Free Web NovelChapter 1246: Chapter 1218: Terrified (Part 2)
Zhou Qi was about to plead, but Zhao Yunxin, who had been observing his expression, finally threw out the last reason, "...colluding with Wang Dun, intending to rebel."
Zhao Yunxin said meaningfully, "Lu Jing has been in contact with Wang Dun for a long time. Before Wang Dun’s rebellion, he conspired with him to initiate the uprising together. From the letters, it was clear that quite a few officials and aristocrats from Jiangnan conspired with him."
Zhou Qi’s spine chilled, and his feet seemed to step into the void, causing him to feel dizzy for a moment... He too had entertained such thoughts and had a vague connection with Wang Dun, all reflected in the correspondence...
Zhou Qi looked towards Zhao Hanzhang.
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head at Zhao Yunxin and then said, "The grievances of the people within Wuxing County have reached a point where I can no longer ignore them. Therefore, I ordered Yuan Li to investigate, and unexpectedly, this investigation uncovered evidence of Lu Jing’s collusion with Wang Dun."
Zhao Yunxin brought up a box and handed it to Zhou Qi at Zhao Hanzhang’s indication.
Zhou Qi opened it to find a stack of letters, not only those written by Wang Dun to Lu Jing but also correspondence between several members of the Lu Family and Lu Jing.
Although there were no letters written by Lu Jing, just from these correspondences, it was evident that everyone in the Lu Family was considering joining forces with Wang Dun, with frequent complaints about King Langya’s favoritism towards Liu Kui, Diao Xie, and others while suppressing them...
The letters revealed their view that King Langya was weak and might not contend with Zhao Hanzhang, thus suggesting it might be better to join Wang Dun for one bold attempt—perhaps securing a glorious future for their family.
The more Zhou Qi read, the heavier his heart became. To be honest, he had once contemplated such actions, but before he could put them into practice, Lu Jing had secretly provided Wang Dun with information and even supplied rations when his army passed through.
Gripping the letters tightly, Zhou Qi’s emotions were tumultuous as he knelt down to plead for the Lu Family. "Great General, the future in Jiangnan was unpredictable, naturally causing unease among the people, but everyone only dared to think about it in their hearts, never daring to carry it out. Evil deeds in the world should be judged by actions, not intentions. From the letters, one can see that providing provisions to Wang Dun was solely Lu Jing’s idea, and the rest of the Lu Family was unaware."
He continued, "Had the Lu Family been aware, Lu Yuan wouldn’t have followed us north to the capital."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "I trust Lu Yuan and the Lu Family, which is why I only ordered Yuan Li to apprehend Lu Jing without implicating the rest of the Lu Family."
Turning to Zhao Yunxin, she instructed, "Please invite Lu Yuan and Jiang Feng into the palace."
Zhao Yunxin bowed in compliance.
Soon, Lu Yuan and Jiang Feng arrived at the palace with few others around. Zhao Hanzhang showed them the letters Yuan Li had found.
Both Lu Yuan and Jiang Feng broke out in cold sweat, their faces pallid.
This affair bore no relation to Jiang Feng. In fact, among the four major families of Jiangnan, the Jiang Family was the first to invest in Zhao Hanzhang—Jiang Pu had followed Lu Yang’s family and others north to Luoyang and enrolled in the Imperial College early on.
Despite the rivalry among the four families, they shared in each other’s successes and failures. Most importantly, it represented Zhao Hanzhang’s attitude towards the aristocratic clans of Jiangnan.
King Langya serves as a typical example.
Initially, upon venturing into Jiangnan, he held himself in high esteem, expecting them to come pay homage to him;
Upon realizing he was worth little in their eyes, he began to extend grace and recruit them with amicability;
With conflicts of interest arising, he then relied on figures like Liu Kui and Diao Xie to suppress them...
How could they not harbor resentment?
Thus, was Zhao Hanzhang going to follow King Langya’s old path?
Zhao Hanzhang certainly would not.
At first, King Langya ceded too much authority, consequently finding himself constrained everywhere. In the eyes of the aristocratic clans of Jiangnan, King Langya seemed solely to vie with them for interests, focused entirely on those interests and neglecting the rules of the court, turning everything into an exchange of interests.
Mrs. Wang along with the four major families in Jiangnan encroaching on public lands, secretly awarding official positions, and selectively executing King Langya’s decrees would wear out even a clay figure’s patience.
Zhao Hanzhang absolutely would not allow such a situation to continue in Jiangnan.
She might feign agreement to stabilize the situation in Jiangnan, planning gradually, but she would not retreat without limits.
Seizing the opportunity of catching hold of evidence against the Lu Family, she could engage in deeper discussions with them once more.
The discussions lasted until nightfall. When Zhou Qi, Lu Yuan, and Jiang Feng left the Imperial Palace, their steps were somewhat unsteady, complexion slightly pale, yet carrying the joy of avoiding catastrophe and a profound apprehension towards the palace, their eyes filled with complexity.
Before them, Zhao Hanzhang threw all the letters into the fire, burning them.
She would not use this to prosecute the Lu Family; aristocratic families in Jiangnan, whether they showed signs of participation in Wang Dun’s rebellion or had already allied with Wang Dun, she could forgive.
