I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"Prime Minister, Minister Lu is here to see you."

Chancellor Lu was a bit surprised. "Show him to the reception hall." After speaking, he turned to Jiang Quan. "Go back and tell the consort not to worry."

Seeing that Chancellor Lu had no intention of writing a letter, Jiang Quan didn’t dare to ask any further questions. He quickly acknowledged the order and left.

After sending Jiang Quan off, Chancellor Lu took a moment to carefully gather his thoughts before heading to the reception hall to meet Lu Zhongqi.

The moment Lu Zhongqi saw Chancellor Lu enter, he immediately rose to his feet. "Greetings, Prime Minister."

"Sit, Mingda. What brings you here at this hour? Is it something urgent?" Chancellor Lu asked with a smile as he took his seat.

Lu Zhongqi observed Chancellor Lu’s calm and unhurried expression. He didn’t look like someone who was losing sleep over the leaked examination questions. ’With Chancellor Lu this composed,’ he thought, ’my guess must be right.’

He had read the letter from his daughter. However, there was one thing she didn’t understand: he was bound too tightly to the Right Minister. Trying to jump ship now would be utterly devastating.

Since he couldn’t abandon ship, his only option was to help Chancellor Lu weather this crisis.

"There is indeed an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you," Lu Zhongqi said, getting straight to the point. "I just received word that His Majesty intends to investigate this cheating scandal to the very end."

Chancellor Lu raised his eyes to Lu Zhongqi. "Where did you get this information?"

Lu Zhongqi said in a low voice, "The news came from within the palace."

News from the palace could only have come from Lu Zhongqi’s daughter. This part, at least, was consistent with what Consort Lu had said.

"What is it you hope to achieve by telling me this?" Chancellor Lu asked, looking at Lu Zhongqi.

Lu Zhongqi let out a long sigh. "Prime Minister, I know you were kept in the dark about this matter, that the examination cheating scandal was entirely the work of your subordinates. But this time, His Majesty is determined to see the investigation through. If you insist on protecting them, I’m afraid it will not only be difficult to answer to the Emperor, but it will also implicate you. The Left Minister is watching like a tiger eyeing its prey; he won’t let such a golden opportunity slip by. Prime Minister, you must reconsider."

Was Chancellor Lu truly innocent?

Not necessarily.

Chancellor Lu had, after all, accepted the Silver his subordinates offered. And while he may not have leaked the questions himself, the fact that others had gotten their hands on the papers to copy them was a dereliction of his duty.

If Chancellor Lu didn’t sacrifice his subordinates to save himself now, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Did Chancellor Lu really want to protect them? It wasn’t necessarily an attack of conscience, but rather a fear of his subordinates turning on him.

Compared to his subordinates, Chancellor Lu naturally valued his own career and safety far more. Lu Zhongqi’s advice happened to align perfectly with Consort Lu’s.

"You mentioned before... who is behind Yuquan Building?" Chancellor Lu asked, looking at Lu Zhongqi.

If Yuquan Building hadn’t meddled and spread printed copies of the leaked exam papers everywhere, how could the situation have escalated so quickly?

"Yuquan Building is a property of the Xie family. The young lady of the Xie family is quite close with Song Jieyu."

"Song Jieyu again?" Nothing had been going right for Chancellor Lu, and now, just hearing that name gave him a headache.

That word, "again," made Lu Zhongqi’s heart skip a beat. He was reminded of how Consort Lu’s title had been revoked and how his own daughter had been confined to her quarters. His expression soured.

"Yes. Song Jieyu is currently high in the Emperor’s favor, and the one leading the protest over the exam questions is her own cousin. This is not a good time to make a move against her." Lu Zhongqi advised tactfully, afraid that Chancellor Lu, in a fit of rage, would insist on taking his anger out on Yuquan Building. The more convoluted the situation became, the harder it would be to clean up.

Chancellor Lu gave a faint smile. "Mingda, don’t worry. Yuquan Building has performed a great service this time. Perhaps it will be ’rewarded’ accordingly."

Lu Zhongqi’s heart went cold at those words. He figured Yuquan Building was probably in for a world of trouble after this was all over.

Still, as long as it didn’t happen at this critical juncture, it was fine.

If something happened to Yuquan Building, Song Jieyu might not even intervene from the palace. They could cross that bridge when they came to it. The priority was to get over the current hurdle.

Cheating in the imperial examinations was something Emperors had always detested. Moreover, the current Emperor desperately needed talented men to counter the influence of old ministers like them. Now that a scandal like this had broken out, how could the Emperor possibly let it rest?

He then recalled Song Buran leading a crowd of scholars, arms raised, shouting about going to the examination hall and striking the grievance drum, risking their entire careers to fight for a clear and just outcome.

Was it really just about fighting for a clear and just outcome?

Of course not.

Every scholar who had endured years of arduous study was brilliant and well-read. This Song Buran was not only exceptionally knowledgeable, but also remarkably eloquent. Stirring up the hearts of the people was second nature to him.

He thought of Song Jieyu, who had received the Emperor’s overwhelming favor not long after entering the palace—so much so that the Emperor cast aside even the three concubines to dote on her alone. ’Truly worthy of being family,’ he mused. ’Their methods are remarkably similar.’

This gave Lu Zhongqi a headache. After all, his own daughter had fallen prey to Song Jieyu on more than one occasion.