News of such an incident in the capital—the pursuit and attempted assassination of civilians and government officials—had quickly spread throughout Beijing. The Imperial Guard Commander’s involvement and the sealing off of Shengmin Ward to capture the culprits had made it impossible to keep the shocking news under wraps. Court officials were already abuzz with discussion.
Lu Wenhan felt he had arrived late. He had indulged in a few extra drinks at last night’s banquet and retired early. His subordinates, not daring to disturb him, only informed him this morning. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed Yuqing and their children to spend the night at another man’s residence.
Now, Wei Zhuo sat calmly sipping tea as he entertained his guest. Noticing Lu Wenhan’s grim expression, he gestured, “Lord Lu, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, Commander, but I’m not here for idle chat,” Lu Wenhan replied. “I’ve heard about last night’s events. I’m deeply grateful for your rescue of Yuqing and our daughter, and for aiding Lu Chang. Please accept my sincere thanks.” He stood and bowed respectfully.
Wei Zhuo rose as well, gently restraining Lu Wenhan’s arm. “No need for such formality, Lord Lu. I don’t deserve your thanks.”
His military background gave Wei Zhuo a strength Lu Wenhan couldn’t match. Lu Wenhan straightened up, saying, “Very well. Great kindness needs no thanks. I’ll repay you another day. For now, please allow them to come out. I wish to take them home.”
Indeed, he had come to retrieve his family.
At the mention of “home,” Wei Zhuo’s eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing a hint of an enigmatic smile. “I’ve already sent for them. Please be patient, Lord Lu.”
Wei Zhuo’s non-confrontational responses left Lu Wenhan feeling as if he were punching a pillow.
“Thank you,” Lu Wenhan changed the subject. “About yesterday’s incident, do you know who was behind it? Have the culprits been caught?”
“We’ve captured two of the assailants who attempted to harm Madam Zeng and Ming Shu. They’re being held here. I was about to interrogate them personally when you arrived,” Wei Zhuo explained.
“I’ll accompany you,” Lu Wenhan insisted, curious to see who in Beijing would dare harm his wife and children.
However, Wei Zhuo firmly refused: “This matter relates to a case Lu Chang is investigating under the Third Prince’s secret orders. I’m afraid outsiders can’t interfere. If you’re interested, the Third Prince will be here shortly. You can discuss it with him then.”
As Lu Wenhan was about to press further, a servant announced Lu Chang and Ming Shu’s arrival. He set aside his questions and turned to greet them at the door.
Lu Chang, wearing a bamboo-green silk robe, entered slowly with Ming Shu’s support.
“Commander, Lord Lu,” Lu Chang greeted Wei Zhuo and Lu Wenhan equally, showing no particular closeness to either.
Lu Wenhan’s face darkened as he noticed Lu Chang’s pale complexion and slow movements, along with the darker bruise on Ming Shu’s neck.
“How are your injuries?” he asked with concern.
“I’m fine, it’s just a minor injury,” Ming Shu touched her neck, answering for Lu Chang. “Brother’s wound is more serious—an arrow injury to his left shoulder.”
Lu Chang glanced at Ming Shu—she was calling him “Brother” again?
Ming Shu responded with a look—Of course. To others, they were siblings, so they would act as such. She respected him; did he have a problem with that?
Lu Chang remained silent.
“Please, sit down,” Wei Zhuo invited Lu Chang to be seated and inquired about his injury.
“Thank you for your concern, Commander. I believe my injury isn’t serious,” Lu Chang replied. The military doctor who treated him had used the army’s best secret medicine for external wounds. Given his strong constitution, after a night’s rest, his spirit had largely recovered.
“Where’s Madam Zeng? I haven’t seen her…” Wei Zhuo asked.
“I checked on Mother before coming. Her foot injury hasn’t healed, making it difficult for her to walk. She wants to rest in her room and won’t come out to see visitors,” Lu Chang explained as he sat down.
The term “visitors” stung Lu Wenhan.
“If she won’t come out, I’ll go see her!” Lu Wenhan said sternly, his anger evident.
It was bad enough that his children wouldn’t acknowledge him, but now he had become an outsider while strangers became family? Seeing Zeng Yuqing hiding in Wei Zhuo’s inner quarters, avoiding him, and Lu Chang and Ming Shu following Wei Zhuo’s lead, one might think they were a real family!
