Chapter 29: Introducing the Referee
Chapter 29
"Is there any other movement in the Zhao Mansion?" Lu Songli asked casually.
"Mrs. Zhao went to the Chang'an government office in anger, and the Chang'an magistrate sent people to arrest many people who were gossiping."
Lu Songli was surprised when she heard this. Why would the Zhao family take such a step? Didn't Zhao Yutan tell Zhao Wenkuan that he had anticipated their subsequent plans yesterday?
Lu Songli looked at her father, and the two of them exchanged glances. Lu Desheng understood her surprise, and now he was a little confused about the Zhao family's actions. There must be something going on that they didn't know about.
However, last night he listened to his daughter's advice and withdrew their people. With the Zhao family's actions, it's easy to imagine who they've captured. Now there's going to be some fun to watch, haha.
Unbeknownst to Lu Songli, Zhao Yutan was so distraught after seeing her that he didn't tell her father about the details of their conversation. Guo Yan, on the other hand, didn't enter the Zhao residence but went straight home. She didn't meet her uncle, Zhao Wenkuan, so naturally, she had no way of telling him anything.
Therefore, Zhao Wenkuan thought that his daughter's visit to see Lu Songli was just a formality, and he had no idea that Lu Songli had played the role of a prophet and had already predicted their subsequent plans.
At this time, as Lu Desheng and Lu Songli expected, Zhao Wenkuan was indeed confused.
Everything was going according to plan. Having his wife go to the Chang'an government office today was part of the plan. He wanted to take the opportunity to deal with the people Lu Desheng kept. Those people under his control had also come to an end when the Zhao family was manipulating public opinion. They took advantage of the situation and caused a lot of trouble for the Zhao family.
He acted as ferociously as a tiger, and thought he could catch the most talkative people under Lu Desheng and teach them a lesson.
But just as the Chang'an government office had taken the captured men to jail, their subordinates reportedly sent word to the Zhao residence, claiming the government had arrested their men. He had no choice but to send someone to the government office. When his men arrived, they took a closer look and saw that all the captured men were the Zhao residence's own prostitutes! When the news got back, he was furious. They were all more trouble than good. Hadn't he told them to keep a low profile for the time being? Wouldn't it be better to let Lü Desheng's men handle the revealing?
The people below also have no words to complain about. They did try to keep a low profile, but the Lu family just disappeared. Doesn't this expose themselves?
At the Lu family's side, the discussion about Zhao Yutan's suicide is still going on, and people are speculating about what will happen next.
"Zhao Yutan is threatening to commit suicide. Will the Zhao family or the Xie family come directly to us to discuss breaking off the engagement?" Jiang was very upset when she thought about it.
Lu Desheng snorted coldly, "Does the Zhao family dare to come to our door? Does he have the nerve to do that?" The Xie family was too embarrassed to mention this matter directly. They had only dared to mention it euphemistically before, and both families were too embarrassed to do so.
It’s not the Lu family who is anxious now. The Lu family is sitting on the Diaoyutai and will not take the initiative to promote this matter. Wouldn’t the matter be at a standstill here?
Lu Songli remained silent. The situation was already clear, just as her parents had discussed. After the Zhao family used Zhao Yutan's reputation and her suicide to establish themselves as innocent and clear-minded, the situation froze. This was because the Zhao family would never take the initiative to attack openly. The Xie family couldn't move either. They could only passively accept this matter, making moves in secret but not overtly. The Lu family didn't want to make any moves. The Qin family, having already broken off their engagement with the Zhao family, had been marginalized in this matter, and any changes they made would have little impact.
In this stalemate, if the Zhao family still wants to achieve their goal, they must add a third party, that is, a referee. This referee must be biased towards the Zhao family and can make the decision for them, Zhao Xielu, and even the Qin family.
There were only a handful of people who could make the decision for the four families of Zhao, Xie, Lu, and Qin. Lu Songli calculated that there were only three of them: the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress. The Emperor's position was out of the question, as he favored her father. Zhao Wenkuan wouldn't stand a chance in his eyes, so the decision had to be between the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Lu Songli personally leaned toward the Zhao family choosing the Empress Dowager. Firstly, the Empress Dowager disliked her father. Secondly, as the Emperor's biological mother, she held a high position in filial piety, making her more capable of antagonizing the Emperor than the Empress. The Emperor was also more likely to compromise with the Empress Dowager on minor matters.
In addition, the Queen Mother probably wouldn't want to get involved in this mess. After all, she has a son. If she has any ideas about the throne, she wouldn't want to offend her father, a neutral person who is only loyal to the Emperor, even if she can't win him over.
After figuring this out, Lu Songli had a plan in mind.
Zhao Yutan was still unconscious. When she woke up, there would be a breakthrough. Moreover, she had a feeling that the case would be almost over by then.
Then Lu Songli ate and drank as she pleased. As for her inference, she wouldn't reveal it to upset the elders. Her father should have guessed a little, but the father and daughter had a tacit understanding not to mention it.
"Mom and Dad, let's not talk about these upsetting things. No matter what, our Lu family is in the right and won't suffer any loss." Then, Lu Songli brought up the funny thing that happened at the Xu family yesterday. Her eldest sister had been complaining about having three boys in a row, and she had casually consoled her by saying that having a son was fine. Her nephew overheard this and, assuming she preferred sons, decided to secretly give his younger brother to her, his aunt.
Upon hearing this, Jiang laughed so hard that she fell forward and backward, and Lu Desheng couldn't help laughing either.
Speaking of her eldest sister, Lu Songli asked about her eldest brother Lu Zhiyuan, "Mom, it's been a while since my eldest brother accompanied my eldest sister-in-law back to her parents' home, right?"
Jiang calculated the time. "Well, it's been about ten days. It's said that your eldest sister-in-law's mother fell, and her father took her eldest brother to another place to look for medicinal herbs. The younger brothers and sisters at home are young and don't know how to deal with things. Your eldest sister-in-law took your eldest brother with her, which is just in time for her to come in handy."
"He just heard about your matter the other day, and then asked Tian An to come back. Your father and I meant to let Tian An go back and tell him, so that he can rest assured and take care of things at his mother-in-law's house before coming back. Your father and I are taking care of your matter, so he won't be needed."
Lu Songli nodded. Tian An was her elder brother's personal attendant, equivalent to his right-hand man.
"Did your mother-in-law fall seriously?"
"I heard from Tian An that it's quite serious."
"Mom, how about I go to Ping'an Town to visit my eldest brother and sister-in-law?" Lu Songli pondered. Her sister-in-law's family was a medicinal herb merchant, and she wanted to see if there were any opportunities to make money. Firstly, she wanted to earn some money for the family, and secondly, she wanted to supplement her own coffers. The Lu family was not well-off. Although her father often received gifts from the emperor, his expenses were also high. Unlike other official families, he did not have the support of family elders. The specific plan had not yet been decided, so she would first go and see the scale of the Shen family's herbal medicine shop.
Jiang thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. Just think of it as going out to relax. But you have to wait and see when the weather is good before you go out."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
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