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When Zhao Wenkuan arrived at Xie Mansion, it was almost midnight, the second watch of the night, and Xie Mingtang was already preparing to sleep. When he received Zhao Wenkuan’s visit late at night, he was very surprised, but still had him invited in.
As soon as Zhao Wenkuan saw Xie Mingtang, he knelt down crying, “Brother Mingtang, this time you must help me.”
Xie Mingtang was shocked and quickly reached out to help him up, “Wenkuan, speak slowly, there’s no need to be like this.”
Since Xie Mingtang couldn’t lift him up, he knew that the matter was serious, but he still had to show the appropriate attitude, “Don’t worry, now that our two families are in-laws, I will help in any way I can.”
Only then did Zhao Wenkuan allow himself to be helped up by him.
After both of them sat down, Xie Mingtang asked with concern, “What happened that made you so agitated?”
“Brother Mingtang, the Lu family is too much…” Zhao Wenkuan began to explain.
After more than half an hour, Xie Mingtang sent away Zhao Wenkuan, who had calmed down.
He thought for a moment and ordered someone to call his eldest son, Xie Zhan.
When Xie Mingtang’s personal attendant arrived at Xie Zhan’s courtyard, it was already past midnight. Xie Zhan, who was happily reading by the light of a lamp, was also preparing to wash up and go to bed.
Upon hearing his father’s summons, Xie Zhan didn’t delay, he put on his outer robe and headed to his father’s study.
As soon as Xie Mingtang saw him, he said, “A Zhan, something has happened!”
“What happened?” Xie Zhan’s expression was serious. His father called him over late at night, so it must be something significant. His mind quickly raced through which family member of theirs was responsible for which task recently and which part was most likely to go wrong. And then, how to deal with it?
Xie Mingtang could tell that he had misunderstood, so he quickly clarified, “It’s not our family that’s in trouble, it’s the Zhao family.”
“What happened to the Zhao family?”
Xie Mingtang’s expression was somewhat unusual, “Zhao Bin had his leg broken by someone, an old farmer from outside Chang’an City brought him back. The person who did it was too ruthless, his leg was shattered, the physician said his leg is considered useless now, even if he recovers, it will be difficult for him to walk.”
Zhao Bin? It was him who had the accident. Zhao Bin, who was supposed to be his future brother-in-law, he had a rough idea of his background, currently serving in the Three Thousand Camps outside the city, holding the rank of Wujiaowei of the sixth rank. He had a good impression of him and had some plans for his future promotion direction. Unexpectedly, he had such a big incident, which would now ruin his future. Some arrangements had to be changed accordingly.
“Do you know who did it?” He had to know who ruined his plans.
Xie Mingtang looked at him with deep meaning in his eyes.
Xie Zhan was first puzzled, but then suddenly understood, “Was it the Lu family? Lu Songli?”
“And Qin Sheng.”
Xie Zhan was shocked, it really was her!
Lu Songli was really bold. Now the Zhao family and the Lu family would be at each other’s throats.
“Is the Zhao family planning to report this to the Emperor?” Xie Zhan asked after a moment of contemplation.
Xie Mingtang shook his head.
Xie Zhan was surprised. The Zhao family had suffered such a great loss, yet they were willing to swallow it? Was there something else he didn’t know? After all, such a good reason to deal with Lu Desheng, why would the Zhao family let it go?
He thought back to the conversation between the father and son, and suddenly asked, “When and where did Zhao Bin meet Lu Songli?” Why did the two have such a huge conflict? Lu Songli didn’t seem like the kind of person who would act impulsively. After the Empress Dowager’s palace banquet, Xie Zhan realized that his former fiancée, Lu Songli, was not as quiet and dull as he had thought. She wouldn’t have provoked such a big conflict for no reason.
His father’s next words confirmed his suspicions.
