In the Mansion of the Regent, the servants walked around more gingerly. They even held their breaths, afraid that the regent might fly into a rage and punish them.
Suddenly, a crisp voice shattered the silence, followed immediately by Shang Mozheng's angry sarcasm. "Prime Minister Zhang, I really must thank you for teaching such a good student!"
"He goes against me at every turn. Does he really think I won't dare to kill him just because you're his teacher?"
Prime Minister Zhang stood with his head bowed, bearing the regent's fury. His expression remained calm, as if he were not facing scolding but just idle chatter.
"Prime Minister Zhang, I'll give you one last chance. If you still can't discipline your student, I don't mind taking matters into my own hands."
By the end of his words, Shang Mozheng had clearly developed a murderous intent.
The previous minister of the Court of Judicial Review was timid. A mere scare from Shang Luoshu had made him hurry to resign and return to his hometown. Otherwise, how could the regent have ended up in such a situation?
But it didn't matter much. After all, he still held the initiative.
Hearing the warning from above, Prime Minister Zhang slightly lifted his eyelids, bowed his hands, and replied, "Your subordinate understands."
"Get out!"
The large room was left with only Shang Mozheng. He seemed like an aging emperor, standing at the pinnacle of power but with no one by his side.
The loneliness at the peak made him recall his childhood. Although his past was full of darkness, he always remembered that glimmer of light.
It was a pity that the light had now faded away.
"How's the situation with Hu Xinya?"
Breaking free from his memories, Shang Mozheng spoke in a deep voice, as if he knew someone could hear him.
As expected, someone answered his question the next moment. "As the regent ordered, it's all taken care of. There are no survivors among the seven members of the family."
Meanwhile, the secrets they knew would also be buried underground forever.
"Good. Well done!"
Once you've taken sides in the court, how could you think about backing out? Did you think it was a game?
When the servant announced that the Prince of Jing had come to visit, Lady Lu was still dealing with the affairs of the mansion.
The experience of Lady Mei had made her see things clearly. Instead of dwelling on the past, she should pull herself together and face reality, preventing the tragedy of the past from happening again.
She wanted to move on from the past and become a haven to protect Xi'er. But there were still some things she couldn't let go of regarding Prime Minister Lu.
"The Prince of Jing?"
Lady Lu's hand paused for a moment as she was flipping through the ledger. Her expression remained calm, but in her heart, she was guessing one reason after another for Shang Luoshu's visit. She just didn't want to admit the most likely one.
"First, invite him to the main hall, and then send someone to inform the prime minister." Lady Lu calmly gave the order.
After all, he was a royal relative. If she left him waiting, the imperial censor would surely accuse the Lu Mansion of disrespecting the imperial authority in the court.
Hearing that the Prince of Jing had come, Prime Minister Lu immediately put down his official business and rushed to the main hall where important guests were received.
"Your subordinate pays respects to the Prince of Jing."
As soon as he entered the door, Lu Wenhan bowed. It made Shang Luoshu feel a bit embarrassed and he scratched his nose. If he guessed correctly, the prime minister must have run over in a hurry, as there were still a few broken leaves on his outer robe.
Driven by a sudden impulse to see the girl he loved, he had come unannounced, causing the future father - in - law some trouble.
"I wonder if the Prince of Jing has any important matters to attend to during this visit?"
To prevent the possible floods during the upcoming rainy season, Shang Luoshu had been frequently going between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, which were under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Lu. So he asked this question.
"Prime Minister Lu misunderstood. I'm just here to take a look."
Take a look? At what?
Maybe it was a father's instinct, but Prime Minister Lu was confused for a while and then suddenly realized that the Prince of Jing's purpose this time must be something other than what he said.
Suddenly, the rather handsome Prince of Jing didn't seem so pleasing to his eyes.
Shang Luoshu wasn't a person who liked to beat around the bush. In the past, he had to disguise himself and be diplomatic, but when facing Lu Yinxi's family, he didn't want to do that.
Making up his mind, the man showed what he thought was his most sincere smile. "I wonder how the fourth young lady of the mansion is? Is she in good health?"
"At the spring outing last time, Miss Lu suddenly fainted. I've been worried about her."
He didn't use "this prince" but "I".
At this moment, he wasn't the Prince of Jing of the Great Qi or the adopted brother of the emperor. He was just an ordinary man named Shang Luoshu.
Prime Minister Lu naturally understood the meaning of this change in self - address, but... The Prince of Jing... No matter how shocked he was in his heart, Lu Wenhan still had to maintain his calm on the surface.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Xi'er is fine."
"The Prince of Jing is here?!"
Lady Lu didn't deliberately hide the news of Shang Luoshu's visit. Even though she was dissatisfied that this young man might take away her daughter in the future, she had said that she would always stand by Xi'er's side.
Not suppressing the news was a way for her to compromise.
But Lady Lu forgot that Lu Yinxi's courtyard was in the most remote corner of the prime minister's mansion. Before the news reached her, another person in the mansion would hear it first.
Lu Jinran.
The loss of her father's favor, her mother Concubine Wang's downfall, and Lady Lu regaining control of the backyard of the Lu Mansion - these successive blows had completely taken away her former arrogance.
She was a person who knew how to assess the situation. Since the current situation was unfavorable to her, she had to bide her time so that she could strike a fatal blow against her enemies in the future.
Lu Jinran would always remember the look in her father's eyes when she pleaded for her mother in front of him that night. It was a look of disgust.
In the past, even though her father was not close to her mother, he still showed some fatherly love for her and would never look at her like that. But that night...
Tracing the root cause, all these changes had happened because Lu Yinxi had returned to the prime minister's mansion.
Why? Lu Yinxi, why did you come back!
The hatred in her heart was growing deeper day by day.
In this situation, Lu Jinran heard that Shang Luoshu had come to visit.
"Hurry, hurry up and do my hair and makeup!"
Sitting in front of the dressing table, she saw herself in the mirror. Her gloomy face finally showed a bit of vitality.
The servants in the room basically knew the third young lady's feelings for the Prince of Jing. Even though she had fallen out of favor, they didn't dare to delay for a moment.
In a short while, the person in the mirror had a different look.
Her lips were moist and red, and her eyes sparkled. If one could ignore the gloom between her eyebrows, she would be a young and beautiful girl again.
Lu Jinran was very satisfied with her makeup. She wanted the Prince of Jing to see her beautiful side. She wanted to tell him that she was definitely more suitable for him than Lu Yinxi.
The harmonious scene of Lu Yinxi and Shang Luoshu standing together at the spring banquet had left a deep shadow in her heart.
This time, she was sure to defeat that wild girl!
Lifting her skirt, Lu Jinran walked towards her battlefield confidently and arrogantly.