Such events in the capital—the pursuit and attempted murder of civilians and government officials, which happened to alert the Commander of the Imperial Guard who sealed off the entire Shengmin Ward to capture the criminals—this kind of shocking news couldn’t be suppressed. Word had already spread through the capital, and court officials were now discussing it.
Lu Wenhan felt he had arrived too late—he had been at a banquet the previous night and after drinking a few cups, had retired early. His subordinates hadn’t dared disturb him, only telling him the news this morning. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Yuqing and their children spend the night in another man’s mansion.
Now, Wei Zhuo sat in the hall leisurely sipping tea while entertaining his guest. Seeing Lu Wenhan’s gloomy expression, he raised his hand: “Minister Lu, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, Commander, but I’m not here for idle chat today. I’ve heard about last night’s events. I’m deeply grateful for your rescue of Yuqing and the children, and for aiding Lu Chang. Please accept my bow.” Lu Wenhan rose and cupped his hands in a deep bow.
Wei Zhuo also stood, using his palm to support Lu Wenhan’s arm, saying: “Minister Lu, no need for such courtesy. I should thank you instead.”
Coming from a military background, his strength was no match for Lu Wenhan. Lu Wenhan didn’t insist on completing the bow, straightening up to say: “Very well, great kindness needs no thanks—I shall repay you another day. Now please let them come out; I wish to take them home.”
Indeed, he had come to collect them.
Hearing the word “home,” Wei Zhuo’s eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing a mysterious smile: “I’ve already sent someone to fetch them. Minister Lu, please be patient.”
Whatever Lu Wenhan said, Wei Zhuo didn’t contradict, skillfully deflecting like four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds, leaving Lu Wenhan feeling as if he were punching cotton.
“Then thank you,” Lu Wenhan changed the subject, “About yesterday’s incident, do you know who was responsible? Have the criminals been caught?”
“Two of the attackers who attempted to harm Madam Zeng and Ming Shu have been captured and brought to my mansion. When you arrived, I was about to personally interrogate them,” Wei Zhuo said.
“I’ll accompany you,” Lu Wenhan said. He wanted to see who in Kaifeng City would dare to harm his wife and children.
However, Wei Zhuo immediately refused: “This matter involves the case that the Third Prince secretly ordered Lu Chang to investigate. I’m afraid outsiders cannot interfere. Minister Lu, if you’re interested, the Third Prince will arrive later—you can discuss it then.”
As Lu Wenhan was about to inquire further, an announcement came from outside that Lu Chang and Ming Shu had arrived. He put aside his questions and turned to meet them at the door.
Lu Chang wore a bamboo-green silk robe, supported by Ming Shu as he slowly walked into the room.
“Commander, Minister Lu,” Lu Chang greeted Wei Zhuo and Lu Wenhan in turn, his manner equally formal, showing no particular closeness to either.
Lu Wenhan saw his pale complexion and slow movements and noticed the bruising on Ming Shu’s neck, darker than yesterday. His face immediately darkened.
“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 wound in his left shoulder.”
Lu Chang looked at Ming Shu when he heard this—now he’s “Brother” again?
Ming Shu responded with her eyes—What else? In others’ eyes, they were siblings, so siblings they were. She respected him—did he have a problem with that?
“…” Lu Chang remained silent.
“Please, sit down and talk,” Wei Zhuo invited Lu Chang to sit, asking about his injury.
“Thank you for your concern, Commander. My injury should be fine,” Lu Chang said. The doctor who treated him was a military physician using the army’s best secret medicine for external wounds, and with his strong constitution, after a night’s sleep, his spirit had largely recovered.
“Where is Madam Zeng? I don’t see her…” Wei Zhuo nodded and asked.
“I visited Mother before coming. Her foot injury hasn’t healed, making it difficult to walk. She wishes to rest in her room and won’t come out to see outsiders,” Lu Chang replied as he sat down.
The word “outsiders” stung Lu Wenhan.
“If she won’t come out, then I’ll go see her!” Lu Wenhan said deeply, anger already in his voice.
It was bad enough that his children wouldn’t acknowledge him, but now he had become an outsider while an outsider had become family. Seeing Zeng Yuqing hiding in Wei Zhuo’s inner quarters avoiding people, and Lu Chang and Ming Shu following Wei Zhuo’s example—those who knew would think they were the real family!
