"Absurd, absolutely absurd!!" The sudden imprisonment of the Song family and the capture of Song Hong had everyone in shock. The Black Armored Guards arresting a third-rank official without an imperial decree was a blatant violation of protocol. All eyes were on the palace, waiting to see how the emperor would react and punish those responsible. But after Xiao Yan entered the palace for an audience, not only did he emerge unscathed, he even received an imperial decree to seal the entire Song family estate.
The court officials allied with the aristocratic families were furious.
"That Xiao Yan, using the power of the Privy Council, acts with complete disregard for the rules! To storm the Song family's estate and arrest Song Hong without a decree, creating such a mess, and the emperor only gave him ten lashes as punishment? Is the emperor mad?"
"I think the emperor is clearly bewitched by that eunuch. Xiao Yan barges into the Song estate at will, arrests Song Hong without hesitation—what's next? Will he trample all over us too? Soon enough, the court will be entirely under that eunuch's control!"
"Lord Lu, we cannot let this slide!"
"Indeed, Lord Lu. Xiao Yan has been at odds with us for a long time. We cannot allow him to continue running rampant like this," some fumed, while others felt unease.
"Lord Lu, the emperor's increasing reliance on the Privy Council, particularly on that rabid dog Xiao Yan, cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. He's already ruined several of our long-established revenue streams. If we don't find a way to remove him from court, the aristocratic families will suffer, and soon we will have no way out."
"Lord Lu, you must think of something."
In the Lu family study, seven or eight officials from aristocratic backgrounds had gathered. Though they held different positions, they represented the interests and influence of several major families in the court.
These officials had been contending with the emperor for years and often held the upper hand. The aristocratic families had once overshadowed the imperial power so much that even the imperial Xie clan had to step aside.
However, ever since Xiao Yan had appeared, he had systematically eliminated their spies within the palace. When the Privy Council fell into his hands, they initially dismissed him as a mere eunuch unworthy of concern. Yet he had now become a major threat.
His methods were ruthless, his behavior reckless.
With Xiao Yan by his side, the emperor had grown increasingly assertive, though still cautious about directly confronting the aristocratic families. Nonetheless, imperial power was steadily encroaching upon the aristocratic families' interests.
Just recently, in the matter of the canal grain taxes, the aristocrats had been forced to cut their losses to protect their clans, forfeiting tens of thousands of taels. Additionally, Xiao Yan's relentless pursuit had wiped out several other lucrative ventures that had taken years to cultivate, causing the great families severe losses.
"If this continues, that eunuch will truly crush us underfoot," someone said bitterly. The room buzzed with voices, but Lu Chongyuan, seated at the head, quietly sipped his tea, the leaves floating in the slightly bitter brew.
After a while, when they noticed Lu had yet to respond, Cui Lin, head of the Cui family, frowned and asked, "Lord Lu, do you have nothing to say?"
"You've said it all. What more is there for me to add?" Lu Chongyuan set down his teacup with a soft clink on the table. "Xiao Yan's hostility toward the aristocratic families is nothing new. The emperor clearly intends to eliminate the aristocrats and consolidate his power. Xiao Yan is merely his rabid dog, doing his bidding. Even if Xiao Yan is running wild, do you really expect the emperor to cut off his own arm and remove the fangs of his most loyal hound?"
The others fell silent, stifled by Lu's words. Cui Lin scowled, "So, are we just supposed to let this slide?"
"Exactly, Lord Lu," another chimed in. "Xiao Yan has been rampant for a long time. We've finally found some leverage over him. Why not take this chance to bring him down?"
"Yes, it's too good an opportunity to waste!" Their hatred for Xiao Yan had festered for years, and now that they had a chance, they were unwilling to let it go. Even if the emperor was lenient, Xiao Yan's actions were clearly a violation of protocol. The Censorate would not allow such blatant disregard for the rules to go unpunished!
As the group discussed how to deal with Xiao Yan, some even considered dragging the Censorate into the fray. Lu Chongyuan's expression grew complicated.
"You're thinking too much," Lu said. "Do you really believe you have the power to bring down Xiao Yan? Even if you want to settle this matter, he might not let it go so easily."
Cui Lin frowned. "What do you mean, Lord Lu?"
Lu Chongyuan looked at him. "Do you remember what charge Xiao Yan used when he arrested the Song family?"
Cui Lin froze, his face suddenly paling.
"Years ago, when the Crown Prince rebelled, setting fire to the Forbidden Palace and perishing in the flames, many were implicated in that treason. I don't need to remind you who benefited from the emperor's purge of the rebels back then. You all know exactly how much you gained."
