Chapter 96: The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind
Xiao Qinggu fell silent and lowered his head slightly.
She is certainly not a fool since she can get the support of Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu. Every single thing in this is related to Emperor Chengming.
Xiao Qingxu glanced at her and continued.
"Emperor Chengming has spies and secret guards all over Dayu, and he has always valued the Shang family. It's impossible for him to be unaware of General Shang's intentions."
Yuan Ji was silent for a moment, then said, "A mere prophecy from a Heavenly Master is not enough for him to take action against General Shang."
"Mrs. Lu Xu, can you find out?"
Yuan Ji suddenly looked at Xiao Qingxu, "What did you say?"
"A general's wife, the mother of Princess Qi, a close friend of the late empress, and a disciple of Mr. Baili. Beyond these identities, the Baijia Building's new letter room couldn't find any information about her." Xiao Qingxu's eyelashes drooped, covering half of his eyes. "Even Madam Lu Xu's hometown, there's nothing to mention except the word 'Huaguo'."
"Mrs. Lu Xu's life experience is indeed a mystery." Yuan Ji had a vague bad premonition in his heart.
"It's rumored that her hometown is the extremely prosperous and flourishing Hua. Dynasties have constantly come and gone, yet Hua has managed to stand firm amidst all these changes, with a heritage spanning over a thousand years, and numerous talented individuals have emerged from it."
Dayu was established only a little over two hundred years ago.
Xiao Qingxu nodded. "Madam Lu Xu once said that her tricks were merely mediocre, and her poetry and songs were just rehashing what her ancestors had said. China's national destiny is truly astonishing."
Many years ago, there were constant factional struggles in the court of Dayu, the power of the foreign relatives was almost absolute, and important border areas were often invaded by enemy countries.
The Emperor of Dayu was gravely ill, and his princes were a constant source of worry. Commoners were displaced, starving and dying, their bodies often devoured by wild dogs. Meanwhile, the rich and powerful lived carefree lives, enjoying a life of luxury and prosperity. While the rich feasted and drank, the poor froze to death on the streets.
As Dayu was on the verge of collapse, four incredible geniuses suddenly emerged. They turned the tide, their hands stained with blood and their feet trampled on countless corpses to create the peaceful Dayu we see today.
Madam Lu Xu was the only woman among the four people back then, but she had always kept a low profile. Apart from the other three, few people in the world knew it was her. This news was something Xiao Qingxu had dug out with great difficulty, expending considerable effort and resources.
Xiao Qingxu watched the tea leaves in the teacup rise and fall, deep in thought.
The Xinxin Office had gone to such great lengths to uncover this information, and judging by Yuan Ji's expression, he didn't seem to have uncovered much either. Madam Lu Xu must be hiding a secret. Perhaps... Emperor Chengming simply didn't want anyone to find out, hence the effort.
Emperor Chengming Xiao Ling was also one of the four great geniuses of that time.
Xiao Qingxu opened his mouth and mumbled a few words before spitting them out: "There are also rumors that General Shang and Emperor Chengming once competed for Madam Lu Xu."
"impossible."
Yuan Ji pursed his lips and denied this statement, "He was once the crown prince, and now he is the emperor. If he had really fought for it, Madam Lu Xu would not have married General Shang and had a daughter."
Is Emperor Chengming Xiao Ling a very gentle and modest person? Dream on.
Among the many princes at that time, he had the smallest power, but he was the one who got the throne. This is enough to show how scheming and cunning this person is. His ambition and patience are incomparable to ordinary people.
He had snatched the throne into his hands, let alone Madam Lu Xu, a mere woman?
Even if she was one of the Four Great Prodigies, she was still a woman. Xiao Ling was indeed more talented than ordinary men, but he was also a prince who grew up in the Great Yu Dynasty, where men were respected. Would he treat Madam Lu Xu as an equal just because of her intelligence? Impossible.
Dayu now treated women a bit better than before, a feat Madam Lu Xu had painstakingly achieved, but it was only a slight improvement. Few Dayu women could even attend school, and even with the eldest princess taking the lead, many officials still opposed it. For this reason, the eldest princess could only experiment with it in a few cities.
If there is any mistake in the girls' school, the opportunity for ordinary girls to enter the school and compete for power and status with men will be immediately strangled.
