Of course, most importantly, Lu Zong is a very shrewd and calculating person. He appears gentle, but he is actually very good at making choices and his methods are also very sophisticated.
It's not that this personality is bad, but he can't trust someone as much as someone who is sincere.
Who would have thought that Lu Zong would fall for Jia Yin, and even after the imperial decree betrothed him to the Third Princess, he would still pursue her so relentlessly, even scheming against the Northern Expeditionary Army...
"Who else knows about this? Does the princess know?" The Marquis pulled Li Laosi aside, gesturing for him to sit down, before coldly asking.
Mu Xu thought for a moment and replied, "The eldest young master should know, and the Earl knows as well. As for others, I don't know."
"But Prince Lu sometimes pays too much attention to the princess. With the princess's intelligence, she will probably figure it out soon."
"You bastard, who gave you the nerve! You're eating what's in your bowl, yet you still dare to covet what's in the pot! I'll knock all your teeth out and make sure you can't eat anything!"
Li Laosi was furious. He slammed his fist on the table twice and started thinking about his daughter again.
"Don't be fooled by the fact that the Third Princess gets along well with Fu Niu'er. How many members of the royal family are truly generous? If one day she finds out that this scoundrel from the Lu family likes Fu Niu'er and doesn't like her, the Third Princess probably won't even ask why; she'll just blame it all on Fu Niu'er!"
He stood up anxiously again, "No! We must get Fu Niu'er out of the palace as soon as possible, straight to Quanzhou! The farther away she is, the better."
The Marquis nodded in agreement, a rare occurrence for him, and replied, "I'll write a letter to Fu Niu'er and ask her to stay in Quanzhou for a while."
Unexpectedly, Mu Xu shook his head, "Lord Marquis, Fourth Master, I'm afraid this matter will not work. The Princess will not leave."
Li Laosi immediately replied, "She has no choice but to go. I will ride back to Xindu as fast as I can and personally escort her onto the ship."
"For a girl like her to get involved in such a mess, no matter who's right or wrong, gossip can ruin her reputation!"
At this moment, a guard outside the tent announced that the noodles were ready.
Mu Xu got up and took the tray.
Two large earthenware bowls were filled with noodles and sprinkled with meat sauce, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Mu Xu handed a bowl to Li Laosi and advised, "Fourth Master, please eat first. There are still many things to do. Don't even think about persuading the Princess to go to Quanzhou. She definitely won't leave."
Li Laosi subconsciously took the bowl of noodles, but then remembered something and whispered, "Is there anything else in Xindu? Didn't they say everything in Xindu is great? Is Fu Niu'er worried about Suijintan?"
"We'll see, we'll see," Mu Xu chuckled dryly, then lowered his head and gulped down his noodles.
Li Laosi had no choice but to eat with him, as he was indeed hungry.
The Marquis sat to one side drinking tea, waiting for the two to finish eating.
The two didn't keep him waiting long; they devoured the noodles in the blink of an eye.
Li Laosi wiped his mouth and urged, "Hurry up and tell me, what else is there!"
Mu Xu let out a burp, glanced at the doorway, and the Marquis, understanding, replied, "Speak freely. Without my order, no one is allowed to approach the vicinity."
Mu Xu was relieved and was about to speak when Li Laosi added, "Keep it short and get to the point!"
Mu Xu immediately replied, "The Emperor was poisoned by the Consort, and the Emperor has allowed the court to recommend a Crown Prince. The Marquis of Zhenbei has turned against the Emperor, and the Emperor plans to eliminate the Consort and the Empress Dowager in one fell swoop."
Li Laosi was so shocked that his mouth gaped open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.
This is indeed a key point, but it's also... too heavy!
The Marquis nearly spilled his tea as he pressed on, "Who else knows about the Emperor's poisoning? Has the Empress Dowager noticed the Marquis of Zhenbei's betrayal?"
