Chapter 132
Shock flashed through the Empress Dowager’s eyes. She first glanced at Lu Hanzhi, then immediately opened the door and loudly questioned Xiao Bingzi:
“What did you say? Prince An and General Lu… what happened to them?”
Xiao Bingzi knelt on the ground, raised his head to look at the Empress Dowager, then glanced at Lu Hanzhi behind her, and said: “News just arrived from the front court, saying that… both commanders leading the western campaign have died in battle!”
The Empress Dowager turned to look at Lu Hanzhi, yet Lu Hanzhi remained calm and unruffled. This caused the Empress Dowager to narrow her eyes in confusion.
She lowered her gaze to Xiao Bingzi and said, “Go back and reply to Imperial Concubine Rong that Prince An’s Wang Fei will go over shortly.”
Xiao Bingzi acknowledged the order. The Empress Dowager then closed the door again and asked Lu Hanzhi: “What is going on? You just returned from the western frontier—there is no way they are dead. If something had truly happened, you could not possibly have slept so peacefully until now.”
Lu Hanzhi bowed toward the Empress Dowager and said, “The one who understands me best is indeed Your Majesty.”
The Empress Dowager said angrily, “Nonsense! You are becoming more and more outrageous! Why would you fabricate such a colossal lie?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “Please allow this grandson to explain in detail. This lie was told out of sheer necessity. You must at least allow me to explain a thing or two!”
The Empress Dowager: …
This little brat was still acting coquettish at a time like this!
The Empress Dowager said, “Oh? Then tell me—why did you tell such a lie?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “Your Majesty, have you ever investigated Prince Min?”
“Yuwen Mingji,” the Empress Dowager said evenly.
Seeing that she showed no sign of surprise, Lu Hanzhi continued: “When this grandson previously investigated the private emptying of the Lu family’s medicinal herb storehouse, I traced it back to Prince Min. By chance, I discovered that he had dealings with various Western Region states. However… during that investigation, I also discovered that someone had deliberately leaked his whereabouts. Your Majesty, was that person you?”
There was no look of surprise on the Empress Dowager’s face either. That this clever little monkey could trace things back to her was not unexpected.
Only, her role in it was likely something the little monkey had deduced on his own.
Lu Hanzhi smiled and asked, “Since Your Majesty already knew that Yuwen Mingji harbored ill intentions, why did you not find a way to deal with him?”
The Empress Dowager shook her head and said, “It was difficult. Without Yuwen Mingji, there would only be others. Great Zhao was riddled with holes—patching the east wall while the west wall collapsed. With tigers ahead and wolves behind, without fierce generals and wise rulers to protect the state, killing a thousand Yuwen Mingjis would still be useless.”
The Empress Dowager was truly clear-minded, and Lu Hanzhi admired her.
Sure enough, just as the Empress Dowager had said, Great Zhao’s fate was nearing its end—unless a great stroke of fortune occurred.
Lu Hanzhi said, “Then if one is to kill, one must uproot everything at once.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Lu Hanzhi and suddenly felt that this mischievous little monkey was likely not as naïve and clever as he appeared. He probably possessed deep and formidable scheming.
She asked, “How would you uproot it all?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “Did Your Majesty know that Yuwen Mingji framed Prince Chu and sent him to prison with the intention of killing him? And did you know that he actually laid a linked chain of schemes? He used Yuwen Jing to frame Prince Chu and Prince An, then shifted all the blame onto Yuwen Jing. With one brilliant move, he could kill three imperial princes at once. That would leave only the Crown Prince and the underage princes—what threat would they pose to him, a mere imperial uncle? It was likely because Prince An’s prison break ruined his plan that he turned instead to taking a roundabout approach, working through the Western Region states.”
“Ah Min’s journey had originally been fraught with danger. He colluded with the Western Fan Kingdom and used witchcraft to trap Ah Min and my second brother at the site of the peace negotiations. If I had not happened to possess some knowledge of breaking witchcraft, the news being delivered now would truly have been Ah Min’s and my second brother’s deaths. And the child in my womb would have become Ah Min’s posthumous child. Whether that child could live or die would then depend entirely on whether Prince Min possessed any mercy at all.”
Judging by the fate of those underage princes, Prince Min was clearly not someone inclined toward mercy.
The Empress Dowager looked at Lu Hanzhi, the expression in her eyes growing increasingly complex.
