Wang Daxia paced around the room in frustration, finally grasping Wei Caiwei's hand. "I'm sorry, but I must break my promise this time. I cannot leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard yet. When my father was harmed by Yan Shifan years ago, Lu Ying was my strongest supporter. Now that she's in trouble, I cannot stand by and do nothing."
Wei Caiwei said, "I'll stay too. Lu Ying is my sister-in-law. Our family must face this hardship together."
Though she spoke these words, Wei Caiwei felt uncertain inside.
Because in her previous life, Eunuch Wang had chosen to retire at this very moment, taking her to Nanjing to serve as garrison eunuch. Young and promising, with potential to become the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch someday, everyone said his early retirement was a pity.
But during the succession struggle, Eunuch Wang had been poisoned while protecting Wei Caiwei. Despite her careful treatment, the residual toxins could never be completely eliminated, gradually consuming his life.
With the Eastern Depot's demanding workload, continuing would have meant only a few years left for Eunuch Wang. Going to Nanjing for recuperation extended his life, allowing them to spend over a decade of good times together.
Since Wei Caiwei remained in Nanjing, far from the palace and court politics, she only understood the general outline of political events through official gazettes, unaware of the details.
She only knew that the Longqing Emperor would die two years later from excessive consumption of Red Pills, depleting his vital energy, entrusting the crown prince to Chief Grand Secretary Gao Gong. Gao Gong continued to wield power in the new reign, acting arrogantly toward the ten-year-old emperor until Empress Dowager Li, governing from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, allied with Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng to overthrow him.
These were the only outcomes she knew. In her previous life, the Lu family's fate had been mere conversation material from Eunuch Wang - strangers unrelated to either of them then.
The Lu family was also brought down by Gao Gong, their home confiscated. Son-in-law Yan Shaoting, along with Lu Yi and Lu Cai - three adult males - were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Having been raised in privilege and never endured hardship, Lu Yi and Lu Cai fell ill and died before their trial concluded.
Yan Shaoting, having experienced family decline before, survived. Due to Lu Yi and Lu Cai's deaths, court officials who had received favors from Lu Bing grew dissatisfied with Gao Gong. Ultimately, the sole survivor Yan Shaoting was exiled to Quanzhou for military service.
As for Lu family women and children: female relatives including Li Yiren and young girls were punished to become government slaves, sent to serve meritorious officials' families. Young boys, including grandsons and nephews, were exiled to Tieling.
Married daughters were exempt from punishment. All five married Lu daughters remained unaffected. Lu Bing had shown foresight in his choices of in-laws - none mistreated the Lu women despite the family's downfall, instead offering whatever help they could.
Miss Lu brought her second sister to the Duke of Chengguo's residence. Using money and the Duke's influence, she purchased Li Yiren and her nieces who had been made government slaves, housing them in her dowry estate.
For the boys exiled to Tieling, Wu Peng - one of Lu Yi's in-laws - arranged escort and care throughout their journey. All survived the trip to Tieling and safely endured the harsh winter.
Later, Deputy Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng tripped up Gao Gong, becoming the new Chief Grand Secretary. As Xu Jie's student, Zhang Juzheng immediately rehabilitated the Lu family that Gao Gong had uprooted while targeting Xu Jie. Their property was returned, women freed from slavery, and boys brought back to the capital for family reunion. Having endured calamity, the Lu family finally recovered.After being exiled to Quanzhou, Yan Shaoting distinguished himself by fighting Japanese Pirates and was eventually reinstated to his official position. His son Yan Congyun even passed the military imperial examination and rose to the highest rank of first-grade official, revitalizing the Yan family.
At that time, Eunuch Wang marveled at Lu Bing's foresight in choosing in-laws. After the family's decline, none of the in-laws took advantage of their misfortune. It could be said that the Lu family's survival largely depended on the protection of these in-laws.
