Chapter 70. She had to see him immediately. ...

The eldest daughter of the Lu family had been married for less than half a month when she accidentally killed someone after arguing with the young master of the Helan family. After a few days, the incident had become the talk of the town.

From the highest levels of the court justice system to the common people of the capital, there was much discussion.

From the moment this matter occurred, it was destined to be impossible to resolve easily, as it involved two top families: one was a daughter of a prestigious family, a descendant of upright officials, and the other was the son of a military family, who had made meritorious contributions.

This perfect couple, whose wedding day was graced by the presence of the Emperor and Empress, had all their wealth and love vanish like smoke in just a few days, replaced by a scene of bloodshed.

The day after the case, the Helan family petitioned the emperor in the imperial court, requesting the Ministry of Justice to uphold the law and seek justice for Helan Wei.

Although He Lanwei currently holds a sinecure as a military officer, he is still a military officer by birth and has rendered meritorious service on the battlefield. According to the Great Prayer Law, those who kill should pay with their lives. And those who kill officers are guilty of an even greater crime and cannot escape punishment.

The Lu family, however, put forward a completely opposite proposition—

He Lanwei concealed the situation of the women around him beforehand. If the Lu family had known in advance that He Lanwei already had a concubine, the two sides would never have agreed to the marriage. The marriage proposal had been submitted to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. It is obvious that He Lanwei was guilty of deceiving the emperor first, while the Lu family's daughter was completely innocent.

For a time, the imperial court was in an uproar.

How this case should be judged, how much should be awarded, and which law should be applied? Behind both families are countless forces, and every day there are secretly connected individuals interfering in the case, causing the Minister of Justice in charge of the case to be overwhelmed with worries day after day.

The Empress Dowager, whose health was already failing, fell ill again because of her concern for Miss Lu. She was bedridden and had no time to deal with the affairs of the inner palace.

It was at this time that the Empress began a sweeping reform of the harem, her swift and decisive actions shaking the entire palace.

The most earth-shattering of these was an imperial edict directly ordering Lu Changli, the Minister of Revenue, to settle the debt owed to the Imperial Treasury by the Jingming Temple Pagoda within ten days.

**

Afternoon, at the Lu residence.

The trees rustled, and petals swirled in the wind, creating delicate ripples on the surface of the pond.

By the pond, Lu Runlan, dressed in a moon-white silk dress, sat by the water, her fingertips casually tracing the surface, ripples startling the fish, and her detached expression reflected in the water.

Lu Runlan only snapped out of her daze when she heard Lu Changli's footsteps. She got up and went to greet him, asking, "Brother, how is it?"

Lu Changli took off his official hat, impatiently tugged at his collar with his other hand, and looked at him with a displeased expression.

"Things have come to this, sister, you should know that."

Lu Runlan asked, "What do you mean?"

Lu Changli said, "If you kill someone, the other side will not let it go."

Lu Runlan's face turned pale. "Didn't you tell me a few days ago not to worry about this matter, and that everything would be fine?"

"Clearly, the Helan family has no intention of letting this go, nor do they intend to settle it privately."

Lu Runlan sneered: "Helan Mansion deceived me first. So what if I killed someone? Killing one is the same as killing two. Helan Zhen should be executed as well. She tricked me and lured me into this trap. She knew about this all along but deliberately concealed it!"

Seeing that she still showed no remorse, Lu Changli said, "You should have thought about the consequences before you killed someone."

Lu Runlan raised an eyebrow: "Brother, you've lost too many men, so you're here to question your sister?"

“You killed a member of the Helan family,” Lu Changli said sternly, “a military officer, a meritorious official, a living, breathing human being!”

Lu Runlan rarely saw her brother so furious, with veins bulging on his forehead. She walked forward, her body trembling slightly.

Lu Changli closed his eyes and exhaled: "The situation is quite tense right now, so don't go out. The mansion is the safest place, and my father and I will naturally protect you."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Lu Runlan grabbed his arm. "Protect me? Protecting me means locking me up in the mansion. My aunt, the Empress Dowager, has sent people to the mansion to fetch me several times. Why won't you let me into the palace, brother?"

