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Chapter 365: The Dragon and Phoenix Twins Arrive
Chapter 365: The Dragon and Phoenix Twins Arrive
On their way back, the two first went to the imperial palace to report to the Retired Emperor.
The Retired Emperor had already learned of Chancellor Xun's execution from the Commander of the Four City Gates, but it was only after confirming with Lu Yuan and Meng Qianqian that he finally believed that the "powerful minister" who had almost stolen his empire had truly fallen.
The sword that had hung over his head for many years was finally removed at this moment.
As he breathed a long sigh of relief, he suddenly felt that he had aged a lot.
The ministers had already retired.
In the vast Eastern Hall, only Fu Gonggong remained by the Retired Emperor's side.
Fu Gonggong had accompanied the Retired Emperor through so many storms and tribulations, even following him into seclusion at the temple.
The Retired Emperor knew what he was thinking, how could he not understand? The execution of the treacherous minister had brought the case to a close, but for the entire Great Zhou Empire, the crisis had not been completely resolved.
Meng Qianqian had hardly slept all night, and after another battle outside the city gates, she entered the warm Eastern Hall and felt a wave of drowsiness. Unknowingly, she fell asleep on the table.
The Retired Emperor looked at her carefree appearance, and his solemn expression suddenly lightened as he couldn't help but smile, "This girl can fall asleep anywhere. Is my Bright Palace a place for her to nap?"
With this smile, Fu Gonggong's heart felt at ease.
It had to be Lady Lu.
Fu Gonggong laughed and said, "Lady Lu is at the Bright Palace, and it's as if she's returned to her own home. She feels at ease here."
"At ease? I think she's being too bold."
The Retired Emperor said this, but his eyebrows revealed a rare hint of indulgence.
The Retired Emperor had always been strict with his son, and although he was relatively kind and gentle towards his daughter, the only one he spoiled without bounds was the Wancheng Princess.
Fu Gonggong felt that the Retired Emperor's gaze towards Lady Lu was not much different from how he looked at the Wancheng Princess.
There was no other way, for Lady Lu was the Elder Lady's beloved, and who could blame Lady Lu for being so capable that even her nap could amuse the Retired Emperor?
The Retired Emperor gave Fu Gonggong a signal.
Understanding his intention, Fu Gonggong immediately brought the Retired Emperor's cloak.
Just as he was about to put it on, Lu Yuan said with a serious face, "She is my wife, please observe the proper etiquette, Your Majesty."
The Retired Emperor took the whisk from Fu Gonggong's hand and gave Lu Yuan a hard slap.
Lu Yuan did not deserve this slap.
The Retired Emperor doted on Meng Qianqian as if she were his own granddaughter, but this young man's over-cautiousness about gender boundaries had annoyed the Retired Emperor, and he deserved a beating!
"You, come with me for a walk."
The Retired Emperor spoke softly to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan reluctantly followed the Retired Emperor out of the Eastern Hall.
Fu Gonggong draped the cloak over Meng Qianqian and called for palace servants to bring two charcoal burners to place beside her.
"Are you afraid something will happen to her in the Bright Palace?"
The Retired Emperor glared at him for his constant glances back, wishing he could slap him again.
But when he looked down, he saw that he, the mighty Retired Emperor, was holding a servant's whisk, and he quickly tossed it to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan casually caught the whisk and waved it nonchalantly.
The Retired Emperor inexplicably thought of the carefree Majestic King of Miaojiang, as the two of them had a similar demeanor. How had he not noticed this young man's impudence before?
The Retired Emperor coldly huffed, "After defeating Chancellor Xun, you can't even be bothered to pretend?"
He had thought Lu Yuan would at least pay some lip service, but Lu Yuan surprisingly admitted it straightforwardly, "Yes."
The Retired Emperor: "..."
