After Prince Shun finished speaking, Li Wei's drooping eyes flashed, and then he knelt down to thank His Majesty for his grace.
As a high-ranking official in a remote frontier province, Li Wei was well aware of the situation at court. He knew that Prince Guangling had suddenly fallen seriously ill after being summoned to the capital, and he had also heard rumors that the emperor was being hunted down while Prince Guangling was enfeoffed.
The emperor summoned him to the capital this time, but Li Wei didn't think the emperor would dare to do anything to him. After all, he had an army of over 100,000 strong from Liang Province behind him.
At this time, Li Wei smiled and said, "Prince Shun has come a long way and must be extremely tired. The mansion has prepared a banquet. Why not come in and have a chat?"
Prince Shun did not refuse. He nodded lightly and led his men inside.
Li Wei hosted a banquet, and his three sons were invited to accompany him, as well as his right-hand man who had followed Li Wei for many years. Although Lu Yan was only a county magistrate, Hua County was different after all, so he had the honor of sitting at the last seat today.
Prince Shun was the only remaining son of the emperor and was surrounded by people wherever he went. At this moment, he was sitting at the table and talking to Li Wei in a calm and measured manner without being arrogant or impatient.
After a round of drinks, Prince Shun looked at Lu Yan, who was sitting at the end, and said, "Is County Magistrate Lu originally from Tanzhou?"
Lu Yan was stunned. He didn't expect that Prince Shun would pay attention to him, a small county magistrate. "Your Highness, that's right."
Li Bozhen glanced at Lu Yan and then asked with a smile, "Your Highness, do you have any history with County Magistrate Lu?"
Prince Shun said calmly, "My mother's family, the Chen family, is originally from Tanzhou. The Lu family is also a large family in Tanzhou. I have a concubine in my palace who is from a branch of the Lu family."
Everyone didn't know that Prince Shun's sudden mention of these things was in line with his wishes.
Prince Shun continued, "Before leaving Kyoto, my concubine told me something about Magistrate Lu."
Lu Yan was a little panicked at this moment. He had no idea why Prince Shun had mentioned him specifically during the banquet! He always had a premonition of disaster.
Li Bozhen asked flatteringly, "What is it that has your Highness worried about?"
Prince Shun chuckled lightly, his tone mocking, "My concubine said that County Magistrate Lu drove his ex-wife and eldest son back to their hometown in Tanzhou, and later both of them met with misfortune."
Lu Yan's face changed drastically. He had no idea that his family affairs could reach the ears of Prince Shun.
He stood up and knelt in the middle of the hall, "Your humble servant, your humble servant..." Life is unpredictable, and he could not have predicted what would happen next!
Lu Yan bowed his head to the ground, not knowing what mistake he should admit.
Li Bozhen on the side frowned slightly, not knowing what Prince Shun was doing.
Lu Yan's step-wife Wang is related to his mother's family by marriage, and Lu Yan is also his person. Could it be that Prince Shun wants to slap him in the face?
Prince Shun slowly put down his wine glass and said, "Today is a great day for the Marquis of Zhenxi. County Magistrate Lu, are you seeking bad luck with this? Why don't you get up and retreat?"
Lu Yan had a layer of sweat on his forehead and returned to his seat nervously.
Prince Shun had no intention of letting him go. "As an official appointed by the imperial court, how can you govern a county if you don't even have a complete home?"
Lu Yan wiped the sweat off his forehead, his heart was in a mess, and he didn't know what Prince Shun was trying to do.
What Prince Shun wanted to do was to publicly declare his relationship with Lu Yan and find a reason for himself to visit Lu Yan's house in the future.
However, the generals present felt that Prince Shun was using Lu Yan as an example to embarrass the people of Liang Province.
After the banquet, Prince Shun received the list of soldier casualties that Li Wei had already counted. Although the list had already been reported to the court, he still wanted to verify it to prevent Li Wei from using it to embezzle money.
On the one hand, he provided relief, and on the other hand, he also had to reward the three armies on behalf of the emperor, so that the soldiers and civilians of Liangzhou would not only know the governor Li Wei but also the emperor.
Prince Shun was very busy, and the civil officials and military generals who came with him were also busy.
Li Wei only brought a few dozen personal soldiers to Kyoto, and of course it is unknown how many people followed him secretly.
On the plain outside Yongcheng, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, their momentum reaching the sky.
Prince Shun, who was standing on the city wall, had a solemn expression on his face. His trusted commander whispered, "The soldiers from Liang Province are all tall and strong, and their murderous aura is very strong. Even the Imperial Guards can't match their momentum."
The Imperial Guards have been "honored" in the capital for many years, and they only have the name of the Imperial Guards. To put it bluntly, they have never even seen blood. How can they be compared with the Liangzhou Army who have fought in the battlefield?
Prince Shun suddenly felt that the imperial capital, which seemed impregnable, was actually just a facade.
Xiao Feng is now a general who can command 3,000 soldiers and horses, so he is naturally among the tens of thousands of troops downstairs.
The people of Liangzhou were tall and strong. To prevent any problems today, he padded the shoulders and waist of the clothes under the armor and wrapped them with two layers of cowhide. Wearing the armor, he looked even more sturdy. His face was dark red and he had a large beard. He believed that even if Prince Shun walked up to him, he would not be able to recognize him.
After Prince Shun returned from Yongcheng, he brought his men into Lu's residence openly.
Wang had long heard that Lu Yan was scolded at the governor's mansion because of the death of his ex-wife Zhang and his eldest son. When she heard the servants report that Prince Shun had arrived, she was so panicked that she didn't know what to do.
Lu Yan hurried to greet him. He bowed respectfully and said, "I wonder why Your Highness has come?"
Prince Shun sat at the head of the table and, after taking a sip of tea, said, "This prince's concubine was once cared for by your father. I came to your house to see your father, but why didn't I see him?"
Lu Yan was filled with doubts and said with embarrassment, "My father doesn't like the hustle and bustle of the city, so he went to live in the village."
Since ancient times, unfilial people have been criticized. Lu Yan, the county magistrate, has done a good job and doesn't want to lose his official hat.
"Oh, which village did you go to?" Prince Shun asked.
"This, this, I really don't know." Lu Yan was sweating profusely, crying out in his heart, Dad, you have hurt me so much!
Prince Shun threw the teacup, which scared Lu Yan.
"As a son, how could you not know your father's whereabouts?"
Lu Yan knelt down with a thud, "I really don't know, my father..."
Lu Yan argued a lot, but he couldn't hide the conflict with his biological father, and explained the whole cause and effect clearly.
Prince Shun narrowed his eyes and looked at the frightened Lu Yan who kept saying that he didn't know where his father had gone. He already believed it most of the time but was unwilling to accept it.
These days he secretly ordered people to investigate Lu Yuan's whereabouts, but he only found out that someone had indeed seen Lu Yuan leaving the city alone. As for where he went, there was really no trace.
"Your father has been missing for days, and as a son, you haven't shown any concern at all. County Magistrate Lu, your evil wife is truly resourceful. She's driven your father-in-law out of the house, and yet you're still able to live your life at ease. Could it be that you two conspired to murder your father?"
Lu Yan was horrified. "Your Highness, how can you pin this crime on me? I feel so wronged!"
"Unjust? Why don't you find your missing father?"
Prince Shun swung his sleeves and said, "I believe your wife, Lady Wang, is highly suspicious. I will keep Lady Wang in custody until your father returns."
Lu Yan didn't know why things had turned out like this. He begged again and again but it was no use. He could only watch as Prince Shun ordered his men to take Wang away. Wang's cries for justice echoed throughout the street.
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