Chapter 6: Supporting My Father

*Smash!* Lu Desheng slammed his fist down in anger. “This is infuriating! The Zhao family is unbearable, and the Xie family is utterly despicable. Xie Zhan has no conscience!”

Madam Jiang was equally furious. “Back then, Ali saved his life, and now they want to break off the engagement over such a trivial matter. Their conscience must have been eaten by dogs!” Ali had been so young back then, staying in the freezing water for so long to save him. It was the dead of winter, and afterward, she developed a high fever that led to a heart condition, nearly costing her life.

Hearing this, Lu Songli roughly pieced together the reason why the Xie and Lu families, who were not exactly social equals, had arranged this marriage. The original host’s memories confirmed this—the engagement had been decided by Old Master Xie, the elder patriarch of the Xie family. However, Old Master Xie had passed away two years ago.

To outsiders, this marriage seemed highly unsuitable. The Xie family was a prominent aristocratic family, and Xie Zhan was not only talented and handsome but also extraordinarily capable. It was obvious to anyone that Xie Zhan had a bright future ahead of him.

As for the Lu family, they were not from a noble lineage. The highest-ranking official in the family, Lu Desheng, was only of the fifth rank. Although he was currently favored by the emperor, he was somewhat isolated among the officials, with limited avenues of support.

Lu Songli, though beautiful, had always been average in ability and unremarkable in talent, making her a poor match for someone like Xie Zhan.

“Father, Mother, please don’t be upset.”

“L-Ali…” Lu Desheng and Madam Jiang looked at her with concern. They knew their daughter had eagerly anticipated this marriage since she was a child.

What they didn’t know was that Lu Songli, having already suspected as much, was the quickest among the three to come to terms with the situation—especially since she was not the original host.

“Father, Mother, I’m fine. The truth is, Xie Zhan has always been indifferent towards me as his fiancée. I can tell he doesn’t like me,” Lu Songli said calmly. “This is actually a good thing. The Xie family has likely been dissatisfied with this engagement for a long time, or they wouldn’t be so eager to find an excuse to break it off. Now that we know how they feel, it’s better than marrying into their family and suffering later on.”

Lu Songli was well aware that this engagement was likely doomed. A family like the Xie’s, once they show signs of wanting to break off an engagement, has probably already made up their minds.

“However, if they want to break the engagement, they can’t do it like this.” As she spoke, Lu Songli’s face carried a smile, but there was a chilling edge to it.

Initially, she thought it was just an engagement, just a man—if someone else wanted him, and he had already developed feelings for another, she would simply let it go.

But even if the current situation hadn’t arisen, she would still feel uncomfortable. In the original novel, Xie Zhan was the male lead, but anyone who could engage in a romantic affair with his wife’s close friend while his wife was gravely ill was certainly not a good person. And Zhao Yutan was no better.

Now, she didn’t want to let them have their way so easily.

The reason was simple: the actions of the Xie and Zhao families were too infuriating. The Xie family, claiming the reason for breaking the engagement was the incident last night when she was rescued and held by another man, wanted to absolve themselves of any blame. They wanted to break off the engagement without taking any responsibility, aiming to maintain both their reputation and their interests—how greedy! As for the Zhao family, their actions were little better than blatant theft.

‘Why should I so easily let them have their way? Even if I don’t want this engagement anymore, I won’t agree to it so readily. At the very least, I need to make them suffer a bit to get some satisfaction.’

Madam Jiang’s eyes reddened with emotion. “You’ve been wronged.” Many young women would try to see things in a positive light, but her daughter didn’t. Lu Songli saw the situation all too clearly, was harsh on herself, and didn’t leave any room for wishful thinking. It broke her heart to see this.

Lu Desheng stood up. “I’m going to the study.” Where’s his sword? He needed to find his sword! These people had bullied his daughter too much—he was going to impeach them into oblivion!

Lu Songli quickly stopped him. “Father, gather evidence of the Zhao family’s corruption and malfeasance, and strike them hard in court.” The Xie family might be difficult to deal with, so they should start by squeezing the Zhao family, who seemed like the weaker target.

Lu Desheng was taken aback. ‘Daughter???’

Wasn’t this the same daughter who usually disapproved of his habit of aggressively criticizing others in court?

“Don’t worry about me.”

Speaking of her friendship with Zhao Yutan, it had lasted for several years. In the beginning, Lu Desheng’s position in the capital was precarious. He had brought his wife and three eldest children to the capital to make a living, while the original host, Lu Songli, was left in their hometown due to her young age and frail health. It wasn’t until later, when he received some crucial advice that helped him navigate the political landscape, that he was able to establish himself firmly. Only then did he bring her to Chang’an.

When the original Lu Songli first arrived in Chang’an, she was timid and insecure, feeling out of place among the noblewomen of the city, which naturally led to her being ostracized. It was Zhao Yutan, a gentle and caring elder sister figure, who took her under her wing, protected her, and helped her navigate the social circles. The original Lu Songli was deeply grateful to Zhao Yutan, trusting her almost completely.

The Lu family was also very appreciative of Zhao Yutan’s kindness towards their daughter. Because of this, Lu Desheng often extended favors to the Zhao family, turning a blind eye to their misdeeds and even subtly warning Zhao Yutan’s father several times, helping them avoid a few crises.

But now that the friendship between the two women had collapsed, Lu Songli was determined not to let her father be lenient any longer.

Lu Songli continued, “If you can’t find anything on the main branch, then look into the collateral branches. If nothing turns up there, then dig into their ancestral home! I refuse to believe that the Zhao family is entirely clean.” Opportunities should be seized, and if none exist, they must be created. In short, they should not let the Zhao family off the hook.

Madam Jiang echoed her daughter’s sentiment, “Did you hear that? The eldest daughter of the Zhao family is utterly shameless. Old man, this time you must stand up for our daughter and make them pay!” The two of them had pushed their child to this point—how could they let it slide?

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to my daughter. But no need to make it too complicated. The Zhao family isn’t clean—they have plenty of skeletons in their closet. In fact, I already have some evidence of their crimes,” Lu Desheng said, feeling quite pleased. It seemed like his daughter was starting to recognize his efforts in the court after all.

Feeling invigorated by this, Lu Desheng vowed to handle the situation well. Previously, out of respect for Zhao Yutan and his daughter’s friendship, he had kept all the incriminating information about the Zhao family under wraps. Now, it was finally time to put it to use. What’s that saying? Better safe than sorry!

“Dad, you need to work hard on this. I’m counting on you to make a big impact.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Just wait and see,” Lu Desheng said, practically ready to pat himself on the back.

After these words, Lu Songli returned to her own courtyard, feeling exhausted even after a short period of sitting. Her fragile health was starting to take its toll.

Once Lu Songli left, Madam Jiang couldn’t help but remark, “Ali’s change in attitude is so drastic.”

Lu Desheng didn’t think much of it. “She’s been stimulated by recent events. Actually, it’s for the better. She used to be too soft. Among our four children, I never worried about the first three—they could handle themselves. But the youngest daughter was always targeted by others. With her behaving like this, I finally feel more at ease as a father.”

“Also, she’s grown up. Did you see how she defended you just now?”

Recalling how her daughter had slapped the Zhao family’s man earlier, Madam Jiang nodded. It seemed that after experiencing these events, their daughter had truly matured.

Lu Desheng emphasized, “And Ali is becoming more and more like me. Look at her, she was able to say all that earlier. She’s truly my daughter.”

Madam Jiang gave him a look of exasperation. “Yes, she’s like you. Go ahead and be proud of it.”