HLnovel Chapter 660 Surprise
Chapter 660 Surprise
Sheng Junyi was speechless.
He clicked his tongue softly.
“That Yang Chenghong is clearly a coward who fears death. You scared him like that just now, no wonder he wouldn’t dare gamble.” However, Sheng Junyi still didn’t quite understand: “How did you guess the imperial envoy was from the Yang family?”
Prior to this, he had received several secret letters from the capital. Several officials had left the capital during this period, but it was impossible to determine who had come to the southwest. He could only have people secretly keep an eye on them and then eliminate them one by one based on their movements, but this was extremely time-consuming, so in the end he still didn't know who the emperor had sent to the southwest.
"How could I possibly guess?" Zong Que chuckled. "I can't predict the future. The Emperor sent people to Jinzhou on a secret order. He's spread out a lot of bait. It wouldn't be surprising if he chose the imperial envoy from among officials from other places. It's something that's hard to investigate thoroughly, so how can I guess? But whoever it is, they'll find out when they get there. So let's just try our luck. If we can use this to drive them away directly, it will save Jinzhou some trouble. If not, you've already made arrangements in Jinzhou. Let's go with the flow."
Go with the flow and leverage existing momentum.
Sheng Junyi twitched her lips slightly. So, it really was an easy way to get something for nothing.
Since we've run into the Yang family, it would be a real shame not to take advantage of them.
On the other hand, the Emperor's decision to send the Yang family to Jinzhou must have been carefully considered. The Yang family had been dismissed from their posts last year and had kept a low profile throughout the year. At this time, no one would have expected the Emperor to send them to the southwest. The Emperor was also using this to mislead the public; even Zong Que, who still had spies in the capital, wouldn't receive accurate information.
The Emperor and Zong Que, father and son, truly understand each other well.
One was unexpected, the other was even more unexpected.
……
A few days after Zong Que left, Yan Yue also quietly set off from Jinzhou.
Lu Yangyang received a letter the day after Zong Que left, informing her that the imperial envoy who had come to Jinzhou had been dismissed, so they no longer needed to be on high alert.
A few days later, Jiang Zhiyi, having received the letter, finally arrived in Jinzhou with his men.
Lu Yangyang, along with Sheng Yunjiao, Wen Qingqing, and Mingxiu, went to pick her up. When they saw the caravan of about a hundred people, Lu Yangyang was shocked.
Before Jiang Zhiyi could even get out of the car, he jumped up, grabbed her, and asked, "What's going on? Why did you bring so many people?"
It's been almost half a year since they separated after the New Year, and Lu Yangyang hasn't had a chance to ask her how Mingxin Academy is doing.
Jiang Zhiyi did send a letter to Jinzhou, but the letter only said that everything was fine and did not say much. Lu Yangyang was already quite impatient.
Jiang Zhiyi couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the row of heads staring at her expectantly.
"I only brought a portion of the people. With so many people, it was easy to get distracted. We came here in four groups, totaling over two hundred people." Jiang Zhiyi held Lu Yangyang's hand and looked at the group, saying, "With Lord Ling's full support, Mingxin Academy has been very successful in Yuzhou. At first, we enrolled some commoner girls, but later many merchants, and even wealthy families from Yingzhou, came to study here. Yingzhou has a thriving maritime trade and many merchants. The girls from those families were influenced by their surroundings and had connections. Not long after enrolling, some of them opened shops in Yuzhou. Lord Ling and I discussed it and decided to send people to Yingzhou to promote the academy. This attracted quite a few people and gave those girls a great opportunity to showcase their talents."
"The shops in Yuzhou are opening much faster than we imagined. With the help of those girls and Lord Ling's support, even though most of them are just supplying goods to Yingzhou, they have revitalized Yuzhou's economy in a very short time and even formed a new chamber of commerce. Not only is Mingxin Academy popular, but the enthusiasm for learning at the prefectural school is unprecedented. They are determined to compete with Mingxin Academy."
Hearing Jiang Zhiyi's description, everyone's eyes widened, especially Sheng Yunjiao, who had never been to Yuzhou. After hearing Jiang Zhiyi's words, she couldn't wait to see for herself what it was like.
Jiang Zhiyi continued, "As for the people I brought, they are all capable individuals cultivated over the past year. Some came with us from Jiangnan. Among them, there are 120 people whom I selected from various aspects. They know martial arts and have been specially trained by martial arts masters. They may not be as good as those who have trained for more than ten years, but they can easily deal with ordinary petty thieves and hooligans. Some of them are very talented and can now take on seven or eight people at once without any problem. Half of the rest are people you proposed at the beginning. They have been trained and know some basic medical principles. When you mentioned that you wanted to open up medicinal herb fields, these people will definitely be useful. The rest are people who are good at other things and all have a special skill."
"Most of these people are unmarried, and the rest are married but wanted to come out and work, so I brought them along. Things have been settled in Yuzhou as well, and with Lord Ling overseeing things, things will only get better."
After Jiang Zhiyi finished speaking, she handed Mingxiu a package: "This is what your mother asked me to bring to you. She told you not to worry. She is doing very well now. She has learned to read at the academy, is now a manager, and has made friends. She is very happy and looks much younger."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Mingxiu nodded, clutching her bundle, "That's good, that's good!"
Lu Yangyang gave Jiang Zhiyi a big hug: "Zhiyi, you're amazing! But I've also prepared a surprise for you."
"Surprise? What surprise?" Jiang Zhiyi only knew that Lu Yangyang had urged her to come to Jinzhou quickly in his letter and was glaring at her here, but he hadn't said what the surprise was.
“Since it’s a surprise, it will be revealed at the crucial moment. You’ll come back to Jinzhou with us to rest for two days, and then we’ll set off for Changyang County. You’ll find out what my surprise for you is then! However, it might also be a shock!” Lu Yangyang looked at her quietly.
"You've kept me up at night for the past two days," Jiang Zhiyi said with a smile.
Wen Qingqing chimed in from the side, "Zhiyi, you can't sleep because of curiosity? You're the most composed person here. I thought you knew everything!"
"You're just making things up about me!" Jiang Zhiyi scolded her playfully. When she was with her friends, she rarely showed such a youthful and vibrant side.
"But what is it, Yangyang? We're curious too. Why don't you give us a hint?" The gossip-loving Sheng Yunjiao was even more impatient than Jiang Zhiyi. Any surprise that Yangyang kept hidden must be something big!
Several pairs of eyes turned to look at Lu Yangyang.