Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 441 Traditional Virtues
Dawn broke.

In the Great Qian Dynasty, the winter solstice is a three-day holiday.

As a result, early the very next morning, all the relevant civil servants of the Demon Suppression Division, the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dali Temple were thrown into turmoil.

Sheng Qingfeng personally led his men to kick open the gate of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion and dragged Huo Qi, who was anxiously waiting for a response from the assassin, out of the courtyard.

Huo Xingyuan rushed over to stop him: "Chief Sheng, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" Sheng Qingfeng was even more furious than him: "Your second son is about to die, and you're still asking what's going on!"

Huo Xingyuan's expression suddenly changed: "This is impossible!"

Sheng Qingfeng glanced at him with a cold smile: "I have already informed His Majesty that the trial will be conducted by three courts. You may come and listen in."

After saying that, he grabbed Huo Qi and left.

Huo Xingyuan was dumbfounded, unable to understand how Huo Qi dared to do it, or why.

The heir rightfully belonged to him! He had no intention of letting Huo Zhang replace him at all. What was he imagining, and what was he doing?
Huo Qi was a high-ranking official, a true "big shot," and a key figure in the entire Daqian Dynasty. For an official of such status to commit fratricide was a shocking case that immediately alarmed the emperor. Gu Zhanting, who was still "recuperating," was furious and ordered a joint trial.

Huo Xingyuan rushed to the Demon Suppression Division. Sheng Qingfeng sat high in the hall, with a man in black being escorted below, looking exhausted.

Huo Qi stood there blankly, feeling like he hadn't fully sobered up.

There was a side room next door where Huo Zhang was lying, and a group of alchemists and healers were treating him.

At this moment, Lu Xingzhou was no longer by Huo Zhang's side; he was squatting by the door of the side room with Sheng Yuanyao and Pei Chuyun, eating melons and listening to the trial.

Huo Xingyuan, not wanting to concern himself with the interrogation, quickly went into the side room and asked Lu Xingzhou, "What exactly happened?"

Lu Xingzhou stepped aside to accompany him inside, and said calmly, "My second brother was assassinated at Yihong Tower in the early hours of the morning. My family and I happened to be passing by while shopping, so we gave him some treatment. He's not dead yet, but I don't think he'll live tonight."

Huo Xingyuan rushed to Huo Zhang's bedside, his hands trembling as he looked at his son, who was on the verge of death and unconscious: "Who did this? Who did this!"

Lu Xingzhou said nothing.

After asking the question, Huo Xingyuan realized he had made a foolish mistake; Huo Qi was already being interrogated in the main hall...

He abruptly turned to stare at Lu Xingzhou: "Your arrival was so coincidental, it has nothing to do with you?"

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "The first thing you should do, my lord, is not to doubt me, but to thank me for temporarily saving my second brother's life and for allowing me to hear his last words."

A nearby doctor rebuked, "What are you saying, Lord Marquis? If it weren't for Physician Lu's timely treatment with the clear waters of Tianyao Holy Land and his proper hemostasis and bandaging, your son would already be dead!"

Huo Xingyuan pursed his lips, and after a long while, he said in a low voice, "Sorry... thank you."

Under the care of a group of top-notch doctors, Huo Zhang slowly regained consciousness and weakly called out, "Father..."

Huo Xingyuan immediately took out a pill, dissolved it in water, and tried to feed it to Huo Zhang.

But the water wouldn't go down.

Huo Xingyuan said urgently, "Open her abdomen, insert the medicine! We can cure her!"

The doctor beside him sighed, "My lord, the second young master's injuries cannot withstand any more strain. If his abdomen is cut open, he will probably die immediately."

Huo Zhang said weakly, "No need to make a fuss... Father, I only have one thing to say..."

Huo Xingyuan hurriedly said, "Go ahead, Father is listening."

"When I was alive... you were biased... now that I'm dead... you can't be biased anymore..."

After struggling to finish saying those words, as if fulfilling a wish, she fainted again.

Lu Xingzhou could tell that this time it wasn't a fainting spell; if it wasn't a celestial technique beyond the comprehension of this world, then it was probably true that he would never wake up again.

It must be said that Huo Lao Er was quite a character; his dying words directly accused him of favoritism, revealing the deep-seated resentment he harbored. These words must have been incredibly painful for Huo Xingyuan.

He took a deep breath and strode into the main hall. The first thing he heard was the black-clad assassin confessing: "Yes, it was Vice Minister Huo who asked me to kill Huo Zhang."

Huo Qi was shouting, "No! This is slander!"

Normally, Huo Xingyuan would have used some means to at least postpone the interrogation. But today, however, an inexplicable anger surged to his head, and he strode forward and slapped Huo Qi hard across the face, sending Huo Qi spinning 360 degrees.

Even the father knew perfectly well that Huo Qi was the one who did it...

Because Huo Qi had too many criminal records. He killed Huo Shang back then, and later, while others might not know about Huo Lu's affair, how could Huo Xingyuan not know? In fact, it wasn't just these two things; there was another one.

Back then, when Ye Wufeng was asked to assassinate Lu Xingzhou, Huo Jin, the fifth brother, was the one who actually carried out the task, so he took the blame and is still in jail. But Huo Xingyuan knew very well that the mastermind was still Huo Qi.

With the assassin caught red-handed this time, there's almost no way he can deny it. He might even bring up his past criminal record during interrogation, and then he'll be finished.

