How to Deal with Having the Villainous Tyrant’s Child Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Although he did not know what kind of earth-shaking, ghost-weeping person Lu Hanzhi truly was, he did know what kind of earth-shaking, ghost-weeping fool he himself had been.

To be used by someone to such an extent—he really had been incredibly stupid.

Yet he had thought himself clever, even running to Lu Hanzhi to show off and threaten him, demanding that he kneel.

He had even colluded with Su Wan’ning to send a woman to him to disgust him.

That woman had also been an elite spy who had undergone strict training with him since childhood, and her rank had even been above his.

Yet somehow, Lu Hanzhi had used some method to prevent her from ever sending out a single message.

When he thought of the emperor’s useless little bird, Zong Yuan immediately felt relieved.

If he could even pull off something like that, then dealing with a single spy was nothing worth mentioning.

He regretted his own recklessness and felt fortunate that no irreparable mistake had been made.

Looking at Ah Shu, who had calmed down and was now sitting obediently, fiddling with small wooden figurines, Zong Yuan finally stepped forward and took her hand, saying, “I’m sorry, Sister. I was wrong. I got it wrong and made you suffer so many years of grievance. I will save you, expose Chou Nu’s true face, and bring her to justice.”

Lu Hanzhi then explained in more detail what Zong Yuan would need to do next. In truth, there was no need to worry about safety inside the palace—especially since the emperor was already impotent. That made it all the easier for him to act without restraint.

This time, Lu Hanzhi decided to set another trap for her to fall into—just like the one before.

After seeing Zong Yuan off, Lu Hanzhi and Yuwen Jue exchanged a silent nod.

Imperial Concubine Rong came in and asked, “Do we need to arrange a separate palace for him?”

The Xiaoyu Residence where Zong Yuan currently lived was adjacent to the princes’ quarters, which made certain matters inconvenient to handle.

Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and said, “Not for now. Zong Yuan… not having a formal status may not be a bad thing. He will eventually have to marry anyway.”

As he grew older, a Xiao Langjun’s rut would become increasingly hard to endure. Not marrying was simply impossible.

If he were given an official status in the palace, it would ultimately be disadvantageous for him.

Imperial Concubine Rong sighed and said, “He’s such a pitiful child. So young, yet already dragged into all of this.”

Lu Hanzhi also said, “Isn’t that so? It’s all because he looks too much like Mr. Yin. How could there be people in this world who look so alike?”

At the mention of this, Imperial Concubine Rong seemed thoughtful.

Lu Hanzhi asked, “Mother Concubine, do you have something you’d like to say?”

Imperial Concubine Rong said, “I… just thought of something, about Young Master Ping’s mother. I’m not sure whether you’ve heard of it.”

Lu Hanzhi shook his head. That was far too distant—there was no way the book would have sorted out such minor background relationships for him.

After transmigrating, he had never heard anyone mention it either. He only knew that Yin Pingwu was not Madam Yin’s son, but the child of the previous Madam Yin, who had already passed away.

Imperial Concubine Rong said, “Young Master Ping’s mother’s surname was Mu. Her name was Mu Ruozhu. Because she died young, not many people knew about her. However, she had a twin younger sister named Mu Huilan, who came to visit him a few times. Even after his accident, she came every year to pay her respects. Once, for some reason, Aunt Mu had a quarrel with His Majesty. After that, she never came again. The last time Aunt Mu came, she was carrying a child. That child cried incessantly, so I helped look after him for a while. His brows and eyes really did resemble Young Master Ping’s. But that child was Aunt Mu’s grandson. Some people said that the Mu family had offended His Majesty and were forbidden from entering the capital again, but I always felt that the matter wasn’t that simple.”

Lu Hanzhi asked, “Oh? Mother Concubine thinks that the reason Zong Yuan looks so much like Young Master Ping is because he is actually Young Master Ping’s nephew?”

A nephew resembling his maternal uncle was indeed possible.

And Zong Yuan had been picked up by Ah Shu. It was entirely possible that, back then, the emperor had secretly executed the Mu family to cover things up, which led to Zong Yuan wandering the streets.

