Chapter 1 The Lu Residence

The Lu residence was also known as the Residence of the Lady of Fengxin.

Every family had its figurehead, in ordinary households, it was the breadwinner or the head of the family. But in the Lu residence of the capital, although the current head was not the old woman, to outsiders, ninety-nine percent of the Lu family's weight rested on the old woman's cane.

Heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, teacher. Heaven and earth came first, but were never seen, so the sovereign was greatest. As the wet nurse of the current emperor, the Lady of Fengxin's seniority naturally surpassed ordinary secular standards.

In the Lu residence, everyone from young masters and mistresses to servants referred to her as Old Ancestor. When outsiders visited, they respectfully called her Old Madam.

At this moment,

the Old Madam was kneeling on a prayer mat, a Buddha statue hanging on the altar before her, chanting scriptures silently.

Behind her, outside the doorway of the small Buddhist hall, Lu Bing, the eldest son of the Old Madam and head of the Lu family, as well as Vice Director of the Secret Intelligence Bureau, stood respectfully.

After a while,

the Old Madam opened her eyes and, supported by a maid named Lingxiang, slowly rose.

The small Buddhist hall wasn't small, but the space for worshiping Buddha was limited because there was a bedroom on the west side and a tea room on the east side. So the Buddha had to be content with a central but cramped position.

The Old Madam entered the tea room, and Lingxiang began to make tea.

A cup of chrysanthemum tea, fragrant and refreshing, was given to the Old Madam.

A cup of Maojian tea, mellow and sweet, was given to the Master.

The Old Madam put down her Buddhist beads, picked up her teacup, and said,

"Speak."

Lu Bing didn't touch his tea, but respectfully said,

"Mother, why?"

Why was the Lu family getting involved in this matter?

The crown prince was watching,

the entire court was watching,

this grand wedding was destined to be a hot potato, something everyone avoided. Yet, they had accepted it.

And it wasn't him, the head of the family, who had accepted it, but his own mother.

The Old Madam took a sip of tea, quietly using the lid to gently stir the flower petals, and said,

"Because he is His Majesty's son."

Lu Bing sat upright, as if asking his mother for guidance, and asked,

"Why?"

"Are you asking why I'm helping Little Sixth?"

"Yes, that's what your son is asking."

"I just answered you."

Lu Bing frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.

The Old Madam put down her teacup and continued,

"I'm used to a peaceful life. The household affairs are managed by your wife. When people live quietly, they don't have so many thoughts.

In your eyes, I'm helping Little Sixth;

but in my eyes, I'm only helping His Majesty's child.

Even if it wasn't Little Sixth who came to the door, but another prince, even if Third Oldest escaped from the Lakeside Pavilion and knocked on our Lu family's door,

we would still help him."

Lu Bing's lips parted slightly, he seemed to understand something.

"The Lu family is different from other families. My words might be a little blunt, don't take them to heart."

"Mother, please speak, your son is listening."

"The Lu family's current prosperity, the positions you brothers hold today, were all exchanged for the favor I earned nursing His Majesty."

In the truly wealthy families of this era, the wet nurse's job didn't end after the child was weaned, but continued as a nanny, taking care of the child until they grew up.

So, the Lady of Fengxin not only had the bond of having nursed the current emperor, but had also raised him in the palace as a child.

"Your son understands," Lu Bing said respectfully.

This was the truth.

"So, our Lu family is different from those ministers, because there is this relationship between our Lu family and His Majesty. Therefore, we are family.

Between ordinary officials and the emperor, there is the righteousness of ruler and subject. We have an extra layer of affection.

You know what kind of character your younger brothers have, but each of them has a position, and that is the emperor's affection for us.

Since we are family, how could you not help a junior who comes to me for help?

Remember this,

not just this time with Little Sixth,

but if any prince rebels one day and is about to be arrested, and he runs to our Lu family and knocks on the door, our Lu family must open the door for him.

Don't worry about His Majesty punishing us. Even if he does, the punishment won't be greater than the sin of not opening the door.

Because they are princes, His Majesty's true family, His Majesty's own sons. His Majesty can bully them, a father hitting his son, that's only natural.

But if anyone else dares to do that,

they have to consider themselves,

do you have the right?

