Chapter 67 Dreaming? He's here!

"You rebellious daughter, you've gone mad! I didn't believe the clan leader when he said you changed your name and household registration under your brother's identity and even took the imperial examination disguised as a man. This is a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor! Are you going to have the entire Lu family buried with you? Go and resign from your official post right now!"

Lu Wensheng revealed a mocking smile, his eyes extremely cold: "Fine, I'll resign, but I'll trouble Father to speak to His Highness the Crown Prince in person. Also, Father's voice could be louder, preferably so that the whole neighborhood knows. I am a close advisor to the Crown Prince, not only holding the affairs of the Ministry of Rites in my hands, but also in charge of the imperial examinations. When a whale falls, all things come to life. I think many people want me dead."

We must first appease Lu Yunzhi; otherwise, if that old-fashioned person exposes her to Shen Hegui, we're doomed.

She paused slightly, then turned to look at Lu Yunzhi's new wife and two children: "By blood you are my biological father, and in the eyes of outsiders we are also family. If I fall, how can you, as my biological father, have a good life in Yanjing? Your father is old and willing to risk everything, but don't forget the innocent children. Also, do you think those uncles and elders dare not expose me?"

“You…” Lu Yunzhi’s throat tightened, his lips and face twitched and trembled, all the words stuck in his chest.

Lu Wensheng kindly advised, "Don't be too angry, calm down."

The rope was loosened, and the two children rushed towards Lu Wensheng like cannonballs.

"You big bad guy, I'll beat you to death!"

"Yes! I'll beat you to death! You bullied my father."

Lu Wensheng looked down at his half-siblings, who were not even ten years old, and without flinching, sneered, "The system of one wife and multiple concubines is really not surprising at all. I've had my day too."

Seeing this, Yingniang quickly stepped forward to pull the two children apart and covered their mouths. Song Zhiyun also raised her hand to pull Lu Wensheng to her side to avoid them.

Song Zhiyun said coldly, "In my heart, my husband has long been dead. This is my home with Shengsheng, and strangers are not welcome here. I tied you up and locked you in the woodshed because I was afraid you would affect Shengsheng."

She stepped forward and untied the strips of cloth binding Lu Yunzhi, continuing, "Now that she knows, take your people and leave quickly."

Lu Yunzhi flung the strip of cloth away, his eyes wide with disbelief: "Song Zhiyun, you are my lawfully wedded wife!"

Song Zhiyun was not afraid at all: "The Household Law on Marriage stipulates that a man who has a wife and marries another woman shall be punished with ninety strokes of the cane and divorced! If I remember correctly, Qian Yuechi has been acting as the legal wife during the day! Since you say so, we can go to the court to get a divorce in a little while!"

Lu Yunzhi's fingers trembled as he looked back and forth between Song Zhiyun and Lu Wensheng, shouting angrily, "Absurd! You've changed! Both of you have changed!"

Surname Qian? What a coincidence. Lu Wensheng's eyes flickered slightly as he secretly glanced at Qian Yuechi, who was still tied up.

“It’s not that we’ve changed!” Song Zhiyun said calmly, her voice not loud but firm: “We’ve always been like this! I used to be very obedient to you because you were the one supporting the family. I couldn’t provide a better life for my two children on my own. I married you because I had reached marriageable age and you were the best choice among them.”

Upon suddenly learning the truth, Lu Yunzhi was so angry that his face turned blue and he trembled all over: "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. The ancients were right. I thought you came from a scholarly family and would be dignified and gentle..."

Lu Wensheng, displeased with his words, coldly interrupted, "According to you, wouldn't all uneducated women become saints? If you're not well-read, don't cite classics; you'll only make yourself a laughingstock!"

Song Zhiyun continued, "Take a good look at your conscience. Did I not act dignified and gentle during all those years I served you? Within a radius of hundreds of miles, who hasn't praised you for marrying a virtuous wife!"

Lu Yunzhi was furious: "This is outrageous! The father is the head of the family, and the husband is the head of the household! You two are disobedient and unfilial, and you are shrewish and unruly. I'm going to call for family discipline!"

Lu Wensheng added sarcastically, "Family rules? Lu Yunzhi is already a dead man on the household registration. So, what identity are you using right now?"

