Chapter 146: Minister Qian said earnestly: Xiao Yan, you should be more careful
No one expected that a group of court officials from aristocratic families would go to the palace to impeach Xiao Yan but failed, and the final result would be that the Lu family would be convicted.
Lu Zhao was imprisoned and Lu Chongyuan was placed under house arrest.
The Lu family's backbone was almost broken.
Lu Chongyuan hadn't expected Emperor An to issue such an order. His face instantly turned pale, and he shouted to the inner court, "The Lu family has never colluded with officials from the Southern Region, and my son has never been involved in corruption. Your Majesty, how can you believe the one-sided words of that traitor Xiao Yan and wrongly accuse the entire Lu family? I am the regent personally appointed by the late Emperor, and I am loyal to Your Majesty. I request to see Your Majesty..."
Lu Chongyuan didn't even bother to kneel. He stood up and wanted to walk quickly into the hall. However, before he could even reach the top of the stairs, he was stopped by the eunuch Feng.
"Lu Zhongshu, His Majesty has ordered you to return home."
Eunuch Feng stretched out his hand to block Lu Chongyuan, and behind him were the palace guards, blocking his way.
Lu Chongyuan's previous composure was gone. Even though he tried his best to calm down, his mind was still wavering. "Eunuch Feng, Your Majesty has wrongly trusted the traitor and wrongly persecuted the loyal and good. The grain issue has long been closed. Xiao Yan and my Lu family have a personal grudge and it's clear that he is framing us. Even if Your Majesty wants to punish the Lu family, you must give us a chance to defend ourselves. How can you treat the Lu family like this based solely on the eunuch's one-sided statement..."
When Eunuch Feng heard him keep calling them eunuchs, his expression turned slightly cold. "Secretary Lu has misunderstood. It wasn't Governor Xiao who reported the Lu family."
Lu Chongyuan was stunned.
Taishi Liang frowned beside him: "Isn't it Xiao Yan?"
"No, it's the former recorder, Mr. Song."
Song Jinxiu?
Grand Tutor Liang's face showed a look of astonishment, and then he heard Eunuch Feng speak: "Lord Song personally presented the grain account books to the emperor, accusing Lu Langling of colluding with southern officials to embezzle disaster relief funds, intercepting and killing the person sent by the Privy Council to Jiangnan to retrieve evidence, and for many years, he excluded dissidents from the court and framed and murdered other court officials."
"Your Majesty, who relies heavily on the Lu family, was initially reluctant to believe it, but today he ordered Governor Xiao and Minister Qian to search the Lu family home, only to discover something unexpected. This has infuriated His Majesty to the extreme. If it weren't for the fact that Minister Lu is old and has served as an assistant to the government for many years, His Majesty wouldn't want to vent his anger on you. I'm afraid that Lang Ling Lu wouldn't be the only one being held accountable today."
Eunuch Feng looked at Lu Chongyuan, whose face had lost its color, and advised him gently, "The Emperor is furious right now. Secretary Lu should return home first, lest he be charged with disobeying the Emperor's orders."
Lu Chongyuan's body was shaking, and his face was pale with almost no blood left, while the expressions of those astonished court officials from the noble families also kept changing at this time.
Grain tax account book?
How can there be such a thing!
Didn't the Lu family claim to have completely destroyed everything and cleaned up those remaining traces in the South? How did a grain ledger appear now?!
The "business" of the aristocratic families in the South Land has more or less involved the government, and the other families are almost all involved in the resale of grain. Although the Lu family was the leader at the beginning, they were not clean either. After the matter was exposed, they gave up a lot of interests in the South Land just to cut off their tail and protect themselves. Lu Chongyuan once personally promised them that this matter would never cause any problems again, and Xiao Yan would not catch any handle and would never implicate them.
But what about now? !
The court officials all had hidden anger in their eyes when they looked at Lu Chongyuan. Even Grand Tutor Liang frowned tightly, feeling more and more uneasy.
