https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-613-The-Group-s-Darling-Bao-Zhuzhu/13464897/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-615-Empress-as-a-Burial-Sacrifice/13464899/
Chapter 614: A Matter of Life and Death
Chapter 614: A Matter of Life and Death
Lu Qi clenched his teeth. "Grandfather would never do that. My father is his own son!"
The Black Cloak spoke earnestly. "In the imperial family, there are no fathers and sons. Prince of the Commandery, from the moment His Majesty favored the Crown Prince's Mansion, the Jin Household was already on the brink of ruin. His Majesty has long wanted to move against the Jin Household, but lacked the opportunity. Now that the Jin Household is accused of treason, His Majesty will seize this chance to uproot it completely."
"Grandfather is not that kind of person!"
"His Majesty is first a ruler, then a father. Prince of the Commandery, do you know what a wise ruler is?"
Lu Qi replied, "Grandfather is a wise ruler."
The Black Cloak said, "A wise ruler prioritizes the state and the people. Prince Jin's existence is a great threat to the Crown Prince. Only by uprooting the Jin Household can the stability of the state be ensured."
"Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs. To eliminate his own son, His Majesty's heart must surely ache. But for the sake of Great Liang and the common people, His Majesty must bear the pain of slaying his own child."
Lu Qi fell silent.
If the other party insisted that His Majesty favored the Crown Prince, was incorruptible, and could not tolerate his son's betrayal, he would not believe it.
But if it was for the sake of the state and the people, he had to believe it.
In his heart, he had often asked himself what kind of person his grandfather truly was.
Although he could never fully understand all the answers, there was one thing he had never doubted: his grandfather's heart for the state and the people.
"Prince of the Commandery, if you don't care about your own life, don't you care about the concubine's?"
The Black Cloak's final blow hit Lu Qi's weak spot.
Lu Qi's hand tightened.
The Black Cloak said, "His Majesty is not wrong, nor is the Jin Household. Fate has played its part. If the Jin Household falls, it is their destiny. But to fight for your own life, is that not what one should do?"
Lu Qi did not speak.
The Black Cloak handed him a dagger.
Lu Qi asked, "What for?"
The Black Cloak said solemnly, "Prince of the Commandery, you are the one who can get closest to His Majesty."
Lu Qi's eyes flashed with alarm. "You want me to assassinate Grandfather?"
The Black Cloak said, "His Majesty is a skilled warrior, protected by the Miao King and Huang Changsun. Our people cannot succeed."
Lu Qi threw the dagger away in disgust. "Get out!"
The Black Cloak stood up silently, glanced at the dagger, and did not pick it up. Instead, he took a porcelain bottle from his pocket and pressed it into Lu Qi's hand. "If you can't bring yourself to do it, this is Medicine Valley's elixir. It will cause no pain, and you will pass away peacefully in your sleep."
He pressed a mechanism on the stone wall.
With a rumble, the stone door behind him opened.
He turned his long sword and pointed the tip at himself, gripping Lu Qi's hand on the hilt and thrusting it through his own chest.
"We're out!"
It was the Miao King's voice.
The Liang Emperor and Lu Yuan both turned to look at Lu Qi.
Lu Qi held the bloodied sword, the assassin lying before him with wide, terrified eyes.
His eyes remained open even in death.
Lu Yuan took a step forward.
"Don't come any closer!"
Lu Qi said, "Be careful of the traps."
Lu Yuan nodded. "Then be careful, too."
Lu Qi grunted and slowly walked out.
The assassins outside had been cleared away.
The ground was littered with bodies, a gruesome sight.
"Hey, are you hurt?"
Lu Yuan asked casually.
"No."
Lu Qi replied.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lu Qi asked.
Lu Yuan smiled. "If you had been this obedient from the start, you wouldn't have gotten beaten so often."
Lu Qi glared at him coldly and walked away without a word.
Baozhu sat in the Liang Emperor's lap, eating pastries.
As Lu Qi passed, she quickly stuffed the last half of the pastry into her mouth, her cheeks puffing up, her eyes wide and round.
As if to say: Finished!
Lu Qi wouldn’t dream of competing with a child for a snack. He wasn’t that immature.
"Hey, there’s still one left."
Lu Yuan grabbed the osmanthus cake hidden in the little pocket of the kid.
Baozhu’s chubby body trembled, and she exploded on the spot: "Annoy, annoy, annoy!"