Lu Yunzhi angrily shouted: "You rebellious..."

Halfway through his sentence, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Lu Wensheng's pupils contracted, and all the blood rushed to his head. He quickly said, "Watch your words!"

It must be the Embroidered Uniform Guards who have come to our home.

"Open the door!" The courtyard gate was being knocked on loudly.

Lu Wensheng suddenly returned home to leave. Although Song Zhiyun did not know the reason, she knew that something big must have happened. She said with concern, "Why don't you go inside and hide for a while? The stall owner will come and pack up."

Lu Wensheng forced a smile and said, "It's okay, I can handle it, it's just a bit troublesome. I was originally planning to slack off." She looked at Lu Yunzhi, whose face was ashen, "Now I can't slack off."

We need to stabilize Shen Hegui first and deal with the troublesome Lu Yunzhi.

Lu Wensheng stepped closer to Lu Yunzhi and whispered a threat: "Those of the same clan are all in the same boat. If the waves rise and the boat capsizes, the whole clan will perish. Father, you should think carefully about how to face our ancestors. Also, I have committed more than one heinous crime that would punish nine generations of your family. If you confess everything, in the Crown Prince's rage, your beloved wife and young children may be buried with me. You should carefully consider what you should and shouldn't say."

Lu Wensheng composed himself and said to Song Zhiyun, "I'll go open the door. Please take the two children inside. Yingniang, don't stay outside. Don't look, don't listen, and don't come out."

If the Imperial Guards are here to arrest Yingniang, she has to find a way to stop them. If they are here to arrest her, she can't let her mother know. She can handle things temporarily, so there's no need to cause unnecessary trouble for her family.

Song Zhiyun: "Okay."

In recent years, Sheng Sheng has always managed to escape danger, and she will definitely succeed this time as well.

The knocking stopped at some point.

After letting Lu Fugui go, Lu Wensheng stood there and took several deep breaths. Then he looked up at Lu Yunzhi, who was furious, moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.

A bird, perched on some unknown tree, let out a cry.

Dawn is approaching, and daylight is about to break.

Having mentally prepared himself, Lu Wensheng was about to open the door.

"boom!"

The door crashed to the ground with a loud bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Before the echo had faded, two rows of Imperial Guards rushed in and surrounded Lu Wensheng.

For illumination, several candles were placed on a shelf by the door. In the flickering light, a tall and upright figure slowly walked towards Lu Wensheng.

A night breeze carrying a delicate fragrance brushed past her nose, and she suddenly felt her lips were a little dry. She couldn't help but lick them and took a few steps back.

Why did Shen He return?

"I'm quite surprised to see you at home. The horses that were supposed to be chasing you were all ready." Shen Hegui stopped in front of Lu Yunzhi and looked around.

With a barely perceptible upward slant of his sharp, thick eyebrows, Shen Hegui toyed with the gold-flecked fan that Lu Wensheng had left on the boat. He slowly circled halfway around Lu Yunzhi, whose face was ashen, before speaking again: "Guest or relative? The person on the wheelbarrow is tied up quite uniquely. An enemy? Do you need any help?"

“Neither.” Lu Wensheng pinched his palm hard, using the pain to maintain his composure. “It is he who may need Your Highness’s help.”

Since people's hearts are uncontrollable, it's better to openly provoke Lu Yunzhi to speak up. If he doesn't speak up at first, then speaking up later would be a crime of deceiving the emperor and protecting him. If he does speak up, she can simply pay to save her life. As long as the benefits are big enough, Shen Hegui will definitely agree to let her go.

After all, everyone has a butt; it doesn't necessarily have to be hers!

"Oh?" Shen Hegui was somewhat surprised. His cold, indifferent phoenix eyes, devoid of warmth, turned to Lu Yunzhi with a heavy sense of pressure, and he was extremely arrogant: "You look so unwell. It seems you just had a fight with him. Since you don't like him, why should I help him?"

Blocking Lu Yunzhi's view with his body, Shen Hegui raised his hand and pulled open Lu Wensheng's collar. His cool fingers brushed against the broken skin, causing Lu Wensheng to stiffen and dare not move.

He glanced down at the wound, then pulled the zipper shut again, his tone casual: "It's to prevent catching a cold. I got a little impatient when no one opened the door for a while. Your door is a bit old, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to get you a new one."

