HLnovel Chapter 70 Clearing the Name of the Injustice
Chapter 70 Clearing the Name of the Injustice
As soon as she said those words, Madam Lu regretted them.
Ling Xiao, who was standing next to Lu Zhiheng, also quickly looked around. Fortunately, the study was quiet and there was no one else around.
Ling Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief before looking at the figure in front of him again.
Lu Zhiheng had already turned around, but his eyes were full of coldness as he looked at Madam Lu, and a murderous aura seemed to emanate from his body.
Startled, Madam Lu took two steps back. Only then did she realize that the man before her was no longer the weak, easily bullied, and taciturn wild child he once was.
Lu Zhiheng lowered his eyes, coldly glancing at her, "Is Third Aunt threatening me?"
Madam Lu's heart skipped a beat at that look, and she quickly chuckled awkwardly, "No...no, Ah Heng, don't take it to heart...I spoke without thinking just now, please don't hold it against your aunt."
Lu Zhiheng did not speak, but simply stepped forward.
Madam Lu could sense that the man's murderous aura had not dissipated. He walked very slowly, step by step, like a grim reaper from hell, about to take away souls and lives.
"Ah Heng, your aunt was wrong. Please forgive your aunt this once... Your aunt will never speak carelessly again..."
Madam Lu, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, apologized again.
Lu Zhiheng remained silent until he stopped in front of her, then his expression turned cold: "Third Aunt, do you truly know your mistake?"
His tone was cold and indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Madam Lu felt increasingly regretful. She shouldn't have disobeyed her husband and insisted on coming to find this jinx.
"Really, I...I really know I was wrong."
Lu Zhiheng did not believe it.
He lowered his eyes and said calmly, "My parents died early, and I was sickly from childhood. I was sent to my hometown Yueyang to recuperate when I was five years old. If my great-grandfather hadn't remembered me as a grandson and brought me back to the capital, there would indeed be no Lu Zhiheng, the current Chief Minister Lu."
He paused slightly as he spoke, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips: "But I also remember when I first came back, my third uncle and aunt targeted me in every way possible. One minute they said I was cursed by heaven, an unlucky person who would bring misfortune to my father and mother, and the next minute they said I wasn't a child of the Lu family, forcing my great-grandfather to perform a blood test to prove our bloodline. If it weren't for my great-grandfather's kindness and protection, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive today."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu was startled.
She assumed that Lu Zhiheng was too young at the time and had long forgotten those events.
Unexpectedly, I had already come to hate them back then.
She opened her lips, wanting to explain, but found herself unable to refute the argument.
"My third uncle and aunt have really done me no favors whatsoever. If it weren't for my grandfather's repeated instructions to look after the Lu family, do you think I would have helped you so many times?"
Lu Zhiheng glanced at Madam Lu, his tone almost cruelly cold: "If you continue to be ungrateful in the future, we can just split up the family. After all, the old master asked me to protect the Lu family, not you heartless, stupid, and useless trash."
These last words shocked Madam Lu so much that she fell to the ground.
She knew that Lu Zhiheng was a man of his word, and if he really wanted to separate the family, there was no way to stop him.
Lu Zhiheng was too lazy to waste any more words with her. After saying that, he turned and left.
Madam Lu sat on the ground for a long time, unable to recover. If Ling Xiao hadn't called her, she probably wouldn't have been able to wake up and face her current situation.
"Third Madam, the study is a quiet place for my master. You should leave now."
Ling Xiao spoke calmly, seemingly trying to persuade him, but more like he was trying to drive the guest away.
Normally, if he dared to speak to her like that, Madam Lu would certainly not let it go.
But given Lu Zhiheng's attitude just now, she no longer had the face to act presumptuously here.
After all, the Lu family's various branches all rely on Lu Zhiheng for survival. If they lose his protection, how will they enjoy their current prestige in the future?
Thinking of this, Madam Lu dared not linger any longer and hurriedly got up and left.
***
On the other side, in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Zhang Cheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was ordered to investigate Chu Tianheng's plot to rebel.
For two consecutive days, he reviewed the case files in the criminal investigation office, but to no avail.
After much deliberation, I decided to talk to Chu Tianheng, the person involved.
"Lord Zhang, His Majesty has already determined the nature of this case, so what is there to discuss? My Chu family has been raided and exiled, and my sister died in the cold palace. Isn't that enough?"
When Chu Tianheng mentioned his younger sister, Chu Qingyin, his eyes were filled with heartache and regret.
It's all his fault for dragging his sister down with him.
"General Chu, there is no need to be agitated. I have come here on orders to investigate this case. If you are truly wronged, His Majesty will surely exonerate you."
Chu Tianheng was brave and skilled in battle. He had never been defeated in the border region for several years, and his reputation spread far and wide. As a result, no foreign enemies came to invade again.
Zhang Cheng also admired him greatly and believed that such a loyal and brave general would never commit treason.
Previously, he was of low status and his words carried little weight, but with someone secretly reporting him, his message reached the Emperor's ears directly.
His Majesty was furious and immediately issued an edict to seal off the entire Chu family and exile them. Even the favored Consort Chu was banished to the Cold Palace. Not long after, she died of illness in the palace.
But whether he truly died of illness or was poisoned by His Majesty, who can know?
At that time, everyone was afraid of His Majesty's wrath and being implicated, and no one dared to speak up for him.
Zhang Cheng was the same. Although he despised himself for being cowardly, he had no choice but to do so for the sake of his official reputation and his life.
Now that His Majesty has finally softened his stance and assigned him to investigate the matter secretly, he immediately set about investigating without delay.
"Rehabilitate?"
Chu Tianheng just took it as a joke.
No matter how hard he tried to explain and protest his innocence, His Majesty didn't believe him at all, and even his sister died a violent death in the palace...
Why should the emperor need to feign compassion and cry like an crocodile now?
"General Chu, even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the reputation of the Chu clan, the Duke of Chu's mansion, and Consort Chu."
Thinking of the stunning beauty he had glimpsed at the palace banquet, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
He looked up at Chu Tianheng and said earnestly, "Although the Imperial Concubine is dead and her soul has departed, does General Chu really want his most beloved sister to die with such a stigma?"
No, absolutely not.
As if finally awakened, Chu Tianheng looked at Zhang Cheng, and a glimmer of hope finally ignited on his clear face.
"Lord Zhang, whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything. As long as you can bring peace to my Chu family, I, Chu Tianheng, will be eternally grateful."
As Chu Tianheng spoke, he stood up and bowed to Zhang Cheng with the courtesy due to a civil official.
His demeanor was elegant and courteous, completely unlike that of a rugged general who spent most of his life on horseback.
Even though he had suffered greatly in prison for a long time, his unyielding spirit remained.
Zhang Cheng felt more and more that how could such an upright and resolute person be a traitor?
"General Chu, rest assured, I will do my utmost to clear your name."