son, don't mess around

Night falls.

The once bustling capital city now appears quite desolate.

The Lü residence was even cooler.

The already desolate Lü residence became even more somber and oppressive after the death of the young mistress.

Under the eaves of the corridor, the white cloth hanging there fluttered in the night wind, making it appear even more gloomy and terrifying.

A cold wind howled, as if the sound of weeping echoed through the mansion.

The timid servants and maids were even paler and trembling with fear.

In the front hall, all was silent. A figure in black robes stood silently under the eaves, gazing at the faint firelight burning inside the hall, his expression profound and enigmatic.

In the nearby Chen Hall, Lü Xuan stood dejectedly beside his beloved wife's coffin, his eyes glazed over, his face pale, and his body swaying precariously.

Since his beloved wife passed away, he has not eaten for several days and spends his days here in a daze, not going anywhere.

The maids nearby, witnessing this scene, were extremely anxious. The young master's health was already poor, and now, having suffered such a severe blow, he was completely devastated. If this continued, they feared something unexpected might happen.

"Ya'er..."

Lu Xuan appeared dazed, his voice hoarse.

The events of the past few days have felt like a dream, keeping him trapped in a dream from which he cannot wake up.

He wished it were all a dream, but...

As if recalling something, a strong, sharp hatred flashed in Lü Xuan's dazed eyes.

"Ya'er, I will definitely avenge you and get justice..."

He let out a low growl from his throat.

He struggled to his feet, but as soon as he stood up, he swayed precariously. Having not eaten for many days, his vision went black, and he collapsed.

"Master?!"

The maidservant next to him quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Oh no! Young Master is weak and has fainted!"

"Go and report to the master immediately!"

A servant hurriedly turned around to report, but soon spotted the figure standing in the darkness not far away.

"Take the young master back to his room and fetch the doctor."

Lu Fusheng's deep voice rang out.

The servants in the mansion quickly got to work, and chaos ensued in the Chen Hall.

After a long while, it fell silent again.

A cold wind kept blowing into the hall, making the wreaths on both sides rustle. Inside the hall, a huge black character for "offering sacrifice" made the atmosphere extremely gloomy and terrifying at night.

Lu Fusheng, dressed in black, stood at the entrance of Chen Hall, his gaze deep as he silently observed the scene before him, without uttering a word.

Until, in the dead of night, a sound seemed to come from somewhere.

Lu Fusheng suddenly turned around.

A figure appeared silently under the pillar next to the entrance of Chen Hall.

"Lord Lü, your methods are truly excellent, both ruthless and decisive."

A tone of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection) came through.

Lin Jiangnian looked at the middle-aged man with gray hair in his line of sight and spoke with a smile.

The former Minister of Personnel seemed unsurprised by Lin Jiangnian's sudden appearance. His gaze was deep and indifferent: "What brings Your Highness here again?"

"Why ask a question you already know the answer to, Lord Lü?"

Lin Jiangnian asked in return, his gaze following Lü Fusheng to the Chen Hall behind him, and then to the coffin placed inside.

"Was Madam Lü's death truly a suicide by hanging?"

Lu Fusheng's expression remained cold and emotionless: "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"Lord Lü may be able to deceive others, but he cannot deceive this young master."

Lin Jiangnian sighed, "Lord Lü's methods are indeed ruthless; he can even lay a hand on his own daughter-in-law. No wonder he once held immense power in the court, and even now that the Lü family has fallen from grace, Lord Lü can still remain uninvolved."

"Such methods are admirable."

Lu Fusheng remained expressionless. He calmly said, "I don't understand what Your Highness means. Ya'er's death was purely an accident. It has little to do with Your Highness, nor with my Lu family."

"You can fool others with this, but don't fool yourself, Lord Lü."

Lin Jiangnian sneered, seeing that the old fox in front of him remained unmoved, it seemed he had no intention of admitting it.

"It doesn't matter if Lord Lü doesn't admit it, but I believe your precious son would be very interested in this news?"

Lin Jiangnian clicked his tongue: "If he knew that his beloved wife was killed by his own respected father... that would be interesting."

As he spoke, Lin Jiangnian turned and walked outside.

Inside the hall, Lü Fusheng's gaze suddenly darkened.

As Lin Jiangnian strode out of Chen Hall, Lu Fusheng's low, emotionless voice finally rang out behind him.

"and many more."

Lin Jiangnian stopped and turned around, his face full of amusement: "Lord Lü, is there anything else?"

"What exactly do you want?" Lu Fusheng stared at him.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking Lord Lü that question?"

Lin Jiangnian sneered: "This young master has taken the blame for you, Lord Lü!"

Lu Fusheng's gaze was deep, his expression shifting between light and shadow, but he eventually fell silent: "What exactly is your purpose?"

