There's been no movement from the palace or the Lu family lately, so it seems that woman Yinghong really hasn't told them any useful information.
The Marquis of Chang'an originally wanted to keep a low profile for a while and continue his revenge plan after things calmed down. But now it seems that the Lu family was just bluffing and not as powerful as they thought. They were just all show and no substance.
In this way, his plan can be put on the agenda.
His goal wasn't just to leave Lu Baichuan idle at home; he wanted the Lu family to go back to where they came from, otherwise he couldn't swallow his anger!
From the second day after they arrived, Lu Laoda and Lu Laoer began to gather information about Lu Baichuan in the city. The more they inquired, the more worried they became about him. It turned out that their third brother was having such a hard time in the capital. He had devoted himself to the court, yet he was still being framed.
Unfortunately, the older brothers were not very capable and could not help much even though they knew the situation.
"Brother, how did things turn out like this? Wasn't it said that Third Brother was highly regarded by the Emperor? How come the Emperor hasn't stood up for Third Brother after this happened?"
Lu Lao Er was very puzzled. In his understanding, the emperor was the most powerful, so wouldn't it be easy for the emperor to protect someone?
Could it be that my third brother is like this now, a case of the emperor abandoning his former subordinates after becoming emperor?
He's always been honest, but he wouldn't be so oblivious to these things, after all, such things are not uncommon.
Thinking about this, I felt a little angry and wanted to speak up for my younger brother.
The eldest brother immediately said, "Don't talk nonsense. Didn't our third brother say that we should just pretend we don't know anything and do what we need to do? We can't help you much right now, so all we can do is to do our own thing and not cause trouble for our third brother."
Compared to Lu Lao Er's somewhat one-sided view, Lu Lao Da considered things more thoroughly. His third brother's ability to become a second-rank minister in such a short time could not possibly be due to just hard work and enthusiasm. His third brother had been much smarter than his two older brothers since childhood, and naturally, he was shrewd.
Before you understand the whole story, you shouldn't just believe everything you hear.
Lu Lao Er was initially a bit angry, but after hearing what his elder brother said, his anger subsided considerably. He wasn't smart, so he had to listen to the arrangements of the smart people.
Jiang Jiuniang began personally leading her two sisters-in-law and younger sister-in-law around the streets to get a basic understanding of the situation, which would also be helpful for their upcoming business ventures.
Everyone is busy with their own things, and everything seems calm on the surface, but undercurrents are actually running deep.
A few days later, Lu Baichuan received an urgent message from Prince Jing via carrier pigeon. After reading it, Lu Baichuan went to find Qin Jian, and the two discussed their plan.
"Prince Jing said that the situation on the border is becoming increasingly out of control. Feng Cheng is acting willfully and is still not satisfied after suffering two defeats. He is currently preparing to launch a night raid on the enemy camp, and he will probably suffer losses as well."
"We can't delay any longer."
Lu Baichuan's expression was solemn. He was happy for Feng Cheng to die, but he couldn't joke about the lives of his soldiers and the people on the border.
He wanted to resolve things in the capital before setting off, but the Eastern Court couldn't wait for him indefinitely; they might even capture more cities because he hadn't led the troops.
Qin Jian is newly married, so he doesn't care whether he goes or not. He'd rather spend more time with his wife than think about it.
But this doesn't mean he lacks a sense of responsibility. No matter how much he enjoys romantic moments, he can't ignore the war on the border.
He nodded and said, "We really can't delay any longer. Let's get things sorted out in the next few days and then hurry over there."
"It seems we have to put some pressure on the Earl of Chang'an."
*
While the Marquis of Chang'an was still hesitating about when to make his move, he suddenly received information that he might have been exposed, saying that someone had seen Lu family servants in the vicinity, obviously there to stake out the place.
So, does this mean Lu Baichuan is starting to suspect him?
The Earl of Chang'an immediately became vigilant. Lu Baichuan hadn't said anything in court, which meant that he only had some suspicions about him and didn't have any substantial evidence yet.
We must bring him down before he finds any evidence!
The Earl of Chang'an gritted his teeth. Success or failure hinged on this moment. If he didn't seize the opportunity this time, the emperor would definitely continue to rely on Lu Baichuan.
He went out overnight to find someone to help him, unaware that he himself was the biggest fish in the pond.
The next day at court, the emperor looked troubled and his complexion was not good, as if he was having a headache over something.
Immediately, someone stepped forward to offer words of comfort and take the opportunity to flatter the emperor.
The emperor, not wanting those people to fawn over him, spoke directly: "Recently, bandits have been rampant in the Xingchun Mountain area. The court is beset by internal and external troubles. How can I sleep peacefully?"
Upon hearing this, the court officials were somewhat taken aback. Banditry? How come they hadn't heard of it?
Then someone else asked, "Your Majesty, how could this be? None of us have received any related information!"
The emperor glanced coldly at the man and laughed, "Yes, I'm also curious why you didn't receive the news. It's all because I trust my court officials, but one or two of them are neglecting their duties and didn't even know such a big thing had happened! If my news hadn't been fast enough, the surrounding people would have been wiped out and you wouldn't have known!"
When the emperor got angry, those people knelt down and begged for forgiveness, but the emperor was too lazy to watch them do that and said directly, "Since there has been a banditry, then we must quell it. Tell me, who do you think should be sent?"
So, some people thought of Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian, since they were both free and could help the emperor relieve his worries.
"Your Majesty, General Lu has nothing to do lately, why not send him?"
The emperor continued to sneer: "Minister Lu is mediocre and unfit for great responsibilities. Replace him with someone else."
Everyone immediately broke out in a cold sweat. How could Lu Baichuan, who was so young, have risen to the rank of second-grade official?
Is Your Majesty joking?
However, some clever people realized that the emperor was mocking them for not letting Lu Baichuan lead troops into battle before, so they still braced themselves and explained: "Although General Lu is not qualified to lead troops into battle, he is certainly not a problem in suppressing bandits. I believe that General Lu is also willing to share the emperor's burdens."
Once such a high compliment was placed on him, Lu Baichuan had no choice but to accept it, even if he didn't want to.
But he didn't say anything, just waiting for others to keep cuing him.
The emperor was also very tacit, and never took the initiative to speak to him. No matter which minister spoke up, he refused outright.
"Minister Lu is too young. How could he be a match for those bandits? Let's not let him cause me any trouble."
The crowd's voices trembled as they asked, "Where is General Qin?"
The Emperor continued to deny it: "Minister Qin's qualifications are not as good as Minister Lu's, and Minister Qin is about to get married. Even for the sake of the Empress, I cannot allow someone to go out to suppress bandits during the wedding period."
The civil officials were also unsure of the emperor's true intentions. They felt that the emperor was targeting them, but they weren't entirely sure.
They exchanged a glance, neither of them wanting to speak.
Just then, the Earl of Chang'an took a deep breath and stepped forward.
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