Lu Hanzhi, however, had reddened eyes. He stepped forward and knelt at the Empress Dowager’s feet, saying, “Your Majesty, Ah Min never once thought of seizing this throne in his lifetime. He only wanted to strike back against those who sought to harm him! If someone wished to harm him, and he simply allowed himself to be harmed, then where in this world would justice be found?”
The Empress Dowager reached out and brushed her hand over the crown of Lu Hanzhi’s head, saying, “So that was why you all devised this scheme—to lure Yuwen Mingji’s faction into taking the bait?”
Lu Hanzhi sobbed softly. “That was exactly it.”
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, patted the top of Lu Hanzhi’s head, and said, “You children have truly been put through hardship.”
The Empress Dowager suddenly straightened her back and said, “I had originally given up on Great Zhao, heeding the master’s words and withdrawing far from the court, no longer involving myself in political affairs. But now I feel that Great Zhao may not yet be at the end of its fate—perhaps Heaven intends to bestow a great blessing upon Great Zhao!”
Lu Hanzhi lifted his head in confusion to look at the Empress Dowager. She personally helped him to his feet and said, “Han’er! I am old now and cannot do much. My eyes are dim, and my hearing is poor. But if you encounter any difficulties, you may come to your grandmother for help. Your mother concubine is waiting for you—go quickly!”
After hearing these words from the Empress Dowager, Lu Hanzhi understood everything in an instant.
The Empress Dowager had deliberately chosen to turn a blind eye, pretending not to know of this matter, and had decided to let Lu Hanzhi proceed and stir things up as he pleased.
Lu Hanzhi’s heart churned, and he felt that he had indeed made the right gamble.
The Empress Dowager truly was someone whose heart was as clear as a mirror. She also understood that Great Zhao must not fall into Yuwen Mingji’s hands!
Lu Hanzhi bowed deeply toward the Empress Dowager, then followed Er Ya to Chenxi Pavilion.
Imperial Concubine Rong was nearly frantic with anxiety. The moment she saw Lu Hanzhi return, she immediately asked, “Hanzhi, Min’er and Xuzhi aren’t dead, are they? You all simply coordinated this together to set a trap for the other side, didn’t you?”
Seeing that Imperial Concubine Rong’s eyes were red, Lu Hanzhi immediately grasped both of her hands and felt them trembling—she must have been terribly frightened by the news.
Lu Hanzhi pulled her to sit by the couch and said, “Mother Concubine, don’t worry. Just as you guessed, the two of them are perfectly fine! Otherwise, how could Yuwen Mingji have dared to make a move? It’s just that during this period, Mother Concubine will likely have to endure some grievance. Simply keep your doors closed and remain inside. No matter how chaotic the front court becomes, there will naturally be people to handle it! No matter how much they rebel, they will not dare lay hands on the palace concubines!”
The heavy stone weighing on Imperial Concubine Rong’s heart finally fell away. She patted the back of Lu Hanzhi’s hand and said, “That you can rest assured about. Even if they dared to come after me, they would still have to see whether they were capable of beating me!”
Lu Hanzhi: … His mother concubine truly lived up to her reputation as a fierce daughter of a military household.
Lu Hanzhi cleared his throat and said, “These next few days will probably be chaotic for a while. The fake bodies of Ah Min and my second brother will be escorted back to the capital after the emperor grants permission. At that time, they will certainly verify their identities. Once their identities are confirmed, Yuwen Mingji will make his move.”
Imperial Concubine Rong nodded and said, “I… no, I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I must go to see His Majesty. Ah Min is my son—if I do nothing at all, it won’t make sense. If we’re acting, we must act convincingly. I’ll have Er Ya escort you out of the palace, and then I’ll go cry my heart out in front of His Majesty.”
Lu Hanzhi: … Mother Concubine, that’s really enough already!
However, this was indeed the proper course—otherwise, the act would not appear convincing enough.
Lu Hanzhi nodded and said, “Then Mother Concubine, please take utmost care of yourself. This child will leave the palace first.”
Imperial Concubine Rong added another reminder, “Be careful of your belly. Don’t overexert yourself.”
Lu Hanzhi brushed a hand over his abdomen and said, “Mother Concubine, rest assured—it’s doing very well.”
Seeing him about to put on a cheeky grin again, Imperial Concubine Rong stepped forward and tapped his forehead, saying, “You never take your own health seriously. If you dare do this again, even if it means defying an imperial decree, I will drag you back!”
Lu Hanzhi stuck out his tongue and said, “This son knows he was wrong. Mother Concubine, please don’t be angry!”
Imperial Concubine Rong sighed helplessly and said nothing more to Lu Hanzhi, instead instructing Er Ya to prepare the carriage and send him back.
