Chapter 812
Fake Death
After finishing up his business at the Bonsai World, Xu Bo'an called Qu Feifan to tell him that he would be leaving for Jiangcheng the next day and should arrive around noon. He would contact him again the next day for more details.
After finishing his call with Qu Feifan, Xu Bo'an thought about how he had to get up early the next day to leave for Jiangcheng, so he rested.
Nothing happened that night, and the next morning Xu Bo'an got up early and drove to Jiangzhou Province.
Meanwhile, people in the Lu family mansion in the bonsai world also got up very early.
The news that Lu Zhenyuan, Lu Wan'er, Li Qingshi, and Sun Weiwei returned to Qingyun Road last night was known to no one except Lu Zhenyuan's wife, Cui Wenying.
Yesterday, after discussing it with his wife Cui Wenying, Lu Zhenyuan decided to stage a play today. They would release the news of Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er's deaths under the pretense of holding a funeral for Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er, thereby drawing out the person who wanted to frame Lu Zhenyuan.
To make the performance more realistic, it was decided that Lu Zhenyuan, Lu Wan'er, Sun Weiwei, and Li Qingshi would not show themselves for the time being.
Early this morning, as dawn was breaking, Lu Zhenyuan's wife, Cui Wenying, got up early, gathered everyone in the family, and pretended to be heartbroken to tell them the news that Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er had both perished in the fire.
Although Lu Zhenyuan was a general, he was very approachable to his servants. As long as they did not make any serious mistakes, he would never scold them and would often help their families with their problems.
Lu Wan'er was innocent and kind-hearted, and treated her servants like her own family. She died at the young age of twenty, and the most tragic thing was that the two of them died in a fire, which was extremely painful.
Upon hearing the news of the deaths of their master and young lady, everyone in the Lu family was deeply saddened, and the entire Lu residence was immediately filled with an atmosphere of grief.
The servants couldn't stop their tears from flowing. The most grief-stricken were Lu Zhenyuan's three sons. Their father, Lu Zhenyuan, was not only a towering hero in their hearts but also their flesh and blood. He taught them to ride horses and shoot arrows from a young age and taught them the principles of being a good person.
Lu Wan'er, the younger sister, was the beloved little princess of the family. Her three older brothers usually doted on her. How could the three brothers accept such a cruel reality when their two blood relatives left this world without warning?
The three grown men were so grief-stricken that they felt as if they were being torn apart, so much so that they could not cry out loud. Instead, veins bulged on their foreheads, their eyes were bloodshot, and the tears in their eyes looked like blood, making them both pitiful and terrifying to behold.
Lu Zhenyuan's three sons are named Lu Yunqiao, Lu Yunmin, and Lu Yunqi. The three brothers are not far apart in age, only one year apart. The youngest, Lu Yunqi, is a twin with Lu Wan'er. None of them are very old and have yet to establish their own careers.
Because their father, Lu Zhenyuan, was a martial arts craftsman, the three brothers inherited his martial arts genes and loved practicing martial arts from a young age.
Because they admired their father, they often begged him to take them to the battlefield to fight the enemy after they grew up. However, Lu Zhenyuan was worried about the children's safety and would only take them to familiarize themselves with the battlefield occasionally when the war was not too intense.
Lu Zhenyuan's achievements today are entirely due to his own hard work. His family did not have a deep foundation in the court. Before his three sons became prominent, Lu Zhenyuan was the pillar of the family.
With the pillar of the family suddenly collapsing, the three sons instantly felt that they should grow up and stand up for the Lu family.
The eldest son, Lu Yunqiao, had tears welling up in his bloodshot eyes, and said to his mother in a trembling voice, "Mother, how could my father and sister have been burned alive in the fire? There must be another reason!"
The second son, Lu Yunmin, also choked up as he said to his mother, "Mother, my elder brother is right, there must be something fishy going on here!"
Immediately afterward, the third son, Lu Yunqi, also said, "Mother, my brothers are right. We must find out the truth about this matter. The three of us brothers must avenge Father and Sister!"
