Lu Ye asked Lu Hua to take her two younger brothers and fourth uncle out to play, as he, third uncle, and Uncle Ding had important matters to discuss.
Lu Hua was somewhat reluctant to leave. She was thirteen this year, old enough to undertake tasks independently. Moreover, she would soon be helping her sister-in-law manage such a large shop. She considered herself an adult.
She was eager to know more about family matters, especially those concerning her maternal grandfather.
However, she did not wish to openly defy her elder brother. She understood that he was acting this way to protect them, so she reluctantly led her two younger brothers and fourth uncle out of the study.
Lu Yun did not want to leave. He pressed his face against the door crack, peering inside.
Lu Yun knew that his elder brother was going to discuss the case of their maternal grandfather with his third uncle and the others. His elder brother believed they were too young to be involved.
However, while his elder brother had his adult channels, he also had his own child-like methods.
The disciples of the street gangs were mainly young beggars. They couldn't handle major affairs, but gathering information should not be a problem.
The gang disciples waited daily for him to assign tasks, especially dangerous, exciting ones with a martial arts flair, because only such tasks made them feel like they were truly in the Jianghu, like heroes and chivalrous figures!
Here, an opportunity arose.
Therefore, Lu Yun and Lu Hua exchanged glances. After a silent understanding, they asked Lu Yu to take their fourth uncle to the front courtyard to play with Tianya and Tiandou, while they themselves would eavesdrop.
Lu Yu felt that if his second brother knew something, he would naturally know as well, so he obediently pulled his little big companion, his fourth uncle, to find Tiandou and Tianya.
Lu Yun and Lu Hua circled around to the side wall of the study and quietly sat down below the window.
The heavy rain and lightning were old acquaintances. They saw Lu Yun and Lu Hua as if they hadn't seen them at all.
Inside the study.
Lu Ye naturally noticed the furtive movements of Lu Yun and Lu Hua. However, he pretended not to see them. He had sent the children out primarily to escort their fourth uncle away.
Fourth Uncle was simple-minded and never held back his words. If he overheard something crucial, Lu Ye feared he might inadvertently reveal it.
Furthermore, he knew Lu Yun would definitely eavesdrop. His eldest younger brother was increasingly asserting his own will, but this was a good thing; it was far better than him growing up to be a naive fool.
Lu Ye and Uncle Quezi sat at the desk. Bai Sheng brought in a large platter of fresh fruit and pastries, while Uncle Ding poured each of them a cup of hot tea.
Uncle Quezi did not stand on ceremony. He devoured the offerings with elegant ferocity. He wouldn't have bothered with such things before, but now, they tasted like the finest delicacies on earth.
Uncle Ding initially intended to be polite, but after witnessing Uncle Quezi's eating habits, he also relaxed his reserve and ate a considerable amount.
"Third Uncle, can you tell us who first impeached Grandfather, and what evidence they presented?" Lu Ye asked, taking a sip of his tea.
After popping a grape into his mouth, Uncle Quezi gripped the armrest of his chair, his knuckles gradually turning a pale, greenish-white. "The first to impeach your Grandfather was the current Prime Minister, Dong Gaoli, who was then the Minister of Revenue.
"Following him was Duke Rong, Jiang Pengju, who is also the father of the current Empress.
"However, heaven truly saw fit to intervene. It is said that a farming family reported the Crown Prince's private excavation of iron ore and clandestine manufacturing of weapons to Prince Yu. In the end, the Empress and the Crown Prince, to protect themselves, made Jiang Pengju the scapegoat. The entire Jiang family was exiled to the Northern Territories.
"Hmph, if not for my troublesome legs, I would truly have gone to the Northern Territories to kill their entire family!"
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged smiles. Bai Sheng said with evident pride, "Third Uncle, that farming family was us."
"What? It was you?" Uncle Quezi's surprise was followed by a burst of hearty laughter.
Uncle Ding also chuckled repeatedly. "This could be considered an accidental revenge."
Lu Ye smiled, "The Empress sent assassins to kill us three times, but all attempts failed."
The laughter of Uncle Quezi and Uncle Ding gradually froze, worry appearing in their eyes.
"The Empress and the Crown Prince found out about you?" Uncle Quezi's expression turned grave.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye nodded. "They thought we were Prince Yu's people. However, Third Uncle, do not worry. They are currently too preoccupied to dare deal with us rashly."
Uncle Quezi asked, "Are you truly Prince Yu's people?"
"Currently, we are indeed close to Prince Yu, and our relationship is reasonably good. However, whether this relationship can last is still unknown. If Prince Yu becomes Emperor one day, it is likely we will still drift apart," Bai Sheng said, leaving some room for maneuver, fearing her third uncle might be averse to royalty.
To her surprise, Uncle Quezi showed no aversion to Prince Yu. Instead, his eyes were filled with a gentle warmth. "Among the entire imperial family, the only one I do not hate, but rather feel grateful towards, is likely Prince Yu and his mother, Consort Mei."
Bai Sheng keenly caught the fleeting regret in Uncle Quezi's eyes. She turned to Lu Ye with a mischievous smile, then faced Uncle Quezi and asked, "Third Uncle, what do you mean by that?"
A rare touch of tenderness appeared on Uncle Quezi's face. "Years ago, when my father was impeached by Minister Dong, Consort Mei, holding Prince Yu who was just over a year old, knelt in the Xuanzheng Hall for a long time, pleading for my father. For this, she even had a huge argument with the dog emperor, angering him to the point where he almost killed her."
Looking at her third uncle's expression, Bai Sheng intuitively felt that her third uncle had some #@%*^ feelings for Consort Mei.
"Did Third Uncle know Consort Mei?" Bai Sheng wanted to clarify those indistinct feelings. Third Uncle and Consort Mei? The gossip would be immense, wonderfully sweet! She truly craved it!
Uncle Quezi's face suddenly flushed. "We... knew each other, I suppose."
Bai Sheng let out an "Oh," and glanced at Uncle Quezi. "In a couple of days, I plan to visit Consort Mei to see if her face can be treated."
A pained expression appeared in Uncle Quezi's eyes. "It is said that Consort Mei was disfigured for the dog emperor back then, yet how did the dog emperor treat her? He constantly professed to love her, only to disdain her later. For so many years, there has never been a shortage of women in his harem."
Speaking of which, Uncle Quezi suddenly realized he had digressed. He immediately cleared his throat to mask his lapse. "Ah, where were we just now?"
Uncle Ding, being perceptive, glanced at Uncle Quezi and immediately turned to Bai Sheng and Lu Ye with concern. "Master, Madam, you must be careful. Offending the Crown Prince and the Empress is truly dangerous." Alas, after so many years, the third young master still harbored feelings for Consort Mei. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Lu Ye nodded. "Uncle Ding, rest assured, we have our own discretion. Third Uncle, besides Prime Minister Dong and Jiang Pengju, were there any others who impeached Grandfather?"
Uncle Quezi spat with hatred, "There was also the current Minister of Revenue, Zhou Yanqing, and General Zhenguo, Wu Xun. These were the main ones; the rest were opportunists. Ha, it's quite ironic, Wu Xun was my father's deputy back then."
Outside the window, Lu Yun and Lu Hua both remembered the names of a few enemies: Prime Minister Dong, Jiang Pengju, Minister of Revenue Zhou Yanqing, and General Zhenguo Wu Xun.
"What was their main evidence?" Lu Ye asked.