Chapter 15: Attacked at the Door

Zhao Wenkuan, fuming with anger, returned to the Zhao residence with two other allies who had also been impeached.  He was deep in thought, completely unprepared for the intensity of  Lu Desheng’s retaliation.

“That old geezer Lu Desheng, he must have been plotting this for a long time,” Zhao Zhi muttered.

“Yes, who knows where he got all this evidence!” Shi Danqing lamented.  There were things they had done, evidence they had erased, even forgotten about, yet it was all brought back to light.

“Some of the evidence must have been collected long ago,” Zhao Zhi said, locking eyes with Shi Danqing who was looking at him. It was obvious.  Before, the Zhao family’s eldest daughter had been close with Lu Desheng’s second daughter, and even if Lu Desheng had obtained this evidence, he had kept it under wraps, never using it to attack the Zhao family.

The current situation, even if Zhao Wenkuan didn’t say it, they could see it.  On the surface, the Zhao and Lu Families had fallen out due to the falling out of their daughters.  But in reality, it involved the Zhao family’s choice of marriage partners and their shifting alliances.  The Zhao family’s abandonment of Qin and embrace of Xie was a clear indication of their intentions.  It remained to be seen if the Zhao family would succeed in this endeavor.

Zhao Wenkuan gritted his teeth and said, “No matter what, we must weather this storm first. The emperor won’t allow him to run wild.”

Zhao Zhi and Shi Danqing exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes.  It was clear from this statement that Zhao Wenkuan didn’t know Lu Desheng well enough.  He was an outsider.  Lu Desheng’s true strength lay in his ability to distinguish between the important and the trivial, his calculated advance and retreat, his impeccable sense of proportion.  This was the source of his fearsome reputation, the reason why he had always been in the emperor’s favor.

In other words, Zhao Wenkuan didn’t need to worry about the Zhao family being impeached by Lu Desheng again in the coming period. Because Lu Desheng was not interested in those small fry.

Zhao Wenkuan, Zhao Zhi, and Shi Danyang chatted for a while, reassuring them before sending them off.  After seeing them off, he thought for a moment before turning towards the back garden.

Zhao Residence Back Garden

“Mother, are the carriages ready? Will Lu Songli really go to the Xu family today?” Zhao Yutan asked.

Luo replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve made all the arrangements. She will definitely go.”

Zhao Yutan pondered in her head what she should say and do when she met Lu Songli.

Just then, the news that her father had been impeached by Lu Desheng, his official rank demoted by half a level and forced to remain in his position, reached the mansion. Zhao Yutan was stunned. How could this be?! Her father was the Honglu Shiqing, a high-ranking official with real power, holding the rank of  Zheng Sanpin (Third Rank). Lu Desheng, on the other hand, was just a lowly Wupin (Fifth Rank) Yushi (Censor) in the Censorate. There were many Yushis like him. Yet, this had happened. Lu Desheng had impeached her father once, and her father had lost half a rank!

Only now did she truly understand how terrifying it was to have angered a favored Censor.

Just as Zhao Yutan was recovering from the shock, she heard her mother say with a heavy heart, “Besides your father, two of your uncles were also impeached by him.”

Lu Songli was immediately agitated, “The Lu Family is too much! I’m going to go find her!”

Zhao Wenkuan, who had just arrived in the back garden, heard his daughter’s words and immediately said, “Go, you must go!”  The Zhao and Lu Families were destined to be enemies. And looking at how Lu Desheng had shown no mercy towards the Zhao family, how he had truly bled them dry, it was clear they were at war.

Since things had come to this, they might as well go all out.

Zhao Wenkuan said angrily, “The marriage with the Xie family must be done!” Otherwise, they would have gained nothing and only incurred trouble. It was a huge loss.

Father and daughter looked at each other, and Zhao Yutan nodded solemnly. She was all in.  But she didn’t feel happy.  They had reached this point, forced into a corner, using such drastic measures.  Wasn’t this a kind of failure?  It also meant they had lost this confrontation.

“Mother, I’m leaving now.”  Even if she went early, it wouldn’t be much use.  They had received news that Lu Songli would be visiting her elder sister in the afternoon, and she was likely not yet on her way. But Zhao Yutan preferred to wait, it made her feel a little better.

