The Prodigal Son

After the court session ended, Zhao Luan was the first to leave the court.

Qin Fumeng and his grandson left like victorious generals, leaving behind a group of ministers filled with rage.

"Prime Minister Song, has His Majesty gone mad?"

Fei Zhong glared at Song Zhuo with a dark expression and a bellyful of resentment.

"Yes, is His Majesty truly determined to protect Qin Yu even at the cost of his life?"

"Prime Minister Song has already offered His Majesty a way out, yet His Majesty remains stubbornly unrepentant?"

"Does His Majesty insist on throwing Great Ning into chaos before he is satisfied?"

"Yes, Prime Minister Song, you should go and persuade His Majesty again!"

A group of ministers surrounded Song Zhuo and expressed their concerns to him.

At this moment, Song Zhuo's face was also terribly pale.

No one knew what Song Zhuo was thinking, but everyone could see the disappointment he couldn't hide.

Yes!

Zhao Luan is his student!

He had already given Zhao Luan the best answer, but Zhao Luan insisted on returning it. How could he not be disappointed?

"Everyone, disperse!"

After a long silence, Song Zhuo sighed wearily, "Let Elder Su and I try to persuade His Majesty again! If His Majesty still refuses to listen to our advice, I'm powerless to help! Perhaps I really am getting old, cough cough..."

Song Zhu coughed for a moment, then called Su Yu and slowly walked outside.

Suddenly, his body seemed to hunch over.

Watching Song Zhuo's retreating figure, the assembled officials couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

What does Song Zhuo mean by this?

Getting old?

Although Song Zhuo was not young, he was not old enough to be considered old in the imperial court at the age of less than sixty.

He's considered old, so what's Su Yu, who's nearly seventy?

Could it be that he is disappointed in Zhao Luan and wants to withdraw from the court?

Thinking of this, Fei Zhong and Lu Cheng couldn't help but exchange a silent glance, their eyes filled with barely suppressed elation.

If Song Zhuo loses faith in Zhao Luan, Zhao Luan will soon become truly alone!

Under everyone's gaze, Song Zhuo lowered his head and walked away with heavy steps.

Su Yu sighed heavily and quickly followed.

Before long, Song Zhuo and Su Yu arrived at Zhao Luan's study.

Upon seeing Zhao Luan again, smiles suddenly appeared on their faces.

"Your Majesty, how was my performance?"

Su Yu chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Good!"

Zhao Luan smiled slightly and personally picked up the teapot to pour tea for the two of them. "However, this is just the beginning. We have to continue acting for the next few days! Now that this play has started, we can't stop. We should all pretend we don't know anything and keep acting. We must not give ourselves away."

"Um!"

Song Zhuo nodded and smiled, "But speaking of which, Qin Yu really has a sharp tongue!"

"Who can argue with that?"

Su Yu immediately chimed in, laughing and crying at the same time, "To be honest, Your Majesty, this old minister almost slapped that scoundrel a few times right there in court! That scoundrel's insults were just too awful!"

Even though they knew Qin Yu was acting, he was still quite angry at Qin Yu's words.

It's fortunate that this is just acting; Qin Yu should have held back a bit.

Otherwise, given Qin Yu's mouth, he would probably have cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.

However, thinking of Cui Xu, Su Yu felt much better.

Hearing Su Yu's words, Zhao Luan couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll have him apologize to Elder Su later!"

"No, no! There's no need for an apology."

Su Yu shook his head repeatedly, "Please remind Qin Yu, Your Majesty, if this old minister ever really clashes with him, just tell him to hold back his words."

"Pfft..."

Zhao Luan was amused by Su Yu's words, "Is Qin Yu's foul mouth really that scary?"

"Anyway, this old minister definitely can't out-argue him!" Su Yu said with a wry smile as he picked up his teacup.

"You talk like you can out-argue that old bastard Qin Fumeng!" Song Zhuo joked.

Su Yu's face stiffened slightly, then he smiled helplessly.

indeed!

That old bastard Qin Fumeng never keeps a kind mouth.

When the late emperor was still alive, he had many disputes with Qin Fumeng.

As a result, he never won an argument!

Now, this little brat from the Qin family has truly surpassed his master!

He suddenly realized that it wasn't all bad for young people to spend their days mingling in the streets and alleys!

At least, you won't be at a disadvantage when hurling insults.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Zhao Luan stopped them with a smile, "Our play must continue, but the affairs of the court cannot be stopped! Please take care of the drought in the three regions, Master."

"Your Majesty is too kind."

