Chapter 56
Young Master Ping, Yin Pingwu, was the grandson of the current Prime Minister, Yin Cheng.
Yin Cheng had been a senior official for three imperial reigns, starting from the Emperor’s grandfather’s time, and had held a certain status in the court.
Over three reigns, he had accumulated both prestige and influence.
Among the civil ministers, Yin Cheng was the leader.
This leader had great influence, but unfortunately, the previous emperors of the Great Zhao Dynasty had focused on military power rather than civil governance.
This was why the Great Zhao had never been well-governed. While the country was gained by military strength, it needed civil ministers to govern.
The current Emperor valued civil matters more than military ones, but not for the sake of governing the country, but to manage court politics.
By coincidence, the Emperor’s childhood friend was the grandson of Prime Minister Yin Cheng.
Yin Pingwu had little interest in politics but was always the Emperor’s steadfast support.
Yuwen Jue said, “I heard from my mother that the Emperor’s feelings for Young Master Ping were just as strong as mine for your Second Brother. Perhaps because Young Master Ping is no longer here, the Emperor misses him even more. He built the Three Life Tomb as a memorial, saying that after Young Master Ping passed away, they would be buried together, and from that foundation, an imperial tomb was constructed.”
Lu Hanzhi looked surprised, never expecting this profit-driven emperor to also be a romantic at heart.
“Actually…” Yuwen Jue hesitated before continuing, “According to my mother, she once met Consort Die. Her appearance bears some resemblance to Young Master Ping.”
Lu Hanzhi then realized that this Young Master Ping was the Emperor’s first love.
After his true love passed away, the Emperor married his true love’s younger sister, who became Concubine Li, the current Empress.
The position of Empress had been vacant for twenty years, only recently filled with the younger sister of his true love.
Lu Hanzhi wasn’t sure whether the long vacancy of the Empress’s position was reasonable, but the original story was written this way, so he couldn’t dispute it.
As for the matters in the harem, they had always been managed by Concubine Li.
This plot was quite dramatic!
It seemed that many historical palace dramas had the storyline where a younger sister filled the role of her deceased older sister.
But in this story, it was the younger brother who died, and the sister took his place.
This first love held a very high place in the Emperor’s heart, and it took the sister twenty years to rise to the Empress position.
Moreover, if it hadn’t been for balancing the court, the Emperor likely wouldn’t have promoted Concubine Li.
After understanding the backstory, Lu Hanzhi asked, “So, what happened next?”
Yuwen Jue continued, “At the time, Young Master Ping died during childbirth. Someone framed my mother, saying she was responsible for his death. Of course, my father wouldn’t let it go so easily, and he thoroughly investigated the matter. In the end, it was linked to the witchcraft of the Western Regions. My mother was born into the Rong family, and not to mention the witchcraft of the Western Regions, she didn’t even dabble in minor superstitions. Furthermore, my mother was about to give birth at that time, so this matter was suppressed.”
Lu Hanzhi thought: …Wasn’t the main issue that the Crown Prince’s foundation was unstable and needed military support from the Rong family?
What kind of deep marital affection? In the end, everything was decided by interests.
With the palace in disarray, ha, considering the situation at the time, who would be the first choice to become empress?
Of course, it would be Imperial Concubine Rong.
Not only did she give birth to the emperor’s firstborn son, but she also entered the palace alongside Young Master Ping and was the legitimate daughter of the Rong family.
However, this was impossible. The emperor could never raise the position of the Rong family that high.
With someone lying beside the imperial bed, how could another person sleep soundly?
By that time, the firstborn prince would have matured, and the emperor would still be in his prime. If the Rong family grew dissatisfied with the current situation and raised a flag to rally support, the empress would surely be on their side, and the imperial throne of the Yuwen family would be in danger!
Lu Hanzhi thought it through in a moment, clearly understanding the interests at stake.
But he still didn’t quite understand, so he asked, “What does this have to do with the crown prince’s wedding tomorrow?”
Yuwen Jue replied, “Actually, it doesn’t directly relate, but we can make it relate.”
Lu Hanzhi was a little confused.
Yuwen Jue smiled at him and said, “It was Ah Min’s idea. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s used this method. Last time, he used it to get our third brother into the Great Zhao Prison. Unfortunately, our third brother couldn’t hold his temper, and he ran away just like we did. But even though he ran away, his crime wasn’t serious enough to warrant death. As long as he didn’t really commit treason, our father would still be lenient.”
Then Yuwen Jue paused and said, “But this matter is one that cannot be touched. Our father has endured for many years and hasn’t been able to avenge Mister Ping. If this incident gets out, I’m afraid the crown prince… won’t have it so easy.”
Lu Hanzhi suddenly had an epiphany.
He looked up at Yuwen Jue, smiled faintly, and said, “So what you mean is, let the emperor think that the empress is proficient in witchcraft and sorcery? And then let the emperor link that to Mister Ping’s death?”
Seeing that Lu Hanzhi understood, Yuwen Jue nodded.
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up and said, “No wonder he’s called the thousand-year-old fox. Only Yuwen Min could come up with such a heartless and crazy idea.” As long as it worked, this future tyrant wouldn’t care about morals.
Yuwen Jue: …
Lu Xuzhi: …
But Lu Hanzhi understood that things wouldn’t be that simple.
It seemed that Yuwen Min had other motives. No, not just related to the wine, but to the mountains and waters as well.
If they investigated the techniques from the Western Regions, they would eventually trace them back to the little emperor’s uncle. Perhaps this could kill two birds with one stone.
