After the morning court session ended, the noble officials from powerful families walked out of the main hall with grim expressions, hurriedly heading out.
Cui Lin, who had previously been enjoying the misfortune of the Lu family, was now flustered. “What is the Lu family doing? Have they lost their minds?”
He had wanted to bring down the Lu family and use the grain corruption case to suppress them, but he certainly did not want to see the noble families turning against the emperor.
The Lu family had secretly assisted King Cheng in smuggling forbidden goods and even worked with the Ministry of War to recruit soldiers and stockpile weapons. Had they lost all reason?
The son of Empress Lu was the bloodline of the Lu family, the one they wished to support to ascend the throne. Yet, the Lu family was helping King Cheng in his rebellion?
Cui Lin couldn’t make sense of it and wondered if the Lu family members had lost their minds.
Feng Qiuli, walking beside him, glanced back at Xiao Yan, who was leisurely walking around the inner palace gates. Their eyes briefly met before she turned away, focusing instead on the agitated Cui Lin.
“I don’t understand either,” Feng Qiuli said quietly. “When the late emperor was still in power, the Lu family’s dealings with two factions could be justified, but His Majesty has been on the throne for many years, and the state of affairs is stable. The Fourth Prince has already expressed his intention to seize the throne, yet the Lu family is still supporting King Cheng…” Feng Qiuli’s face darkened. “If the Empress and Fourth Prince found out, how could they remain on good terms with the Lu family?”
Cui Lin’s expression grew more serious. “I always felt something was wrong. Lu Chongyuan shouldn’t be this foolish.”
Even if the Lu family had other intentions, hoping to find an escape route outside of supporting Empress Lu and her son, they should not have chosen King Cheng.
If they secretly supported other princes, even the Fourth Prince as a backup, it would have been better than choosing King Cheng. Lu Chongyuan shouldn’t have been so short-sighted, backing someone who would never have a chance to rise to power.
Feng Qiuli whispered, “Cui Gong is right. There must be more to this. I noticed that Xiao Yan seems to be heading towards the Phoenix Xi Palace.”
Cui Lin turned back and glanced. “He’s trying to stir up trouble between the Empress and the Lu family.”
Feng Qiuli replied, “It’s no surprise he’s anxious. After the account books were found, we secretly provided a lot of clues, hoping to pin the Lu family down, but who knew Lu Chongyuan would act swiftly and ruthlessly, eliminating anyone who could implicate the family. Lu Zhaojiu seems determined to take the fall for everything. Now, with only the account books, we can’t bring down the Lu family. Lu Zhaojiu refuses to speak, and Xiao Yan must be desperate.”
Cui Lin narrowed his eyes. “Lu Chongyuan, that old fox. I thought his string of failures would cost him dearly, but he’s still as cunning as ever!”
Earlier, he had considered using the grain corruption issue to destroy the Lu family, but Lu Chongyuan had acted decisively, eliminating those who might implicate the family. Lu Zhaojiu was also positioning himself to take all the blame.
The Lu family had been hurt several times, and everyone, including Cui Lin, thought Lu Chongyuan was out of options. But no one had expected the Lu family to still have secret strategies. Even when Lu Chongyuan was cornered, the family managed to influence events outside the capital.
Even Xiao Yan, the eunuch, hadn’t been able to act before the Lu family.
Cui Lin dared not make a move, fearing the Lu family’s hidden operatives might strike back, and also worried that if more clues were sent, Xiao Yan would follow the trail and implicate other families.
He had been anxious but now saw an opportunity to drive a wedge between the Empress and the Lu family. If the Empress could turn on the Lu family, even Lu Chongyuan, despite his capabilities, would be caught off guard.
It was a good chance.
Cui Lin quietly said, “Have someone pass a message to the Second Prince, asking him to meet with us.”
Since Xiao Yan had approached the Empress, they should push him further. Compared to the Empress, the more impulsive Fourth Prince would be easier to manipulate.
Feng Qiuli lowered her eyes. “Understood.”
Since King Cheng’s imprisonment, Empress Lu appeared indifferent, maintaining the usual order in the harem, but in reality, she had been paying much closer attention to outside news.
She had already heard this morning about the Song family’s grave relocation. She learned that Song Tangning had indeed gone to remove the Song family from the registry and moved the coffins of Song Xi and his wife out of the family residence.
Empress Lu furrowed her brow, feeling uneasy. She had always thought that Song Tangning was a soft-spoken, malleable young woman, but the events seemed to reveal something entirely different.
