Lu Yunqi certainly had a father.
Although he was an honest man who had lived his life known simply as 'Old Lu,' whose name no one remembered, a man who couldn't even afford a coffin upon death.
But this man left Lu Yunqi a hereditary small flag of the Jinyiwei.
Precisely because of this, Lu Yunqi hadn't starved to death, and he had made his own name known and feared by all.
To curse him as fatherless, to call him a beast, was to curse his father as a beast.
No one could tolerate being cursed like that, even the weakest wretch on the street would turn to spit on the ground as a sign of indignation.
The Jinyiwei present had already gripped their knives tightly, ready to strike at a glance from Lu Yunqi.
To them, regardless of what father Zhu Zan had, anyone but the emperor was a sheep awaiting slaughter.
Lu Yunqi looked at Zhu Zan with a calm expression, his eyes showing not the slightest change.
"Of course, I know," he said and walked past Zhu Zan to leave.
His footsteps were as silent as a cat's, so much so that the hall remained silent.
Even the Jinyiwei took a moment to react before they hurried to follow Lu Yunqi out after a few steps.
Cloud boots tread the floor, and as they moved, the Jinyiwei swords clanked, their noise breaking the silence of the hall.
"What happened later?"
In Deyue Building, a group of young people urged.
Ning Yunzhao set down his teacup.
"Then the case was adjourned right there," he said. "The Minister of the Ministry of Justice wrote the trial records, the Minister of War and the Northern Administrative Court each signed and sealed confirmation, and submitted it to the emperor awaiting a verdict."
The youngsters waved their hands dismissively.
"Of course."
"Who's asking about that."
"So, did Rou Yaodao really leave?"
They all clamored with questions.
Ning Yunzhao uttered an acknowledgment.
"No," he said. "Thousand-Man Commander Lu and his men waited outside the Ministry of Justice. When Zhu Zan came out, they swarmed him, put a sack over him, and beat him severely."
The room was silent with shock.
"Re-really?" someone stammered.
"Fake," said Ning Yunzhao.
The youngsters paused, then burst into laughter.
"You trickster!"
"Don't play with us!"
They slapped the table in laughter.
Ning Yunzhao also cracked a slight smile.
"How could that be possible, just as the case was of course adjourned without resolution, Thousand-Man Commander Lu would of course not start a fight with the Duke of Chengguo's heir," he said.
The youngsters also sighed in agreement.
"Indeed, it's undeniable when someone has a good father," one said, "Rou Yaodao has no choice but to endure the insult."
"It's so satisfying, Rou Yaodao must be furious," another laughed.
Ning Yunzhao poured tea, shaking his head.
"That's not necessarily true," he said, "Lu Yunqi, this person."
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"If he himself doesn't regard himself as human, how could he care about how others treat him?"
True, just as Zhu Zan had said, Lu Yunqi was indeed a beast.
Once, to coerce a confession from an official, Lu Yunqi had drowned the man's grandson in a pond.
Not to mention that he had always been ready to kill, whether the victim was a high official or a commoner, without distinction of age or gender.
The youngsters shook their heads, not wishing to discuss such a ruthless official, worse even than figures like Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen.
"Such ruthless officials surely won't meet a good end," they said.
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Vengeance doesn't come from a lack of will, but from a lack of the right moment. It is both a curse and a helplessness.
Ning Yunzhao downed his tea in one gulp.
"It's actually quite good like this, one is arrogant and the other heartless, let them restrain each other in the capital," he said.
"No matter how the emperor judges, it's not going to be easy for Heir Zhu to return to Zhenbei this time," another person nodded in agreement.
That was indeed the emperor's intention, and, of course, the rightful thing to expect.
"The capital is going to be lively now," everyone also drained their cups of tea as breakfast came to an end, "but this excitement has nothing to do with us, the most important thing for us now is to turn a deaf ear to the outside world and solely focus on our sacred studies."
But aside from the sacred texts, there was another matter weighing on their minds.
Ning Yunzhao bid his companions farewell as he stepped out of Deyue Building.
"I'm going to visit my uncle's house," he said.
It was common for Ning Yunzhao to visit Ning Yan's house, so his companions thought nothing of it and went their separate ways.
Meanwhile, all over the capital, tea houses, wine shops, and street corners were buzzing with talks about the trial at the Ministry of Justice.
Overnight, the questions and answers from that courtroom had spread everywhere.
Unlike the scholars and officials who were concerned, the talk of Imperial Censor Hu being thrown into the river had already died down and lost its appeal, and while the true identity of the mastermind behind Heir Zhu's journey to Chaojing surprised them, it was not considered a significant event.
What truly electrified the common folk was the Duke of Chengguo's heir's curse at Lu Yunqi, calling him a beast.
Profound logic, background forces, and the emperor's thoughts were all irrelevant to them.
What could be more entertaining than seeing a fierce person getting put in their place?
"Although the Duke of Chengguo's heir hasn't come to the capital often, each time he does, he makes a sensation," they said.
"He once even beat up a prince."
"He's not afraid of a nobody like... Sir Lu, who has no background or family legacy."
A few porters with cups of tea were squatting by the bridge, laughing as they spoke.
This Zhu Zan really knew how to stir up trouble wherever he went. Miss Jun gave a slight smile, placed a few coins on the table, and stood to leave.
"Take care, Miss," called the stall owner busily.
Miss Jun made her way through the bustling crowd on the bridge and headed out of the city.
Gathering information in the capital was indeed convenient and quick.
Indeed, since the Duke only had this one son and was willing to let him return to the capital, there must be thorough preparations in place. And Zhu Zan, though seemingly careless and unruly, was in fact as meticulous as a fine thread, so there was no need to worry.
How nice it must be to have such a father.
How good it is to have family.
It felt so good to be cared for by one's kin.
Miss Jun stopped in her tracks and looked back towards the direction of the Imperial City.
Not like them, isolated, just the three of them.
Zhu Zan, she actually envied him a bit.
"...what does it matter, Thousand-Man Commander Lu is still the most formidable...in a few days, he will marry Princess Jiuli."
The nearby chatter reached Miss Jun's ears, interrupting her reverie.
She had already reached the inn where she was staying, where several coachmen were sitting at the entrance, talking and laughing.
Yes, in a few days her sister would be getting married.
Miss Jun stepped into the inn, her feet feeling as if they weighed a thousand catties.
"...what's so great about marrying a princess? He's been married before, and marrying a princess doesn't prove he's all that impressive..."
"Marrying a princess isn't impressive? Then what is?"
The coachman who was asked didn't immediately respond but gave a secretive smile and lowered his voice.
"Before marrying a princess, to still be able to freely keep a woman, that's what's most impressive..."
Keep a woman?
Miss Jun paused, looking at the coachmen with some surprise.
Lu Yunqi?
Impossible?
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Have a happy weekend, and get some rest after reading~~
Thank you to Ling Jiu for the gift of He's Bi
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