Lu Chao lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a while, he looked up, first at Zhu Yu, then at Lu Qing.
Lu Qing nodded slightly, prompting Lu Chao to slowly let out a sigh.
"I have no intention of competing," he said. His tone carried an indescribable emotion, "Before my mother passed away, she told that my father braved countless hardships to finally sit on the throne as Sovereign of the World.
As the son of the father, one must not be too foolish, nor too clever. One can have the great talent to govern the world, but must not have the ambition to rule it.
Mother also said that the chaos in the past brought unbearable suffering to the people. Many innocent lives were lost due to the years of war. If father intends to support in the future, she hoped I would one day be a wise ruler.
But if father favors another prince, I should not compete for selfish desires. Staying low and preserving oneself is a virtue both for oneself and for the people."
Lu Qing let out a snort of laughter, but his eyes grew colder: "You’ve told this more than once or twice.
I’m rather curious, back then, what exactly did my clan compete for, resulting in their extermination?
And what have I been competing for these years, to beco such a thorn in others’ eyes?
At my wedding banquet, soone tried to fra for deliberately poisoning Lu Zhang.
Today, at General Cao’s birthday feast, soone used his nephew to set a trap.
What about next ti? Who do you think will be caught in the sche? Will it be Lu Zhang, or you?
Your Majesty has yet to appoint a Crown Prince, but turns a blind eye to the power struggles in the shadows. If this continues, chaos is inevitable, it’s already predestined.
When that ti cos, do you think anyone will allow the legitimate son of the Empress to remain untouched?"
Lu Chao stared expressionlessly at Lu Qing, whose eyes were filled with a hint of annoyance, but suddenly, he chuckled softly: "Your master once told you to handle affairs calmly and avoid haste. It seems your skills are still lacking.
There is one more thing my mother said on her deathbed that I haven’t told you.
She said, ’Human hearts are more treacherous than mountains and rivers. If this world is to fall into the hands of tyrannical people, fight with all your might for oneself and the cause.’
Lu Qing was montarily stunned. Lu Chao’s mother, Empress, was Emperor Jin’s first wife, united with him before he ascended the throne.
When Lu Qing was very young, he was raised by the Empress, who he rembered as a very kind woman, though frail. After giving birth to Lu Chao, she had been bedridden for years, and the bitter scent of dicine always perated her chambers.
It was during this ti that Lu Qing was moved to be raised by other concubines. After several relocations, an incident occurred, prompting Emperor Jin to send him to Shanqing Temple to live and pray for relief from the drought.
Lu Qing never returned to the palace, and later, he heard the news of the Empress’s passing.
Previously, Lu Chao ntioned that the Empress had instructed him to preserve himself, not to compete for personal gain, which aligned with Lu Qing’s impression of the Empress’s gentle nature.
However, he never expected that on her deathbed, she gave Lu Chao a final exhortation, leaving him feeling a bit lancholy, wondering what this venerable elder experienced in her last years.
Seeing Lu Qing’s complex expression, Lu Chao knew he was reminded of past events. But now wasn’t the ti for sentintality, so he cleared his throat and said to Lu Qing, "I’ve heard about your experiences in Congzhou.
Whether it’s the abandonnt of farmland or the planting of herbs for dyeing, or using Blazing Jade as fake cinnabar to sell to spice rchants, all signs point to soone causing chaos in the kingdom.
I once thought Duke Yan, with his extensive network, could help Lu Zhang secure the throne for generations, but even he, with his astuteness, was blinded, allowing so much deception under his nose."
"Zhao Bi helping Lu Zhang secure the throne?" Lu Qing laughed mockingly. "Have you forgotten about Zhao Bocai, who follows Lu Zhang around like a shadow?
Ultimately, Zhao Bocai is Zhao Bi’s legitimate grandson, a mber of the Zhao Family, and though his skills are not impressive, his ambition is grand.
It wouldn’t be surprising if one day, Lu Zhang, that clueless man, gets toppled by that grandfather and grandson before he even warms the dragon throne."
Nearby, Zhu Yu quietly ate, trying hard to digest the massive amount of information in Lu Qing and Lu Chao’s conversation.
Although she didn’t understand how these two managed to remain so close under everyone’s radar, the ntion of Zhao Bocai rang a bell for her.
During the day at Cao Tianbao’s Assistant General mansion, that man indeed followed Lu Zhang, holding an air of arrogance, walking beside Lu Zhang as if the flattery and respect towards Lu Zhang belonged to him.
The man’s behavior and ambition, like a fox pretending to be a tiger, were indeed not favorable.
Lu Chao clearly didn’t like Zhao Bocai either. Hearing Lu Qing’s words, he smiled slightly and sighed again: "At this point, there’s no avoiding the inevitable; we must beco masters of the ga ourselves.
However, their forces are vast and deep-rooted. What chances do we have to fight them with just us?"
Seeing that Lu Chao finally ca to his senses, Lu Qing relaxed, sneeringly saying, "As the ancients say, ’For one who wields a sword, present the illusion; entice with benefits; initiate with the unexpected; assert with the inevitable.’
Whether at my wedding feast or General Cao’s event today, it all boils down to targeting Zhao Bi and Lu Zhang.
Now, with a prominent tree like this beside them, it’s the perfect ti to gather talents, expand your wings, and plot slowly."
Lu Chao sighed with so helplessness about the current situation but resolved firmly: "Have you found the person you’re looking for?"
Lu Qing, caught off guard by the question, shook his head with a bitter smile, "Far from easy. If it were easy to find them, they’d have long been silenced, leaving not even a trace of bones."
"Take your ti; clues will eventually surface." Lu Chao reassured him, then glanced at Zhu Yu with a slightly sympathetic tone, "But you’re unfortunate. Being brought here, you’re already dragged into this; there’s no washing your hands off the matter now."
"With the way things are, no one can escape getting caught in the torrent. Better to be on the sa ship than flounder aimlessly in the waters." Zhu Yu had clearly understood the situation.
Lu Qing laughed out loud at this, gesturing as if there were an invisible rope between them. He said to Lu Chao, "We are both grasshoppers tied to the sa rope. Instead of playing gas in front of her, think better about how to deal with the Prefect of Runzhou, Zhao Xin.
This person is intelligent, cautious, and a talent worth utilizing."
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