A round pill was handed to him by Shen Hegui.

Lu Wensheng glanced up quickly at Shen Hegui's emotionless face, then took the medicine and swallowed it: "Thank you for your reward, Your Highness."

Noticing her cautiousness, a fleeting smile appeared in Shen Hegui's eyes.

Once off the ship, he became more timid. Oh well, since there were unrelated people around, he had to save face for Lu Wensheng. Originally, he planned to kidnap him directly to Zhaowu Palace.

"Cough—Pfft!"

The harmonious relationship between the emperor and his minister deeply agitated Lu Yunzhi, causing him to vomit blood in a fit of rage.

He knew that Lu Wensheng had a good relationship with the Crown Prince, but he never expected it to be this good. Delivering typhoid medicine in the middle of the night—what if his identity was exposed? He was determined to take Lu Wensheng away tonight, but thankfully he had two plans.

Smelling the unfamiliar scent of blood, Shen Hegui avoided it with disgust, while pulling Lu Wensheng to his side to protect her.

"This humble subject, Lu Yun, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!" He snapped out of his daze and bowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground heavily, and presented a neat stack of letters with both hands.

Lu Yun said, “Your Highness, please understand! I risked my life to come to the capital to expose my son’s crimes of cheating in the imperial examinations and deceiving the emperor! Her titles of Juren and Jinshi were not earned through years of hard work, but through pulling strings and bribing officials! Such an act that disgraces the family and tarnishes the court is something I find deeply distressing, and I would never dare to cover it up!”

Shen Hegui glanced at Lu Wensheng, whose expression remained unchanged, then reached out and took the document, examining it closely.

Lu Yunzhi kowtowed again, took out a stack of silver notes from his bosom, held them up high, and said loudly, "This humble subject is willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver, only begging Your Highness to have mercy and allow me to take this rebellious son back to his hometown and punish him severely according to family law! Give the Lu family a way out, and give this wicked child a chance to repent!"

Shen Hegui nodded, but did not take the silver note. He lowered his eyes to look at Lu Wensheng and whispered, "You and your son do not look alike at all. If he had not handed over the list of gifts and letters between you and the Governor of Yingtian, I might have mistaken him for someone you hired to put on an act."

Lu Wensheng said in a low voice, "Your Highness is too kind to me for such a short time!"

Shen Hegui chuckled softly, then glanced sideways and ordered, "Kick these two out of Yanjing and don't let them enter the city and get in the way."

Lu Yunzhi was startled and immediately asked, "Why?"

Why is it different from what he calculated? Is it because the 10,000 taels of silver are too little?

Shen Hegui said coldly, "There's no reason, and I don't need to explain to you. You think you can exchange Lu Wensheng for a mere ten thousand taels of silver? Dream on!"

Lu Wensheng gripped the hem of his robe tightly, trying to stop him, "No, Your Highness, please tie him up and hand him over to my mother. I have something I want to say to Your Highness alone."

They should be kicked out and not allowed to enter the city. What if they become desperate and do something rash? Besides, there are still two children in her house.

Shen Hegui was slightly surprised: "Okay."

Not only did she not run away, but she also wanted to be alone with him.

The Imperial Guards responded immediately. Without any unnecessary movements, one of them pressed down on the shoulder, while another twisted the arms behind the back. Their movements were extremely swift.

"Your Highness..." Lu Yunzhi was still unwilling to give up and wanted to speak again, but Lu Wensheng picked up the object on the ground and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Say less, or I might do something stupid in a desperate situation, don't blame me!" Lu Wensheng threatened.

Worried about something going wrong, Lu Wensheng pulled Shen Hegui away through his sleeve and led him outside.

The crowing of roosters gradually rose, one crowing after another, pushing the darkness of the night ever thinner.

Shen Hegui arrived on horseback, not in a carriage. The tall, strong horse occasionally snorted, exhaling puffs of white vapor.

The dim yellow light cast two figures, one tall and one short, onto the flat ground as night receded.

Shen Hegui was extremely patient. Since Lu Wensheng remained silent, he kept quiet as well, but he kept leading Lu Wensheng toward the palace when choosing a path.