“Zhao Bin started it. Lu Songli went out of the city to Ping’an Town early this morning. Zhao Bin set an ambush on her way back, but she noticed it beforehand and, together with Qin Sheng, turned the tables and crippled Zhao Bin.”
He was the one who started it, Xie Zhan guessed, but this reason wasn’t enough. “Is there anything else?”
Xie Mingtang hesitated for a moment, then said, “Zhao Bin was given a nasty drug by them. Besides him, the people he brought with him were also given the same drug. But… the drug was brought by Zhao Bin himself.” Because Zhao Bin’s leg was broken and he couldn’t move, he was surrounded by several servants and… it was said that he was later… cracked.
A cruel blow. This method is appalling! Even at his old age, he couldn’t bear to hear this. It’s too tragic.
There was no need to say more. He could already anticipate what would happen next. Xie Zhan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was a coldness in his eyes. “This fool, he was outsmarted.”
Early this morning, the heads of the Xie, Lu, and Zhao families were all busy with the miscellaneous matters stemming from the Empress Dowager’s marriage proposal. It turned out that Lu Songli didn’t come to the Xie family in person, she must have prepared this great gift for Zhao Bin long ago, but Zhao Bin thought he was clever.
Xie Mingtang nodded. “Yes, according to Zhao Bin, the mastermind behind all this was not Qin Sheng, but Lu Songli. You say, how can a woman be so ruthless? Her heart is also cruel.” When women get ruthless, men have no chance.
Xie Zhan thought, I guessed it.
“Zhao Bin hates them with all his heart.”
Xie Zhan thought to himself, “So what if Zhao Bin hates them? His situation is something that the Zhao family is trying to cover up right now, and I suspect he’s thinking the same thing. If it gets to the Emperor, he’ll be finished, and his life will be ruined. Even though he is crippled, and his life is probably…well, at least he still have some hope, right? What if I meet a divine doctor someday?”
“Why did Zhao Bin go and provoke Lu Songli at this time?” Xie Zhan thought, “The ins and outs of this situation are unclear to outsiders, but shouldn’t those involved know better? I feel sorry for him, but at the same time, he deserves it.”
If Lu Songli knew Xie Zhan’s thoughts at this moment, she would wholeheartedly agree. As the saying goes, “Don’t be greedy after getting a bargain.” She didn’t take his life, she merely returned his treatment in kind, and collected a bit of interest. That’s already very merciful.
Xie Zhan was also annoyed with Zhao Bin now. It’s fine that he himself is crippled, but he also messed up Xie Zhan’s plans.
In Da Li Dynasty, there’s a chasm between civilian officials and military officials. Zhao Bin, a member of the Zhao family, a family of civil officials, was able to enter the 3,000-man camp outside the city as a sixth-rank Wujiaowei (Military Cavalry Lieutenant) at such a young age. This was undoubtedly due to the Qin family’s support.
Zhao Bin held a crucial position in Xie Zhan’s plans, but now? He’s become a useless pawn. If Zhao Bin could be used to cripple the Lu family, it would be worth it, but the Lu family might have their own tricks up their sleeve. This situation is a dilemma.
“The problem we face now is how to help Zhao Wenkuan turn things around in the face of Zhao Bin’s request.” When Xie Mingtang learned about the whole situation from Zhao Wenkuan, he couldn’t describe how he felt. He was shocked, and there was a hint of regret. After the broken engagement and marriage swap incident, they could see that Lu Songli had clearly changed. Each step she took, each transformation she underwent, was because they pushed her, either actively or passively. Thinking about it this way, it felt like they were the ones who had made her what she is today, and it made them uncomfortable.
But he quickly suppressed this feeling. As a politician, one must think carefully before making a choice, but once they make a choice, the worst thing to do is to be indecisive. Their top priority now is to look forward.
“Chapter 60 Daughter is Powerful (1/2)”
Xie Mingtang looked at Xie Zhan solemnly and said, “Son, our Xie family is really going to make a move this time.” Since this matter could no longer be openly contested, they had to make a move in private.