His Majesty's sons can only be touched by His Majesty. If he wants them to kneel, they kneel; if he wants them to crawl, they crawl. If anyone else dares to kick them when they're down, they are disrespecting His Majesty.

Furthermore, if our Lu family loses this favor with His Majesty, what else can we rely on?"

"Yes, Mother, your son understands."

"Remind your wife. Since I have already agreed to this matter, Little Sixth will be coming to our house to marry the bride today.

Red lanterns, red silk, celebratory noodles, all these things can be bought with money, so they are nothing.

We must treat Miss He's family with enthusiasm, put our heart into it, even if we have to pinch ourselves to shed a few tears and put on an act of reluctance to part with our daughter.

Whether it's true or not, looks real or not, it doesn't matter.

As long as the attitude is right, this favor will be accepted, and at least there will be a reason to interact in the future.

If you give someone face today, they will give you face tomorrow.

Your wife is usually too shrewd. I'm afraid she might be confused for a moment and miscalculate this account."

"Has Mother heard something?"

"Hehe, just some gossip."

"Your son is not managing the household well, disturbing Mother's peace. It is my fault."

"You have a lot of things to do, so you don't have much time to take care of the family. I'm also lazy and only want my own peace and quiet, so I don't want to manage things. Listening to the little ones chirping all day can also be a way to relieve boredom.

But when it comes to serious matters, they can't be allowed to mess around."

"Your son will follow Mother's instructions."

The Old Madam picked up her teacup again.

Lingxiang stepped forward and said,

"Master, when Second Young Mistress delivered supper to Miss He yesterday, she taught Miss He the proper etiquette for drinking tea in front of her."

Hearing this, Lu Bing's eyes narrowed.

The Second Young Mistress was Lu Bing's second son's wife.

The Old Madam took another sip of tea, and while putting it down, said,

"I was young once too. Women, sometimes, they can be narrow-minded, hehe."

Lu Bing got up, cupped his hands, and said,

"Mother, please instruct."

"That wife of Little Nanzi, she's from the Qiu family, right?"

"Yes, the Qiu family."

"Hmm, they can't be considered a small family, but… divorce her."

"Yes."

"Our Lu family can be incompetent, because our kind of family didn't rise to prominence through competence.

But, we must never be stupid.

Break one of Little Nanzi's legs, and the scream must be loud enough for Miss He to hear."

"Yes."

Even though it was his own son's leg that was going to be broken, Lu Bing still agreed without hesitation.

The Old Madam picked up her Buddhist beads again and said,

"Daring to look down on Miss He's family's background, thinking that someone from a butcher's family is lowly, hehe;

Ignorant fools who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, not looking at what they are themselves.

Miss He is going to marry a prince, she is going to be a mistress, and we are just a bunch of servants.

In this world, how can a servant dare to laugh at the master for not knowing the proper etiquette for drinking tea!

Etiquette,

what kind of damn thing is etiquette?

In the eyes of us servants, the master's words are etiquette!"

"Yes, Mother, your son has remembered."

"Girl."

"This servant is here," Lingxiang responded.

"Call Yue and the others in to help me put on my formal attire."

Hearing this, Lu Bing was slightly stunned and said,

"Mother, you…"

The Old Madam glanced at her son and said,

"Although you played with His Majesty and Liang Ting since you were young, you were still young back then. There are some things you don't know."

What he didn't know, the Old Madam didn't say.

That was because, in the Old Madam's eyes, there were too many things about Little Sixth that resembled His Majesty when he was young.

Especially that night, when Little Sixth came to the Buddhist hall to beg her, that expression, that posture, and the tone of his voice were exactly the same as His Majesty's.

But these words really couldn't be said, not even to her own son.

The world said that the current emperor's ascension to the throne was very smooth, because among the late emperor's children, His Majesty was too outstanding, so outstanding that there was almost no need to consider others.

But this didn't mean that the late emperor's other children were all useless.

"Since our Lu family is temporarily acting as Miss He's family's maternal family today, then I must come out to support Miss He."

As she said this,

the Old Madam looked at Lu Bing with a piercing gaze,

and sighed in her heart:

Although I am old, I can still stand up and earn another share of goodwill for my Lu family.

Lingxiang then said,

"Old Ancestor, this servant can serve you."