The Retired Emperor spoke seriously, "Don't think that with Xun Xiuyuan's death, you can rest easy. How to appease the frontier army, how to deal with his private army, and how to suppress the ten feudal lords, these are not necessarily easier than dealing with Xun Xiuyuan."
Lu Yuan replied casually, "There's always a way out when you reach the mountain."
"What way?"
The Retired Emperor asked impatiently.
Lu Yuan said, "The Dragon and Phoenix Twins of the Shang family have already been rescued from the Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion. With them, we can appease the frontier army."
The Retired Emperor continued, "What about Xun Xiuyuan's private army? Even though he's dead, we can't guarantee that his former subordinates won't rally under the banner of revenge and join forces with the ten feudal lords to launch a mutiny."
Lu Yuan said with a serious expression, "The private army is indeed a thorny issue. Allow me to return and carefully think of a solution. We must either incorporate them or eliminate them; we cannot give them the opportunity to launch a mutiny."
Mutiny?
Impossible.
Without military funds, how could they launch a mutiny?
With loyalty and pride?
If they had that, could they have been turned into a private army by Chancellor Xun?
Of course, Lu Yuan couldn't possibly speak the truth, for if he did, he would have to reveal the source of the funds.
His family was about to have three more mouths to feed, and if he revealed the truth, his family would face financial strain.
Additionally, there was another reason: he couldn't let the Retired Emperor feel that this matter was too easily resolved, or it would seem insignificant.
If a task is to be done, the credit must also be claimed, and it must be claimed grandly.
The Retired Emperor looked deeply at Lu Yuan, "How confident are you?"
Lu Yuan: "Seventy percent."
If someone else had said this, the Retired Emperor might have thought they were boasting, but Lu Yuan had won a brilliant victory in his first campaign in Beiliang, and his capabilities were beyond doubt.
This Lu Yuan reminded the Retired Emperor of someone.
Forget it, Lu Yuan was from Miaojiang, how could he be related to that person?
The Retired Emperor shook his head and asked Lu Yuan, "The ten feudal lords may have submitted on the surface, but in reality, they were in league with Chancellor Xun. Last time you said that the Celestial Dragon was the heir of Loulan, can he truly resolve the threat of the feudal lords?"
"Of course not."
The calamity of the feudal lords lies in their territories. Unless we make all the feudal lords surrender their lands, there's no way they will submit to the court.
But Lu Yuan didn't say it like that, so how could the Retired Emperor pardon Celestial Dragon's crimes? The feudal lords wanted to kill, and the son-in-law wanted to save him.
Lu Yuan said without changing his expression, "King Lou Lan is the leader of the ten feudal lords. As long as we help Celestial Dragon regain the Lou Lan throne, the calamity of the feudal lords will be easily resolved."
The Retired Emperor paused and looked towards the endless snowy scene.
"Kill the ten feudal lords."
Lu Yuan's eyebrows twitched.
The old man's heart was as dark as night.
Coincidentally, he and Meng Xiaojiu also had the same intention.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
The Retired Emperor asked suspiciously, "Xun Xiangguo has six adopted sons. I already know about you few, but Xun Yi and Xun Wu have never shown themselves from start to finish. Why is that?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Regarding Xun Wu, he has been doing business in various countries, providing financial support and gathering information for Xun Xiangguo. As someone well-informed, it's impossible for him not to know Xun Xiangguo's situation. Either he's dead, or he has also rebelled."
"As for Xun Yi, none of us have ever seen him. I suspect he's not a native of the Great Zhou, or there might not even be such a person."
"Regardless, since they didn't show themselves during Xun Xiangguo's most critical moment, they probably won't show themselves again for his sake."
Hearing this, the Retired Emperor slightly relaxed.
When the two returned to the Eastern Hall, Fu Gonggong noticed that the Retired Emperor's worries between his eyebrows were gone, and his whole person seemed much more relaxed.
It seemed that the Retired Emperor's concerns had been resolved by Lu the Grand Marshal.
