Chapter 97: The mountains are high and the emperor far away—this is someone who wants to become a local tyrant!

Hope this Princess Consort is just passing by on a whim, coming to take a look.

Otherwise……

Inside the house, the person guarding the courtyard nodded at Su Xin.

Su Xin then let out a breath, "Princess Consort, this manor lord seems not simple."

Jiang Yun Chu smiled, picked up the tea leaves to smell, then raised her eyebrows, "Good tea."

But this tea is too good; where could one find such tea in these mountains and wilderness?

She walked around the room; the furnishings in this room, especially that large carved wooden bed, are not something that can be measured by a few taels of silver.

This……

She really thinks of herself as a clueless haystack.

"Contact the shadow in secret and see what's happening here." Jiang Yun Chu fiddled with the items from the Multitreasure Pavilion, speaking in a clear, shallow tone.

"Yes."

Su Xin is someone close to the Princess Consort; as soon as she leaves this courtyard, someone will surely be watching her, so what she needs to do now is remain inconspicuous.

Everything will wait until nightfall to act.

The night, sunk like water.

Heavy black clouds covered the sky's moonlight, shrouding this land in darkness.

A shadow slipped out of the small courtyard without disturbing anyone.

"Father, if the Princess Consort finds out, we're done for." This person's voice was low, tone somewhat flustered.

Soon another male voice said, "No… we'll just do them, destroy the corpses and erase traces, so no one can find us."

Jiang Yun Chu narrowed her eyes; the Wang Fu has been raising tigers to its own detriment for years.

What has nourished this family's ambition?

"Shut up!"

The manor lord shouted angrily, looking at his two useless sons, "When the Princess Consort leaves the capital, how many eyes are watching?"

"Do it?"

"I'm sick of seeing you alive."

The manor lord's voice carried a hint of frustration at not being able to make steel from iron, his eyes also showing deep thought.

"This won't work, that won't work either." The second son was scolded, and his anger flared.

"Father, why don't you say what we should do?"

Doing it won't work, being supportive fears trouble; with his father's hesitant nature, what great thing could be accomplished?

The manor lord looked at his eldest son, "Tomorrow I'll go into the mountains; you watch over some of the manor's affairs here, have our people keep an eye on those tenants, tell them what to say and what not to say, let them think it over—at this critical juncture, absolutely no mischief."

"Father, I understand, you can relax." Although the eldest son is impatient, compared to the younger son he can reassure the manor lord more.

The second son looked at the eldest, pursed his lips, "Father, what should I do?"

"You?"

The manor lord looked at his feckless, flirtatious appearance, and his anger flared all at once.

"Stay put and behave yourself; for these few days you are not allowed to leave the courtyard."

"Also, take care of Old Li Tou's side; pacify him well, or if it causes trouble before the Princess Consort, don't blame me for being ruthless."

……

Old Li Tou……

Jiang Yun Chu listened to the conversation of the three elders, furrowed her brows, and hurriedly left the area.

"Princess Consort." Su Xin paced anxiously in the room, her heart a little uneasy, fearing something might happen to the Princess Consort.

Now the situation at the manor is even more complicated.

"Hmm, has the shadow arrived?"

Jiang Yun Chu calmly took off her black veil and then sat beside the tea table.

"Princess Consort." A black-clad figure stood upright, though his left sleeve was empty.

"You came early; any news?"

From the conversation of that father and son trio, this manor definitely has some hidden dealings, and for the manor lord to go up the mountain at this time—if one claimed there were no secrets on the mountain, that would be foolish.

That shadow spoke in a low voice, "This manor is not near any village, nor any city, surrounded by mountains on three sides."

"The manor lord is the most powerful person here; before the Princess Consort arrived, they father and son had discussed for a long time."

Jiang Yun Chu listened indifferently, then suddenly paused.

"What did they discuss?"

"They discussed how to peacefully send you away." The shadow summed it up.

"This courtyard has been specially arranged; many things were moved here from the manor lord's courtyard."

"Moreover, we found that among the tenants, many are people of the manor lord mixed in."

The shadow said no more.

Their covertly gathered information is limited, after all they fear startling the snake.

"Heh~"

"The mountains are high and the emperor far away—this is someone who wants to become a local tyrant!"

Jiang Yun Chu idly played with her fingers, her whole aura growing ever more calm.

If Ning Hanmo or Zi Su were here, they would surely notice—she really has gotten angry!

"Continue covert observation, let the people of the Capital Prefecture prepare investigation and records." She gave the order; with official involvement, no matter who gets involved later, she does not intend to let them off easily.

"Tomorrow the manor lord is going out; assign someone to follow him closely, don't lose him, and don't let the Capital Prefecture people know."

"Yes!" Shadow clasped his fists in a salute, then left.

Jingzhao Prefecture is a double-edged sword, pointed at enemies as well as oneself.

As for anything else happening on this manor, which side the Jingzhao Prefecture takes, it's hard to say.

But after all, it's a manor of the Wang Fu, and that's not easy to explain.

She doesn't yet understand the situation here, so she simply lets Shadow get along well, and the rest can be discussed later.

The next day, Jiang Yun Chu brought Su Xin and went straight to the fields to check the crops.

"Auntie, how are these crops doing now? Is there enough rain this year?" Jiang Yun Chu had just begun speaking when the question wasn't even finished.

Those few people acted as if they had encountered a plague, keeping their distance, and some even started to run.

Afraid she'd catch up, like a flood and ferocious beast!

"What's going on?"

Jiang Yun Chu's expression darkened; she turned to face the eldest son of the manor head, her voice somewhat stern, carrying a hint of authority.

The manor head's eldest son's face turned somewhat pale; when is his father coming back?

He thought accompanying the Princess Consort would be a good post, and if some scraps leaked from the noble's fingers, that would be enough for him to show off for a while.

But now he only feels his thighs trembling.

"What are you running for? The Princess Consort is asking a question—say what you have to say!" The manor head's eldest son turned around and looked at the few people who had just been doing farm work.

His gaze was gloomy, carrying a hint of warning.

"Princess Consort, if you have any questions, just ask me; I will certainly report truthfully." The manor head's eldest son first scolded the few people, then put on a smiling face and bowed low before Jiang Yun Chu.

The black veil obscured her expression, leaving only a pair of eyes, calm and waveless.

"Oh? When was the last rain?" Jiang Yun Chu asked.

"Half a month ago." The manor head's eldest son hurriedly replied.

"How much did the rain fall? How many inches have the seedlings grown? How many mu of fields are there now? How many trees are on the mountain?"

Jiang Yun Chu's voice was clear and cold, carrying an uncontrollable killing intent; each question, like popping beans, was flung straight onto the eldest son's face.