TGCFNM -Chapter 475 Can’t Reason With Them

Inside the manor.

Lu Shi sat upright in the main seat, with Lu Chong attending beside him.

Chu Ling, Wan Sanjin, and Su He obediently lined up, their eyes occasionally flicking to the black bundles at their feet. Why only the three of them? Because everyone else had slipped away—and surprisingly, Lord Lu hadn’t stopped them.

“Bring out the one in your arms as well!” Lu Shi frowned.

Chu Ling obediently handed it over. Lu Chong, half-amused and half-exasperated, took it, examined it carefully, and nodded. “Not bad at all. Lord Chu, you all are impressive. Even with the chaos over there, you managed to carry back two bundles of gold with ease.”

“There wasn’t really any chaos, though,” Su He murmured.

Lu Shi narrowed his eyes at him. “What did you do?”

Su He instinctively glanced at Wan Sanjin. Lu Shi’s gaze followed. “Wan Sanjin, you explain.”

Wan Sanjin donned a mask of distress and recounted the events honestly, sticking to the facts and not daring to embellish to make himself look heroic.

He didn’t reveal anything about Chu Yue—not only was it hard to explain, but he also feared that Chu Yue might target Lord Lu next.

Lu Chong chuckled at them. “A lucky accident, I’d say. Who would’ve thought there really was a gold mine?”

Lu Shi frowned slightly and looked at Lu Chong. “Write them a letter and then ride swiftly back to find Mei Gao to deliver it.”

Lu Chong nodded and went out to get paper and brush from Steward Liu.

Wan Sanjin went along and drew the map of the passage storing the weapons. Once the ink had mostly dried, he blew on it, folded it, and handed it to Lu Chong.

“Lord Lu,” Su He hesitated, then decided to be honest, “that incense… seems a bit stronger than I expected. Anyone who went past probably all passed out.”

Lu Shi: “…”

By coincidence, Lu Shi had just finished writing the letter. Seeing the blank expression on his lord’s face, he leaned forward and asked, “How long were they unconscious?”

“Ten days? Half a month, maybe,” Su He said uncertainly.

Lu Chong froze for a moment, then quickly added a few notes to the letter. Once folded, he left the room.

Lu Shi waved Wan Sanjin back to his place, then heaving a sigh, stood up and spoke earnestly to the group. “Since they stored weapons there, it also means the gold mine will inevitably be discovered. The excavation marks are so obvious that the court will certainly investigate.”

Chu Ling thought for a moment, wincing slightly. “So… should I bring back one black bundle?”

Lu Shi: “…”

He realized there was no reasoning with them.

“No. The gold mine will definitely be mined by the court. Private hoarding is a serious crime; everything must be handed over,” Lu Shi glared at them. “If anyone asks, just say you saw a lot of suspicious people. Worried that someone might act against the court, you disguised yourselves and went over, and unexpectedly discovered privately stored weapons. That’s why you wrote to Mei Gao immediately upon returning.”

Chu Ling obediently nodded. “We’ll remember your words, Lord Lu. This clears our involvement—we understand.”

Wan Sanjin looked at Lu Shi. “Then, Lord Lu, what about Heir Xiao’s side? He brought quite a few people—probably trying to take the weapons for himself, right?”

Lu Shi furrowed his brows slightly. “You don’t need to worry about Heir Xiao’s side, but this matter has become a huge problem for him.”

Ghost Scholar raised his brows. “It is indeed a big problem. Especially with his sensitive position, and the Emperor’s favor toward him before Fu Qingyu’s absence—at this moment, all of that becomes a layer upon layer of shackles around him.”

Whether he can break free depends entirely on what the Emperor intends.

Lu Shi let out a deep sigh and turned his back. “Tonight feels like a trap—a trap aimed at Heir Xiao. No matter what his initial goal was, at the very least, Heir Xiao has truly fallen into it… I know there are still things you haven’t told me, probably involving the person who set the trap. But I imagine Heir Xiao isn’t a fool; the reason he went there was probably because he voluntarily stepped into the trap himself.”

Chu Ling, Wan Sanjin, and Su He exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads in unison.

“The person who set the trap is clever, very skilled at exploiting human psychology, and doesn’t seem to think they can fail. They’re difficult to deal with…” Lu Shi said, turning around to see the three figures in black, their heads wrapped in black cloth, faces down, too cautious to look up.

Lu Shi gave them a disdainful glance. “Raise your heads!”

All three immediately did so.

“Since you know the person who set the trap, Heir Xiao probably knows who it is too,” Lu Shi’s expression darkened slightly. “Heir Xiao still has a way out; it depends on whether he’s willing to reveal it. If he’s willing, fine. If he’s not… then you’ll be the ones in trouble.”

Wan Sanjin looked confused. “I thought Heir Xiao was in trouble. How come it’s us?”

Lu Shi stared at him. “If Heir Xiao wants to step in to protect that person, it means that person possesses something Heir Xiao wants. And since you also know the person who set the trap, that person’s target will temporarily shift from Heir Xiao to you.”

Chu Ling instinctively tilted her head toward Ghost Scholar.

Ghost Scholar hurriedly shook his head.

Lu Shi squinted his eyes. “What are you thinking—whether you should confess everything to me?”

Chu Ling gave an awkward smile.

“Don’t bother me with troublesome matters. I still want to live a couple more years. I’m resigning and returning home to enjoy my retirement,” Lu Shi said, giving her a side glance. “But I can give you a strategy: strike first and strike hard!”

With that, Lu Shi left the room, arranged lodging through Steward Liu, and said he would rest for a while before returning.

Steward Liu replied that everything had been arranged, and Madam Lu was already resting. Lu Shi nodded and departed.

Wan Sanjin peeked quietly and, after confirming that Lu Shi had gone far enough, finally exhaled in relief. “Master, how exactly do we ‘strike first and strike hard’?”

Chu Ling’s eyes flickered. “Heir Xiao isn’t dead, and Chu Rou isn’t dead either. If she insists on letting events unfold according to her foresight, her next target will likely be Chu Rou.”

“Should we warn Chu Rou?” Wan Sanjin asked.

The Chu Rou, Chu Ling knew would throw herself recklessly for Heir Xiao. She would want to stay by his side forever. Yet this morning, she nearly died under Chu Yue’s sword. That made her realize that Chu Yue was her greatest enemy.

“No, Chu Rou will inform us. She’ll gradually give us more information, hoping to use the Wan family to deal with Chu Yue. And Chu Yue will definitely look for opportunities to kill Chu Rou. As for us, naturally, we’re also her target…” Chu Ling frowned slightly. “Looks like we still have to go back and take over the investigation with Empress Hexiao.”

While investigating the case, Chu Yue would provide them with evidence, hoping Fu Qingyu could establish himself, so she wouldn’t act against them for now.

“We cooperate on both fronts,” Chu Ling confirmed. “Investigate the case while also using our intelligence network to counter Chu Yue’s forces.”

Playing both sides is the only way to survive!