Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 653 - 0628 How do you think about the young master of Lu Ling Royal Mansion? (2)
Lou Chengye looked surprised, "Ah? Lu Ling Royal Mansion? The one that was confiscated? By the way, second brother, how did you know there were mechanisms there?"
Li Xingsheng coughed lightly. Of course, he knew because he was the one who installed them.
Inside those mechanisms were his family’s possessions.
Confiscated? They only took one-tenth of what his family had.
Although the people of the Lu Ling Royal Mansion didn’t have much ability, they were better than Li Can!
When Li Can shouted that he wanted to give the whole Lu Ling Royal Mansion a bad time, his father was already making preparations.
Escaping was not an option, and moving a large amount of wealth would attract the spies’ suspicion.
It was at this time that the mechanical techniques he had studied since childhood came into play, and most of the valuable things were hidden in the secret passages of his residence.
To prevent any leaks, he and his father along with his elder and younger brothers, personally moved these items every midnight without the help of a single servant.
It took them five days to complete.
On the sixth day, the decree to confiscate the house arrived.
To prevent Li Can’s subordinates from getting suspicious, he and his father, brothers, and siblings, not even when starving and eating grass roots, revealed nothing about the wealth hidden by the mechanisms.
Now the whole family still bore guilt, could not leave Zhen An Prefecture, let alone return to the Capital, and having a large amount of unexplained wealth around would be a disaster.
Those riches could only be dreamt of and not used.
Li Xingsheng tapped Lou Chengye’s head with a fan and laughed, "You really have a short memory, how could you forget I am from the Capital, and my teacher who taught me mechanical techniques is a gentleman of Liangshang. He told me about it."
Lou Chengye suddenly realized, "Right, how could I forget that my second brother is from the Capital?"
Li Xingsheng squinted his eyes and said softly, "This is a very crucial secret, so you must not let it out! If you do, my teacher will be in danger."
Lou Chengye nodded seriously, "Don’t worry, second brother, I won’t tell anyone. How could I harm your teacher?"
Li Xingsheng patted his shoulder in satisfaction and smiled, then he asked, "By the way, Chengye, what do you think of the Lu Ling Royal Mansion family? Since their entire house was confiscated, are they really bad people?"
He squinted his eyes and stared at Lou Chengye, thinking, ’You dare say a bad word about me and see what happens!’
Lou Chengye didn’t notice Li Xingsheng’s odd expression and recalled some of the things his father had told him about the Lu Ling Royal Mansion.
"This family is wronged." Lou Chengye frowned, "The Emperor is too suspicious and listens to slanders."
Li Xingsheng smiled slightly, waving his folding fan, "Why do you believe they are wronged?"
Lou Chengye responded without hesitation, "It’s simple, the Prince of Luling doesn’t hold any important position, nor do his sons have any real duties. The whole family relies on ancestral glory to live; a family without real power, how could they plot a rebellion? Who would listen to them? Besides, there’s no evidence, it’s all based on just the Emperor’s word."
Li Xingsheng waved his folding fan, "The way you say it, it seems so indeed."
"It’s not just seems, but it is true. When I went to the Capital with my father, I heard many people there say the same, but those are just ordinary folks, what can they do to help?" Lou Chengye’s comment was not mistaken.
The impression the Prince of Luling gave to the people of the Capital was that of a sincere and honest person, with no vices other than loving food and music.
All of his sons, being princes of the mansion, never bullied the weak or oppressed the female.
Except for the Great Princess, whose temper was somewhat unreasonable and had some disputes with a few noblewomen, but it wasn’t the most excessive thing, as there were many more unruly and unreasonable women than the Great Princess.
Moreover, quite a few people said the Great Princess liked to stand up against injustice and was considered a chivalrous woman, so those who she disciplined deserved it.
The Princess Consort managed quite a few shops, yet there was never any conflict with other businesses.
The family had decent reputations, yet unjustly, they were labeled as rebels, weren’t they wronged?
"Great insight." Li Xingsheng laughed heartily.
.
When Ah Qing came to the Star-picking Pavilion again, she saw a subordinate hanging from a tree.
This was a subordinate of the second in command.
She glanced at the person and sneered, immediately going to report to Ling Yuezi.
The intrusion into the Star-picking Pavilion by the second in command was something Ling Yuezi had anticipated.
She sneered, "I anticipated this! Don’t take him down yet; notify several deputy chiefs in the village and some others to come and have a look at this ’hanging gourd.’
Ah Qing raised her eyebrows, "Great idea, miss!"
.
In Feihu Village, besides the four chief leaders, there were also eight deputies in charge of various affairs in the village.
Half of the eight deputies belonged to the second in command, two belonged to the third in command, and the remaining two were Ling Yuezi’s people.
When everyone was called to the Star-picking Pavilion and saw the subordinate hanging from the tree, they began to discuss suspiciously.
Ling Yuezi approached and said to everyone, "In this Star-picking Pavilion resides an honored guest of mine. This guest’s cuisine is much to the big chief’s taste. However, someone in our midst intends to harm this guest. What could be their motive?"
She pointed coldly at the subordinate hanging from the tree.
Those aligned with the second in command said, "Miss Ling, he might have accidentally intruded. Aren’t you worrying too much?"
Ling Yuezi smiled, "Accidentally intruded? This Star-picking Pavilion is my residence! A little pavilion built by the big chief for me five years ago! If any people in the village don’t know this, their heads should be fed to the wild dogs!"
Those on Ling Yuezi’s side retorted with a cold laugh, "Knowing it’s Miss Ling’s residence and still intruding, what are you trying to do? He should be left hanging here to starve!"
"Help! Help! It was the second in command who brought me here, I know nothing!" The man hanging from the tree cried out.
"So, it was the second in command trying to break in!" Ling Yuezi mocked, "The second in command wants to harm the person making food for the big chief. What is he planning?"
Everyone looked at each other and dared not say more.
Even those who had stood on the second in command’s side and spoke for him now closed their mouths.
Ling Yuezi coldly eyed everyone and said without courtesy, "Today’s incident is a warning. Should anyone dare force their way in again, they will directly be sent to the back mountain to feed the wild dogs, not just comfortably hung on a tree. Don’t blame me for not warning you!"
