Chapter 584: You Should Ask Your Own Heart
Chapter 584: Chapter 584: You Should Ask Your Own Heart
The Emperor was ill. Ordinarily, Lu Fu, the head of the Imperial Guards and a trusted confidant of the Emperor, should have been at his post by the Dragon Couch.
However, after Lu Shaoyuan got into trouble today, Lu Fu heard the news. He was worried his mother, Mrs. Meng, wouldn’t be able to handle things on her own. After entrusting palace affairs to Pei Yin, he rushed out of the palace to the Ministry of Justice to be with his mother and brother.
When Lu Fu received Mo Lingwei’s summons late at night, Lu Shaoyuan had just undergone another round of interrogation.
This was because Shuyan’s family had been found. The only relative was her crippled father, who adamantly claimed his daughter had gone drinking in the Capital City with a person of high status, only to never return. Thus, suspicion fell back onto Lu Shaoyuan.
Jiang Shanglong and the others had been interrogated, and their testimonies were all consistent. The only thing no one could clarify was the identity of the extra merchant.
Only the Shopkeeper, who remembered fourteen people attending the banquet, said, "The man was a stranger with a southern accent. I assumed he was an assistant someone had brought along, which is common at these kinds of social events."
But he didn’t know the man’s name, nor had he spoken to him alone.
The investigation had hit a dead end, which made Mrs. Meng extremely anxious. Seeing that both his mother and brother were distraught, Lu Fu took it upon himself to speak with Xie Ming’an and secured a side room for them to rest in for the time being.
Lu Fu had someone bring food and wine for Lu Shaoyuan and Mrs. Meng, as they hadn’t eaten all day.
"Brother, they’re not really going to pin the crime of assaulting and murdering a woman on me, are they?"
"No," Lu Fu said reassuringly. "Xie Ming’an is renowned for his brilliant investigative skills. He’ll never close the case rashly before getting to the bottom of things. You and Mother should both be at ease."
Just then, the men sent by Mo Lingwei to summon Lu Fu back to the palace arrived.
"The Crown Prince has an urgent matter and requests Commander Lu to return to the palace at once." In the courtyard, Wu Fang stood with his treasure sword at his hip, leading a dozen of the Crown Prince’s personal guards. The flickering torchlight cast a stern and imposing air.
Mrs. Meng quickly said, "You’re the head of the Imperial Guards. The palace can’t afford to be without you, so you should go back. Your father should be here soon. We’ll stay here with your brother, so you can go without worrying."
Lu Fu considered this and saw no other choice. He patted Lu Shaoyuan on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Don’t worry. Everything will be fine."
With that, he quickly followed Wu Fang and left.
When they reached the gate, Lu Fu’s personal attendant, who had served him for years, was suddenly struck with a severe stomachache. The rest of the party was already mounted, and they couldn’t possibly wait for one junior attendant.
Seeing the situation, Lu Fu said, "If it hurts that badly, don’t worry about accompanying me to the palace. Stay here with my mother and brother."
"Thank you, my lord." The attendant cupped his hands in a salute. Bending over and clutching his stomach, he cried out in pain as he headed toward the latrines of the Ministry of Justice.
Wu Fang shot the man a suspicious look before he and Lu Fu galloped back to the palace with their men.
Shortly after arriving at Zichen Palace, Lu Fu walked in to find Mo Lingwei seated on the high throne, a grim expression on his face. Chen Shaobei stood behind him, his hand gripping a longsword.
Lu Fu’s heart sank. Behind him, the palace doors were shut from the outside by Wu Fang.
All martial artists are perceptive, and Lu Fu could clearly sense a murderous intent in the air. He composed himself and bowed in greeting.
Mo Lingwei got straight to the point. "I summoned you back so urgently because of this incident involving your brother. I won’t beat around the bush. Before all this happened, did you tell anyone that I was going to inspect the city districts today?"
Lu Fu froze, his head snapping up. "I would never do such a thing!"
