Zhaoming Palace.
The Supre Emperor and Zong Zhengxi were seated in the East Hall, listening to the civil and military officials accusing Pri Minister Xun.
Zong Zhengxi’s legs were already numb from sitting.
He never imagined that Pri Minister Xun carried such an overwhelming list of charges against him.
The ministers who once followed Pri Minister Xun unquestioningly were now desperately trying to save themselves, each sparing no effort in flinging insults, desperately hoping to tear Xun apart.
Zong Zhengxi had experienced so much, and he was no longer the naïve and gullible young Emperor he once was.
Even though he couldn’t distinguish every truth from falsity, he could discern that many of the charges were fabricated.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes.
A senior statesman who had manipulated the court for decades was now betrayed by all in unison.
Should one marvel at Lu Yuan’s brilliant strategy, or lant the unpredictability of human hearts?
"Your Majesty seems displeased?"
Eunuch Fu noticed Zong Zhengxi’s bewildernt.
Zong Zhengxi shook his head slightly: "I just don’t quite understand. The Pri Minister is guilty, that’s true, but can he really be guilty of so much? Weren’t they all loyal to him before? And now, when they betray him, they show not the slightest hesitation. Soday, might they betray just as they have betrayed him?"
Though his voice was soft, the Supre Emperor, sitting nearby, still heard him.
The Supre Emperor continued sipping his tea, his face expressionless.
Eunuch Fu glanced at the Supre Emperor’s deanor, understanding clearly, and smiled quietly. He whispered to Zong Zhengxi: "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor, incomparably beyond the standing of the Pri Minister."
Having weathered so many storms and trials, Zong Zhengxi had finally grown.
This transformation owed much to Lu Yuan’s contributions indeed.
Suddenly, a eunuch hurriedly entered: "Supre Emperor, Your Majesty, the Zhonglang General has a matter to report."
Supre Emperor: "Send him in."
The Zhonglang General oversaw the military arrangents at the four city gates.
Today, the city guards stationed beyond the West City Gate happened to include his brother-in-law.
The Zhonglang General entered clad in armor, with snow heavily accumulated on his helt and shoulders.
He knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully: "Your servant greets the Supre Emperor and greets Your Majesty!"
"Rise."
Supre Emperor said, "You entered the palace suddenly, did you catch Xun Xiuyuan?"
News of Pri Minister Xun’s escape from prison had already been reported to the Supre Emperor by the Ministry of Justice an hour ago.
Otherwise, Lu Yuan wouldn’t have left the palace so urgently to pursue him.
With a solemn expression, the Zhonglang General replied, "Reporting to the Supre Emperor and Your Majesty, Pri Minister Xun... has been executed!"
...
A bitter wind blew across the snowy plains, where Lu Yuan stood in silence for a long ti.
ng Qianqian silently accompanied him.
She didn’t urge him, nor did she interrupt to speak.
The great vengeance had been exacted.
He had fulfilled his duty to his forr self and avenged all the border soldiers who perished under Xun Xiuyuan’s sches.
The Chu Family tragedy could finally be settled.
The Shang Family’s vendetta was halfway avenged, an imnsely gratifying outco.
Next was the Thousand chanism Pavilion, and the ten feudal lords led by Loulan.
"Let’s go."
Lu Yuan said to ng Qianqian.
"Alright."
ng Qianqian picked up her Red Tassel Spear and quickly followed.
The snow had stopped.
Clear skies returned.
ng Qianqian inhaled deeply, feeling utterly refreshed!
"About Xun Xiuyuan..."
"It doesn’t matter. I’ve been without a father since childhood. Whether he’s a deer or a horse, it’s none of my concern."
"Alright."
ng Qianqian added, "But I’m a little curious."
Lu Yuan snorted, "If you’re curious, ask my mother."
ng Qianqian sighed, "I already asked, but Mother refused to tell anything."