He carried the gold-inlaid jade waist token personally bestowed by the emperor, allowing him to enter and exit the palace freely.
However, when he displayed the waist token at the gate, the palace guards looked at him with somewhat subtle expressions.
There was likely a mix of sympathy and scrutiny in their gazes—news of Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi dying on the battlefield must have already spread through the Purple Palace.
Lu Hanzhi did his best to make himself appear anxious, yet he could not help but nearly break into a smile.
At present, however, the accuracy of the news still required verification. If Lu Hanzhi were to wail and lament loudly at this moment, it would only make people feel that he was overacting.
When he exited the palace gate, Prince Chu was already waiting outside.
Lu Hanzhi looked at his belly and truly felt a bit worried—it seemed that his second sister-in-law’s belly had grown alarmingly large.
It really seemed like he should be giving birth soon.
Prince Chu stepped forward to meet Lu Hanzhi and asked, “You finally came out. News just arrived from the western frontier saying that something happened to Ah Min and your second brother. I’ve read the contents of the carrier pigeon message you sent—this scheme was extremely clever. I just don’t know when Yuwen Mingji will make his move, and whether we can begin making arrangements within the palace.”
With this incident, Yuwen Mingji would absolutely attempt to force the palace.
Lu Hanzhi said, “Of course. Do we have people inside the palace?”
Prince Chu replied, “Yes. At least one-third have been infiltrated by us. Another third have been infiltrated by Yuwen Mingji and the Crown Prince. But so far, we still haven’t figured out which faction the remaining third belongs to.”
Lu Hanzhi said, “They could be a neutral faction.”
Prince Chu said, “Hopefully so. Otherwise, things will be very troublesome.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Whose person is the commander of the Feather Guards?”
Prince Chu replied, “He belongs to the Crown Prince.”
Lu Hanzhi said with a headache, “That’s troublesome. If the Crown Prince is determined to ignore everything else, it will be very difficult for us to mobilize them.”
Prince Chu added, “However, the deputy commander of the Feather Guards is one of ours.”
Lu Hanzhi let out a sigh of relief and said, “Then when the time comes, we’ll just drug the commander, knock him unconscious, and tie him up. That will save time, effort, and worry.”
Yuwen Jue: …
Since when did Hanzhi handle matters in such a simple and brutally direct manner?
Did this count as being influenced by proximity?
When the two of them returned to Prince An’s residence, little Ah Chan had already been standing at the gate early in the morning waiting for them. He toddled forward on his chubby little short legs and came flying toward Lu Hanzhi.
As he ran, he waved his small hands back and forth and shouted in a milky voice, “Daddy! Daddy! Ahhhhhhh!”
Lu Hanzhi: …
This style of surprise really did take after his father!
Lu Hanzhi took two steps forward and scooped Ah Chan up into his arms.
Xiao Liuzi followed closely behind Ah Chan with a terrified expression, afraid the child might fall.
Ah Chan smacked a kiss onto Lu Hanzhi’s cheek, then puffed out his little mouth and said, “Daddy! Bad! Bad! Badbadbad!!!”
Lu Hanzhi felt incredibly guilty. He had been gone for half a month—Ah Chan must have missed him terribly during that time.
Holding Ah Chan, Lu Hanzhi kissed him again and again and said, “Ah Chan, did you miss Daddy?”
Ah Chan snorted, twisted his chubby little face away, clearly refusing to pay him any attention, and presented him with the back of his head.
Lu Hanzhi laughed, pinched the loose skin at the back of his neck, weighed him in his arms, and said, “Hmm, looks like you didn’t miss Daddy at all—you’ve gained several jin again!”
Ah Chan: …
Ahhh, I’m skinny, okay?!
Hearing Lu Hanzhi say that, Ah Chan immediately twisted his face back around, grabbed Lu Hanzhi’s cheeks, and went berserk. “Ahhh Daddy bad!”
Lu Hanzhi burst out laughing and said, “No, no, our Ah Chan is skinny! Let Daddy take a look—wow, have you grown taller?”
At the Crown Prince’s residence, Su Wan’ning received a carrier pigeon message from the western frontier. She unfolded the note and saw only a few simple words written on it: The bodies have been verified.
A smile spread across Su Wan’ning’s lips. In the end, she had still managed to forcibly drag the plot back onto its original track.
Author’s note:
Su Wan’ning: Hahahahahahaha
Lu Hanzhi: Laugh your grandma’s leg off
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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