“What did you say? How could it be His Majesty?!”
After returning from Rongsheng Academy, Lu Qin threw a huge tantrum. After drinking some wine in the evening, every time he thought about Song Tangning's smug face, he felt an intense desire to rid himself of her once and for all. And that's exactly what he tried to do.
He drunkenly waited in the manor for good news, imagining Song Tangning being trampled to death by wild horses. Even if she didn’t die, at least she would be maimed—missing arms or legs. She dared to mock him, so he would make sure she either died or became a cripple. Ideally, she wouldn't die, but would be disfigured, so she would suffer and beg for death without being able to end her misery!
Every time Lu Qin thought about Song Tangning’s end, it made him feel pleased. But who could have imagined, when the person he sent returned, they said the one who was injured was none other than Emperor An!
The person who came back was crying and had a distressed look: “I don’t know what happened, but the carriage clearly belonged to the Princess of Yiyang. She rides it every day, and the driver is always alone, with no guards around. But after the carriage overturned, His Majesty and Gonggong Feng came out of it!”
“What about His Majesty?”
“His Majesty is fine, but Xiao Yan was seriously injured while protecting him from the wild horses. He was carried back to Jiyun Alley…”
“Good, good!”
Lu Qin immediately laughed, feeling relieved. If he couldn’t kill Song Tangning, injuring Xiao Yan was still a good outcome. It would be even better if Xiao Yan died from his injuries. That way, the Lu family would be rid of a major threat. However, the person next to him couldn’t laugh. Seeing his master’s happy expression, he trembled and said, “But, Second Master, Wu San has been caught.”
“What did you say?” Lu Qin's smile instantly froze.
The Lu family servant fell to his knees. “When the incident happened, I didn’t know what to do. When we saw His Majesty in the carriage, Wu San and I tried to leave immediately, but we were stopped. I barely escaped with my life, but Wu San was injured in the leg and was captured by someone from His Majesty's side…”
“Useless!!”
Lu Qin, who had been feeling victorious, immediately panicked, and the effects of alcohol disappeared completely.
He immediately turned to the person in front of him, intending to silence him, but then he slumped, realizing that killing this person wouldn’t help. The one who had been captured was far more important. Though he had sent his trusted man, he wasn’t sure if Wu San would be able to keep his mouth shut.
The kneeling man didn’t know how close he was to death and anxiously said, “Second Master, Wu San isn’t someone with strong resolve. Please go to the Lord and ask for help. The Lord surely has a way. Otherwise, if the palace finds out, it will all be over…”
“What’s over?”
“Second Young Master…”
The servant shuddered, and Lu Qin’s expression immediately changed when he saw his “illegitimate son” standing outside the door. “Lu Jiu’an, you dared to eavesdrop on my conversation?!”
Lu Jiu’an, whose appearance was unremarkable, replied, “I was sent by grandfather to invite father to discuss something. But since the door and windows weren’t closed, I overheard some of your conversation.” He then looked at Lu Qin and asked, “What has father done that could attract the palace’s attention?”
Lu Qin’s face darkened. “It’s nothing…”
Lu Jiu’an frowned when he saw his father’s reluctance to speak. “Father, you should know the situation of the Lu family. The main branch is nearly extinct. The family has sacrificed several long-hidden assets to preserve the larger situation. Though grandfather has returned to the court, the Lu family’s power is nowhere near what it once was. We cannot afford any more mistakes.”
“I heard him say that you needed to ask grandfather for help, and it was related to the palace. If father is in trouble, you must tell the truth. If grandfather can solve it, he’ll resolve it early. Otherwise, if things go wrong, it’ll be too late to fix.”
Lu Qin didn’t like Lu Jiu’an and even more so hated his “illegitimate son’s” sermon. However, he knew that the person in front of him wasn’t really his son. His expression changed for a moment, and he then said quietly, “I sent people to deal with Song Tangning.”
“Song Tangning?” Lu Jiu’an immediately had a bad feeling. “What did you do?”
Lu Qin replied, “I sent people to overturn her carriage. I wanted to teach her a lesson…”
“Father, you’re being foolish!”
