Chapter 1 The Impending Journey to Jiangnan

At this moment, everyone in the Su family was racking their brains on how to deal with the first batch of people sent by Jiang Chen.

Little did they know that Jiang Chen was quietly preparing to take people to Jiangnan himself.

"Your Majesty, are you leaving so soon after just returning?"

Hearing the question from the person beside him, Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly.

The Su family was always a thorn in his side. Jiangnan was the land of fish and rice. To ensure the cooperation between the Xiongnu and his side, a considerable portion of the required grain would have to be transported from Jiangnan.

Most importantly, the Su family probably already knew about Su Dingtian's actions. Faced with such a crime punishable by nine generations of relatives, the Su family probably wouldn't cooperate with him much.

Even those families in Jiangnan who were close to the Su family would likely defect in unison.

This campaign had already suffered heavy losses. If Jiangnan also turned against him, he wouldn't even have a force capable of a straightforward push. If he were to use other people, Jiangnan would likely fall into the hands of other families again.

Therefore, to ensure everything was foolproof, he had to go to Jiangnan himself.

"Some things must be done personally. I don't trust others to do it."

With that, Jiang Chen left the palace.

Seeing the Jin army gathered again, Jiang Chen directly dismissed them.

"I can only rest assured with you guarding the capital. This trip to the south won't be too dangerous. The Su family hasn't gone completely mad yet."

"The most crucial thing is to find every possible way to protect the safety of the capital. If Bao Qimeng comes, settle her down temporarily. She is key to our future control over the Xiongnu, so don't let anything happen to her."

Faced with Jiang Chen's instructions, the generals' faces were filled with worry.

After all, based on what Su Dingtian had done, the Su family's reaction was still an unknown.

When they were dismissed by Jiang Chen and returned to their respective posts, they still felt uneasy, as if something was weighing on their minds.

Just as they were pondering over this, they noticed countless figures rushing towards the city gates ahead of them.

Although their clothing suggested they were from all walks of life, these people who had spent years in the military could tell that they were all martial artists.

"General, these people are skilled in martial arts and have been hiding in the capital. Should we arrest them? Their behavior is making us suspicious."

Just as a few soldiers beside him were eager to try, the general kicked them over.

"Are you stupid? Who else but *that one* could have so many trained people under his command in the capital?"

Thinking of Jiang Chen's arrangements, the general immediately sealed the camp gates, cutting off all contact with the outside world except for routine duties.

The next morning, during the early court session, the officials were puzzled by Jiang Chen's exhausted appearance.

"Gentlemen, this time I led the army on a personal expedition to the north to strike the Xiongnu. Although it seemed unscathed, I actually suffered great damage myself. From today onwards, you can submit your memorials to the cabinet. The cabinet elders will help me handle most of the government affairs. Unless necessary, I will no longer review them as before."

"After I rest for a while, I will naturally return to the court. At that time, I hope you will all still be standing here."

Hearing the hidden meaning in Jiang Chen's words, many people couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

No one could grasp what Jiang Chen was thinking.

However, watching Jiang Chen step away from that position, many people still had some inappropriate thoughts, but when they sensed the murderous gazes of the people around them, they forcibly suppressed everything they had been holding back.

After finding an excuse for not attending court, Jiang Chen changed into plain clothes and, accompanied by a few guards, headed towards Jiangnan.

Jiang Chen was very curious as to who gave the Su family the courage to do such a rebellious thing. Rather than making a big show of questioning them, he might as well go incognito, travel to Jiangnan privately, and find out what was going on.

While Jiang Chen and his party were hurrying towards Jiangnan, the news that Jiang Chen would no longer attend court in the short term had reached the Su family.

The thought that Jiang Chen would not appear in court for the next few days made many people tremble, as they clearly understood what this meant.

"Could it be that His Majesty wants to come and question us personally? We didn't do most of those things. Why does he want to hold us accountable?"

"Exactly! All of this was Su Dingtian's own doing. What does it have to do with us? If he dares to come and hold us accountable, then don't blame us for being impolite!"

While they were discussing this, they didn't know that Jiang Chen's men had already infiltrated every corner of Jiangnan. As a commercially developed region, they didn't notice anything unusual about the sudden increase in strangers. Little did they know that this very act would bring them considerable trouble.

After all, as the top family in Jiangnan, they were used to being domineering. The submissive attitude they showed was only displayed in front of Jiang Chen. In front of these common people, they were an insurmountable wall.

"When soldiers come, we will resist them; when water comes, we will dam it. Instead of worrying about how Jiang Chen will deal with us next, we might as well seize this opportunity to enjoy ourselves. Since the Xiongnu have surrendered to us, then a large number of grain deals will definitely fall into our hands. When that time comes, we will naturally make a fortune. As long as we spend money to smooth things over, we will naturally be safe and sound."

While they were still thinking so naively, Jiang Chen had already arrived at the Xizhou gate.

Xizhou was the last stop before reaching Jiangnan.

Looking at the soldiers at the gate who were demanding entry fees one by one, Jiang Chen's face revealed displeasure.

The people beside him noticed the change in Jiang Chen's emotions and were about to step forward to question them, but Jiang Chen stopped them.

"Before figuring out the Su family's details, don't attract their attention."

After discovering that the tokens hanging from these people's waists were engraved with the character 'Su', Jiang Chen had no choice but to lead everyone obediently into the queue and walk towards the gate.