The young couple, one was the Retired Emperor's source of joy, and the other was his think tank; both were indispensable.
The Retired Emperor was in high spirits, but when he turned around, his smile faded, "What are you doing?"
Lu Yuan returned the feather duster to Fu Gonggong, bent down, and picked up the sleeping Meng Qianqian: "I'm taking my wife home."
Retired Emperor: "Wait until the snow stops before you leave."
Lu Yuan: "It has stopped."
The Retired Emperor glanced at the courtyard, which was covered in ice and snow, and indeed, it had stopped snowing.
"Look how anxious you are."
The Retired Emperor looked at Lu Yuan with a hint of displeasure. No wonder the Majestic King always cursed Lu Yuan as a stinky brat. Wasn't Lu Yuan exactly that?
Lu Yuan wrapped Meng Qianqian tightly in his cloak and coldly humphed, "If you want company, go find your own wife. There are so many beauties in the Retired Emperor's harem that you can have a different one every day. Why are you monopolizing my wife?"
The Retired Emperor snatched the feather duster from Fu Gonggong's hand and angrily chased Lu Yuan out.
---
Within a day, the news of the Chancellor's Mansion's overnight downfall spread throughout the capital.
At first, the commoners didn't believe it, but when the Ministry of Justice posted detailed reports of Xun Xiangguo's numerous crimes on the streets, they finally accepted it as truth.
Keeping a private army, colluding with feudal lords, plotting rebellion... The commoners didn't have a deep understanding of such crimes.
All they cared about was their own family's well-being. Who ruled the country and who became the emperor didn't matter to them.
But when they saw the last part of the report, someone had secretly divided the taxes Xun Xiangguo embezzled and distributed them among the commoners, taking a full ten taels from each household!
Ten taels!
The commoners' anger was instantly ignited.
Hu Shiye watched the crowd rushing to the Ministry of Justice, wanting to drag Xun Yu out of prison and beat him to death. He was dumbfounded, "The Grand Marshal's move is indeed effective. Who dares to speak well of the Chancellor now? They'll be torn apart by the angry mob."
The evidence was submitted, and the person to be executed was killed.
What followed, such as handling the aftermath and comforting the people, was not the responsibility of the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
They couldn't take on everything themselves; they also needed to give the civil and military officials a chance to showcase their abilities.
Meng Qianqian went to buy paper money and held a memorial ceremony for the deceased of the Chu King's Mansion and the Shang Family at the Grand Marshal's Mansion's backyard, to comfort their souls in heaven.
Sometimes, she didn't understand why she had been reborn.
Now she understood; she had returned with a mission of revenge.
Meng Qianqian knelt before the offerings, took out a book from her embrace, and crossed out Xun Xiangguo's name.
"Father, Mother, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle... Xiaoqi, rest assured, I will not let any of those who killed you off the hook."
The night was quiet.
A figure stood behind the artificial hill, gazing unblinkingly at Meng Qianqian's back.
Only after Meng Qianqian left did he also bring the prepared incense, candles, and paper money to pay respects to those whom Meng Qianqian had already memorialized.
---
This month, the capital was bustling with activity.
Xun Xiangguo's affair caused a huge uproar in the capital. The Chancellor's Mansion had been searched and seized, but there were still many commoners cursing loudly at its gates.
Every day, there were people being trampled.
Meng Qianqian didn't know how many injured she had treated at the Ministry of Justice.
On this day, she went to the Ministry of Justice again and only returned to the mansion after dark.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she found it empty, without a single person in sight.
"That's strange, where did everyone go?"
Just as Meng Qianqian finished speaking, a familiar and cheerful voice came from behind, "Granddaughter-in-law! You're back!"
"Grandfather?"
Meng Qianqian's eyes lit up, and she turned towards the entrance.
The Majestic King entered the courtyard, covered in dust, "Granddaughter-in-law, look who I brought back!"
Old White never disappointed!
(End of Chapter)
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