The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

The master had already returned to Qingxin Temple. Lu Yun took Zhou Boli away from him. After a while, she saw Jin He coming with red eyes to invite her over. Lu Yun ignored her father's walnut eyes and coughed lightly, "Father, Mother can't go back with you for the time being."

Lu Ling looked at his wife after a moment of silence. "Madam, is this disaster related to the Crown Prince?"

Zhang's expression was complicated. "Master, on my way back to Beijing, I accidentally saved the daughter of Prefect Fang. She was carrying an account book of the private sale of official salt in Luzhou, which caused this disaster."

Lu Lingcong's face was solemn. "Where's the evidence?"

"As I was fleeing with my children, we were kidnapped by another group of men in black." Zhang looked into her husband's eyes. "I didn't dare return to the capital until my brother informed me that the Luzhou salt case had been reported to the Emperor and the Crown Prince had been impeached. Only then did I dare to return with Rong Jie'er and Hui Ge'er."

Lu Lingcong was silent and thoughtful.

"If you are worried about being implicated by me, you can write a letter of divorce and send me home." Zhang's voice was still soft, as if she was saying that the weather was very good today.

Lu Lingcong sighed upon hearing this. "I, Lu Lingcong, am definitely not a coward. I'm just worried about how you can escape from this turmoil."

He currently held the position of Tongzheng, and his main duties were conveying the emperor's orders and handling internal and external memorials. He was also well aware of the importance Emperor Longqing attached to matters such as salt and iron.

If this is true, the crown prince has embezzled the money that should have been turned over to the treasury, diverted court resources for his own use, and in the process, bought people's hearts. The immediate harm may not be apparent, but as the saying goes, "leaders follow suit," long-term actions will inevitably lead to a depleted treasury and unrest in the country. It's absurd that the crown prince is the biggest pest in the court!

Lu Yun raised her hand. "Father, would you listen to me?"

Lu Yun's idea was to have his father personally testify. He would confess to the emperor, explaining that he had known the entire story a week after his wife's disappearance. Although the evidence had long been stolen by another group, for the safety of his wife and children, he secretly teamed up with his wife's brother to hide his wife in Luzhou. Only after the truth was revealed did he dare to let his wife return to the capital.

During this period, all his actions were to deceive others and protect the safety of his wife and children.

However, by following his own method, his father would be standing against the prince's party, which was tantamount to kicking someone when they were down in the eyes of the prince. At the same time, there was also a certain suspicion of deceiving the emperor, and he might be demoted to a penniless person by the angry emperor.

From a third-rank official to a wealthy man, Lu Lingcong agreed without hesitation, a wry smile on his elegant face.

"When I was in Qingzhou, I once heard a saying: 'If an official doesn't serve the people, he'd be better off going back to the mountains.' Sitting in my position, I can't even protect my wife and children. I'd rather go home and farm."

The couple held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes, everything was said without words. Lu Yun wanted to look at him for a few more seconds before she was dragged out by her uncle.

Lu Yun didn't reappear until the couple calmed down. She cleared her throat and said, "Father, Mother, I have a plan that can save your official position."

She had always remembered Zhou Boli's words. In terms of authority, who could compare to Emperor Longqing? In terms of closeness, it was only her father. Now she had someone close to her, the only thing missing was authority.

As soon as Lu Lingcong returned to the mansion, he was immediately invited to Yannian Hall. Several people in the hall had obviously been waiting for a long time.

"Mother." Lu Lingcong bowed to the old lady.

"Son, look for yourself."

After reading the letter, Lu Lingcong became more determined in his thoughts. He frowned and said, "Mother, I don't think the contents of this letter can be taken seriously."

The old lady was furious. "Why don't you take it seriously? You're going to piss me off to death. Before this is confirmed, quickly write a letter of divorce to Zhang. When this is over, I'll pick a better one for you."

Lu Lingcong still shook his head. "Mother, no. I will never do such a thing. If you are afraid of the Crown Prince's wrath, then—" He paused. "Then let's split up. I will bear all the consequences alone and will never burden the family."

Everyone in the room was stunned. Qin winked at her husband. Dividing the family was a good idea, but she was afraid that the old lady would be reluctant to give up the glory brought to her by her brother-in-law who was a third-rank official.

Lu Lingcong continued, "This ancestral home of our family will be left to my brother. I would like to ask mother to give half of the money I have earned from my years as an official to my son so that I can buy a house to settle down in and accommodate my wife and concubines. As for the land and farm, mother will take care of it."

The old lady was silent.

Qin couldn't help it. Most of the money that her uncle had sent back from his official position abroad over the years was given to Qin Jie'er as a dowry. If she took the rest away, what would they have to eat and drink in their house?

"Uncle, to be honest, because Cheng Ge'er and Qin Jie'er got married one after another, plus the daily support of the mansion, the money in the public treasury has been almost spent on social interactions over the years. If I give you all the remaining money, I'm afraid you won't even be able to afford food."

The wife's words were so harsh that the eldest master, Lu Lingping, could hardly look his brother in the eye. He took a sip of tea before saying, "How can it have come to this? The output of our farm last year was enough to cover the expenses of the mansion."

Qin immediately got angry when she heard this. "What's the output of the farm? The farm has been hit by floods and droughts for years. Even if it can barely cover the expenses of the mansion, will Cheng Ge's yard need money? Besides, there is still a daughter Zhen at home who is not married off. This is another issue-"

He talked a lot of nonsense, and it seemed like he wanted to kick the person out of the house.

"That's enough." The old lady whispered, "I'm not dead yet. If you want to quarrel, go back and quarrel. I'll let you stay."

Lu Lingcong looked at his mother with a last glimmer of hope, but saw her face gloomy. "You really don't want to divorce your wife?"

Lu Ling never gave a direct answer. "Ms. Zhang has taken care of me for half my life. Divorcing her without reason is unmanly. My son has learned from his colleagues that she is indeed deeply involved in this matter and has offended the Crown Prince's faction. If mother forces me to divorce her because she is worried about the burden on the family, I would rather split up the family, even if it means leaving home with nothing."

The old lady was extremely disappointed. "You have been obedient since you were young. It is true that you forgot your mother after you got married. Well, you did it for our family. I am sure you have heard what your sister-in-law said. It is not easy for us. I know your wife has several shops. She keeps the account books every year. The income from these shops is enough for your family to eat and wear."

The word "disappointment" is not enough to describe his mood at the moment. Lu Lingcong looked at his mother and every word he said was chilling. "My son doesn't want any of the houses, properties, and farms in our family. As long as she pays half of the money she paid to the government during her official duties in the past few years, Zhang's shop will be her dowry." "Rong Jie'er is not married, Hui Ge'er and Wang Ge'er are both unmarried. It seems that I have been working hard for my brother's family all these years.

The old man sighed and said, "Life outside the palace is not easy. As long as you are willing to divorce your wife and marry someone else, I will give you half of my property."

In the final analysis, he still had to divorce his wife. Lu Lingcong stood up from his seat and said, "Since the old lady insists on her own opinion, then the son will leave the house. It is better to do it today than to wait for a day. The old lady will ask the family elders to open the ancestral hall and revise the family tree tomorrow." After saying this, he left without looking back.

Over the years, he had saved up a small fortune of around 10,000 taels, barely enough to buy a five-story house in East City. In addition, his wife had left him some money before leaving Beijing, so he still had around 4,000 taels left, enough to buy furniture and servants.