Chapter 17 Don't Call Others Brother
The saint still had no reaction when he heard this, but his eyes fell on Lu Ji, who had remained silent, and asked, "Lord Lu, what do you think?"

Lu Ji stepped out of the line, clasped his hands in the etiquette of a military officer, and replied to the sage: "If the King of Qin really has the intention of rebellion, then of course he should be executed, but if not, rashly sending troops would chill the hearts of loyal and good people. The right and wrong are complicated, and I have just returned to the capital, so I cannot make a conclusion, so I dare not speak rashly."

I said it, but it’s the same as not saying it.

I don't want to take sides, just sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers.

The saint was once the most unpopular illegitimate son. He climbed to the throne by stepping on the corpses of his brothers. He is cunning and resourceful.

He glanced at Lu Ji, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It is precisely because Lu Aiqing has just returned to the capital that he is not very experienced in the world, but he is an innocent person. I will leave this matter to you. I order you to find out the truth within one month and come up with a countermeasure."

The old hand saw that Lu Ji didn't want to get involved in this muddy water, but he still insisted on dragging him into it.

Lu Ji did not refuse and obeyed the order.

After the court session, as soon as they left the Jinluan Palace, Minister Zhang grabbed Lu Ji's sleeve and said, "Admiral Lu, the King of Qin has surrendered to our Great Zhou since the previous dynasty. He has been law-abiding all these years. Now that the old prince is very old, how could he have any rebellious thoughts? This matter is nothing but a deliberate frame-up by the old fox Prime Minister Jiang in order to support his daughter to ascend the throne. Brother Lu, I know you are a fair and just person. His Majesty entrusted this matter to you because he wants you to redress the grievances for the King of Qin."

As he spoke, he pulled Lu Ji harder and said, "Brother Lu, don't be fooled by Prime Minister Jiang."

Lu Ji took away his hand that was tightly grasping his sleeve and replied with a smile: "Whether the King of Qin is wronged or not is not up to me to decide. I am just following orders to investigate thoroughly. If it is found that he is wronged, then I will definitely redress his injustice. If he is not wronged, then the saint will definitely not let the King of Qin go. It is useless for Minister Zhang to waste my time here. If you are sure that the prince is innocent, why not show me the evidence? Then I will have nothing to say and will report truthfully."

Minister Zhang suddenly realized something, and he bowed to Lu Ji and said, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Lu."

So he left happily.

After walking a few steps, Lu Ji was stopped by Prime Minister Jiang again. The old man approached Lu Ji with his wrinkled face and asked sinisterly, "What did Minister Zhang say to Lord Lu just now?"

Lu Ji laughed and said jokingly, "Has the job of Jinyiwei been replaced by Prime Minister Jiang? You even control what the court officials say?"

"Lord Lu, you are joking." The old man put his hand on Lu Ji's shoulder, approached Lu Ji, and stretched out his hand to hold Lu Ji's sleeve: "Lord Lu is young after all, and he just returned to Beijing. I am afraid that you will be deceived by Zhang Tingjing, that little fox."

Lu Ji took his hand away calmly, complaining in his heart, what's wrong with these officials in the court nowadays? They have to pull people's sleeves when they talk.

"Just now, Minister Zhang told me that the prince was wrongly accused, and that he would find evidence to clear the prince's name," said Lu Ji.

"Evidence?" Prime Minister Jiang smiled slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "Zhang Tingjing has evidence of the prince's innocence. Don't I have evidence of these petty treasonous plots?"

After leaving the imperial city, Lu Ji went back to the government office to handle affairs. When he returned to the mansion, he was already in the western border of Wujin.

Walking on the bluestone road back to Qingsongyuan, I saw two familiar figures from afar.

One is tall and the other is short. The tall one is Chang Sui Desheng and the other one is Qin Xiaoning.

The two stood face to face. Although there was a distance between them, their shadows were pulled together by the afterglow of the setting sun.

The little girl raised her head and looked at Desheng. It was unknown what she was saying. From time to time, she raised her sleeves to wipe away her tears. She seemed to be very aggrieved, or as if she had encountered some difficulties.

Lu Ji narrowed his deep eyes slightly, and his pace unconsciously quickened. "What's wrong?"

