Si Fengwu sighed heavily, "You guessed it. They didn't immediately betray the Empress Dowager. They falsely accused Lan An, Lan Huajing, and even the Empress Dowager. After being well 'entertained,' they finally spat out the Empress Dowager's name. Their acting was so superb that if it weren't for the truth serum, I might have believed them!"
Lu Qingwan, who had been quite depressed, was amused by Si Fengwu's helpless expression. "I was actually quite worried. After all, Yan Lihang is not only the current Prime Minister but also the Emperor's father-in-law. If something were to happen to him, setting aside how we would clean up the mess, the impact alone would be quite severe. But now, I feel as if he's being pressured into doing these things. He's so reckless, not thinking of the consequences. This doesn't align with the Prime Minister's usual meticulous approach, does it?"
Others might be forgiven, but Yan Lihang had handled many practical matters before Si Fengming ascended the throne. He had even handled many things perfectly that Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan found inconvenient to intervene in. Now, with such foolish actions being exposed one after another, Lu Qingwan couldn't understand it. Even if the goal was to sow discord between Si Fengming and Si Fengwu, and to covet the throne, one would at least plan it carefully. This current commotion was almost like outright robbery.
Yan Lihang was not only familiar to Lu Qingwan but even more so to Si Fengwu. How could he not see the abnormality in Yan Lihang's behavior recently? However, "That's not important. The actions he's taken, even if there were unspeakable reasons, cannot negate the sins he's committed. For the Empress Dowager's sake, sparing his life and not letting the Yan family be extinguished is already my greatest mercy. As for anything else, it depends on his fate. His haste actually makes our actions easier."
Hearing Si Fengwu say this, Lu Qingwan truly felt relieved. "You're right. Things have already happened, and the original intention is no longer important. Send people to investigate what has happened to the Yan family in the past year or so. It would be good to help the Empress Dowager regain some of her reputation, and it will also help us decide how to deal with him later."
"You rest assured, I've already sent people to investigate. Get some good rest. I have a feeling that when we return to the capital, we won't have a peaceful time for a long while."
Lu Qingwan quickly reached out and pinched Si Fengwu's mouth into a duck's beak, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! You jinx, may bad things not happen and good things come true!"
Si Fengwu had been busy with state affairs and hadn't spent much time with her. Now, on the road, they had a rare moment of leisure, and he didn't mind playing such childish games with Lu Qingwan.
...
However, even so, they couldn't escape the curse of the jinx. From the moment they entered the borders of Da Gan, intelligence reports poured in, and memorials from the capital piled up like snowflakes. Don't know to what extent those people had gone, but when the two entered the capital, Wen Rusong personally waited at the city gate. The descendant of a Prime Minister, who always valued etiquette and rules, rushed to the front of the carriage and said urgently, "Reporting to Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, my grandfather requests that you visit his mansion for a chat."
Lu Qingwan was stunned. It was Si Fengwu who reacted quickly. "Get in the carriage, let's go back to the Prime Minister's mansion together." Wen Rusong agreed and jumped onto the carriage shaft. Before the two could ask, he began to vent his grievances. "Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, you're finally back! Those people sent from Da Qin wander around the streets every day, pointing fingers at this, wanting to tear down and rebuild that. The drainage system personally supervised by Minister Nian Zhiyao, invited by my grandfather and Chancellor Chi with great effort, was criticized by them as useless and they insisted on halting construction. Minister Nian was almost angered to the point of quitting his job..."
His indignant complaints came to an abrupt halt. Lu Qingwan asked suspiciously, "What else? Why aren't you saying anything more?"
"They also reviewed the résumés of all court officials. Any official who had worked for Feng Qingheng in the court and occasionally voiced opposition to Your Highness and Your Highness Consort was put on a blacklist. What's most outrageous is that they said Chancellor Chi has a physical disability and is not fit to attend court and witness proceedings, as it would tarnish the dignity of the new dynasty... Chancellor Chi was so angry that he fell ill..."
Every word made Lu Qingwan's heart boil with anger, but considering the bigger picture, she could still restrain herself. It was only when the last sentence was spoken that Lu Qingwan completely lost her temper. She punched the carriage wall with her fist, creating a fist-shaped hole in the fine purple sandalwood carriage. Lu Qingwan said hatefully, "Is the person who said that still alive?" Dare to utter such beastly words, Lu Qingwan felt that this person living another second was an insult to herself. What angered her was that Wen Rusong actually nodded. "Of course, they are still alive. Those from Da Qin, even though my grandfather, Chancellor Chi, and the King of the South repeatedly stated that Your Highness has ordered that they should not be bothered, they still can't resist people fawning over them. They treat them like ancestors, which is incredibly annoying. They even dared to confront my grandfather face-to-face because of them. After all, they are people sent by the Emperor of Da Qin, and no one dares to truly do anything to them..."
Wen Rusong's dejected words were interrupted by Lu Qingwan's soft voice. "Who are you talking to? Chancellor Chi's incident, except for the Chi family and a few people in the Prince's mansion, was not known to anyone else. Such a discreet matter, how did he find out? For matters concerning the safety of the court, shouldn't you, as the commander of the Imperial Guard responsible for guarding the capital, investigate this?" Lu Qingwan said coldly, "If the Imperial Guard is incompetent, let the Shen Ce Camp take action. I don't want to hear anyone insult or bully those who have helped us in any way again. If this happens again, you, the commander of the Imperial Guard, will be replaced."
Although he was almost dismissed from his post, Wen Rusong was as excited as if he had achieved something. As the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Prime Minister's mansion, he jumped off and couldn't hide his excitement, "Your humble servant admits his mistakes. Please, Your Highness and Your Highness Consort, give me another chance. Your humble servant will never fail his mission!"
The threat of replacing the commander of the Imperial Guard was spoken by Lu Qingwan, but Si Fengwu did not object, which meant he implicitly agreed. Wen Rusong knew that Si Fengwu also agreed with dealing with those people from Da Qin. Excited, he was about to leave, but Lu Qingwan pushed Si Fengwu. The latter reacted a beat late and asked him, "Is Chancellor Chi well?" Wen Rusong shook his head, "Brother Jingchuan mentioned that he is not doing well." Si Fengwu waved his hand, signaling him to leave. For a moment, no one spoke. A man who had suffered such humiliation would already wish for death. Now that it was so widely publicized, how could Chi Yunshen, such an elegant gentleman, bear it?
Liyang, seeing the displeased expressions of the two masters, mustered his courage to comfort them, "Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, please don't be too angry. When the brothers dealt with those people from the Wu'an Palace before, they specifically kept everyone who had been to the Chi family and brought them back. If the Chi family members are willing, they can personally avenge this blood feud."
"Revenge means that the suffering once endured cannot be undone," Lu Qingwan sighed deeply. "We will ask Old Master Chi for his intentions. If he has no desire to act, then we will handle these people." For generations of scholars, their hands stained with blood would be a disgrace to those of us in the military."