The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 510 - 477: All Praise the War God’s Valor, None Know Shu Fan’s Schemes
Lu Pingzhou finished speaking and looked at the person opposite him, "The Empress Dowager had you infiltrate the Duke Mansion with the intention of finding a way to wipe out the entire Su Family, didn’t she?"
She had long known that Lu Pingzhou was a person of deep hidden talents, so discovering her identity was not surprising. However, Aunt Qiu had not expected it to happen so quickly.
She did not hesitate, nodded, and made a sound of acknowledgment.
What the Empress Dowager could not rest assured about before her passing was still her son’s empire.
So, in order to secure the empire, she made many arrangements in advance, one of which was to prevent Old Marquis Lu from handing over the secret edict of the late Emperor, and another was to look for an opportunity to wipe out the entire Su Family.
However, after Duke Su withdrew from participating in court politics, he appeared more unscrupulous and without restraint, but in fact, he became even more cautious than before.
Because there was no need to engage in politics, no one in the family would create a disaster in affairs of state that could be used against them. Duke Su’s occasional shamelessness was merely trivial mischief.
As things stand, it’s entirely impossible for the Su Family to invite the disaster of extermination of the entire family, and if one wants to bring it down overnight, one must take the initiative.
And taking the initiative, there is only one way—planting a hidden threat.
Thinking of this, Aunt Qiu couldn’t help but admire Lu Pingzhou’s skill in strategic planning; he had thought this far ahead from the beginning.
Aunt Qiu asked him, "Aren’t you afraid of implicating the Lu Family by wiping out the Su Family?"
"Perhaps there were concerns before." Lu Pingzhou chuckled lightly, "But now, it’s you who are planting the threat, and it will also be you who will trigger it. What does it have to do with the Lu Family?"
"..." Aunt Qiu sighed, "Everyone praises the courage of the War God, but no one knows the scheming of Shu Fan."
Shu Fan was Lu Pingzhou’s courtesy name.
After a pause, Aunt Qiu asked him again, "Why are you still willing to cooperate with me knowing I am a person of the Empress Dowager?"
She thought Lu Pingzhou would cancel this plan due to his hatred for the Empress Dowager.
Lu Pingzhou only answered with one sentence, "The loyalty of the Lu clan is to the Great Chu."
The loyalty is to the empire, not to a specific Emperor, and certainly not to the Empress Dowager, so the innate duty of the Lu clan is to protect the empire.
Precisely because of this, they could easily set aside their deep-seated grievances against the Empress Dowager and collaborate with her to confront the Su Family.
"I understand." Aunt Qiu nodded.
She understood why the Empress Dowager insisted on having the Emperor confer Old Marquis Lu the title of Duke Zhongguo before her dying day, and why she said that the Lu Family had generations of loyalty.
The loyalty of the Lu clan was engraved in their bones, even if the reigning Emperor harbored many doubts and showed much hostility towards their family. Once the empire was in trouble, the Lu clan would stand out without hesitation.
Old Marquis Lu was like this, and so were the brothers Lu Pingzhou and Lu Xingzhou.
...
After Aunt Qiu returned to the mansion, she immediately went to Su Yu’s Tinglan Garden. Firstly, she wanted to ask about her recovery from injuries, and secondly, there were some words to remind her about, for instance, that she must not approach the ancestral shrine casually.
However, just as she entered the courtyard gate, she found it full of cold and stern guards, each standing straight, looking forward, exuding an aura of killing energy that instilled fear.
Aunt Qiu immediately trembled and shivered, her teeth chattering, "W-what’s going on here?"
Just as she finished speaking, she heard a stern order from inside, "Take her down and interrogate her severely until she confesses!"
It was Su Hongqi’s voice.
Aunt Qiu suddenly felt something was wrong.
Before she could react, Su Yu had already been dragged out by several guards. She was tightly bound with ropes, unable to move her hands and feet.
Upon seeing Aunt Qiu shrinking back against the courtyard gate, Su Yu became immediately agitated, "Mother, save me, save me, I don’t want to be beaten to death by them."
Aunt Qiu immediately understood that Su Yu had probably done something to expose herself during her absence, or perhaps Su Hongqi had discovered some clue through the assassination attempt, so without a word, they had bound Su Yu.
Aunt Qiu appeared bewildered and helpless, with tears in her eyes, looking towards Su Hongqi, "Young Master, what... what is going on here?"
Su Hongqi rested his right hand on the sword at his waist, his gaze cold, "What’s going on? Bring the person back for questioning and find out."
"Mother—" Su Yu struggled, "The eldest young master said I orchestrated this self-injurious scheme, but I didn’t, I didn’t! To save Little Four, I was injured so badly I nearly lost my life, how could it be a ruse?"
"E-Eldest young master, isn’t there some misunderstanding here?" Aunt Qiu’s lips were trembling. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Years of practice had made her adept at portraying "weakness and incompetence," her acting skills ready at a moment’s notice.