“As I said, Mother is injured and needs rest. I hope Minister Lu can be understanding and not disturb her,” Lu Chang didn’t yield an inch, his tone official, leaving Lu Wenhan no room to maneuver.
Despite Lu Wenhan’s influence in court, he was powerless against this mother and son. The pair were immovable, with neither emotional appeals nor filial duty working on them. He and Yuqing had married young, and though they had fought bitterly when separating, it had been when their feelings were strongest. Through these years, even though his family had arranged another marriage for him and his career had prospered, he had never forgotten her. She was like moonlight in his heart, and now that they had reunited, he naturally wanted to mend their broken mirror and make up for the suffering of her and their children. However, she wouldn’t give him the slightest chance. Even if he wanted to apologize and humble himself to win back her favor, with her avoiding him, he was at his wit’s end. Unless he truly played dirty and used his official power against her, forcibly bringing her back to his household—but if he did that, not only would Zeng Yuqing never forgive him in this life, but Lu Chang would certainly not let it rest.
Lu Chang was too much like him—that pride and stubbornness in his bones was almost identical to his own, perhaps even more obstinate. He had at least been willing to compromise with his family for his career, but Lu Chang wouldn’t yield at all. Even though he had repeatedly shown goodwill to his son, even indicating that if Lu Chang was willing to return to the Lu family, he could enter the family register as the eldest legitimate son, with future inheritance rights and the Lu family’s support in his official career, making his path a hundred times smoother than now, Lu Chang had refused.
Lu Wenhan could tell that Lu Chang’s refusal wasn’t a strategic retreat, but a clean break drawing clear boundaries.
“Lu Chang, no matter what, I am still your father. Do you hate me so much that you truly don’t want our family reunited? Ming Shu, you say something.” Discussing this matter in someone else’s home was unseemly, but Lu Wenhan was at his wit’s end.
“Ah?” Ming Shu straightened up when called upon—what could she say? The earlier misunderstanding had been just a mistake; she wasn’t even their real daughter…
“Minister Lu, why are you putting her in a difficult position?” Lu Chang pressed his hand over Ming Shu’s, his tone turning cold, “When were we ever a family?”
Seeing the signs of an argument between the two, Ming Shu decisively spoke up: “Uncle Lu, right and wrong in old love affairs are hard to judge. By now, both love and hate have dissipated—Mother has no feelings left for you, so naturally Brother harbors resentment. But for him, twenty years of a mother’s nurturing care is a mountain of kindness, and he will certainly serve Mother filially for life. Since Mother has no intention of reconciliation, Brother will only be Mother’s son. Nineteen years have passed—my mother has long let go, and you have married another. The old fate is broken; why persist?”
Since they asked her to speak, she spoke plainly.
With both son and daughter opposing him, Lu Wenhan was furious, but after taking several deep breaths, he changed tactics: “Fine, we’ll set that aside for now. You’ve been attacked and injured, the criminals not all captured, and danger still exists. Though Lu Chang has enough men, and the Top Scholar’s mansion has sufficient defense, it’s not suitable for you to return there. How about moving to my mansion temporarily for safety?”
This reason should be legitimate enough.
This touched on Lu Chang’s concerns. As Lu Wenhan said, though the Top Scholar’s mansion had enough men, even with additional forces from the Third Prince, the defense would still be insufficient, leaving vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit.
His mother and Ming Shu’s safety was not something he could risk over personal feelings.
Seeing signs of wavering on his face, Lu Wenhan’s anger subsided, and he was about to continue persuading with a pleased expression when Wei Zhuo suddenly spoke: “Speaking of safety, in all of Kaifeng City, except for the imperial palace, perhaps no place is safer than my residence.”
As Commander of the Imperial Guard, his mansion was surrounded inside and out by imperial guards. If his home wasn’t safe, then nowhere in Kaifeng would be.
“Lu Chang, Ming Shu, you can stay here with Madam Zeng until this matter is resolved. These criminals openly commit crimes in the capital while I’m responsible for guarding key areas of Kaifeng—I must investigate this thoroughly. If you stay, we can also discuss any developments.”
Ming Shu blinked, thinking—Uncle Wei truly didn’t speak unless necessary, but when he did, he hit the mark perfectly. Uncle Lu was in danger.
Indeed, Wei Zhuo’s words were very tempting, and Lu Chang was moved.
But Lu Wenhan couldn’t stand it: “Absurd! I won’t agree! How can you let Yuqing stay in an unrelated man’s house? If we’re not family, are you saying Wei Zhuo and you are family?”
