bayedsolid Chapter 785 [Under the Brocade 81]
Chapter 785 [Under the Brocade 81]
Shangguan Xi received the letter from Yang Yue with great joy. As she was reading the contents of the letter carefully, Xie Xiao came in a hurry. Xie Xiao said to Shangguan Xi excitedly, "Shangguan Xi, our Wu'an Gang has received a big business from the capital! If we can make this deal, we can not only make a lot of money, but also take the opportunity to establish a water transport base in the capital!"
Shangguan Xi was also moved when she heard this, but she quickly regained her composure and asked, "What did Gang Leader Xie say?"
Xie Xiao scratched his head and replied, "Dad is worried about me going to the capital alone to handle this business, so you should go with me."
Shangguan Xi nodded slightly, indicating that she would definitely go to the capital. However, thinking about the complicated place of the capital and dealing with officials, she couldn't help but frown. Especially thinking about the Yan family's omnipotence in the capital, it was probably impossible to avoid their sphere of influence, which gave Shangguan Xi a headache.
At the same time, on the other side of the Lu family, Lu Ting solemnly warned Lu Yi to be more restrained in his recent behavior and to completely draw a line between him and Wu Shouxu. It turned out that the emperor had just issued an order, ordering Lu Ting to escort Yu Dayong, who was guarding the border, to Beijing.
Lu Yi was extremely anxious when he heard the news. He knew that Yu Dayong had always been single-mindedly focused on fighting foreign enemies and defending the territory. Now he was framed for no reason, which was really infuriating. And all this was obviously a trap carefully set by Yan Shifan.
Of course, Lu Ting understood the interests involved, and he absolutely did not want to see Lu Yi jump into the trap set by Yan Shifan and die in vain. However, Lu Yi had already made up his mind to find a way to rescue Yu Dayong and clear his name.
Facing his stubborn son, Lu Ting was furious. Lu Yi questioned his father in grief and anger: "In your eyes, what is true loyalty? Just because you are afraid of the power of the Yan family, do you have to watch them slander my friend Shen Lian? Wasn't it the same with the Xia Ran case back then?" After saying this, Lu Yi turned around and left, leaving Lu Ting alone in deep thought...
Lu Yi stood in the middle of the hall with a gloomy face, staring at his father Lu Ting who was sitting on the armchair. There was a tense and oppressive atmosphere between the two, and a fierce argument was about to break out.
"Dad! Those people are innocent. We clearly have the ability to save them. Why do you just stand by and watch?" Lu Yi clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly with anger.
Lu Ting frowned, with a trace of helplessness and fear on his face: "Yier, don't you understand how powerful the Yan family is? If we rashly come to the rescue at this time, it will only bring disaster to our Lu family!"
Lu Yi's eyes widened, looking at his father in disbelief: "Are we just going to watch them die like this? Dad, don't you really have the slightest regret?"
At the same time, in another mansion, Yan Shifan was leisurely sipping tea with a sinister smile on his face. He didn't care about Yu Dayong's life or death. What really concerned him was how to use this opportunity to completely eliminate Lu Ting and Lu Yi.
"Hmph, Lu Yi has always been a man of loyalty and righteousness. I'm sure he will never sit idly by and watch Yu Dayong being imprisoned. As long as the time is right, I can take the opportunity to impeach him for colluding with border generals. Then I can bring down the Lu family in one fell swoop and eliminate the trouble forever!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Yan Shifan's eyes.
However, Youyou, who was beside Yan Shifan, was extremely worried. She knew very well what serious consequences Yan Shifan's action would cause, and she couldn't bear to see innocent people implicated. So, she mustered up the courage to step forward and dissuade him, saying, "Sir, this is absolutely not allowed! This is really too much, please stop..."
Before she could finish her words, Yan Shifan suddenly waved his sleeves, interrupting Youyou's words: "Shut up! Don't say any more, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless!" Then, he waved his hand and ordered his men to keep Youyou under guard, and put muscle softening powder in her food to prevent her from escaping and tipping off others.
On the other hand, Lu Yi couldn't sleep all night in his study, his heart was filled with guilt for those who could not be saved and puzzled by his father's behavior. Until the next morning, when he learned that Yu Dayong had been escorted back to Beijing, he was shocked and hurried to the scene.
Yu Dayong, who had fought bravely and won great military exploits on the battlefield in the past, was now in chains, looking haggard and like a destitute prisoner. Lu Yi was heartbroken and shouted indignantly: "General Yu fought for the country and the people all his life, but now he has suffered such an injustice. Is there any justice in this world?"
Lu Yi was anxious and quickly expressed his opinion, saying that he would never sit idly by and watch Dayong's predicament. He would rack his brains and find ways to clear his name and restore his good reputation.
Afterwards, Lu Yi hurriedly took out a carefully prepared memorial and respectfully presented it to his father Lu Ting. However, Lu Ting only glanced at the memorial and then started to curse in anger. It turned out that Lu Ting knew that relying on such a weak and weak thing to appeal to the emperor for Yu Dayong's innocence would not only be useless, but might even implicate Lu Yi himself, causing both father and son to fall into an irretrievable situation.
