On one side, Lan Linxue carefully ate at home with Qin Kou'er; on the other side, Lan Xiuyuan sat with Hu Tianyong, his face streaked with tears, lost in thought.
Hu Tianyong felt that in his twenty years of navigating the imperial court, he had never felt so embarrassed, helpless, lost, and angry.
Lan Shanyang's actions dealt him a blow, just ten years after he thought he had firmly grasped control of the world.
Hu Feifan looked at his grandfather, standing beside him without daring to utter a sound. He really didn't know how to comfort the old man who had suddenly aged more than ten years: the one locked in the cold palace, whose fate was unknown, was, after all, his own daughter.
On this issue, Hu Feifan was still not as knowledgeable about the old man in front of him as Lan Xiuyuan was.
Although Lan Xiuyuan was now heartbroken, he knew that Hu Tianyong would not sit idly by and let the current situation continue to develop; he would definitely do everything he could to reverse the decline.
The problem is, how are they going to face these unknown situations?
Lan Shanyang's methods and speed today were completely unexpected; it was as if he had swiftly and decisively slapped the entire Hu family in the face.
This was absolutely unprecedented.
Hu Tianyong has been following Lan Shanyang for twenty years. He has spent a long time studying Lan Shanyang, and he could talk about the personality of the master he serves for three days and three nights with his eyes closed.
But the situation before him dealt him a blow he simply could not accept.
Hu Tianyong knew that ever since Qin Meiying died, Lan Shanyang had been determined to deal with the Hu family. However, he thought that such a situation wouldn't occur for at least another ten or eight years. Because Lan Linxue's wings weren't strong enough yet, and she hadn't flown far enough.
But the Emperor made his move today. Could it be that Lan Shanyang has already prepared for the next move? Otherwise, how could he dare to take such a drastic step when he is still firmly established?
What cards are Lan Shanyang holding in his hand? Why can't he see them clearly this time?
Lan Xiuyuan raised his head, looked at Hu Tianyong's aged yet even more gloomy face, and slowly said, "Grandfather, what do you want to do about my mother's matter?"
Hu Tianyong sat there blankly for a long time before slowly saying, "His Majesty is furious right now. If we take any action now, it will only add fuel to the fire! Xiuyuan, you must remember, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan! At this time, we must keep a low profile! Tomorrow morning at court, you and I will submit a memorial together to apologize!"
After saying this, Hu Tianyong sighed and slowly stood up, then, with the help of the maid beside him, he walked unsteadily into the inner hall.
Hu Feifan wanted to follow, but Lan Xiuyuan stopped him.
After Hu Tianyong had completely gone inside, Hu Feifan looked at Lan Xiuyuan and said, "Why do we need to submit a letter of apology tomorrow?"
Lan Xiuyuan stood up, utterly exhausted. Looking at the scenery outside, he said with an extremely desolate expression, "Your Majesty has done such a thing. Doesn't the father bear any responsibility? Doesn't the son bear any responsibility? At this time, we can only keep a low profile!"
Upon hearing this, Hu Feifan immediately frowned and said, "Doesn't this mean we're abandoning the Empress? If we say this, how are we going to rescue her in the future?"
Lan Xiuyuan looked at Hu Feifan for a long time before tears welled up in his eyes. He patted Hu Feifan's shoulder heavily and said in a low voice, "Good brother! I didn't expect you to still be thinking of the Empress at this time! I thank you on behalf of the Empress!"
At this point, Lan Xiuyuan raised his head and sighed deeply, "Blood ties, estrangement and distance—perhaps only at times like these can one see them more clearly!"
After saying that, Lan Xiuyuan walked away alone, his face filled with sorrow.
Although Lan Xiuyuan saw Hu Tianyong's decision as justifiable—sacrificing a pawn to save the king in such a difficult situation—he deeply disapproved of Hu Tianyong's approach.
His own mother's fate is now unknown, yet Hu Tianyong, as her father, hasn't even uttered a single word about wanting to visit her; all he thinks about is how to protect himself. How can he possibly accept such cold-bloodedness and indifference?
What he hated even more was himself.
If this had happened to Lan Linxue, she would have caused a huge uproar and was determined to rescue her mother. But he could only cowardly watch everything unfold, and tomorrow he might even have to kick his own mother while she was down to clear his name. Is this how a son should act?
Perhaps only now did he truly admit that compared to Lan Linxue, his cowardice was utterly insignificant. He couldn't even compare to Lan Jiayuan, because when Xu Ming was being reprimanded, Lan Jiayuan immediately went to visit him.
But he could only submit a memorial of apology tomorrow, truly becoming the kind of hypocrite that everyone despises.
Lan Xiuyuan suddenly felt a deep weariness, a weariness that overwhelmed him from the bottom of his heart.
His grand ambitions, his painstaking efforts, everything—all vanished like a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror!
Hu Feifan looked at Lan Xiuyuan's desolate figure and felt a heavy weight in his heart.
Qin Kou'er was furious with Lan Linxue again because of the question of when she would enter the palace.
Qin Kou'er meant to go later, since it would be much easier to do things when it was late at night and quiet.
But Lan Linxue absolutely refused.
"Such things must be done unexpectedly! Catch them off guard! Everyone knows thieves operate in the dark at night, doesn't the Emperor know that? If you go at night, I guarantee you'll be caught red-handed before you even get close. Especially since this happened during the day, do you think Father will be so lenient and at ease? You must listen to me on this matter. If we're going, we'll go in broad daylight! Hmph, and we'll go openly and honestly!"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
