Liu Fang shook her head with a smile and said, “You are wrong. Today, I’m here to tell you this: if you don’t want your entire clan to be executed, from now on, you’d better behave yourself and stick to being the prime minister. Stop sneaking around and engaging in petty thievery and trickery.”
The Prime Minister flew into a rage: “Grand Princess! Are you trying to make an enemy of me?”
Liu Fang put away her smile, fixed her gaze on him, and said calmly: “Tuoba Gangyou came with his men to assassinate me last night, but he nearly ended up being killed by me instead.”
The Prime Minister’s pupils contracted, but he quickly composed himself and said coldly: “What does the Grand Princess mean by telling me this?”
Liu Fang stood up calmly and walked slowly toward him. Her tall and graceful figure was half a head taller than the Prime Minister.
She looked down at the Prime Minister and said, “You know exactly what I mean. Are you satisfied with the trade with the barbarians?”
The Prime Minister was immediately horrified, “Grand Princess, this is slander!”
Liu Fang sneered, “Oh, really? No problem. Since you refuse to admit it, I’ll just hand everything over to His Majesty. By the way, let me make this clear: I won’t cover for you. Selling military intelligence from the Western Border, embezzling supplies meant for the border troops. Hah! All so you could benefit from the barbarians, live a life of luxury, and climb the ranks. Tell me, would the common people enjoy hearing a story like that? Would the envoys of other nations enjoy it too?”
The more the Prime Minister listened to Liu Fang, the paler his face became. By the end, he almost fainted.
Liu Fang sneered coldly and said, “Don’t think I will let you off just because you pushed a bunch of people to take the blame. The lives of the hundred thousand soldiers from the Western Border won’t be forgotten. Humph!”
After saying that, Liu Fang and Chen Fang opened the door and prepared to leave.
The Prime Minister turned around in a hurry, quickly stepped forward, and blocked their way, “No! Grand Princess, Your Highness, please! I admit my guilt, I truly do. Please, spare me.”
After saying that, he knelt down and performed a deep bow to Liu Fang: “Your Highness, I truly know my mistake.”
Liu Fang raised her eyebrows, looked down at him and said, “Do you still have any objection to what I just said?”
The Prime Minister bowed his head and said, “Yes, I will humbly follow Your Highness’s teachings and will certainly correct my ways.”
Liu Fang looked at him coldly for a moment, then left the Prime Minister’s residence with Chen Fang. Leaving the Prime Minister with a pale face, limp on the ground.
On the way, Chen Fang said, “Miss, do you really believe the Prime Minister’s words so easily?”
Liu Fang sneered, “Of course not. An old fox like him certainly would never be so honest and obedient. But it doesn’t matter, I’ll have Hong Cang send the people we captured last night to him. He’ll understand that if I could catch him once, I can catch him again. As long as he dares to act, I’ll dare to expose him.”
Chen Fang understood immediately, but he still had some doubts. He asked, “Miss, why go through all this trouble? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just send the people directly to His Majesty?”
Having someone else as the Prime Minister would probably make things much simpler.
Liu Fang shook her head and said, “No. If I send them to His Majesty, I’ll be at a disadvantage. I understand the officials in the court well. If someone else takes over, their way of handling things will definitely be different, and the entire court’s dynamics will change. However, what we really need in Liucheng and the entire Western Border right now isn’t clean officials, but time—time to recover and rebuild. If the court becomes too chaotic, it might not be a good thing for us.”
Replacing the Prime Minister was a major event that affected the entire court, not as simple as Chen Fang might think.
Chen Fang scratched his head and said, “I still don’t quite understand, but since you say it’s like this, then it must be. I will just follow orders and do my job.”
Liu Fang smiled. After all, Chen Fang had limited experience, so it’s normal for him to make such assumptions.
Politics had always been complex and ever-changing, and what Liu Fang wanted at this time was actually the initiative.
As for whether this person was an honest official or a corrupt one, it made no difference to her. What she needed was for them to be more honest and not try to fool her like they had in the past.
After returning to the Princess Mansion, Liu Fang gave some instructions to Chen Fang. Chen Fang nodded in acknowledgment and went to find Hong Cang, asking him to secretly send the people they had captured last night to the Prime Minister’s residence. Then, he went off to take care of the tasks Liu Fang had assigned.
At this moment, Cheng Huo came to find her, “Miss, the people have been thoroughly investigated.”
He handed over a list. Liu Fang opened it and took a look, then said to him: “The people who need to watch must be watched. As for these people, there’s no need to take any action. Everything should proceed as usual. Our time is limited, and we need to arrange everything for what comes next.”
“Yes, Miss.”
At this moment, Zhong Yong entered and handed her a bamboo tube, saying, “Miss, a letter from Luo Zheng has arrived.”
The Liucheng army already had pigeons trained specifically for delivering messages. Later, after Liu Da became a deputy general, he also trained several eagles for the same purpose. In this way, military reports were not only more timely but also safer.
Liu Fang took the bamboo tube, opened it, and took out the note to read. A smile appeared on her face, and she said, “Alright, what we want will probably be achieved tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to return in five days.”
Cheng Huo and Zhong Yong both showed joy on their faces.
“Really? Miss, that’s great!”
“That’s right. Although the capital is prosperous, staying here is quite tiresome. After just two days, I’ve already had enough.”
Zhong Yong smiled and put his arm around Cheng Huo’s shoulder, saying, “It’s probably because the tasks given to you by the miss are too heavy. You were busy all day yesterday, and today as well. You haven’t even stepped outside the manor. It’s normal for you to be tired of it.”
Cheng Huo pushed his hand away and said, “It’s not that. It’s just that as soon as we entered the capital, there were so many troublesome matters. Not a moment of peace, how could anyone not be frustrated?”
