Chapter 23 The Willing One Takes the Bait
Although it was clear that the conspiracy was carried out by the He family, they could not break off relations for the time being. Firstly, since the golden medal of immunity from death was given by the prime minister of the previous emperor, they had to show some face.
Secondly, who knows if there is any force behind the He family? If we alert them, there is no guarantee that they will not go all out, so we should plan carefully before taking any action.
Lu Rongshi gathered everyone in the main hall and said, "Everyone, this matter is almost over. The thieves are so reckless and have harmed my royal family. I will make them pay the same price!"
In front of them, Jiang Li'an, Di Qing, Wei Hong, Violet, and others sat around a table, listening to Lu Rongshi talk about the next plan.
Lu Rongshi continued, "Li An, you've already revealed your identity, so it's inconvenient for you to continue the surveillance. Miss Weihong, as a newcomer, is quite qualified for this position."
Wei Hong bowed and said, "To repay the kindness, I will naturally do my best!"
Lu Rongshi turned to look at Di Qing and Violet and said, "Master and Miss Violet, please come with me to the He family. We can directly inquire about their attitude."
As the meeting neared noon, Jiang Li'an lingered. She closed the door and returned to Lu Rongshi's seat. Frowning, she said condescendingly, "Rongshi, what about me? You don't seem to have any tasks for me."
Lu Rongshi looked up at her, reached out his hand and gently stroked her cheek, saying, "Of course there is a mission."
Jiang Li'an's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly, "What is it?"
Lu Rongshi smiled and said, "Your mission is to continue to pretend to be sick. Although your wounds have healed, your body has not recovered yet. This is your mission."
Jiang Li'an looked at the sly smile on the person in front of her and instantly understood what was going on. She leaned over and hugged her, whispering, "Rong Shi, I've said before, your business is my business. Don't bother me, just tell me what to do."
The warm breath left a red mark on Lu Rongshi's earlobes, and Jiang Li'an stood up and left with satisfaction.
Lu Rongshi came back to his senses, touched his burning cheeks, and smiled helplessly.
On the second day, a six-horse carriage arrived at the gate of the He family compound early in the morning.
Three people came down, the leader was an elf woman, her pink hair was reflected white by the morning sun, and she had a rosy face.
The man behind him was as feminine as water, with silver hair that fell to his waist and a seductive face that was particularly eye-catching. The other man had a calm face and a pair of blue eyes like clear lake water.
The three of them were so beautiful that the He family's gatekeeper instinctively thought they had met distinguished guests and hurried back to report the news.
Soon, the door opened and a man in fine clothes came forward and saluted, saying, "Good morning, Your Highness. What brings you here?"
Lu Rongshi bowed lightly and said, "I heard that the old master has been worried and sleepless lately, so I came to offer my condolences."
The man in the finery bowed again and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Please come in."
The man in fancy clothes personally led the three people to the lobby, but he didn't know that several pairs of eyes were staring at Lu Rongshi behind his back.
The four of them sat down, and Lu Rongshi spoke first, "Old Patriarch He, hasn't anything major happened in the He family recently?"
The man in fancy clothes pretended to think, thought for a moment, and said, "No, the He family is very peaceful."
Lu Rongshi looked puzzled and said, "That's strange. Since the He family is safe and sound, why would the old patriarch be so worried?"
The man in fancy clothes was startled, then smiled and said, "It's just a small matter, Your Highness, please don't worry about it."
Lu Rongshi said, "That's good." After a pause, he continued, "But my accompanying physician is here, why not let her examine you?"
Upon hearing this, the man in the finery waved his hands and said, "Don't bother, don't bother. These are all old symptoms. I've seen countless doctors and even prescribed dozens of these medicines, but they haven't worked."
The four of them were talking in the lobby. In another room, someone said, "She must have noticed something! Otherwise, she wouldn't have come here in person! And she's overthinking it. Pah! Can she come up with a more outrageous excuse?"
Another person said, "She must have come here to test the master's words. But don't worry, with my medicine, he won't dare to say anything. If he does, we will not give him the relief medicine and make him live a life worse than death."
Another person said, "I think the two people around the Third Prince are not easy to deal with. They should hold back for the next few days and not make any big moves."
At first, the man laughed and said, "Oh, big brother, when did you become so cautious? Wasn't it your idea to assassinate the Fifth Prince?"
The eldest brother said seriously, "Times are different now. The Third Prince's power is gradually expanding. If we continue to be as careless as before, we will fail sooner or later."
The second person said, "Just listen to Big Brother and stop for now."
The eldest brother continued, "Even though we have stopped, we cannot let them live in peace. We will arrange for a few assassins to set fire to the palace gate every night."
"yes."
In the lobby, the man in fancy clothes was finally convinced, and Violet took his pulse. It was just a gesture, but in fact, when she touched the man in fancy clothes, Violet activated the magic circle and expelled the toxins from his body.
The man must have noticed that his body suddenly became much lighter. He was not sure at first, until Lu Rongshi said, "Old Patriarch, what happened to the He family?" This time it was not a question, but an order, which was full of momentum and did not allow anyone to refuse to answer.
It turned out that Lu Rongshi had long known that the current head of the He family was cowardly and had lived an ordinary life. He had lived to such an old age by living off the He family's wealth. How could such a person plan such a meticulous conspiracy?
This person must be a chess piece.
The man in fancy clothes then realized that it was the "accompanying doctor" who cured the poison in his body.
He quickly stood up and closed the doors and windows, then returned to Lu Rongshi, intending to kneel down and pay him homage. Fortunately, Lu Rongshi was quick to help him up.
But the old man burst into tears and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, please save the He family."
