The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 447 - 415: The Secret Edict Destroyed (Part 1)
The carriage of Old Marquis Lu stopped outside the Imperial City gate. Just as he got down and prepared to enter the city, someone blocked his path.
The person blocking him was a woman, around forty years old. Her attire was plain and simple, but her eyes were exceptionally bright and sharp.
Upon seeing Old Marquis Lu, the woman greeted him with a bow.
Old Marquis Lu scrutinized her carefully, confirming he did not know her. Out of courtesy, he still asked, "May I inquire what business this lady has with me?"
The woman was Aunt Qiu, Qiu Shuyue, from the Duke Mansion.
Facing Old Marquis Lu’s inquiry, she maintained her composure, smiling pleasantly, "May I ask if the respected Marquis could spare a moment for a private conversation?"
Old Marquis Lu squinted his eyes, "I have matters to attend to in the Imperial City." He had no time to engage with an unrelated person.
Aunt Qiu said, "I know the purpose of your visit to the palace."
Without waiting for his reaction, Aunt Qiu, seeing no one around, lowered her voice and continued, "The Empress Dowager instructed me before her passing to specifically wait for you here."
Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Aunt Qiu took out a token from the Empress Dowager.
Seeing this, Old Marquis Lu remained silent for a moment and asked, "Where to?"
——
Not far from the Imperial City, Aunt Qiu had reserved a private room in a teahouse.
Inside the private room, there were only Old Marquis Lu and her.
A servant brought tea, and Aunt Qiu personally closed the door, then sat down and poured tea for Old Marquis Lu across from her.
Old Marquis Lu, burning with urgency, had no mind for tea. He was direct, "What exactly do you want with me?"
Aunt Qiu didn’t rush to state her purpose, "Let me introduce myself. I am an informant planted by the Empress Dowager in the Duke Mansion, officially considered a concubine of Duke Su."
"Are you from the Su Family?"
"No, I am a person of the Empress Dowager," Aunt Qiu corrected, "The Empress Dowager entrusted me with many things during her life, including the destruction of your Treasure Pavilion."
Those collections were originally taken by Old Marquis Lu to express his anger to the Empress Dowager. He had anticipated the day they would be destroyed. He was just surprised that these things were done by a mere concubine of the Duke Mansion.
Seeing no reaction from him, Aunt Qiu continued, "Before her end, the Empress Dowager sent a secret message with me to remind you not to enter the palace to see the Emperor if the Weapon Diagram has not been deciphered."
Aunt Qiu was the confidante of the Empress Dowager.
After the Empress Dowager learned the truth, she naturally knew everything, understanding that Old Marquis Lu intended to confess to Emperor Guangxi today, asking him to withdraw the troops in time.
"But it is a critical moment now," Old Marquis Lu said gravely, "If General Chang Wei and the Left Army Commander do not withdraw, the consequences may be beyond our estimation."
"Even if you have the secret edict, entering the palace does not guarantee you can persuade the Emperor," Aunt Qiu said, "The Emperor has long held grudges against the Lu Family, and even the Empress Dowager could not sway his resolve not to employ the Lu Family despite her numerous attempts before her passing."
Old Marquis Lu did not agree, "If the Empress Dowager had mentioned the secret edict then, perhaps the Emperor would not have rashly sent troops to attack West Yue this time."
"Old Marquis, you have not entered the palace for years, so you may not understand the temperament of this Emperor, especially in recent years. His paranoia and suspicion have grown," Aunt Qiu stated bluntly, "You only have a secret edict, and without the actual Weapon Diagram, it is utterly useless."
Despite Aunt Qiu’s thorough analysis, Old Marquis Lu still decided to try entering the palace.
The late Emperor had entrusted him with a significant responsibility, and he could not stand by and watch Great Chu quickly fall into the prophesied turmoil by the alchemists.
Unable to persuade him, Aunt Qiu could only sigh, "Take care of yourself then."
Old Marquis Lu entered the Imperial City and went directly to the Qianqing Palace to seek an audience with Emperor Guangxi.
Emperor Guangxi was reviewing war reports from the front line. When Mr. Cui mentioned that Old Marquis Lu had arrived, he initially intended not to see him.
"Your Majesty," Mr. Cui said, "this servant observed that the Old Marquis seemed quite anxious and mentioned he had urgent matters to discuss immediately."
Emperor Guangxi set the war reports aside, "Let him in."
Old Marquis Lu entered the hall and knelt to kowtow before Emperor Guangxi.
Emperor Guangxi did not allow him to rise, looking down at him, "Each time you enter the palace, it seems earth-shattering events follow. Your sudden appearance without notification makes Us quite uneasy!"
Hearing the emperor’s concern over the Empress Dowager’s death, Old Marquis Lu bowed his head and kneeled upright, "Your Majesty has always been curious about what this old minister said to the Empress Dowager when I entered the palace that day. Today, I am here to tell Your Majesty the truth."
Emperor Guangxi appeared completely uninterested, "If the truth is told, can my mother be revived?"
"No."
