Chapter 127 I'll Do It
Qin Heng and his brothers, relying on their youth and strength, handed over half of the straw, leaving the other half for Qin Han and Qin Yu.
Mrs. Qin felt sorry for her sons and didn't plan to have any children. She just wanted to make things difficult for herself.
"Don't worry, Mom. Someone should bring something over later." Lu Songli said as she skillfully weaved a straw mat. She didn't know what the other relatives of the Qin family were doing, but she was sure that the Lu family would definitely send something over.
"Is that so? Okay."
The Qin family members were quiet. Among the Qin relatives in Chang'an City were Madam Qin's family, the Gu family; Qin Heng's first wife, the Ding family; and Nie Yun's family in Suzhou. Qin Yan and Qin Ming's wives weren't from Chang'an either, and Qin Wulang's wife remarried a year after his death. Some other relatives were more distant.
Lu Songli quickly wove a rough straw mat for Nie Yunniang to lean on so that she wouldn't have to stay close to the damp and cold wall.
"Thank you, sixth sister-in-law." Nie Yunniang smiled gratefully. Ever since the Qin family was raided, her sister-in-law Lu Songli has always taken good care of her and her mother-in-law.
"You're welcome." Lu Songli started to weave the second one.
Qin Jia squatted beside her and handed her some straw. The three Qin brothers followed her example and started weaving straw mats.
Imperial Palace
At noon, Lu Desheng came out of the palace. As soon as his carriage left the palace gate, it was stopped by the Fourth Prince's men.
The Fourth Prince stopped him, with no other intention than to inquire about the will. He first appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, essentially saying that the succession of the dynasty was a matter of great importance and asking him to consider the country more. He also mentioned Emperor Kang Cheng, saying that the emperor had trusted him so much during his lifetime, and asked him to put the greater good first and not betray the late emperor's trust.
Lu Desheng hummed and hawed in response, but in his heart he was thinking, "What business is it of mine whether the Dali Dynasty is in chaos? When you killed the crown prince yourself, weren't you worried about destabilizing the country? What? Before, it wasn't your bowl that was broken, so you didn't feel bad, but now that the bowl is yours, you feel bad?"
Seeing that he was unmoved, the Fourth Prince could only tempt him with benefits, hinting that he could ask for any conditions and he would definitely satisfy them if he could.
Lu Desheng didn't respond, but said with a righteous expression, "Fourth Prince, what you said makes my blood boil. If I really had the will on me right now, I would really want to take it out and present it to you with both hands. I don't have it."
He looked as if there was nothing he could do, and the Fourth Prince looked at him silently.
"Your Highness, how about I leave first? I have to go to the palace in the afternoon to mourn for the late emperor..." Lu Desheng asked in a low voice.
The Fourth Prince had no choice but to let him go.
Watching Lü Desheng's carriage drive away, the Fourth Prince felt a headache. If this problem wasn't resolved and he couldn't justify it, it would leave many troubles. The Emperor had truly left him with a huge dilemma. If Lü Desheng wasn't only eight years younger than the Emperor, he would have suspected that he was the Emperor's biological son who had been living outside the palace. The Emperor was truly too kind to him, even better than his own son!
When Lu Desheng returned home, he heard that the entire Qin family had been imprisoned and would be exiled. He paused while drinking the hot water, as his daughter had anticipated this.
"Go to the prison later to see your daughters, and remember to bring them some supplies. Take the eldest son and his wife to help with the funeral arrangements for the Qin family. I also have to mourn for the late emperor in the palace. I'm sorry to trouble you with these matters."
Jiang agreed to all of them.
Lu Desheng thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong. He nodded secretly and decided that there would be no problem if he acted according to his daughter's plan.
Lu Songli was right. Not long after, someone came to see them.
The first to arrive were the Lu family. Jiang came with her eldest son. After taking care of the jailer, they brought their belongings in smoothly.
As Jiang was taking things out, she said, "I can't bring in too many nice things, or they'll be too conspicuous, and the jailers won't allow it."
