Chapter 454 Xiao Yan is innocent: Mr. Lu, you are being unreasonable
Although there was a curfew in the capital at night, Xiao Yan was not prohibited from traveling. After leaving Prince Zeng's mansion, the carriage went all the way to the imperial prison.
When Tang Ning, whose figure was concealed by a cloak, was quietly taken into the prison, Xiao Yan walked to the other side to see Lu Chongyuan and almost didn't recognize him.
Lu Chongyuan looked much older, and his temples, which were originally just a little gray, were now almost completely white.
His face was extremely thin, with prominent cheekbones, and he had lost his usual calmness and composure. The prison uniform he wore also looked loose and large, and he looked so thin that he seemed like he would fall down if the wind blew.
When he saw Xiao Yan, Lu Chongyuan's face showed no surprise at all, only a calm expression: "Master Xiao, have you finally found time to laugh at me?"
Xiao Yan laughed: "Who dares to watch Lord Lu's jokes?"
Lu Chongyuan stared at his particularly annoying face.
It has been more than ten days since the Lu family was imprisoned. He was initially certain that Emperor An would summon him and how he should explain what happened that night, but later he gradually began to waver.
The prison was dark and there was no one to interrogate him. Only the palm-sized iron bars on the ceiling allowed one to see the passage of time outside.
Lu Chongyuan would carve horizontal lines on the wall every day, counting the days since he was imprisoned.
He looked at the moon hanging above his head every night, which gradually changed from a willow-leaf crescent to a full round shape. Emperor An still had not summoned him, and not even a single person came to interrogate him.
Lu Chongyuan already had a premonition that he might really be defeated this time, defeated by the eunuch in front of him whom he once looked down upon.
"I've seen through countless people in my life, and fought many to the death, but I misjudged Lord Xiao. I lost to you, and it's unclear why. When I first saw you beside His Majesty, who could have imagined that a lowly eunuch would bring me to this point."
Lu Chongyuan did not hide the sarcasm in his words at all, and looked up at Xiao Yan:
"I just want to know how you bribed Feng Lai to deceive His Majesty and cover up your departure from the capital. And Cao Dejiang, such a proud and arrogant man, you actually let him persuade Liang Guangyi to betray the interests of the aristocratic family and abandon the Lu family."
Xiao Yan chuckled softly upon hearing this: "Lord Lu, you must be joking. This Governor has been recuperating in Jiyun Lane. How could Eunuch Feng deceive Your Majesty? As for Lord Cao."
"He has always been upright and honest in his duties as head of the Censorate, and he acts according to his own conscience. He is at odds with the Lu family and is causing trouble for you. Shouldn't Lord Lu reflect on how he offended him? Why would I have anything to do with him?"
Lu Chongyuan's eyes turned cold: "At this point, what's the point of Governor Xiao still acting like this?"
"You know clearly whether you left the capital that day. If you hadn't deceived the emperor before, I wouldn't have used this as an opportunity to make you lose power. As a result, you stepped into the trap set by Song Tangning. I ended up in this situation because I was inferior to him in terms of skills. Now I just want to get the truth and know where I lost."
"Lord Xiao has already gained the upper hand. Can't you even satisfy this little request of mine?"
Xiao Yan looked puzzled. "But this Governor has indeed never left the capital. This is the truth."
"Xiao Yan!" Lu Chongyuan was furious.
Xiao Yan smiled. "I'm just telling the truth. Why should you be so angry, Lord Lu? I've always been honest. It's you who's overthinking it and blaming me for something that's not true."
"You are a dying man. I could have granted you some of your modest requests, but with you like this...it's difficult for me to do so."
His face was full of embarrassment, which made it impossible for Lu Chongyuan to maintain his composure.
He glared at Xiao Yan hatefully, gritting his teeth, wanting only to call him treacherous.
Lu Chongyuan originally wanted to provoke Xiao Yan and show his weakness so that he could "show off" in front of him.
He knew too well that Emperor An was suspicious by nature, and he also knew the shameful "secrets" between the Lu family and Emperor An.
Even if Xiao Yan could come to see him, he might have cleared out the people around him long ago, but what if, what if there were people from Emperor An who had infiltrated Xiao Yan's circle, or there were spies hidden in this imperial prison.
Even if there is only a slight possibility, Xiao Yan's personal confession of leaving the capital to deceive the emperor, colluding with Cao Dejiang, and bribing Feng Lai to frame the Lu family may reach Emperor An's ears.
By then, even if the Lu family cannot turn things around, they can drag Xiao Yan to death with them and bury him in disaster.
But who could have imagined that this eunuch would be so cautious that he would not even mention himself at this point, and he completely denied Feng Lai, Cao Dejiang and his previous actions.
Seeing that he couldn't fool Xiao Yan, Lu Chongyuan turned hostile and said, "I really underestimated you. But do you think you can kill me like this? You underestimate the Lu family!"
"Even if you can now use some trickery to stop His Majesty from summoning me, what does it matter? Do you think His Majesty can be fooled by you forever?"
"The bond between the Lu family and His Majesty is something you will never understand. It won't be long before His Majesty comes to his senses. By then, he will surely be able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery and give me justice!"
Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly as he listened to Lu Chongyuan's words: "Then Mr. Lu probably won't be able to wait until that day."
Seeing Lu Chongyuan's expression change slightly, he laughed.
"Mr. Lu has been imprisoned for a while now, so I guess he doesn't know what's happening outside."
"That night, the fire in Fengxi Palace didn't kill Empress Lu. Although His Majesty was furious at the Lu family's actions and ordered a thorough investigation, after uncovering the charges, he only sentenced you and Lu Qin to death, sparing the rest of the Lu family."
"What a pity! The affair between the deposed queen and Prince Cheng was exposed in public. Your Majesty has been raising Prince Cheng's illegitimate offspring for twenty years. Now it has become a joke throughout the world."
His words made Lu Chongyuan's expression change, and Xiao Yan continued.
"After Empress Lu was deposed and banished to the cold palace, she set herself on fire, knowing she would not survive. The Fourth Prince was also given poisoned wine and, after defying the emperor's orders, was strangled to death by His Majesty."
"Lu Qin has been brought back from the Lu family's territory. Over a hundred crimes have been accusations against the entire Lu family, all proven. The Lu family has been imprisoned for treason and deceiving the emperor. All members of the family have been captured, including married women and any children born to them who carry the Lu family bloodline. All have been brought to justice."
Xiao Yan looked at Lu Chongyuan, whose face changed drastically and looked shaky, with a half-smile.
"Lord Lu has always been wise. Do you think it was your entire Lu family, over a thousand people, who went down to the underworld to scout the way for you, or did the people sent by His Majesty come first to see you off?"
Lu Chongyuan's feet went weak and he hit the prison door with a bang. He held on tightly to avoid falling.
"Impossible, how is it possible? Your Majesty cannot be so heartless towards the Lu family..."
"Besides, the Lu family case hasn't been heard in court yet, and I haven't been tried yet... Yes, I haven't been tried yet. Without my confession, how could His Majesty directly order the Lu family to be punished? Those other noble families and court officials would never agree!"
Lu Chongyuan's old face was full of panic, but he tried his best to calm down and looked at Xiao Yan fiercely.
"You shameless eunuch, don't try to scare me. I and the Lu family have served His Majesty well. His Majesty would never treat the Lu family like this..."
He can't!
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