Chapter 22: Misfortune Strikes the Lu Family
Chapter 22: Misfortune Strikes the Lu Family
Father and son rushed to the Governor's mansion, only to find that Lu Yuan was not in residence.
Lu Lingxiao frowned, "Father? Where has the Grand Governor gone?"
Lu Xingzhou shook his head, "I don't know either."
"Father, do you think he's avoiding us?" Lu Lingxiao held no fondness for the Grand Governor, a man only slightly older than himself yet wielding immense power in the imperial court.
Lu Xingzhou didn't believe that Lu Yuan was intentionally evading them, but he was puzzled nonetheless.
Lu Yuan could be domineering, but he was diligent as well. Where had he gone? What matter could be more important than the morning court session?
Meditation Room.
Clad in purple robes, Lu Yuan knelt on a cold meditation cushion, while a tiger cub-like Bao Shu crawled around behind him.
Seated across from him was an elderly monk in gray robes.
The monk remained still, his eyes calm as he fiddled with prayer beads in his hand.
Lu Yuan personally poured a cup of tea and placed the steaming teapot back on the table.
Bao Shu reached out to grab it, but Lu Yuan stopped her.
Bao Shu then turned her attention to the snacks on the table. This time, Lu Yuan didn't stop her, and she quickly stuffed one into her mouth, only to spit it out in disgust!
Lu Yuan asked, "I heard you were ill. Are you feeling better now?"
The monk remained silent.
Lu Yuan smiled, "We received Northern Liang's secret agents, a total of five. None of them made it out alive."
The monk still didn't speak or drink the tea that Lu Yuan had poured for him. He continued to fiddle with his prayer beads in an orderly manner.
Lu Yuan poured himself a cup of tea, "Ever since the Chu Grand Marshal was killed by his wife five years ago, the Yumenguan Pass has fallen, and our two hundred thousand troops have been nearly wiped out. The Black Armored Guards, who were loyal only to the Chu family, have also disappeared. Without the Chu family guarding the border, we are as fragile as eggs, vulnerable to attacks."
He took a sip from his cup, "Fortunately, after five years of fighting, we finally emerged victorious. What do you think? How did we fare in this battle?"
The monk continued to fiddle with his prayer beads, one by one.
Bao Shu, attracted by the beads, crawled over eagerly, her eyes gleaming with greed.
The monk released the beads, a gentle expression on his face, "Little donor seems to like them very much. It seems that you have a connection with Buddha. These prayer beads are a gift to you, little donor."
Bao Shu's eyes widened in surprise, "Wow!"
Lu Yuan said, "You can't eat them."
Bao Shu shook her little head and immediately lost interest.
Meanwhile, Meng Qianqian claimed that she had been so frightened by the incident at the shop that she needed to rest in bed for a while and would not be paying her respects to the old madam.
The old madam was furious.
Meng Qianqian, however, paid no heed to her anger and continued to examine the accounts in her room.
That day, she had intended to go to the shop to take over, but she never expected the incident with the Northern Liang secret agents to occur. As the matter was of great importance, the Jingzhao Prefecture officials did not dare to be careless, and there had been officials investigating discreetly these past few days.
Meng Qianqian decided to wait for the situation to calm down before going to the shop, not wanting to expose herself as the new owner just yet.
Maid Li asked, "Miss, haven't you already looked through these accounts?"
Meng Qianqian dipped her brush and wrote down the figures, "I only glanced at them before. Now, I want to record them properly, noting which expenses were ours and which were used to support others."
Noticing that Maid Li seemed hesitant to speak, Meng Qianqian asked, "Maid Li, is something the matter?"
Maid Li asked with concern, "Miss, why don't you explain the situation to Young Master Lu? That day, it wasn't you who went to see Master Lu; he sent someone to call you over."
Meng Qianqian remained calm as she replied, "Even if I explain, he won't believe me."
After she returned from the Governor's mansion, Lu Xingzhou immediately summoned her to his study and inquired about the kidnapping incident.
She told him everything that had happened.
Lu Xingzhou guessed that this matter would damage Lu Lingxiao's reputation, so he told her that he would have Lu Lingxiao move to the Hall of Sea Hibiscus and no longer favor that woman exclusively.
Maid Li sighed, "Why can't Young Master Lu see your goodness, Miss?