Seeing the grim expressions on their faces, Lu Chongyuan continued, "Do you think Xiao Yan suddenly targeted the Song family just because Song Hong kept a traitor's daughter as a concubine and mistreated Xiao Yan's adopted sister? Or perhaps because Song Hong repeatedly offended him and Xiao Yan acted out of rage on behalf of Song Tangning?"
"If Xiao Yan were truly that impulsive, how would he have the power to bring us to this point?"
Cui Lin's heart sank. "Are you saying he's using Song Hong as a pretext to attack the aristocratic families?"
Lu Chongyuan's voice was cold and steady. "The Song family and Song Hong are mere scapegoats. Xiao Yan is using them as an excuse to strike at us. The canal grain case was a dead end, but if Song Hong is convicted of treason, none of us who were involved in the purge of the Crown Prince's supporters will escape unscathed."
The room fell into a stunned silence.
"That can't be... it's been years since that happened."
"Yes, indeed, the events of that year have long passed, and how long has the Mad Crown Prince been dead? Besides, if it hadn't been for the Mad Crown Prince's downfall, how could His Majesty have ascended to the throne? How could he let Xiao Yan pursue this matter..." Before the person could finish speaking, they heard someone knocking on the door from outside.
"Father, it's me." The room fell silent instantly, and as the door was pushed open, Lu Chongyuan's eldest son, Lu Zhao, hurried in, his face looking extremely grim.
"Father, just now, news came from the palace: Prince Cheng has been reprimanded by His Majesty for using his influence to intimidate local officials and for helping the Song family conceal the identity of a traitor."
"His Majesty has already decreed that Xiao Yan is to thoroughly investigate the treason case involving the Song family and confiscate the Duke of Song's mansion. Before the case is closed, Prince Cheng is not allowed to leave his residence." Upon hearing this, Lu Chongyuan's face darkened, and the others in the room also showed signs of distress.
Within the royal family, the abuse of power to oppress local officials and open doors for personal gain was nothing new. Why would Emperor An bother to issue a special decree to reprimand and confine Prince Cheng?
More importantly, Prince Cheng had also been involved in the Mad Crown Prince case back then.
Lu Zhao grew anxious. "Father, it's one thing for Xiao Yan to capture members of the Song family, but now even Prince Cheng has been reprimanded and confined. Rumors are spreading outside that Prince Cheng colluded with the Song family to switch traitors and deceive the emperor. If they really want to use the Song family case to dig up old events, then we..."
"The sky hasn't fallen yet, so what's the panic!" Lu Chongyuan frowned and scolded his eldest son, then said in a deep voice, "Where is Sanlang?"
"He's at the mansion."
"Have him come see me." Although he didn't know what his father wanted with his legitimate son, Lu Zhao quickly agreed, turned around, and rushed out to find Lu Zhiyan.
Lu Chongyuan then looked up at the few people in the room, whose expressions varied, and said, "You can all see it. The Duke of Song's mansion is just a pretext. Xiao Yan's target has never been the Song family. Instead of plotting against him by manipulating the Song family case and trying to remove him from court, you'd be better off thinking about how to ensure this matter doesn't implicate you."
"I know that some of you have recently been getting close to members of the royal family, and some have had private dealings with Prince Cheng. Now that Prince Cheng is under Xiao Yan's scrutiny, you had better go back and clean up your own tracks. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I won’t be able to protect you."
Several of those present felt a jolt in their hearts, and Cui Qizheng subconsciously said, "Master Lu, what are you saying? Our families have always been united, following your lead, and supporting the Empress and the Fourth Prince. Why would we have any dealings with Prince Cheng?"
Lu Chongyuan only glanced at him coldly. Though clearly aged, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his gaze was sharp enough to pierce through a person.
Cui Qizheng had been holding his ground under that gaze, but after a moment, he couldn't maintain his composure.
Seeing this, Lu Chongyuan did not expose him. He simply withdrew his gaze and said, "I’m just giving you a reminder. The reason why the great families have lasted for a hundred years without decline is that we advance and retreat together, ensuring that no one dares challenge us. You can seek your own interests, but if anyone jeopardizes the larger interests of the families, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
"I’ll find a way to deal with the Duke of Song's mansion and Xiao Yan. You clean up your own messes. If someone gets caught and ends up like Prince Cheng, I'm sure you'll understand the necessity of cutting off a limb to save the body, right?"