Song Zhuo smiled, "This afternoon I dispatched men on horseback to investigate the disaster situation in the three regions. If necessary, we can transfer grain from Weizhou for disaster relief... cough cough..."

As he spoke, Song Zhuo began to cough.

Su Yu chuckled, "Don't pretend in front of His Majesty."

Is he addicted to acting?

"Cough cough..."

Song Zhuo didn't speak, but kept coughing while covering his mouth with his fist.

Zhao Luan sensed something was wrong and quickly asked with concern, "Master, are you ill?"

Song Zhuo coughed for a while before he recovered. He smiled gently at Zhao Luan and said, "It's just an old ailment, Your Majesty. Don't worry, it just happens to fit our plan..."

He was left with a hidden injury after his dantian was shattered.

As he gets older, and after suffering from heatstroke the other day, his ailment is getting worse.

Zhao Luan glanced at him worriedly and immediately sent someone to summon the imperial physician...

……

In the afternoon, Zhao Yan returned to her residence from Mudan.

By this time, Lu Yong had been waiting for quite some time.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Upon seeing Zhao Yan, Lu Yong immediately stood up and bowed.

"Sit down and talk!"

Zhao Yan invited Lu Yong to sit down. "Did your father send you to deliver a message to me?"

"The Crown Prince is indeed very perceptive!"

Lu Yong seized the opportunity to flatter him, asking with a broad smile, "Does the Crown Prince know about what happened in court today?"

Zhao Yan smiled, "I only heard from people in the peony garden that Qin Yu seemed to have angrily scolded the officials in court and was punished by being confined to his room to reflect on his mistakes! I don't know the specifics."

"That's not the most important thing!"

Lu Yong's smile was exceptionally bright. "My father said that even though Prime Minister Song has practically offered His Majesty a way out, His Majesty refuses to accept it! Now, even Prime Minister Song is somewhat disappointed in His Majesty..."

Then, Lu Yong told Zhao Yan in detail what had happened in the court that day.

He talked for more than fifteen minutes.

After listening to Lu Yong's words, Zhao Yan unconsciously frowned.

Seeing Zhao Yan's expression, Lu Yong couldn't help but wonder, "The Crown Prince seems unhappy?"

Zhao Yan gently shook her head. "I was just wondering, does Your Majesty need to be so protective of Qin Yu? Is Qin Yu really that important?"

Song Zhuo's suggestion was indeed the best solution.

It's clear that Song Zhuo genuinely cares about Zhao Luan and the imperial court.

Even so, Zhao Luan still disregarded the advice of the entire court and simply punished Qin Yu by confining him to his room to reflect on his mistakes.

Has Zhao Luan gone mad with demonic possession?

Or has she already had physical intimacy with Qin Yu?

The thought of this possibility immediately gave Zhao Yan a feeling that Qin Yu had cheated on her.

Although he currently has no relationship with Zhao Luan, in his heart, Zhao Luan is already his!

"This one?"

Lu Yong thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "I think that rather than saying that Her Majesty is protecting Qin Yu, it's more accurate to say that she's challenging the Empress Dowager and the entire court! Her Majesty is inherently strong-willed and certainly doesn't want to give in so easily! No matter what, she'll definitely have to struggle."

Zhao Yan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's true!"

He overlooked Zhao Luan's personality.

Zhao Luan, like him, is someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.

The more her ministers pressured her, the less willing she would be to compromise.

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry!"

Lu Yong smiled obsequiously, "Now that even Prime Minister Song isn't on His Majesty's side, I believe His Majesty won't last much longer!"

In his view, Zhao Luan's current actions are entirely driven by competitiveness.

However, no matter how strong Zhao Luan is, she can't protect Qin Yu.

Whether Qin Yu and the Qin family are more important, or the fate of the Great Ning dynasty, even a fool would know the answer.

"Let's hope so!"

Zhao Yan smiled. "By the way, does your father know what the situation is like with Lord Lü right now?"

"I'm not sure about that."

Lu Yong shook his head and asked again, "Was it Lü Si who asked the heir to inquire about his father's situation?"

"Um."

Zhao Yan nodded. "Tell your father later and ask him to find out about Lord Lü's situation. The Empress Dowager and Lü Si are both very concerned about this matter."

"Achoo..."

Lu Chunqiu, who was in the dungeon of the Baojing Division, sneezed and subconsciously pulled his clothes tighter.

It's the height of summer, yet there's still a slight chill in the dungeon of the Treasure Mirror Division.

Is this place really that gloomy?

Well, it's probably because too many people died!

Lu Chunqiu pondered for a moment, then picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup of wine. He savored the freshly delivered braised meat while happily sipping his wine...