The Old Madam waved her hand and said,

"Miss He has never had a maid by her side since she was a child, and now she is marrying over so lonely, it is inevitable that she will be lonely. Lingxiang, you were personally trained by me and have been by my side since you were a child.

You don't need to serve me here for now. Go wash up and dress up, and be a dowry maid and enter the palace with her."

Lingxiang was shocked. She really only just found out about this arrangement, but she immediately took three steps back and knelt down to the Old Madam,

and said,

"This servant understands."

She didn't say anything sentimental, like reluctance or feelings, because Lingxiang knew that the old woman she had served for so many years had eyes that could see through too many things.

"Your parents and siblings are now working as servants in my Lu family, right?"

"Yes, Old Ancestor, thanks to Old Ancestor's promotion and help."

Being able to work as a servant in a high-ranking family was really a great blessing and good fortune.

The Old Madam nodded

and said,

"If you become pregnant within a year, then wait for your parents and siblings to be in mourning."

"…" Lingxiang.

The Old Madam looked at Lingxiang with a smile on her lips and continued,

"You are a smart and quick-witted girl. Miss He is currently pregnant and cannot serve him; logically speaking, you, as a dowry maid, should have the honor of sharing the bed;

But since you are a dowry maid sent over by my Lu family, it is originally for my Lu family to show goodwill to Miss He. If we offend someone because of you, what would my Lu family gain?

Don't blame me for being cruel, Old Ancestor is doing this for your own good. A pregnant woman, especially a woman who is pregnant with her first child, is most sensitive.

Even if that Ji Chengjue is really animalistic and wants you by force, then you have to hold a hairpin against your neck. If you dare to obey, I dare to act."

"Yes, this servant understands."

"One year, you just wait one year. What's yours will not be missing this one year. After one year, if you want to fly up to the branches and become a phoenix, so be it. But you must wait for me for this one year.

To say something that might be taboo,

what's the point of women fighting over a prince's residence? If there really is that opportunity in the future, you can go and fight for it openly.

If you can really win, maybe my Lu family's descendants will have to rely on you, Miss Lingxiang, to take care of them."

"Old Ancestor's kindness to this servant is as heavy as a mountain, this servant would never dare…"

"Alright."

The Old Madam interrupted Lingxiang's words,

"If I can shamelessly live to that time, I will happily kneel down to you when it's time to follow the rules.

Go down and tidy yourself up."

"Yes, Old Ancestor."

Lingxiang went down.

The Old Madam looked at her son and said,

"Don't stand here either. Remember, you are marrying off your daughter today. Anyway, you know how to act."

Lu Bing directly ignored his mother's last sentence, just silently saluted, and prepared to take his leave.

But the Old Madam said again,

"Don't be afraid, don't worry. You can't avoid the matter of seizing the throne just because you don't want to get involved. But as long as you do things with your heart, no one can use this matter to control you, because our Lu family is the emperor's family slave, and only the emperor can decide the fate of our Lu family.

You don't need to be constrained when doing things, just do it with the attitude of doing things for the emperor."

"Your son thanks Mother for her teachings, your son understands."

"Go."

"Yes, your son takes his leave."

After leaving the small Buddhist hall, Lu Bing instructed the old butler to find a stick.

He was going to break his second son's leg later.

While standing there waiting,

Lu Bing's mind was filled with the words his mother had said earlier.

In fact,

Wei Zhonghe had only confirmed today that His Majesty had an intelligence agency independent of the Secret Intelligence Bureau. That agency was more secret, and at the same time, its authority might be greater, even possibly monitoring the Secret Intelligence Bureau.

But few people in this world knew that the person who helped the Yan Emperor manage this agency was Lu Bing, who in the eyes of the world, was able to be granted a position because his mother was His Majesty's wet nurse, the Emperor's milk brother.

Therefore,

Lu Bing knew more about the Sixth Prince than others did: the Sixth Prince's relationship with the remnants of the Min family, the Sixth Prince's relationship with the Earl of Pingye, and the face the Sixth Prince had been hiding in previous years.

After a long while,

Lu Bing let out a sigh:

"Mother, you said that the matter of seizing the throne is not something you can avoid if you want to. That's true;

But Mother, do you know,

that he's not even fighting with his brothers,

he,

is fighting with His Majesty."

————

This chapter is really flavorful.