Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan, who had been resting with their eyes closed, were both startled awake.
A guard reported: "There's an ambush ahead!"
Lu Xingjian narrowed his long, narrow eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Take it!"
The carriage turned and drove onto another road.
The doors of the houses along the road opened, and a group of well-trained soldiers in gleaming armor rushed out and headed towards the direction of the loud noise.
Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan then went into a sturdy house to avoid the confrontation.
Seeing Lu Xingjian's calm and composed demeanor, Su Wanwan asked curiously, "Did you know there was an ambush?"
Lu Xingjian did not deny it, "I've been operating in Shanxi for almost a year now. If I get killed here, wouldn't that be a disgrace to my ancestors?"
Su Wanwan pursed her lips.
It felt like stepping back into that night when we were slaughtered by Prince Rong's men outside Deshengmen.
At that time, Lu Xingjian was excited, confident, and thrilled.
Now, however, they are calm, composed, and strategically planning.
The night grew deeper.
However, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense and heavy.
Until a young man dressed in a python robe was brought up.
The man, barely twenty years old, knelt down and performed a deep bow upon entering, filled with trepidation:
"Lu Zhiyang of Jin Prefecture pays his respects to Your Majesty. I am sorry for not being able to greet you properly. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Lu Xingjian lifted his eyelids, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Am I being unwelcoming?"
The man trembled with fear, his body shaking like a leaf.
Despite it being a chilly spring night, sweat glistened on his forehead, and tears streamed down his face.
"When Zhiyang inherited the title, he was only thirteen years old. He was too young to control the crowd and was misled and deceived. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and forgive my crime!"
Lu Xingjian leaned back lazily, his long, slender fingers lightly tapping the table, his posture elegant and leisurely.
"Knowing that you are guilty of a capital offense, why do you not repent?"
His voice was light and airy, yet it seemed to contain the power of thunder.
The oppressive feeling from those in power is like an invisible mountain, making it hard to breathe.
They were only a few years apart in age, one of them being the emperor, high above all others.
One was the Prince of Jin, who knelt on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy.
They are all of royal blood, yet the distinction between high and low, noble and common is so clear.
Lu Zhiyang's head slammed against the floor tiles with a loud thud, veins bulging on his face, eyes red-rimmed, tears and snot streaming into his mouth.
His forehead was bruised and swollen.
"It has been changed. This sinner knew that the princess's dowry consisted entirely of spies from the court, yet I still treated her kindly and never made things difficult for her. This is because I sincerely surrendered!"
Su Wanwan pursed her lips.
She vaguely remembered that the Princess Consort of Jin was the daughter of the military commander of the western city of the capital.
This configuration rivals that of Prince Rong, who married the daughter of the commander of the Eastern City Garrison.
Now, Prince Rong has slunk off to Changde to assume his fiefdom, and has been stabbed in the back, his fate unknown.
Lu Zhiyang knew he dared not compare himself to Prince Rong, and his attitude was humble and fearful:
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! This humble subject was unable to control his subordinates, which led to this disaster. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!"
Lu Zhiyang was the eldest grandson of the Prince of Jin's direct line. His father died when he was four years old, and his grandfather died when he was eight.
The old Prince of Jin was his great-grandfather, who lived to be over seventy years old. During the reign of the late emperor, he attempted a rebellion but failed and was sentenced to death by the court.
If it weren't for the support of the imperial court, he might not have been able to inherit the title amidst the competition among his uncles and great-uncles.
It's already a miracle that he's survived this long; how could he possibly have the ability to assassinate the emperor and rebel?
Lu Xingjian remained silent.
The silence was terrifying.
Lu Zhiyang quickly added, "This humble subject is willing to hand over all affairs of the Prince of Jin's residence and simply live the life of a wealthy and idle man!"
Lu Xingjian narrowed his eyes slightly.
Su Wanwan turned her head and glanced at him.
Lu Xingjian turned around and smiled.
He understood Wanwan's meaning perfectly; it was simply about leaving room for maneuver in everything, and thus earning a reputation as a benevolent ruler.
Prince Lu Zhiyang of Jin was taken away.
Soon, Princess Yin, the wife of the Prince of Jin, was brought up.
Lady Yin was just a young girl not yet twenty years old, with her hair styled in a married woman's bun, her face calm and composed, unmoved by praise or blame.
Lady Yin knelt down and performed a grand salute:
"Your Majesty, I have given Prince Jin a drug that will prevent him from having children. Prince Jin will have no heir in this life. I beg Your Majesty to spare his life."
Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan both gasped.
Princess Jin is indeed ruthless!
What ambition or desire could a young prince without children possibly have to plot a rebellion?
This is truly a radical solution.
To reassure those in power and to save Prince Jin's life, Princess Jin was truly ruthless.
This young couple, one knew the other was a spy for the imperial court but still kept him alive, the other only wanted to save his life.
Princess Jin was completely tense, her face was as white as paper, and she even stopped breathing.
The crime of treason is punishable by the extermination of the entire family.
As the Princess Consort of Jin, she could not possibly escape being implicated.
The lives of hundreds of people in the Prince of Jin's mansion were in the hands of the emperor's single decision.
Lu Xingjian finally spoke: "Then I hope that the Princess Consort will properly persuade the Prince of Jin to restrain the royal family and restore peace to Jin."
Princess Jin's tense body finally relaxed slightly, and she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
She did it! She saved the Prince of Jin's residence and saved the Prince of Jin's life!
After Princess Jin left, Gu Ziyu entered and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, Taiyuan City has been cleared. We respectfully welcome Your Majesty into the city."
Lu Xingjian slowly stood up, his thin lips curving into a smile, a playful glint in his eyes.
From this night onward, Taiyuan City, which the Prince of Jin's residence has managed for over a hundred years, will be completely under his command.
Wanwan is right.
He really resembled Emperor Taizong, reducing the power of the princes quietly and effectively.
Su Wanwan remembered that apart from seeing Gu Ziyu once when she first arrived in Yansui, she had never seen him again, nor had she heard his voice in the study.
It turns out he came to Taiyuan first on business.
...
Lu Xingjian led Su Wanwan into Taiyuan City, but instead of resting there, he took her to a courtyard first.
Inside the bedroom, the sounds of a man and woman passionately entangled were quite loud. The window was open, and the air was thick with the scent of intimacy.
A lamp was lit by the bed, and the bed curtains were not drawn, so you could see the two people on the bed engaged in passionate lovemaking.
Su Wanwan's cheeks instantly flushed.
This is the first time I've ever witnessed someone else doing something.
She turned to leave, but Lu Xingjian grabbed her hand, asking her to look a little longer.
What a twisted sense of humor!
Su Wanwan glared at him, suppressing her embarrassment and discomfort, and looked around the bed.
The man on the bed was in high spirits, and knowing that people were watching outside the window, he became even more enthusiastic.
Judging from his appearance, he looks somewhat like Lu Xingjian.
The man, panting, said, "My darling, do you miss me?"
The woman cried so hard that her voice became hoarse.
"I miss you so much, Your Majesty..."
Her eyes were slightly closed, her face was flushed, her breathing was rapid, and tears still clung to her face.
He looked completely lost and disoriented.
His face looked familiar.
Su Wanwan stiffened, feeling her neck stiffen, and didn't dare to turn her head to look at Lu Xingjian standing next to her.
The woman in the bed was Maggie.
As for the man, his voice sounded somewhat like Lu Xingjian's, but there were still significant differences.
Maggie's gone mad; she can't believe she's mistaken about this.
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