Chapter 498: The Lu Clan

Chapter 498: Lu Thief

To dwell in a dilapidated mansion, to live in a lonely tower, to reside in a grand mansion.

This proverb reflects an unwritten rule among the common people of the Great Ming Empire, as well as a true depiction of the architectural styles from the outskirts to the inner city of a prefecture.

Especially in areas controlled by the Confucian Sequence Gate, it is a step-by-step, step-by-step scene. Each step is clear, and the barriers are strict.

Any deviation would be seen as an overstep, which would give the city guards a pretext to confront them.

However, after the Zhu Ming imperial court rebuilt the palace into a towering four-sided building that reaches the sky and the earth, this so-called unwritten rule underwent a dramatic transformation.

Imperial Clans of the second rank and above all abandoned their traditional flat mansions, instead stacking them one on top of another to form a multi-story mansion.

Each floor's area is extremely vast, with pavilions, towers, pavilions, artificial mountains, and flowing water, all in abundance, surpassing previous levels of luxury.

In the entire Liaodong province, the Lu family is considered the most prominent, with towering layers, a solitary peak rising in the capital of Liaodong, Liaozhou, overlooking the hundred thousand people in the city.

At this moment, in a elegant courtyard on the sixth floor of the Lu mansion, a group of kneeling attendants were outside, listening to the angry shouting inside, along with the low sobs mixed in.

Puff!

A slap from Lu Siyi directly knocked the woman to the ground, pointing at her and shouting, "Your good brother Lu Yujiang is truly bold and reckless, daring to calculate even me! I see that the Lu family doesn't want to continue mixing in Liaodong anymore!"

Lu Qin'er's eyes were filled with fear, her hands tightly covering her red and swollen cheeks, she cried out in a mournful tone, "Is there a misunderstanding between you and your big brother?"

Misunderstanding?

Lu Siyi knelt in front of the woman, grabbing her hair with one hand, a sinister smile on his face.

"Do you know that the dowry he prepared for you was all obtained by beating the bones and sucking the marrow from those Jin Yiwei soldiers, dirty money?"

The severe pain from above made the woman unable to move at all, her eyes filled only with tears.

"Of course you, a fool, don't know. You spend all your time scheming to get pregnant with me, the Lu family's seed, what else is in your mind?"

Lu Siyi's expression was distorted, his five fingers like a clamp on the woman's chin, crushing several red banknotes into a ball and forcing them into her mouth.

Originally, I didn't care where he got that money, as long as he could handle the beginning and end. I even deliberately sent the embroidered moon to him, telling him some small secrets of the Lu Thief, just to give the hungry wolf Lu Yujiang a piece of meat to eat, slowly turning him into a well-behaved dog. Otherwise, without my approval, how could those unspoken, strange techniques allow him to play with my close attendant?

But I underestimated his madness. He not only wanted to drag me down, but also wanted to use Lu Quan to push the Lu family in front of him, to block the sword. He thinks he's who?

Lu Siyi pushed the woman away, his expression filled with disgust as he stared at her crooked features: "Look at your face, even original goods aren't as good. Anyone from outside would be more refined. If it weren't for wanting to win over the Lu family, you, such an inferior person, would you even be allowed to sleep with me?"

After his angry shout, Lu Siyi became strangely quiet, picking up the banknotes soaked in saliva from the ground, smoothing the wrinkles, folding them into a strip, and handing them to the woman with two fingers.

"Eat it. Remember this taste, this is the trouble the Lu family caused me. After I deal with Lu Yujiang, I'll slowly torment you, this damned person!"

The closed door "cracked" open with a loud noise, Lu Siyi didn't look back, taking a big step out.

Only a poor woman remained behind, trembling all over, clutching the paper strip in her teeth, unable to even cry out.

Lu Siyi took the sedan chair to the top floor of the Lu mansion, the residence of the Lu Thief's head, Lu Ning.

The opulence of the furnishings and decorations here is far beyond what Lu Siyi resides on. The paths are winding and deep. Previously, every time Lu Siyi came here, he would walk to show respect.

But today, he had no leisurely elegance, directly taking a boat to Lu Ning's usual residence.

Before the boat was fully stopped, Lu Siyi immediately opened the door and got off, just as he entered the courtyard of the separate residence, he saw his old master.

The governor of Liaozhou, Lu Huizheng.

Within the Lu Thief, only the head of the Lu Thief, the Liaodong Inspector, the Confucian Three Lu Ning, could make Lu Huizheng tremble with fear and serve them.

Lu Ning is just sixty years old. From when he took office as a county magistrate in a county in Liaodong at sixteen, this head of the Lu Thief has been struggling in the official career for over forty years.

In the early Ming period, this was already an old age, retiring to the background to enjoy his later years. But in today's Great Ming Empire, he is still in his prime.