Su Hongqi’s gaze carried an unfounded chill, as if mocking, "Under severe punishment, how could there be false testimony? If Aunt Qiu wishes to know if it’s a misunderstanding, why not come along and see for yourself?"
At those words, Su Yu suddenly felt a dull pain in the wound on her chest that had only recently healed. Her eyes reddened as she desperately sought help from Aunt Qiu.
Aunt Qiu pursed her lips, after a moment, forced out some words, "If the eldest young master wants to arrest someone, there should be evidence, right? That day, the young lady saved the fourth young master; we don’t know the exact circumstances, but the fourth young master would be the most informed. Now, with just a claim of a ruse, you want to take her away, isn’t that unconvincing? The government needs concrete evidence to make an arrest, not to mention, the young lady is your own sister of the same mother, aren’t you afraid of chilling the fourth young master’s heart by doing this?"
These words might have some effect when spoken to Duke Su, as his protection of his younger son was unique under the heavens, but in front of Su Hongqi, they had no effect whatsoever. "If Little Four learns that the older sister he trusts was deceiving him with an act, it would only leave him more heartbroken."
Seeing no way to save her, Aunt Qiu had to turn her gaze to Su Yu, looking at her with tender words, starting a hypnosis, "Don’t be afraid, Yuyu, if we didn’t do it, we didn’t do it. Even under torture, we cannot admit to a crime. Heaven sees everything, and someone will reinstate your innocence."
Su Yu, having been hypnotized by Aunt Qiu for years, was easily led, and suddenly dazed, nodded along with Aunt Qiu’s words, then closed her eyes and fainted.
In the eyes of Su Hongqi and the guards, she likely passed out from the pain of her wounds.
Su Hongqi’s stern and unsympathetic face showed not a flicker of emotion, he ordered directly, "Take her away!"
"Eldest young master..." Aunt Qiu chased after him, deliberately tripping and falling by the flower terrace.
Su Hongqi turned his head to look at her, remembering how his mother always scolded this concubine as a useless fool. Now it seemed indeed she was useless.
The older one was useless, but the younger had ambitious schemes, seeking favor enough to dare scheme against Little Four.
Courting death!
...
Su Yu being taken away meant the exposure of the Lu Family’s plans became more likely.
Aunt Qiu knew that Su Hongqi was difficult to deal with. Even if he didn’t capture her, he would secretly have someone watch her. She couldn’t meet Lu Pingzhou anymore, and only through great difficulty sent a message to the Lu Family, asking them to send someone to Mile Mountain to bring back Su Yaoqi.
Lu Pingzhou didn’t want to stir up more trouble, but due to their cooperative relationship, he still gave the order, passing it layer by layer until the person going to Mile Mountain was completely unrelated to the Lu Family, so even the Su Family with all their power couldn’t uncover it.
Su Yaoqi, having heard of his elder sister’s capture, frowned and went to ask for a leave from his master, descending the mountain that very day.
Duke Su was pleased with his youngest son’s initiative to return home, only to be met with a bucket of cold water thrown by his son, "Father, why did you capture elder sister?"
Duke Su cast a glance at Su Hongqi.
Su Hongqi explained, "Little Four, don’t let her deceive you. The assassination attempt at the foot of Mile Mountain that day was orchestrated by that venomous woman, all to earn your trust and gain father’s favor. Such a simple trick, and you couldn’t see through it?"
Su Yaoqi’s face turned unsightly, turning his gaze to Duke Su, "That day in the retreat, Father also saw how badly sister was injured, our family isn’t the harem, who would be foolish enough to risk their life for favor?"
Su Hongqi gave a look that seemed to say "you’re too young," "There are countless people in the world who will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. Besides..." he paused, "How many good people are there in the Su Family apart from you?"
In the harsh environment of the Su Family, the non-competitive were already dead, those remaining had become adept.
Su Hongqi didn’t deny he wasn’t a good person, so he wouldn’t interpret Su Yu’s motives kindly. From the start, upon hearing that Su Yu was injured saving Little Four, his suspicions arose, investigating in secret until he found traces, but as yet lacked solid evidence.
However, even with insufficient evidence, better to kill by mistake than to let her go.
"No, it’s impossible." Su Yaoqi adamantly persisted, "Father, Elder Brother, believe me, elder sister is truly innocent. That day at the foot of Mile Mountain, no one knows the situation better than I do. If the assassins were arranged by her, there’s no way they would have shown her no mercy."
Seeing Su Hongqi’s indifferent expression, Su Yaoqi could only pin his hopes on his father. "Father, please persuade Elder Brother, if something happens to elder sister because of suspicion, I’ll be plagued by guilt."
Duke Su raised an eyebrow, suddenly smiling, "Since Little Four vouched for her innocence, then release her immediately."
Saying this, he deliberately glanced at Su Hongqi.
Su Hongqi instantly understood his father’s intent, finally relenting, "Since you came down the mountain for her, I’ll let her go for now."
