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The soldiers behind him brandished their weapons and charged forward, while Chen Cheng, on horseback, gazed into the distance at the palace standing in Chang'an, a hint of solemnity in his brows.
He wasn't without connections in the palace, so he knew about the foolish things Lü Tai and Lü Lu had done, and he was even more aware of… the Emperor's guiding role behind the scenes.
Chen Cheng sighed faintly, "Why has it come to this?"
Yes, why has it come to this?!
...
In Weiyang Palace,
Liu Ying sat upright and straight in the great hall, silently waiting for Lü Zhi.
He didn't know what kind of choice Lü Zhi would make, nor what she would ultimately choose, but he merely gazed into the distance, his mind sinking into a dazed stupor.
This insane cage had turned everyone into madmen and fools, and the only way for him to break free from this prison was to tear himself apart.
Only… he wanted to give his mother an explanation before he left.
"Thump-thump-thump—"
Footsteps sounded.
At this time, only a few people would come into this great hall. Liu Ying slightly raised his head and saw Lü Zhi and Lü Tai slowly walking in, accompanied by a few attendants.
Liu Ying's eyes met Lü Zhi's, but he said nothing. He simply looked at Lü Tai indifferently.
Like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
Lü Tai, however, spoke at this moment, his voice carrying a hint of allure.
"Empress Dowager, now is the best opportunity."
"I have already brought the person."
He pointed to a woman dressed as a palace maid behind him, saying with a slight smile, "This woman is already pregnant with my child. You only need to secretly bring her into the imperial palace amidst the chaos and tell everyone that this is His Majesty's child."
"This will be His Majesty's eldest son."
"Once this child is born, in just half a year, we can pull a switch. From then on, a Lü Clan child… will be able to occupy this land, and our Lü Clan will never fall!"
"As for the rebellion outside the palace, we can simply blame Lü Lu!"
Lü Tai's face was filled with a triumphant smile; he had actually planned everything out long ago.
He hadn't even told Lü Lu about this plan, aiming to pin the crime of rebellion and treason on Lü Lu, while the other members of the Lü Clan would be rewarded with marquisates for their meritorious act of slaying the traitor.
Lü Tai paced in the great hall, his smile utterly unrestrained.
"I've always felt that your plan was a bit flawed. Whether it's testing the former court or testing the imperial clan, why must everything be laid out in the open?"
"Guandu Marquis's reaction was also within my expectations. He definitely wouldn't agree with your decision, so he would surely find you, and you would definitely be unable to refuse."
"But look, how perfect is my plan?"
"Just by sacrificing one Lü Lu, the Lü Clan can achieve the most perfect outcome!"
Lü Tai walked into the great hall of Weiyang Palace, spreading his arms as if to embrace everything that Weiyang Palace represented. As long as Lu Hou agreed, the one who would sit in this great hall in the future would be his, Lü Tai's, son!
It would be the Lü Clan's heir!
Even if this couldn't be openly revealed at first, it could be revealed after the Lü Clan grew powerful!
What Liu Clan, what Guandu Marquis, they were all just fleeting clouds!
Lü Zhi remained silent.
Liu Ying also said nothing. After a long while, Liu Ying, still seated, looked at Lü Zhi and spoke his first words in the great hall: "Does Mother also think so?"
Lü Zhi remained silent.
At this moment, Lü Tai had fallen into a state of frenzy: "Do you think you still have a choice now?"
"Your Majesty, if it weren't for my aunt's sake, you would have already consumed poison today! You would be lying on your bed, unable to move! How could you still have the chance to make such plans here?"
Liu Ying's lips curled into a disdainful smile: "You mean… relying on that Inner Attendant whom I discovered long ago?"
He shook his head, stood up, and looked at Lü Zhi unsteadily: "Mother, what are you thinking?"
Lü Zhi sighed faintly. She slowly walked to Liu Ying's side, then turned around and looked at Lü Tai, saying, "After all, I am also a member of the Lü Clan. I should leave some male descendants for the Lü Clan, so that my father's line doesn't die out."
She closed her eyes and said, "Lü Tai, Lü Lu, and others conspired in rebellion, and should have their three clans exterminated and be subjected to the five punishments. However, because the Lü Clan is the Empress Dowager's clan, special grace is granted: male descendants of the Lü Clan under ten years old are spared death, and female dependents under fifteen are spared death. They shall be exiled to the bitter cold lands of Yan, and will not be pardoned even if a general amnesty is declared."
After Lü Zhi spoke these words, she almost had no strength left.
