CH 83.1

Chapter 83.1 – So Magnanimous

When Lu Qipei returned to the princess’s mansion, it was already dark.

Naturally, Qi Yang was waiting for her. As soon as she came back, Qi Yang asked, “Why did you come back so late? What did Royal Brother Chu say to you?”

When Lu Qipei saw Qi Yang, first, she complained. “King Chu was so stingy. He invited me to the House of Happiness at dinner time, but he only ordered a pot of tea and didn’t even treat me to a meal.” Then she looked at Qi Yang pitifully and said, “Ah Ning, I’m hungry.”

When Qi Yang heard this, she couldn’t care less about King Chu’s motive anymore, and quickly ordered Zhi Ting to serve the food. In fact, knowing that the prince consort had been invited to the House of Happiness by King Chu, who would’ve expected that she hadn’t eaten yet?

Right now, the princess had already eaten, and there was no more food ready in the kitchen. It would take some time to prepare some food to serve.

Lu Qipei also understood it well, so after changing to regular clothes, she brought out a plate of cakes to pad out her stomach.

When Qi Yang saw her like this, she couldn’t help but complain at King Chu’s stinginess, and felt pity towards her prince consort even more. But after changing the topic twice, she returned to the previous question, “What happened today?”

After acting spoiled, Lu Qipei didn’t hide anything from her. She ate some milk cakes as she told Qi Yang everything that happened that day.

By the end, Qi Yang couldn’t help but laugh and said, “It seems that I wrongly blamed Royal Brother Chu before. He wasn’t being stingy, he was fed up with you and forgot to get dinner.”

Lu Qipei raised the corner of her lips and laughed, looking somewhat smug.

After she finished laughing, Qi Yang picked up a piece of milk cake and fed it straight to Lu Qipei’s lips, then asked, “That King Chu thinks he’s being so smart. You should’ve ignored him from the start, how do you plan to end this trouble now?”

Lu Qipei obediently bit the milk cake, then lowered her eyes as she thought for a while. Then, she said, “The Crown Prince’s health is getting worse, and these princes are getting more restless. I think it’s time we set an example for the others.”

The Qingzhou governor’s case was neither big nor small. At least based on Lu Qipei’s three years of experience in the Court of Judicial Review, nothing about this case could alarm her.

The position of a district governor wasn’t something small, especially for King Chu and the others. They didn’t have much power in the court, so they could only spend their efforts on local affairs.

It wasn’t easy for King Chu to win over a governor. More importantly, if he could protect the Qingzhou governor this time, the others would think more highly of him. In the future, it would be easier for him to win over the others.

Plus, it was also his plan to pull Lu Qipei into the water. If Lu Qipei really helped him this time, then it would be hard to stop once she started. If he got even more leverage over her, it could be considered as having spread his influence to the Court of Judicial Review.

If she didn’t help him, then he would reveal the so-called “evidence” to Qi Yang, then let Nanping go and make the story public. Then, that loving couple would be separated!

Various interests had tangled up within the last three years. Although Lu Qipei was just a Vice Minister in the Court of Judicial Review right now, there were still quite a lot of forces from the Crown Prince’s side behind her.

So if she was separated from Qi Yang and even the Crown Prince, the benefits for King Chu and the others were not necessarily small.

The young couple could see through all this very clearly. Qi Yang sighed as she shook her head, “None of my royal brothers are smart. He just showed this leverage to you so eagerly. It’s not enough to get this Qingzhou governor. We have to get him to pay himself before I’m satisfied.”

Lu Qipei smiled and held her in her arms. “Then I’ll have to dig a bigger hole for him.”

In the middle of March, the governor of Qingzhou was arrested and sent to the capital. Knowing that he was a part of King Chu’s group, everyone waited to see how the latter would react.

Lu Qipei was still investigating the case in the Court of Judicial Review. Letters from King Chu went from coming every two or three days to one letter every day, as if he was afraid that no one knew she was affiliated with King Chu.

Qi Yang was also feeling pretty upset lately. In Spring, when many flowers bloomed, she met with Nanping a few more times. Everytime she saw her, the latter had her chin held up high and her gaze looked down on her, with an undisguised smug.

Honestly, Qi Yang had never been treated like this for a long time, and she almost laughed in anger.

Finally, her patience ran out. In the evening, she grabbed Lu Qipei who had just come home and asked, “Have you finished digging that hole yet?”

Lu Qipei was stunned for a while when she heard this, then she immediately reacted and gave her a reassuring smile. “Almost. But if Your Highness can’t wait, there will be a court meeting the day after tomorrow. How about letting them feel worried for a bit?”

Qi Yang gave her a praise, then turned around and put the matter aside.

At the court meeting two days later, stood at her station and did not move, then a Compiler came forward to criticize an official. The subject was naturally King Chu. He was accused of taking bribes, and that together with his men, he disregarded the people’s lives and seized their lands and properties.

Piles of evidence were brought out one by one, tying King Chu and the governor of Qingzhou together. It even turned King Chu into the main mastermind.

King Chu defended himself in the court, but he was not favored by the Emperor, and the evidence was conclusive. The Emperor was furious and did not pay any mind to his sophistry. He immediately ordered the royal guards to take him back to his residence for a house arrest, and ordered the Court of Judicial Review to investigate the case thoroughly.

Before he was taken away, King Chu looked at Lu Qipei. His panicked eyes were seeking help, so how could it have the arrogance from back then?

Lu Qipei looked at King Chu being taken away by the royal guards and quietly withdrew her gaze, not saying anything.