In her previous life, Wei Caiwei had only heard these stories and occasionally sighed over them. But in this life, both she and Wang Daxia had become part of Lu Ying's life. What different outcome would await the Lu family?
The next day, Wei Caiwei submitted her name plaque to enter the palace and meet Li Jiubao, while Wang Daxia went to the Imperial Guard Office to discuss countermeasures with Lu Ying.
Lu Ying's expression was grim. "The Duke of Chengguo and Commander Zhu both say that Gao Gong is difficult to deal with. As the emperor's former tutor, he enjoys the emperor's trust. Since becoming the Chief Grand Secretary, though he governs autocratically, he has achieved considerable political accomplishments, earning even greater imperial favor. If they rashly oppose Gao Gong, they risk losing the emperor's trust and their official positions, leaving them powerless to help us in the future."
Wang Daxia's heart sank upon hearing this. "Then what should we do? Just wait to be slaughtered?"
Lu Ying replied, "Our Lu family has prepared for the worst. We're willing to abandon all wealth and official positions—survival is what matters most. As long as family members remain alive and under the care of our relatives, we can endure. Gao Gong is already seventy years old—who knows how long he can live? Let's see who outlasts whom."
As she spoke, Lu Ying handed over to Wang Daxia all matters concerning communication with San Niangzi and the eleven border markets for northwest trade. "I'm afraid my situation looks dire this time—I'll certainly lose my position. But the peace we've achieved with the Mongol Tatar Tribe was hard-won. After over two hundred years of conflict, we finally have tranquility. The task of maintaining this peace falls to you now. I'm sorry I can't let you retire early—you'll have to stay until you've trained a suitable successor. I can only entrust this to you—I wouldn't trust anyone else. After all, you're the most familiar with San Niangzi."
Wang Daxia found this unbelievable and whispered, "That ungrateful foolish emperor in the Forbidden City is trying to destroy your family, yet you're still concerned about serving him! Had we known this would happen, we should have let the Dark Spectre bite him to death back then, and none of us should have intervened." The Longqing Emperor was truly an ingrate! Had he forgotten who saved him back then!
Lu Ying said, "I'm not doing this for him—I'm doing it for peace. I've been resettling civilians along the border who've awakened from the White Lotus Sect's deception, distributing abandoned land for them to cultivate. Those lands were once fertile fields that fell into disuse after years of warfare."
"War is too cruel. From resisting Japanese Pirates along the southeastern coast to annual border raids in the northwest—officials and wealthy people can flee to safe places, but commoners who depend on farming suffer terribly, often becoming refugees reduced to begging. My previous goal was to dismantle the White Lotus Sect, which I've accomplished. Now I only wish to maintain peace. Whether I'm here or not, peace must continue—do you understand?"
Lu Ying was entrusting him with the security of the northwest border like a dying parent consigning their child's care. Wang Daxia felt heartbroken and turned his face away. "I don't understand! And I don't want to understand! The Earl of ChengYi has been gone for ten years, and if you're not here either, what meaning is there for me to remain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
Lu Ying said, "You actually do understand—you're just being stubborn. Since you've brought up my father, you should understand what kind of person he was. His spirit in heaven would also want you to achieve something meaningful."Wang Daxia had no other recourse. As a mere assistant commissioner, his influence was too limited. He gazed wistfully toward the south. "I wonder when Ding Wu will return. I only hope he comes quickly. Once you two are married, the punishment won't extend to a married daughter. With the Ding family as your shield, you won't have to suffer so much."
Ding Wu. Lu Ying silently repeated her fiancé's name. "The round trip from Yunnan to the capital takes at least four months at fastest. It depends on fate now—whether Gao Gong strikes faster or Ding Wu returns sooner."
Lu Ying had considered this matter as well. As the only unmarried daughter among the five Lu sisters, her position would become precarious when the family's downfall came. Ding Wu represented significant support.
Throughout it all, Lu Ying never wavered in her trust in Ding Wu. No matter what circumstances she found herself in, she believed he would keep his promises.