Even among the first-rank Confucian Sequence Clans, few could be in their prime at this age, commanding a province.

The Lu Thief, as a young new rich in the Confucian Sequence, rose to prominence through "the division of the world's martial arts." Even without that turmoil, the Lu family would at most be an insignificant second-rank clan in Liaodong.

At that time, "the division of the world's martial arts" was coming to an end. Except for the Zhen You Temple, all martial arts clans in Liaodong had been completely eliminated.

The Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist sects all wanted to take over Liaodong's territory, but they all knew that whoever moved first would immediately face joint pressure from the other two.

As everyone was stuck in a stalemate, each harboring hidden resentment, preparing to act after the Zhen You Temple was eliminated, this decisive battle, which was ten to one in their favor, suddenly turned due to Su Ce's sudden rise.

The Wudang, Shaolin, and one Confucian Sequence clan suffered heavy losses, with many good people slaughtered.

The Lu family rose suddenly during this gap, originally a second-rank clan, a third-rank head of the Lu family emerged, forcefully driving out all competitors, taking half of Liaodong under their control.

The second head of the Lu Thief, Lu Ning, also had great talent, allowing the Lu family to firmly establish itself in Liaodong, becoming the youngest first-rank clan in the Great Ming Empire.

Lu Ning wore a clean Yanju robe, his black hair neatly tied with a Confucian hat, a straight nose, thick eyebrows, and in his sunken eyes, a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes like a deep pool.

At this moment, he lightly patted Lu Huizheng's shoulder, his smile bright, "Old Lu, you don't need to worry. This is just a small quarrel between juniors. You and I, who were younger, have all experienced it. Fighting among family is a form of refinement. If they were truly united, without ambition, then we would truly be worried about whether they could hold our position later."

"You, the elder, have a lot, can laugh it off, but I can't be arrogant."

Lu Huizheng didn't follow the slope, but instead looked furious, "This rebellious son, Lu Yujiang, committed such a grave sin behind my back, it's beyond redemption. I must"

"What you do is your own business, no need to report to me."

Lu Ning laughed ambiguously, "Although we are related by marriage, we are both heads of the family. If you think this is beneficial for the Lu family, just do it, no need to consider the Lu family."

"You're right, I was wrong."

When Lu Huizheng heard this, his eyes lit up with a smile, he awkwardly smiled at the incoming Lu Siyi and gave a greeting.

You came? Then I won't disturb you and your son. I'll go first.

Lu Siyi nodded neutrally, as if replying.

After Lu Huizheng's figure disappeared, Lu Siyi finally spoke.

Father.

Lu Ning raised his hand to stop him, "I know the situation. Eat a hardship, grow wiser. If this trouble falls, if it makes you more mature, even a small injury is worth it."

Hearing his father's words without blame, the heart in Lu Siyi's throat finally settled in his stomach.

Actually, I had already anticipated Lu Yujiang's wild ambitions, but I didn't expect that when he encountered a small problem, he would lose his composure, go crazy, and do so many things that embarrassed the Lu family.

What face in the face of one's life is worth mentioning.

Lu Ning calmly said, "Lu Yujiang's estimation of those pirates from the Wa region was accurate. If he didn't do this, he would probably be a corpse now."

Those people are just relying on the fact that no one wants to waste effort on them, so they act recklessly, thinking they have the power to dominate the imperial territory. To me, they are just a bunch of dirt chickens and wooden dogs.

Lu Siyi scoffed, "Father, what should we do next with Li Jun and the Lu family?"

What do you think is appropriate?

This is testing you.

Lu Siyi suppressed the fire in his heart, carefully considering for a moment before slowly saying, "In theory, this time Lu Yujiang's actions would make the entire Lu family a dead end. But currently, the Lu family's actions cannot be made public. They are indeed Lu's relatives. If we just cut them off without reason, it might cause other families in Liaodong to be fearful and hesitant."

The death of the Lu family is small, the stability of Liaodong is important. So I suggest temporarily putting the Lu family aside, and after some time, find a more suitable reason to deal with them. This not only ensures Liaodong's stability but also demonstrates the Lu family's justice. Even if they are relatives, we can still act justly.

Lu Siyi thought his words were mature and prudent, coming from the perspective of Liaodong's overall situation, and should earn Lu Ning's approval.

But unexpectedly, his father's reaction was calm, just nodded, and continued, "What about Lu Yujiang? Don't you kill him?"

Lu Yujiang will be killed.

Lu Siyi added, "But not us killing him, but handing him over to Li Jun to kill!"

Lu Ning smiled ambiguously, "Are you trying to negotiate with Li Jun?"

Of course not. He has no right to let us Lu Thief negotiate with him. I want to use Lu Yujiang as bait to lure him to be killed within Liaodong!