Seeing that Madam Sun didn't know what to say, Old Man Lu took the initiative to say, "What we want is not your guarantee. This is a matter for our whole family. Even if something happens, we will face it together. What we want to know is what your plans are now? If you can't stay in the capital, we can go back to Jingzhou, or if it's more troublesome, we can go back to our hometown Changzhou."
“As long as our whole family can stay together, we’re fine with going anywhere. It’s just that if we want to go back to Changzhou, we’ll have to go through the trouble of moving our ancestors’ graves back.”
This was Old Man Lu's idea. Anyway, the world was at peace now, and they had money in their hands, so it was fine to go back to their hometown. In the capital, there was so much infighting, and they had to be timid and hesitant in their words and actions. He actually preferred the countryside.
Lu the eldest also said, "That's right, as long as our family can be together, we can go anywhere! I feel tired even now that I'm a minor official, let alone someone like you who holds a high position and is coveted by countless people. You might as well go back to farming and be happy!"
For the past six months, he had been a minor official in a government office. His salary was meager and his duties were few. He was full of expectations, thinking that if he started from the smallest tasks and worked hard for decades, he would surely be rewarded. However, the people in the government office found ways to make trouble for him.
He was made to do everything, regardless of whether it was his responsibility or not. He was always running errands for others. He did the work, but the benefits went to others.
Even so, his colleagues always compared him to Lu Baichuan, which was meant to sow discord. Every time he heard it, he felt annoyed and wanted to teach them a lesson, but unfortunately, the other party was his superior.
His third brother and sister-in-law were not around, and he didn't want to bother them with such a small matter. He thought things would be better when they came back, but he never expected that the world in the capital was about to change.
The rest of the family were all staring intently at the two of them. Everyone had the same thought: they had made enough money in the past few years, the business was doing well, and they could make money in the future, so it didn't matter whether they stayed in this crappy country or not.
Lu Baichuan glanced at Jiang Jiuniang and, seeing that she didn't intend to speak, took the initiative to say, "This matter is not as complicated as everyone thinks, and it won't have a big impact on our current lives. Jiu'er and I have discussed it and agreed that after we have handed over all our current affairs, I will resign from my post and hand over all my power. Everything else will remain the same as before."
He hadn't originally planned to talk about this now, but since his family was so concerned, he decided to share his thoughts with them.
"Then let's go back to Jingzhou after you resign from your post?"
Old Lu didn't think there was anything wrong with his son resigning from his official post. Being a military officer meant that good things never happened to him, but bad things always happened to his son. In the end, the emperor would question him for having too much power and influence. He poured his heart out but got nothing in the end, which was really disheartening.
Lu Baichuan nodded and said, "Going back is fine, but the children at home are all studying. Actually, it's better to stay in the capital. I can't let my resignation delay the children. After I resign, I won't be a threat to the court. The emperor will make some compensation to the children. I still have to save face."
It hasn't come to the point of breaking ties with the Emperor yet, and some things shouldn't be taken too seriously. Besides, the Empress has already written them an apology letter, so it wouldn't be right for them to keep holding onto this.
Upon hearing his words, everyone fell silent. They truly couldn't let their own actions hinder the children's development.
According to Lu Baichuan's idea, if he resigned from his official post, the emperor would transfer his guilt towards the Lu family to the Lu family's children, which would indeed be an opportunity for the children.
But this comes at the cost of sacrificing Lu Baichuan.
Lu Baichuan's current achievements are all the result of his own hard work, yet he is to be sacrificed to benefit these children.
"I disagree!"
Lei Zi suddenly stood up and, under everyone's gaze, said, "Third Uncle, I don't want to use your sacrifice to achieve my own goals."
A few months ago, they took the preliminary examination for the imperial examinations, and all three members of the family who took the exam passed. They are also preparing to take the county-level examination for the imperial examinations in a while.
They have already gained many advantages from their elders, making their lives much easier than other children. They can rely entirely on themselves to walk their own path from now on, going as far as they can. They absolutely cannot expect their third uncle to give up his achievements to help them.
If this generation starts relying on their elders, then who will their descendants rely on?
Their aunt had always taught them to be independent and self-reliant, and never to place their hopes on others. Even now, they still believe that their aunt was right.
"Yes, that's wrong!"
Boss Lu chimed in, "No matter what you do, you have to be down-to-earth. The children have to walk their own path. If you pave the way for them in everything, they won't be able to stick to it for long."
He himself was bullied so badly in the government office because he benefited from his younger brother's influence. If his son were to suffer the same fate in the future, he would rather go home.
At this time, the family members were surprisingly united in their opinions; they were all unwilling to let him sacrifice himself for the children's future.
Lu Baichuan was moved. No matter how chaotic the outside world was or how dirty people's hearts were, at least behind closed doors, this family's hearts were always together.
While he was considering everyone's needs, everyone was also considering his needs.
"Okay, let's take it one step at a time. We'll make plans when that time comes."
Lu Baichuan smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart.
After everything was explained clearly, the Lu family could finally eat in peace. They hadn't been together for a long time, and everyone enjoyed the meal. Lu Baichuan even drank quite a bit of alcohol, which was unusual for him.
Jiang Jiuniang understood that he was in a bad mood and did not stop him, but simply had someone prepare the hangover soup in advance.
Fortunately, although he drank too much this time, he was still well-behaved when drunk. After washing up, he lay down obediently, just holding Jiang Jiuniang and talking to her.
He talked a lot about what he did when he was by Prince Chen's side, how good Prince Chen was back then, and how he would always consider his subordinates first in everything, blah blah blah.
She said a lot more after that, but Jiang Jiuniang didn't remember it because she had already fallen asleep.
Having expectations about something like this will inevitably lead to hurt. Although Lu Baichuan didn't say it, he was upset inside, so it's understandable that he vented his frustrations after getting drunk.
As a result, he didn't get up early the next morning, which was unusual for him, and slept until noon with Jiang Jiuniang.
I was still a bit dazed when I woke up, my head hurt a lot, and I couldn't remember if I had acted too out of line last night.
Looking at his wife sleeping soundly, Zhou Shen exuded a peaceful aura. He realized that he hadn't gone too far last night, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep so well until now.
If he really angers his wife, he'll probably be lying under the bed.
Jiang Jiuniang woke up groggily and saw that Lu Baichuan next to her looked confused. She knew he was still asleep, so she took out a bottle of medicine from under her pillow and gave it to him.
"Eat it yourself, don't cause me any trouble."
Lu Baichuan: ...
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