Chapter 412: Chapter 346: Lu Lin’er and the Lu Family (Part 2)
"Yes, Your Highness~!"
The two maids walked up, and Zheng Chengji respectfully said, "Mother, I will take my leave."
"Mhm~"
After Zheng Chengji left, Lu Lin’er finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The first time surveilling the court affaires, nothing went wrong.
It seems, Ji’er’s position as Crown Prince is secure.
"Lu Xin!"
Lu Jiye suddenly spoke, "Did the Crown Prince show any peculiarities toward Grand General Xu?"
"Reporting to you, sir, there were no peculiarities."
"No peculiarities? ... You may leave, attend to the Crown Prince."
"Understood!"
Lu Xin responded respectfully, then withdrew.
Lu Lin’er curiously asked, "Brother, why are you asking about this?"
Lu Jiye said, "Empress, Grand General Xu’s status and power are indeed immense."
"As you’ve stated, he has connections with almost all the commanders of the five main military regions."
"Either they are his clansmen, subordinates, or friends... he is truly the foremost figure in the military, essentially second only to one under the heavens."
"Empress, have you forgotten about the previous affair with Prime Minister Yang?"
"Human hearts can change; Grand General Xu is loyal and courageous for the nation, but there is no guarantee he will always be, nor his clansmen..."
Lu Jiye said, "For the Crown Prince, and for our Lu family, we must secure military power!"
"Otherwise, if Grand General Xu takes military action with the Second Prince, we must be able to retaliate!"
Lu Lin’er’s face also changed.
Yes, indeed.
Xu Mujun’s power is truly too great.
If he wished, he could forcefully nominate the Second Prince as Crown Prince, or even Emperor, at any time.
Thinking of this, Lu Lin’er couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
"Brother, what is your plan?"
Lu Jiye’s eyes flashed, saying, "The urgent task is to seize control of the Imperial Guard."
"The Imperial Guard is the elite of the army, guarding the Imperial Palace, and they have the advantage of firearms."
"Only by replacing the Imperial Guard with our people and firmly controlling them can we ensure the Crown Prince’s safety and secure his position."
"Next, we must win over others in the military."
Lu Lin’er frowned, "Almost all in the military are Xu Mujun’s people; how can we win them over?"
Lu Jizu suddenly said, "Li Changfeng."
"Li Changfeng?"
Lu Lin’er reflexively said, "Consort Duann and Consort De are close friends, and Li Changfeng and Grand General Xu are colleagues; how could he stand against Grand General Xu?"
Lu Jizu shook his head, "Two tigers can’t share one mountain; Li Changfeng is the Minister of War, yet he’s overshadowed by General Xu Mujun, making him a mere figurehead; can he be content with that?"
"Moreover, we aren’t asking Li Changfeng to really go against Xu Mujun, just to give us his military resources, merely some dealings."
Lu Jiye also said, "Exactly, Li Changfeng as Minister of War has numerous old friends and disciples in the military over the years; if we could secure their help, the Crown Prince’s position would be even more stable."
Upon thinking about it, Lu Lin’er nodded, realizing the truth in his words.
Lu Jiye spoke again, "Besides Li Changfeng, there’s actually one more person we can win over."
"Oh? Who might that be?"
"The Commander of the North Sea Navy, Meng Guang!"
Lu Jiye said, "This person has been seeking a way to associate with our Lu family and has good relations with several of our clan members."
"Not only does he send gifts to our Lu family during holidays, but there’s even a portion for you, Empress?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
Lu Jiye continued, "While serving in the North Sea, he sent many East Pearls and exotic treasures from the deep sea."
"The Blood Dance Coral you favor was gifted by this person."
"Oh? It was him!"
Lu Lin’er’s eyes lit up, seemingly recalling something.
Years ago, a clansman had sent a blood-colored coral.
The coral stood over a person high, about three feet wide.
Entirely red, lush with leaves and tangling roots, resembling a gracefully dancing exotic beast, thus named ’Blood Dance Coral.’
Even Your Majesty once praised it verbally, and Lu Lin’er had always treated it as a treasured possession.
She never expected it was sent by Meng Guang.
She suddenly thought of something and said, "I do have some impression of him."
"After the downfall of the Pseudo-Yan King years ago, Your Majesty summoned him when establishing the North Sea Navy."
"When Sister Cui and I were leaving, we saw this General Meng Guang in the Imperial Garden."
Lu Jiye laughed, "This person was a subordinate of the Pseudo-Yan King, with no foundation in the court; if not for being a former water bandit, and Your Majesty needing someone familiar with naval warfare to form the navy, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity."
"Otherwise, at most, he’d be a Deputy General for life."
"If we can win him over, we would have military support on the outside as well."
Lu Lin’er also nodded, "Indeed, he seems worth winning over."
"Moreover."
Lu Jizu spoke again, "With the South Sea Navy being prepared now, the Cabinet plans to draw personnel from the North Sea to work on it; if we can seize this opportunity to insert our people, then the South Sea will also be ours."
Lu Lin’er suddenly furrowed her brow, "Second Brother, Great Yu belongs to Your Majesty and will be Chengji’s in the future; don’t speak recklessly."
Lu Jizu immediately caught himself, "I misspoke; I ask for the Empress’s forgiveness."
"Forget it, you’re also doing this for Chengji’s benefit."
Lu Lin’er shook her head, "Then let’s proceed with the preparations as the two of you suggested."
"Yes...!"
The two respectfully left, sharing a smile as they looked back at Kunning Palace.
"Brother, with Chengji as the Crown Prince, we are now the Imperial Uncles; once we bring down Xu Mujun, won’t the entire Imperial Court be at our command?"
Lu Jiye laughed heartily, "Indeed, Father made a brilliant move back then by not rebelling with those others."
"Otherwise, how could we have the position we do today?"
"But let’s not be in too much of a rush!"
Lu Jiye said, "Currently, Xu Mujun is at the height of power; even we wouldn’t dare directly confront him; we must bide our time, waiting for the right moment."
"Don’t worry, Brother."
Lu Jizu said, "The Crown Prince is only nine, and Xu Mujun is nearly eighty. We have time on our side!"
"We’ll have plenty of opportunities...!"
"As long as you understand..."
The two laughed and walked away together.
Meanwhile,
In the deep forest of the southwest of the Capital City, several dark figures suddenly appeared.
Each was shrouded in a layer of black mist or in disguise to hide their identity, appearing highly mysterious.
"Hehehe, I didn’t expect the Snake-Toad Brothers, reclusive for decades, to appear here?"
A hunched old man, wrapped in black mist, croaked hoarsely, his tone defiant.
On the other side, a tall and short figure stood together. Hearing the old man, the tall one first replied, "What, Old Demon Hua, have you recovered from your last injury?"
"My brother and I have developed several new poison skills; could we trouble you to help us test them?"
Old Demon Hua’s expression shifted, intimidated, "Heh... who fears who?"
"When there’s a chance, I, Hua, will surely challenge you two."
"Hehehe..."
"Gentlemen, please silence yourselves."
A tall elder coldly said, "We were all invited by Daoist Youlinzi; where is he?"
"I don’t know."
"Lin doesn’t see him either."
"Weren’t Youlinzi’s four brothers coopted by the court; what’s the matter?"
Just then, Old Demon Hua, the tall Brother Snake-Toad, and the burly Tieguan Daoist suddenly frowned, instinctively turning toward another direction.
Only to see Youlinzi arriving first, followed by several figures, led by a young man with a jade-like face.
Brother Shee of the Snake-Toad Brothers looked at the young man, his expression changing suddenly.
"Du Family of Beimang Mountain, Du Qingxuan?!"
