Chapter 21 The Lu Family's Eldest Sister
Chapter 21
At this moment, Xie Zhan just smiled at his father's praise, and then slowly packed up the chess pieces.
Xie Mingtang stood up and patted his son on the shoulder. "Son, Dad knows what to do. Leave the rest to me."
Then, he paced excitedly in his quiet room, sharing his initial plan with his son: they could secretly train a "sword" for the emperor—a replacement for Lü Desheng. Then, they could lure Lü Desheng away from his position, perhaps by having him go into mourning. During this time, the trained "sword" would be presented to the emperor. Upon his return, the emperor would no longer rely on him, and they could then find a fault to punish him.
Xie Zhan's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this. He thought it would be better to flatter someone and then get several ministers to jointly submit a petition to promote Lu Desheng first. Boiling a frog in warm water was better than luring the tiger away from its mountain and arousing the other party's defensiveness.
Xie Mingtang was a little hesitant. The method proposed by his son was to praise to death and praise at the same time. He used the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain, which was also to move Lu Desheng away. He was afraid that when he discussed with other people, they would most likely choose to use the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain. After all, those who wanted to take action hated Lu Desheng to death. How could they tolerate his promotion?
The father and son came out of the quiet room, and Xie Zhan finally told him, "Dad, Lu Desheng is not difficult to deal with, but we can't do it by ourselves." Who knows how many more cards he has in his hand?
"Also, if you haven't found a good sword to replace Lu Desheng, don't act rashly." Otherwise, it will be counterproductive.
"Okay, Dad has remembered it."
Xie Zhan finally left with a frown on his face. He had a plan, and he'd explained everything he needed to, but he wasn't optimistic. He felt an inexplicable weight on his heart. His future father-in-law was a lucky charm, having come from a commoner background, yet he'd made it this far. It felt like the heavens were blessing him. It was just a shame he was the only one in the Lu family who could see clearly.
Xie Zhan was still young and didn't realize that no matter how good a method was, it wouldn't be 100% effective if it wasn't implemented properly.
Lu Songli didn't have this kind of worry. The most important and core parts of the plan she made for her father were all carried out by her father. Her father's fighting ability was also very strong.
Xie Mingtang silently watched his eldest son leave, then turned and went to the study, where three or four people were already waiting. One of them was the elder of the Xie family, and the other was Zhao Wenkuan, the head of the Zhao family!
When Xie Mingtang came in, he nodded at him.
"How is it?" The elder of the Xie family asked first.
"A Zhan finally spoke out."
"Very good."
"What Lu Desheng did today made my legs tremble. This man is too crazy. Our Xie family has to be on guard."
"We already have a way to deal with him. Let him be proud for two days."
Zhao Wenkuan was tantalized by what he heard, desperate to know what method would eliminate Lu Desheng. But he knew what to ask and what not to ask. At the same time, he was incredibly pleased with Xie Zhan, his future son-in-law.
With the good news, Zhao Wenkuan was in a good mood to joke around. He immediately brought up the incident where Lv Desheng was hit with rotten eggs.
"Oh, by the way, I bet you haven't heard yet. Lu Desheng was hit with rotten eggs at the gate when he was returning home from court."
The study was quiet at first, and then became lively.
"Okay, who did it?"
"It's what he deserves. He offends people every day."
"I guess one of my colleagues couldn't stand it anymore and ordered someone to do it."
As they spoke, they all looked at Zhao Wenkuan intentionally or unintentionally.
Zhao Wenkuan: No, what do you mean? Are you suspecting him? But it really wasn't him, even though he wanted to do it.
"Oh, then isn't Lu Desheng very embarrassed?"
"No. Not a single rotten egg fell on him." Zhao Wenkuan was also depressed when he mentioned the result.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Did you know that you are indirectly praising him for turning danger into safety?
"Indeed, I don't know who hired this person, but his ability to do things is obviously not good enough."
*******
At the Lu family's side, after lunch, Lu Songli took her people and the gifts her mother prepared for her eldest sister, and went out in a carriage.
This was Lu Songli's first time out since she traveled here, not counting the night she fell into the water. It was late at night when she was returning to the Lu family home from Prince Gong's residence. The road was pitch black, and she couldn't see a thing. Plus, she was unwell at the time, so she stayed in the carriage the entire time and had no idea what was happening outside.
Most of the streets in Chang'an are paved with bluestone slabs. They are not very spacious and cannot be compared with the six-lane or eight-lane highways of later times, but they are ancient and charming. Lü Songli likes them very much.
The horse gallops in the spring breeze, and all the flowers in Chang'an can be seen in one day.
The sun was shining brightly at this moment, and the breeze was not dry. Lu Songli was in a good mood and was enjoying the street scene.
Seeing her looking at the street scene with great interest, Mo Bing hesitated for a moment and asked, "Second Miss, there is a shortcut from here to Baodingfang. We used to take the shortcut, and it gets us there faster than taking this street now."
Lu Songli was lifting the carriage curtain and looking outside. Upon hearing this, she refused without turning back and said, "No need to take a shortcut. Let's just go there slowly." She was not in a hurry.
"Yes." Mo Bing signaled the driver to go straight, it would not be a big deal to spend an extra quarter of an hour.
Lu Songli saw someone selling candied haws on the street, and she asked Mo Bing to buy some and wrap them in oil paper. This was for her nephew.
After passing the busiest streets and heading out of the city, Lu Songli sat back in the carriage obediently, because there was really nothing to see: low houses, bumpy dirt roads, and bare farmland.
With nothing to do, she thought of her elder sister whom she would soon meet and sighed slightly.
Her eldest sister, Lu Songyun, married six years ago and is currently in confinement after giving birth to her third child. Lu Songyun admires the idea of having two children in three years and three in five years, but she also knows that this was the norm in ancient times. Once a woman married, she would have children immediately, without any thought of contraception, and her belly would never rest. For many women, the moment they were able to have children, they considered themselves dead.
Her eldest sister was only 22 years old, and she had already given birth to three children. Lu Songli calculated that her eldest sister married and had her first child at 16, which was also a sin. At this age, many girls' bodies are not fully developed, so there are always people who say that giving birth is like going through the gates of hell. Isn't that true?
Lu Songli has read some information and knows that giving birth to a child is very energy-consuming for a woman. She personally admires those women who have the courage to give birth.
She was a deeply selfish person. She had already considered the question of children in her later life: if she ever married and wanted children, she would have one, and only one. Her original motivation for having children wasn't to continue the family line or provide for her in her old age, but to experience a different kind of life. Whether one wants children or not is like choosing between the breadth or length of life.
Even after traveling here, her thoughts remained unchanged. However, there was a prerequisite: she had to wait until her body was fully recovered. She wouldn't risk her life for her child.
She also has a very open-minded view of marriage. The essence of marriage is a partnership, with both parties contributing capital and collaborating on the business. Love, or even a mutual affection, is the foundation of this partnership and a two-way choice. During the marriage, both parties work together. If the marriage ultimately fails, they should divide the assets, allocate their respective interests, and part ways amicably. Some foolish women regard love as their capital, but love can fade.
Some might say she's talking without any hesitation, perhaps because she's generally quite rational. Relationship breakdowns are common. Even parents can't stick with you through it all, and some people just drift apart. Besides, happiness comes in many forms. She's wealthy, capable, and not bad looking. She lived well on her own, and she'll be able to live well after a divorce, too. Why cling to the past?
While I was lost in thought, the Xu family arrived.
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