Thief Emperor

Chapter 419: Branch Battle
Li Yun rode on horseback from outside the city all the way into the city without any concealment. Moreover, he was traveling with Su Sheng, who was half a body length behind him. Anyone who was smart enough could guess Li Yun's identity, even if they had to guess.

What's more, Li Yun had shown up in Luzhou before, and many Luzhou people had seen him. He was tall and easy to recognize, and he was recognized by many people as soon as he entered Luzhou City.

Although the Lu family has experienced several hardships and has suffered heavy casualties, they are still a big family in Luzhou and are well-informed in Luzhou City. It is not surprising that they found Li Yun's trace.

Hearing what Miss Lu said, Li Yun thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I didn't stay in Luzhou for long, but I didn't expect that the people of Luzhou still remember me. Speaking of which."

He looked at Miss Lu, clasped his fists and said, "General Su has already told me that the Lu family played an indispensable role in the smooth capture of Luzhou. I was just planning to go to the Lu family to express my gratitude in the next few days, but I didn't expect to see Miss Lu here today."

He bowed his head slightly and said, "On behalf of the Jiangdong soldiers, I would like to thank the Lu family."

Miss Lu quickly bowed her head in return and shook her head, saying, "When the city was captured, the Lu family only contributed a little money. The real contributors were Old Chen and his men. More importantly, the Pinglu Army was unpopular in Luzhou."

She whispered, "After the Pinglu Army entered the city, they amassed a lot of wealth. Luzhou almost ushered in another catastrophe, because the name of the Pinglu Army was spread everywhere in Luzhou City. The two words Pinglu meant that they wanted to wipe out our Luzhou."

Li Yun smiled silently.

However, what Miss Lu described is not a joke, because there are countless cases where a sentence, a proverb, or a prophecy can eventually lead to bloody storms.

After all, this was an era when almost everyone was illiterate.

Sometimes, even this kind of pun can determine or change the situation in a region.

Li Yun looked up at the governor's mansion in front of him, then extended his hand to make a gesture of invitation and said, "It's inappropriate to talk at the door. Miss Lu, please go in and talk."

"Yes."

Miss Lu responded, but did not leave first. Instead, she followed Li Yun. The two of them entered the governor's mansion one after the other and sat down in a side hall. After sitting down, Li Yun had someone serve tea and then asked, "What's the current situation at Miss Lu's home?"

Lu Huan was about to lower her head to drink tea, but she slowly put down her teacup after hearing this, looked at Li Yun with a sad look, and then said softly: "In the past, the Lu family was almost the richest family in Luzhou. After the rebels entered the city, my family was naturally the first to bear the brunt. At that time, my father risked his life to send me and several brothers and sisters out of the city, so that we could split up and escape on our own."

"My late father, several uncles, and my family stayed in Luzhou City to deal with the rebels. Later, when you recaptured Luzhou, I returned to Luzhou..."

She almost shed tears: "There are only a few people left at home."

"The money and valuables hidden in the house were also looted. The entire Lu family was in a mess."

Li Yun was silent, then shook his head slightly and said, "It's my fault, Meng Lang. I shouldn't have mentioned the girl's sad story."

Lu Huan shook her head slightly, wiped her tears, and said, "Later, my uncle, who was an official in Hezhou, came back to Luzhou to help deal with some family affairs. Some of the clan members who were not in Luzhou also came back to help. Although some people died, the family was still together."

"The direct line of the Lu family is now in my generation."

Lu Huan looked at Li Yun and whispered, "Only I, my younger sister, and my younger brother are left. We are lucky to have survived."

Li Yun seemed to be thinking about something. After thinking for a while, he said, "Hezhou Governor Lu Zhen..."

Miss Lu said softly, "It's my uncle."

"Well."

Li Yun nodded, thought for a while, and then asked, "Which one of the Lu family went to the military camp to meet General Su that day?"

"It's Lu Fu, the steward of the Lu family. He has been with my father since he was a child. The Lu family was able to recover thanks to Uncle Fu's help."

Hearing this, Li Yun roughly understood the recent situation of the Lu family. He looked at Miss Lu and said seriously, "This time, the Jiangdong Army was able to occupy Luzhou. The Lu family really contributed. This not only allowed me to take Luzhou as soon as possible, but also saved the Jiangdong Army thousands of casualties, or even tens of thousands of lives."

"Miss Lu, if there's anything I can help you with, please feel free to ask."

According to Su Sheng, this Miss Lu has always wanted to find Li Yun, and was even planning to go to Jinling to look for Li Yun.

As soon as Li Yun arrived in Luzhou, she came to him immediately.

If it is just because of the so-called love between men and women, or for the so-called admiration, it is probably unlikely.