The Liang Emperor got sprayed in the face with osmanthus cake crumbs from her little mouth.
The group left the area and found a spacious garden to rest in.
Naturally, the imperial tomb’s garden had no flowers.
The Liang Emperor sat on a stone bench.
Baozhu sat in his lap, perched with her little feet up.
Earlier, Lu Yuan had stolen someone’s osmanthus cake and got beaten by the Liang Emperor.
The Miao King was furious, saying the Liang Emperor had been too lenient, hadn’t he eaten enough?
He took matters into his own hands, and the unfortunate father got another thorough beating.
The beatings he hadn’t received from his parents were now made up for by these two powerful figures.
From then on, his life was finally complete.
Lu Yuan had brought plenty of food.
He took a bun and walked over to Lu Qi, who was sitting alone on the steps.
"What are you up to, little brother?"
He asked teasingly.
Lu Qi ignored him.
Lu Yuan sat down next to him without invitation: "Here."
Lu Qi hesitated for a moment, then took the bun and took a bite. "Got any water?"
Lu Yuan untied the water pouch from his waist.
Lu Qi took it and drank two large gulps.
Lu Yuan said with a half-smile, "Aren’t you afraid I might poison you?"
Lu Qi didn’t even raise an eyebrow. "You wouldn’t."
Lu Yuan’s lips curled. "So trusting of your big brother? Not a single good one among big brothers, you know."
Lu Qi lowered his eyes, took another bite of the bun, and ignored his veiled insults.
Lu Yuan said, "Hide your stuff better."
Lu Qi was taken aback, suppressing the fleeting panic in his heart, and looked at Lu Yuan with a cold face.
Lu Yuan just smiled, brushed off his wide sleeves, and walked away leisurely.
Lu Qi gripped the water pouch tightly.
After the meal, Baozhu fell asleep in the Liang Emperor’s arms.
The Miao King was incredibly envious and wanted to hold the little piglet.
Ever since they entered the underground palace, the Liang Emperor’s lap had become the exclusive throne of the little one.
The Miao King had tried several times to snatch the little one away, but all attempts ended in failure.
Lu Yuan sat on another set of steps.
The Miao King walked behind him and kicked his butt with his foot. "Go and get the little piglet."
Lu Yuan said nonchalantly, "Is this how you ask for something?"
The Miao King jumped up and slammed a heavy punch on Lu Yuan’s head!
Lu Yuan’s face darkened, and a large bump appeared on his head.
Next, they encountered several waves of assassins.
But with the experience from before, the group wasn’t panicked anymore.
The Miao King and the Liang Emperor worked in perfect harmony, even though it was their first day fighting side by side, their tacit understanding was unbelievable.
When they were almost trapped in a room with continuously falling quicksand, the Miao King grabbed the Liang Emperor and threw him out.
The Dragon Subduing Rock fell.
The Miao King rolled forward.
However, it seemed he had triggered a mechanism, and the Dragon Subduing Rock’s descent speed suddenly increased, about to crush him into a pulp.
A pair of large hands firmly held the Dragon Subduing Rock.
The Miao King didn’t hesitate, rolling out quickly, and his Mystic Iron Saber accidentally fell.
With a loud boom.
The Liang Emperor let go.
The Dragon Subduing Rock fell, crushing the Mystic Iron Saber to pieces.
The Liang Emperor’s face was pale.
The Dragon Subduing Rock was incredibly heavy, and that one hold had almost drained him of nine-tenths of his strength.
Lu Yuan felt the slight tremors under his feet and, holding the sleeping little one, said, "Let’s leave quickly, it’s not safe here anymore."
The Liang Emperor said calmly, "You go ahead, I’m waiting for someone."
Lu Yuan nodded and walked in front.
Lu Qi followed him.
The Liang Emperor wasn’t waiting for anyone.
He was out of strength.
Not only that, his tendons and meridians were broken, and his internal organs were damaged.
He couldn’t leave the underground palace.
So be it.
This was the imperial tomb.
After his hundred years, he was supposed to be buried here anyway.
He leaned his head back, leaned against the stone wall, and closed his eyes quietly.
Suddenly, a rough, large hand grabbed his arm, lifted him up, and threw him onto the back of the person.
The Liang Emperor was startled.
The Miao King, carrying him on his back, grumbled, "The Bai family doesn’t owe anyone anything!"
(End of Chapter)
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