Chapter 470 Isn’t This the Tradition of Your Lu Family Men?

Chapter 470 Isn't This the Tradition of Your Lu Family Men?

It seemed foolproof.

Sure enough, on that very day, the eldest son of the second branch got into trouble.

He was beaten up while fighting over a girl, and his leg was broken.

The doctor who came to examine him said that even if he recovered, he would still be lame.

Great! He wasn’t even married yet. The marriage arrangement, which had been agreed upon long ago, was now in jeopardy. After seeing the death of Grand Tutor Lu, the other party had already predicted the decline of the Lu family and was considering backing out.

They just hadn’t found a reason to break off the engagement.

Now, the reason was right in front of them. The marriage was over.

Grandmother Wang, as the current head of the family, went to visit the second branch’s eldest son with Lady Lu from the first branch. Seeing the eldest son lying in bed with one leg hanging from the bed frame, she couldn’t help but find it amusing.

However, they both managed to hold back their laughter.

“Oh, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, what are we going to do? The doctor says that even if this leg heals, he’ll still be lame. The Sun family has been unhappy about the marriage for a while now. Do you think they will still go through with it?”

Lady Lu, delighted and speaking in a sarcastic tone, said, “You know, Yao is really too immature. He hasn’t even gotten married yet, and he goes to such places to fight over a courtesan. It’s so embarrassing.”

Grandmother Wang glanced at Lady Lu indifferently.

She thought to herself, isn’t this the tradition of your Lu family men? You call it the romantic nature of talented scholars, who have always been known for their amorous ways.

Apart from the deceased old man, there hasn’t been another talented scholar in the Lu family.

Yet, everyone seems to be quite amorous.

You mock others, but your own husband and son were no different before their marriages.

The couple from the second branch hesitated, looking at the sarcastic Lady Lu and the gloating Grandmother Wang, and sighed heavily.

“Elder Niece, do you know who clashed with our Yao?”

Grandmother Wang blinked innocently, pretending not to know, “Who was it?”

Everyone knew that the Lu family’s current situation was like hitting a stone with an egg when competing with the Wang family. Moreover, they were only people from the second branch of the Lu family.

Since the Wang family had made their move to help their daughter secure the family assets, the second and third branches stood no chance.

This broken leg was just a warning.

If they continued to fight, they might end up losing everything, including their lives.

The couple sighed deeply and conceded defeat.

The master of the second branch said, “Let’s divide the family property. Father had already divided it before he died. The house on East Street is for us, Elder Sister, do you have any objections?”

Lady Lu was overjoyed, “Of course not. Whatever Father decided is fine with me. But what about Third Brother?”

“Don’t worry, Elder Sister, I’ll talk to him.”

Lady Lu and Grandmother Wang successfully separated the second and third branches from the main family. Lady Lu was extremely pleased with Grandmother Wang, believing that a woman like her could protect the descendants and uphold the family.

As for Fang Jinxiu, hah, always crying and with a wicked heart, but lacking in means. She only knew how to take advantage of a blind and foolish person. If it weren’t for her good luck, she would have been dead long ago.

Whether to choose Fang Jinxiu, who was blessed by heaven and had incredible fortune, or Wang Fuzhen, who had the means and background, she needed more time to observe.

...

In the blink of an eye, Xie Peiyu had been away for half a month, and the fastest battle reports were delivered to the palace by professional scouts.

To get firsthand information, the Princess Consort almost had to enter the palace every other day.

Her health was still weak, and her skin lacked its former luster. Zheng Jinyu worried about her and said, “Mother, wars usually last three to five months. He’s only been gone for less than a month. It’s still early. You should stay home and rest.”

The imperial physician had also said that her body needed careful nurturing to recover within six months.

Given her condition, it seemed unlikely she would recover in six months.

“My cousin also has ways to gather information. If anything happens, my cousin will let me know immediately.”

However, the Princess Consort shook her head, “I still need to go. Gathering information is one aspect, but I need to know his movements.”

This ‘he’ referred not to Xie Peiyu, but to the Emperor.

Hearing this, Zheng Jinyu stopped trying to persuade her.

The Princess Consort looked at her and suddenly smiled, “Jinyu, do you regret it?”

“Ah?”

The Princess Consort smiled again, “Do you regret marrying into our family and being dragged into this conflict?”

Zheng Jinyu shook her head, “Since I chose this path, I don’t regret it.”

The Princess Consort gently tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled, “Don’t worry, even if we fail, I have a way to protect you.”

Failure?

She asked Cui Yongnian, “Do you think we will fail?”

Cui Yongnian laughed and asked, “Are you afraid?”

Zheng Jinyu didn’t answer but instead said seriously, “If we fail, the Princess Consort and Xie Peiyu won’t survive, and neither will I.”

Cui Yongnian's smile froze, and his expression turned serious.

"It won't fail. I guarantee it."

Zheng Jinyu gave a faint smile, "Thank you, Cousin."

He was the type who never spoke or acted too confidently. Perhaps as the Long Princess said, he was still young and not as steady as those who had been through many battles. She decided to give him a push.

Perhaps, as the Long Princess suggested, it would have been more suitable for them to wait a few years for their growth before undertaking this task.

Cui Yongnian also smiled, saying, "It's a win-win deal. Once it's done, my position as the head of the family will be secure."

Cui Yongnian was not from the current direct lineage of the family. While they claimed that the capable should lead, in reality, the direct lineage received far more resources than the collateral branches.

When passing down the position, it would most likely go to the descendants of the direct lineage.

To rise to power, he needed to demonstrate abilities far surpassing those of the direct lineage.

...

Unbeknownst to them, another three months had passed, and Xie Peiyu finally brought back good news.

The Long Princess learned from the palace that the main forces of the rebel armies had been defeated. To restore peace across the land, it would take another one or two months to eliminate the remaining insurgents.

The Emperor was pleased and approved, allocating funds and supplies to reward the troops.

However, the message Cui Yongnian received from Xie Peiyu was different. It stated that Xie Peiyu had secretly absorbed the main forces and would use the remaining time to subdue the remnants and consolidate his control over the people.

Lu Shen, who had been silent all this time, was not hiding somewhere.

Instead, he had been imprisoned by Xie Peiyu's men to reassure the Emperor, threatening him to continue sending messages to the Emperor.

The Emperor wasn't worried about Lu Shen's disappearance because he knew Lu Shen had gone from being overt to covert.

Not trusting Xie Peiyu, he had assigned Lu Shen to report the true situation to him secretly.

He never suspected the northern battle reports because Lu Shen, his secret informant, had been continuously providing him with information.

As for Wang Meng, whom the Emperor had sent initially, he had been coerced and bribed by Cui Yongnian and others before leaving, becoming a collaborator.

On the surface, he maintained a good relationship with the first branch of the Wang family, aligning himself with the pro-royal faction.

In reality, everyone has ambitions. If the eldest could sit in that position, why couldn't the fifth?