"Eunuch Feng, was that account book really given by Song Jinxiu?" asked Grand Tutor Liang in a deep voice.
Eunuch Feng said, "How could this be false? I heard that Lord Song got it from the Third Young Master of the Lu family. The Song and Lu families were close in the past, and Lord Song often visited the Lu family. Even the evidence that Lu Lang ordered to frame the court officials was heard by him personally from the Third Young Master of the Lu family."
"Although Lord Song's father was guilty of colluding with the traitor's daughter, Lord Song has redeemed himself for meritorious service this time. His Majesty has reinstated him and will assist Minister Qian and Governor Xiao in reviewing the accounts and thoroughly investigating the grain tax case."
Grand Tutor Liang felt heavy in his heart. The Duke of Song's Mansion had no chance of reviving. Emperor An wanted to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey" to warn those court officials who were biased towards the aristocratic families. Even if Song Hong had not died, he would never have been able to enter the court again. Therefore, when the Song family was in trouble, not only the Lu family, but even they did not help.
But who could have expected that after Song Hong was convicted, Song Jinxiu would be able to step on the Lu family to re-enter the court.
"Lu Zhongshu, the emperor has issued the decree. Please do not embarrass me."
Several guards stepped forward in front of the palace, vaguely surrounding Lu Chongyuan. Eunuch Feng said, "Send Secretary Lu back home."
After saying this, Eunuch Feng looked at the others who were still kneeling in front of the steps and asked: "Are you gentlemen still waiting for His Majesty to summon you?"
The others looked at each other for a moment, then looked at Grand Tutor Liang.
Grand Tutor Liang's face darkened slightly. He looked at Lu Chongyuan who was practically being "escorted" away by the palace guards. Without hesitation, he stood up and said, "No need. Your Majesty is already discussing serious matters with Minister Qian and the others. I will not disturb you. I will come to the palace to see you when Your Majesty is free."
Seeing that Grand Tutor Liang had retreated, the others, who were already nervous, also quickly followed suit and spoke.
"I remembered that I had something else to do in the yamen, so I went back first."
"Me too."
After a group of people echoed, they turned around and left one after another without waiting for Eunuch Feng to speak. In just a moment, the court officials who had been kneeling on the ground in a bustling crowd had dispersed in an instant.
After everyone had left, the young eunuch who had followed Eunuch Feng out couldn't help but whisper, "These people left so happily. I thought they would continue to pester me..."
"What are you entangled with?"
Eunuch Feng sneered, and his eyes, which had been full of kindness just now, were now filled with contempt.
These people from the aristocratic families have always been like this. They rely on their numbers to threaten His Majesty repeatedly, but in fact they are just a group of loose sand. As long as you control the leader among them, the rest will retreat impatiently when they see their interests being damaged and endangered. However, Lu Chongyuan still wants to use these people to deal with Xiao Yan. It's really ridiculous.
Thinking of how Lu Chongyuan had called him a eunuch before, Eunuch Feng's eyes turned cold.
Although he didn't like Xiao Yan very much, as he always felt that he was dangerous, he hated Lu Chongyuan even more. "Tell people to be careful when they go to the Lu family and take Lu Zhao to the imperial prison as soon as possible. If anyone disobeys the order, don't be polite."
The young eunuch understood: "Don't worry, eunuch, I understand."
…
What happens in the palace cannot be hidden from outsiders.
The incident of Xiao Yan leading people to break into the Lu family and search had already caused a lot of controversy. After those people from the aristocratic families entered the palace, Wen Xinhou and others were all worried for Xiao Yan, thinking that he might really get into big trouble today. But who knew that in less than an hour, Lu Chongyuan was "escorted" back to the mansion by the palace guards, and Lu Zhao was directly locked up and imprisoned. More than ten members of the Lu family were tied up and taken away due to conflicts with the imperial guards.
The grand scene shocked not only Marquis Wenxin and Cao Dejiang, but even Cui Lin, who had never entered the palace before.
