Three days later, Lu Baichuan returned to the capital with his parents and the Yu family. Before that, he did not send any message to the capital, but those who were paying attention to his whereabouts were still aware of it.
Consort Hui's maternal family name is Duan, and now Consort Hui's brother, Duan Shijie, is in charge of the household.
The investigation revealed that Duan Feng, the illegitimate son, was actually Duan Shijie's son.
Although it was done by a son born out of wedlock, Duan Shijie, as the head of the family, could not possibly be unaware of any rumors. Without his permission, how could Duan Feng, a mere son born out of wedlock, have the ability and skill to do such a thing?
Lu Baichuan was too lazy to argue with a scapegoat son. From the moment he set off, he sent his men to investigate the situation in the capital. If he didn't cause a ruckus in the capital when he got back, he wouldn't be Lu.
Meanwhile, in the capital, all the various factions had indeed received news that Lu Baichuan was returning. On the surface, Lu Baichuan was sending his parents back, but those in the know understood that he must have something to do with them.
As for what exactly happened, only the parties involved know.
Inside the Yong'an Marquis's residence, the maternal home of Consort Hui, Duan Feng paced outside Duan Shijie's study. He had come to see his father several times, but his father was always busy and unwilling to see him, so he could only wait outside.
After a long while, the study door was finally opened, and Duan Shijie came out. Duan Feng hurriedly followed him.
"Father, I just received news that Lu Baichuan is returning to the capital. He must have already investigated us. If he really returns to the capital, he certainly won't let this go. What should we do now?"
Duan Shijie was quite disgusted by his flustered appearance, but considering that he was still his son and that he would need to handle the aftermath of this matter, he patiently said, "Calm down. Look at you, you've already given yourself away before anyone even suspects you!"
"You said you'd only make a move if he came back, so let's not let him come back. Do I need to teach you that?"
Duan Feng was stunned. His father had instructed him to send assassins to eliminate this threat along the way.
But this assassin has been sent before, and he's never succeeded.
Even the four experts that his father had trained for many years, including Qian Da, had all disappeared without a trace. They were definitely gone. Who else could be sent?
"But his skills are extraordinary..."
Duan Shijie glanced at him, exasperated: "Two fists can't fight four hands. Why not just send a few more people? He brought a bunch of burdens with him this time, and that woman Jiang Jiuniang didn't come along. He's much easier to deal with than before. Do I need to teach you that?"
These words gave Duan Feng an idea, and he excitedly asked, "Father means to take action against those two old geezers from the Lu family?"
Duan Shijie glanced at him but didn't say anything, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"I understand, son. I will not let you down this time!"
Duan Feng left excitedly, and the person next to Duan Shijie asked in a low voice, "Master, should we arrange a few people for the Fourth Young Master?"
Duan Shijie's face turned cold after Duan Feng left. Now, hearing his advisor ask this question, he immediately said, "Don't worry about it. Just keep an eye on the situation. If anything happens, just abandon him."
The staff immediately understood that he had never intended to protect this son from the beginning, and they sighed at his ruthlessness while secretly sweating.
He remained calm on the surface and replied, "Yes."
Duan Feng had no idea that he had become his father's abandoned son. He was overjoyed and went to find someone to assassinate him, doing everything himself and working exceptionally hard.
Meanwhile, the palace also learned of Lu Baichuan's return, and the emperor was extremely worried.
He was the most well-informed and had already received news from Lu Baichuan that the Yong'an Marquis's mansion had been doing. He immediately sent people to investigate, and the feedback he received was exactly the same as what Lu Baichuan had given him.
He has been trying to deal with the Duan family recently, but since Consort Hui is his father's concubine, he has to give his father face. So far, he has only had people secretly collect evidence and has not yet brought it to his father and Consort Hui's attention.
But the Duan family actually went after Gou'er. This time, Lu Baichuan is back, and he will definitely seek justice for Gou'er. He knows the seriousness of this matter, but the Yong'an Marquis's mansion has complicated relationships behind it, and it cannot be completely eliminated in a day or two. The impact of getting involved will be huge. As the emperor, he cannot ignore everything.
Completely baffled, he went to see the Empress.
When the Empress heard him explain the situation, she immediately smiled.
"Your Majesty is becoming more and more confused. Between the Lu family and the Duan family, who is more important? I don't need to say more, do I? The Yong'an Marquis's secret investigation into the ancient jade has already touched upon the secrets of the royal family, revealing their ambitions. They have even been targeting the loyal Lu family. Your Majesty should have a sense of which is more important."
As the Queen spoke, she was pruning a bouquet of flowers. She had recently taken a liking to flower arranging, and with just a few simple cuts, she could transform the originally messy flowers into something beautiful and artistic, which gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Even while doing these things, the previously agitated emotions will calm down.
As the Empress, she couldn't go out and play as freely as Jiang Jiuniang, so she had to find something to do to keep herself occupied, but she wasn't bored.
The emperor watched her cutting flowers and talking freely, and suddenly became a little stunned. How long had it been since he had been able to think about things so freely?
Now, no matter what he faces, he has to weigh the pros and cons, and he is concerned about checks and balances of power. He fears that his ministers will form cliques and engage in corruption, and he also fears that some people will plot against him for the throne.
In reality, many things are not as complicated as he thought.
"The Empress is right. I know what to do."
After saying that, he left in a hurry. If it were in the past, the Empress would definitely have felt a little disappointed, thinking that he came and went in a hurry and didn't care about her much.
But now she doesn't think that way anymore. She has both a son and a daughter and is the only woman in the harem. Although her family's influence is not very great, her younger sister is married well, which can indirectly provide her with some support. Moreover, the emperor still has some sincerity towards her. As it stands, she can firmly hold the position of empress.
No matter how you look at it, I'm a winner in life, so why bother with those little things?
After leaving the Empress, the Emperor went directly to the Retired Emperor's palace. Since abdicating, the Retired Emperor had truly never concerned himself with court affairs. Recently, he had even been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers with Consort Liu, doing so with great seriousness.
When the emperor met the retired emperor, the retired emperor was wearing a Zen robe and practicing Tai Chi.
The Empress Dowager Liu beside her was the same; her face was unadorned, and her hair was simply tied up with a ribbon. Even so, one could still see that she was radiant and in a very good mood recently.
The emperor bowed to the two men and then said, "Father, I have something to report."
Knowing that the Emperor wanted to speak with the Retired Emperor alone, Consort Liu smiled and said, "Then you two chat, I'll go to the small kitchen and make some pastries for you."
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