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

Chapter 141 Punishing Prince Su's Subordinates
Lu Xingyan's laughter was particularly loud in the hall. Prince Su's face darkened, and his tone became displeased. "Young Master Lu, please speak frankly if you have something to say."

Lu Qing did not stop her. He felt sorry for his granddaughter and was annoyed by it, but due to the circumstances, there were some things he could not say.

The Lu family's current situation is such that they cannot afford to offend Prince Su, as it would bring disaster upon them.

For the sake of the greater good, the youngest son could say the things that he himself could not say.

Lu Xingyan reached out and wiped away the tears on his niece's face, then turned to Prince Su, "I thought Your Highness had something important to discuss with my father today, which is why my father brought me here."

"The younger generation in the family has suffered, yet the Prince wants to dismiss my father with only twenty strokes of the cane. Does he think my father is only worth twenty strokes?"

Prince Su pursed his thin lips slightly; one would never guess that Lu Qing's youngest son was so quick-witted.

"Young Master Lu is joking. Twenty strokes of the cane is no light punishment. These people are now unable to get out of bed. Why don't I have them carried here so I can personally apologize to Miss Lu?"

Gu Xingzhao laughed out loud. Even a fool could guess that those people couldn't possibly have actually been punished.

The reason Prince Su said this was simply because he was certain that Lu Qing and Lu Xingyan would not actually let him bring the person out.

But Lu Xingyan was not one to play by the rules. He looked at the silent Lu Qing and said, "Father, it seems that our Lu family has lost power, and anyone can take advantage of us."

Prince Su frowned. What else did Lu San want to say?
Looking at his youngest son, Lu Qing felt that he had indeed brought the right person today. If it were the eldest son, he would definitely be suffering this humiliation by now, and if it were the second son, he would definitely have already started to argue and beat up Prince Su.

King Su was not an ancestor, and the methods his grandson practiced were useless to him.

Only the youngest son, when facing Prince Su, remained neither humble nor arrogant, and he was also quite eloquent.

Lu Xingyan looked disappointed. "I thought Your Highness was a reasonable person, but I didn't expect that even with Youtang injured like this, we couldn't get a reason out of him. Father, do you want to stay here and be disliked?"

Lu Qingyu choked, looked at his granddaughter, then at his son, before turning to Prince Su. Clearly, his son's words had struck a chord with him, and he felt somewhat humiliated.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. I'm afraid I can no longer reminisce with you today. Please allow me and the younger generation to leave together!"

As he spoke, he prepared to leave with his son and granddaughter.

Upon understanding the implication in Lu Qing's words, Prince Su immediately became anxious, "Grand Secretary, please wait!"

The words spoken by Lu Qing and his son just now meant that they intended to surrender, but they were displeased because Miss Lu was injured, and felt that the twenty strokes of the cane were too lenient and that they had been humiliated, hence their disappointment.

Although he wanted to protect those few subordinates who had followed him for many years, these people were incomparable to Lu Qing.
As long as Lu Qing is willing to surrender and help him win the world and the hearts of the people, what harm is there in killing not only a few subordinates, but even those around him who have made great contributions?
Only the one in the capital couldn't see the situation clearly, didn't know the will of the people, and saw the Lu family as a thorn in his side.

Little did they know that whoever won Lu Qing would win the hearts of the people.

A ruler who has lost the hearts of the people will be conquered by all the people of the world.

What Xiao Lan wanted was not just that chair, but also the hearts of all the people under heaven. He wanted to surpass his father and become a great emperor revered by future generations in the history books.

Let my father know that he made the wrong choice back then.

The one who should be sitting in that chair is herself, not Xiao Zhan. How dare he, a lowly palace maid, try to take it from her?!
Others dared not look directly at Prince Su, but no one could see Gu Xingzhao. She could look at whomever she wanted, and even if she got close to his face, no one would notice.

When Gu Xingzhao saw the ruthlessness in his eyes, she was startled. It wasn't her imagination; this man was indeed sinister. No wonder the late emperor chose Xiao Zhan. After all, what good thing could you pick from a trash can? Now she was even more optimistic about Shunyu. If the little princess worked hard, she might be able to kill both of her brothers in the future.

Prince Su quickly ordered his men to bring the four men who had kidnapped Lu Youtang earlier that day to the hall, where they knelt before Lu Qing and the others to apologize.

These four men were his trusted confidants, and handing them over to Lu Qing was already the greatest show of sincerity he could offer.

Fearing that Lu Qing and his son might not see through it, he said in a deep voice, "Whether these four are killed or tortured is entirely up to the Grand Secretary to decide. I will have no objection."

The four henchmen stiffened, but they didn't want to die.

At this moment, Lu Qing hesitated to speak, so Lu Xingyan spoke for him, "My father is kind-hearted and cannot bear to hurt anyone, so I, as his son, will speak up. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Prince Su nodded in agreement with Lu Xingyan's words. He had come to appreciate his youngest son, Lu Qing, quite a bit. He had thought that among those with the surname Lu, only Lu Xingyao had some of Lu Qing's demeanor, but he never expected that this sickly youngest son was the one most like Lu Qing.

Lu Xingyan gently covered his niece's eyes with his hand. His voice was neither loud nor soft, and his pace was neither fast nor slow, exuding a gentleness. He was also smiling. "Our Lu family has always only sought fairness. Since my niece's head has been injured today, I will trouble you all to also suffer some injuries on your heads."

Gu Xingzhao stared blankly at him. He was still standing there, his face looking harmless, like a tranquil landscape painting. His voice was so pleasant and warm, making people feel comfortable just by listening to it.

It is precisely this gentle person who, in a mild tone, tells others to bang their heads against a wall until they bleed.

"..." This person is so different from the Lu brothers, Lu Zhou and Lu Yang.

Gu Xingzhao realized that his previous understanding of Lu Xingyan was too one-sided.

Lu Qing, the father, was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized that since his granddaughter had injured her head, it was only right for his youngest son to make these people bleed as well.

The four subordinates looked at each other, none of them wanting to die. They turned their pleading eyes to their master, hoping for mercy.

Prince Su didn't look at the four of them, his voice sharp and cold, "Don't you understand what Young Master Lu means?"

A chill ran through the four of them.
The leading man lowered his head, his voice trembling, "Your subordinate obeys."

After saying that, he charged towards the pillar next to him without hesitation. With a loud "bang," his head collided violently with the pillar, and blood gushed out instantly.

Seeing this, the other three followed suit. In an instant, the sound of the impact echoed in the quiet hall, and blood blossomed on the heads of all four men, flowing down their foreheads and faces to their necks.

The four of them walked unsteadily toward Lu Youtang, who was standing next to Lu Xingyan, their voices weak and feeble. "Miss Lu, we four did not mean to hurt you today. Please forgive us."

Lu Youtang stiffened slightly, a little frightened. She gently tugged at Lu Xingyan's sleeve and whispered, "Third Uncle."

Young girls can't stand the sight of blood, especially Lu Youtang who is still so young.

Lu Xingyan relented, "Since you've already been injured, let's stop here."

Prince Su looked at Lu Qing, "I wonder if the Grand Secretary has calmed down?"

Gu Xingzhao looked at the four people in front of him, his forehead covered in blood, looking miserable and disheveled.

He was a hero, even more courageous than Prince Su, but unfortunately he followed the wrong master.