Mu Xu dared not be mischievous any longer and whispered, "Only the Princess and the Three Dukes knew about His Majesty's poisoning. Because the Consort chose a slow-acting poison, after His Majesty became aware of it, he took advantage of the Third Princess's nighttime fright to visit Zhilan Palace, and then asked the head of the Imperial Hospital to examine his pulse, which is how he discovered that His Majesty was unwell."
"But the Emperor still favored the Consort and the Second Prince. Even when the court proposed to establish a Crown Prince, the Emperor did not object and allowed the court officials to submit memorials to recommend him."
"In addition, the Marquis of Zhenbei went in and out of the Imperial Study at night to have a private talk with the Emperor. Only the Princess and I knew about it. The Princess sent a message to the Marquis. The Marquis felt that the matter was of great importance and was afraid that it would be unsafe to send a secret message, so he sent me on this trip."
Although Li Laosi was exceptionally brave but lacked strategic acumen, he was by no means stupid.
At this moment, he immediately raised a question: "It was inevitable that the Marquis of Zhenbei would turn against him. That man was originally a snobbish and petty person. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was declining, it was expected that he would switch his allegiance to the Emperor."
"But why would the Consort poison the Emperor? You must know that the Emperor only has one son, the Second Prince. The empire will eventually belong to the Second Prince; it's just a matter of a few years' delay. What is the Consort so anxious about? Why can't she wait even a few more years?"
Mu Xu's lips curled up, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at the Marquis.
Seeing his reaction, the Marquis raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you come to know about such a confidential matter?"
Mu Xu coughed twice and replied with a grin, "It was just a coincidence, a coincidence that I discovered a clue. I'm in and out of the palace all day long, it would be strange if I hadn't noticed it."
Li Laosi became a little anxious when he heard them speaking in riddles and couldn't guess the answer.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
The Marquis didn't intend to hide it from him. After all, tens of thousands of troops were stationed outside the Northern Expeditionary Army. If something happened to him, Li Laosi would have to take over the entire army. The more he knew, the more cautious he would be.
So he instructed, "This is a matter of great importance; do not tell anyone after you have heard about it."
Li Laosi nodded quickly, and then the Marquis turned his head and whispered something in his ear.
Li Laosi's eyes widened instantly; if his eye sockets hadn't been so well-behaved, his eyeballs would probably have popped out...
The melon is too big to eat in one bite!
Seeing that his future father-in-law's eyes were wide open like copper bells, Mu Xu had to use all his strength to hold back his laughter.
After finally recovering, he didn't forget his business.
"My lord, the princess said that although the emperor's life is not in immediate danger due to poisoning, it will only last a few months at most, and things will definitely change."
"Therefore, many things that were not urgent before are now very pressing for His Majesty."
"For example, recovering lost territories, unifying the country, and establishing a good reputation before and after death. For example, eliminating the troubles of the previous dynasty and the harem to clear the way for his son. Even if they were his closest relatives, if they might become an obstacle to his son in the future, he would not show any mercy..."
"Please think this over carefully, my lord, and prioritize the safety of yourself and the Northern Expeditionary Army in all matters."
The Marquis remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly and nodded.
"Go back and tell the princess to rest assured. I don't value fame and fortune; anyone can have it. But I will never allow anyone to threaten or trample on my closest relatives and my soldiers!"
"With your words, I'm relieved!" Mu Xu, who had been somewhat worried, immediately replied happily, "Haha, I was already prepared to take the princess on a journey to the ends of the earth. Now it seems I don't need to worry anymore."
Li Laosi immediately glared and retorted, "Why not leave your home and wander the world? When the time comes, I still have a long knife in my hand. Whoever dares to touch me, I'll just chop them down!"
Mu Xu chuckled and quickly ran off, saying, "I'm going to check on the brothers in the grain delivery team."
Before the words even finished, the person had vanished without a trace...
Fortunately, at that moment, a rapid drumbeat suddenly sounded.
Two updates today!
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