Lu Changli said calmly, "Knowing your aunt's condition, you still caused this trouble. Don't let her condition worsen."

Having said that, he pulled out his sleeve and strode forward.

"You won't let me into the palace because you're afraid I'll tell my aunt about your scheme against me with the Helan family, isn't that right?" Lu Runlan's voice came from behind. "You and the Helan family are at odds, and you've all agreed not to mention the scheme against me, because you're afraid of His Majesty's punishment! And what about me!"

She walked around to stand in front of Lu Changli, her eyes reddening: "If you can't protect me, then let my aunt protect me! My aunt loves me the most, she will definitely find a way to save me, she is the Empress Dowager, the mother of His Majesty!"

Lu Changli said expressionlessly, "You stay in the manor."

Lu Runlan's mind was stretched to its limit.

Confined to her quarters for days, with the mansion gates locked, she could only piece together fragments of information from the servants' evasive words.

The rumors outside were growing stronger, saying that she was a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, so why would she kill her husband on her wedding night?

These hypocritical people used her marriage as a pawn to manipulate her, and even tried to stay out of it, making her bear the infamy.

"Lu Changli—"

Her dark, tousled hair fell beside her thin face. "If you don't save me, I will expose your shameful affair of marrying and killing a wife in Jiangnan!"

The tall, slender man stopped, turned his face, and stared intently into her eyes.

"Since I can't live anyway, we might as well die together."

"Furthermore, I will also present to His Majesty the matter of your failed attempt to poison Miss Yuan and harm the Empress."

Lu Changli stepped forward, looking down at her with his lips pressed into a sharp line.

Lu Runlan asked, "Have you thought it through now? Do you want me to go to the palace?"

Unexpectedly, his hand suddenly pressed down on her, and she drowned in the flower pond beside him.

The clear water surface was broken, ripples appeared, and water splashed everywhere.

The flowering trees shook off their petals, which fell in abundance, landing on the pond, on the water's surface, and on the robes of men and women.

For a moment, the only sound in the courtyard was the splashing of water.

The man leaned against the edge of the pool, repeatedly lifting the face out of the water and then pressing it back down, watching as the face gradually turned red from suffocation.

When he does this, he tenses his wrist muscles with tremendous force, yet remains unusually calm on the surface.

"Come here, dear sister."

Lu Runlan struggled to breathe, her nose felt stuffy as if filled with flying catkins, and her vision was blurry with tears. In her struggle, she managed to utter, "Lu... Changli..."

Lu Changli finally grabbed her by the collar, pulled her out of the water, and threw her under the tree.

"Try it, I'll kill your brother."

Lu Runlan staggered, supporting herself on the ground, her cheeks soaked with sweat, her hair sticking to her pale face, her lips bluish, and she couldn't utter a single word.

She coughed up large mouthfuls of water, barely breathing, while Lu Changli remained completely unmoved, merely wiping the water droplets from his fingertips with a handkerchief.

She said, "Empress, Empress..."

Lu Changli's eyes were indifferent.

The Empress asked Lu Changli to allocate funds, and the amount was quite large. In the past, all kinds of precious treasures collected by Jingming Temple were quietly transferred to the palace treasury. He intended to build the number one temple in the world under his own hands, so that future generations would admire it. However, the Empress now gave him ten days to make up for the amount.

The empress seized the opportunity to usurp power, which further aggravated the empress dowager's condition.

Lu Changli looked down at her, her sleeves still dripping wet: "You're welcome to try—"

"How are you going to kill me?"

**

The situation escalated during the few days that Miss Lu stayed away from the Lu residence, and in the end, the two sides remained deadlocked.

However, at this moment, an imperial decree completely changed the situation, ordering the eldest son of the Lu family, the maternal relatives of the Empress, to be in charge of the trial.

When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she immediately sent someone to Changqiu Palace, asking the Empress to intervene again and instruct the Vice Minister of the Chancellery to ensure that Miss Lu's safety was protected.

