Lu Jiunan couldn't understand his grandfather's intentions. He could only tell himself that his grandfather was focused on the family clan, and that such a major act of rebellion required careful consideration. After suppressing the doubt in his heart, it still left some lingering traces.
"Jiunan."
At that moment, Lu Chongyuan put down his pen.
Lu Jiunan quickly gathered his thoughts and approached. "Grandfather."
Lu Chongyuan placed the pen on the desk and handed him the written letter. "Take this letter to the Cao residence and give it to Cao Dejiang."
Cao Dejiang?
Lu Jiunan looked at the letter with confusion, then suddenly looked up in shock. "Grandfather, this..."
Lu Chongyuan sighed. "This was bound to happen. Since the Rongsheng Academy has been established and the aristocratic families are in disarray, the Emperor also has intentions. This matter cannot be stopped. Rather than letting it play out, it’s better to use it to exchange your father’s life. Go. Cao Dejiang will agree to plead for your father's life once he reads the letter."
"But what about the other families...?"
"They’ve already turned against the Lu family. They won’t care about this."
Lu Chongyuan did not want to see the clean faction succeed, but he cared more about preserving Lu Qin's life.
While Lu Chongyuan was loyal to his family, he was also human. He had already sacrificed his eldest son’s family to protect the Lu family. How could he abandon Lu Qin now? He knew it was impossible to completely clear Lu Qin of all wrongdoing, but at least he wanted to save his life.
As long as he was alive, there was still hope.
When Cao Dejiang learned that a member of the Lu family was seeking him out, he was quite surprised. He had already heard of the Emperor's assassination attempt, and upon hearing Lu Jiunan's intentions, and reading the contents of the letter, he was deeply moved.
After seeing Lu Jiunan off, Cao Dejiang paused for a moment, then instructed his men to prepare a carriage to go to the Tang residence.
Tang Ning wasn’t surprised when she saw Cao Dejiang. She dismissed the servants and personally led him to the backyard. When they saw the "seriously injured" Xiao Yan, Cao Dejiang's expression changed. "Supervisor Xiao has quite the courage. Aren’t you afraid I’ll go to the Emperor?"
Xiao Yan gave a pale smile. "I knew you would come looking for me, so I had no choice but to meet you. Why would you go see the Emperor?"
Feigning innocence!
Cao Dejiang's voice turned cold. "You’ve calculated this well, don’t you fear the Emperor finding out?"
"What's the calculation? It’s simply a matter of mutual consent..."
Cough!
Before Xiao Yan could finish his sentence, he suddenly began coughing. A flush of red spread across his pale face, and when he bent over to cough, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Brother!"
Tang Ning quickly handed him a handkerchief and helped him up. As Xiao Yan leaned over, a large patch of red blood stained the white linen of his undergarment.
Cao Dejiang’s previously stern expression changed instantly. "You're really injured?"
Xiao Yan released the handkerchief he had been holding to his mouth, which was stained with a large amount of blood. "Cao Gong, you jest. If I wasn’t injured, how could I hide it from the Emperor?"
"You’re crazy!"
Cao Dejiang had initially thought that Xiao Yan was setting up a trap to target the Lu family, but he never expected that Xiao Yan was truly injured. Looking at the bloodstained clothes, it was clear that the injury was severe.
He frowned and glared at Xiao Yan. "You want to target the Lu family and set up a trap, fine, but how can you gamble with your own life? Someone as smart as you should know that without your life, you have nothing left!"
Xiao Yan's breathing was shallow, and Tang Ning, supporting him, had red eyes. "Cao Gong, my brother is seriously injured. Please don't scold him..."
"You’re still protecting him. Don’t you realize how reckless and suicidal this is?!"
Tang Ning was visibly startled by his harsh tone.
Seeing the elderly man's face turn pale with anger, Xiao Yan, still coughing weakly, spoke with a low voice. "It has nothing to do with Tang Ning. The case of Lu Zhao was resolved, and the grain case was suppressed. I had planned to investigate further, but once the Emperor found out, he scolded me and became distant and wary of me. I had to find a way to get out of this predicament."
