My spirit appeared on the road to exile, and I was treated as an ancestor.

Chapter 107 Even More Down-and-Out Than Himself

You Xian's concern for the people is genuine, but even if Prince Su had rebelled, Lu Qing, no longer an official, would have been powerless to do anything.

It's not that he doesn't care about the people, but now he can only protect himself.

You Xian's gaze fell on his cane. Lu Qing, now in dire straits, was even more destitute than he had been back then.

“Lu Qing, I don’t want you to do anything, but now your Lu family is favored by the gods and has been frequently blessed. Prince Su is using the excuse that the emperor is incompetent and the gods have descended to earth. I’m afraid only your Lu family can break this deadlock.”

Prince Su wanted to win the hearts of the people when he rebelled, but he lacked such an opportunity. If it weren't for the Lu family's claim of divine intervention, the rebellion would have been delayed, and they would have had time to plan how to deal with the future.

Lu Qing's expression darkened slightly. When he met Yu Heng in Laiyuan Town that day, he guessed the intention of Prince Su. However, the Lu family could never admit to matters concerning the gods!

"The idea of ​​a god descending to earth is pure fabrication!"

"Could it be that even you now believe in those superstitious and supernatural things?"

Seeing that his reaction seemed genuine, You Xian said in a deep voice, "Of course I don't believe it!"

He was well aware that Grand Secretary Lu's name was known throughout the land, and Prince Su was merely using the Lu family's name to inform the world that the emperor was incompetent and cruel, and that he was persecuting loyal officials. He wanted the people to believe him, so that Prince Su could win their hearts by rebelling.

Lu Qing: "I know you want my Lu family to step in and quell those rumors outside, but my Lu family is currently powerless to even protect itself, and we really have no power to care about anything else. I hope you can understand."

To put it bluntly, even without these rumors, Prince Su would still rebel, and the emperor in the capital is waiting for him to rebel. It's only a matter of time before the world descends into chaos.

You Xian was speechless, knowing that his trip had been in vain, but he could understand the other party's difficulties.

He took the cloth-covered basket from the servant beside him and handed it to Lu Qing, saying, "The journey to the North is still long. Take this food with you for the road."

Lu Qing immediately accepted it, saying, "Thank you, but I'm currently under investigation, so I won't see you off."

You Xian remained silent. He had prepared an excuse because he was worried that Lu Qing would be too proud to accept the money, but he didn't expect the old man to accept it directly without saying a word of politeness.

It seems that his personality has changed quite a bit since he fell on hard times.

Lu Qing carried the basket and walked back with his cane. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back at You Xian. "I know you've spent your whole life seeking a good reputation, but if that day ever comes, bending over isn't so difficult. After all, survival is the most important thing."

He could almost guess that if Prince Su really rebelled, given You Xian's personality, he would definitely not submit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been driven out of the capital and returned to Liao County in the first place.

You Xian sneered, "You, surnamed Lu, have a bent back yourself, and you want to drag me down with you?"

Lu Qing did not want him to submit to Prince Su, but in this critical moment, feigning flattery was also a means to save his life and wait for an opportunity to resist, rather than throwing his life away in vain.

His words of advice were cut off: Forget it, I'm beholden to you. Even if You Xian's words were barbed, I might not have the chance to listen to him again.

Lu Qing shook his head, picked up the basket and returned, whereupon he was surrounded by his son, grandson and others.

Seeing the worried expressions on their faces, he reassured them, "It's nothing, I just met a former colleague from the court."

As he spoke, he subconsciously handed the basket in his hand to his grandson Lu Xingyao, but after glancing at his grandson's injured arm, he handed it to his eldest daughter-in-law instead.

Lu Zhou spoke first, asking, "Father, what does that person want with you?"

The old man had been taken away once before in Laiyuan Town, and only learned of the danger from Xingyao. Now, they had only stopped in Liao County for a short time, and someone was already looking for them again. It would be safer to just keep traveling. Lu Qing looked at the young people in front of him, thought for a moment, and decided not to tell them about Prince Su's rebellion, lest he frighten them.

"It was just a reunion, and I gave them some things."

He had barely finished speaking when his eldest daughter-in-law lifted the cloth, saw what was in the basket, and exclaimed, "Heavens—"

Everyone immediately looked over.

Madam Song quickly handed the basket to Lu Qing, saying, "Look, these are all rare items."

The others also looked at the basket, and saw that there were two packets of dry food inside, but the bottom of the basket was covered with silver ingots, and even some gold leaves, as well as a silver note with a face value of one hundred taels.

Seeing so much silver, they began to believe the old man's words; perhaps the other party really was just here to catch up.

Lu Qing felt uneasy. This old man, he would have accepted the food, but why did he also leave so much travel money?

This old man has always been stingy; could it be that he brought out all the valuables in his house?

However, judging from his attire just now, and the fact that his clothes were made of expensive material, I suppose his family's current situation is quite good.
She only hoped that they would meet again in the future so that she could repay his kindness.

However, what Lu Qing didn't know was that when You Xian returned to the mansion, he took off his gorgeous clothes, ordered someone to send them back, and changed into a coarse cotton robe before going into his study to write an article.

"Our master clearly doesn't get along with Elder Lu. Back when our master left the capital, Elder Lu even said some sarcastic things to make him look bad."

The personal servant sighed, holding the luxurious robe, "Even this robe was borrowed. How could we have given away all the money? Life is going to be tough from now on."

Borrowing a fine robe to appear before Elder Lu could help him regain face from back then, but if he were to give away all his money, he would truly be clueless.

The attendant who had followed You Xian for many years laughed and said, "You only know that Old Master Lu used to kick someone when they were down, but you don't know that when the master was in trouble, among all the officials, only Old Master Lu spoke up to save him."

Now that Old Master Lu is in trouble, the master is sending some silver as a way of repaying the kindness shown to him back then.

Back in the day, the master had caused Lu Lao a lot of trouble in the court, so it's really nothing that Lu Lao went out of the city to chase after the master and kick him when he was down. After all, the master's former friends didn't even leave their mansion back then, for fear of being implicated.

People often only see who are wolves in sheep's clothing and who are true friends when they are down on their luck.

Having obtained so much silver, Lu Qing instructed his three sons and daughters-in-law to hide it away. This silver was useless now, but it would be enough to secure their livelihood in the North.

When Gu Xingzhao finished his work and came over, he saw Lu Yang hiding silver on his person, with Madam Xu helping him.

She asked in surprise, "Lu Qing, where did you get so much money?"

Upon learning that his ancestor had arrived, Lu Qing immediately recounted everything that had happened during the day, including what he had told You Xian, telling the ancestor everything without missing a single word.

When You Xian's family was raided, no one saw him off as he left the city. So he took some money and chased after him, but because they had been fighting for many years due to their differing political views, he couldn't bring himself to say anything nice.

He had initially thought that You Xian had come to kick him while he was down. He had been narrow-minded.

Lu Qing: "I didn't expect him to send so much silver. I feel a little ashamed."

Here's the first update~
(End of this chapter)