The room, which had been filled with chatter moments earlier, fell silent. Cui Qizheng's jaw tightened as he listened to Lu Chongyuan’s words.
Lu Chongyuan wasn't just giving them a warning; he was also threatening them.
But they all knew that Lu Chongyuan’s words were not empty. If the day ever came when they endangered the interests of the great families, Lu Chongyuan would have no hesitation in sacrificing them. This was an unspoken understanding among the powerful families for years.
...
After leaving the Lu residence, most of the other families headed back to their own homes, but Cui Qizheng quietly met with members of two other families in a secluded place.
There were seven families in total that had aligned themselves with the Lu family, with the Lu family at the forefront, followed by the Cui family. The Qi, Luo, Wang, Li, and Feng families were all closely ranked, with the Li and Feng families slightly weaker than the others.
Feng Qiuli, the head of the Feng family who had only recently taken over, was the youngest of all the leaders. Upon seeing Cui Qizheng, he asked in a low voice, "Master Cui, does Lu Chongyuan know about our dealings?"
The representative from the Li family, already nervous, turned pale at the mention of "Lu Chongyuan" and stammered, "Does he know everything? We’ve been secretly dealing with the Second Prince, with Prince Cheng acting as a go-between. If Prince Cheng gets caught and drags us down with him, Lu Chongyuan will never forgive us if he finds out what we’ve done."
Though he was old, Lu Chongyuan's ruthlessness was well-known to them.
When there was trouble with the grain shipments, Lu Chongyuan, in order to protect the aristocratic families in the capital, had slaughtered dozens in Jiangnan overnight, silencing everyone involved. Even several officials in the capital were not spared.
The Fourth Prince had been chosen by the Lu family as the future Crown Prince and was the one that all the great families had agreed to support. If Lu Chongyuan discovered that they had secretly switched allegiance to the Second Prince, the consequences would be...
Cui Qizheng, though younger than Lu Chongyuan, was already in his fifties. Seeing the fear on the Li family member’s face, he frowned and said, "What difference does it make whether he forgives us or not? We've already made our move, and there's no turning back now."
Noticing the pale face of the Li family member, Cui Qizheng tightened his jaw.
"I know what you're afraid of, but even if Lu Chongyuan has figured something out, what can he do?"
"The Lu family is powerful, but our three families are no pushovers. If Lu Chongyuan dares to turn on us over this, we can break ties with him. He wouldn't dare risk destroying the Lu family by fighting us to the death, only to benefit others."
Seeing that the person was still hesitating and remaining silent, Cui Qizheng's eyes glinted coldly as he said, "In matters like this, it's about mutual consent. If you're really afraid, then leave."
"I don't particularly care who we support. While the Cui family may not be as powerful as the Lu family, it's not difficult to protect ourselves regardless of who comes to power. The Lu family may not even dare to touch us. But your Li family..." He paused briefly. "Among the elite families, it's still survival of the fittest. Don't forget how the He family disappeared back then."
The head of the Li family immediately paled at his words.
The He family was once among the elite, their influence in the court surpassing even that of the Lu family. But such a prominent family was destroyed when their interests clashed with those of the other families. Their leader had been too soft-hearted, placing the welfare of the people above that of the elite families, and as a result, the other families conspired to "remove" them. The He family was accused of conspiring with the rebellious Crown Prince and was exterminated, with no descendants left. Outsiders believed that one misstep had led to the downfall of the He family's century-long legacy, but only they knew the truth: the He family had never conspired with the Crown Prince.
It was simply because they had obstructed the interests of the Lu family and were framed.
Survival of the fittest didn't just happen in the outside world; it applied within the elite families as well.
Seeing the head of the Li family turn pale, Feng Qiuli quickly chimed in, "Lord Cui is just joking. Since we chose to follow him, we won't go back on our decision." He then turned to the head of the Li family beside him.
"Uncle Li, the Lu family has never had any intention of supporting anyone. After they swallowed up the He family, they became what they are today. The interests of families like ours have been constantly suppressed and eroded by the Lu family."
"For Lord Cui and the other families, it's one thing, but both your Li family and our Feng family are already in decline, weakening by the day. If we don't find a way to push forward, we'll soon be squeezed out of the ranks of the elite, perhaps even becoming fodder for the Lu family and the others."
Feng Qiuli's young face was full of ambition and determination. "Lu Chongyuan has never been kind, and the Fourth Prince may not protect the elite families either. Rather than relying on them, it's better to rely on ourselves. As long as our three families work together, even he won't dare to act against us easily."
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You can read ahead to chapterr 142 here
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