Chapter 823
Unbelievable Reversal
Upon hearing Lu Zhenyuan's words, Madam Pei was filled with gratitude and kowtowed to him repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Lord Lu! Thank you, Lord Lu!"
Lu Zhenyuan said, "However... as for you to betroth Qing'er to my Qiao'er, that depends on their wishes! If they both agree, then of course I have no objection!"
After Lu Zhenyuan finished speaking, he turned to his eldest son, Lu Yunqiao, and asked, "Qiao'er, do you like Yuqing?"
Upon hearing Lord Lu's question, Pei Yuqing first lowered her head shyly, then slowly raised her head and looked at Lu Yunqiao with expectant eyes, hoping he would give her a positive answer.
Upon hearing Lu Zhenyuan's question, Lu Yunqiao raised his hand, scratched his head sheepishly, and nodded to his father.
Pei Yuqing found her father and brother's actions of plotting against Lu Zhenyuan extremely hateful, but at the same time, she was also deeply distressed by the death penalty that her father and brother were about to face.
After seeing Lu Yunqiao nod, Lu Zhenyuan said to Madam Pei, "Since Yunqiao has agreed, I naturally won't object. We'll choose an auspicious day and get this done for them!"
Seeing Lu Yunqiao nod and hearing Lord Pei's words, Madam Pei said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Lord Lu, for accepting my Qing'er despite the unscrupulous things Pei Chengyuan did!"
At this moment, Lu Yunmin, the second son of the Lu family, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said to his father, "Father, although we all like Yuqing very much, Lord Pei wanted to murder you. How can you let the Pei family into our Lu family? I think it's a bit inappropriate to do this!"
At this moment, Madam Pei, who was sitting to the side, did not speak. Although she also liked Pei Yuqing very much, if it were the close relationship between the Lu family and the Pei family in the past, she would have agreed to let Pei Yuqing become their daughter-in-law.
However, now that Lord Pei is trying to murder Lu Zhenyuan, the Lu family and the Pei family have become enemies. Although the grudges of the previous generation should not affect the next generation, Lu Yuqing is, after all, Pei Chengyuan's blood. Now, Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng have been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for this matter, awaiting the death penalty.
Although their son Lu Yunqiao and Pei Yuqing are fond of each other, human nature is unpredictable, and no one can guarantee that if the two of them really live together in the future, they will not have disagreements because of this.
Moreover, disagreements are a minor matter. The most crucial issue is that Pei Chengyuan was imprisoned and sentenced to death for plotting against Lu Zhenyuan. Madam Lu is worried that if Pei Yuqing intends to infiltrate their Lu family to avenge her father and does something detrimental to the Lu family, then the Lu family will be in a difficult position to deal with. After all, it is hard to guard against a thief within the family!
However, Madam Lu did not voice her thoughts to the Pei family mother and daughter, as it was merely her own speculation.
If Pei Yuqing truly cares for her eldest son, and Madam Pei only trusts the Lu family and feels that entrusting her daughter to them is a form of protection, then in this situation, wouldn't revealing my true feelings hurt Madam Pei and Pei Yuqing?
What her second son, Lu Yunmin, had just said was exactly what she was worried about. Lu Yunmin was still a child, so it was much safer for him to say such things than for her, the matriarch of the family, to say them. Even if the Pei family mother and daughter were sincere towards the Lu family, it was not enough to hurt their feelings.
Therefore, Madam Lu, who was sitting to the side, did not speak, but quietly waited for the decision of Lu Zhenyuan, the head of the family.
After listening to his second son Lu Yunmin's words, Lu Zhenyuan said, "Although Pei Chengyuan wanted to murder me, we should stick to the facts. Madam Pei and Yuqing were unaware of this matter. We have been on good terms with the Pei family for so many years, and I trust Madam Pei and Yuqing's character. They are different from Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng!"
Lu Yunmin said with some concern, "But Father..."
Before Lu Yunmin could finish speaking, Lu Zhenyuan said, "Alright, Min'er, don't worry, your father knows what to do!"