Looking at her three sons' heartbroken state, Cui Wenying felt both heartache and relief. She was relieved that her three sons were very sensible, but at the same time, she felt heartache for causing her three sons so much pain by lying about the deaths of her husband and youngest daughter in order to lure out the person who framed her husband!
But what could they do? In order to reveal the truth and to make the charade more convincing, they had no choice but to do it, even though it was a hardship for their three sons.
Seeing her three sensible sons, Cui Wenying, the mother, couldn't help but shed tears. She then said to them, "According to the messenger, your father and sister died in an accident on their way back to Qingyun Road. No one framed them!"
Cui Wenying said this to lower the guard of those who wanted to frame her husband Lu Zhenyuan, making it easier for them to slip up.
If Lu Zhenyuan died in an accidental fire, those who wanted to frame him would definitely think that the Lu family would no longer investigate the matter thoroughly, and their vigilance would be greatly relaxed, which would make it easier for them to reveal their true colors!
If it were said at this point that Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er were deliberately killed by arson, those who wanted to frame Lu Zhenyuan would know that the Lu family would definitely investigate the matter thoroughly.
Lu Zhenyuan was a second-rank military officer who was brave and skilled in battle. Even if someone wanted to harm him, they would have to think it over carefully and would never dare to act rashly.
But now that the person is dead, the Lu family itself has no one of worthwhile talent, so the person who framed him has no reason to be afraid.
However, the Admiral, Lu Zhenyuan's direct superior, had a high opinion of him. The Admiral, who also served as Minister of War, was a high-ranking official of the first rank with great power. Moreover, according to rumors, the current Admiral decided to recommend Lu Zhenyuan as the next Admiral before retiring.
If Cui Wenying were to say at this point that her husband Lu Zhenyuan was deliberately framed, those who framed Lu Zhenyuan, while not fearing the Lu family, would still have to be wary of Lu Zhenyuan's direct superior, the Governor.
If the governor decides to thoroughly investigate this matter, then those who framed her husband Lu Zhenyuan will certainly be wary and will hide their brilliance, making them less likely to be discovered.
That's why Cui Wenying said that – her purpose was to make the person who framed Lu Zhenyuan reveal their true colors as soon as possible.
Upon hearing his mother's words, the eldest son, Lu Yunqiao, choked up and said, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it's true! How could Father, with such high martial arts skills, be burned to death so easily by a fire!" The second son, Lu Yunmin, also wept as he said, "Mother, my intuition tells me that this matter is not so simple. Someone must be trying to frame Father behind the scenes!"
The third son, Lu Yunqi, choked up and said loudly, "Mother, whether our father and sister were framed and deliberately set on fire to their deaths, or died accidentally in a fire, we must thoroughly investigate this matter before making a conclusion. We absolutely cannot let them die in such an unclear way!"
When Cui Wenying heard her sons' words and learned that although they were grieving, they were still able to calmly analyze the situation after encountering such a major event, Cui Wenying felt extremely gratified.
However, Cui Wenying did not show it on her face. Instead, she pretended to be heartbroken and shouted at the three brothers, "Enough! Your father and sister have been burned to ashes in the fire. I have no mood to discuss these things now. You should arrange their funerals as soon as possible. I just want them to rest in peace!"
After Cui Wenying finished speaking, she personally instructed the housekeeper on some matters, and then, feigning grief, dragged her trembling body away from everyone's sight.
After hearing their mother's words, even though the three brothers had many doubts about the deaths of their father and sister, they also felt that their mother was right and that they should rest as soon as possible before investigating the matter.
After their mother left, the three brothers, the butler, and the servants all left to attend to Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er's funeral arrangements.
By around 10 a.m., the Lu family had everything ready. The Lu family mansion was covered with white cloth strips, and the mourning hall for Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er had been set up. At this time, the entire Lu family looked even more desolate.
The Lu family in Qingyun Road didn't have many relatives. The most important thing was that Lu Zhenyuan used the pretense of faking his death to expose the person who wanted to frame him, so he didn't inform others of his death immediately.
The Lu family mansion is located in a prominent place on Qingyun Road, and such events held in the family are easily spread by word of mouth.
