Wasn't the Lu family always working for the Great Jin Dynasty and the imperial court?

Isn't she here now to negotiate, to defect to Yu Nanqing and help him seize power?

Su Wanyan... Why does Su Wanyan have to put such a big accusation on the Lu family!

This is a capital offense!

"This humble woman..."

Just as she was about to say something, Su Wanyan sneered and interrupted her: "It seems that the position of educational administrator of Fuzhou needs to be thoroughly investigated to see what Lord Lu has been doing all these years."

Lu Chao's face turned deathly pale!

Is the Lu residence clean?

She knew that was impossible. The officialdom was a corrupting influence, and only one in ten thousand could remain honest and upright in it, let alone in Fuzhou, which was thousands of miles away from the capital.

When the Bai family was destroyed, they wondered if the Lu family would be implicated. Her father even cleaned up all the evidence of his corruption and bribery over the years.

But has the Lu family investigated?

Not to mention the Lu family, all the officials in Fucheng are uninvestigated.

Lu Chao broke out in a cold sweat. Yu Nanqing only needed to take action to deal with the Bai family.

Yu Nanqing's handling of the Lu family was only one crime short of being charged!

She clenched her fists in her sleeves, forcing herself to calm down. Her mind was racing. She kowtowed and said, "What I just said was for the sake of the Great Jin Dynasty. Now the emperor's mind is not at peace and there are constant disputes in the court. Whether for the sake of the people or the country, I should speak frankly and beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

"What a fine example of serving the country and its people! I never knew that a subject would negotiate with a prince for the sake of the nation." Su Wanyan laughed. "Does this mean that if I don't agree to Miss Lu's conditions, the Lu family will abandon all important affairs from now on? I wonder if this is Miss Lu's decision on her own initiative, or if Lord Lu specifically instructed her to do so?"

"It was my careless remark!" As soon as Su Wanyan spoke, Lu Chao quickly explained, "Father never instructed me to do anything. It was because I admired the Prince and the Empress's elegance and heard about the turmoil in the court that I became confused. I hope the Empress will forgive me!"

Su Wanyan slowly crossed her legs, her expression indifferent: "Miss Lu, for a woman, to care so much about the country and the people, makes me look at you with new respect. I wonder if Lord Lu has the same magnanimity as Miss Lu."

Seeing that Su Wanyan's tone had softened, Lu Chao immediately followed suit: "Every word and action of my daughter has been taught by my father. The entire Lu family has no ulterior motives towards the country and the people."

"In that case, Miss Lu, please ask Lord Lu to come to your residence after you return."

"..." Lu Chao's heart sank.

His fist clenched tightly in his sleeve, and he couldn't help but look up, but his face turned pale the moment he saw Su Wanyan.

She rested her chin lightly on the back of her hand, and the slight curve of her lips seemed to be mocking her.

Her condescending gaze seemed to indicate that her little tricks were utterly insignificant in her eyes.

Seeing that she had raised her head, Su Wanyan chuckled lightly: "What? Does Miss Lu have any objections?"

Lu Chao's spine went slightly limp, as if all her strength had been drained away. How could she dare to have any objections? Her face was pale as she lowered her eyes and said, "Your subject... obeys."

After leaving Prince Gong's Mansion, Lu Chao appeared completely dazed and confused.

She originally intended to use the advantages of the Lu family to negotiate with Su Wanyan, but unexpectedly, it all came to nothing.

Now, not only have they gained no benefits, but the Lu family will also have to serve Prince Gong's mansion in the future.

"Miss, are you alright?" The maidservant beside Lu Chao helped her up.

Lu Chao had no intention of responding. She stood in front of the carriage for a long time with her eyes downcast before slowly reaching out to hold onto the carriage edge and getting into the carriage with the help of her maid.

As soon as Lu Chao left the hall, Su Wanyan drank several cups of tea.

Qiu Ye hesitated to speak, making it impossible for Su Wanyan to ignore him. She chuckled and said, "Just say what you want to say. Why are you being so coy?"

Qiu Ye pursed her lips: "This servant originally wanted to say, Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that the Lu family will outwardly comply but inwardly defy you by giving Miss Lu such a warning? But thinking about it again, Your Majesty must have your reasons for doing this, so I didn't ask."

Su Wanyan smiled and said, "I didn't expect Lu Chao to do anything anyway."

Lu Jiao was the educational commissioner of Fuzhou, and he already had important political dealings with the Prince Gong's mansion, so it didn't really matter whether he took sides or not.

The words she said to Lu Chao today were simply meant to make her behave herself in the future.

Qiu Ye asked curiously, "Your Highness, why is Miss Lu, a woman, so worried? It's not like there aren't men in her household. Her father doesn't even step in, yet she's getting anxious."

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she said, "Could it be that Lord Lu sent Miss Lu to test your intentions?"

After saying that, she realized something was wrong: "If they want to serve the prince, why don't they go directly to him? Miss Lu is a woman, why would she go out of her way to enter someone else's household?"

Qiu Ye's words were already quite tactful, and Su Wanyan smiled but did not reply.

While Su Wanyan believed that Lu Chao was wholeheartedly paving the way for the Lu family, this was not actually the case.

Perhaps she did want the Lu family to rise to a higher level, but it was mostly for her own selfish reasons. However, she couldn't say those intentions outright. If she used the excuse of the family's rise and fall, it would seem much more noble and reasonable.

Seeing that Su Wanyan did not speak, Qiuye tactfully changed the subject: "Your Highness, after what you did, you and the Prince have not suffered any losses. However, the Lu family will have to follow the Prince's lead from now on."

Su Wanyan glanced at her: "You dare to say anything."

Do we follow the horse's lead?

She had no such expectations. Fucheng was full of talented people, and the Lu family was not the only capable one. She thought the governor of Fuzhou was quite good; at least he gave her the impression of being a pragmatic type.

Yu Nanqing summoned him the most recently, so it's likely that Yu Nanqing and she share the same thoughts.

Qiu Ye quickly pursed her lips and slapped her mouth lightly: "It was this servant's fault for being so talkative."

Su Wanyan waved her hand listlessly: "Leave the rest to Yu Nanqing."

Thinking of how Yu Nanqing had woken her up in the middle of the night before, Su Wanyan couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

If she doesn't get rid of Lu Chao today, she'll probably be woken up by someone again tonight.

Yu Nanqing returned to the mansion at dusk.

As he stepped into the Prince's residence, Wang Zhang respectfully greeted him and reported, "Your Highness, Miss Lu came to see the Empress today."

Yu Nanqing was covered in a trace of dust. Having not seen Su Wanyan for a day, his steps toward the main courtyard were steady yet hurried. Upon hearing Wang Zhang's words, Yu Nanqing paused slightly, and his gaze toward Wang Zhang darkened.

Wang Zhang hurriedly replied, "Her Majesty has already sent Miss Lu away, but she summoned Lord Lu to the residence. He has been waiting outside the study for a day now. I wonder if Your Highness has seen him?"

Yu Nanqing frowned in doubt: "Did Yan'er call that?"

"Yes." Wang Zhang bowed. "Miss Lu came today, seemingly hoping that Your Highness would look after the Lu family. However, I don't know why she angered the Empress. The Empress sent Miss Lu back, and then Lord Lu arrived."