After saying that, Lu Zhenyuan said to the Pei mother and daughter, "Alright, Madam Pei, you and Yuqing get up first. I will go and plead with the Emperor to spare you two!"
Before Lu Zhenyuan could finish speaking and before Madam Pei could even open her mouth, an unfriendly voice rang out from outside the door: "Do we Pei family members need you to plead for us?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, everyone in the room froze, and then they saw Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng standing at the door!
When everyone saw Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng, they all looked at them with disbelief. They couldn't believe that Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng, who had been sentenced to death, would reappear at the Lu family's door at this time.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Pei Chengyuan and Pei Yifeng swaggered into the hall. Then, Pei Chengyuan said to Madam Pei, "Madam, my son and I are safe and sound now. Don't plead with anyone! Let's go home!"
Madam Pei looked at Pei Chengyuan and said, "Weren't you sentenced to death? How come you're here now?"
Lord Pei smiled and said to Madam Pei, "Now everything is in the past, I have been acquitted..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Pei said to Pei Chengyuan, "That's impossible! How could you have gotten away unscathed after plotting against Lord Lu? You didn't escape, did you?"
Pei Chengyuan said to Madam Pei, "How could that be? If I had escaped, would I dare to swagger into the Lu family like this?"
Madam Pei asked with great confusion, "Then how were you released without charge?"
Pei Chengyuan said, "You don't need to ask that. I'll explain it to you when we get home!"
When the Lu family heard from Lord Pei that he had been acquitted, they were all shocked beyond belief. They simply couldn't believe their ears. How could two people who had been sentenced to death by the Emperor just yesterday be acquitted and appear here unharmed this morning? It didn't make sense.
Completely disregarding the Lu family's suspicions, Pei Chengyuan finished speaking and prepared to leave with Madam Pei. However, Lu Yunqi, who was standing to the side, shouted loudly at Pei Chengyuan, "Stop right there!"
Upon hearing Lu Yunqi's voice, Pei Chengyuan stopped in his tracks and turned to ask, "What's wrong? Do you intend to stop me?" Lu Yunqi replied, "Last night, my father and my elder brother brought you to see the Emperor in person, where you were sentenced to death. Yet here you are today. Something must have gone wrong! Otherwise, how could you have escaped so easily for such a heinous act as trying to kill my father!"
Pei Chengyuan looked at Lu Yunqi and sneered, "Do I need to ask about this? I have my own connections to be able to appear safely in your Lu family!"
Lu Yunqi said angrily, "My father is an official of the imperial court. How can we let you off so easily after you have caused such a serious crime to my father?"
Before Pei Chengyuan could speak, Pei Yifeng interrupted Lu Yunqi, saying, "Lu Yunqi, don't be so arrogant. Your father has made many contributions to the court and is an official, but he's not the only one who has made contributions. There are always people more capable than your father. Don't think that just because your father made some contributions, you can be arrogant and think you're so great, or that the Emperor has to side with you. Honestly, who do you think you are?"
After hearing Pei Yifeng's words, Lu Yunqi said angrily, "Pei Yifeng, you need to understand that our Lu family is the victim. I did not intend to make the Emperor favor our Lu family. We just want to seek justice for ourselves."
Pei Yifeng sneered and said unreasonably, "Fairness? You're too naive. Besides, your father and sister aren't dead, so it's only natural that we're released without charge!"
Lu Yunqi said angrily, "My father and sister survived because they were blessed with good fortune and divine protection, but it's a fact that you tried to kill them! You deserve to be punished!"
When Lu Zhenyuan saw the Pei family father and son acting so arrogantly in his own home, he immediately knew that Pei Chengyuan must have someone backing him up, and that person must be extremely powerful, at least someone who was very close to the emperor, otherwise they could not have been released without charge so quickly!
Thinking of this, Lu Zhenyuan said to his youngest son, "Qi'er, stop talking! Let them go!"
Lu Yunqi said to Lu Zhenyuan, "Father, I need to ask them about this before letting them leave!"
Lu Yunmin quickly chimed in, "Yes, Father can't let them leave now!"
