Chapter 113 I’m Not Stupid
When Lu Desheng entered the palace that day, he felt something strange. He always felt that the palace was more depressing than before.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Wei Zili, who had time to come out to greet him, asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's like everything around me is stagnant, making it hard to breathe."
Wei Zili thought to himself, Lord Lu has such a beast-like intuition.
Upon receiving the news of the Crown Prince's death, the Emperor was so enraged that he fainted. Upon waking up, he had already ordered all news to be suppressed. He had not mentioned how the Xie family should be dealt with, and he did not dare to ask. However, it was certain that Xue Huaimin and the Xie family would not get away with it.
He couldn't tell anyone about this deadly thing. If he did, he wouldn't survive past midnight.
Emperor Kangcheng in the palace had already regained his composure. He teased his five-year-old grandson again, then waved his hand and had the nurse take him away. The Crown Prince was born too late, but there was no other way. The Crown Princess gave birth to two daughters in a row and nursed them for a year before giving birth to a son, Song An.
When Lu Desheng saw Song An being held in the arms of the wet nurse, his heart skipped a beat!
Inside the palace, Emperor Kang Cheng's face grew increasingly gloomy. He looked at Lü Desheng and said, "Lord Lü, I have a question for you. Please answer it honestly."
Lu Desheng: What should I do if I have a bad feeling and don’t want to continue?
But Emperor Kang Cheng would not give him a chance. He asked directly, "What would you do if your youngest son killed your eldest son in order to inherit the family business?"
Wei Zili, who was standing by, felt sorry for Lord Lu when he heard this. But when he thought about how the emperor didn't even want him to be buried with him, and was only making things difficult for him, wasn't that right?
When Lü Desheng heard this question, he was so frightened that his three corpses jumped! Your Majesty! How can I listen to this question? Ah! Mother, no, my daughter, something really happened to the prince!
"Your Majesty, I am not stupid." Lu Desheng reminded him gently. You don't think I am stupid, do you? I can associate things!
Emperor Kang Cheng laughed, and his laughter affected his lungs, causing him to cough twice. "Stop talking nonsense and answer properly!"
After not hearing his reply for a long time, Emperor Kang Cheng looked up at him and said, "Hmm?"
Your Majesty, why do you like to embarrass me so much? I don't want to answer this question at all.
Lu Desheng replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, I feel that the little wealth my family has is not enough to make my youngest son so crazy. Bah, bah, bah, I was wrong. It's not crazy, it's... it's..."
Lu Desheng hesitated for a long time but didn't say anything further.
frenzied--
Isn't it insane that Emperor Kang Cheng chewed on these four words?
"Then what will you do?" Emperor Kang Cheng asked persistently.
This is a life-or-death question, right? Which side should he be on? Lu Desheng was so anxious!
If he stood on the Crown Prince's side, he would have offended the Fourth Prince. The Emperor obviously didn't want the Fourth Prince to pay for the Crown Prince's life, otherwise he wouldn't have asked him this question and would have just made the decision. If he stood on the Fourth Prince's side, he would have offended not only the deceased Crown Prince, but also the Emperor!
Lu Desheng understood, and simply closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and replied boldly, "I will definitely punish him severely. This bastard dared to plot against my brother and kill him for this little bit of family property. Who knows if he will kill me, his old father, for that little bit of property someday? I am afraid of death."
Emperor Kang Cheng sighed, saying that the factors considered between the monarch and his subjects were different.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I'm so overwhelmed by this problem."
"Okay, go back! Wei Zili, please help me see him off." Emperor Kang Cheng waved at him. He was exhausted and didn't want to keep him.
Lu Desheng left, looking back every few steps, "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself."
When leaving the palace, Wei Zili took the opportunity to turn sideways and slipped him a small note, which Lu Desheng took without making a sound.
"Lord Lu, you know what you can and cannot say after leaving the palace, right?"
"I understand. I understand."