Meng Qianqian continued to record the accounts, "Whether he sees it or not is irrelevant."
"Miss!"
Banxia entered the room with a food box, closing the door behind her. With a giggle, she walked forward and took out the breakfast from the box.
There was a bowl of coix seed porridge, a dish of side dishes, two bamboo shoot meat buns, and a plate of crystal cured meat.
Recently, the food in the communal kitchen had been rather poor, with only porridge and side dishes. The buns and cured meat were Banxia's own creations from the small kitchen.
Maid Li brought in a pot of hot water and a washcloth.
As Meng Qianqian washed her hands, she asked, "Has the charcoal been sent to Mother's place?"
Banxia smiled and said, "Yes, you guessed it right, Miss. They asked where the charcoal came from, and this servant replied as you instructed, saying it was a gift from the Old Madam!"
Ever since Meng Qianqian had been "drained" of resources, the Old Madam had taken over the management of the household.
She was stingy and frugal, and not only had the food quality deteriorated, but even the charcoal supply had diminished. Moreover, it had been changed from silver charcoal to cheap, smoky black charcoal.
Meng Qianqian had bought her own charcoal and mixed it with the charcoal that the Imperial Household Department had sent as a gift to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam had always treated Lu Mu and Meng Qianqian well, and when she distributed the charcoal, no one suspected anything.
Seeing Banxia's beaming smile, Meng Qianqian asked, "What's so funny? Do you have some good news?"
Banxia replied mysteriously, "Hehe, Miss, you've been staying in the courtyard today, so you probably don't know that a shamaness has arrived at our mansion?"
Meng Qianqian's porridge-eating motion paused as she asked, "Oh? Is that so?"
Maid Li furrowed her brows in confusion, "Why invite a shamaness? Who invited her?"
Banxia put her hands on her waist and said, "The Old... Madam! She said that our mansion is not peaceful today and must have attracted some unclean spirits. So, she invited a Taoist priestess to perform an exorcism ritual. As soon as the priestess arrived, she pointed at our Hawthorn Court and said that it was shrouded in dark energy and that the unclean spirit was here!"
Meng Qianqian smiled faintly, "She's just trying to take revenge for her grandson being beaten up in the Hawthorn Court."
Maid Li asked worriedly, "And then?"
Banxia continued excitedly, "Then, the priestess brought a large basin of dog blood to exorcise the evil spirits from our courtyard. But before she could take a few steps, the Old Madam snatched the dog blood and poured the entire basin over the Old Madam's head!"
"Pffft—"
Even the usually stoic Maid Li couldn't hold back her laughter.
Meng Qianqian listened, feeling extremely pleased.
Banxia added, "It's so cold today. I reckon she'll be washing off the dog blood for an entire day!"
Meng Qianqian nodded.
That scene, just thinking about it, made her feel incredibly refreshed.
Ever since her husband had brought a woman home, Maid Li had felt like a rock was weighing down her heart.
But these past few days, her mood had improved significantly.
Maid Li added a piece of charcoal to the fire, "The year-end is approaching. In previous years, Miss, you were always generous with your silver. Each of the head servants received ten taels, the courtyard servants got five taels, and even the lowest-ranking maids who did the cleaning received a hundred copper coins. Everyone praised you for managing the household so well. I wonder how this year will turn out, with the Old Madam taking charge. Will she be able to pull off a decent celebration?"
Banxia huffed, "I bet she won't be able to spare even a single copper coin!"
Meng Qianqian didn't care how the Lu family celebrated the New Year. All she cared about was when Lu Lingxiao would return her silver.
Speaking of the Lu family, the father and son had waited an entire day at the Governor's mansion, their legs growing numb from sitting. Finally, they were granted an audience with Lu Yuan.
Lu Xingzhou quickly paid his respects and honestly explained the purpose of their visit.
Lu Yuan curved his lips, "Minister Lu, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor, punishable by death."
Lu Xingzhou's face paled.
Lu Lingxiao stepped forward and said solemnly, "This matter was done by me alone and has nothing to do with my father!"
Lu Yuan's smile deepened, "General Lu, you have quite the guts. I admire your courage. Guards, arrest General Lu!"
Wuuuuu, the author's block is real, but I finally caught up!
(End of Chapter)
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