"Of course I want to get to the bottom of this."

Lin Jiangnian's gaze was nonchalant as he chuckled, "Lord Lü, why did you kill her?"

Lu Fusheng didn't answer immediately, but his gaze lingered on Lin Jiangnian for a long time. Until the night was deep and quiet, with no one around, there wasn't a sound.

Lu Fusheng then spoke in a deep voice: "She offended the wrong people and got involved with the wrong forces. If she doesn't die, she will implicate my Lu family and drag my Lu family into an abyss."

His deep voice was filled with resolute killing intent!
It was so cold it chilled me to the bone.

"The person you shouldn't offend, are you referring to me, the Crown Prince?"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him: "Then, who are you referring to as the forces that shouldn't be involved?"

Lu Fusheng gazed silently at Lin Jiangnian and said in a deep voice, "After the Third Prince's defeat a year ago, my Lu family had no intention of getting involved in the struggles in the capital. Whom His Highness has grudges with is none of my Lu family's business!"

"The assassination in Jiangnan has nothing to do with my Lü family."

"Now, my Lü family only wants to prolong our lives, preserve our bloodline, and avoid extinction. We also hope that Your Highness can spare our lives!"

Lin Jiang smiled lightly: "Lord Lü, you flatter me. I have no grudge against the Lü family. However, it's still best to clarify some things."

"If it truly has nothing to do with the Lü family, this young master would never wrong Lord Lü!"

Lu Fusheng was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "What else does Your Highness want to know?"

"How did Lord Lü discover that Tao Ya was problematic?"

This question left Lü Fusheng silent for a long while before he finally spoke.

“From the time before she married into the Lü family, I noticed the Tao family’s actions… The reason I insisted on opposing this marriage was because the Tao family was in turmoil, involving many forces, and the complicated relationships were not what I wanted to see.”

"My Lü family is a prestigious and powerful family in the capital, and we disdain to associate with them!" Lü Fusheng's voice was clear, cold, and profound.

As the Minister of Personnel at the time, Lü Fusheng naturally looked down on the Tao family. Not only were the Tao and Lü families not a good match, but the Tao family also had complex backing, and Lü Fusheng did not want to get entangled with them.

“But Xuan’er is deeply in love with her and will marry no one but him. He even knelt down to beg me for that woman.”

At this point, Lü Fusheng's voice was full of disappointment and frustration: "How could a grown man do such a shameful thing!"

Clearly, Lü Fusheng was extremely dissatisfied with his only son.

He's weak-willed and incapable of achieving great things; he'd rather die for a woman than see that.

Lin Jiangnian had already heard about this matter: "Why did Lord Lü ultimately agree to the marriage?"

Lu Fusheng remained silent again and did not answer the question immediately.

Lin Jiangnian smiled and said, "I guess the Tao family offered Lord Lü a condition that he couldn't refuse?"

Lu Fusheng did not deny it, and said in a low voice, "Xuan'er is devoted to her, and in addition..."

Lu Fusheng took a deep breath, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes: "Xuan'er told me back then that she was pregnant..."

This news caught Lin Jiangnian off guard. "Pregnant? What about the baby?"

Lu Fusheng's eyes were icy: "I only found out afterward that this was a scam they conspired to use to deceive me. My Lu family is a prominent family in the capital. If news of an unmarried pregnancy were to spread, where would I put my face? What would become of the Lu family's reputation?"

Lin Jiangnian finally understood: the old man had been tricked by his son and future daughter-in-law.

She faked a pregnancy to force him into marriage!

As the Minister of Personnel, how could Lü Fusheng allow such a scandal to get out? If it were to become public, the Lü family's reputation would be ruined. Then, who would dare marry his son?

This move was indeed brilliant, ultimately forcing Lü Fusheng to give in and accept Tao Ya.

Of course, aside from these, how many benefits the Tao family brought to the Lü family behind the scenes is unknown... In short, this was a marriage between people of unequal social standing.

However, for both parties, it can be considered a barely acceptable win-win situation.

However, probably no one expected that not long after Tao Ya married into the Lü family, the Third Prince's rebellion failed, the Lü family was purged, and they fell to their current state.

"The Tao family only coveted the power of my Lü family, which is why they tried every means to scheme against my son. But even after my Lü family fell into decline, the Tao family remained loyal and devoted... There must be something fishy going on here."

As a former Minister of Personnel, Lü Fusheng was no fool; he could sense the oddity of the situation.

Since Tao Ya married into the Lü family, Lü Fusheng has also discovered that his daughter-in-law is no ordinary person. This legitimate daughter of the Tao family is quite different from the rumors circulating outside.

This woman was not only intelligent, manipulating his son at will, but also meticulous in her thinking; even Lü Fusheng found it difficult to figure out what she was up to.