As soon as Lu Desheng left the palace and boarded his own carriage, he quickly ordered, "Old Li, hurry up, drive faster!"
Old Li received the order and swung the whip in his hand, and the new carriage ran at its fastest speed.
At this time, Lu Songli was studying the information sent back from the Lishan Villa in the study. The Qin family also sent her the information about the Xie and Zhao families that she specifically requested. She needed to sort it out and then extract the information she wanted from it.
After Zhao Bin's information was sent back, she wrote a letter to the Qin family, asking whether the Qin family had collected any information about the Xie and Zhao families over the years. If so, could they make a copy for her?
Qin Heng received Lu Songli's letter. After reading it, he instructed his confidant to share the information that the Qin family had collected over the years about the Xie and Zhao families and the Queen Mother's family.
Send them to the Lu family together.
"Heng, when will Sheng be back?" He had just finished giving instructions when his mother walked in with someone. He was already thirteen years old, and the groom hadn't even tried on a wedding dress. How could that be right?
There were only two days left until the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, so it was no wonder his mother was anxious. He calculated Ah Sheng's speed and thought that if he rushed from Baihe Town to Chang'an City, he should be able to barely get back to Chang'an City in three days, right?
Qin Heng comforted Mrs. Qin and said that Qin Sheng would definitely be able to return to Chang'an City before the 15th.
Mrs. Qin was helpless, but she also knew that no matter how much she said, he would not be able to make Ah Sheng appear.
After Madam Qin left, Qin Heng thought of his now deceased fourth brother, Qin Ming, and felt a tightness in his stomach, even breathing becoming difficult. Silang was only nineteen, twenty even after the new year. Such a promising young man, died in a foreign land. Such an outstanding military commander, not on the battlefield, but in the internal struggles of imperial power...
The Qin Sheng they mentioned was thousands of miles away, traveling in the wind and snow with his fourth brother.
At Wangjing Inn, Qin Sheng dismounted first, then carried his fourth brother into the inn, and Li Wei quickly followed.
As soon as Qin Sheng and his group entered the hotel, all the guests who were staying there for the night stopped moving.
The innkeeper quickly came forward and asked, "My dear soldiers, would you like to stay overnight or have a meal at the inn?"
Li Wei told him, "Arrange a few of us to go to the upper rooms, and then bring some hot water and hot food."
"But—but—" The shopkeeper looked at Qin Sheng and didn't dare to speak. He was holding a corpse, right? A corpse wrapped in horsehide...
Qin Sheng glanced at him calmly and said, "No need to stay in the hotel, just stop by for a meal."
Li Wei arranged for Qin Sheng to stay in the hotel because his body couldn't handle it. Since he said he didn't need it, forget it. The Qin family members are stubborn and difficult to convince them on small matters.
"Then give us some hot water and hot food, take care of the horses, and give us some dry food. Thank you for your help, boss."
Hearing that they would not be staying at the hotel, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, okay, come right away."
"So, sir, do you require a coffin? If so, I can help arrange it." The innkeeper noticed they were wearing the uniforms of Northern soldiers, and their inn was close to the border. They felt the atmosphere of war more than the common people in the heart of Dali, and they had great respect for the soldiers who defended their country.
Li Wei refused, "Thank you for your kindness, boss, but it's not necessary." It would be good to put the fourth young master in a coffin, but carrying the coffin on the road would slow down their progress.
"I'm done eating. I'll wait for you outside." Qin Sheng put down his chopsticks, picked up his fourth brother, and walked out of the lobby.
Li Wei took a look and saw that the Sixth Young Master only used the steamed buns and hot water that were served first. He didn't say anything and told the other brothers to eat quickly because they had to hurry on their journey soon.
After Lu Songli integrated the information, she found that Zhao Bin was not honest. The information he provided was nine true and one false, but it was enough. She would not believe his one-sided words.
After Lu Desheng got home, he went straight to his study.
"My daughter, my daughter, something happened. This time it's really a big accident..."