Zhong Yong crossed his arms and nodded, “True. The capital is full of scheming and intrigue. It’s really no fun being here.”
Liu Fang smiled and said, “It’s like this now, but it may not be the case in the future. There’s no need to rush, let’s take it slow.”
“Yes, Miss.”
…………
At the morning court the next day, the Prefect of the Capital and the Minister of Justice presented their memorials. The former reported on the case in the northern outer city of the capital, while the latter addressed the assassination of Liu Fang on her way back to her residence after the palace banquet.
Both cases involved Liu Fang. In the case in the outer city, the three victims all died after consuming the meals that Liu Fang had sent via Hong Cang. The latter case involves Liu Fang as the victim, who was assassinated along the way.
No matter which one it was, Emperor Yanqing did not want the matter to escalate, fearing it would provoke public criticism.
The assassination case could still be suppressed, but the case in the northern outer city had already spread all over the city.
There were rumors spreading that Liu Fang was malicious and deliberately sent poisoned meals to the refugees, intending to use them as test subjects for the poison.
However, the Minister of Justice who had been listening for a while suddenly discovered that the three deceased were actually convicted criminals, and it was said that they were related to the Western Border armament case.
So how did they end up in the refugee settlement in the northern outer city? And was it really Liu Fang who poisoned them?
Liu Fang was also present in the court. After all, in addition to her title as Grand Princess Rongning, she was also a Marquis and the General of Liucheng, thus she was required to attend the court.
She stated directly that these three individuals had been taken from the Ministry of Justice by her people for interrogation.
However, she hadn’t expected that they would escape midway and then die from poisoning.
The poison had also been provided to her subordinates by her, intended to prevent the prisoners from escaping. She just hadn’t expected that, in the end, they would still manage to escape…
There was no need to say more about what happened afterwards, as everyone had their own thoughts.
However, after Liu Fang’s explanation spread, the people who initially sympathized with the three deceased instantly turned against them and said they deserved their fate.
After all, the Western Border armament case was of great significance. If mishandled, it could lead to the downfall of the nation and the destruction of families
Compared to Liu Fang, the hero who saved the Western Border from the crisis, all those involved in the Western Border armament case became the most hated individuals among the common people.
They would think that if it weren’t for these parasites, so many people wouldn’t die in Western Border year after year.
Therefore, some people originally doubted whether Liu Fang was being too ruthless, daring to use poison so casually in the capital, even poisoning commoners.
Now, not only had all doubts disappeared, but the people also grew to admire her even more. At the same time, feeling a sense of guilt and remorse in their hearts. They couldn’t believe they had ever doubted the Royal Princess—it was truly unforgivable.
Liu Fang had anticipated this. The common people were like this, adorably innocent, but also could be very frightening at times.
…………
The embassy where envoys from various countries reside in the capital was right next to the Honglu Temple Office in the inner city.
[鸿胪寺(Hóng lú sì) was a government institution in ancient China. It was responsible for managing diplomatic affairs, including the administration of foreign embassies, envoys, and international relations]
It covers a large area and was divided into many courtyards. Each with its own unique scenery. When the envoys from other countries come here, they could find landscapes resembling those of their own countries, making it feel less unfamiliar.
This was also a gesture of goodwill from the Dayan Kingdom to envoys from other countries.
Currently, the envoys from five countries were all residing here.
In the courtyard where the barbarian envoys lived.
Tuoba Gangyou was so angry that he swept everything on the table to the ground, creating a mess. The other members of the delegation looked at each other, all of them dejected and without any fighting spirit.
Tuoba Gangyou started cursing loudly, constantly berating Liu Fang, and it wasn’t until a long while later that he stopped, breathing heavily.
The deputy envoy stepped forward and said, “Fourth Prince, the officer of the Minister of Justice has just come over to deliver a message. It has been discovered that it was one of our people who attempted to assassinate Grand Princess Rongning the night before. Now the officials from the Honglu Temple are demanding an explanation from us. Moreover, it is said that the Grand Princess’s stance is that if we don’t show enough sincerity, she will immediately return to the Western Border and bring her army to directly attack our capital. The Great Khan also sent a message saying that there are now 500,000 troops in Western Border who have already crossed the border and are ready to go to war with us at any time. But now, we are powerless to fight back. If a war really breaks out, we’ll end up as slaves to a fallen nation!”
Tuoba Gangyou’s face flushed red, his eyes flickered, and he said viciously, “Didn’t anyone tell her that our people had captured her sister?”
Another deputy envoy said, “It has been said. However, the Grand Princess said that her sister is already dead. The person we arrested cannot be her sister. She is just a traitor to the country. Using this person to threaten her is truly foolish. Furthermore, she also said…”
Tuoba Gangyou glared at him, and said “What else did she say?”
“The Grand Princess also said: Even if it were her real sister, such behavior would be tantamount to treason. She would kill her with her own hands and would never compromise with us because of her!”
Tuoba Gangyou closed his eyes and asked softly, “Why didn’t you capture her nephews? Wasn’t it said her nephews were at Chen Fang’s house?”
“They were at Chen Fang’s house, but when our people arrived, not only was the house empty, but they were also captured by the Liucheng soldiers who had been waiting there all along…”
Tuoba Gangyou opened his eyes. “How could they have been captured? How is that possible? How did Liu Fang know? Huh?”
The others looked at each other in silence, their heads lowered. How could they know? They also found it strange! But the fact was, that’s how it happened. What could they do?
Tuoba Gangyou sat weakly on the couch, closed his eyes and said, “This person is truly terrifying! The depth of her scheming has not only cut off all our escape routes, but she has also anticipated all our backup plans…Why would the Dayan Kingdom produce such a terrifying person! “
