We didn't believe your nonsense!
Do you think I'm blind? You're all drooling over those fish, and you're talking about staring at the princess's ship? You're just lying through your teeth.
However, Eunuch Ran dared not say such a thing, after all, these two were both very important figures, one was a member of the imperial family, and the other was a member of the Wang Clan of the capital.
Although he was a palace eunuch, he was not the kind of powerful eunuch, and he couldn't afford to offend these two.
He chuckled dryly, "Please bear with us, gentlemen. His Majesty takes this princess's marriage very seriously. If anything goes wrong, he will be furious!"
"Pay attention to?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ke and Wang Yunze couldn't help but twitch their lips. This was the biggest lie in the All Under Heaven.
For a princess to get married with such little fanfare, and yet they claim to value it, is utterly ridiculous.
Li Ke's eyes turned cold, and he frowned, saying, "His Majesty's marriage of the Eldest Princess to Lin Yi is already an immense honor for Lin Yi. What problems could possibly arise? Unless he doesn't want to live!"
Forehead!
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Ran was speechless.
These imperial relatives are truly terrifyingly ignorant, still clinging to the idea that the Li Clan All Under Heaven is invincible, unaware that countless people covet the throne.
Even the Emperor would give Lin Yi and his son some leeway if they joined forces. Yet this guy actually said something like that; the word "stupid" is clearly written all over his face!
It seems I must leave immediately after completing my mission, or I'll be utterly humiliated by their stupidity.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Li Ke is a member of the Southern Li Clan, a distant relative of the royal family. He's used to ruling and dominating in the south, and after taking office, he started accumulating wealth. It seems the emperor acted rashly this time.
Just then, a small boat stealthily sailed over under the cover of night, and a man in black jumped off the boat and headed straight for Li Ke.
"My lord, something terrible has happened!"
"Everyone we went with is dead, including Princess Xiao He's maid!"
Upon seeing Li Ke, the person immediately rushed over, looking flustered.
"What? They're all dead?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. How dare Lin Yi be so audacious! Last time he only killed Ran Zijin, but this time he actually killed everyone around the princess. This was simply too arrogant!
Li Ke's face was also grim, and he said coldly, "How is Her Highness the Princess now? She wasn't killed either, was she?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness, the princess is fine, but..." The visitor hesitated, as if he had something difficult to say.
This enraged Li Ke, who said in a deep voice, "But what? Speak!!!"
At this point, why are you still hesitating and beating around the bush? You have no sense of proportion at all; you're completely useless!
"My lord, Her Highness the princess is unharmed, but there are rumors that she killed these people!" The man glanced at Li Ke and said cautiously.
puff!
Wang Yunze, who had just taken a sip of ginseng tea, spat it out and exclaimed, "What did you say? The princess killed all those people?"
What the hell is going on? The princess is starting to kill people?
"Based on the current information, that's indeed the case; it was all the princess who poisoned them!" the visitor said with a strange expression.
Li Ke frowned and asked, "A reason!"
As the eldest princess of the empire, Princess Shenle is known for her intelligence; she would never do something so irrational. This news is highly suspicious.
"It seems they all offended the princess, so she killed them in a fit of anger!" the person whispered.
"Kill them all?"
Eunuch Ran's face turned pale, and he could no longer sit still. He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.
This time, he was in charge of receiving messages. Originally, it was a message from the princess to let him know she was safe, but now this unexpected message had arrived, giving him a feeling that a storm was brewing.
He gritted his teeth, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "My lords, the matter is urgent, so I cannot stay any longer. I need to return and report to the Emperor!"
After saying that, he immediately left and went back to the capital to report the news, leaving Li Ke and Wang Yunze standing there pondering.
Wang Yunze frowned and asked, "My lord, what do you think? Did Her Highness really kill someone in a fit of anger?"
"That's not a reason!"
Li Ke shook his head. The smartest princess of Great Ning would never kill so many people in a fit of anger; that would be tantamount to destroying her Great Wall.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "This is not something we can handle. Let the Emperor deal with it! Our task is simply to defend Wuning Commandery and make a little money on the side!"
"Forehead..."
Wang Yunze's face stiffened, and he understood something in his heart. This matter was indeed as Li Ke said, and it was not something he could interfere with.
On one side is the emperor, and on the other side are the Prince of Xiliang and the princess. Neither side is within my control, so I'd better just pretend I don't know anything.
Anyway, Eunuch Ran has gone back, and the Emperor must know the news.
But here's the problem!
"Your Highness can kill people if you want, but what about our warships?"
Holy crap!
I still need to go out to sea to fish and make some money. You killed people, fine, but at least return the boat.
"The princess left the ship behind, saying it was part of her dowry," the man said with a dry laugh after glancing at Wang Yunze.
Wang Yunze: "..."
That's absolutely brilliant! No wonder they're royalty; they always get things done perfectly.
Li Ke glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "This matter ends here. It's alright if we lose one warship; I'll find a way to replace it. As for the fishing, you can take care of that."
After saying that, he turned and left.
"Ah?"
Seeing him leave like that, everyone couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment. This new governor must have a lot of nerve.
The princess's dowry members are all dead. They just left like that. You should at least do something about it.
"Sir, is there something wrong with our prefect? He says he's just going to ignore such a big matter?"
"Yeah, that Lin Yi is practically all bared teeth and claws, and he actually said Lin Yi is nothing to worry about? Isn't he stupid?"
"I think he just wants the money; he actually asked for 50% of it all at once—it's practically robbery!"
After Li Ke left, several officials around Wang Yunze couldn't help but complain, saying that this prefect had some problems.
Such a big thing, and he just left all by himself?
Wang Yunze glanced at the group, his face instantly darkening. He said in a deep voice, "Hmph, what do you know? If he were a good-for-nothing, would the Emperor have entrusted him with guarding Wuning Commandery? Do you think the Emperor doesn't know the importance of Wuning Commandery?"
Since the fall of Ningchuan Commandery, Wuning Commandery has become the first fortified pass in the north. If it were breached, the next step would be to directly threaten the capital.
Does the Emperor not know about this problem? Of course he does.
The fact that the emperor personally summoned Li Ke speaks volumes; this Li Ke is definitely not a simple man.