Moreover, those who want to harm Lu Zhenyuan will definitely be paying close attention to the Lu family's situation; they will certainly not miss it.
After everything was prepared, the Lu family began to mourn Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er. The three brothers knelt before their father's memorial tablets and cried their hearts out.
To make the performance more realistic, Madam Cui Wenying knelt before the fake memorial tablets of her husband and daughter and cried her heart out. The Lu family spent the entire morning busy with this matter.
Not many people came to the Lu family to mourn in the morning, but by the afternoon, quite a few people had come to mourn, which meant that the news of Lu Zhenyuan's death had already spread.
The number of people who came to mourn Lu Zhenyuan in the afternoon was much higher than in the morning, but Lu Zhenyuan's wife, Cui Wenying, did not notice anything unusual after the whole afternoon had passed.
Night fell quickly, and according to custom, Cui Wenying and her three sons were to keep vigil for Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er. So the mother and her three sons kept vigil in front of the mourning hall for the entire night.
Xu Bo'an arrived in Jiangcheng City, the provincial capital of Jiangzhou Province, around noon. Because he had contacted Qu Feifan in advance, Qu Feifan had already booked a hotel for lunch and went to pick Xu Bo'an up at the highway exit.
Qu Feifan came with several wealthy young men to pick up Xu Bo'an. These young men were the ones who had bought the old house with Xu Bo'an last time. Of course, there were also a few people who hadn't bought the old house with Xu Bo'an last time who came along as well.
These people didn't believe Xu Bo'an's judgment at all last time. They thought that the old neighborhood that Xu Bo'an bought was unlikely to be demolished, and besides, their families were all rich second-generation. They hadn't received any information from their fathers, so how could they believe the words of a stranger like Xu Bo'an? Therefore, to be on the safe side, they didn't buy it.
These past few days, I've heard the news that the old houses Xu Bo'an bought some time ago are really going to be demolished. Those who bought houses with Xu Bo'an are now happily calling each other, bragging about how much money they'll get.
Those who hadn't bought houses with Xu Bo'an were kicking themselves in regret, but it was too late. Xu Bo'an and his friends had already bought up all the houses. They could only hope that Xu Bo'an would help them make money next time. These rich kids, wanting to befriend Xu Bo'an, came with Qu Feifan to pick him up.
As soon as Xu Bo'an exited the highway, he saw dozens of luxury cars parked at the intersection. When Qu Feifan and the others saw Xu Bo'an's bright red pickup truck, they all rolled down their windows and shouted in unison, "Brother Xu... Brother Xu!"
Because Qu Feifan's car was parked at the front, Xu Bo'an saw him as soon as he got off the highway. But he never expected that the young men in luxury cars behind Qu Feifan were all there to pick him up with Qu Feifan.
Xu Bo'an was genuinely taken aback by the large commotion and said to Qu Feifan, "What are you all doing? Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?"
Qu Feifan said to Xu Bo'an, "Brother Xu, these tagalongs insisted on following me to pick you up, I couldn't stop them!"
Seeing so many luxury cars parked there, Xu Bo'an thought it was quite conspicuous and said to Qu Feifan, "What a bunch of attention-seekers! Let's get out of here and stop blocking their way!"
After Xu Bo'an finished speaking, he continued driving forward, while Qu Feifan and his dozens of luxury cars followed behind him and left the highway exit.
Because Qu Feifan had already told Xu Bo'an about the hotel they would be staying at beforehand—the same Jinbihui Hotel they had stayed at last time, which was the largest hotel owned by Qu Feifan's family in Jiangcheng—Xu Bo'an had already set up the navigation and drove towards the Jinbihui Hotel!
It has to be said that these dozen or so luxury cars driving on the main roads of Jiangcheng are quite eye-catching, attracting the attention of many people on the street.
And so, this conspicuous convoy arrived at the "Jinbihui Hotel" amidst the envious glances of onlookers.
After parking their cars, everyone swarmed towards Xu Bo'an, and then, led by Qu Feifan, entered the pre-booked private room. (End of Chapter)