Chapter 143: Palace Fighting
Xiao Yan did not stay in the Tang Mansion for long, as if he really came back to "comfort" Song Tangning and wanted to see how her injuries were. After his little girl's emotions stabilized, he hurried away.
But after leaving Tang Mansion, the gentleness and softness on his face faded away completely, and he said to the person beside him with a fierce look: "Did you catch Lu Zhinian?"
Canglang whispered, "No, there are always people guarding the Lu family. Lu Zhinian has not returned. We have also searched the places the girl went before, but there is no sign of Lu Zhinian."
He also found it strange. Lu Zhinian had been beaten with a stick in prison before. They said that the injuries on his body could not be fake. Moreover, he did not return to the Lu family to seek refuge after causing such a big trouble. He ordered people to search all over the capital, but they couldn't find a half-crippled young man. Lu Zhinian disappeared without a trace as if he had drilled into the ground.
Canglang said, "The Lu family's spies said that Lu Zhinian had an argument with Lu Zhao and left in anger, with only a Lu family servant by his side. After the girls got into trouble, Lu Chongyuan was furious and ordered people to look for Lu Zhinian and bring him back. However, the Lu family's people couldn't find him, and only the Lu family servant was carried back."
Xiao Yan's voice darkened when he heard this: "He probably knows that the Lu family has abandoned him. You sent people to the city gates and he caused a big disaster. He knows that the Lu family can't tolerate him, so he probably won't stay in the capital anymore."
Canglang was surprised: "Master, are you saying that Lu Zhinian will leave the Lu family?"
"If he still wants a future, he will definitely leave."
In the past, Lu Zhinian was the young master of the Lu family and the future heir to the family head, but now he is a stray dog.
Not to mention his engagement with Tang Ning, if he really came to Jiyun Lane and knelt down, he would have no place to stay in the capital in the future. Even the Lu family would not give the position of future head of the family to a notorious person. Moreover, he injured the daughter of the Minister of Revenue today and caused Lu Qin to be deposed. He knew that he was already an abandoned child. If he returned to the Lu family, not only would he not be able to get protection, but he would also most likely be pushed out by the Lu family as a "compensation" to appease the Qian family, and there would be no way for him to turn things around.
If Lu Zhinian had any brains, he would never go back to the Lu family.
"Send people to the docks outside Beijing and search all the main roads leading out of the city to see if they can capture him." Xiao Yan said coldly, "Tell the Lu family's spies to try to sow discord between Lu Qin and Lu Zhao."
Lu Qin was humiliated by Lu Zhinian today, and he even crippled his legs. Given Lu Qin's previous paranoia, while he resented him, he would probably also hate Lu Zhinian and his brother Lu Zhao who caused the trouble. This resentment is the root of the civil strife in the Lu family.
The thing he wanted to find was still in the Lu family. Although he took advantage of the chaos today to find the place where the thing might be, he still had to let the Lu family fall into chaos before he could get it.
"If Lu Zhinian can't be caught, we'll try to stage a show and make Lu Qin think that Lu Zhao loves his son so deeply that he knew Lu Zhinian was causing trouble but secretly let him escape, leading to today's disaster."
Sometimes the cause of the falling out between brothers is not a big deal.
One misunderstanding is enough.
Canglang nodded: "Yes."
Xiao Yan sat in the carriage, watching the people passing by on the roadside. His mind was filled with the memory of Song Tangning weeping. He rubbed his fingertips, his eyes as frosty and stern as ice. "Go and bring Song Jinxiu to the palace."
Canglang responded and the carriage headed towards the imperial prison.
…
The Black-Armored Guards entered the Lu family without permission, Xiao Yan injured people without permission, and the dignified Zhongshu Ling Mansion was searched from top to bottom as if it were an empty house. Lu Chongyuan did not delay for a moment, even though he was almost fainted from anger, he immediately brought other officials from the aristocratic families to the palace to file a complaint.
When Emperor An summoned Qian Baokun, he felt a headache when he heard the constant noise coming from outside.
"Your Majesty, Secretary Lu and Grand Tutor Liang are kneeling outside the palace, accompanied by more than twenty officials. They all want to see Your Majesty to file a complaint against Master Xiao..."
The eunuch serving in the hall had not yet finished speaking in a trembling voice when the voice of an old minister, full of energy and anger, suddenly came from outside.
"Old minister Liang Chunrong, trusted by the late emperor, has assisted Your Majesty for many years. I know full well that if the court is not clear, the emperor will not listen clearly. This traitor Xiao Yan is causing chaos in the court. He disregards the court's laws and regulations as a eunuch, and relies on Your Majesty's favor to do whatever he wants and bully important officials. If Your Majesty does not severely punish this traitor Xiao Yan, it will be difficult to set the court straight and make the officials feel disheartened!"
"I second the motion. Minister of Revenue Qian Baokun colluded with the Privy Council and trespassed into the Palace of the Minister of the Central Secretariat. Your Majesty, I implore you to punish him severely!"
Emperor An felt a sharp pain in his head as he listened to the accusations, each one louder than the last. He looked at Qian Baokun with rage, "Did you hear that? It's okay with Xiao Yan, I'll find him myself, but you're the Minister of Revenue, not the Minister of Justice. Why are you invading the Lu family?"
Qian Baokun knelt on the ground: "I am guilty."
"Guilty, guilty! I don't know you're guilty? Why don't you give me a reason? What did you intend to do by bringing your three sons into the Lu family?"
Emperor An still liked the Minister of Revenue in front of him very much. At least after Qian Baokun took charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the court had never been too troubled when it needed to use silver and money. Moreover, Qian Baokun was loyal enough. Although he came from a noble family, he never protected those noble family officials and never interfered in the disputes in the court.
The position of the Ministry of Revenue is a key position in the court. Unless he was really forced to do so, Emperor An would never want to replace the "own people" he promoted with his own hands.
Qian Baokun lowered his head and said, "It was the son of the Lu family who bullied my daughter first."
Emperor An frowned: "Which Lu family member?"
"The third son of the Lu family, Lu Zhinian."
Emperor An's face darkened when he heard the name.
Qian Baokun knelt on the ground and said, "The Lu family member had caused great trouble earlier, but Your Majesty was merciful and did not punish him severely, allowing him to be released from prison. But who would have known that as soon as he got out, he would want to take revenge on the Yiyang County Lady."
"My humble daughter happened to be traveling with the Yiyang County Lady, and Lu Zhinian had evil intentions. He actually wanted to have the people in the palace take the Yiyang County Lady and my humble daughter away. If it weren't for the young master of the Fu family who happened to pass by and rescued them, my humble daughter would have been..."
His voice choked slightly, his words filled with resentment. "Although I am angry at the Lu family's actions, I only want to seek justice from them. However, my son Qingran, in anger, revealed a shocking secret. He said that before returning to the capital, he had accidentally obtained an account book. After reading it, I realized something was wrong. That's why I went to find Governor Xiao and had the three children in the mansion act out this scene with Governor Xiao."
Qian Baokun knew very well that lying could not be all lies. Nine truths and one lie was the most appropriate.
He didn't deny Qian Qiyue's story, nor did he hide his anger. He simply put the blame on the Qian family for the account book. He pulled the account book out from his sleeve, held it in both hands, and said, "Here is the account book of the Lu family's embezzled grain. Your Majesty, please review it."
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