“The Song family actually agreed?” Empress Lu asked.
Jin Zhi softly replied, “They had no choice. I heard not only did the head of the Gu family go, but even Xiao Yan took his Black-armored Guards with him. After losing the Duke’s residence, the Song family is just an ordinary official family; how could they possibly resist someone like him?”
She hesitated for a moment. “Your Majesty, back when you sent someone to the Song family’s ancestral tomb, they suddenly moved the graves—do you think it could be…”
“I never sent anyone,” Empress Lu replied coldly, turning her gaze sharply toward Jin Zhi, sending a chill down her spine.
The person who had handled the matter was long dead, and while she had sent someone to search for something, she had given strict orders to clean up any traces, regardless of whether the items were found. The servant who reported back had made it clear that they left the rest to the Song family.
With the elderly matriarch in charge, there should have been no problem maintaining their son’s grave. Furthermore, after the graves were moved last night, the Song family had remained quiet, and Song Tangning had been calm.
So many years had passed. Who could know if someone had tampered with the tomb?
“Jin Zhi, I’ve noticed you’ve been speaking more and more. Have you grown forgetful with age?” Empress Lu’s tone was cold.
Jin Zhi’s face turned pale from the reproach, and she quickly lowered her head. “I apologize, Your Majesty. I misspoke. There has never been any interaction between you and the Song family.”
Empress Lu finally turned her gaze away, placing the golden scissors in her hand onto a nearby peony. “Don’t lose your composure. We can’t afford to let others misunderstand.”
Seeing Jin Zhi’s bowed head, Empress Lu sighed. “I always thought that Tangning girl had a stubborn nature, obsessed only with Lu Zhi’an, but now it seems she’s caught the eye of that Xiao Yan.”
If only she had known back then that the young woman had such influence, able to win over Xiao Yan, a eunuch with immense power both inside and outside the palace. She should have kept her closer.
Even if the Lu family’s marriage plans failed, even if that item couldn’t be found, if she had won Xiao Yan’s favor, she wouldn’t have been so restricted, and might even have learned of Xie Tianyu’s situation in prison.
“What a pity. That girl turned against me because of the Lu family.”
Empress Lu’s voice was filled with regret. She squeezed the scissors in her hand, cutting a few more peony blooms from the vibrant cluster.
Jin Zhi carefully placed the cut flowers onto a tray. Seeing Empress Lu’s dispirited expression, she softly said, “That Song girl is cold-hearted. You’ve always been kind to her, but she doesn’t appreciate it.”
Empress Lu murmured, “She’s just a young girl with a fiery temper. Perhaps it’s time to call her to the palace for a visit. We can’t let her misunderstand me.”
If she didn’t know where the item was, at least the reputation she had built and the soon-to-be established academy, with its influence over the scholarly officials, would be of benefit. Even Xiao Yan’s support was significant.
The girl couldn’t possibly remain single forever. If she had misjudged her match, she could still make amends with a good marriage.
If the Lu family was out of the question, there were other families, or perhaps the Fourth Prince.
Empress Lu’s eyes darkened as she looked at the peony. Her demeanor remained impeccable, but if one looked closely, the faint trace of green under her makeup could not conceal the anxiety she felt. She knew the Lu family’s decline meant her own fall from grace as well. She had to come up with a plan.
Compared to the others, a young girl was easier to manipulate.
“Your Majesty!”
The sudden voice from outside snapped Empress Lu out of her thoughts, causing her to nervously snip a bundle of branches, making the entire peony arrangement look unsightly.
Jin Zhi turned to scold, “What are you shouting for?”
“It’s news from the morning court.”
Empress Lu set the scissors down. “Come in.”
The servant who entered was a eunuch from the Phoenix Xi Palace, the same one who had gathered information about King Cheng’s situation the previous night. His face was anxious, and before Empress Lu could speak, he rushed to report.
“Just now, after the court was dismissed, I overheard several officials talking. It seems King Cheng has confessed.”
Empress Lu curled her fingers. “He confessed? What’s there to be nervous about?”
The eunuch continued in a hurry, “King Cheng confessed that he colluded with the Ministry of War and the Armaments Bureau, all under the Lu family’s direction. He also admitted to stockpiling military supplies using iron ore sourced by the Lu family, and that their merchant ships had helped smuggle goods into the capital. His Majesty is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation.”
Before he finished speaking, a messenger outside arrived.
“Empress, Xiao Yan requests an audience.”
You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
This was posted yesterday to I think?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so but if it was that was an error
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