Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Killing All Around

Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Killing All Around

The Lu family did not return to Lu Xusheng until noon the next day.

The old lady hadn't slept a wink all night, lying listlessly on the bed, unable to muster up any energy. The first wife was also exhausted, with wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes. The people in the second house were all the same, and the second wife couldn't even hide her happiness. Even the third wife could only pretend to be worried.

Today was supposed to be the old lady's 61st birthday. It was a grand celebration last year, so not much food was prepared this year. However, something happened yesterday, and the Lu family announced to the outside world that they would not host a banquet. Only the closest in-laws came to visit.

The two aunts of the Lu family came back. One was the eldest master's daughter, the eldest girl Lu Shutao, who married into the family of Wei, the Minister of Honglu Temple. She hugged the eldest lady with her eyes swollen like peaches from crying. The other was Lu Xusheng's biological sister, the second girl Lu Shuwan, who married into the family of the Minister of Rites. Like the two wives, the two daughters, who were their mother's confidants, had never been on good terms with each other.

When Lu Xusheng returned home, he saw the front hall full of people, all staring at him eagerly, as if he were a great immortal.

The new housekeeper Qi respectfully welcomed everyone into the hall. In the warm room on the east side of the main hall, the old lady sat at the top, the eldest wife was at the lower left, the second wife was at the lower right, and the third wife and her two daughters sat next to Cheng Yian.

After waiting for Lu Xusheng for a long time yesterday, the third elder took the eldest son Lu Yunsheng out to make connections. When they heard that Lu Xusheng had returned, they hurried back home. The family members sat down and looked at Lu Xusheng.

"Xusheng, what's wrong? Is your uncle okay?"

The one who spoke the most was the third elder, Lu Ming. He was a sincere man and very respectful to his two elder brothers. Whenever the family needed him, he would do his best.

The old lady left a seat for Lu Xusheng, but Lu Xusheng did not sit down. Instead, she asked a steward from Hang, who was left by his father, to bring an armchair and sit at the southernmost side. When the tea was brought to him, Lu Xusheng slowly opened the lid of the teapot and blew on the tea. Perhaps because he thought the tea was too hot, he put it down again and replied,

"Not very good."

The eldest wife's heart skipped a beat, she held her handkerchief to her eyes and cried, "Is the case serious?"

Lu Xusheng looked at Cheng Yian and replied, "I was in the military camp yesterday. I came back in the middle of the night and heard about this, so I went to the palace to inquire about it. I just came back from my father-in-law."

He said in a serious tone, "The landslide was not serious, but it happened to flood two canal ships and almost caused a loss of life. Fortunately, those officials and sailors discovered it in time and jumped into the water. Otherwise, my uncle would not be in the Censorate now, but in the Ministry of Justice."

"And these two ships are carrying tribute from the Textile Bureau. The ladies in the palace are wearing new clothes for New Year's Eve. How can the Textile Bureau get the best ones now? The officials of the Textile Bureau are cursing in front of Zhengyang Gate and have written three letters to force the emperor to conduct a strict investigation of shoddy work and half-finished projects. Everyone in the Ministry of Works is in danger now."

The eldest lady was confused and only cared about one question, "Then... can it be saved?"

Who would have thought that Lu Xusheng would just open his eyes and then droop them and continue drinking his tea.

The eldest lady was confused about his attitude for a moment, and looked at her son. The eldest son Lu Yunsheng smiled.

"Second brother, you have connections in the palace and a lot of influence, can you think of a way to turn things around?"

Lu Xusheng suddenly raised his eyes and looked at the mother and son indifferently.

“Why should I think of a solution?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the room suddenly became tense as if a hailstorm had fallen.

The eldest lady and the old lady looked at each other and realized that things seemed different from what they expected.

"Xusheng..." The eldest lady's mouth corners were trembling, and she squeezed out a smile, "He... is your uncle, we are all family members, you can't just watch him get into trouble, right?"

"Why can't I?" Lu Xusheng's eyes were indifferent, like a sharp blade slashing at him, his slender fingers gently fiddling with the tea cake, with an indescribable leisurely look.

The second daughter, Lu Shuwan, saw her brother's expression and realized that he had no intention of helping the eldest son. She immediately became happy and said without hesitation,

"Aunt, you are not ashamed to say that we are a family. When my father died in the war and Xusheng was missing, did you care about our second branch at all? Not only did you not feel sorry for my father and Xusheng, you even took advantage of Xusheng's misfortune and took advantage of his misfortune to kill him.

