Unlimited Resources: Raising a Minister with a Space Supermarket

Chapter 571 - 503: A Major Threat Weighing on the Heart

A muscle and bone injury takes a hundred days to heal; Fu Qionglin’s leg bone injury makes it unsuitable for him to move, and he is forced to stay in Deyang Town to recuperate.

Lv Maolin and Jun Mobai went to Linzhou City together and discussed meeting with the Hu army envoy with Lin Heqing, the Magistrate of Linzhou.

As soon as Lv Maolin and Jun Mobai left, Fu Qionglin, desperate to see Su Jingchen, started complaining that the doctors in Deyang Town were no good, and he wanted to go to Yangcheng to find better doctors.

Although Fu Qionglin’s leg was injured, he was, after all, an Imperial Envoy with certain privileges, and no one could stop him from moving to another place for recuperation.

When Fu Qionglin’s carriage arrived at the city gates of Yangcheng, he was sitting inside, listening to the noisy sounds outside, and couldn’t resist lifting the window curtain to take a look.

The clean streets, bustling markets, the barter trade among people, the tales of the Lord County Magistrate and County Magistrate’s Wife spread widely; it was unending along the way.

"What are those people doing up ahead?" Fu Qionglin saw from afar quite a few citizens queuing at the county government’s entrance.

"Master, they seem to be receiving something?" the driver answered.

"Go over there and take a look!" Fu Qionglin ordered the driver to drive the carriage over.

"I didn’t expect that Lord Su actually distributed salt to us, and such fine, white salt at that!" Someone received the salt and couldn’t wait to open the oil-paper packet for a look.

"Ha, you don’t know, do you? When the salt arrived, it was mixed with salted fish, smelly and dirty, but Lord Su used a method called rescue purification to make this salt so good!" The citizen beside boasted with a proud expression; his brother was one of those selected by the Lord for purifying the salt.

"Lord Su is indeed clever, with him in Yangcheng, things can’t go wrong!"

"Right, haven’t you noticed that more and more people are returning recently? I guess there won’t be any wasteland this year, Yangcheng is thriving!"

Fu Qionglin didn’t expect that in just a year, Su Jingchen had established such a reputation in the hearts of the people.

Moreover, the salt...

Where did Su Jingchen get it from?

Fu Qionglin, filled with various doubts, was carried by his attendants into the county government.

Su Jingchen was not surprised at all by Fu Qionglin’s arrival; he had been expecting him.

Now, he also understood the intention behind Fu Yi sending him to the Northern Land.

Fu Yi knew long ago about Jun Mobai and Prince Jin’s ’little actions’ in the Northern Land.

But Su Jingchen couldn’t quite understand why Fu Yi would choose him? And why trust him so much?

Su Jingchen didn’t know why Fu Yi had such mysterious confidence in him, as just a few months ago, he was still bewildered.

Why would Fu Yi bet on him?

More than ten thousand private soldiers have returned to civilian life; Su Jingchen didn’t plan to tell Fu Qionglin about this. Yangcheng now needs its citizens and workforce. These ten thousand people were not easy for him to deceive from Jun Mobai, and he didn’t plan to benefit anyone else.

Fu Qionglin didn’t know the Hu army was almost utterly decimated; he still thought about negotiating more tributes for Great Liang from the Hu Kingdom.

So, when Su Jingchen informed Fu Qionglin that the Hu Kingdom invaded Linzhou, and the Witch Clan people in Linzhou felt their tribe was violated and used sinister Gu Worms to obliterate half of the Hu army overnight, Fu Qionglin realized the Hu Kingdom wasn’t forced to retreat—it was just scattered troops fleeing.

Fu Qionglin slapped his leg, "Had I known earlier, I should have let Li Guangpu’s army cross the border and wipe out the Hu Kingdom completely."

What is there to negotiate?

"Why didn’t Linzhou Prince report the truth in his memorial?" Fu Qionglin was somewhat flustered and exasperated.

"What does Lord Fu think is the reason?" Su Jingchen remarked nonchalantly.

Fu Qionglin resentfully slapped his leg, "This... their ambitions are so blatantly obvious!"

If the Hu Kingdom is annihilated, the Northern Garrison Army would have no reason to exist; Jun Mobai deliberately didn’t report the truth, aiming to let the Hu Kingdom be completely destroyed for the long-term.

The Hu Kingdom’s unchangeable nature of invading the border might persist; after the Hu army captured four cities this time, the Emperor would be anxious and provide reinforcements to Jun Mobai’s side as necessary.

Li Guangpu being punished for delayed military action means the troops dispatched by the Emperor to the Northern Border would naturally fall into Jun Mobai’s hands.

What a clever scheme he played.

Thinking of this, Fu Qionglin couldn’t sit still anymore, "I must return to the Capital!"

Su Jingchen stood up and pressed down on Fu Qionglin’s shoulder, "Lord Fu, do remain calm!"

"Why... you..." Fu Qionglin was startled.

Could it be that Su Jingchen informed him of this merely to let him die knowing?

"Lord Fu, don’t panic!" Seeing Fu Qionglin pale and frightened, Su Jingchen hurriedly reassured him.

"Lord Fu, please listen to me..."

After Su Jingchen had a long talk with Fu Qionglin throughout the night, Fu Qionglin remained in extreme shock for several days.

Prince Jin has private soldiers, and their hiding places are not singular.

What’s more astonishing, Su Jingchen knows each location, which left Fu Qionglin utterly rattled?

If you said Su Jingchen deduced all this, he wouldn’t believe it, yet if you claim Prince Jin himself revealed it to him, it seemed even less plausible to Fu Qionglin.

Prince Jin is always cautious; such vital secrets cannot be leaked to Su Jingchen.

Nonetheless, how did Su Jingchen come to know about them?

Even Fu Qionglin’s daughter, Fu Zhihan, married to Prince Jin for years, never had any inkling about the private soldiers; how exactly did Su Jingchen know?

No matter how hard Fu Qionglin racked his brains, he ultimately couldn’t figure it out. However, what’s paramount is to dispatch someone to inform the Emperor about this news, enabling the Emperor to verify its truth, thus preventing it from occurring.

Prince Huainan is frail, being ’retained’ in the Capital by the Emperor to spend his twilight years, hence he poses no threat.

Moreover, Prince Yu is even less of a concern; he’s guarding the Imperial Mausoleum.

As for Prince Cheng, Jun Tingzhang, his mother’s family is weak, and since the late Emperor’s demise, he’s been abiding quietly in Huizhou’s Prince Cheng Mansion, striving to remain a prince who seeks no credit but avoids fault.

Prince Jin, he is the greatest threat to the current Emperor!

Fu Qionglin’s gaze was deep; only by toppling the ambitious Prince Jin could Great Liang’s realm enjoy lasting peace!

However... Prince Jin happens to be his son-in-law!

Fu Qionglin sighed and once more blamed his father in his heart.

Initially, he opposed his daughter marrying Prince Jin, but it didn’t help as the matter was decided by his father and the Emperor, leaving his protests ineffective.

It seems that in the current situation, his daughter can only suffer; fortunately, the Emperor understands the hardship and genuine intentions of the Fu Family, and even if Prince Jin falls, it shouldn’t trouble his daughter.