Xiao Ling, a towering tree that grew from an earlier, more serious "male supremacy" soil, could possess the ability to look a woman in the eye? Anyone who believed this was mentally ill.
Yuan Ji frowned and looked at Xiao Qingxu, "Don't you know who Emperor Chengming is? If he really wants to get it, what can he not get?!"
He suddenly opened his eyes wide, and the bad premonition in his heart seemed to be confirmed.
Xiao Qinggu, who had been listening silently for quite a while, was suddenly startled.
Xiao Qingxu's face turned even paler beneath the mask, and even his words sounded somewhat weak. "Yes, he is the emperor of Dayu."
"If the emperor wants something, how can he not get it?"
“…”
"...If the rumors are true...he really can't get it."
Xiao Qinggu's voice trembled slightly, "It's, ruined?!"
The atmosphere suddenly froze, and the three of them seemed to be buried underground by an invisible snowstorm. It was so silent that one could hear the sound of a pin drop.
Just three months after returning to Beijing, Mrs. Lu Xu committed suicide at the Shang residence. Was it truly suicide? Perhaps only the five-year-old Shang Yuwan knew.
Aside from his wife's death and his daughter's engagement, Shang Junhu was completely unaware of what was happening in Kyoto. Even if he did know, it might have been false information given to him by Emperor Chengming. Full of loyalty and bravery, he devotedly guarded the border for Dayu, working tirelessly for ten years without a single slack.
In order to reassure his brother who sat in a high position, he sent his wife and daughter to Kyoto as hostages, and never sent a single letter home.
Shang Junhu accidentally discovered that there was an improper transaction in Yanmen City and that it was related to Lang Jiang. Before he could further investigate, he was killed to silence him and was also charged with treason and collaborating with the enemy.
Xiao Qingxu had said before that Zhang Jiuquan was not in the camp of Xiao Qingji and Xiao Tong because he was forced to do so.
People like Xiao Tong and Xiao Qingji would never allow Zhang Jiuquan, a cancer, to continue living. In Dayu, only Emperor Chengming could save his life and allow him to sit comfortably on the throne of General Zhenxi.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.
Emperor Chengming used Xiao Tong and Xiao Qingji to eliminate the annoying Shang Junhu and the Shang family, and also protected Zhang Jiuquan, predicting that this man would never betray Dayu after guarding the Yan Clan for decades for Shang Junhu.
Then, he used them to eliminate Xiao Tong and Xiao Qingji, a member of the Zhao family's wing. The Zhao family had a precedent of imperial relatives monopolizing power, so it's no wonder... He kept the Zhao family around, not because of his deep friendship with the current Queen, Zhao Lan, but as a backup plan, so he could strike a blow against Xiao Qingji while he himself could move freely without getting hurt!
"You really do understand him better." Yuan Ji thought to himself, after all, he is his biological son.
Xiao Qingxu's face was hidden under the mask, and no one saw the obvious mockery on his face.
Biological son? So what? Didn’t his mother die at the hands of his biological father?
Yuan Ji's throat felt like it was clogged with cotton. "I remember when Xiao Wan was little, after Madam Lu Xu passed away, she called him Uncle Xiao."
This title was granted by Emperor Chengming, which made many people in Kyoto jealous, openly or secretly.
Yuan Ji knew without asking that what Xiao Qingxu could think of, regarding the reasons for the Shang family's extermination, Shang Yuwan must also know these things.
Uncle Xiao, Uncle Xiao.
Yuan Ji's fingertips pinched into his palm, and trickles of blood oozed out.
Every time, every sentence, every smile Xiao Wan showed to Emperor Chengming.
Both are comparable to the punishment of lingchi.
"It's him, it's, my father..." Xiao Qinggu's almond-shaped eyes were sore and wet, full of bloodshot, and tears dripped into the tea, splashing a water splash.
"It was Emperor Chengming who killed Madam Lu Xu!!!"
It was also Emperor Chengming who killed the Shang family and Shang Yuwan.
I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it!
Xiao Qinggu covered his chest and his breathing became a little disordered.
She was just a spectator and felt so uncomfortable, so what about her sister-in-law?
How heartbroken must Miss Shang have been at that time? !
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