In the capital, he tricked the old lady into going to the palace to snatch my father's title."

"You were able to do it back then, how dare you come to us to beg for help now?"

Upon hearing this, the eldest lady fell back and collapsed completely in the armchair. Her face was pale and she seemed to be out of breath.

So...it turned out that he was waiting for them here.

The fig leaf was lifted, and all the dignity was lost. All the family ties were torn into pieces by interests.

The eldest lady turned her back, leaned back in the armchair and wept silently.

The eldest girl Lu Shutao stared at Lu Xusheng blankly, mumbling in silence. The eldest son Lu Yunsheng was extremely ashamed, not knowing whether to stand or sit. Finally, he sighed heavily.

"oops!"

However, the eldest young lady Liu was always in a state of confusion. She turned and looked up at the old lady at the top of the table.

"Grandma, no matter what, we can't just watch our father go to jail. We have to find a way to save him."

After hearing what Lu Shuwan said and looking at Lu Xusheng's attitude, the old lady knew that there was no way to turn things around today. This family was just taking this matter out to vent their anger. She pulled her old face and snorted coldly.

"Alright, don't complain. There were reasons for what happened back then. His Majesty has his reasons for agreeing. If your second branch had done nothing wrong, His Majesty would not have wasted his relationship with Chang'er and made such a decision."

In other words, it was still a blame for Second Wife Wang's failure to stand completely on the side of Duke Lu's Mansion and support His Majesty.

The second wife laughed angrily, "Really? I've only heard of the title being passed to the son, but never to the elder brother. You are partial to the eldest son and you are plotting against us, so there is no need to hide it."

The old lady said angrily, "Did His Majesty wrong you? When Xusheng came back, didn't His Majesty immediately make him the Crown Prince? This Duke's Mansion will eventually be handed over to Xusheng."

At this point, the old lady suddenly looked like this, "Alright, if you want to watch me die without helping me, I have nothing to say. Someone, go get my lady's jewelry. I want to go to the palace to see the Empress."

At this point, the eldest young master said with a gloomy face, "Grandmother, you don't have to go. My grandson has already gone to Chen Hou's mansion. He said that this matter is serious and both palaces are angry. It's not easy to settle the matter."

The old lady was stunned.

What was destroyed by the grain boat were the new clothes that the female members of the palace were wearing on New Year's Eve. As the mistress of the six palaces, if Empress Chen protected the offending officials, the Empress Dowager would not be able to explain herself, and neither would the concubines in the palace. Empress Chen could not possibly make herself unpopular for the sake of the Lu family, so she rejected the Lu family's request for an audience early on through the Chen Marquis Mansion.

When the old lady realized this, her face turned completely green. She regretted that she had said such harsh words just now. Now she had to lower her face and beg for mercy. She was so embarrassed that her forehead flushed. She closed her eyes and pretended to faint. But Lu Xusheng couldn't just stand by and watch.

Unfortunately, the old lady fainted, so only the people in the main room were busy and crying, while Lu Xusheng and others sat there motionless. He even looked at Cheng Yian,

"Since the old lady is ill, let's not bother her anymore, ma'am, let's go back to our room..."

When the old lady heard this, she sat up in a panic and burst into tears,

"Xusheng, don't go!"

Lu Xusheng had already stood up and looked at her calmly, "What do you want, old lady?"

The old lady was no longer able to care about her face. She cried and said, "Xusheng, after all, this matter still depends on you. Tell me, what should I do to save your uncle?"

The old lady was still able to save face and stopped putting on airs. She knew that she had no other way out today except to beg for mercy, so she stopped being reserved.

Lu Xusheng sat down again, leaning his slender figure lazily against the backrest, smiling slowly, "What do you say?"

This tone is not normal...

The old lady's heart skipped a beat again, and she exchanged glances with the first wife.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both very nervous at this time. What did Lu Xusheng want?

Isn't it obvious?

But are we going to give up this fat piece of meat that we just got?

How is that possible?

The eldest lady's heart was bleeding, and she had even begun to weigh the pros and cons between her husband and the family business.

But when she thought about it, once her husband was gone, once he was no longer on duty, would she be able to keep the family business going?

The eldest lady was overwhelmed with grief and cried while hugging her daughter.

The old lady understood very well at this time that family property and donations were secondary. If she gave them away, as long as her son's official position could be preserved and the title remained, everything would be possible.

She immediately ordered her daughter-in-law, "Old man, go get all the account keys and give them to Xusheng."