Even if women of this era had not yet undergone the transformation of Neo-Confucianism and the morals were relatively open, Miss Lu would not have done such a thing.

Now after hearing about the current situation of the Lu family, Miss Lu’s behavior is not surprising. She must have something and needs Li Yun’s help.

For example, the issue of self-preservation of the Lu family’s direct lineage.

After the Luzhou Incident, there were only a few members of the Lu family's direct lineage left, including only three siblings. However, the damage to the Lu family's side branches was not very serious. Many members of the Lu family outside Luzhou have now returned to Luzhou, including her uncle who was the governor.

If the three siblings want to preserve the family property, it might be... a bit difficult.

Hearing what Li Yun said, Miss Lu stood up and knelt directly in front of Li Yun, lowered her head and shed tears, saying: "I have something to ask you, sir." Li Yun stood up, helped her up, shook his head and said: "If you have anything, just tell me directly. Where I can help, I will definitely help."

After Miss Lu was helped up, she bowed her head and said, "I was saved by the envoy. If the envoy does not abandon my humble appearance, I am willing to repay the envoy and become his concubine..."

Li Yun was not surprised when he heard this. He had already guessed what Miss Lu was thinking. After helping her sit down, Li Yun looked at her and said with a smile, "Because of the dispute over the branches of the Lu family?"

Miss Lu lowered her head and shed tears, "Mostly because of this."

"Most of the Lu family's businesses, land, and other properties are now taken over by Uncle Jiu. The remaining properties are mostly managed by some clan elders. I, my sister and I, have only an ancestral home and some savings."

She whispered, "The Lu family's ancestral home was smashed and destroyed by rebels. Uncle Fu and some people close to our direct lineage helped to repair it, and it was barely habitable. Now Uncle Jiu wants to take over the ancestral home as well."

Miss Lu wiped her tears and said, "Uncle Jiu meant that Luzhou was not peaceful, so he sold the ancestral home earlier and asked our family to go to Hezhou to join him..."

"Uncle Jiu is still okay, but my Aunt Jiu is not a kind person. If she really passes away, my three siblings will have no control over their fate."

With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Li Yun and cried, "I no longer desire the ancestral property of the Lu family. I only hope to keep the ancestral home so that my brothers and sisters can have a place to settle down. I am willing... willing to stay with you and be your concubine..."

Miss Lu naturally had a good impression of Li Yun. In this era that still admired mighty men, the sight of Li Yun dismounting from his horse to kill the enemy was enough to make most women remember him after seeing him.

However, the original life-saving grace would not have allowed Lu Huan to treat her as a concubine so directly.

The main reason is because of the current situation of the Lu family.

If the three siblings, especially the two sisters, really went to Hezhou, they might be promised to other people as wives or concubines by their aunt in the future. It would be better for them to find someone they like in Luzhou.

You can also take advantage of the situation to protect your younger brothers and sisters.

Mr. Li lowered his head to drink tea, looked at Miss Lu, and smiled softly: "I am not a person who takes advantage of others' misfortune. The Lu family has helped me a lot. Since there is a danger, I will not stand idly by."

"Don't worry, you three siblings, leave this matter to me. I can't guarantee other places, but in Luzhou and the whole of Jiangnan, as long as it was originally the Lu family's property, it will still belong to you three siblings."

"No one else can take it away, and no one else can take it away."

Miss Lu stood up and bowed to Li Yun again to express her gratitude, then looked at Li Yun and said, "Your Excellency despises me..."

"That's not true."

Li Yun looked at the pitiful Miss Lu, shook his head slightly and said, "Let's put one thing on one thing, the two things can't be mixed up, otherwise if it gets out, how can I live like a man?"

Only then did Miss Lu understand the meaning behind Li Yun's words.

I can help, and it's also okay to take a concubine, but the two things can't be mixed together.

She looked at Li Yun, feeling happy, and bowed, saying, "I understand what you mean, sir."

"On behalf of my late father, my brothers and sisters, I would like to thank you, Your Excellency."

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "It's what I should do, it's what I should do."

The two chatted for a while, and Li Yun personally escorted Miss Lu out of the governor's mansion, then turned around and returned to the mansion.

At this time, the banquet prepared by Su Sheng had already started. He pulled Li Yun into the banquet, winking and looking mischievous.

"Has Jilang become successful?"

Li Yun smiled silently.

"Brother is interested in these things."

He stretched and changed the subject: "Tomorrow, let's take some people out of the city for a walk."

Su Sheng was startled and asked, "Are you going to travel around Luzhou?"

“Near Luzhou.”

Li Yun touched his chin.

"I want to know, the Pinglu Army is near Luzhou..."

“How many people were deployed?”

(End of this chapter)