met free Chapter 223 Concern Leads to Chaos
Chapter 223 Concern Leads to Chaos
Xianglan was momentarily dazed. When she came to her senses, her eyebrows furrowed. "But His Majesty now loves and cherishes Your Highness even more than before. I suppose he won't let Your Highness fall into the predicament of your past life again..."
"Your heart is cold and indifferent. How can I know that yesterday's Lu Meiren won't be tomorrow's me? In any case, I need to make plans in advance in order to avoid being put in a passive position in the future."
Now that things have come to this, Chu Qingyin no longer wants to be confined to the scheming and intrigue of the imperial harem.
She wanted to live her life to the fullest and freely.
Seeing her determination, Xianglan couldn't help but sigh.
Although he wanted to comfort Chu Qingyin, he ultimately didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, at the Duke of Chu's residence.
During this time, Chu Tianheng has been resting and recuperating at home.
However, this morning, a servant from the manor delivered a letter to him.
"Do you know who left this letter at the door?"
The servant claimed ignorance, saying, "I truly do not know. This morning, when I opened the door, I saw this letter tucked under the door. I think it must have been secretly placed at the door last night or this morning."
"Sending a letter in the dead of night is probably done by a scoundrel. Just burn the letter."
Although the Chu family has now been exonerated, His Majesty has not reinstated Chu Tianheng to military power.
The Duke of Chu's mansion was just an empty shell in name only. After a year in prison, Chu Tianheng had come to understand many things, and he had become indifferent to fame, fortune and glory. He no longer wanted to be used as a pawn to be schemed against as before.
Upon hearing his master's words, the servant disposed of the letter as well.
Three days later.
The letter still yielded no results, and Lu Zhiheng couldn't help but feel a little unsettled.
"Are you sure that letter was really left at the gate? And did you personally see his servant fetch it and bring it into the courtyard?"
"Of course, don't you trust my abilities?"
After Shen Ran finished speaking with certainty, he suddenly thought of something and hesitated slightly: "Is it that Chu Tianheng... really doesn't want to conspire with the master?"
After all, the former General Chu had always been at odds with his master.
Having been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice for so long and suffered so much, I'm afraid their guard is now even higher than before.
"General Chu is a rare talent. If he can be used by us, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."
Lu Zhiheng said with a deep look in his eyes, "No matter what, I must win him over. Since he is unwilling to listen to my words of surrender, I will arrange to meet him for a face-to-face talk."
Lu Zhiheng would never back down because of this.
He has always valued talent, and Chu Tianheng has an excellent reputation in the army, with many loyal followers. If he could bring him under his command, it would only make things twice as easy.
"Send someone to deliver a message that I have something important to discuss with the young master of the Chu family. If he still refuses to see me, tell him that this matter concerns Consort Liang in the palace."
"Yes," Shen Ran nodded in reply.
Although it was somewhat abrupt, Lu Zhiheng had no choice but to act this way in order to achieve his goal.
Disturbed from his peace once again, Chu Tianheng's tone was tinged with anger as he questioned the servants in his household.
"I have already said that I am injured and just want to rest and recuperate, and I do not want to see any guests. Why do you keep disturbing my peace and quiet?"
The servant knelt on the ground trembling. "The Grand Secretary sent someone to say that this matter is important, and even if the master has to crawl, he must get out of bed."
"Important? Is he so eager to collude with me? Isn't he afraid that His Majesty will punish him if he finds out?"
Chu Tianheng snorted inwardly. He knew perfectly well what that young fox was thinking.
He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Tell that person outside that what the Grand Secretary wants is something I cannot and will not give to him."
The servant quickly replied, "Yes."
Just as he was about to go out to deliver the message, he heard the voice of the person requesting an audience outside the door: "General, please do not be angry. My master asked me to tell you that you are a man of great ambition, but you have been falsely accused of treason, which is a great injustice. Now that your name has been cleared and your day has finally come, are you really willing to give up all your wealth and honor and live a life of mediocrity as a caged beast in prison?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianheng's expression immediately became complicated.
His patriotic fervor is as clear as day.
However, things didn't go smoothly, and despite holding a large army, he couldn't gain the king's trust.
Years of fighting have only brought him a body full of wounds, not even enough to buy peace at home.
Although he was unwilling, he was exhausted and did not want to participate in these intrigues and schemes anymore.
“I know exactly what your master is thinking.”
Chu Tianheng sat upright by the couch, his expression solemn: "I rebuked him angrily that day and resolutely refused, and I will do the same today. If he insists, do not blame me for bringing this matter to His Majesty's attention, so that His Majesty can see what his loyal subjects are actually plotting!"
Shen Ran stood outside the door, but showed no change in expression upon hearing these remarks; instead, she remained remarkably calm.
"My master also said that General Chu is loyal and righteous, and naturally he will not bow down for temporary wealth and honor. However, since it concerns the lady in the palace, I wonder if General Chu can still remain so calm?"
Chu Tianheng, who was sitting upright by the bed, stood up immediately upon hearing this and hurriedly walked out of the room.
With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open.
Looking at Shen Ran, dressed in a simple blue robe, outside the door, Chu Tianheng frowned. "What does this have to do with my sister... or Consort Liang?"
Could it be that the man surnamed Lu also knows his sister's identity?
Shen Ran did not answer immediately, but raised her sleeve and bowed to the man in front of her, saying, "General Chu."
“My master said that as long as General Chu is willing to go with me, he can find out whatever he wants to know.”
"..."
Chu Tianheng's expression changed, and he became somewhat angry.
Lu Zhiheng, that sly fox!
Although he didn't want to be associated with Lu Zhiheng and the others, at this moment...
"This is an invitation."
Shen Ran took out an exquisite gold-embroidered invitation from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Tianheng with both hands: "My master has prepared a feast at Qin Lou and wishes to drink with the general all night and discuss important matters. If the general is willing, he may come."
Chu Tianheng pursed his thin lips.
Could something really have happened in the palace?
Yinyin has no family backing her now, and as for Minister Qiao, he is really unreliable. If something happens, he probably won't be able to protect her.
Could it be that Empress Wang has come up with some new scheme?
Chu Tianheng took a deep breath and finally accepted the invitation. His expression was solemn as he said, "I understand. You may leave."
Shen Ran smiled and said, "We look forward to General Chu's arrival."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Chu Tianheng flipped through the invitation, quickly scanning it.
He closed the book again, then turned and ordered his servants, "Go and fetch me a low-key robe. I want to see if this Grand Secretary's repeated invitations to me are a trap."
The servant nodded. "Yes."
Before you know it, night falls.
The sky was pitch black, but the Qin Tower was brightly lit, with the sounds of string and wind instruments filling the air.
Chu Tianheng, who had been invited, was dressed in a pine-green robe. He first looked at Lu Zhiheng sitting opposite him, and then at the rare delicacies on the table.
"I wonder what brings you here so insistently, Your Excellency?"
"General Chu is very busy. If it weren't for the invitation from Consort Liang, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to dine with you at the same table."
Lu Zhiheng remained calm. He picked up the wine glass on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and gestured for the other person to drink.
"Let's skip the drinking. Just tell me what's wrong."
Chu Tianheng was unwilling to give him a friendly look. If people found out that the two of them were meeting in private, even if it didn't involve his sister in the palace, neither of them would get away with it.
"Consort Liang is currently favored by the Emperor and is protected by Him in all matters. How could she be in danger? General Chu is just being overly concerned."
Lu Zhiheng smiled and continued, "But if there's nothing else, can't we invite General Chu out for drinks?"