Lu Ying had always been this confident—in herself, and in Ding Wu.
Soon enough, Gao Gong made his move, but not against the Lu family directly. Instead, he targeted their in-laws, the Xu family. Of course, Gao Gong wouldn't personally suppress the former Grand Secretariat chief. He employed the tactic of killing with a borrowed knife, exposing how Xu Jie's family members and servants were committing crimes and seizing land in their hometown of Jiangning, Songjiang Prefecture, to Hai Rui, who was famous throughout the Ming dynasty for his integrity.
As Governor of Yingtian Prefecture, Hai Rui was upright and unbending. He didn't care that Xu Jie had served as Grand Secretariat chief—he arrested the offending Xu family members and threw them into Yingtian Prefecture's prison to eat jail rations.
Court censors successively impeached Xu Jie for failing to manage his household properly. With no other choice, Xu Jie raised thirty thousand taels of silver to grease palms. Taking advantage of Xu Jie's preoccupation with his own troubles, Gao Gong finally moved against the Lu family.
Gao Gong instructed censor Zhang Shouyue to impeach the late Marquis of Chengxin, Lu Bing, stating: "During the late emperor's reign, he associated with Yan Shifan, usurping authority and spreading evil. He committed ten major crimes. Though Yan Shifan was executed, Lu Bing kept his head and passed substantial inheritances to his children and nephews. We should exhume and desecrate Lu Bing's corpse, arrest and try his son Yi, nephew Xu, and family assistants, and confiscate his family property." (Note 1)
The meaning was clear: Lu Bing had colluded with Yan Shifan and become relatives by marriage. After Yan Shifan's death, the Lu family had sheltered and protected Yan's children.
Zhang Shouyue suggested digging up Lu Bing's corpse from his grave for desecration! Additionally, he proposed confiscating the Lu family's property and arresting family members for trial.
As soon as these words were spoken, their in-law Duke Chengguo, Zhu Xizhong, was the first to refute: "It's true that Marquis of Chengxin became relatives by marriage with Yan Shifan, but does marrying into the Yan family make one a Yan faction member? By your logic, since Yan Shifan's daughter married Duke Yansheng, does that mean the Kong family are rebels too? Yan Shifan's son is the grandson-in-law of Duke Dingguo—does that make Duke Dingguo a traitor? Furthermore, everyone knows I'm related to Marquis of Chengxin by marriage—are you going to accuse me of being Yan faction too?"
The ancestor of Duke Dingguo was Xu Zengshou, second son of founding hero Xu Da and younger brother of Empress Renxiao Xu. Every Zhu family emperor had Xu family bloodlines—the Duke Dingguo title represented one of the Ming dynasty's oldest noble families.
Duke Chengguo's self-composed speech forced both Duke Dingguo and Duke Yansheng, who had intended to remain neutral, to step forward and clarify they absolutely weren't Yan faction members.
This demonstrated the power of marriage alliances—intertwined and complex, where touching one part affected the whole.Seeing this point refuted by several noble families, Zhang Shouyue presented his second argument: "When Yan Shaoting fled to the Lu residence, he brought with him the Yan family's wealth. At that time, the Yan family had already been subjected to property confiscation, and all their assets should have been handed over to the state treasury. The Lu family, fully aware that these were illicit goods, still assisted in concealing them. These illicit goods are hidden within the Lu residence and have been embezzled by them. A property confiscation will reveal the truth."
As expected, Gao Gong exploited Yan Shaoting to attack the Lu family, stating, "This case involves state treasury property and must be thoroughly investigated."
Seeing his mentor's support for a full investigation into the Lu family, the Longqing Emperor declared, "Zhu Xixiao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is a relative of the Lu family and should recuse himself. This case shall be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for handling."
The Ministry of Justice was Gao Gong's domain, and he directed its actions as he pleased. Immediately, he ordered soldiers to surround the Lu residence and began the property confiscation to search for the "illicit goods" allegedly hidden there by the Yan family.
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