If that were the case, then everything would make sense.

He had been wondering—how could there be people in this world with no blood relation at all, yet who looked so alike?

Lu Hanzhi said, “If he truly is from the Mu family, then this really would be a case of avenging grudges where there are grudges, and settling wrongs where there are wrongs.”

After returning from the palace, Lu Hanzhi finally relaxed a little.

At the very least, Zong Yuan could still be saved. He had not been brainwashed into an idiot by Su Wan’ning.

He exchanged points for a defensive talisman and attached it to Zong Yuan’s jade pendant.

That way, Zong Yuan would no longer be manipulated by Su Wan’ning and would remain clear-headed at all times.

When Ah Chan saw that his father had returned, he toddled over, pitter-pattering toward him.

At just over a year old, Ah Chan’s steps had grown much steadier. When he ran, he finally no longer looked like a literal reenactment of Plants vs. Zombies.

Lu Hanzhi went forward and picked him up. Yuwen Min followed behind Ah Chan, with Xiao Liuzi in full battle attire walking beside them.

Lu Hanzhi greeted them, “Ah Yao, Ah Chan, Ah Min.”

Yuwen Min: …So my status had been pushed down to third place just like that.

If Ah Zhu were born next, wouldn’t I become fourth?

Fine. Fourth was fine.

But when he thought that Hanzhi might very well give birth to several more children in the future, Yuwen Min could not help but light a candle for himself.

Well, whatever. No matter what, they would all be his own children anyway—there was no vinegar to drink even if he wanted to be jealous.

Ah Yao stepped forward and called out, “Shi Die.” Lu Hanzhi reached out and patted his head.

During this period, Ah Yao had shot up in height and was already showing a bit of youthful bearing.

Lu Hanzhi gestured at Ah Yao’s height and said, “This has to be at least one meter forty. Ah Yao, have you been eating fertilizer lately?”

Yuwen Min explained, “Martial artists stretch their sinews and bones, so they grow faster. But… what is fertilizer?”

Lu Hanzhi: …That was hard to explain.

He changed the subject. “I actually have something to discuss with you. Where’s my second brother?”

Yuwen Jue also came in from behind and stepped forward to take Ah Meng from the nanny’s arms.

Over the past few months, Ah Meng had begun to grow at a visibly rapid pace. Before, he had been so soft and limp that no one dared hold him, but now he filled one’s arms when carried.

Ah Meng stuck out his little tongue and let out a soft baby coo.

Holding Ah Chan, Lu Hanzhi leaned toward his second sister-in-law and said with a smile, “Look at our Ah Meng—he’s getting more handsome by the day.”

Especially those large, Western-style double eyelids—they were practically copied straight from Second Brother’s face.

Yuwen Jue wore an indulgent smile as he said, “Your second brother said that when Ah Meng grows up, he wants me to send him to train under the Sword Saint. He hasn’t even grown up yet, and I already can’t bear to part with him.”

Lu Hanzhi exclaimed, “What? Why send him to Sword God Mountain? Second Brother already suffered so much—does he really want my little nephew to go through it all over again? What is he thinking?”

Across from him, Yuwen Min looked thoughtful. Lu Hanzhi raised his head, his face filled with horror. “You’re not thinking the same thing too, are you…?”

Yuwen Min said nothing, only spoke up, “Second Brother is waiting for us in the study. Let’s talk about proper matters first.”

Everyone returned to the small study. Lu Xuzhi and Lin Chongyun were both there.

What surprised them was that Lu Chenzhi was also present.

There was a lump on his forehead where he had been hit, yet he still wore the same gentle, smiling expression of an honest, good-natured man.

Lu Hanzhi stepped forward, cupped his eldest brother’s face, and asked, “Brother, this is… Mother hit you, wasn’t it?”

Lu Xuzhi said from the side, “Who else but Mother would dare hit him? Even Father can’t find fault with him.”

The entire vast Lu family estate had been managed by Lu Chenzhi alone.

Speaking of which, even his father was not as capable as Lu Chenzhi.

