Lu Chongyuan's face was pale, his eyes filled with frustration and anger at his own failure: "I told him repeatedly to stay calm and not provoke Xiao Yan and his people, but what did he do? How could he come up with such a stupid idea, actually daring to make a move on Song Tangning in the capital?"
As he spoke, he regretted deeply: "It’s my fault too. I should have kept a closer eye on him. I should have known that Xiao Yan would never let this slide. Why would he publicly humiliate me unless he had something else in mind?"
Lu Chongyuan had originally thought that Xiao Yan’s public humiliation of him was a result of his frustration with Emperor An's sudden retreat, which caused him to lose a promising situation. He had assumed that Xiao Yan was merely venting his anger, and though it was embarrassing, he thought Xiao Yan would quietly mock him afterward. After all, he was young and couldn’t control his temper.
But who would have thought that Xiao Yan’s true intent was never about face-saving for the Lu family. He had killed one of his sons and now sought to take the life of another.
That was Xiao Yan's revenge!
Every time Lu Chongyuan thought about how his careless actions had led to Lu Qin's downfall, his chest burned with rage, and his breathing became more and more labored.
Lu Ji'an quickly reached out to help him calm down. "Grandfather, don't be angry, this isn’t your fault. Xiao Yan must have predicted that my father would act. He also had the emperor change carriages, so what happened today at the academy couldn’t have been the only plan. My father is impulsive and quick to anger, but he wouldn’t have acted so rashly without other provocation. They must have done something to further anger him."
"Right now, it’s not the time to blame ourselves. We need to think about how to save father."
"There's no saving him."
Lu Chongyuan’s face was ashen, the lines of age deep on his face. "Earlier, when I forced the emperor into a corner with the past matters, I already angered him. He’s been suppressing his resentment, but now that he’s had enough, it’s the Lu family’s fault. We might have escaped the old mistakes, but now that the emperor himself is involved and the charge is assassination, there’s no way he will spare Lu Qin."
In front of everyone, Emperor An had nearly died, and the evidence of Lu Qin’s attempt on his life was undeniable.
This was different from the old affairs of Lu Zhao; the fate of the entire Lu family was at stake now, and there was no way to make the emperor back down. The charge of assassination was so blatant that if the emperor were to let Lu Qin go, it would be akin to sacrificing his own reputation and authority.
Emperor An feared the old matters would be exposed, and the Lu family feared even more because if the truth were revealed, the consequences would be far worse for them than for the emperor.
Lu Chongyuan’s chest tightened with pain, his lips drained of color: "Xiao Yan has made up his mind. He’s determined to ruin Lu Qin."
Either the Lu family would bear the crime of attempting to assassinate the emperor, leading to their complete destruction, or Lu Qin would be forced to admit that he had ordered the assassination of Song Tangning, inadvertently injuring the emperor. Whether Lu Qin would be executed or exiled depended entirely on Emperor An’s mood.
"Xiao Yan is truly a calamity," Lu Chongyuan muttered with regret. "The biggest mistake of my life was not killing him when I had the chance."
When that eunuch first made his move and clashed with the noble families, I should have killed him without hesitation. That way, the Lu family wouldn’t have fallen into this state.
Lu Chongyuan grabbed Lu Ji'an's hand. "Go find King Huan, tell him that I’ve agreed to what he suggested."
Lu Ji'an was startled. "Grandfather…"
Lu Chongyuan gritted his teeth. "I have to find a way for the Lu family to survive."
Lu Ji'an fell silent. He knew the Lu family was in a precarious situation: They had fallen out with the Empress Dowager, the Fourth Prince had been ruined, and the Second Prince had already colluded with the Cui family. Even if they wanted to switch allegiances, they were afraid they would be used up and discarded.
Other princes at court were either too young or too well-protected, and since the Fourth Prince had already turned against the Lu family, they had no other options left.
Lu Ji'an spoke quietly, "Grandfather, King Huan isn't a good choice. Why don't we choose ourselves?"
Lu Chongyuan froze for a moment, then looked up. "What did you say?"
Lu Ji'an spoke in a deep voice: "What I mean is, why don't we take that position ourselves?"
"Rather than working hard to assist an outsider, only to be suppressed by him once he ascends the throne, why not directly place someone from the Lu family in that position? After all, power is just about who sits in that seat; whoever holds the position is the emperor."
Lu Chongyuan looked at the young man beside him, his face showing surprise. After a moment, he frowned. "You want to be emperor?"
"Why not?"
Lu Ji'an, shedding his usual mild demeanor, now exuded a sharpness in his eyes, his whole being radiating intensity.
"Grandfather, don’t forget that the Xie family was just commoners before they took the throne. The Lu family has a deeper foundation than they ever did, so why can't we compete for it? If I sit in that position, not only will I repay you, but I will also protect the entire Lu family."
"My blood is Lu family blood. Everything I have now is thanks to you, Grandfather. I will never betray the Lu family."
Lu Chongyuan looked at the young man, whose sharpness now shone through, and realized that this was the person he had nurtured as his backup, the one he had prepared as the potential future leader of the Lu family. If everything went smoothly, Lu Ji'an would have been the most loyal advisor to the next head of the Lu family. His loyalty to the family had been instilled in him since birth.
But if disaster struck and there was no way out, Lu Ji'an could be the one to save the family.
However, Lu Chongyuan had never expected that Lu Ji'an would harbor such ambitions.
He suddenly felt it was absurd, but after a moment, he began to think that maybe it wasn’t such an impossible idea. The loyalty Lu Ji'an had shown to the Lu family was unquestionable. For years, Lu Chongyuan had personally trained him, teaching him the intricacies of politics, strategy, and family loyalty. Lu Ji'an had always been the quiet "dark horse" of the family, and with Lu Ji'an’s talent and character, had he been born into a different family, Lu Chongyuan would have made him the heir without hesitation.
Only…
Lu Chongyuan looked at Lu Ji'an’s somewhat ordinary appearance, hidden beneath the sharpness, and hesitated.
"Grandfather," Lu Ji'an continued, sensing his grandfather’s hesitation.
Lu Chongyuan waved his hand. "I understand your thoughts. But this matter needs careful consideration. Right now, we need to focus on your father’s situation. The emperor is angry, and it will be difficult to save him. For now, help me to the study."
Lu Ji'an nodded. "Alright."
After helping Lu Chongyuan to the study, Lu Ji'an watched as his grandfather wrote something with his head lowered, a hint of confusion on his face.
He didn’t understand what his grandfather was concerned about. He had been exceptionally gifted since he was young, and although he was a son of the second house, his grandfather had always treated him with love and care. He had never been prejudiced against him for being born a concubine’s child.
From an early age, Lu Ji'an received the best education—devious schemes, the manipulations of human nature, and the politics of the court. His grandfather had taught him everything.
His grandfather had always said that a concubine’s son could never lead the family, but Lu Ji'an had never resented that. Even though he knew he was better than Lu Zhi'nian, who would eventually take the family headship, he had always accepted the role of the "dark horse," waiting for the day when Lu Zhi'nian would become the family head, and he could serve the family in that capacity.
But times had changed. Lu Zhi'nian had been ruined, the first house had only a young son left, and the second house’s fourth son was a fool. The so-called backup plan for the Lu family was merely to attach itself to another, so why not seize the opportunity to take the throne? And clearly, his grandfather had been tempted by the idea but had not agreed to it. Could it be that his grandfather believed a concubine’s son couldn’t ascend to the throne?
Lu Ji'an furrowed his brow, sensing something was amiss.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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