Zhao Qingyao said loudly, "Good! Lu Tu, you have rendered a great service this time. I will immediately write to His Majesty and ask him to reward you handsomely!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu and Yun Tian stood up simultaneously: "Your Highness, please reconsider! You mustn't!"
This scene was not unexpected for Lü Tu at all. He had long guessed that he would be blocked by Yun Tian. After all, Yun Tian knew better than anyone that he had suppressed Lü Tu too much before. If Lü Tu were to take power in Wuchuan, his fate would be many times worse than Lü Tu's. However, he did not expect that Ye Qingyu would dare to jump out at this time.
Does Ye Qingyu really believe that Zhao Qingyao is about to be married off and there's nothing he can do about it?
But then I thought about it again, and realized that Ye Qingyu's limited perspective meant he was no match for Lü Tu.
Zhao Qingyao's gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on Lü Tu, who remained expressionless and showed no reaction.
He chuckled lightly, "Lu Tu, General Ye and Commandant Yun have so vehemently denied your achievements, how come you're not angry at all?"
Lu Tu shrugged indifferently: "They have their reasons for denying it, and whether I'm angry or not, it won't change anything, so why bother? Anyway, I have a sincere heart towards Dayu, the Emperor, the Princess, and Prince Duan. I don't care about other people's opinions!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan was even more excited than Zhao Qingyao, and exclaimed loudly, "Well done, Lü Tu! I thought you were too reckless before, but I didn't expect you to have grown so much during the time of treating the plague. It's no wonder that my efforts were not in vain. Don't worry, my sister and I are here, and we will never let you go to waste!"
Ye Qingyu, standing to the side, was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He never expected that the previously reckless Lü Tu would suddenly become so shameless, and even speak with such high emotional intelligence, making him seem petty and narrow-minded in comparison.
Zhao Qingyao didn't even speak, but glanced at Ye Qingyu with slight displeasure. He quickly clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, my objection is not to conceal Lieutenant Lü's achievements, but rather that since he is so loyal to the Great Yu, if he is rewarded, wouldn't more people take advantage of this to exploit the situation in the future?"
Lu Tu shook his head in disappointment. He had previously thought that Ye Qingyu was, after all, the Right Protector of the Shence Army and the outstanding heir of the Ye family. He thought that Ye Qingyu should have some political acumen and insight.
I never expected him to speak so rudely; you can tell he's an ignorant and good-for-nothing playboy just by listening to him.
Everyone took in Lü Tu's expression, and Ye Qingyu, seeing this, said indignantly, "Lü Tu, are you mocking me with that expression?"
Lu Tu had come here seeking benefits, and now that Ye Qingyu was using such a clumsy excuse to belittle him, he would be a fool not to stand up for his rights.
Lu Tu sneered, "If General Ye insists on interpreting it that way, then so be it!"
"What did you say?" Ye Qingyu's eyebrows shot up. Many of the guards in the Commandant's Mansion were from the Shence Army. Upon hearing this, they immediately took a step forward and glared angrily at Lü Tu.
Lu Tu stared coldly at Ye Qingyu, showing no fear whatsoever: "Ye Qingyu, even though you knew I had cured the plague by imperial decree, you still dared to deny the efforts of me and the people under my rule in front of the princess and Prince Duan. You are so shameless, so what if I ridicule you a few times in public?"
Ye Qingyu slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Lu Tu, you don't know your own limitations!"
He slammed his fist on the table, and Lu Tu dared to slam it even louder!
Lu Tu also slammed his fist on the table and broke the table full of fruits in two: "Ye Qingyu, do you think that after you became the Right Protector of the Divine Strategy Army, you can control everything and not put the Emperor and Princess in your eyes?"
When it comes to political maneuvering, even if Lü Tu disliked it in his previous life, he was still a person who had lived in the information age and was knowledgeable about history. He was far superior to ordinary officials, let alone Ye Qingyu, even if he were placed in the imperial court.
"You! You're slandering me with your sophistry!" Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected Lü Tu to dare to use his position as a pretext to pin such a huge accusation on him. He knew that under the current system where imperial power was supreme, if such a charge were proven true, even the Ye family would suffer greatly. More importantly, many political enemies would jump out and kick him while he was down!
Lu Tu glanced at Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan out of the corner of his eye, and seeing that they were watching him with a relaxed expression, he roughly understood what they meant. He then sneered, "If that's the case, then why do you deny the hard work and sacrifices of the people of Wuchuan? Why do you dare to deny the imperial edict?"
Ye Qingyu stared at Lü Tu without saying a word, his eyes filled with cold light. He hadn't expected Lü Tu to be so eloquent, instantly dragging him into a disadvantageous situation.
His silence did not mean that Lü Tu would not speak. Lü Tu knew that sometimes one had to be unforgiving and not give the opponent even the slightest chance.
He snorted again and looked at the Shence Army behind him: "In front of the princess and Prince Duan, the Imperial Guards haven't even drawn their swords yet, but your Shence Army soldiers dare to draw their swords in public. Who are you trying to threaten? Are you trying to kill me, who just completed the imperial decree, or are you trying to kill the princess and Prince Duan?"
With a thud, Ye Qingyu subconsciously took a step back when he heard these words. He frowned and looked at Lü Tu, about to reprimand him, but then he heard Prince Duan speak leisurely: "I heard rumors in the capital that the Shence Army is also called the Ye Family Army. Ye Qingyu, you are really capable."
Hearing this, Ye Qingyu felt his scalp tingle. When he looked at Zhao Qingyao, he only received a cold snort. He then shouted at the Shence soldiers behind him, "Sheath your swords and go down to receive 30 strokes of the cane!"
The Shence Army soldiers looked at each other, lamenting their predicament. They thought to themselves, "Isn't this what you said before, General? If anyone disrespects you, you can draw your sword to intimidate them." But they only dared to think these words in their hearts. If they were to say them out loud now, their heads would roll.
"Yes, sir!" After all the Shence Army soldiers had retreated, Ye Qingyu clasped his hands and knelt on one knee, pleading guilty, "This humble general has failed in his duty to discipline his subordinates and has offended the princess and Prince Duan. I am willing to accept punishment!"
Zhao Qingyao gave Prince Duan a look, and Prince Duan grinned, stood up and helped Ye Qingyu up: "General Ye, what are you saying? Your Ye family has been high-ranking officials for four generations, so why would I doubt you? You don't need to be punished. Just kill those arrogant guys from earlier."
Ye Qingyu nodded solemnly: "This humble general thanks Your Highness!"
Several of the Imperial Guards behind Prince Duan left without making a sound.
In this first encounter, Ye Qingyu suffered a crushing defeat!
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