Tang Ning looked up at Xiao Yan in disbelief, her voice tense.
“Brother, Liu Tong’en is Emperor An’s most trusted confidant. He must know the Emperor’s current predicament. For years, he’s stayed hidden in the capital, his true depths unknown even to you, who was once deceived by him. How could he be so foolish?”
When the Lu Jiu’an matter first broke, the Lu family was already in trouble. Liu Tong’en was sent by Emperor An to investigate, and those he trusted to go to Prince Pingshan’s residence must have been his close aides. He would never send ignorant fools for such a critical task.
So how could they so easily fall into Pingshan and Lu Jiu’an’s trap, completely unprepared, and hand them the perfect leverage?
Xiao Yan clearly thought the same, his face icy with frost.
“Xie! Tian! Yong!”
He had feigned weakness, letting rumors swirl to seem like he was rallying public support against Xiao Yan. But it was all a ruse, Emperor An’s true aim was never in the capital.
That shameless wretch.
To deal with him, he’d stoop to colluding with rebels!
Did he not realize what internal strife meant for Great Wei at a time like this?!
Xiao Yan shot to his feet. Tang Ning, alarmed, stood as well.
“Brother…”
“I’m going to the Cao residence.”
“Then I’ll come with, ”
Before Tang Ning could finish, Jinyun, who had left earlier, hurried back in, addressing Xiao Yan urgently. “My lord, an urgent summons from the palace.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes turned cold. “Just for me?”
Jinyun replied, “No, all the court officials have been summoned. There are many palace messengers in the southern district, and there was quite a commotion outside just now.”
Xiao Yan and Tang Ning exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.
After Emperor An’s “faint” earlier, he had been recuperating in the palace, appearing too unwell to handle court affairs, leaving the Crown Prince to take the lead. For him to suddenly summon so many officials into the palace now likely meant nothing good.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. “Tang Ning, go to the academy and find Shi Chang’an.”
He leaned in and whispered a few words. Seeing Tang Ning’s surprised look, he added quietly, “Tell Shi Chang’an exactly this, and he’ll know what to do.”
Tang Ning nodded. “Are you going to the palace?”
Xiao Yan gave a cold laugh. “An has set the stage and prepared his grand feast. If I don’t go, how can he finish his performance?”
He walked to the side, took down the cloak hanging on the screen, and draped it over Tang Ning, fastening it for her.
“Yuejian.”
A voice came from outside. “This servant is here.”
“You and Tianqing accompany Tang Ning to the academy. Protect her well.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yan and Tang Ning left the residence almost simultaneously. As Xiao Yan mounted his horse, Tang Ning, sitting in the carriage, suddenly remembered Wang Yuzhen’s father. She quickly lifted the carriage curtain. “Brother!”
Xiao Yan reined in his horse and rode closer. “What is it?”
Tang Ning lowered her voice, recounting how Wang Yuzhen had come to warn her today. “Earlier, when you said we needed someone to expose the matter of sending goods to Jiangnan, Wang Yuzhen happened to visit. I told her to inform her father to bring it up before the Emperor. It’s been some time since she left, so she’s likely already told Lord Wang.”
“Originally, I thought this could trouble Emperor An and do Lord Wang a favor. But now, knowing the palace is after the tiger tally and military power, should we send word to stop Lord Wang?”
Xiao Yan, holding the reins, said, “No need. Wang Huailu is a clever man with a decent character. He’ll understand your intentions.”
Wang Huailu had held his modest position steadily for years, with no sons but a deep affection for his wife and daughter. He had diligently educated Wang Yuzhen, never hindering her studies, and even after offending Prince Ji’s residence, he never blamed her.
Though Wang Yuzhen claimed her father was unaware of her visit today, Xiao Yan suspected Wang Huailu likely knew and allowed it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t share court and yamen matters with a young lady still in the boudoir.
Tang Ning had protected Wang Yuzhen, and Wang Huailu, wanting to repay the favor without getting entangled, sent his daughter to visit under the guise of a personal call.
He was grateful and sharp enough.
On horseback, Xiao Yan said, “Wang Huailu has long been denied promotion. Since you want to pave a path for him, there’s no need to stop him. When I enter the palace, I’ll give him a favorable wind.”
Seeing Tang Ning’s worried look, Xiao Yan leaned down from his stirrups, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Don’t worry. I’ll go to the palace and see what An is up to. Take your time at the academy, don’t rush. The roads are bad at night, so have the carriage go slowly to avoid jolting.”
Tang Ning nodded. “You be careful too.”
“Alright.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. He straightened, but as his gaze turned toward the palace, his expression grew cold and sharp.
With a tug on the reins and a light press of his legs against the horse’s flanks, he called out, “Hya!”
Xiao Yan galloped off, with Jinyun and two others close behind.
Tang Ning watched them disappear from the alley before lowering the curtain and tapping the carriage wall. “Tianqing, let’s go.”
…
The capital had a nightly curfew, tightened after the earlier “palace incident,” leaving the streets nearly deserted as curfew approached. But tonight, likely due to the sudden palace summons, Tang Ning’s carriage encountered several others from officials’ residences, all hurrying toward the palace gates.
Yuejian, concerned, asked, “Young Lady, what’s happening in the palace? Why summon so many people in the middle of the night?”
“Emperor An is stirring trouble,” Tang Ning said coldly.
Yuejian was stunned. Wasn’t An kneeling and fainting in the ancestral temple just days ago? What trouble could he stir?
Tang Ning didn’t elaborate, her brow furrowed as she thought about Lu Jiu’an.
In both her lives, she had barely noticed this Lu family bastard, their few encounters leaving little impression. She vaguely recalled Lu Jiu’an’s presence in the Lu family being negligible. In her previous life, when Lu Zhinian hadn’t fallen and the Lu family hadn’t collapsed, Lu Jiu’an was practically invisible.
In this life, the Lu family’s fate shifted because of her and Xiao Yan. Lu Zhinian was ruined early, and Lu Jiu’an remained hidden, a trump card kept by Lu Chongyuan. It wasn’t until Empress Lu’s downfall that she and Xiao Yan noticed this “capable” figure in the Lu family.
Having known Lu Chongyuan across two lives, Tang Ning understood his obsession with clan legacy and aristocratic status. Given how much he valued Lu Jiu’an, entrusting him with the Lu family’s future, Lu Jiu’an shouldn’t have been someone to annihilate his own clan. After all, Lu Chongyuan, to preserve the Lu bloodline, even collateral branches, had been willing to compromise with Xiao Yan. How could someone meticulously groomed by him betray the clan?
Yet the Lu family’s extermination was a fact, and it benefited only Lu Jiu’an and Prince Pingshan.================
You can read ahead to chapterr 770 (100+ extra chapters) here
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