At first, Lü Fusheng didn't know what secret she was hiding. However, since she was now a member of the Lü family, as long as she and Xuan'er were loving and behaved themselves, Lü Fusheng turned a blind eye and stopped interfering.

Until Lin Jiangnian appeared!
After Lin Jiangnian set his sights on Tao Ya, Lü Fusheng also noticed something unusual.

Then, Taoya's true face was discovered.

"So, what exactly did Lord Lü discover?"

Lin Jiangnian stared at Lü Fusheng: "For Lord Lü to be so ruthless as to silence him... you must have discovered a significant secret, right?"

Lu Fusheng said in a low voice, "I don't know."

"But her existence poses a great threat to my Lü family. She stays in the Lü family to use our prestige to cover up her true purpose..."

At this point, Lü Fusheng looked at Lin Jiangnian: "Is this also the reason why His Highness has his eye on my Lü family?"

Lin Jiangnian did not deny that he had initially focused his attention on the Lü family. It was only after Hu Yao's words that Lin Jiangnian began to suspect the eldest daughter of the Tao family.

"Therefore, she must die."

Lu Fusheng said coldly, his tone devoid of any emotion, "If she lives, she will bring endless trouble to my Lu family."

"It could even bring annihilation to my Lü family."

A faint murderous aura permeated the hall. The former Minister of Personnel revealed his fangs at this moment, showing his cold-blooded and ruthless side.

Lin Jiangnian stared at him for a long time until he let out a sneer.

"Lord Lü, do you think I'm a fool?"

"Is that all? Why would Lord Lü go so far as to kill her? After all, she was your daughter-in-law!"

"If Lord Lü considered her a threat, he would never have allowed her to enter in the first place. The only explanation for this is..."

Lin Jiangnian stared at Lü Fusheng: "Lord Lü, you probably know some bigger secret, don't you?"

"That secret is enough to make Lord Lü ruthlessly kill someone... Am I right?"

All around was silence.

The howling cold wind outside the courtyard seemed to suddenly stop, leaving only the two people facing each other in the hall.

"This time, everyone believes that Tao Ya's death is related to me, and I have taken the blame for Lord Lü's death!"

"Lord Lü must be well aware of the consequences if the truth were to be revealed."

"Lord Lü, you owe me a huge favor."

Looking at the young face before him, Lü Fusheng's deep eyes seemed to be lost in thought. After a long while, he spoke in a deep voice: "Your Highness, would you be willing to make a deal with me?"

"What kind of deal? Tell me about it."

"Although I am no longer the Minister, I still have some influence in the capital. I can assist His Highness in finding out the mastermind behind the assassination in Jiangnan and eliminate any future troubles for His Highness."

"I can find out about the forces behind Tao Ya and the secrets she holds for Your Highness."

Lin Jiangnian asked with interest, "What does Lord Lü want?"

"A promise from His Highness!"

"promise?"

Lu Fusheng's eyes were deep, and a glint of quiet brilliance appeared: "The matter of the Third Prince is a matter of the victor and the vanquished. My Lu family's current state is the result of karma. However, the rest of my Lu family are innocent, and Xuan'er is innocent as well."

"While I am still alive, no one in the capital dares to harm the Lü family. But once I am gone, the Lü family will lose its protection, and Xuan'er will surely be unable to protect the Lü family..."

"I hope that Your Highness will protect my Lü family and safeguard Xuan'er in the future!"

No one knew better than Lü Fusheng what state the Lü family would fall into after he was gone.

Having lost power, staying in the capital was tantamount to waiting for death. Especially with his son being so weak-willed, he couldn't protect the Lü family, and his future fate was self-evident.

If he stayed in the capital, he would have to find a way out for the Lü family. The heir of the Prince of Lin before him was undoubtedly the best choice for the Lü family.

Lin Jiang smiled and said, "Lord Lü trusts me so much?"

"The world is in chaos now, and the Third Prince's southward advance is unstoppable. Lord Lü was originally one of the Third Prince's men. If the Third Prince were to reach the capital, wouldn't the Lü family be able to seize the opportunity and rise to prominence once again?"

Lu Fusheng shook his head, calmly and composedly saying, "The Third Prince attacked."

"Why?"

Lin Jiangnian raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was so certain.
Lu Fusheng glanced at him: "Your Highness should know the reason best."

"Several months have passed since the war began in the north, and the world is in chaos. Both the imperial court and the Xu Prince's mansion in the north are severely weakened. But among them, there is a biggest beneficiary who reaps the benefits..."

"The fate of this world should be decided by Your Highness and the Prince Lin's Mansion behind Your Highness."

long silence.

Lin Jiangnian smiled and sighed.

"I underestimated Lord Lü. He is the smartest man in the capital."

"..." (End of this chapter)