Then, Lu Ting told Lu Yi earnestly that if he wanted to successfully prove Yu Dayong's innocence, the best way was to let Yu Dayong personally write a memorial detailing the process and achievements of pacifying the Japanese pirates. In this way, the emperor would naturally carefully consider the right and wrong and make a fair and reasonable judgment.
When Lu Yi heard this, he suddenly realized something. So, he immediately asked his good friend Lan Qingxuan to meet him, hoping to get some valuable advice and help from him. When Lan Qingxuan saw Lu Yi, he was shocked by his haggard and exhausted face. He knew that Lu Yi had been working hard to solve Yu Dayong's problem.
Facing Lu Yi's determination to save Yu Dayong, Lan Qingxuan admired his loyalty and righteousness, but couldn't help but dissuade him: "Brother Lu, since you and I have chosen to embark on this road full of difficulties and thorns, we are destined to be unable to do everything well and protect everyone." In fact, Lu Yi knew these truths, but he always believed that no matter how rough the road ahead was, as long as he had justice and faith in his heart, he would be able to find a way out.
Finally, after careful consideration, Lu Yi came up with a brilliant plan - let Yu Dayong take the initiative to ask for meritorious service in exchange for his crime. This idea is certainly good, but if he wants to implement it smoothly and gain the trust of the emperor, he needs Lan Qingxuan's help and use the so-called oracle to increase his persuasiveness. After all, in that era when feudal superstition prevailed, oracles often had extraordinary influence.
The next morning, the sun shone through the clouds into the courtyard of the palace. Lan Qingxuan, dressed in a green robe, was sitting in front of the table, holding a tortoise shell and yarrow, concentrating on telling fortunes for the emperor. At this moment, a eunuch hurried into the palace and reported to the emperor that Lu Yi was seeking an audience outside.
After getting the emperor's permission, Lu Yi walked into the palace steadily and respectfully presented a memorial to the emperor with both hands. This memorial was Yu Dayong's request to make amends for his crime. Lu Yi briefly explained to the emperor Yu Dayong's achievements and his determination and strategy to pacify the Japanese pirates in the southeast.
After Lu Yi left, Lan Qingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, stroked his chin, and said to the emperor in a mysterious tone: "Your Majesty, when I was fortune-telling just now, I felt that there was a sign of good fortune in the sky. I believe that soon, a capable person will come to help Your Majesty completely solve the Japanese pirate chaos that has been raging in the southeastern coastal areas for a long time."
Not long after, Yu Dayong received the imperial edict and was able to walk out of the prison and regain his freedom. After Yang Chengwan and Lu Yi learned the news, they came to see him off. The three of them met and were filled with emotion.
At the same time, Yan Shifan, who was far away in Yan Song's mansion, also received the news. He knew very well that Yu Dayong was able to be released from prison this time because Lu Ting must have played tricks behind the scenes to influence the emperor's decision. Thinking of this, Yan Shifan couldn't help but frown, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
While Yan Shifan was deep in thought, a subordinate came running to report that Miss Youyou had not eaten a drop of water or a grain of rice for the whole day. Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan felt nervous and ordered his servants to prepare some exquisite food and personally led people to visit Youyou.
Arriving at Youyou's boudoir, he saw her lying quietly on the bed, her eyes empty and her face as pale as paper. No matter how others persuaded her, she still refused to eat. Yan Shifan walked to the bedside and sat down. Looking at Youyou's haggard appearance, he advised her distressedly: "Sister, why are you doing this? Our Yan family and Lu family have always been at odds with each other. It is impossible for you and Lu Yi to be together. This is not a good match. You'd better give up as soon as possible. After some time, I will find a better marriage for you."
However, Youyou seemed to have not heard what Yan Shifan said, and continued to stare at the ceiling without even moving his eyes. Seeing this, Yan Shifan did not get angry, but continued to patiently comfort her: "Little sister, if you continue to be so stubborn and continue to torture yourself like this, I am afraid that even your brother will not be able to keep Lu Yi safe."
Youyou slowly raised her head and looked towards Yan Shifan standing in front of her. As she hadn't had any water for the whole day, her throat was so dry that her voice became hoarse: "What... do you want to do?"
Yan Shifan stared at Youyou expressionlessly, put the food in his hand heavily on the table, and said coldly: "Eat all of this! From now on, I don't want to hear any news about your hunger strike, otherwise, I really don't know what means I will use to deal with you."
Youyou bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, responding softly: "Okay, I will eat it, but the premise is that you absolutely cannot touch Lu Yi's hair."
The corners of Yan Shifan's mouth rose slightly, revealing an imperceptible smile, and he said with a slightly sarcastic tone: "Of course, as long as you are obedient, little sister." After that, he stood quietly aside, watching Youyou pick up the chopsticks and reluctantly eat a few bites of food.
Yan Shifan seemed satisfied after seeing Youyou swallow a few mouthfuls of food, and then he turned and left. However, just as he stepped out of the door, Youyou seemed to have lost all her strength, and the chopsticks in her hand fell to the ground with a "click", and she no longer had the desire to continue eating.