Lu Rongshi thought to himself: As expected. He said softly, "Old Patriarch, please stand up and explain the situation so we can help you."
It turned out that the He family had not made any achievements since the death of the previous head of the family. Seeing that the family property was being eaten up, several side branches joined forces and took control of the direct line. The current head of the family became a puppet and a fig leaf for the side branches to do bad things.
Initially, the old patriarch disagreed, so someone poisoned his food with a poison called "Bone Drunk." This poison was extremely toxic, and without relief, it would cause an itch deep into the bone marrow, a state worse than death. The old patriarch suffered immensely, and ultimately gave in to their demands, becoming their puppet.
As for why those people didn't replace him, it was precisely because the head of the He family was personally appointed by the late emperor and could not be replaced unless he made a serious mistake. Moreover, with this scapegoat, they could do things without worrying about being exposed.
Now that the bone drunkenness has been cured, the old patriarch feels relieved and naturally considers using external forces to rectify the He family.
The old patriarch was not proficient in running the family business and had a cowardly character, but that didn't mean he had no ideas. On the contrary, his roundabout way of saving the family was really in the right place.
Lu Rongshi understood the whole story and agreed, saying, "I see, old master. Considering that you are also a victim and still have respect for the royal family in your heart, I will help you this time."
Lu Rongshi left Di Qing with the old patriarch to protect his safety, and asked the old patriarch to take relief medicine regularly so as not to reveal any flaws. Lu Rongshi's plan was not yet complete, and when it succeeded, he would catch them all in one fell swoop.
When he walked out the door, the few people who had been whispering to each other came to see him off, but no one noticed that the silver-haired man seemed to be a little stiff in his movements.
Once in the carriage, Violet dismissed the illusion and said in frustration, “Alas, I’m not very good at these kinds of magic. If my sister were here, I wouldn’t let them see anything wrong.”
Lu Rongshi comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss Violet. You've done well enough. They haven't noticed any flaws."
The horses neighed, and the carriage sped away in a cloud of dust. The people at the door narrowed their eyes, watching the carriage go with sinister intent.
Time passed quickly. Weihong monitored the He family's movements at night and found that the He family had restrained themselves a lot. However, judging from the arsonist at the gate of the palace, they had not given up.
It was Mid-Autumn again, and Lu Rongshi was so busy that she forgot to celebrate the festival. She had completed her plan, and it was time to close the net during this Mid-Autumn.
Jiang Li'an knocked on the door three times, and after getting permission, he pushed the door open and walked in.
Lu Rongshi was still writing something at the desk. These days, Lu Rongshi was really busy and could not resist Jiang Li'an's temptation, so he set a rule that one could only enter after knocking on the door and getting permission. At first, Jiang Li'an did not care until he felt Lu Rongshi's energy again.
Jiang Li'an was allowed to enter the palace this time. He suppressed his joy and said, "Rong Shi, today is the middle of autumn, let's go out and relax."
Lu Rongshi was stunned. Listening to Jiang Li'an's cautious tone, he thought about what he had done recently and felt that it was indeed a bit too much.
He turned his head away and said, "In that case, let's go out and play for a while."
Jiang Li'an became more and more excited. He carefully took her hand and walked out of the hall.
Although there is no Mid-Autumn Festival tradition in the disorderly place, people will still set off fireworks and visit the night market.
This is especially true for Jiang Li'an, a native Chinese.
The two of them walked together, Violet took Luo Zhen with her, and Weihong walked alone at the end. The five of them ate, drank, and had fun, feeling very comfortable.
As the sky gradually darkened, the five of them arrived at an arch bridge. Leaning against the railing, Wei Hong asked, "Why is the Third Prince free to come out and play today? I couldn't even see the Third Prince in the past few days."
Lu Rongshi happened to be buying a gift for Jiang Li'an and didn't want her to follow. Jiang Li'an thought for a moment, looked at the distant sky, and said with a smile, "She likes to reason with others. If she is right, she will be very arrogant and will not give in. If she thinks she is wrong, she will not fight back when she is beaten or scolded."
As night fell, Lu Rongshi finally came back. When Jiang Li'an was about to ask what gift he bought, there was a sudden explosion in the sky. Brilliant fireworks filled the night sky, making the sky, which had just turned dark, as bright as day.
Jiang Li'an half opened his mouth, but when he realized that Lu Rongshi couldn't hear him at all, he closed his mouth helplessly.
But at this moment, Lu Rongshi took out a diamond ring from his arms, took Jiang Li'an's hand, and spoke extremely clear words into Jiang Li'an's ears.
"Please give me your guidance for the rest of my life."
The fireworks made Lu Rongshi's face look gentle and virtuous, and the pink and white hair danced in the autumn evening breeze. A crystal clear teardrop gently slid down Jiang Li'an's cheek. She never expected that Lu Rongshi had gotten there first.
When the fireworks ended, Jiang Li'an burst into tears. Because of the bright fireworks, no one noticed the two people's little trick. The confidentiality was done very well.
Jiang Li'an took the handkerchief Lu Rongshi handed him and wiped his cheek. Lu Rongshi said, "This is my apology for my indifference to you these past few days."
Jiang Li'an is still speechless. Her consciousness is stuck on the moment when the fireworks burst into life, and the moment when Lu Rongshi's cherry lips moved slightly. She can't come back to her senses for a long time.
She forgot how she returned to the palace that day, and only remembered Lu Rongshi's laughter along the way.
She understood that she should have been a free girl, but her nature was restrained by the world. Only in front of her, her nature was fully revealed. She showed her original appearance to her, and she would accept everything about her.
Everyone returned to their respective quarters. Everyone knew that today was just a moment of peace before the storm.
The author has something to say:
I can actually update daily, I can't believe it myself hahaha
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