After Lu Desheng finished speaking, Lu Songli sighed. The prince was not saved after all. And the emperor obviously knew that the prince's death was caused by the fourth prince.
"My daughter, if something happens to the Crown Prince, will the Emperor consider the Crown Prince?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Isn't it just that the emperor talked about the prince that day, and I also brought up your eldest brother, saying that he was not doing well, and also mentioned the idea of training Xiaoxiao. Then today I actually saw the emperor take the prince's eldest son Song An to the Yugan Palace. When the emperor asked me that question just now, I also said that I would severely punish the youngest son..." Lu Desheng's voice became softer as he spoke.
Lu Songli thought to herself, Dad, you are so powerful. You are offending the Fourth Prince over and over again.
"Did the child stay in Yugan Palace for a long time?" she asked.
"Not long. I think I stayed in Yugan Palace for about two quarters of an hour before being sent back to the Crown Princess."
After a moment's reflection, Lu Songli shook her head. Power doesn't disappear, it only transfers. The crown prince's eldest son, Song An, is only five years old. A weak ruler is inevitably accompanied by powerful ministers who abuse their power. Once power is handed over, it's difficult to get it back. She felt that the possibility of establishing a grandson as the crown prince was very small.
On the contrary, it was more likely that the Fourth Prince would be made the heir. Just as her father had judged, the Emperor was at his most irrational and emotional when he received the news of the Crown Prince's death. He had his own considerations for not dealing with the Fourth Prince.
"I'm afraid this fourth prince has some destiny on him." Lu Desheng said angrily. He had offended Emperor Kang Cheng so many times.
She put herself in Emperor Kang Cheng's shoes and thought, "From the emperor's perspective, the crown prince is dead, he is angry, and also worried about who will inherit the throne next. It is true that he knew that the fourth prince killed the crown prince, but it also shows his ability. Among the remaining three princes, he is undoubtedly outstanding." The human heart is very dark.
Lu Desheng curled his lips.
"Putting aside the fact that he plotted to kill the Crown Prince, from a rational point of view, the Fourth Prince is the most suitable to succeed the throne among these three."
Lu Desheng: "Okay."
"Now our Emperor has two choices. One is to choose someone else, the Second Prince, the Third Prince, or even the Crown Prince, to thwart the Fourth Prince's plan and give him a slap in the face!"
Hearing this, Lu Desheng's eyes lit up.
"However, while this is straightforward, it will bring hidden dangers, or even instability, to the Dali Dynasty. Our emperor is a qualified emperor, having reigned for over twenty years and is quite restrained. He would not want to see his ancestors' legacy destroyed by his momentary capriciousness."
Lu Desheng nodded reluctantly and said, "I agree with you." Emperor Kang Cheng was indeed such a person.
Lü Songli suspected that their emperor's reason would eventually prevail over his anger and he would give the Fourth Prince a chance. It was likely that Emperor Kang Cheng was observing the Fourth Prince with a cold eye.
Now it all depends on what the Fourth Prince does. His actions will determine whether he can become the heir and also determine the severity of the punishment he will receive.
Lu Desheng smacked his lips and said, "If the Fourth Prince succeeds to the throne, then the Crown Prince's death would be truly unjust."
Politics is so cruel.
"Yes, it's precisely because the Crown Prince died unjustly that Emperor Kangcheng, out of guilt, will have more people buried with him." Speaking of this, Lu Songli's mood became heavy. The Qin family...
If the emperor wanted to protect the fourth prince, then the matter of the brothers Ni Qiang could not be brought to light. Otherwise, the new emperor would not be able to gain the throne legitimately, and it would be difficult to convince the people, which would easily lead to future troubles.
"And those ministers around the Fourth Prince who seek to serve the emperor will surely bear the emperor's wrath."
Lu Desheng nodded. "That's right. These daring people have murdered the crown prince. Can the emperor forgive them?"
"Wait, when I left the palace just now, Wei Zili secretly slipped me a note. Let me see it." He said as he took out the note from the clothespin.
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