Before he even got close, he couldn't wait to speak.

Desheng, who was facing away, turned around and greeted him: "My Lord, you are back."

Lu Ji gave him a solemn look and ignored him. He walked straight to Qin Xiaoning, lowered his eyes to look at her, and said with displeasure in his tone: "What are you talking about?"

Without waiting for Qin Xiaoning to speak, Desheng hurriedly explained: "Miss Qin asked me to go outside and ask for a doctor."

Just when he was halfway through his words, Lu Ji interrupted him domineeringly: "I didn't ask you."

Desheng was so scared that he quickly shut his mouth.

"Mother Songzhi is seriously ill. She has taken medicine for several days but her condition has not improved. Instead, it has become worse. She is now in a coma." The girl's face turned red with tears in her eyes because of anxiety. "The old lady doesn't look good. I want to ask Brother Chang to go outside and get a better doctor to take a look."

Lu Ji scolded her with a sullen face, "What do you mean by 'brother Chang'? You are just calling someone your brother?" After scolding her, she looked listless and said nothing, just wiping her tears. He turned to Desheng and ordered, "Go get a doctor, find a good one."
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The fact that the King of Qin paid tribute was like a stone, which not only caused turmoil in the previous dynasty, but also stirred up waves in the harem which was already undercurrents.

Shufei had just finished her dinner when a palace maid came in to report that it was Concubine Duan who wanted to see her. Shufei's eyes moved slightly and she said "please".

Concubine Duan entered Yilan Palace and saw Concubine Shu kneeling in front of the Buddha statue fiddling with her beads: "Sister Shu is also worshipping the Buddha?"

Hearing this, Concubine Shu turned around, smiled and stood up, warmly offering her seat to Concubine Duan: "I have nothing to do, just killing time."

Concubine Duan sat down, looked around Concubine Shu's bedroom with her phoenix eyes, and asked, "Your Majesty, has your sister's place not been here recently?"

"Your Majesty is busy with all kinds of affairs, how can he even think of me?" As she said this, Concubine Shu laughed at herself.

"This is not like your personality, sister." Concubine Duan took the fragrant tea handed by the maid and said, "Others may not know, but don't I know you, sister? You are not someone who is willing to be inferior to others and look at their faces."

Hearing this, Concubine Shu sighed and said helplessly, "When I was young, I was indeed competitive, but I have been competing for half my life, and what have I gained? It's still not beautiful and love. It was better when the Empress was here, and she advised the Emperor to treat everyone equally. Haha, now, it's hard for me to even see the Emperor. My Yilan Palace is almost becoming a cold palace."

"Oh, isn't it the Concubine Chen who is relying on her pregnancy to monopolize the Emperor?" He glanced at Concubine Shu's face and said, "Are you willing to admit defeat, sister?"

Concubine Shu smiled bitterly: "What if I don't admit defeat? Can I get pregnant and compete with Concubine Chen for favor? Forget it, just accept your fate. I just hope that after Concubine Chen gives birth to a child, she can give way to His Majesty and give us some favor."

Seeing that Concubine Shu was not compliant, Concubine Duan was disappointed and continued to provoke: "Sister's brother has just made great contributions. I heard that the Saint has been promoted to the governor of the Nine Gates. Oh, how old is he to have climbed to this position? Sister has such a capable brother to support her, why do you still live like me, relying on others for your livelihood?"

"How can I compare to my sister." Concubine Shu smiled and said, "My sister gave birth to the eldest prince for His Majesty, and the eldest prince is the only adult among all the princes. He is also capable and can be relied on by my sister. Although my brother from my mother's side is very capable, Pan'er is still young after all, and we don't know what he will be like in the future. At present, Concubine Chen is so favored. If she gives birth to another prince this time, then she will have two princes by her side. What can I use to compete with her?"

As he said this, he looked up at Concubine Duan and said, "Sister, if she really gave birth to a prince, would her status surpass yours?"

"I" Concubine Duan still maintained a decent smile on her face, but her hands under her wide sleeves clenched into fists subconsciously, and she said awkwardly: "I am old and ugly, so there is no way I can compare with others."

(End of this chapter)