
"What are you thinking about?" Xie Yan came back from outside and saw Luo Junyao sitting alone on the Qianqiu in the garden in a daze. When he got closer, he still didn't come back to his senses. He was obviously thinking about something.
Mesmerized.
Luo Junyao blinked when he heard the sound, and then saw Xie Yan standing beside him at some point.
"You're back so early?" Luo Junyao raised his head, looked at him and smiled.
Xie Yan sat down next to her and said, "I'm a little worried. Come back and take a look early."
Of course Luo Junyao knew what he was worried about. He leaned down in his arms and said with a smile, "I'm fine. Are you still worried about Mr. Youqu's presence?"
Xie Yan raised his eyebrows, tapped her forehead with his finger and said, "I'm worried that you're making too much trouble."
Luo Junyao took his hand away and touched the tip of his nose guiltily.
Xie Yan said clearly: "Tell me, what did you do?"
Luo Junyao sat up, changed his position and knelt on the swing, leaning on his shoulder and told him about his meeting with the Cao family and the Fang family.
After hearing this, Xie Yan lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing for a while.
Luo Junyao waved his hand in front of him worriedly and said: "What's wrong? Are you scared? Don't worry, don't you want to clean up Yingzhou Island? This is just an opportunity."
The Fang family can be regarded as the king of land. The magistrate of Yingzhou County has no say in that area. Now even the Zhenguo Army's eyeliner there seems to have a problem. If he doesn't take care of it, he may really forget it in a few years.
Yingzhou is still the territory of Dasheng.
Xie Yan helplessly grabbed the little hand waving in front of his eyes, sighed softly and said: "Shake really scared me."
"..." No, your majestic Prince Regent has been on the battlefield for more than ten years. How come this small battle scares you?
Xie Yan said: "Yaoyao has such ability, but being the head of the mountain at Anlan Academy is really a derogation of his talents."
Looking into his smiling eyes, Luo Junyao realized that he had been deceived.
Rolling his eyes at him angrily, Luo Junyao said: "What do you know? It takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people. Education is a century-old plan and the greatest cause. Being a good mountain leader is not an easy task.
"It's just that her personality has a bit of a troublemaker gene, so it's really boring for her to work in the academy in a disciplined manner every day.
Xie Yan chuckled, lowered his head and touched her eyebrows with his thin lips, and said: "Shao Yao is right, it's me who is shallow."
Reaching out to take her into his arms, Xie Yan whispered again: "Be safe."
Luo Junyao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm sorry to die."
"Knowing that cherishing life is a good thing." Xie Yan said.
"Your Majesty, Princess." Ye Feng walked over quickly and stood not far away, bowing and saying.
After Xie Yan nodded, Ye Feng walked up to the two of them and presented a letter to Luo Junyao.
"Princess, this is a letter sent by Cao Mao."
"So fast?" Luo Junyao opened the letter, took a look at it, and handed it to Xie Yan.
Xie Yan frowned slightly and lowered his head to look at Luo Junyao.
There are only a few sentences above, saying that Yangxin's Salt Lake Water Village is a hidden stake of the Fang family.
Luo Junyao smiled sweetly and said, "What do you think?"
Xie Yan said solemnly: "This is not a decision that Cao Mao can make. Someone in the Cao family who can make the decision has come to Shangyong."
"Heroes see the same thing." Luo Junyao said with a smile.
Xie Yan said coldly: "It seems that the Cao family has indeed had many things that are not known to outsiders in recent years. What are you going to do?"
Luo Junyao said: "Since the eldest son of the Cao family has thrown out the bait, wouldn't we be sorry if we don't take the bait?"
Xie Yan nodded and said warmly: "Whatever needs to be done, ask Qu Tiange and Gu Jue to cooperate with you."
Luo Jun shook his head, handed the letter to Ye Feng and said, "I want news about all the water villages in Lingjiang."
Ye Feng glanced at her in surprise, then quickly bowed his head and said yes.
