Furthermore, there is another reason: the matter cannot appear to be too easily resolved in the eyes of the Supre Emperor; otherwise, it would seem trivial.
The task must be accomplished, and the credit taken, with grandeur.
The Supre Emperor gave Lu Yuan a deep look. "How confident are you?"
Lu Yuan: "Seventy percent."
If soone else said that, the Supre Emperor might think they were making wild claims. But Lu Yuan had achieved a stunning victory in Beiliang on his first campaign, and his capabilities were beyond doubt.
A man like Lu Yuan reminded the Supre Emperor of soone.
But then he dismissed the thought. Lu Yuan was from Miaojiang — how could he have any relation to that person?
Shaking his head, the Supre Emperor asked Lu Yuan again, "The Ten Lords appear submissive on the surface but are secretly conspiring with Xun Xiuyuan. Last ti, you ntioned Chen Long is the princely heir of Loulan. Can he truly resolve the calamity of the Lords?"
Of course not.
The Lords’ threat lies in the territories. Unless their fiefs are entirely reassigned, it is impossible for them to fully submit to the court.
But Lu Yuan wouldn’t say that. Without such assurances, how would the Supre Emperor grant clency to Chen Long?
The Lords had to be killed, but the brother-in-law had to be saved.
Lu Yuan remained unruffled as he replied, "The Loulan King leads the Ten Lords. If we assist Chen Long in reclaiming the Loulan throne, the calamity of the Lords can naturally be resolved."
The Supre Emperor paused, gazing out at the endless snowy landscape. "Kill the Ten Lords."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
The old man has a pitch-black heart.
As it happened, he and ng Xiaojiu had the very sa intention.
"By the way, there’s one more thing."
The Supre Emperor asked skeptically, "Pri Minister Xun has six adopted sons. Of you few, I’ve already been made aware. Why haven’t Xun Yi and Xun Wu made an appearance all along? What’s the reason?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Take Xun Wu first. He’s been conducting trade across nations, providing wealth and gathering intelligence for Pri Minister Xun. As soone so inford, it’s impossible for him not to know the Pri Minister’s current predicant. Either he’s dead, or he’s betrayed him."
"As for Xun Yi, we’ve never t him. I suspect he is either not from Great Zhou or perhaps doesn’t exist at all."
"In any case, since they didn’t surface during Pri Minister Xun’s mont of greatest peril, it’s unlikely they’ll reerge for his sake."
The Supre Emperor was sowhat reassured by these words.
When the two returned to the East Hall, Eunuch Fu noticed that the Supre Emperor’s brow no longer carried its heavy worry; his entire deanor had lightened considerably.
It seed that the Supre Emperor’s concerns had been alleviated by the Grand Commander Lu.
This young couple, one being the Supre Emperor’s source of joy and the other his strategist, both were indispensable!
The Supre Emperor, in high spirits, turned his head, only for his mood to collapse: "What are you doing?"
Lu Yuan returned the horsetail whisk to Eunuch Fu, then leaned over to scoop a sleeping ng Qianqian into his arms. "Taking my wife ho."
The Supre Emperor: "Wait until the snow stops."
Lu Yuan: "It stopped."
The Supre Emperor glanced at the icy, snow-covered courtyard and, indeed, it was no longer snowing.
"Look at how impatient you are!"
Now the Supre Emperor was finding Lu Yuan increasingly irkso. No wonder the Miao King always scolded Lu Yuan for being a brat. Wasn’t that exactly what he was?
Wrapping ng Qianqian tightly in his cloak, Lu Yuan coldly remarked, "If you’re lonely, seek out your own wife. With all the beauties in the Supre Emperor’s harem, you could have a different one each day. Why monopolize my wife?"
The Supre Emperor snatched the horsetail whisk from Eunuch Fu in fury and chased Lu Yuan out of the hall.
-
The sudden upheaval at the Pri Minister’s Mansion spread throughout the Capital City within a single day.
At first, the townsfolk were skeptical. Then, when the Ministry of Justice plastered the streets with public reports detailing Pri Minister Xun’s extensive cris, they began to believe.
Raising private armies, colluding with lords, plotting rebellion—such charges felt distant to the ordinary people.
All they craved was basic subsistence. Who ruled the land or who sat the throne made little difference to them.
But upon reading the end of the report, revealing how Pri Minister Xun had secretly stolen tax funds amounting to ten taels per household—
Ten taels!
The commoners’ fury ignited in an instant—
Master Hu stood dumbfounded as he watched the mob storming the Ministry of Justice, trying to drag Xun Yu out of his cell to beat him to death. "The Grand Commander’s move really worked. Now, anyone speaking a word in defense of the Pri Minister might get torn apart by this enraged crowd."
The evidence had been submitted, and those who needed to die had been dealt with.
Matters of aftermath and care for the people were no longer the responsibility of the Governor Mansion.
One couldn’t shoulder everything alone—others in the court had to have room to act, too.
Qianqian, anwhile, bought paper money and went to the mountain behind the Governor Mansion to hold a morial for the deceased of Prince Chu Mansion and the Shang Family, hoping to bring solace to their spirits above.
Sotis she found herself thinking, why was she reborn?
Now she understood. She had returned with a mission of vengeance.
Kneeling before the offerings, ng Qianqian took out a ledger from her bosom and struck out Pri Minister Xun’s na.
"Father, Mother, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle... Little Seven, rest assured. I will not let any of those who hard you escape."
The night was silent and still.
A shadow stood behind an artificial rock, gazing intently at ng Qianqian’s figure.
Only after she left did he bring forth his own prepared incense, candles, and paper money to pay respects to those Qianqian had mourned.
-
That month, the Capital City was in turmoil.
The incident concerning Pri Minister Xun caused an imnse uproar. Although the Pri Minister’s Mansion had been confiscated, many citizens still crowded its gates daily, cursing furiously.
Each day, so were trampled in the chaos.
ng Qianqian had no idea how many injured she’d treated at the Ministry of Justice.
That day, as night fell, she returned ho after another dical visit to the Ministry.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she found it eerily empty—there wasn’t a single human figure in sight.
"Strange, where did everyone go?"
No sooner had ng Qianqian spoken than a familiar, cheerful voice sounded behind her: "Granddaughter-in-law! You’re back!"
"Grandfather?"
ng Qianqian’s eyes lit up as she turned toward the doorway.
The Miao King, covered in travel dust, stepped into the courtyard. "Granddaughter-in-law, look who I brought with !"
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