Even if the eldest lady was unwilling, she had no choice for the sake of her husband. She looked at her daughter-in-law with tears in her eyes and motioned Liu to do it.

Liu sighed and went to the cashier's office.

After a while, a long table was placed in the hall. Liu and her men brought in more than ten account books of different sizes, as well as an iron box containing the keys to the bank, the warehouse, and the keys to the gates of each courtyard.

Lu Xusheng glanced at Butler Hang beside him and said, "Go check the accounts."

At this time, Butler Hang took out a booklet from his pocket and walked forward to find the general account book, which recorded all the assets of the Duke's Mansion, including farmlands, hills, shops, houses, etc.

When Lu Xusheng decided to take back the family business after his rebirth, he instructed Butler Hang to secretly find out the details of the entire Duke's Mansion. Naturally, he has found out most of it in the past few months.

When the eldest lady saw that Butler Hang had a booklet in his hand, she felt something was wrong and stretched her neck.

Sure enough, Butler Hang stopped at the first page and turned back to Lu Xusheng and said,

"Your Highness, the number of shops on Lower Street is wrong. There are only eight shops here, but in fact, there are fifteen shops in the hands of our Duke."

The Duke mentioned here naturally refers to Lu Xusheng's father Lu Chang.

Lu Xusheng glanced at the eldest lady quietly.

The lady's heart was pounding, "It shouldn't be that serious..." She racked her brains to think of how to get away with it.

"Yes, it shouldn't be that serious..." The Second Madam smiled sarcastically at this time, "When I was in charge, the accounts were all clear. It's only been three years, and my sister-in-law has swallowed up so much of the industry. She is indeed a black-hearted evil woman!"

"You..." The first lady wanted to retort, but when she saw Lu Xusheng's sharp eyes, she suddenly lost all her confidence and burst into tears.

"Xusheng, I'll be honest with you. Over the years, your uncle has been trying to make the Lu family prosperous. He has been taking jobs here and there to expand his business. He has made friends with many of the people in the palace. You know that they all need money to get in. All these shops are lost by your uncle..."

Lu Xusheng smiled coolly and said, "Then take out the account and calculate it one by one. After you finish, we can discuss the matter of my great uncle."

The eldest son, Lu Yunsheng, was so ashamed that he looked at his mother with tears in his eyes, "Mom, you have to spit out what you shouldn't have taken. If you continue to be so stubborn, you will make it impossible for your son to live a normal life."

The eldest lady's heart trembled when she saw her son begging.

When Lu Xusheng returned to Beijing, the emperor promised him the title of crown prince, and the first lady had her own plans. Although the eldest master vowed to keep the title, the first lady did not trust his ability, so she secretly transferred a lot of properties to her own name, so that she could take over the family property for her son in the future. But now that she has been caught, she has to confess. She was heartbroken and ordered her confidant nanny, "Go, go and get the deeds of those shops..."

Soon the deeds were brought in, but they were just deeds. Steward Hang smiled at the young master while holding a few dry deeds.

"Master, these shops have been in the hands of the first wife since the year before last. I have calculated that if we only count the rent, it would be one thousand taels of silver a year. These seven shops should bring in seven thousand taels, and fourteen thousand taels in two years."

The eldest lady jumped up and said, "Nonsense, where did so much money come from? This place is not well managed and has made a loss this year...Xusheng, if I had coveted so much money, I would not believe Tang!"

Lu Xusheng didn't waste his time talking to her and told Xu Yi, "Go report to the police."

Upon hearing the report to the police, the eldest son Lu Yunsheng knelt down, hugged his mother's legs, and cried bitterly,

"Mom, please don't be confused. Quickly give up the stolen property. We can't do this!"

The eldest daughter, Lu Shutao, also advised that if she reported the matter to the police, she, as a daughter, would have no face in the Wei family in the future, so it would be better to do it in a dignified manner.

The eldest lady was so frightened at this time that she was at a loss of her wits. She asked the nanny to open the box and take out the silver, and when she saw with her own eyes the thick stack of banknotes being handed into the hands of Butler Hang, she was so angry that she could only breathe out but not breathe in. She thought to herself, she was like a hedgehog that had been plucked of its fur and skin by Lu, leaving only its naked flesh and bones.

Cheng Yian looked at the listless eldest lady and shook his head.

Therefore, the prosperity of a family is directly related to the character of the head of the family.

Look at what her father did, and then look at the first lady and her husband... forget it, just compare them together, it would be an insult to her father.