"Then you have ulterior motives for coming."
During the period of mourning for the Empress Dowager, no matter how he was pressured, Old Marquis Lu maintained a steadfast attitude of preferring death over disclosure. Emperor Guangxi did not believe he would so kindly come to confess now.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I hope you will order the withdrawal of troops and accept the negotiations with West Yue."
Before Emperor Guangxi could get angry, he solemnly stated: "When the late Emperor was alive, there were already alchemists predicting, based on peculiar signs and the Tui Bei Tu, that Great Chu’s destiny would end in a hundred years because of war. This old minister was entrusted heavily by the late Emperor and cannot stand idly by as Great Chu reaches that point."
As soon as Old Marquis Lu finished speaking, Emperor Guangxi threw a cup of tea to the ground, "Insolence! Who gave you the courage to privately speculate on the fate of the country?"
Old Marquis Lu said no more, and took out the secret edict of the late Emperor from his sleeve.
Seeing this, Mr. Cui quickly took it and presented it before Emperor Guangxi.
Emperor Guangxi glanced briefly at the content on it and then slapped the scroll heavily on the imperial desk, "Who else knows about this?"
Old Marquis Lu replied truthfully, "The Empress Dowager has passed, so far only Your Majesty and I are aware."
Seeing the emperor’s significant anger, Mr. Cui presented tea once more.
Emperor Guangxi took it, but had no mood to drink, and said to those below, "Tell me, what was the late Emperor’s purpose in having you find the four paintings?"
Old Marquis Lu deliberated for a moment and recounted the words he had spoken to the Empress Dowager back then.
He particularly emphasized the importance of Liu’s Divine Weapon for the impending war.
Historical records of the Liu Family of the Jin Dynasty are scarce. Emperor Guangxi knew only that the family was destroyed due to the emperor’s suspicion at the time. As for the Liu Family’s connection to Mr. Liu, or the secrets hidden within the four paintings, Emperor Guangxi had never heard of them.
True or false, almost impossible to verify.
Listening to Old Marquis Lu’s articulate account, Emperor Guangxi asked him, "What about the Weapon Diagram?"
"This old minister is still pondering it."
"Then you don’t have it?"
"... Not at the moment."
Emperor Guangxi stood up, casually took the secret edict from the imperial desk, walked to the candlestand, and placed the edict over the flame, allowing the fire to consume it.
Old Marquis Lu smelled the smoke and looked up to see the situation, suddenly turning pale with shock, "Your Majesty, that was the secret edict personally written by the late Emperor!"
Emperor Guangxi’s reply was somewhat impatient, "It’s all just your personal account. Old Marquis Lu has two good sons, one has inherited your skills to fight in battle, and the other to plan strategies and win battles. Helping you forge a secret edict of the late Emperor, how hard could it be?"
"Your Majesty..."
Old Marquis Lu had never imagined that his confession would not only fail to persuade the emperor to withdraw the troops, but instead bring about the emperor’s suspicion, resulting in the destruction of the late Emperor’s secret edict.
As the secret edict turned into ashes, Emperor Guangxi wiped his hands and returned to sit on the dragon throne, "Back then, Lu Xingzhou held the power of three hundred thousand troops, and it ultimately ended in such a manner, do you dare say that your Lu Family bears no grudge against me?"
Old Marquis Lu was heartbroken, "This old minister dares to swear by my head that the Lu Family has no disloyalty towards Great Chu or Your Majesty."
"I am not the Empress Dowager; I will not be beguiled by you." Emperor Guangxi did not conceal the sarcasm in his words, "Another secret edict of the late Emperor, another so-called Liu’s Divine Weapon, you have come not just to tell me that Xu Guangfu and Su Qing are unsuitable and cannot conquer a country like West Yue, but that your Lu Family can."
Only then did Old Marquis Lu realize why the Empress Dowager had taken precautions before her death. The Emperor Guangxi before him was no longer the young emperor who would heed the elders’ advice in matters when he first ascended to the throne.
The late Emperor died early, and Emperor Guangxi ascended the throne in his youth. Even with the Empress Dowager helping and supporting him by holding court behind the curtain, it was inevitable that the outer relatives would control the court. He had been held back by the Su Family for many years and had finally dismantled the foreign power step by step. How could he possibly allow someone to attempt to threaten and control him again?
So he suspected that the Lu Family was plotting secretly due to having thirty thousand military powers confiscated, further imagining the late Emperor’s secret edict and Liu’s Divine Weapon as part of Lu Family’s plot for power, believing that this visit was just to use Liu’s Divine Weapon as leverage to recover military power.
Old Marquis Lu was filled with regret; had he known such a result would come from seeing Emperor Guangxi early, he should have waited until the Weapon Diagram surfaced.
The great hall was silent for a long time before the emperor’s cold voice resounded again, "I promised Fanghua not to move against the Lu Family, so before I change my mind, Old Marquis Lu should leave the palace early. You have been idle for so many years, there is no need to participate in court affairs anymore. From now on, I do not want to see the Old Marquis in the palace again."
