Empress Qiao was horrified when she heard this, thinking that her in-law was really bold…

That was a very refreshing thing to say!

Every word was like a sharp sword, piercing into one’s heart and lungs. Emperor Yongjia’s expression had become increasingly rigid, as he had been hit in the sore spot.

Li Jing finally let out the anger in his heart.

He knelt beside his father-in-law and followed his father-in-law’s words and said, “Father-in-law is right. I was too impulsive before and asked you to investigate the matter thoroughly and give Xiaoyu justice, which made you embarrassed. Is this what a son should do?”

“I take back what I just said. Father, please don’t investigate this matter to the end. Just find someone to take the blame. That will stop the people from talking about this.”

Emperor Yongjia: “…”

Emperor Yongjia was so badly bullied by his father-in-law and son-in-law that his lungs ached.

As the Emperor, you still have to maintain your dignity.

Emperor Yongjia exhaled heavily, stretched out his hand to help Lu Lin up, and said solemnly: “I will investigate this matter to the end, give an explanation to the Lu family, and give the Lu family justice.”

“I want everyone to know that I will not tolerate anyone resorting to such vicious means. If anyone dares to raise his hand, I will chop his hand off!”
The Emperor’s words are as good as nine tripods!

Lu Lin was so moved that his eyes turned red. He choked up and said, “Your Majesty, you don’t have to do this. Xiaoyu married into the royal family as a daughter-in-law. The emperor treated her well and protected her in every way. I understand it in my heart and I am grateful. For her safety, you made such a big fuss and hurt the face of the royal family. How can I bear it?”

The more Lu Lin was humble, the more determined Emperor Yongjia became: “Don’t say anything. I have made up my mind!”

Two drops of manly tears rolled out of Lu Lin’s eyes: “Your Majesty treats me like this; I have no way to repay you. I am willing to be your vanguard in this life, conquer Yan and Chu, and help Your Majesty unify the Central Plains!”

Emperor Yongjia relaxed his brows and patted Lu Lin on the shoulder: “I understand your loyalty. The Wei Dynasty cannot do without loyal ministers and generals, and I cannot do without you. Don’t worry, with me here, no one can bully the Lu family!”

As for Li Jing, who was kneeling on the ground, he did not receive such treatment. He just knelt silently for a while and then stood up by himself.

Lu Lin was well-versed in the art of tension and relaxation. Having achieved his purpose, he bowed and said goodbye: “I will take my leave first and go back home to accompany Xiaoyu. No matter how good her skills are, she has never experienced such a dangerous thing. She is still in shock.”

Emperor Yongjia felt even more guilty and said, “Ah Jing, why don’t you send your father-in-law back home!”

It would be better to go back early so that he won’t be upset when he sees you.

Li Jing had already developed a thick skin, so he pretended not to hear the dissatisfaction in Emperor Yongjia’s tone, bowed in response, said goodbye to Empress Qiao, and then left with his father-in-law.

Empress Qiao took a look at Emperor Yongjia’s expression and didn’t want to stay any longer, so she bowed and took her leave.

After everyone left, Emperor Yongjia stood alone for a moment, his expression gloomy and uncertain, with complex lights flashing in his eyes. He suddenly stretched out his legs and kicked over the imperial desk.

There was a loud thud!

The imperial guards and eunuchs standing by all lowered their heads.

“Eunuch Liu,” Emperor Yongjia gritted his teeth and said angrily, “Pass on my oral order and summon the Minister of Justice to the palace immediately.”

Eunuch Liu nodded his head.

There have always been undercurrents inside and outside the palace. The princes’ fights are all carried out in secret, and the concubines dare not show their rivalry too obviously.

The assassination of Lu Mingyu was like a huge rock hitting the surface of a lake, and the undercurrent surging beneath the surface of the lake finally became apparent.

…

In Yihua Palace.

Su Fei was in a particularly good mood today, and she ate one more bowl of lunch than usual. She slept soundly for the whole afternoon, and she didn’t know what she dreamed about, but she actually laughed out loud in her dream.

In the evening, Su Fei ordered the palace maids to bring a zither and asked a palace maid who was good at playing the zither to play a few tunes, while she danced a few tunes in Yihua Palace.

Su Fei was born a dancer, and she often danced for Emperor Yongjia in private. But she was very taboo about others mentioning this. She would only dance a few songs like this when she was in a very good mood.

The sound of the piano was as gurgling as a stream. Although Su Fei was over 30 years old, her figure was still soft and attractive. She hummed a little tune while dancing gracefully. Her dance moves were graceful and enchanting, and the seductive look on her face was so charming that even the palace maids serving beside her felt their eyes hot and their hearts beating.

Although Su Fei was not very conspicuous and kept her head down, no one in the harem could compare to Su Fei in terms of serving men.

Of course, the most favored concubine of Emperor Yongjia was Meng Guifei. Apart from Meng Guifei, she came to Yihua Palace more often.

After all, Emperor Yongjia was still a man no matter how wise and powerful he was. As a man, no man didn’t like beauty. It didn’t matter whether the concubines who served him in bed were smart or not.

Su Fei danced to a few songs, her whole body was slightly sweaty, and she was in a good mood. Just as she was about to ask someone to serve dinner, Li Hao arrived.

Li Hao’s face didn’t look good, and there was a hint of self-reflection in his eyes when he looked at Su Fei.

Su Fei smiled and scolded her son: “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I have grown an extra hand?”

“Lu Mingyu went to the Qiao residence to congratulate today, and encountered a group of assassins on the way.” Li Hao stared at Su Fei and said slowly: “Fortunately, she is very skilled, otherwise, she would have died at the hands of the assassins today.”

“Is it because of this that Mother is in such a good mood today?”

Su Fei: “…”

Su Fei wanted to straighten her chest and say, “Yes, that’s right, what’s wrong?” But when she saw Li Hao’s tense face, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue: “I’m in the harem all day, how can I know what’s happening outside? Did Lu really encounter an assassin? Is she okay?”

Li Hao remained silent, his eyes fixed on Su Fei’s slightly artificial face.
No one knew his own mother’s temper better than him.

Su Fei was hiding a huge secret and refused to tell him. The same was true for Lu Mingyu. For some reason, the two of them were like mortal enemies.

When Lu Mingyu was assassinated, Su Fei couldn’t help but gloat over it. What he was thinking about now was whether this incident had anything to do with Su Fei.

“You don’t think I was the one who did it in secret, do you?” Su Fei asked her son in amazement and amusement, “Look at me, do I look like someone who has such ability?”

No.

Su Fei was like a vine, clinging to Emperor Yongjia for survival. She had the means to secretly bribe a few palace maids in the palace, but she definitely couldn’t raise assassins outside the palace.

Other concubines all had powerful families. However the Su family was poor, and they had to sell their daughter to survive. After Su became a concubine of the Li family, she had contact with her family again. Later, Emperor Yongjia sat on the throne and rewarded the Su family with some land. His grandfather and uncle were both landlords with little knowledge.
Even if Su Fei wanted to kill Lu Mingyu, she couldn’t resort to such cruel means.

So, who was the one who did it?

Li Hao’s eyes flickered, and a series of thoughts flashed through his mind.
Su Fei suppressed her smile and whispered, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Stop imagining nonsense here. Even if Lu Mingyu died, it’s not your turn to shed tears.”

…

(End of this chapter)