After saying goodbye, Zhao Wenkuan wanted to return to the front yard. “Go, go quickly and come back quickly.” Before leaving, Zhao Wenkuan asked, “Does the Lu Family have any weaknesses?”

Zhao Yutan shook her head. Lu Desheng was like a stone in a cesspool, smelly and hard.

“Have you been sleeping well lately?”

Zhao Yutan shook her head. She knew her father was asking if she had been having any precognitive dreams.

Zhao Kuanwen left with a look of disappointment.

Zhao Yutan bit her lip. Why was her father so worried? All they needed to do was find a way to bring Lu Songli and Qin Sheng together. That would tie the Lu family to the Qin family. Once the Qin family was accused of crimes and arrested or exiled in three or four months, the Lu family wouldn’t be able to escape either. Ultimately, her father didn’t really believe her precognitive dreams.

At noon, Lu Desheng’s carriage finally rolled into Chongwen Street, unlike Zhao Wenkuan who had arrived home earlier. As Lu Desheng got back to his home and lifted the carriage curtain, he saw his wife standing at the gate to greet him. His heart was filled with happiness.

Seeing her father’s beaming face, Lu Songli knew she was right. She ran to him excitedly, looking up and asking, “Father, did you win?”

Lu Desheng, not in a hurry to get out of the carriage, replied, “Of course! Those people from the Zhao family are nothing but weaklings. I defeated them in one move!”

Lu Songli gave him a thumbs up, “Father, you’re amazing.”

“Just average, just average,” he said, then gestured to his daughter to step aside, as he was going to get out.

At that moment, the situation changed abruptly. Lu Songli, with her sharp eyes, noticed something amiss. Without thinking, she pushed her father back into the carriage, “Father, be careful!”

At the same time, a loud shout, like thunder, echoed, “Lu Desheng, you corrupt official who persecutes the innocent, die!”

After pushing her father into the carriage, Lu Songli saw objects flying towards them from several directions. She immediately ducked to the side of the carriage, hiding while calmly ordering, “Go after them!”

As soon as she spoke, several male servants from the Lu family’s gate chased after the suspicious figures.

Actually, several agile figures had already chased after them from different directions as soon as the incident happened.

Bang! Lu Songli looked closely and saw that those unknown objects were nothing but rotten eggs. They now splattered on the carriage walls and roof, emitting a nauseating odor. She had dodged quickly enough, but some of the egg yolk splattered on her clothes. Damn it! Not much damage, but highly insulting!

After the wave of attacks, she waited for a while, looked around again to confirm that nothing else was being thrown at them. She walked to the front of the carriage, opened the curtain for her father, and said, “Father, it’s safe now, you can come out.”

At that moment, Madam Jiang also rushed over, “Master, A Li, are you both okay?”

Lu Songli made way for her mother and said to the coachman beside her, “Uncle Li, you’ve worked hard today. Go to the accounting room later and collect an extra month’s salary. Tell them to deduct it from my monthly allowance.” Fortunately, Old Li, the coachman, was experienced. When the rotten eggs were thrown, he controlled the horse, and the horse was just a little startled, lifting its hooves slightly.

“Ah, okay.” Old Li didn’t expect the young lady to remember his name and call him Uncle Li. He was still a bit dazed, as he had instinctively controlled the horse earlier.

She nodded at Old Li and then instructed the steward Chen, “When you catch the person, break their hands first!”

Faced with this sudden situation, Steward Chen had been a bit clumsy earlier, but Lu Songli could understand. It wasn’t his expertise, so there was no need to be too harsh. But she had other plans in mind.

Lu Songli’s stern voice instantly brought Steward Chen back to his senses, and he quickly responded, “Yes, Miss Lu!”

Thinking about what had just happened, Steward Chen was sweating profusely. In the morning, the young lady had asked him for a few agile and fast servants, and he had sent four or five of them without knowing what they were needed for. He didn’t expect the young lady to use them in this situation.

Lu Songli didn’t say much more. She hadn’t spent the morning just waiting for her father to return. Unexpectedly, the precautionary measures she had taken earlier had come in handy.