When Feng Qiuli saw Cui Lin, before he could even open his mouth, she spoke first, "Mr. Cui, were you the one who gave Xiao Yan the evidence against the Lu family?"
Cui Lin opened his mouth and said, "I just wanted to make Lu Chongyuan suffer a little, but I didn't expect them to have the account book..."
Those things in the South Land had been destroyed long ago, so he dared to leak the information secretly, wanting to use Xiao Yan's hand to suppress Lu Chongyuan's momentum, and then let his assistants come forward to suppress the Fourth Prince. But who could have thought that Xiao Yan could actually find the grain account book?
"You really are!"
Feng Qiuli seemed to be choking with anger, and even her tone became heavier when she spoke: "I have told you long ago that Xiao Yan is not trustworthy. He has long wanted to kill all of the noble families, so how can he be easily manipulated? Your discord with Lu Chongyuan is an internal matter of our noble family. How could you hand over the Lu family's handle to Xiao Yan?!"
Cui Lin was older than Feng Qiuli. In the past, he would have been furious if someone spoke to him like this. However, he was in the wrong at this moment, and after being scolded by Feng Qiuli, he explained, "I didn't expect Lu Chongyuan to be so dishonest."
Feng Qiuli's face tightened with anger: "What should we do now?"
"There's so much stuff in that account book, I'm afraid the Lu family can't keep it. After Lu Zhao is imprisoned, Xiao Yan will definitely try every means to get him to talk. If he really reveals anything, I'm afraid we'll all be doomed along with the Lu family. Even if Lu Zhao insists on taking the blame, if Lu Chongyuan finds out that it was you who secretly leaked the information to Xiao Yan, he will definitely not let you go."
"We have already violated a taboo by secretly supporting the Second Prince. If this matter is exposed, the other families will definitely not tolerate us..."
The more Feng Qiuli spoke, the more anxious his tone became. His face turned pale and he paced around in fear. Cui Lin couldn't help but frown at what he said.
It's common for aristocratic families to engage in intrigue and scramble for interests, but betraying the Lu family would break their long-held "tacit understanding" of being united against the outside world. Once discovered, the Lu family would not let him go, and the other families would probably turn against them as well. By then, let alone wanting to become the head of the aristocratic families, even the Cui family would probably be excluded by the other families.
Cui Lin frowned tightly and said in a deep voice, "Then the Lu family won't have a chance to cause us any trouble!"
Feng Qiuli looked up suddenly, full of shock: "Mr. Cui, you..."
Cui Lin looked at him: "Why, you don't dare?"
Feng Qiuli looked pale.
Cui Lin said, "You also said that Lu Chongyuan is not a broad-minded person. If he knew what I did, he would never let us go."
"I originally just wanted to suppress the Lu family's arrogance so that I could help the Second Prince gain some support from the aristocratic families, but who could have imagined that something unexpected would happen? Now that things have come to this, I might as well take this opportunity to replace the Lu family. This way, I can gather support to help the Second Prince make further progress, and it will also prevent the possibility of the grain transport issue from implicating us."
Seeing Feng Qiuli's hesitation, Cui Lin said in a deep voice, "The aristocratic families may appear to share honor and disgrace, but you should know the real situation. Do you want to watch Lu Chongyuan escape and then turn against us? Besides, the Lu family became the leader of the aristocratic families because they stepped on the remains of the He family. If Lu Chongyuan can take action against the He family, why can't we deal with him?"
If the Lu family can do it, they can do it too.
If the Lu family could be divided, the Cui family would certainly be far better than it is now. Moreover, without Lu Chongyuan's pressure, he would naturally be able to subdue the other families and use them for his own purposes!
Feng Qiuli was clearly persuaded by Cui Lin. The hesitation on her face gradually faded, and a hint of ambition appeared in her eyes. "So, what do you think, Mr. Cui, do now?"
Cui Lin waved to Feng Qiuli, and waited for him to come closer and whisper a few words to him.
Feng Qiuli looked up in surprise: "Is this okay?"
