Chen Mo hadn’t expected to see Lv Huaiyu here.
The two of them had dealt with each other a few tis before, and he had always been sowhat puzzled about this Grandmaster’s stance.
As a powerful minister personally promoted by Wu Lie, he ought by nature to be a firm mber of the Royalist Faction, yet on the day of the Grand Sacrifice he had hinted that an accident would occur at the ancestral shrine, thereby averting a disaster.
Then, when Chen Mo went south, he again tacitly allowed Lu Shuangge to make public the Barbarian Tribe’s attempt to unleash a blood miasma, further causing the Lv Family to lose the Emperor’s trust.
This sort of seemingly fence‑sitting behavior ended up pleasing neither side; by rights, an official who had reached such heights would not commit such a low‑level blunder...
"Mr. Chen, why are you still standing there in a daze? I’ve been waiting for you for quite so ti," Lv Huaiyu beckoned.
"This subordinate greets Master Lv, and greets Mr. Wei."
Chen Mo stepped forward, hands hanging at his sides as he stood, and from the corner of his eye glanced at the frail man wrapped in a fur cloak.
This was actually his first ti seeing this Commander.
He had heard of this man’s deeds from the Empress’s mouth: he had single‑handedly founded the Sky Scale Guard, granted special authority by the Imperial Power to supervise the hundred officials, suppressing the court with bloody thods—his conduct could be called ruthless to the extre... yet the sickly figure before his eyes was utterly different from what he had imagined.
Wei Xuan toyed with the teacup in his hand and said mildly, "Qing Lin, find a seat for Chen Qianhu."
"Yes."
The black‑clad girl responded, took out a futon, and placed it by the tea table.
"Thank you, my lord."
Chen Mo sat cross‑legged; his position faced the window, right between the two n. When he raised his eyes, he could look down upon half the Imperial City.
The girl knelt, picked up the teapot, poured tea into a cup, and pushed it in front of Chen Mo. The refreshing fragrance of tea lingered at his nose, threaded with wisps of Spiritual Energy that set one’s spirit at ease.
"This Spiritual Tea was cultivated by my own hand. Mr. Chen, you may have a taste," Wei Xuan said.
Chen Mo lifted the cup and took a light sip.
It was faintly bitter at first, then imdiately turned sweet; a subtle llow sweetness spread through his throat. He couldn’t help but praise, "Excellent tea! Clear and brisk with the fragrance of herbs and trees—it even seems to carry a hint of rootless grass and Purple Jade Flower."
Wei Xuan smiled and nodded. "Indeed, it’s a new variety cultivated from Purple Jade Branches and watered day and night with Xuan Palace Jade Dew to form this peculiar flavor. It seems Chen Qianhu is also a refined gentleman who understands tea, unlike so people, who are basically an ox chewing peonies and fit only to drink plain boiled water..."
"..."
Lv Huaiyu curled his lip and let out a cold snort.
Only then did Chen Mo notice that the cup in front of him really did contain plain water.
Wei Xuan waved his hand, signaling for the black‑clad girl to withdraw, and the air in the room grew quiet.
Chen Mo set down his teacup, hesitated slightly, then asked, "May I ask, Commander, what orders you have for summoning this subordinate here?"
Wei Xuan shook his head. "I wasn’t the one who wanted to see you. Master Lv was the one who did."
Lv Huaiyu cleared his throat and said, "I know of Mr. Chen’s misgivings. If I were to invite you to Lv Mansion as a guest, I fear it would be sowhat difficult, so I decided to co directly to Qilin Pavilion to et you."
Chen Mo was montarily at a loss for words.
Lv Huaiyu had indeed extended invitations several tis, but Chen Mo couldn’t fathom what dicine the other kept in his gourd, so he had never accepted.
Yet the Grandmaster’s next words made his scalp prickle—
"If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Chen should already have seen that Image Stone, yes?"
?!
How could Lv Huaiyu know about the Image Stone?!
Stormy waves surged in Chen Mo’s heart, but his expression remained calm. "This subordinate does not understand what the Grandmaster is referring to."
"Mr. Chen need not play dumb. Since I’ve brought it up, it’s naturally not idle talk." Lv Huaiyu said, "It seems the Princess did not tell you: back then, it was I who recomnded Xu Zining into the palace and arranged for Fan Sijin to protect her at her side... After she died unexpectedly, I received word and imdiately notified the Xu Family to flee, but even so, I was a step too late..."
"Fan Sigui is actually one of the Lv Family’s people?!" Chen Mo’s emotions surged, and he could no longer conceal them.
No wonder—after Empress Xu’s incident, not a single person connected to her was left alive.
Yet Fan Sijin, as Empress Xu’s personal Female Officer, had survived perfectly well to this day and even continued to serve as the Crown Prince’s Sigui. This had never made sense... Now that he knew she was being protected by Master Lv, everything could be explained.
Liu Miaozhi had also once said that the day before the Xu Family was purged, a mysterious guest had co.
Then that very night, Xu Yanlin had hastily tried to send his family out of the city, only for them to be stopped by governnt troops halfway...
It seed the one who had secretly warned them was Lv Huaiyu.
Lv Huaiyu went on speaking at his own pace, "After His Majesty ascended the throne, he long delayed establishing an Empress because he was searching for a woman suited to the Military Dao. Considering talent, age, and family background, there were only two suitable candidates at the ti..."
"One was Xu Zining, daughter of the Minister of War; the other was my wife, Qi Yingrong."
Chen Mo’s heart stirred; he seed to grasp sothing.
Lv Huaiyu sighed and continued, "Although Ying Rong and I were not yet married at the ti, our hearts were as one and we had already pledged ourselves for life, so of course I was unwilling to send her into the palace. Thus I pushed Xu Zining before His Majesty."
"I originally thought it would also be a good thing for the Xu Family, but I never expected it would ultimately lead to such an outco."
"Afterward, in order to cut off my retreat, His Majesty even had take the lead in the raid on their household. It was precisely for this reason that Shuang Ge has always held a grudge against , believing I used the chance to eliminate dissidents, and has barely spoken a few words to over all these years."
"Shuang Ge is gentle on the outside but firm within. I worried that if she learned the truth she would cause trouble, so I have never explained..."
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