Lu Yuan scoffed, "I bet she doesn’t even know whose bed she climbed into."
ng Qianqian choked, "Mother is that formidable?! But considering how high her standards are, only the most handso man in the world would catch her eye. No wonder you’re so good-looking!"
By saying that, she managed to praise all three of them in one breath.
"Hmph." Lu Yuan snorted arrogantly, quickening his steps.
Between the two of them, it was hard to say who was healing whom, but there was always soone to dissipate the clouds from the other’s heart at the right ti.
ng Qianqian tilted her head, noticing his visibly softened expression. She blinked and asked, "By the way, what did you an when you ntioned that your grandmother only had one child?"
There were so many juicy stories in his grandmother’s family—she couldn’t devour them all!
Lu Yuan glanced at her with her eyes practically gleaming green, saliva almost dripping: "Shaless."
She tugged on his sleeve and mimicked Zhou Nanyan’s coquettish tone: "Please tell , please!"
To cheer up the Great Traitor, she had exhausted all ans.
Living two lifetis, this truly felt humiliating.
Should this fail, she swore never to—
"Yao Sheng accidentally wandered into Witch Mountain back then and was poisoned by miasma. A woman saved him, and that woman turned out to be my grandmother’s younger sister—my grandaunt."
ng Qianqian was dumbfounded, "So that’s how it was."
"I don’t know the details of what happened between them. All I know is that my grandaunt died from hemorrhaging while giving birth to Consort Li. Consort Li was born with a large reddish-brown birthmark on her face. In Miaojiang, they call this an ’Yin-Yang Face,’ considered an ominous sign. My great-grandmother deed her responsible for her daughter’s death and asked my grandmother to abandon this ill on. My mother decided to keep her."
ng Qianqian sighed with realization, "So that’s it. Mother is truly kind-hearted."
Lu Yuan: "My mother said other people raise dogs, while she raised a sister, claiming that walking her sister was more fun than walking a dog."
ng Qianqian twitched her mouth.
Lu Yuan continued: "My mother insisted on keeping her, and when my great-grandmother softened, she budged. My grandmother listed the child under her na. My mother spent considerable effort treating her sister’s face, but of course, she also bullied her rcilessly."
ng Qianqian: That sounds exactly like sothing Mother would do—she truly cared, but she didn’t hold back while disciplining.
Lu Yuan added, "A few years later, Consort Li’s face was cured. Yao Sheng, who had fled overnight without a word, returned upon learning his daughter had blossod into a stunning beauty, contacting my great-grandmother to bring her back."
ng Qianqian asked, "Did Yao Sheng not know your grandmother’s true identity?"
She suspected that great-grandmother’s request to toss out Consort Li wasn’t her true intention but a test of Yao Sheng’s character. Too bad Yao Sheng proved himself unreliable, fleeing at the first scare.
"Not just him—Consort Li didn’t know either."
As Lu Yuan spoke, sothing ca to mind, and he frowned, "I didn’t know when I was younger either."
ng Qianqian curved her lips slightly: "Let bygones be bygones. Now that revenge has been taken, we should only move forward. Despite all the twists and turns, we stumble upon people who are truly important in our lives."
Lu Yuan retorted coolly, "ng Xiaojiu, are you referring to yourself?"
"Huh?"
ng Qianqian blinked, startled.
Lu Yuan placed his hands behind his back, "It’s rare to see soone patting their own back like that."
ng Qianqian: Wait a minute, didn’t she an Bao Shu?!
The carriage was parked at the roadside.
Lu Yuan lifted the curtain and climbed inside.
As ng Qianqian took her seat, he said casually, "Approved."
ng Qianqian was confused, "Approved? Approved for what?"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, "Grandmother likes children. You have permission to bear my children."
ng Qianqian: This conversation just took a wild leap!
Lu Yuan declared icily, "Let’s make one thing clear—I don’t particularly like children. Don’t have too many; three will suffice."
ng Qianqian clenched her fist.
Who said anything about bearing your children?!
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