She raised her head and looked at Chen Cheng, who was slowly walking in from a distance, a hint of paleness on her lips: "I wonder what Guandu Marquis thinks of this?"
Liu Ying also raised his head at this moment, looking at Chen Cheng in the distance.
At this moment, Chen Cheng's armor was covered in blood, and his face showed a hint of weariness and disarray. However, each step he took was incredibly firm.
No one who saw him would dare to say that this man was old.
But then again, Chen Cheng was only forty-six years old at this time. Even in ancient times, where the average lifespan was not particularly high, this was not a particularly old age.
Chen Cheng looked at Lü Zhi and shook his head. He looked at Lü Zhi and said, "Even as the Empress Dowager's clan, such great favor cannot be granted."
"But considering that the Empress Dowager had a moment of softness and did not commit any irreversible actions, a slight grace can be added."
In reality, the weight of these words was clear to Lü Zhi, the Emperor, and Chen Cheng himself. These words were essentially nonsense—Chen Cheng was not acting for Lü Zhi's sake, but rather for… Emperor Hui's sake.
Emperor Hui was, after all, the Emperor!
The Emperor's mother colluded with her cousins and others to cause chaos, and even intended to mix up the imperial lineage?
This was a disgrace that no one could bear, not even the Emperor.
"The Lü Clan need not be executed for the crime of rebellion, but they shall be executed under other charges. All males of the Lü Clan taller than a cartwheel shall be killed! All male descendants should have been killed! However, because Lü Gong once assisted His Majesty in his uprising, a single lineage of his descendants shall be preserved."
"If there are male descendants of Lü Chan's lineage under five years old, they may be spared death."
"But…"
Chen Cheng said, word by word, "But they shall be exiled to Lingnan!"
Upon hearing Chen Cheng's words, Lü Zhi almost fainted, but she still held on, finally showing a tragic smile on her face. She knew this was the limit of Chen Cheng's tolerance.
But at least… a few male descendants were left for the Lü Clan.
She knew that Chen Cheng's mention of "Lü Chan's" lineage was not random, but had been thoroughly investigated. Their Lü Clan had probably become fish on the chopping block the moment they had even thought of it!
Lü Chan had eight children, six boys and two girls, and among them… there were two male children under five years old!
This could indeed be considered leaving a lineage for Lü Gong to offer sacrifices to.
Moreover, and more importantly, the Lü Clan was not being executed for the grave crime of rebellion. Chen Cheng didn't even add the phrase "not to be pardoned even if a general amnesty is declared," clearly leaving room for the Lü Clan to breathe.
As long as the crime of exile was not emphasized as immediate exile, there would be a certain amount of preparation time.
And for Lu Hou, delaying for three or four years would be incredibly easy. By then, these two male children would already be seven or eight years old and would be able to somewhat take care of themselves.
Then, when exiled to Lingnan, their chances of survival would be much greater.
Only Liu Ying's eyes glimmered slightly. He looked at Chen Cheng, discerning the disapproval in Chen Cheng's eyes, and of course, also seeing the indulgence and helplessness in Chen Cheng's eyes.
He immediately understood in his heart.
This grace, he feared, was left for him, to allow him to mend his relationship with Lü Zhi.
After a long sigh, Liu Ying nodded slightly: "Let it be so."
Outside, thunder still rumbled, and heavy rain poured down, sweeping away everything, washing away all the bloodstains and darkness on the ground.
The officials in the capital only knew that something major had happened last night, but what exactly had happened… they truly didn't know.
The next day, morning.
Weiyang Palace.
Xiao He's face showed a bewildered expression. He looked at Chen Ping beside him, both rubbing their eyes. The Empress Dowager, who used to listen to court affairs from behind a screen, was no longer there?
The arrogant and overbearing Lü Clan members had all disappeared?
What on earth had happened in just one night?
Liu Ying, on the platform, perhaps saw that everyone's expressions were off, or perhaps for other reasons, so he spoke in a deep voice to explain to everyone: "Lü Lu committed a great error, was incited by others to lead troops to force his way into the palace, intending rebellion. However, Lü Tai and others saw through Lü Lu's scheme, and thus fought bravely to the death."
Liu Ying sighed, setting the final tone for this matter.
"However, in his madness, Lü Lu massacred nearly all of the Lü Clan's descendants, leaving only two young children from Lü Chan's lineage."
