etc!
fly!
Li Anlan thought of a question and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder Lin Yi's Net has risen so quickly; the secret probably lies in this carrier pigeon. It's clearly there to deliver messages!"
Humans need to Shanyue and rivers, but carrier pigeons can fly directly there. While it would take humans three days to walk, birds could probably arrive in less than half a day!
He had previously thought Wei Tong was incompetent, unable to find Lin Yi's weaknesses, and had even fallen into them time and time again.
Now that he knew about the use of carrier pigeons to send messages, Li Anlan had a hunch that Wei Tong's whereabouts had probably been leaked before he even reached Lin Yi's territory each time he went out.
Carrier pigeons can travel much faster than Wei Tong devices.
Under such circumstances, it would be a miracle if he were to find evidence of Lin Yi's crimes.
That's a divine bird!
Thinking of this, Li Anlan couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "These carrier pigeons are so amazing, could we capture some for intelligence transmission?"
Lin Yi's claims of being a deity descended to earth are all boasts, but he himself is the true chosen one, and there's no reason why he can't compare to Lin Yi.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already sent people to search for carrier pigeons everywhere, and news will arrive soon," Liu Ziyi said solemnly.
When he first found the Net, he discovered a carrier pigeon, but unfortunately, the people from the Net promptly disposed of the pigeon, leaving him empty-handed.
However, he didn't believe that Lin Yi was the only one with pigeons. Great Ning's territory was so big, there must be pigeons there too.
If we find it, that will be a great achievement.
Li Anlan nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Minister Liu, you have worked hard. You have just become the Shadow Commander, so I will not reward you this time. Instead, I will reward your mother by bestowing upon her the title of Fourth-Rank Imperial Lady!"
A Lady of the Fourth Rank!
This reward was incredibly generous; even a fourth-rank official was a formidable figure, and Liu's mother had essentially risen to the top overnight.
Liu Ziyi was overjoyed; for him, no reward could compare to this one.
What he has always been criticized for is his identity as the illegitimate son of the Liu Clan in the capital, which is his most shameful thing.
Because his mother was an ordinary maid, he was looked down upon everywhere, and even the Liu Clan did not acknowledge his identity, which made him hate her to the core.
That's why he gave up his status as a young master from a noble family and joined the Great Ning Guard, all so that one day he could make a name for himself. Now he has finally succeeded.
After my mother was granted the title of fourth-rank noblewoman, she was no longer the maidservant whom anyone dared to humiliate, but a dignified noblewoman.
At that moment, he couldn't help but get teary-eyed.
Bang!
He suddenly knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, and said, " Liu Ziyi thanks Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!!!"
"No problem, those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded; this is my principle!"
A glint of light flashed in Li Anlan's eyes, and he said with a meaningful expression.
A fourth-rank imperial consort is nothing more than a nominal position, which he doesn't care about at all. However, if he could bribe Liu Ziyi, it would definitely be a good option.
He had originally planned to use this imperial edict to keep Liu Ziyi in check, but he hadn't expected Liu to achieve results so quickly, so he decided to give it to him.
For an emperor, controlling a subject is incredibly easy.
Liu Ziyi instantly understood and solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly devote myself to the utmost and die for you!"
"Yes, not bad!" Li Anlan nodded and smiled.
"Your Majesty, I have captured some of these people involved in the Net, and they are currently imprisoned in the Wuning Commandery jail. Should we execute them?"
Liu Ziyi had thought of this problem and knew it was up to Li Anlan to decide; he dared not disrupt the stability of either side.
If something really goes wrong, he will inevitably become a victim.
Li Anlan pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Lock him up for now. The war in the north is raging, so we shouldn't provoke Lin Yi for the time being. We can also interrogate him about this carrier pigeon."
"Understood!" Liu Ziyi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed the Emperor was quite obsessed with carrier pigeons.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard someone outside reporting something urgent, which made his heart skip a beat. Could something have happened?
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Ran is back!"
"You're back, why are you so nervous?"
Li Anlan glanced at the guard and said with some dissatisfaction.
That's making a huge fuss over nothing.
The guard swallowed hard and whispered, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Ran has brought back news that Her Highness the Princess poisoned everyone in her entourage, including Xiao He and the crew!"
Holy crap!
Liu Ziyi's heart skipped a beat; Princess, you're a ruthless person.
What's going on? Is this someone trying to prove their loyalty to Lin Yi?
He quickly lowered his head. This was not something he could interfere with, nor should he get involved, or his life would be in danger.
" Shenle!"
Li Anlan frowned slightly, but quickly recovered and smiled, "My son is clever. If these people weren't killed, why would Lin Yi let her into the palace? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? Wait, call him in. I have something to ask him."
Forehead!
Liu Ziyi's lips twitched. Really? What if Her Highness the princess was captivated by Lin Yi's good looks?
Upon hearing the next sentence, he instantly understood: the Emperor indeed did not believe him.
"Your Majesty, I have urgent business to attend to, so I must take my leave!" He quickly excused himself, as it would be very inappropriate for him to remain inside, as this would be a stain on the Emperor's reputation.
Li Anlan glanced at him and smiled, "It's alright, my dear minister, listen as well. This Eunuch Ran should have quite a bit of information."
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Liu Ziyi sighed and stayed.
Soon, Eunuch Ran entered and knelt directly before Li Anlan, too ashamed to rise. He had botched His Majesty's plans this time.
"Tell me what you saw!" Li Anlan glanced at him and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess..."
The eunuch recounted what he had seen, then knelt down to the side, leaving Li Anlan to ponder.
" Shenle, Shenle, are you still loyal to your father?"
A cold glint flashed in Li Anlan's eyes. There was no reason for his daughter not to side with him. There were still some issues involved, but the results wouldn't be available for the time being and would require further investigation.
If Shenle really betrays him, that would be a real problem.
They lost both their wife and their army!
The Prince of Xiliang!
The next morning, Lin Yi got out of Cai Yan's bed and found that Cai Yan was already gone, apparently having gone to deal with the newspaper matter.
After washing up with the help of his maid, he began his breakfast.
Wang Yue rushed over after only a few bites and said in a deep voice, "My lord, I have investigated and found out that yesterday Wei Tong's deputy, Liu Ziyi, suddenly made a move and wiped out several of our strongholds."
"To maintain secrecy, everyone else has gone into hiding, which is why the previous communication stalled!"