Cheng Yian continued to drink tea, thinking in his heart that it was fortunate that Lu Xusheng took over in time. If things continued to go on like this, the Duke Lu's Mansion would become an empty shell and the prestige of the Duke's Mansion would be completely destroyed.

From now on, this Duke's Mansion will belong to her child. She has to learn from her father and second brother and make the Lu family prosperous.

.

As he was thinking this, Butler Hang came up with another problem.

"Your Highness, one of the farms in Changshu, Jiangnan, is missing. There were originally five farms, but now there are only four. Furthermore, the number of acres among these four farms is incorrect."

Upon hearing this, the eldest lady immediately waved her hands, "Xusheng, this is really none of my business. This is your uncle's loss, but he didn't do it on purpose. It's just that natural disasters keep happening..."

The eldest lady was very confident at this moment. She quickly took out a book from the account books and flipped through a few pages.

"Look, it's recorded here. The first year, the crop was reduced. The second year, a locust plague hit the farm. The tenants also needed to survive, so they had no choice but to sell the farm. They moved the tenants to this farm, and only then did they save the farm..."

Lu Xusheng interrupted her with a cold look.

"Aunt, no one forced you to take over the Duke's Mansion, right? If there are any losses at my hands, it's mine. Since you have the ability to seize the industry, you must have the ability to bear the profits and losses."

"No need to negotiate. You should compensate us for the loss!"

When the eldest lady heard what he said, she fell down into the armchair, her face completely pale.

Lu Xusheng finished his cup of tea and signaled the butler to continue pouring tea.

But he didn't know that if you look into the private vaults of these grandmothers and wives in the Lu family, you will find that they are all very rich. Where did their money come from? Apart from their dowries, the rest must have come from the public treasury.

Lu Xusheng was not used to them.

The eldest lady frowned and refused.

Lu Xusheng sat there indifferently, his eyes calm and peaceful, like a deep pool without ripples. "I'm in a good mood right now, so hurry up and finish the job. Otherwise, you won't get away with it later."

The eldest lady said angrily, "What else can you do? Can you take my life?"

Lu Xusheng suddenly smiled. He was always stern and stern, but this smile was narrow and deep, and somewhat shocking.

"Based on what you have done in the Lu family over the years, as the head of the Lu family, I will give you a letter of divorce, and you will have nothing to say."

A smell of blood welled up in the eldest lady's throat, and a chill ran from her feet to her brow.

She suddenly remembered a rumor that said, "Don't offend Lu Xusheng if you want to offend anyone." This was a prophecy known to everyone in Northern Qi, but she, a member of the Lu family, actually ignored it.

He was completely relieved now and waved his hands helplessly, asking his trusted nanny to take out the money.

After the final calculation, the eldest lady gave the public property a piece of her own land and took out two thousand taels of silver to make up for the loss. Now, all the little bit of money she had was taken away by him.

The Second Lady looked at her calm and composed son and had never felt so proud.

More than three years ago, the Lu family's subsidy was in her hands. She felt that being the head of the family was difficult at that time, but her husband was a peacemaker who was devoted to the country and the people. He didn't care about this three mu of land at all. He just said "let him be", which made her work hard during the day and sigh at night, and had difficulty walking.

It was different when it came into the hands of his son. Look at this outburst, it was clear and coherent, his technique was skillful, it was so satisfying, and even the depression that had accumulated in his heart for many years was swept away.

Butler Hang continued to check. Now everyone in the room focused their eyes on the pair of hands that were neither slender nor fair, fearing that his fingers might stop and cause some damage again.

Not only the eldest wife, the eldest mistress, and the eldest master, but even the old lady was a little scared.

I didn't notice it in the past, but now I see that when this grandson gets ruthless, he is like a soft knife peeling off the skin, cutting it piece by piece, which is terrifying.

A group of people were standing outside the house, and everyone was watching the battle to seize the house.

Those stewards who had always followed the orders of the eldest lady and her husband couldn't help but wonder, now that the eldest lady has been skinned, will it be their turn in the future?

The warm room was extremely quiet. Apart from the occasional noise from Cheng Yian stirring the bird's nest, no one else dared to make a sound.

Fortunately, Butler Hang checked the pages one by one and did not make any sound for a long time.

Finally, Butler Hang turned around and saluted Lu Xusheng.

"My Lord, I have nothing else left, it's almost the same, only this last bit of money is left."

The eldest lady's breath of resentment rose again.

"What silver?"

Butler Hang said, "The last time the Duke of Guo checked the accounts before he passed away, there were 48,000 taels of silver in the account book, but now there are only 35,000 taels in the public account book."