His face showed a sorrowful expression: "Although I believe that the Lü Clan is not at fault in this matter, but… a mistake is a mistake! Lü Lu should have been punished for the grave crime of rebellion, however, the Lü Clan has already paid almost entirely for Lü Lu's ambition, and almost all of the Lü Clan's descendants have died, so there is no need to be so harsh on the deceased."
"Therefore, simply exiling the remaining two children of the Lü Clan to Lingnan for the crime of great disrespect is sufficient."
After Liu Ying recited the pre-prepared lines, he scanned the crowd and asked, "Does anyone have anything to say?"
Xiao He, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo, and a host of other high-ranking officials looked bewildered.
What on earth was going on?
This was just a single night; what exactly had happened? And Lü Lu rebelled, Lü Tai wouldn't know? Lü Tai and others sacrificed themselves? And Lü Lu went mad and killed all the Lü Clan's descendants?
Coupled with the earth-shattering shouts of killing last night, and many people seeing Guandu Marquis in his armor, they all understood what had happened with a quick thought.
Cao Can was about to say something, but Chen Ping subtly pulled his hand and then gave him a look.
Didn't you see that Guandu Marquis said nothing?
This was clearly the result of negotiations between the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Guandu Marquis, and it was a result that everyone could accept!
To question this result now would be to question the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Guandu Marquis?
To question these three people…
Did they still want to remain in court?
And so… a shocking case of rebellion that should have been, was thus hastily concluded with the indulgence and approval of all three parties.
No one had expected that the Lü Clan, which had just begun to show its prominence, would be dealt with so easily.
However… at this moment, everyone thought that this forced palace was Chen Cheng's achievement, but only Chen Cheng knew that even if he hadn't come, the Emperor probably wouldn't have died.
He must have had a backup plan.
In Weiyang Palace,
Chen Cheng looked at Liu Ying in front of him and smiled slightly: "Your subject knew that even without your subject, Your Majesty is not one to remain in obscurity. After all, how could the bloodline of Your Majesty and Lu Hou be as simple as before?"
His earlier decision not to act rashly was correct.
Although he didn't know if Emperor Wen could still ascend the throne now, his Chen Clan was still the ultimate winner, or at least one of the winners. After all… Liu Ying was also among Chen Cheng's disciples.
Liu Ying shook his head slightly and sighed.
"I just wanted to go crazy before I died, which is why I did this. If not for Guandu Marquis's rescue, there would be no Liu Ying today."
He said with a bitter smile, "Moreover… my body is already not well."
Liu Ying said without resentment in his tone: "My father kicked me off the carriage several times back then, and I had already sustained internal injuries. After living a long time of wandering and hardship, my body could no longer hold on."
"If not for the potent medicine that Tai Yi Ling kept prescribing for me, I would have gone to see my father long ago."
He said silently, "What happened today has already happened. My body, I fear, is not well."
Liu Ying looked at Chen Cheng and tentatively asked, "Just now, why did Guandu Marquis not add 'not to be pardoned even if a general amnesty is declared' after the Lü Clan's crimes? What was your intention?"
Chen Cheng looked at Liu Ying and raised his wine cup: "It is exactly what Your Majesty thinks."
He said in a deep voice, "Although this prince was not raised by your subject, he is still your subject's disciple, so your subject is unwilling to let Your Majesty pass away with regrets."
"Use this matter to reconcile with the Empress Dowager."
After yesterday, Lu Hou had shut herself in the palace and refused to come out. Even when Liu Ying visited several times, he was told that Lu Hou was diligently cultivating Daoist arts and reciting Huang-Lao texts.
Both Liu Ying and Chen Cheng knew that this was Lü Zhi expressing her anger.
But… Liu Ying didn't have much time left!
"Very well, then I thank Guandu Marquis."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Historical Records · Annals of Emperor Xiaohui": "In the third year of Emperor Hui, Lu served as the commander of the Northern and Southern armies, leading his troops to force their way into the palace, intending rebellion."
"At that time, Tai led the Lü Clan's children to resist, but to no avail."
"Guandu Marquis decisively defeated Lu's soldiers and slew Lu beneath his horse."
"Emperor Hui originally intended to punish the Lü Clan for the crime of rebellion, however, due to Tai's meritorious service, he could not bear to harshly punish the deceased, and thus changed the charge from rebellion to great disrespect, merely exiling the two surviving children of the Lü Clan to Lingnan."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Guandu Marquis Residence.
Chen Yun looked at the returning Chen Cheng and asked with a smile, "Grandfather, how was it?"
"Was your grandson's calculation accurate?"