But after delivering that slap, Huo Xingyuan knew in his heart that even if Huo Qi was the one who did it, his family had to protect him to the death. So he didn't say anything more and went straight back to ask his father, Huo Liancheng, to come out of seclusion and see Gu Zhanting. Only Gu Zhanting's word could protect them in this matter.

but……

"Now that he's dead... you can't be biased anymore..." Huo Zhang's last words still echoed in his ears, and Huo Xingyuan simply didn't know how he felt.

Lu Xingzhou watched Huo Xingyuan's unsteady steps and a smile appeared on his face.

It's only the beginning...

The taste of family ruin and death... has only just begun.

…………

The interrogation was almost a foregone conclusion. Huo Qi, a rich young master, could not withstand the immense pressure of a joint trial. His psychological defenses collapsed, and he confessed to all his past crimes like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

The incident caused an uproar in the capital.

A high-ranking official, he murdered his brother, and not just once! He even killed Huo Lu last time!
Huo Lu is already a living dead, yet he doesn't even spare the living dead, just to frame Lu Xingzhou?
Going back further, he framed Huo Jin, killed Huo Shang, and his numerous past offenses are too many to count.

Such a crime, under normal trial, would absolutely not escape immediate execution. It's unknown what outcome Huo Liancheng, who hastily left the pass, could achieve by going to Gu Zhanting.

But whatever the outcome, the lightest punishment is exile. The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty are in place, and the emperor cannot act arbitrarily.

Lu Xingzhou entered the Huo family mansion amidst a gloomy and somber atmosphere. He had been invited to continue Huo Zhang's treatment.

When even elixirs couldn't work, he, a cultivator with the healing techniques of the Tianyao Holy Land, became Huo Zhang's last straw, especially since he was the one who initially saved him.

Lu Xingzhou didn't make any threats and simply entered the Huo residence.

"The Grand Tutor and the Marquis should know that we are only doing our best now, and the chances of saving him are very low, almost non-existent." Lu Xingzhou sat by Huo Zhang's bedside and cast a spell, glancing at Huo Liancheng, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Huo Liancheng had white hair, but his sharp eyes were like lightning. It could be roughly judged that he might have really broken through to the Super Grade. It seemed that the early exit from seclusion caused by this disturbance did not have much impact on his breakthrough, which was a bit of a pity.

However, he seemed somewhat listless, clearly unable to bear such an embarrassing family matter.

Huo Liancheng waved his hand: "Just do your best... We can think of other ways."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly. He knew what they were thinking. They were simply trying to find out if there were any stronger immortal techniques among the people in the ancient world. This matter could also lead to a judgment: if they didn't look for Jiang Duxu, it meant that they had someone else to turn to.

The Huo family's reaction gives us a glimpse into where Zhao En is.

He didn't say much, but stood up and walked out of Huo Zhang's room: "Now the Huo family can only raise Huo Heng... You all have to keep a close eye on him and make sure nothing happens to him."

Huo Heng stood to the side, his face beaming with joy.

Of the Huo brothers, Huo Zhang is clearly not going to survive; even if he were to be saved by sheer luck, he would likely be crippled. Huo Qi might be beheaded, and even if he survives, he would be exiled. Huo Lu and Huo Yu are dead, and Huo Jin has a dark past of imprisonment. No matter how you look at it, the position of heir apparent is about to fall into my hands.

Lu Xingzhou glanced at him and suddenly added, "Huo Qi is beyond saving, but Huo Jin is still possible. If Huo Qi takes all the blame for what happened back then, Huo Jin might be able to get exonerated. Should I mention this to my father-in-law?"

Huo Xingyuan said happily, "Xingzhou is willing to mention it?"

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "I'd also like to treat my second brother."

Huo Heng's expression changed.

It's one thing to get out of jail, but what do you mean by exonerating me? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?
Once the injustice is redressed, the so-called "black history" of imprisonment will no longer be a black history, but rather something that needs to be compensated. Does that mean that the crown prince, whom he had already secured, will face unexpected complications again?
Lu Xingzhou, are you out of your mind? Huo Jin is not wronged at all. Even if Huo Qi ordered the murder of you, he was the one who carried it out. Why are you repaying evil with kindness?

Lu Xingzhou glanced at his chameleon-like expression, a half-smile on his face: "But Grand Tutor and Marquis, please take note: it seems that brothers fighting among themselves is a traditional virtue of the Huo family. Don't let it happen again, or we'll truly become a laughing stock."

Huo Liancheng and Huo Xingyuan both caught a glimpse of Huo Heng's barely concealed expression, and their faces changed simultaneously. Huo Xingyuan slapped him across the face: "Kneel down in the ancestral hall, and come out only after you've thought things through!"

Huo Heng didn't even say a word before he was beaten and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall.

The current state of panic and uncertainty surrounding the Huo family is evident.

Lu Xingzhou left the Huo family with a smile and returned to the Lu residence, which was half a street away.

If we're talking about the traditional virtue of brothers fighting each other, it probably started with Huo Liancheng... Wasn't their massacre of Lu Xingzhou's family a case of brothers killing each other?

Upon returning to the Lu residence, several people were already waiting there. They were subordinates of Lu Xingzhou's Department of Guests, and were disciples of the Prince of Jin who had been recruited with the help of Qi Tuizhi.

Lu Xingzhou gestured for them to sit down and casually asked, "When you were working for Prince Jin, who of you was familiar with the intricacies of the Dali Temple prison?"

Someone bowed and smiled obsequiously: "I'm an expert in this... Sometimes people who offend the Prince of Jin are thrown into prison and made to 'die of illness' silently inside. I've done this a few times, I know the prison well."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Then do it again. Remember to accidentally let slip this to the people inside—Third Master Huo hopes Fifth Master will never come out."

(End of this chapter)