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Lu Desheng anxiously asked his daughter, “Daughter, now that there are not many ministers around the Fourth Prince and Xue Huaimin is the only visible one, do you think we can—” He wasn’t a man of strict principles; he could serve the old emperor and could also serve the young one.
“No!” Lu Songli immediately dismissed his idea and said helplessly, “Father, this idea is very dangerous. You need to stop thinking about it.”
Lu Desheng sighed; he knew this would be the case.
Their family had placed their bets on Emperor Kang Cheng from the start, staked all their lives and fortunes on him. Now, if they turn against him and align with the Fourth Prince, the first to eliminate them would be Emperor Kang Cheng himself.
Emperor Kang Cheng was a competent ruler. He had the usual emperor’s suspicion and sensitivity, along with cruelty and decisiveness. As soon as they showed any disloyalty, their fate would be sealed.
But now that they had seen the opportunity, it was regrettable they couldn’t act on it. Especially since there were so few people on the ship.
“Father, do you realize that if you go to discuss this with the Fourth Prince or Xue Huaimin, it will just alert them? Their next move would be to kill you or immediately expedite their plan?” Their plan had been laid out for years, and was on the verge of fruition. If they jumped in now to share the credit, would Xue Huaimin and the others be pleased?
Lu Songli was clear-headed about this. Unfortunately, their family had fully committed to Emperor Kang Cheng. Even though he now seemed like a fading force, changing course was impossible.
“Why would they need to kill me? I’m still a talented person, after all.”
“If you go to join them, what if their loyalty test involves killing the current emperor? Would you do it?”
Lu Desheng shook his head; he definitely couldn’t do that.
“So what if we tell the emperor?” Lu Desheng said, feeling it was a bit of a loss to not act when they had a lead on something.
“That’s a good idea, but where’s the evidence?”
Lu Desheng was somewhat detached at this point. He was just throwing out random suggestions, enjoying the feeling of having someone else consider their feasibility.
Perhaps it was because his daughter could handle the situation, Lu Desheng wasn’t too troubled at this moment.
If only Emperor Kang Cheng were a bit more long-lived, their father and daughter wouldn’t have to work so hard. Lu Desheng once again lamented Emperor Kang Cheng’s lack of vitality. It was hard on him, but he was more concerned about his daughter.
Lu Songli was indifferent. In these times, nothing was easy. Wealth and honor were not easily enjoyed; gaining them was hard, and keeping them was even harder. However, their family’s foundation was already strong, and they had the qualification to make a play for it.
“Father, stop thinking about these crooked paths. We already have a significant advantage. Next, we need to respond proactively. Who will ultimately succeed is still uncertain.”
At that moment, Lu Songli officially announced that their family, the Lu’s, was applying to join the battlefield.
Lu Songli spoke with a confident gleam in her eyes, giving her father boundless confidence.
Lu Desheng was also invigorated. Yes, now it was a matter of who had the better strategy.
Let’s see if the Lu family can be like the mantis catching the cicada, with the yellow sparrow waiting behind.
“By the way, Father, continue interacting with the emperor as usual, without showing any signs of change,” Lu Songli reminded.
Lu Desheng waved his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
Meanwhile, the marriage arrangements between the Qin and Lu families had just been settled, and the Xie and Zhao families were quick to follow. On the 10th, the Xie family sent a formal engagement to the Zhao family. The wedding date for Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan was also set for the 15th of the twelfth month.
The news reached the Lu family, and Lu Desheng was very displeased. He paced back and forth in the living room with his hands behind his back, “What are the Xie and Zhao families doing?! Can’t they avoid this date? Why must they choose the 15th?!”
Lu Zhiyuan and Lu Mingzhi exchanged glances. The fact that the Xie and Zhao families had scheduled Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan’s wedding on the same day made it hard not to feel it was intentional.
Madam Jiang was also puzzled. With so many good dates in the twelfth month, why did the Xie and Zhao families insist on the same date as them? Moreover, the Empress Dowager had not imposed any deadline! They could have held their wedding after the New Year, so why the rush?
“Do they have to steal our thunder?”
“Father, Mother, don’t be angry. It’s not worth getting upset over,” Lu Songli reassured her parents, to prevent them from getting too distressed.
In fact, many people were getting married on the same day, and her parents weren’t really angry about the clash. They just felt the Xie and Zhao families were being deliberately competitive. However, this was beyond their control. Lu Songli wasn’t particularly concerned; she was more interested in another piece of news about the Xie family. After the New Year, Xie Zhan would officially take over as the head of the Xie family. This news came out after the wedding date announcement. Lu Songli thought it wasn’t hard to guess their intentions.
Xie Zhan knew that recently, the Xie and Zhao families had been teaming up and repeatedly losing against the Lu family. The atmosphere in both families was quite gloomy, and they urgently needed a grand event to lift their spirits.
When announcing the engagement, he decided to reveal not only their wedding date but also that he would be taking over as the new head of the Xie family.
The two good news items had the desired effect. First, it was a new year with new beginnings, and their young master was getting married. Second, Xie Zhan was the long-awaited head of the Xie family. He had shown exceptional performance as the young master, and everyone looked forward to his leadership and hoped for a better future.
Another deeper reason was that Xie Mingtang’s performance as the head of the family this year had been poor, causing significant losses to the Xie family.
The Zhao family was even more affected. Their son-in-law was moving from young master to head of the family, creating a sense of continuity.
The Xie and Zhao families had shaken off their previous gloom, and the unity among them was restored.
In reality, when Xie Mingtang made a unilateral decision that led to the loss of the position of Minister of Justice, Xie Zhan had already begun taking over major affairs of the Xie family, even though Xie Mingtang remained the head in name.
Lu Songli, upon hearing the news, simply smiled faintly. Xie Zhan was a competent politician with sharp skills and intellect, so his decision was not surprising.
The Xie family had remained a prominent clan for a century for a reason. Xie Zhan used even his own marriage for the family’s benefit, showing an adaptability and resilience that was admirable.
After smiling, she couldn’t help but sigh. Despite their intense efforts, the damage they had caused to the Zhao family was greater than to the Xie family. The Xie family’s strength was such that even their worst losses amounted to only a fraction of their overall power, which was truly enviable.