He spoke with a lack of strength, his lips pale.
"You know the situation I’m in at court, Cao Gong. If I step back, it’s the end. I can’t afford to lose the Emperor's favor. Besides, so many people died in the grain case, and the Lu family has blood on their hands. I can’t let them escape unscathed. If I can ruin Lu Qin, I’m only confined in bed for a month, but it’s worth it."
"You..."
Listening to Xiao Yan’s unreserved words about revenge, Cao Dejiang finally understood how far Xiao Yan was willing to go. After the Lu family had wronged him, Xiao Yan had sworn to retaliate, even if it meant using his own life as a bargaining chip.
Cao Dejiang glared at Xiao Yan for a long time. "You... you're truly a stubborn man."
He wanted to scold him, but looking at Xiao Yan's pale and smiling face, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
After a long pause, he finally spat, "You’ll be the death of yourself someday!"
Xiao Yan rarely showed weakness, but now he smiled faintly despite his illness. "I won’t. I know my limits."
Cao Dejiang snorted coldly.
Xiao Yan, in a weak tone, tried to calm him down, "Cao Gong, don’t be angry. Although my methods are a bit underhanded and I’ve ended up injured, I’ve still gained some advantages for you and the court. Please, just consider those benefits and stop criticizing me."
Cao Dejiang glared and walked to the bed, sitting down. "Did you know Lu Chongyuan would come looking for me?"
"I didn’t know, but if he doesn’t want to lose both his sons, he has to find someone in the court to speak on his behalf." Xiao Yan gave a faint smile, "After all, Lu Chongyuan is human. He has feelings too. He can’t just let Lu Zhao die and watch Lu Qin follow him."
"Though the Emperor spared the Lu family, he’s resentful. He’d love to kill Lu Qin to vent his anger. If Lu Chongyuan pleads for him, he’s forcing the Emperor into a corner. He has no choice but to seek help from others. Among those who can persuade the Emperor, you, Cao Gong, are the most suitable."
Cao Dejiang said, "You really have no blind spots in your calculations!"
He sighed, then took out the letter that Lu Chongyuan had sent him earlier.
"Lu Chongyuan sent me a letter saying that if I help plead for Lu Qin’s life, he won’t interfere in the civil exams. The matter of the exams is inevitable, but the aristocratic families have always been obstructing it. If the Lu family compromises, it will be much easier."
Although there would still be many obstacles, without the Lu family, it would remove the greatest hindrance.
Cao Dejiang watched as Tang Ning took the letter, unfolded it, and showed it to Xiao Yan before continuing, "Lu Chongyuan doesn’t seek to prove Lu Qin innocent; he only asks for his life. Afterward, he’s willing to advocate for the civil exams. I had planned to ask for your opinion on this, to see if we could convince you to spare him. But it seems you’ve already guessed this and were just waiting for me to come."
Xiao Yan spoke softly, "Using Lu Qin’s life to pave the way for future scholars is worth it."
"You’re willing to spare Lu Qin?"
"I never intended to kill him. He’s just a useless person. He’s not worth more than the greater matter of the civil exams. Cao Gong, just agree with Lu Chongyuan."
Cao Dejiang looked at Xiao Yan’s weak but still smiling face and couldn’t help but soften his stance. He had always thought Xiao Yan was too calculating, often going to any lengths to achieve his goals. But now, reflecting on it, he realized that someone in Xiao Yan's position couldn’t afford to be purely righteous. If he were, he would have already lost his life.
Compared to the powerful families that consumed the people’s wealth and destroyed the foundation of the court, Xiao Yan’s actions had never crossed the line. He wasn’t an evil person, and he understood right from wrong.
Cao Dejiang whispered, "All scholars in the world owe you a favor, and so do I."
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T/N: Another one bites the dust
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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