The thirty thousand taels here were probably confiscated by the Hao family.

The eldest lady almost slipped off the armchair when she heard the words. She held her children's arms tightly and looked at Lu Xusheng with tears in her eyes.

"Xusheng, this is not my fault. I have worked hard for the past three years, even though I have no credit. If you want me to pay for this, why don't you just take my life..."

Lu Xusheng sat in an armchair, leaning forward. The light from above shone down from the eaves of the door, falling on his back and broad shoulders. The colorful lights cast a layer of gorgeous halo around him. His face was hidden in the flickering light, and his narrow eyes were sharp.

His gaze swept across them calmly, from the first lady to the eldest young lady Liu, and finally fell on the old lady.

When the old lady saw those uncertain eyes looking at her, she shuddered all over.

"Resurrection?"

Lu Xusheng smiled again, straightened up, and even spoke in a calm voice.

"Grandmother insisted on giving the family property and title to the eldest branch of the family. Now it's time for retribution. Shouldn't you pay back the family property that your son has lost?"

The old lady's face suddenly changed, and she said angrily, "You want me to make up for these losses?" Without waiting for Lu Xusheng to answer, the old lady showed a vicious look on her face.

"I'm telling you, don't threaten me. If you have the guts, give me a letter of divorce. I want to see how the civil and military officials in the court view you. How can you, a disloyal and unfilial person, who dares to divorce even your own grandmother, survive in the court?"

Lu Xusheng's eyes were dark and his voice was full of laughter.

"Don't panic, old lady. Your grandson would never do such a rebellious thing."

The old lady breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she had supported Lu Xusheng.

Unexpectedly, the handsome man said something that made her jump in a calm and unhurried manner.

"However, since the loss cannot be made up, I will not save this uncle."

This is still a threat to her!

The old lady was so angry that her teeth were bared and her eyes were clenched. She hammered Luohan's bed several times.

"What sin have I committed to give birth to so many unfilial sons and grandsons, who will make me angry when I get old."

The eldest son, Lu Yunsheng, knelt before her and cried.

"Grandma, please, please save my father from prison."

The old lady couldn't do anything to Lu Xusheng, so she could only vent her anger on Lu Yunsheng.

"You are also a loser. If you had passed the imperial examination, I could have asked the Empress to grant you an important position, and you wouldn't be controlled by others today."

What can I do?

Lu Xusheng is holding me at my weakest point.

The old lady covered her chest with her hands, sighed and shook her head, and asked someone to get the silver.

Thirteen thousand taels.

He took away most of her savings. Who can she rely on for her life in the future?

She has always relied on the eldest master, and she has no choice but to save him.

A quarter of an hour later, the money was handed to Butler Hang.

All the accounts are almost clear.

There was only one place left, and Butler Hang told Lu Xusheng,

"My Lord, there is nothing else. It is just the list of rents collected from various places this year. The housekeeper has it, but it is not complete. Some are still on the way."

At this time, Lu Xusheng turned his gaze to the large group of managers waiting outside the doorstep. Some of them were his father's subordinates, and most of them were from the eldest master's side. Now they didn't care about what was going on, and Lu Xusheng got angry.

"You have seen today that the Lu family paid the rent they deserved. If they pay even one cent less, you know how powerful I am."

How could you not know?

The lifeblood of the entire Duke's Mansion is in this man's hands. If he makes another mistake, not only will he lose his future but also his life.

They are all people whose whole family relies on the Lu family for work.

"Don't worry, my lord. As long as it's something I'm in charge of, there won't be any mistakes."

"Yes, yes, the brown rice harvested this year is all in the warehouse on Lower Street. I'll sort it out again and send you a brand new list."

"I am in charge of the furs. I will send the final account to you and the young mistress."

Everyone below nodded in agreement and no one dared to talk back.

As for the leather and seafood items that were privately stored by the eldest lady, needless to say they would have to be picked out one by one.

The reason why Lu Xusheng asked someone to call the manager here was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

He didn't have time to deal with them one by one, so he picked them up first and shocked them a little, and then dealt with the rest of the disobedient ones.

But Cheng Yian saw clearly that Lu Xusheng was paving the way for her.

Look, this man is very powerful. He can shake up the entire Duke's Mansion with just a flick of his finger.

If he had been more attentive in her previous life, she wouldn't have suffered so much.

Later they got divorced.

Cheng Yian snorted coldly.

The man who had just killed so many people suddenly felt nervous when he heard his wife snort.

What did he do wrong to offend this ancestor?