Since the Emperor was recuperating, Lu Fu was in charge of supervising the security for the Crown Prince’s tour. Naturally, he knew the exact hour the prince would be leaving the palace.
Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes, observing Lu Fu’s decisive words.
In truth, he trusted Lu Fu. The Lu family’s loyalty was a principle that had been passed down since Mr. Lu Sr.’s generation.
Besides, it was Lu Fu’s own brother, Lu Shaoyuan, who was being framed for this. He couldn’t be stupid enough to conspire with someone to harm his own brother.
But only Lu Fu and the Emperor knew about his inspection tour. Who else could have revealed it to a third person?
Chen Shaobei asked bluntly, "Did you tell anyone else about the Crown Prince’s movements?"
Lu Fu’s brow furrowed. "Absolutely not."
Suddenly, Lu Fu remembered his attendant.
"My attendant, Ah Jin, has been in my study before. Could he have been the one?" His study contained the detailed Defense Map for the Crown Prince’s trip, and he was normally very cautious. But that one time, relatives had arrived unexpectedly while his parents were out, and he had to go greet them.
When he returned, he saw the attendant pacing nervously near the study.
Although Ah Jin said he was just passing by, Lu Fu noticed that items in the study had been disturbed.
Mo Lingwei’s lips thinned. "It must have been him. Where is he?"
Lu Fu’s face fell. "No wonder... He claimed to have a stomachache right before we left for the palace. He must have been lying to get away."
Chen Shaobei immediately cupped his hands. "Your Highness, let me go and capture him."
Before Mo Lingwei could give the order, Wu Fang’s voice came from outside the door. "Your Highness, Lord Lu’s attendant tried to flee to the ferry crossing. He’s been captured."
"Bring him in for questioning immediately."
A moment later, the attendant Ah Jin was brought in, his face bruised and swollen.
Fortunately, Wu Fang had found the man’s behavior suspicious and had left two of the Crown Prince’s personal guards to watch him from the shadows. To their surprise, they really did catch the attendant trying to escape.
Seeing him, Lu Fu roared, "You treacherous slave! Was it you who revealed the Crown Prince’s movements?"
Ah Jin was already terrified. Seeing the grim situation in Zichen Palace, he dropped to his knees with a THUD and immediately began to wail and beg for mercy.
"Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me, my lord! I was blinded by greed and deserve to die, but I was manipulated into it! It was Miss Meng who told me to do it!"
Miss Meng? Meng Wanning?
Mo Lingwei and Chen Shaobei exchanged a look, their eyes turning cold.
「Meanwhile.」
Inside the Xie Mansion, Shen Ningning couldn’t sleep. Coincidentally, a short while earlier, Xie Mingxu had also been restless. Noticing the lights were still on in his sister’s courtyard, he invited her for a walk by candlelight.
Xie Mingxu walked in front, holding a lotus-shaped lantern, while Shen Ningning followed behind, clutching his sleeve. The two siblings strolled through the flowerbeds, surrounded by fireflies and moonlight in the beautiful, tranquil night.
"Sister, after what has happened to Lu Shaoyuan, do you still plan on marrying him?"
Shen Ningning faltered, a flicker of uncertainty in her lovely eyes. "I... I don’t mind what’s happened, but when it comes to marriage... I think I need to reconsider. Brother, if I call off the engagement now, won’t Lu Shaoyuan think it’s because of this incident that I’m rejecting him?"
Xie Mingxu pursed his lips and stopped. He turned to look back at her, his gaze warm and steady.
"What he thinks doesn’t matter. What matters is what you want in your heart. Sometimes, I feel that you sacrifice too much for others and consider yourself too little."
"Do I?"
"Of course. Take this time, for example. The Emperor asked you to stay away from the Crown Prince. You considered his difficult position and the struggles he faces as a father, so you agreed. But you wronged yourself in the process, didn’t you?"
A jolt went through Shen Ningning. She lifted her beautiful eyes in shock to look at her brother.
Xie Mingxu smiled faintly. "Did you think your brother wouldn’t know?"