Cui Lin said in a deep voice, "Of course I can. I will have someone take care of this matter and prevent the Lu family from speaking again. You just need to lend me a helping hand at the critical moment."
Feng Qiuli nodded: "Okay."
Seeing that he agreed, Cui Lin showed some joy on his face: "Don't worry, as long as we deal with Lu Chongyuan, we will be the ones to call the shots on the family from now on. The Feng family will definitely be as strong as the Lu family today."
When Feng Qiuli heard Cui Lin's promise, a look of longing could not help but appear on her face. She looked excited and expectant, as if she was already thinking about what would happen after the Feng family replaced the Lu family. But when Cui Lin turned around and called his confidants in to discuss in detail how to take action against the Lu family next, he lowered his eyelids slightly to hide his somewhat cold eyes.
What Xiao Yan said was indeed correct.
The aristocratic families are truly more cold-hearted and ruthless than each other. Lu Chongyuan is like this, and so is Cui Lin. As long as you arouse their ambitions and make them want to be unwilling to be inferior to others, and just a little instigation, even if they were once very close, they will turn against each other in an instant and treat the other party as a stepping stone for their own advancement.
Xiao Yan guessed these people's thoughts exactly.
Feng Qiuli suddenly felt relieved that the man was not his enemy.
…
On the other side, after Xiao Yan and Qian Baokun "pacified" Emperor An, when they came out of the palace, Qian Baokun had already regarded Xiao Yan as a close friend regardless of age difference. Not only was he extremely kind to this treacherous man whom he once hated, but he also kept teaching Xiao Yan not to be too upright and to learn to be selfish when necessary.
Xiao Yan pursed his lips slightly and said, "I just don't want to implicate Minister Qian."
"That's why I say you've earned the reputation of a traitor for nothing!" Qian Baokun frowned. "You could have saved yourself by simply making a few excuses, but you kept taking the blame, afraid His Majesty wouldn't blame you. You're too straightforward and too serious, always wanting to do everything yourself. That's why you've earned such a bad reputation."
He spoke earnestly, "Those people outside always just follow the crowd. You're an honest person, but they said such harsh things about you, causing everyone to misunderstand you as cruel and vicious. From now on, you should learn to be more tactful when you act. Be selfish when you need to be, and don't rush into everything."
Qian Baokun looked at Xiao Yan, who had a cold appearance but was actually "warm-hearted", and was worried about him.
"I know you don't care about these things, but as long as you live, you must always consider your reputation. Even if you don't seek to be remembered for a hundred years, you can't leave a bad reputation for ten thousand years."
Xiao Yan was silent for a moment before speaking, "I understand. Thank you, Minister Qian."
Qian Baokun laughed. "Alright, that's enough for today. I'm going back home first. I'll talk to you about the account book later." He glanced at Song Jinxiu, who was not far away. "Be careful with that guy, too."
The dog that bites doesn't bark. The eldest son of the Song family used to look solemn and well-behaved, but unexpectedly, he bit off half of the Lu family's life with one bite.
Xiao Yan smiled gently: "Okay."
After Qian Baokun led his three sons away, he got on the carriage and couldn't help turning his head to look at the handsome and pleasing young man not far away. He felt that he was more and more pleasing to the eye.
He said to Qian Qingran and the other two who were following him, "Xiao Yan is an upright man. It's true that rumors are misleading. You three should learn from him more in the future."
Qian Qingran: “…”
I always feel like something is wrong.
"Father, Xiao hates him..."
"What's so annoying about Xiao? He's older than you and we're good friends. From now on, call him Uncle Xiao."
Qian Qingran: “…”
The second and third brothers of the Qian family: "..."
Their dad is crazy!
After the Qian family's four members, father and son, left, the gentleness on Xiao Yan's face faded, and the coldness that had been deliberately suppressed in his sword eyes reappeared.
Song Jinxiu, who had been following behind, couldn't help but say, "Master Xiao, good trick."
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