Lu Chang frowned: “Minister Lu…”
Before he could finish his rebuttal, Ming Shu suddenly came out with: “If we’re not family now, we can become family.”
As soon as these words were spoken, six eyes from three men all turned to stare at her.
Ming Shu quickly shut her mouth—she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud.
Lu Chang questioned with his eyes: What did you mean by that?
Lu Wenhan was already furious enough for his five viscera to ache: He had come to collect people, failed, and now they were pushing them into his rival’s hands?
Only Wei Zhuo responded: “That would be excellent.”
The overt and covert struggle between the four was forced to end with the arrival of Third Prince Zhao Jingran.
Lu Chang finally understood Ming Shu’s meaning and taking advantage of the moment they stepped aside waiting for Zhao Jingran to enter, he whispered to Ming Shu: “What are you plotting now?”
Ming Shu whispered back: “I just think Mother could try something new. For you, for survival, how much has she given up these years? Now that her bitter days are finally over she can be herself again. We are her support, able to ensure her remaining years are worry-free. If she can find a good match, having another choice isn’t bad. Unless Brother is like those conventional moralists, concerned about a woman’s chastity, unwilling for Mother to remarry…”
“What nonsense are you talking?!” Lu Chang resisted hitting her. Though the word “remarry” surprised him, he didn’t object—instead, he noticed something else, “We? You and me?”
“…” Ming Shu fell silent, turning away, “Slip of the tongue, I meant you.”
Lu Chang smiled slightly, but seeing Zhao Jingran enter, he stopped their private conversation.
Zhao Jingran had rushed over upon hearing about Lu Chang and Ming Shu’s separate attacks, and learning that the perpetrators had been captured, he wanted to personally interrogate them. As this involved state secrets, even though it concerned Ming Shu, she couldn’t go along. A night had passed and she still hadn’t had a chance to ask Lu Chang what had happened, though she guessed it was related to what he had been willing to tell her earlier.
“Go back and keep Mother company first, don’t leave the mansion,” Lu Chang gave brief instructions before leaving with Zhao Jingran.
Due to the Third Prince’s arrival, Lu Wenhan couldn’t force the issue either. He left Wei’s mansion angrily, calling his subordinates to investigate the attacks on the three members of the Lu family. Meanwhile, Lu Chang followed Zhao Jingran and Wei Zhuo into the mansion’s dungeon.
The dungeon was gloomy, never seeing daylight, with only wall-mounted torches illuminating the thick green stone walls. A single path led to the bottom where the interrogation room was located, filled with torture instruments. Two men were tightly chained to pillars, each with a wooden block stuffed in their mouth.
“Remove those gags, we have questions to ask,” Wei Zhuo ordered.
“Commander, these men have poison sacs hidden in their back teeth—they appear to be death soldiers. Though the poison sacs have been removed, we fear they might bite their tongues,” a black-armored imperial guard reported solemnly.
“No matter, first pull out some of their teeth, then they won’t be able to bite their tongues, and we can question them at leisure,” Wei Zhuo said calmly, without unnecessary words, yet making people’s hearts tremble.
Immediately someone brought pointed pliers and iron pry bars. The two men bound to the wall turned pale at these words. Wei Zhuo said composedly, “Your Highness, please step into the outer room for a moment. Once we’ve loosened their tongues, I’ll invite you back for questioning, to avoid offending your eyes.”
Zhao Jingran nodded in agreement, but Lu Chang didn’t move: “I’ll stay with Uncle Wei.”
After Zhao Jingran left, Lu Chang walked in front of the two men and asked without turning his head: “Uncle Wei, do you know which one attacked Ming Shu?”
“The one on the left,” Wei Zhuo said.
Lu Chang took a few more steps, walking to the left man’s side. The man felt waves of cold fear as Lu Chang stared at him. Without a word, Lu Chang looked to the imperial guards, who understood and suddenly yanked out the wooden block from the man’s mouth. Lu Chang’s uninjured right hand quickly gripped the man’s jaw, pressing hard. Before the man could make a sound, Lu Chang had dislocated his jaw so he couldn’t close his mouth, only stare at Lu Chang in terror.
“I will interrogate this one personally,” Lu Chang’s voice was like icicles, frost hanging from his brows.
Ah—
A piercing scream rang out, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, lasting for a long time before subsiding.