Two old mattresses, more than twenty boiled eggs, a dozen steamed buns and dumplings, a bowl of chicken soup, and even some laundry for Nie Yunniang, filling up a full basket.
The chicken soup was prepared considering her daughter's frail body, Mrs. Qin's poor health, and the presence of Mrs. Qin Sansao, a pregnant woman, so she thought she had to bring a bowl of it no matter what.
"Mother-in-law, it's already very good." Mrs. Qin was very grateful. It is said that true friendship is shown in times of adversity. They are benefiting from Xiaoliu's wife.
"It's just that the child's father and the fourth child just passed away, and this chicken soup..." As she spoke, Mrs. Qin's eyes became moist.
Jiang slapped her forehead and said, "It's my fault. I only thought about your bodies not being able to take it anymore and need to replenish them."
Qin Heng, who was in the prison next door, made the decision at this time, "No, aunt, thank you for thinking about us. Mother, drink it. My third sister-in-law just gave birth, and you and my sixth sister-in-law are not in good health. Father and fourth brother will understand." Their family has suffered a great disaster, and they don't know what will happen next. A healthy body is very important.
In special times, filial piety or not lies in the heart, not in these forms.
As the eldest son, Qin Heng made the final decision and took on all the responsibilities.
Lu Songli took the initiative to divide the food among the children. The children were already very hungry. After getting permission to eat, they took the food and started eating.
The three of them divided the chicken soup. Since they were all in poor health, they decided not to push it around. After Lu Songli said goodbye to them, she drank a third of the soup and handed it to Madam Qin. Madam Qin took two or three sips and gave the rest to Nie Yunniang.
The three Qin brothers wanted to eat less and leave the food for them.
However, Lu Songli thought that it would be enough to leave two steamed buns for emergency use, and the rest of the food he ate was his.
Jiang specially picked out the largest meat bun and handed it to the son-in-law next to her.
Qin Sheng was stunned when he suddenly saw a big hot meat bun in front of him.
Mrs. Jiang: "Take it and eat it." What this child has been through recently is heartbreaking.
Lu Songli laughed silently, and the other members of the Qin family couldn't help laughing.
Jiang began to ramble on about the outside news. "Your sister-in-law and Mingzhi are at the Qin residence for the funeral. Wu Chunyu is still counting the Qin family's belongings, so the Qin residence is sealed off. We tried our best to persuade him, and out of respect for Commander Lin and Deputy Commander Sheng, Wu Chunyu finally allocated a secluded courtyard for us to hold the funeral. Naturally, all the belongings in the courtyard were moved out."
"And your father has also left the palace. The Fourth Prince's accession to the throne was not smooth, and the Second Prince and Prince Jin both questioned his legitimacy. Wei Zili informed the ministers that the late emperor actually left three wills. Currently, only the one in Prince Gong's hand has been produced, and the remaining two have not appeared..."
The Qin family listened silently.
Just then, the jailer came in and told them that visiting time was almost up and asked them to hurry up and say whatever they wanted to say.
Jiang thought about it and felt that she had explained everything she needed to, so she said goodbye to her daughter and left quickly.
After Jiang left, someone from the Gu family came and brought them some food and a thick coat. They left immediately after delivering the things.
Mrs. Qin's parents had passed away long ago, and now her eldest brother and his wife were in charge of the family, so their relationship naturally faded. Moreover, her brother and his wife were timid and afraid of being implicated by the Qin family. Mrs. Qin was already very satisfied that they could come to see her at this time.
Someone from the Ding family also came and brought two thick hats, two small mattresses, and food, all suitable for children. It was obvious that this was all for the sake of the two children.
Someone from the Hu family also came. The second daughter of the Hu family was the second wife that Qin Heng planned to marry. The other party came empty-handed to explain that the engagement was cancelled.
The other party wanted to cancel the engagement, and Qin Heng didn't want to drag them down, so he agreed without saying anything.