Lu Jiu’an spoke out, “Grandfather had already instructed the family to avoid causing trouble for the time being, and to avoid provoking Xiao Yan or Song Tangning. Xiao Yan is vengeful, cunning, and ruthless. If you can’t kill him in one blow, you’ll be asking for trouble. How could you…”
“I was impulsive! Song Tangning humiliated grandfather in public today, and she mocked the Lu family’s private matters several times,” Lu Qin, feeling embarrassed by not being able to mention his own impotence, said angrily, “I just wanted to teach her a lesson so they wouldn’t crawl all over the Lu family. Who knew it would go wrong?”
Lu Jiu’an quickly asked, “What went wrong?”
Lu Qin’s face turned pale with guilt. “I sent people to overturn Song Tangning’s carriage. Who would have thought His Majesty and Eunuch Feng were in it? Xiao Yan was seriously injured while protecting the emperor. It’s a good thing, but the people I sent were unlucky and got caught…”
Even though Lu Jiu’an wasn’t as shrewd as others, he was nearly furious to the point of explosion upon hearing Lu Qin’s words. How could he say “it’s a good thing”?
Lu Jiu’an opened his mouth, but stopped himself from cursing. His face was grim. “Go see grandfather immediately!!”
Lu Qin said, “What’s the rush? His Majesty isn’t hurt. Besides, he wouldn’t dare to touch the Lu family…”
He didn’t know exactly what his father had used to make Emperor An retreat last time, but back then, the emperor had been forced to yield. Not only had his father returned to court, but the grain tax issue had also been suppressed. This meant that his father must have some unspoken leverage over Emperor An. Even if he accidentally injured the emperor, what could he do? Could the emperor really go all out against them?
Lu Jiu’an heard his words and only thought Lu Qin was incredibly foolish. Yes, the Lu family might have leverage on Emperor An, but that leverage wasn’t something to be used lightly. It was a tool to protect the family’s survival in a crucial moment, not a bargaining chip to be used recklessly. If the Lu family and the emperor broke completely, the Lu family would be the first to perish.
Moreover, just because Emperor An didn’t take action against the Lu family didn’t mean he wouldn’t act against its members, especially if the Lu family had made a mistake. Why did Lu Qin think that because the emperor hadn’t moved against the family, he couldn’t move against the people? Did he really think that their leverage would work every time?
“You…”
Before Lu Jiu’an could speak further, someone suddenly rushed in from outside.
“Second Master, Second Master, bad news! The Imperial Guard has entered the manor to arrest someone!”
Lu Qin’s expression changed dramatically. “How could this happen… so quickly?!”
Lu Jiu’an’s heart sank as well. Even though he had anticipated this moment, he hadn’t expected the Imperial Guard to come in and arrest someone so swiftly. He didn’t care about anything else. He immediately turned to Lu Qin and said sternly:
“No matter what happens later, no matter who asks, you must insist that you only wanted Song Tangning dead!”
“Lu Jiu’an…”
“Father, remember my words. No matter who asks you, say that it’s just a personal vendetta with Song Tangning. Never implicate grandfather or the rest of the Lu family. Just insist that it was aimed at Song Tangning, and His Majesty’s involvement was an accident. This will save your life.”
Lu Jiu’an’s tone was sharp. “Don’t mention anything about the Lu family or the emperor. Don’t mention last time’s matter about grandfather returning to court. And don’t try to threaten the emperor, or no one will be able to protect you…”
Bang!!
Before Lu Jiu’an could finish his words, the courtyard door was suddenly smashed open. The fully-armored Imperial Guard stormed in and quickly apprehended all the Lu family’s second branch servants who tried to stop them. Yu Yanfeng, the commander of the Imperial Guard, walked in with a solemn expression.
“Lu Qin attempted to assassinate the emperor with ill intent. By the emperor’s orders, he is to be arrested immediately.”
“Anyone who tries to obstruct will be punished as an accomplice!”
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T/N: The title of the next chapter made me laugh out loud
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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