“I’ve already said Mother is injured and needs rest. I hope Lord Lu can understand and not disturb her,” Lu Chang firmly replied, his tone official and unyielding.
Despite Lu Wenhan’s influence at court, he was powerless against this mother and son. They were unmoved by both soft and hard approaches, disregarding marital affection and filial piety. He and Yuqing had married young, and although their separation had been tumultuous, it had occurred when their feelings were strongest. Over the years, even though he had remarried and his career had flourished, he had never forgotten her. She was like a pure moonlight in his heart.
Now that they had reunited, he naturally wanted to mend their relationship and make amends for the hardships she and their children had endured. However, she refused to give him any chance. Even if he wanted to apologize or humble himself to win back her favor, her avoidance left him at a loss. Unless he resorted to forceful or underhanded means, using his official power against her to bring her back to his household, he was out of options. But if he did that, not only would Zeng Yuqing never forgive him, but Lu Chang would also never let it rest.
Lu Chang was too much like him—the pride and stubbornness in his bones were almost identical to Lu Wenhan’s, perhaps even more unyielding. While Lu Wenhan had once been willing to compromise with his family for his career, Lu Chang refused to budge an inch. Even after Lu Wenhan had repeatedly extended olive branches to his son, offering to include him in the family register as the eldest legitimate son with inheritance rights and the backing of the Lu family in his official career—which would have made his path much smoother—Lu Chang had refused.
Lu Wenhan could tell that Lu Chang’s refusal wasn’t a tactic of retreat to advance, but a clear-cut rejection.
“Lu Chang, no matter what, I am still your father. Do you hate me so much that you truly don’t want our family to be reunited? Ming Shu, what do you say?” Lu Wenhan, at his wit’s end, turned to Ming Shu.
“Huh?” Ming Shu stood up straight, caught off guard—What could she say? The earlier misunderstanding had been a mistake; she wasn’t even their real daughter…
“Lord Lu, why are you pressuring her?” Lu Chang placed his hand over Ming Shu’s, his tone turning cold. “Since when have we been a family?”
Seeing the signs of an argument brewing, Ming Shu quickly intervened: “Uncle Lu, it’s difficult to judge right and wrong in old love affairs. By now, the grudges should have dissipated. Mother no longer harbors love or hate for you, and naturally, Brother doesn’t resent you. But for him, twenty years of a mother’s nurturing love is a mountain of kindness he must repay with filial devotion for life. Since Mother has no intention of reconciling, Brother will only be Mother’s son. It’s been nineteen years; my mother has long moved on, and you’ve remarried. The past is past; why cling to it?”
Since she was asked to speak, she spoke her mind.
With both his son and daughter opposing him, Lu Wenhan was furious. Taking a deep breath, he changed tactics: “Fine, let’s set that aside for now. You’ve been attacked and injured, and the culprits haven’t all been caught. The danger still exists. Lu Chang may have enough men, and the Top Scholar’s mansion may be well-guarded, but it’s not advisable for you to return there. How about moving to my residence temporarily for safety?”
This reason seemed legitimate enough.
This suggestion actually touched on Lu Chang’s concerns. As Lu Wenhan said, even if he immediately requested more men from the Third Prince, the defenses at the Top Scholar’s mansion might still be insufficient, leaving room for intruders.
His mother’s and Ming Shu’s safety was not something he could risk out of stubbornness.
Seeing signs of hesitation on Lu Chang’s face, Lu Wenhan’s anger subsided a bit. Just as he was about to continue his persuasion with a pleased expression, Wei Zhuo suddenly spoke up: “In terms of safety, besides the Imperial Palace, there’s probably no place in Beijing safer than my residence.”
As the Commander of the Imperial Guard, his entire compound was surrounded by layers of elite soldiers. If his home wasn’t safe, then all of Beijing would be in danger.
“Lu Chang, Ming Shu, you and Madam Zeng can stay here until this matter is resolved. These criminals have openly committed crimes in the capital, and as I’m responsible for guarding key areas of Beijing, I must investigate this thoroughly. If you stay, we can discuss any developments together.”
Ming Shu blinked, thinking to herself—Uncle Wei really knew how to hit the mark when he spoke. Uncle Lu was in trouble.
Indeed, Wei Zhuo’s offer was very tempting, and Lu Chang was clearly interested.