These are the exact words of a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is bedridden and unable to speak to her in person. I apologize for what happened before, and I hope Your Majesty will not take it to heart."

It was truly unexpected for Yuan Chaolu that someone as noble as the Empress Dowager would stoop so low for her niece.

It was only when the Empress's maternal family came into view that everyone clearly realized one thing: this Empress had no descendants, yet she would later bear the empire's legitimate heir…

During these days, countless people quietly flocked to the Empress, expressing their allegiance to her.

With this, the Empress's maternal family entered the court, and the situation became increasingly turbulent.

Several days after the emperor issued the decree, Yuan Chaolu rested his chin on his hands, looked at the phoenix seal on the table, and smiled slightly.

The Empress Dowager's concession and apology signified that she had won this round and completely taken control of the palace.

Yesterday, the eldest son of the Lu family came to pay his respects to the Empress and inquire about the Emperor's intentions regarding Yuan Chaolu.

Yuan Chaolu, unaware of the emperor's intentions but harboring his own selfish motives, told his brother that neither side needed to meet, and as previously instructed, he secretly helped the Helan family to put pressure on the Lu family.

But what is His Majesty's intention in promoting her maternal clan and bringing her to court at this time?

...

After today's court assembly, Young Master Lu once again paid his respects at Changqiu Palace.

Unlike his composure yesterday, he walked hurriedly today, looking haggard, and almost tripped over the threshold when he stepped into the palace.

Yuan Chaolu walked out from the inner hall, sat gracefully behind the desk to receive guests, and said softly, "What is it, brother?"

Young Master Lu Chun'an suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! Last night... last night..."

"how?"

“My younger brother has an impetuous temperament,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his forehead beaded with sweat. “His Majesty already showed him extraordinary mercy by granting him a seventh-rank official position, but he is truly absurd…”

Yuan Chaolu had a bad feeling. "Has something happened?"

Lu Chun'an said, "My second brother lost control after drinking and seriously injured someone... This matter has already spread this morning, and there are already voices of impeachment in the court."

Impeachment Messages—

The Empress's maternal family rose to power overnight, and relying on the Empress's influence, they acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the imperial city.

The family's sons, relying on their privileged status, acted arrogantly and embezzled military funds, beat civilians to death, and arbitrarily disregarded human life.

The situation was under control until last night when the second son of the Lu family clashed with the son of a former general under the late emperor. The other party was seriously injured and remained bedridden overnight.

The impeachment memorials could no longer be suppressed.

Yuan Chaolu looked down at Lu Chun'an kneeling on the ground, her heart pounding. "Was this really his doing? How could I have been kept in the dark?"

Lu Chun'an's breathing was heavy and audible: "We deserve to die! My younger brother has always been unruly and difficult to control, and I never expected him to cause such a big trouble!"

The empress's face was as cold as ice.

This didn't just come to light today. Clearly, the Lu family's actions these past few days have already provoked a lot of public anger, and those who are dissatisfied are waiting for an opportunity to expose it.

If they are not blood relatives, do not trust them easily.

"Does Your Majesty wish to pay homage to His Majesty?"

Yuan Chaolu naturally went, and ordered the palace maids to do her hair and makeup. She changed into a solemn crimson robe, put on a shawl, and sat in front of the dressing mirror. Suddenly, she saw the dressing box that had not been opened for a long time.

I saw myself in the mirror without any makeup.

After noticing the emperor's unusual behavior, she deliberately avoided him, hoping to temporarily ease his suspicions. Unexpectedly, the emperor never set foot in Changqiu Palace again.

Recently, I've been busy managing affairs of the harem and dealing with the case of Lu Runlan's murder of her husband, and I've lost track of time.

Only now did she realize that she had not seen the emperor for half a month.

She had to go see him.

-----------------------

Author's note: Helan family: Lu Runlan will pay with her life.

The Lu family: He Lanwei deceived the emperor.

Chaolu: Lu Changli, pay back the money first.