Seeing the Lu family's reaction, Pei Chengyuan laughed and said, "Do you still want to stop us like you did yesterday?"
Lu Yunqi said, "Yes, so what if I stop you?"
At this moment, Lu Zhenyuan said, "It's no use, just let them go!"
After hearing Lu Zhenyuan's words, the Lu family's sons stopped stopping the Pei family and let them leave.
As Pei Yifeng left, he turned back and gave the Lu family a disdainful look, saying, "A bunch of defeated men!" before leaving the Lu family triumphantly.
After the Pei family members left, Madam Cui Wenying said to Lu Zhenyuan, "Husband, there is solid evidence that the Pei father and son wanted to assassinate you. The fact that they were able to escape this time must be because they colluded with some powerful figure. Otherwise, given your contributions to the court, the Emperor would never have let them go so easily!"
With a serious yet composed expression, Lu Zhenyuan said to his wife, Cui Wenying, "You're right, but even if Pei Chengyuan has powerful backers, the Emperor can't just release him so easily without distinguishing right from wrong. That would be tantamount to completely disregarding me, Lu Zhenyuan! No, I must go to the morning court now to find the Emperor and get to the bottom of this matter!"
Madam Cui Wenying quickly said to Lu Zhenyuan, "This matter is of utmost importance. Since the Emperor has already decided to release Pei Chengyuan and his son, he has already made a decision. If you ask about this matter in court, the Emperor will never discuss it with you. On the contrary, it will make the Emperor think that you are deliberately doing this in front of the ministers, which will not be good if it affects the court!"
After listening to his wife Cui Wenying's words, Lu Zhenyuan felt that they made a lot of sense, so he said to his wife, "Your analysis is correct. Now that the emperor has made such a decision, he certainly cannot change it easily. After the court session today, I will personally go to see the emperor and talk about this matter. I, Lu Zhenyuan, have made many contributions to the court over the years, and the emperor should give me a reasonable explanation!"
Cui Wenying said, "That's not necessarily true. Think about it, Lord Pei was about to put you to death, yet the Emperor still let him go. That means the people behind Pei Chengyuan are quite powerful. The Emperor must be biased towards the other side to make such a decision. He may not be able to give you a reasonable explanation. The most likely thing is that he will just brush this matter aside and pretend that nothing happened!"
Lu Zhenyuan said, "Although the current emperor is incompetent and tyrannical, he should at least try to win people's hearts. I have worked diligently for the court for most of my life and made many contributions. Even if he is the emperor, he should at least give me some face. He can't just dismiss me so easily!"
Cui Wenying said, "In short, we can't be reckless in this matter. If the emperor just wants to brush you off with a few words, don't take it too seriously. After all, he is the emperor. If we insist on arguing with him, our Lu family will not have a good outcome!"
Lu Zhenyuan knew the importance and urgency of the matter. After his wife's persuasion, he understood that he couldn't rush things. So he said to Cui Wenying, "Madam, I understand. As long as we're alive, we can always fight another day. I won't let Pei Chengyuan get away with killing me so easily, nor will I let him escape justice. You and the children are waiting for me at home. Even for your sake, I will act according to the circumstances when I meet the Emperor. I won't be reckless! Don't worry!"
After hearing her husband Lu Zhenyuan's words, Cui Wenying nodded to him and said, "That's good!"
Lu Zhenyuan said, "Then I'll go to court first!"
After Lu Zhenyuan finished speaking, he walked out of the house.
The Lu family had been able to relax after Pei Chengyuan's case was resolved yesterday. However, the situation took an unexpected turn overnight. Not only did Pei Chengyuan and his son escape punishment, but they were also released without charge.
Most importantly, this means that the Lu family will face not only Pei Chengyuan, but also a more powerful enemy than Pei Chengyuan or even Lu Zhenyuan.
The Lu family has no idea who this person behind Pei Chengyuan, who can influence the emperor's decisions, is.
This unexpected addition of such a hidden yet powerful adversary plunged the Lu family into renewed anxiety! (End of Chapter)