Lu Chongyuan and Cui Lin had a fierce confrontation outside the palace gates, exchanging sharp words that left both of them with ashen faces. The court officials, who had gathered to watch the spectacle, were amused and buzzing with gossip as they left, whispering excitedly about the latest scandal.
Inside Fengxi Palace, Empress Lu stared in shock. "You’re telling me Lu Qin is...useless?*"
De Shun bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Majesty, it's absolutely true."
"Lu Langling had an argument with Cui Shangshu at the palace gates. Cui Shangshu personally said that Second Master Lu was useless. He was seeking a doctor for treatment when he accidentally ran into the Princess of Yiyang. Moreover, with the Lu family’s longstanding grievances with Master Xiao, and their bitterness toward the princess for repeatedly embarrassing the Lu family, he harbored a desire for revenge and secretly ordered an attack. But no one expected that the injury would accidentally harm His Majesty."
"When Cui Shangshu said this, many people were present at the scene. Lu Langling, though furious, didn’t deny it, so it seems true."
The Fourth Prince, his face still covered in white cloth from his wounds, sneered upon hearing De Shun’s words. "So, Lu Qin is actually disabled? Mother, don’t you think this is just a case of karma?"
Lu Chongyuan had ruined his bedchamber affairs, and now his own son had turned into a useless person.
Compared to the whipping and exile, this was the greatest joke of the Lu family.
Empress Lu looked at the Fourth Prince’s grim expression, and a trace of sympathy crossed her face.
Ever since the Fourth Prince learned that his face had been disfigured and that he would limp for the rest of his life, his temper had become dark and twisted. His mockery of Lu Qin and the Lu family was, in fact, just him adding salt to his own wound.
After dismissing De Shun and Jin Zhi, Empress Lu turned to the Fourth Prince beside her and said, "Zheng'er, the Lu family got what they deserved. They dared to ruin you, and I will make sure they have no place to bury themselves."
"I’ve already asked Master Xiao and Madam Qin. Once your face heals, Madam Qin will be able to help lighten the scars. As for your leg, I’ve already sent people to seek out famous doctors in the town. We’ll find a way to cure you."
The Fourth Prince laughed bitterly. "Can it really be healed?"
"Of course it can!" Empress Lu affirmed. "No matter what method we use, I will make sure you’re cured."
"Why must you deceive yourself, Mother?"
The Fourth Prince, seated in a sedan chair, touched his leg with difficulty. "The entire Imperial Medical Bureau says there’s nothing they can do. Even Madam Qin can’t cure my leg. How can I possibly recover?"
"Furthermore, now that I’ve fallen out with the Lu family, Lu Chongyuan resents me for forcing the death of Consort Guo. The Lu family has been targeting me. I can't hide the truth any longer. As soon as the aristocratic families see that I’m finished, they’ll abandon me and side with Xie Pingjia."
"My father has never liked me, and now Xie Pingjia is growing in strength and receiving attention from Father. All the other princes have their own support. Why would Master Xiao choose me?"
Empress Lu’s gaze turned cold, but she suppressed her anger and said softly, "Even if you’re not the best candidate, the aristocratic families have given up on you. If he helps you attain the throne when you’re at your lowest, he will be the greatest benefactor. Once you ascend the throne, he will hold more power than he does now."
"Moreover..." Empress Lu paused, her voice lowering. "He has grievances with the Lu family and several other noble families. I have certain things in my possession that can help him."
The Fourth Prince was puzzled. "Grievances?"
Empress Lu whispered, "Master Xiao's real name isn’t that of a eunuch; he was originally from the He family."
The Fourth Prince blinked in confusion, but as the implications of her words hit him, his eyes widened. "He? You mean, Master Xiao is from the He family that was..."
Empress Lu nodded, and the Fourth Prince’s face turned pale with shock.
The He family had been annihilated when the Fourth Prince was still young. He remembered that the family had been involved in the old case with the vicious Crown Prince, and the late emperor had ordered the execution of everyone, leaving no one alive. At that time, the He family had been even more powerful than the current Lu family, but in one night, over a thousand people from the family were wiped out.
During that time, the streets of the capital were soaked with blood, and it was said that the bodies of the He family members were piled into mountains. How could anyone from that family have survived?
The Fourth Prince was no longer preoccupied with his own misfortune. He quickly straightened up and asked Empress Lu, "Mother, are you sure Master Xiao is from the He family? The entire He family was exterminated—how could anyone have survived?"
Empress Lu said, "Annihilation of nine generations doesn’t mean that there was no one left to carry on the family line. Even if Song Hong could save the daughter of the guilty minister, the He family was a prominent family. How could they not have hidden some means of survival?"
"Think about it, after Master Xiao entered the palace, look at the rapid progress he made. If no one helped him, how could he have gained such a strong foothold in the palace so quickly? If he wasn’t familiar with the court, how could he have gained the trust of your father and risen to the position of the powerful Governor Xiao in just a few short years?"
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T/N: Useless/Disabled in this context means impotence*
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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