Lu Xuzhi cleared his throat and said, “Han’er, how could you say that about Prince An? No matter what, he’s your husband, and you shouldn’t speak like that…”
Yuwen Jue, however, agreed, nodding and saying, “I think what Han’er said makes a lot of sense. Ah Min is indeed like this.”
Lu Xuzhi: …
He cleared his throat again and leaned close to Prince Chu, whispering, “Wife is right.”
Prince Chu’s face flushed, and Lu Hanzhi covered his face again. This couple was really enough—they were everywhere, showing off their affection.
After finishing the serious talk, Lu Hanzhi asked, “Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, when will you two get married?”
Prince Chu said, “My mother wants it to be soon; otherwise, this baby won’t stay hidden for long. She intends for me to marry soon and for us to move in together. Everything is ready at Prince An’s mansion, so we just need to prepare another set of things. After marriage, your second brother will likely move to my place, Prince Chu’s residence.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded and said, “I know, I know. Second Brother is going to live with your wife, right?”
Lu Xuzhi knocked on Lu Hanzhi’s head and said, “You brat, three days without punishment and you’d tear down the house. Your second sister-in-law just doesn’t want to feel awkward around our parents. It’s not like they should be bowing to him every day. But when it comes to the hierarchy and respect, even parents can’t bear the daily formalities from Prince Chu. It’s better for everyone to visit during holidays, and other times, we should just leave each other to our own peace.”
Lu Hanzhi thought it made a lot of sense. He nodded and said, “It’s better not to live with the in-laws after marriage. After a long time, there will be friction. I think Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law have considered this very well.”
Prince Chu said, “But we will still visit them often, so they don’t feel lonely.”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “Lonely? No, no, no, they’re busy arranging a marriage for my eldest brother! They’re going to push him to death! Everyone younger than him is either getting married or having children, and my eldest brother is still working hard for his career, and he’s not even in a hurry. What kind of mindset is that?”
Lu Chenxi was actually just one year older than Lu Xuzhi. Madam Lu had given birth to two sons in three years.
They had originally planned to marry off Lu Chenxi first, but then this unexpected situation happened.
In the Great Zhao, it was acceptable for men to marry later, as they could first take a concubine.
But for women, especially young ladies and Xiao Langjun, they needed to marry early, or else all the good ones would be taken.
Lu Chenxi had actually looked at a few potential wives, but he was quite laid-back and said his parents should decide, as workaholics weren’t meant to have love.
Thinking about it, Lu Hanzhi felt a little sorry for his eldest brother. None of his younger brothers could help him.
That evening, Lu Hanzhi didn’t stay at the Lu family mansion but instead returned to the estate.
He had finished the business he needed to take care of and had watched a good show. With a sense of satisfaction, he left the capital in a carriage.
Tomorrow was the crown prince’s wedding, and as the future Wang Fei he certainly had to attend.
He shouldn’t have been running back and forth, but the production lines over there had just started, and they needed his guidance at all times.
Having already delayed for a few days, he decided it was time to return.
It was just as well he came back, as a few people arrived at the estate looking for refuge.
The ones who came back were a group of strong young men.
Lu Hanzhi was just in need of patrol personnel, and he couldn’t keep making the workers rotate shifts.
Seeing their vigor, he decided to recruit them.
At the moment he hired these young men, the system’s prompt sounded again.
“Congratulations, host, the mission for the rubble area branch has been completed. Please check your rewards.”
Lu Hanzhi knew that side quests like this missions, usually didn’t offer much in terms of rewards.
The last side mission had only given him the reward for a regular mission, which was nowhere near as valuable as the one for showing loyalty to the emperor.
Coincidentally, a mission related to serving the monarch had just been triggered. It had been delayed because of Old Madam, but today he could finally take it on.
After dealing with some issues on the production line, he returned to his room to claim his rewards and take on the new monarch-related mission.
As soon as he entered his mental space, he realized that the monarch’s favorability toward him had already exceeded level five.
What had he done recently for Yuwen Min’s favorability to rise so high?
It seemed a bit unscientific.
It must be because he was both smart and beautiful, causing the most handsome and scheming prince of the Great Zhao to fall for him.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Lu Hanzhi thought this.
He then accepted the mission, and the prompt notification sounded: “Welcome, host, to accept the second mission related to the monarch. This mission will reward you with 100 exchange points and two basic treasure chests.”
Lu Hanzhi’s eyes nearly turned green—100 exchange points and two basic treasure chests!
This time, he was definitely going to use them carefully, never again like last time, when he regretted not having enough items when the time came.
“Would the host like to accept this mission? Yes, No!”
Yes, yes, yes! Of course, he would accept it! Such generous rewards, how could he miss out?
Wasn’t it just agreeing to his terms? He would even be willing to sleep with him!
Then came the system’s mission description: “Use the ‘Shared Bed and Pillow’ item with the monarch, sharing the same bed for one night to suppress the darkening factors within him.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
Are you kidding me?
Wait, system, I take back what I just said.
I don’t agree to sleep with him, I really don’t agree!
His mouth, as his mother had said, was indeed cursed—he had spoken those words, and now they were coming back to bite him!
But it was too late; the system prompted again: “Please complete the mission quickly to prevent the story from returning to the beginning.”
After muttering “Ganlin Liang*,” Lu Hanzhi heard a familiar deep voice, filled with confusion: “Who is Ganlin Liang?”
Note: it’s a cursed word basically means f your mother.
Lu Hanzhi looked up and met Yuwen Min’s handsome and domineering face.
Author’s Note:
Lu Hanzhi: Ganlin Liang!
Imperial Concubine Rong: (shows her family law) I heard someone wants to fight with me?
Lu Hanzhi: (kneels on both knees) No! Mother!
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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