Lu Songli estimated that the things these groups of people brought were just enough for them to cope with the cold winter night. After asking Madam Qin and Nie Yunniang, she decided to divide the things among them.
The sudden change, coupled with the attitudes of these relatives, made Mrs. Qin feel a little sad.
Madam Qin took Lu Songli's hand and whispered to her, "Ali, you are a good child. Although you and Asheng are married, you haven't consummated your marriage yet. If you have the chance to leave here, please leave. I will ask Asheng to write a letter of divorce for you. I believe that after you leave the Qin family, you will be able to find a good home and don't have to suffer with us."
Mrs. Qin's voice was very low, but the three Qin brothers were all martial artists, and their five senses were sharper than ordinary people, so they naturally heard every word she said.
Qin Sheng clenched his fists and held his breath, waiting for Lu Songli's answer.
Without much thought, Lu Songli replied, "Mom, there's no need to say that. I won't leave."
She and her father had analyzed that after Emperor Kang Cheng's death, the Lu family's situation would not be much better.
So many ministers were ordered to be buried with the emperor by Kang Cheng, even the emperor's uncle was not spared, yet her father survived, which was already quite conspicuous. The empress dowager had lost her brother, and her anger must have been directed at her father. Add to that the new emperor who had no good feelings towards their Lu family, tsk tsk, who knows what it's like to try it?
In fact, her father had already packed up his things and was ready to resign and run away. He knew too well what it was like to be favored and not favored. If you were favored, you could act tyrannically and nothing would happen. If you were not favored, you would be in trouble at any time, and you might be thrown into prison or even beheaded at any time.
The next day, they ate the cold, even greasy, prison food, which was rather bland. The remaining food from the relatives who had visited them the previous day was shared among the children and the women. The three Qin brothers were eating authentic prison food. Aside from the lack of glutinous rice, it looked and tasted like pig food. The jailer had specially selected it for them, considering the extra money the Qin family had made them yesterday.
Qin Heng said, "We should leave Chang'an as soon as possible and go to the place of exile." He couldn't stay in this prison forever. There was not much point in staying there. He also felt it was better to leave now, as the court was in chaos. Otherwise, after the new emperor successfully ascended the throne, he would have freed up his hands, which would be even more disadvantageous to their Qin family.
The problem now is that the wealth confiscated from the Qin Mansion does not match the accounts, and Wu Chunyu is afraid of being held responsible, so he probably won't let them leave Chang'an easily.
Lu Songli asked softly, "Brother, is it?" Be prepared.
Qin Heng nodded slightly.
Coincidentally, she had made the corresponding preparations. Lu Songli also felt that this was the perfect time to leave.
Although it is icy and snowy outside and the road to exile is not easy, if you have made other preparations, it will definitely be better than staying in prison or Chang'an.
Once you leave Chang'an, the sky is high enough for birds to fly and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap.
If you stay in Chang'an, you will be at the mercy of others.
Now that Emperor Kangcheng has passed away, the fourth prince is undoubtedly the heir. Neither the new emperor nor the Empress Dowager has a favorable impression of them. Even if they use their power to counterattack, it will not change the current negative feelings of the country's top leaders towards them.
They have soft power, but their hard power has not been developed.
They have to go out.
Yes, Lu Songli had no doubt that the Fourth Prince would eventually ascend the throne legitimately, even though his ascension to the throne was somewhat hindered by the fact that his father's will and the will of another person had not been produced.
But Lü Songli felt that Emperor Kangcheng must have a backup plan. He would allow her father to exploit this incident to gain some small benefits, but he would not allow her father to hold on to the will and cause unrest. Therefore, the Qin and Lü families had to take advantage of the new emperor's continued turmoil to successfully leave Chang'an.
"Brother, have you made your decision?" Lu Songli confirmed.
"Um."
"I'll take care of it." Lu Songli said this with a smile. The light flashing in her eyes made people feel bright and warm, as if success was just around the corner.
Qin Heng smiled and said, "Okay, then you try it first." If it doesn't work, he will think of another way. As for what method, he has some idea.
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