Chapter 867 Should I call him Ji Rongqing or Mr. Lu Sanlang?
Tang Ning looked at Ming Ke, the young lady of the Cui family who had lived in Beijing for many years and was even inconspicuous.
She hid it well, both before and after.
Even when Madam Cui suddenly came to the palace that day and wanted to join forces with her, and even dragged her mother's family into this mess, she just thought that her behavior was too risky and impulsive, and thought she was a little strange but did not doubt it deeply.
Even though the Bai family later failed to deliver food and fodder as promised to Munan Pass, and even after Cen Guang suddenly rebelled after Xiao Yan's "disappearance" and King Hui and his men forced the emperor to abdicate, she never suspected Madam Cui. She just thought that the Bai family had changed their mind temporarily when they saw the situation was not good, and that the Wang family father and daughter were the spies of Beiling.
She set up the trap tonight because the events in the capital during this period made her realize that in addition to Mingke, there was someone else secretly stirring up trouble. That person was surprisingly familiar with the capital, the aristocratic families, and even the Wei court. What's more, he was connected to Mingke in secret.
Tang Ning said softly, "I originally wanted to use Wang Huailu and the others to lure out the person hiding in the dark tonight so that I could successfully send a message to the northwest, but I didn't expect you to come into the palace on your own initiative. If you hadn't appeared in Yongzhao Palace with the wife of Marquis Wenxin and the others, and if you hadn't asked me over and over again if I had left any backup plans, I would still be unable to confirm your identity."
Ming Ke raised her head suddenly: "But the aristocratic family arrested me because the Bai family's affairs were exposed. Even if I asked a few more questions, it was only to protect myself..."
"How did the Bai family's affairs come to light?"
Tang Ning looked at her and said, "Since you know that tonight is a game, you should understand that the aristocratic families are also involved in it."
"Every act they performed with me, everything that happened tonight, was approved by me. The only exception is you. Where did this act of yours come from? Without my approval, how could an outsider like you be suddenly dragged into this?"
"Unless you have your own agenda and jumped in on your own initiative."
When Mingke heard the words of the person in front of him, he felt his whole body trembling and the last trace of blood disappeared from his face.
She thought that Song Tangning knew about her flaws because she had revealed them. She thought Song Tangning had already guessed her identity and that was why tonight's situation happened. But now she realized that all this was just because she was too clever.
She thought everything was under control and wanted to take a big gamble. She believed she had calculated everything and could get away with it unscathed. She even sneered at the Wei Dynasty for thinking that everyone was unaware of her schemes. However, she had actually walked headfirst into someone else's trap and exposed herself.
She herself cut off her own life.
Ming Ke's lips trembled and his voice was hoarse: "So your game tonight was not for me at all?"
Tang Ning said, "Of course not. The capital has long been surrounded by me and His Majesty. No matter how deep you hide or how secretive your identity is, all the information you can get is what I am willing to give you. There is no need for me to set up such a big trap for you."
"Besides, I'm using you to tell Beiling what I want them to know. Even if Mingke remains in Wei after tonight, he will only become a discarded pawn that leads to Beiling's defeat."
"Whether Mingke is you, or Wang Huailu and his daughter, as long as someone takes that half Dragon Jade Token and the news of the riot in Wei's capital and the Queen's misfortune to the northwest and hands it over to Xiahou Ling, Mingke will be of no use. From then on, in the eyes of all Beiling people, this codename means a traitor who betrayed his motherland and defected to Wei."
"Even if you can continue to lie dormant, you'll be nothing more than a stray dog without any support. Those people in Beiling will want to kill you even more than I do. There's no need for me to deliberately look for you."
"My target has always been him and the people behind him."
Tang Ning looked up at the man covered in a black cloak beside Ming Ke, with a hint of coldness and regret in his eyes.
"I originally thought that the person behind you would come to the capital in person, but I didn't expect it to be you."
"Lu Jiuan, you've been away from Beijing for such a long time, don't you want to say hello to me, an old friend?"
When the man heard the name "Lu Jiuan", he trembled and tried to stand up, but was hit hard on the back by a sword from the black-armored guard behind him. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground with a bang. The next moment, Geng Ji stepped on his ankle, breaking the bones.
ah--
He let out a scream in his throat, but before he could resist, his other leg was hit hard and the bone broke instantly.
"How dare you be so presumptuous in front of the Empress?!"
Geng Ji snorted coldly: "You are a coward who hides his head but shows his tail."
The hood on his head was directly lifted up, revealing a very ordinary face, except for a scar running across his brow. His eyes were full of pain as he looked up at the carriage, but still with undisguised cruelty and murderous intent.
"If you dare look at me like that again, I'll gouge out his eyes."
Tang Ning said this coldly, and Geng Ji drew his sword and dropped it in front of Lu Jiuan's face.
Lu Jiuan hurriedly lowered his head and dared not look again. He gritted his teeth in humiliation, while Ming Ke next to him was stunned.
Ming Ke had met Lu Jiuan before when she was the young lady of the Cui family, but at that time Lu Jiuan was an inconspicuous illegitimate son of the Lu family.
He was taciturn, never fought or competed, and rarely went out, appearing to be extremely low-key. However, when he later led the Lu family's forces to join forces with King Pingshan in a rebellion, he asked her to secretly deliver the message to Lucheng to besiege and kill Xiao Yan. She had seen Lu Jiuan with her own eyes that time, and naturally she remembered this face clearly.
She didn't expect that the person who had been working with her and even stirring up trouble in the capital city would be him!
But didn’t Lu Jiuan disappear?
"Why is it you!" Ming Ke hissed, "How did you become a member of the Princess's Mansion?"
Lu Jiuan gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Tang Ning sat in the carriage, his chin propped up. "Of course it was him. Who else could know so much about the aristocratic families? Who else could easily instigate Duan Zhiru and the others to return to the capital? And King Hui, if he didn't have absolute certainty, how could he dare to seek power with the aristocratic families? Isn't he afraid that they will devour him to pieces afterward?"
"Mingke, when you left the capital through the Lu family's secret passage, didn't you ever think about how others could know the Lu family's secrets? But I do feel a little regretful. I originally thought that the person behind him would come."
"Ji Rongqing... Oh, no, I should call him, Lord Lu Sanlang?"
Lu Jiuan tried to struggle, but was pinned to the ground by Geng Ji and could not move.
Tang Ning lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, "But I'm a little curious. Lu Zhinian betrayed the Lu family back then, and almost all of the Lu family's prosperity and wealth was destroyed because of him. Later, in order to disrupt the Wei court, he even teamed up with King Pingshan to kill nearly a thousand people from the Lu family's side branches, almost severing the entire Lu family bloodline."
"As the Lu family's Dark Lord chosen by Lu Chongyuan, who takes the Lu family's honor and disgrace as your own responsibility, why are you still willing to submit to him?"
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