Chapter 426: Taking Advantage of the Situation
Lu Youping was locked in a prison van and taken back to the capital. He walked through the streets all the way until he was sent to the Dali Temple prison. It can be seen that he was in the limelight. Lu Xiang could hear the discussions coming from outside while sitting in the carriage.
"I heard that Minister Lu secretly embezzled millions of taels of silver in the name of rebuilding the dam. He thought he had done it perfectly, but he was caught red-handed."
"This kind of person is simply a vampire, who only eats the flesh and blood of ordinary people like us."
"He has embezzled so much money, so he will definitely cut corners on the flood control dam. If a flood really occurs, the people along the river will suffer. If he escapes this time, it will really kill countless people."
"Such people should be beheaded to vent public anger."
"It is said that officials are friendly to each other, but who knows if they will be lifted up high and put down gently."
“…”
"Miss, don't listen to their nonsense." Ah Man pulled back Lu Xiang's hand that was lifting the curtain and frowned, "Those people don't know what's going on. They just make assumptions based on what they heard."
The car curtains were lowered, blocking out the discussions outside.
Lu Xiang pursed her lips and smiled, not caring.
The carriage soon stopped in front of the Dali Temple.
Lu Xiang got off the car and caught a glimpse of an exquisite carriage not far away. He felt that it looked familiar, so he turned his head and took another look. Then he saw Chu Jinyan getting off the carriage gracefully.
He was wearing a well-fitting crescent-white robe made of gold brocade. It was so plain without even a decorative cloud pattern, but it did not affect the royal nobility that emanated from his bones.
He walked towards Lu Xiang step by step. His pair of black eyes under his thick eyelashes were dark and deep, like a deep pool, but overflowing with a hint of tenderness.
"Greetings, Eighth Prince." Lu Xiang knelt and saluted, then lowered his voice and asked, "Did you wait for me here on purpose?"
Chu Jinyan's lips curved slightly, making his handsome appearance even more charming, and then he quickly stopped smiling: "Minister Lu has been imprisoned in the Dali Temple, I guess you will come."
"Don't worry, I will find a way to rescue him."
Lu Xiang pursed his lips and said, "Whether you need to save me or not, I want to go in and see my father first."
When Chu Jinyan heard Lu Xiang's words, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.
"Do you think that Minister Lu really embezzled money?"
Lu Xiang shook his head: "No, I'll tell you in detail later."
"Okay." Chu Jinyan nodded.
Then he went into the Dali Temple's prison cell with Lu Xiang.
The jailer was shocked to see the two people appear together.
Chu Jinyan said in a high-sounding manner: "The emperor was furious when he learned about this and ordered me to come and find out the situation."
The jailer understood immediately and respectfully invited him in, but stopped Lu Xiang outside.
Lu Xiang slowly took out a token from his sleeve: "I just want to take a look at my father. It won't delay His Highness' interrogation."
This is the token that the Queen gave to Lu Xiang. Seeing the token is like seeing the person.
The jailers knew it was wrong, but Lu Xiang held the token of Jingren Palace and represented the Empress, so they really didn't dare to stop him.
"If anyone holds me accountable, I will take full responsibility. It won't take me too long," Lu Xiang said.
The jailer gave Lu Xiang a grateful look and then let him go.
Lu Youping was guilty of heinous corruption and was locked in the innermost cell with his hands and feet shackled.
Although the cells in the Dali Temple were not dirty or messy, they were still filled with a dark and depressing atmosphere.
The jailer led the two men to stop at the door of a cell: "Master Lu, someone is here to see you."
Lu Youping was lying on the haystack facing the wall. When he heard the sound, he stood up with a somersault. The moment he saw his daughter, his expression was indescribable.
"Dad, are you okay?" Lu Xiang asked softly.
Lu Youping said "yes", then stood up and saluted Chu Jinyan with his fists: "Your subordinate greets Your Highness."
"Lord Lu has suffered." Chu Jinyan nodded and said.
When Lu Youping heard this, he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
Your Highness actually cares about him?
Oh, I'm so touched.
"Since Dad is fine, then your daughter is relieved." Lu Xiang saw the calmness and composure on Lu Youping's face, and immediately understood that everything was under his control.
"A man of integrity has nothing to fear. I believe the emperor will definitely do justice for me. Tell your grandmother not to worry." Lu Youping looked at Lu Xiang, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
From the time he was charged and arrested to the time he returned to Beijing, Lu Youping kept recalling the conversation he had with his daughter in the study when they left Beijing.
"Dad, on this trip to Jiangcheng, you must be careful of the Jiangcheng prefect."
"What do you mean?"
"My daughter accidentally learned that the Minister of Works was in collusion with the prefect of Jiangcheng. When Jiangcheng was flooded, the court withdrew funds for disaster relief and silver for building dams. Led by these two, they embezzled more than one million taels of silver, involving the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and several officials in Jiangcheng. One of the officials died suddenly, and the news of his corruption was leaked. I believe it will soon reach the ears of the emperor. If a thorough investigation is carried out, it will surely shock the court."
"What does this have to do with me? And how do you know these things?"
"Dad, don't ask how your daughter knows this. If these people want to save their lives, they have to push a scapegoat out to protect them from disaster. Dad was suddenly ordered to go to Jiangcheng. I'm afraid that the Minister of Industry has chosen this scapegoat. I'm afraid that as soon as Dad arrives in Jiangcheng, he will step into the trap they set."
"Is this true? Don't lie to me."
"My daughter is under the protection of the Lu family. If anything happens to my father, the Lu family will not be able to escape responsibility."
"That's right, then...what should we do? I will go talk to Lord Su tomorrow and ask him to send someone else."
"Dad, you already knew about this in advance. If you use it properly, it may be your chance to move up a level. Do you dare to take a gamble?"
"No, it will kill people."
"The Minister of Industry is Prime Minister Liu's man. It's clearly Prime Minister Liu's idea to let Dad go to Jiangcheng this time. What do you think the chances are that you will refuse?"
"I asked someone to beat me up. Even though I was seriously injured, you can't force me to go to Jiangcheng."
"I can hide this time, but can Dad hide forever?"
"So what do you say we should do?"
"Master Qin, who is beside the prefect of Jiangcheng, has the account books of their corruption. Dad will find an opportunity to send people to hunt him down and frame the prefect of Jiangcheng. Then he will pretend to save his life, gain his trust, get the account books, and then turn the tables on him and wait for his return to Beijing."
"Are you sure this method will work?"
"Father knows more about being an official than I do. I am just proposing a method. As for how to do it, I believe Father knows better."
"Let me think about it..."
…
After Lu Xiang left the Dali Temple, he and Chu Jinyan found a teahouse to sit down.
After listening to what Lu Xiang said, Chu Jinyan looked at her in surprise.
After a long while, he asked, "Where did you hear this?"
Lu Xiang lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea from the cup, and smiled: "I overheard it accidentally. The Minister of Industry found an inconspicuous teahouse to discuss something with someone. I happened to be sitting in the compartment. It was his bad luck. The soundproofing effect of the small teahouse was not good. I roughly understood what happened. Later, I heard from my father that he was sent to Jiangcheng, so he asked him to be careful. If nothing happens, it would be the best. If it is really a trap, at least I can protect myself."
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