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Chapter 73 Strength in numbers
Duke Yan frowned slightly and looked at Cao Tianbao. He probably knew that with Cao Tianbao's temper, he could no longer persuade him at this point, so he had to stop talking. He looked at Lu Zhang beside him and shook his head slightly at him.

This time, Lu Zhang noticed his grandfather's gesture and stood quietly beside him without saying a word.

"General, wait a minute!" Seeing that Cao Tianbao had already given the order, Lu Ze hurriedly waved his hands at him, "No!

This guy clearly came prepared today, and he insisted that you, the general, were protecting his nephew and disregarding the law.

Now, if your people go to the riverside to look for the boatman who recognizes the person in the portrait, whether they find him or not, as long as the boatman flatly denies that the person he saw is your nephew Cao Chenfeng, won't this guy insist that it was the people you sent who coerced and bribed the boatman to change his statement?

In my opinion, this matter should be handed over to someone else who is not involved, so as to avoid confusion later!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand at Jingzhao Yin, Lord Wu, and said, "You can't do that either. That guy just said that your Jingzhao Prefecture was deliberately shielding the criminal and refusing to apprehend him!"

After hearing what he said, Jingzhao Yin, who had just thought that Lu Ze's suggestion made sense and was about to speak, shut his mouth again.

Cao Tianbao frowned, thinking that although Lu Ze was young, what he said made sense. However, his own people could not go, and neither could the Jingzhao Prefecture. So who should he send people to go?

"Why don't I let my people go?" Everyone else was busy trying to avoid suspicion at this time, but Lu Ze seemed to have no concerns. "Boss Zhuang, my people will go find you a boatman on the riverbank. You won't say that even the prince of Dajin is deliberately showing favoritism to protect General Cao's nephew, right?"

"This..." Zhuang Zhi was slightly stunned. Now that things had finally taken a turn for the better, he didn't dare to say anything more questioning. After coming to his senses, he kowtowed hurriedly, "Thank you for your help! Thank you for your help!"

"Okay, then you two go! Move quickly and don't keep so many people waiting here!" Lu Ze breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhuang Zhi did not insist, and waved to the two followers he brought with him who were waiting on the side.

It was then that everyone present noticed that Prince Shu had come to congratulate him on his birthday with only two followers, both of whom were servants who served closely. Both of them looked only fourteen or fifteen years old and were as skinny as bean sprouts.

The two servants were also dumbfounded. They usually followed Lu Ze to study, and at most they helped grind ink, wash brushes, and tidy up books. When had they been sent out to do such errands?

"Your Highness Prince Shu, the riverbank stretches for miles. It's hard for the boatmen to know where to rest or wait for people, and there's no fixed place. I'm afraid your two servants... aren't enough." Jingzhao Yin reminded Lu Ze with some embarrassment.

"Oh, I see! I hadn't thought of that!" Lu Ze was also stunned. He turned around and asked Lu Qing beside him, "Where's my eldest brother? How many people did he bring with him?"

Lu Qing slightly moved aside so that he could see Zhu Yu standing behind him. "Although my chief clerk is not very strong, he looks much stronger than your two servants. If you need it, I will lend it to you."

Lu Ze waved his hands hurriedly: "Forget it, forget it. The three of them look about the same, none of them seem to be of much use!"

He then turned his gaze to Lu Chao, who was standing beside him. Lu Chao's expression was always indifferent, without any emotion or warmth. Lu Ze was probably really afraid of his brother from the bottom of his heart, so he didn't dare to ask him. Instead, he asked Lu Zhang directly: "Second brother, how many people did you bring today? Are they enough to borrow?"

Lu Zhang had originally received instructions from Duke Yan to stand aside like a statue, not saying a word. But now that Lu Ze suddenly asked him the question, it would be inappropriate for him not to speak.

When he came today, there was quite a big fanfare. He came with Duke Yan, and was surrounded by a large number of followers.

Others attending the banquet would have to consider the appropriate guests, but Lu Zhang didn't have to think about this. Everyone knew that General Cao and Duke Yan's faction were of the same mind, so no matter how many people Prince Yi brought to the banquet, Cao Tianbao would not be afraid.

At that time, they came to the door with great fanfare, and everyone saw it. Now when Lu Ze asked, Lu Zhang wanted to say that he didn't bring any people with him, but it was no use.

He quickly glanced at Duke Yan, put on a calm smile, and nodded: "I have more servants with me today, so let's ask them to help find someone."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing looked up at Duke Yan who was standing next to Lu Zhang. He saw that Duke Yan's face was becoming increasingly gloomy, but as he was in public, he couldn't say anything. The look in his eyes when he looked at Lu Ze was already unfriendly.

Lu Ze, however, was completely oblivious and clapped his hands happily. "That's settled! Boss Zhuang, please stop making a fuss. No matter what, today is General Cao's birthday. If you make such a big fuss, and the real culprit turns out not to be General Cao's nephew, you'll be in big trouble!"

Zhuang Zhi obviously didn't like to hear this. He opened his mouth with a look of grievance and resentment, but probably considering that Lu Zhang had already sent people out to find the boatman, he could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He leaned his whole body against the coffin and said nothing, and finally stopped making a fuss.

But things had come to this point, and Cao Tianbao no longer had the mood to celebrate his birthday. With a fierce look on his face, he invited Duke Yan and several princes to the guest hall to have tea and rest. He also asked the servants in the mansion to arrange for all the guests in the yard to take their seats and drove all the actors off the stage.

Only one play can be performed in the general's mansion today. Any more will be too noisy.

The guests temporarily sat down at the table where the birthday banquet was originally held in the yard, drinking tea and chatting to pass the time, which also eased the awkwardness caused by the tense atmosphere just now.

In comparison, the atmosphere in the living room was even more subtle.

There were four princes attending the banquet today, plus Duke Yan, whose status was no less than these princes. The five of them were sitting there, each with a different look on their face.

Then there was Cao Tianbao, who had a coffin carried into his house on his birthday, and was now sitting there, still angry.

Lu Qing was the same as always, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Chao lowered his head and drank tea, seemingly unaware of the people around him.

Lu Zhang glanced at Duke Yan a few times, as if he wanted to speak, but was glared back at by his grandfather.

The one who felt the most uncomfortable was Lu Ze. He was the youngest and couldn't calm down. His eyes darted back and forth among the other five people, staring at them eagerly, hoping to strike up a conversation with someone and break the uncomfortable silence.

It’s a pity that others don’t seem to have such plans.

No one spoke from beginning to end. Instead, Duke Yan looked at Zhu Yu, who was standing behind Lu Qing, several times. There was a hint of suspicion in his gray eyes, as if he recognized her, but was a little unsure.

After an unknown amount of time, a man hurried in from outside and clasped his fists towards Lu Zhang: "Your Highness, we have brought the boatman here!"

(End of this chapter)