Lu Chenzhi touched the bump on his head and said, “It’s nothing, nothing at all. I’ll just stay here with you for a few days and go back once Mother’s anger subsides.”

Lu Hanzhi truly admired Lu Chenzhi. When faced with Mother’s various attempts to urge him into marriage, he never confronted her head-on—he either avoided the situation or simply said nothing.

Mother was completely helpless against him; it could be said that Eldest Brother had angered her to the point of internal injury.

The three sons of the Lu family were truly each unique in their own way.

Lu Chenzhi appeared to have the best temper, yet he was also the most stubborn.

Lu Hanzhi asked, “Eldest Brother really doesn’t have anyone he fancies? Whether man or woman, as long as you like them, Mother definitely wouldn’t object.”

Lu Chenzhi shook his head and said, “Eldest Brother is fine on his own. I’m not opposed to marriage, it’s just that… I haven’t met anyone I fancy.”

Such thinking was dangerous in ancient times, yet Lu Hanzhi understood it very well.

As for the matter of preferring to go without rather than settle for less when it came to a future sister-in-law, Lu Hanzhi fully supported it.

Seeing that they were about to discuss serious matters, Lu Chenzhi waved his hand and said, “I’ll go back to my own courtyard first. You go ahead and talk about serious business.”

He had no interest in getting involved in these major royal affairs, nor did he wish to, and more importantly, he wanted to avoid suspicion. With that, he rose and left.

After watching Lu Chenzhi depart, Lu Hanzhi spoke up. “It’s now confirmed that Zong Yuan is Su family’s adopted son, Suwen. The moment he saw Ah Shu today, he recognized her. After some persuasion from Second Brother and me, he’s willing to help us sow discord against Su Wan’ning.”

Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi nodded and said, “Then how do you plan to have him help?”

Lu Hanzhi said, “Actually, it’s very simple. We find a reasonable excuse to withdraw from the struggle for the throne.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment. It sounded simple, but it was far from easy.

From the very beginning, they had been swept up in the torrent of the succession struggle. Finding a reasonable excuse to withdraw—how could that be so easy?

They had already used the fake-death scheme once; it was certainly not something they could use again.

Lu Hanzhi’s head ached terribly. Fortunately, the capital’s enrollment matter had gone smoothly, and at the moment he was wracked with a headache, he had completed the intermediate mission of enrolling a thousand students.

Lu Hanzhi’s eyes suddenly lit up. He gave a mysterious smile. It was indeed difficult for them to voluntarily withdraw from the succession struggle—but what if it was the emperor who exiled them?

Lu Hanzhi asked, “Second Sister-in-law, where is your fief?”

Yuwen Jue replied, “By the East Sea.”

As the eldest imperial son, his fief was naturally a prosperous region.

Jiangnan was too far from the capital; they could not very well send the eldest imperial son that far away. Thus, the East Sea coast became the first choice.

Lu Hanzhi asked again, “What about Ah Min?”

Yuwen Min replied, “I don’t have one.”

Lu Hanzhi: …Huh?

Oh, right—Yuwen Min did not have a fief.

He was an iron-capped prince; where would a fief come from?

Naturally, he stayed in the capital to share the emperor’s burdens.

Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and said, “It doesn’t matter. As long as we find a way to leave the capital for more than a month, I don’t believe the capital won’t descend into chaos.”

Su Wan’ning was waiting in the capital precisely for such an opportunity. As long as there was no tiger in the mountains, this monkey would surely proclaim herself king.

When that happened, how muddled this muddy water would become—well, that would be a real spectacle.

Yuwen Jue asked, “Does Hanzhi want me to request permission from Father to return to my fief by the East Sea?”

Lu Hanzhi smiled and said, “No. We’ll have Mother Concubine make the request. Not only should Mother Concubine go, she should also bring Concubine Shu with her.”

At present, the only reasonable way for Yuwen Jue to leave the capital was to request to return to his fief.

As for Yuwen Min, it was simple—he could use the excuse of escorting his imperial brother and leave the capital for at least half a month.

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