Lu Wenhan, however, couldn’t stand it: “Absurd! I won’t allow it! How can you let Yuqing stay at an unrelated man’s house? If you’re not family with me, does that mean you’re family with Wei Zhuo?”
Lu Chang frowned, “Lord Lu…”
Before he could finish his rebuttal, Ming Shu suddenly blurted out: “If we’re not family, then we can become family and that’s that.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, all three men turned to stare at her.
Ming Shu quickly shut her mouth—she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud.
Lu Chang questioned her with his eyes: What did you mean by that?
Lu Wenhan was so angry that every organ in his body ached: He had come to retrieve his family, failed to do so, and now they were pushing them into the arms of his rival?
Only Wei Zhuo responded: “That would be excellent.”
The covert and overt tensions among the four people were abruptly halted by the arrival of the Third Prince, Zhao Jingran.
Finally understanding Ming Shu’s intentions, Lu Chang seized the moment, whispering to her while waiting for Zhao Jingran to enter, “What are you up to this time?”
Ming Shu replied softly, “I just think Mother should have new opportunities. She gave up so much for you, for our survival, all these years. Now that our hardships are over, she should be able to live for herself. We are her support; we can ensure she is carefree in her later years. If she meets a good man and has more options, what’s wrong with that? Or are you, like those narrow-minded moralists, concerned about a woman’s chastity and opposed to Mother remarrying…?”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Lu Chang resisted the urge to flick her forehead. Though the idea of remarriage surprised him, he wasn’t opposed to it. Instead, he noticed something else, “We? You mean you and me?”
“…I misspoke, I meant you,” Ming Shu muttered, turning her face away.
Lu Chang smiled slightly, but seeing Zhao Jingran entering, he stopped their quiet conversation.
Zhao Jingran, having heard that both Lu Chang and Ming Shu had been attacked, had rushed over. Learning that the assailants had been captured, he wanted to interrogate them personally. Since this involved state secrets, Ming Shu couldn’t accompany them, even though it concerned her. The incident had happened the previous night, and she hadn’t had the chance to ask Lu Chang what had happened. She guessed it was something he would explain later.
“Go back and stay with Mother. We need to leave the residence,” Lu Chang instructed briefly before following Zhao Jingran.
—
Due to the presence of the Third Prince, Lu Wenhan couldn’t forcibly stay, so he left the Wei residence in a huff, summoning his subordinates to investigate the attack on the Lu family. Meanwhile, Lu Chang followed Zhao Jingran and Wei Zhuo into the Wei residence’s dungeon for interrogation.
The dungeon was dark and eerie, lit only by the torches on the thick stone walls. A single path led to the interrogation room, where various torture instruments were stored. Two men were chained to pillars, their mouths stuffed with wooden blocks.
“Remove the gags. We have questions to ask,” Wei Zhuo ordered.
“Your Highness, these men have poison sacs in their molars. They might be suicide soldiers. The poison sacs have been removed, but they could still bite their tongues to kill themselves,” the black-armored guard reported.
“No matter, pull out a few of their teeth first. That’ll stop them from biting their tongues. Then we can question them slowly,” Wei Zhuo’s calm tone sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Immediately, someone brought pincers and other tools. The two prisoners turned pale upon hearing this. Wei Zhuo, unfazed, said, “Your Highness, please step outside for a moment. Once we’ve loosened their tongues, you can come back in to question them. It wouldn’t do for your eyes to be sullied.”
Zhao Jingran nodded in agreement, but Lu Chang remained. “I’ll stay and assist Uncle Wei.”
—
After Zhao Jingran left, Lu Chang walked up to the two prisoners, then asked without looking back, “Uncle Wei, do you know which one attacked Ming Shu?”
“The one on the left,” Wei Zhuo responded.
Lu Chang took a few steps toward the left-side prisoner, who trembled under his gaze. Without a word, Lu Chang signaled the guard, who quickly removed the gag. Lu Chang’s uninjured right hand swiftly clamped down on the man’s jaw, dislocating it with a forceful push. The prisoner, unable to close his mouth, looked at Lu Chang in terror.
“I’ll handle this one personally,” Lu Chang said, his voice as cold as ice, his expression stern.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the dungeon, sounding like the wailing of ghosts, lingering for a long time.