“There are no secrets in this world. The news of Zhao Bin’s mishap will definitely spread. Zhao Wenkuan is your father-in-law, and now that he has come seeking help, and Zhao Bin is your younger brother-in-law, facing such a tragic outcome, regardless of right or wrong, morally and logically, we cannot ignore it. Otherwise, not only will it disappoint Zhao Wenkuan, but also our allies and other people attached to our Xie family. The Empress Mother’s decree of marriage cannot be changed, our relationship with the Zhao family is already set in stone. Since we are now relatives, we must show the appropriate attitude.”
Xie Zhan naturally understood this reasoning.
In the end, Xie Zhan brought out a small booklet and handed it to Xie Mingtang with great seriousness.
Xie Mingtang was initially puzzled, but as he flipped through it, his expression became more and more serious. This small booklet recorded the life of Lv Desheng, his major life events, and mainly analyzed his words and actions in the memorials he used to bring down his political enemies during his time at the Imperial Censorate. It was a detailed interpretation of Lv Desheng as a person.
“Very good, with this booklet, the people we have cultivated can quickly appear before the Emperor and then replace Lv Desheng.” Xie Mingtang was truly surprised that his son had made such a preparation.
At this moment, neither Xie Zhan nor his father anticipated that this booklet would eventually end up in Lu Songli’s hands after several years. As the future leader in literature and writing, Xie Zhan’s writing skills were unparalleled, and few could compare to him. At the age of seventeen, he had already achieved some success in this area. At that time, Lu Songli quite liked this small booklet, and later she had her subordinates organize it into a personal biography of her father, which she presented to him on his birthday. Lv Desheng was very happy about it, and later, this personal biography was found by a knowledgeable merchant who had it printed.
Many people privately collected this biography, and it was passed down to future generations. Besides Lv Desheng, the protagonist of this biography, Xie Zhan, the author, also became famous. Xie Zhan himself had never expected to gain fame in such a unique way.
Meanwhile, Lu Songli also mentioned Zhao Bin’s matter to her parents after dinner.
This startled Lv Desheng and Madam Jiang. The two elders did not expect Zhao Bin to be so cunning to target their daughter at this time. When they heard that their daughter was almost in danger, their hearts almost stopped beating.
Now seeing their daughter safe and sound, they felt relieved.
Lu Desheng’s lips twitched. His daughter had returned home in the late afternoon, and now it was already the hour of You (between 5-7 p.m.) after dinner—nearly two hours later—when she finally told them about what happened. And her attitude, it was like she was casually mentioning it, just informing them in passing. She really had a big heart. If it were another girl, she probably would have rushed to tell her parents as soon as she got home after experiencing something like that.
“You’re too bold, I don’t know who you take after,” said Jiang Shi.
“Who else could it be? It must be from my dad.”
Lu Desheng unconsciously puffed out his chest, but then his wife gave him a stern look, and he couldn’t help but shrink his neck.
Jiang Shi said in exasperation, “Indeed, you two are a pair of father and daughter who are bold beyond measure!”
Lu Desheng gave his daughter a resentful look. If he still didn’t realize that his daughter was dragging him down with her, he might as well quit his job at the court.
Lu Songli secretly made a gesture of bowing, as if pleading for help.
What could Lu Desheng do? He could only let it go and not hold it against her.
Taking advantage of her mother not paying attention, Lu Songli stepped forward and started massaging her father’s shoulders in a fawning manner.
Lu Desheng felt comforted, thoroughly enjoying this gesture.
Jiang Shi saw this and said sourly, “Only your father gets a shoulder massage?”
Lu Songli quickly responded, “How could that be, dear mother? I’ll only massage my dad for a quarter of an hour, and the rest of the time is all yours. I’ll keep going until you’re completely comfortable.” She fully embraced her role as the peacemaker.
“Cheeky!” Jiang Shi said with a playful smile.