In this world, there are always those who prefer to be mavericks and dislike following the crowd.
As a result, amidst the widespread praise for the Regent King in the capital, such remarks actually won the approval of some commoners.
Some people even let their imaginations run wild, speculating that everything that had happened before might have been a conspiracy of Shang Mozheng. After all, judging from the current situation, he was the biggest beneficiary during those troubled days in the capital.
In contrast, our Emperor seemed like a poor soul. After finally reaching the age of twenty, thinking he could become the true master of the dynasty, he unexpectedly became a puppet again in no time. It was still others who really held the power!
Strangely enough, gossiping commoners sometimes just love such conspiracy theories. It was far more exciting than their dull lives. Anyway, it didn't happen to them, so it didn't matter if they believed it a little.
Eventually, these remarks, as expected, reached Shang Mozheng's ears.
He had regained control of the military power this time and managed to place his own men in the army openly by making use of the public opinion. Therefore, he cared more about it than anyone else. Immediately, he ordered his men to investigate.
Yang Li acted swiftly. Within just a few hours, he had traced the source.
"Damn old Lu Wenhan! Does he think that just because he managed to save his life, I won't dare to touch him again?"
Shang Mozheng had always disliked Lu Wenhan in every sense.
So as soon as he got the chance, he had someone try to take Lu Wenhan's life. Unexpectedly, the imperial doctors in the palace were quite capable and managed to pull him back from the brink of death.
Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, Shang Mozheng began to consider when to make his next move.
Seeing this, Yang Li silently added, "Your Highness, the information my subordinates obtained indicates that... it was Lady Lu who instigated this."
His fingers froze in mid - air. It took Shang Mozheng a long while to come to his senses. Then, a faint smile gradually appeared on his lips.
"Su Wanru..."
After traveling for a long time, the group who had left Yangxian finally found a tea shed by the roadside.
Now that they were getting farther and farther away from Yangxian, Lu Yinxi and the others no longer bothered to hide their tracks deliberately. Moreover, Shang Luoshu's wound needed to be dressed, and the group needed dry food and water. So whenever they passed by a town, they would go in to replenish their supplies.
"Master and Miss, after we pass Zhao County ahead, we'll be in the territory of Longxi."
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi pretended to be siblings when they were out. That's why Lu Hu addressed them like this.
Hearing his words, everyone couldn't help cheering. Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi also saw a faint smile in each other's eyes.
Once they entered the territory of Longxi, which was under the influence of the Su family, they would be completely safe, especially for Shang Luoshu.
The attack from the Wolf Guards before was aimed at Lu Yinxi's life. Shang Luoshu had blocked it for her, which had endangered his own life. Then they had to rush out of the city and flee for their lives. His body hadn't had a chance to recover properly.
Several times, Lu Yinxi had seen him secretly covering his wound with a pained expression.
"That's great. Please take a short rest here. We'll continue our journey as soon as possible."
Seeing that their destination was just around the corner, everyone was very excited and immediately responded in unison, "Yes."
In the capital, the Prime Minister Lu's mansion received an invitation from the Regent King's mansion.
Shang Mozheng had only two children, a son and a daughter, just making a perfect pair. His son, Shang Luoyin, was working in the Ministry of Works and had married Zhang Lingwan, the eldest legitimate daughter of Prime Minister Zhang. His daughter had married Kong Fang, a concubine - born son of the Minister of Rites.
Since the princess had passed away early, all the affairs in the inner courtyard of the mansion were managed by Zhang Lingwan. So this invitation was from her.
Lady Lu wasn't surprised at all to receive this invitation. With Shang Mozheng's capabilities, he would surely find out that those rumors had originated from her sooner or later.
"Liusu, I'm going out. If the master asks, tell him I've gone to the Feng family."
Although Prime Minister Lu had regained consciousness, the poison had still caused him quite a bit of harm. So he still had to recuperate at home for a few more days before he could go to court.
After arranging all the family affairs properly, Lady Lu resolutely stepped onto the carriage, with no trace of fear in her eyes.
So what if he was Shang Mozheng? Without all those external trappings, he was just an ordinary person. She wasn't afraid of him anymore!
The carriage stopped in front of the Regent King's mansion. Looking at the building in front of her, Lady Lu took her first step.
As she had expected, after the servants served the tea and snacks, the host of the mansion came out. But it wasn't Zhang Lingwan; it was Shang Mozheng.
"I wonder what the king wants to talk to me about?"
Although she was the guest, Lady Lu's attitude was more like that of someone coming to question.
Shang Mozheng wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, a look of nostalgia appeared on his face. "I've known Lady Lu for so long, but only today do you look a bit like you did when you were a child."
His strange words made Lady Lu frown, and her tone became even more unfriendly. "What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"It seems Lady Lu has forgotten," Shang Mozheng laughed and played a guessing game. "Then I'll give you a few hints!"
"More than thirty years ago, in the palace, by the Weiming Lake, a half - dead young man."
As he gave these hints, Lady Lu's expression became increasingly ugly because she really didn't understand what Shang Mozheng was up to.
She was about to speak when suddenly a picture flashed through her mind. Then, a long - forgotten memory gradually emerged.
More than thirty years ago, Lady Lu was still Su Wanru, only ten years old, and all the members of the Su family were still alive.
At that time, the reigning emperor was Shang Mozheng's father. Unfortunately, this father had never regarded Shang Mozheng as his son.
That year, General Su returned triumphantly from a victorious battle abroad. The palace held a victory banquet for him. As General Su's second daughter, Su Wanru naturally attended the banquet.
Then, by the Weiming Lake, she saw a group of people bullying a young man.
As a young girl, Lady Lu had always been proud of her father and firmly believed in the principle of "helping those in distress." Moreover, she had just learned a few self - defense moves from her father and was eager to show off.
So without hesitation, she rushed forward, defeated those people, and saved the young man.
Looking back now, that young man...
Seeing that she seemed to have recalled the past, Shang Mozheng's expression softened a bit. "To be honest, I'm really grateful to you for saving me back then. If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago."
"But even more than that, I should thank you for the words you said to me back then."
On her first act of chivalry, Su Wanru felt a surge of heroism but still felt a bit unfulfilled. So she educated the young man like a little adult. "I can only save you for a while, not for a lifetime. You have to protect yourself in the future. Do you understand?"
"I... I don't know how. Can you... teach me?"
The young man, who was used to submitting to others, looked at Su Wanru with pleading, tear - filled eyes.
This instantly inflated Su Wanru's vanity. So she immediately repeated the words she had read in a storybook a few days ago.
"It's not impossible to teach you! Actually, it's all about power."
"I read in a book that power is the best weapon to protect yourself. As long as you have power, no one in this world will dare to bully you. Just look at the emperor. Do you see anyone daring to bully him?"
At that time, Su Wanru had no idea that her casual words would plant a seed in the young man's heart and grow into the towering tree it was today.
But unfortunately, this tree had grown crooked!