r18novel Chapter 1879 Driven to a Dead End
Chapter 1879 Driven to a Dead End
Zhou Shiyue's attitude made Prime Minister Shen's temples throb with anger.
Prime Minister Shen asked Zhou Shiyue, "Since it wasn't the Prince who led the men to surround my Prime Minister's residence, then who else is so presumptuous?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps came from the doorway, sounding like a military general, the footsteps steady and powerful.
"Brother-in-law, may I come in?"
Zhou Shiyue casually replied, "Come in."
Prime Minister Shen: "..."
No, how come he seems more like the owner of this place than the person in question?
And he even started entertaining other people here?
He looked up and saw a dashing young man stride in. Though called a young man, he already possessed a certain composure. His skin was dark and slightly rough, suggesting he came from the north.
Then, recalling that he had just called the Prince of Jin "brother-in-law," Prime Minister Shen realized that this was Lu Zhaoling's younger brother, Lu Anfan.
I heard that in the past few days, the Crown Prince has gained a young general who is quite capable. He is very efficient in whatever task he is assigned, and the Crown Prince trusts this young general very much. This young general is Lu Anfan.
Prime Minister Shen immediately had a bad feeling.
Could it be Lu Anfan who led the men to surround his Prime Minister's residence?
That's really going too far!
When Lu Anfan entered, he indeed stated his purpose.
"Your Excellency, I am Lu Anfan, and I have come on His Highness the Crown Prince's orders to ask you a few questions."
"Young Master Lu..."
Prime Minister Shen hesitated deliberately, as if unsure how to address him. This hesitation in addressing him as "Young Master" was a reminder to Lu Anfan of his humble origins.
Even now, Lu Ming is still under investigation and may be executed at any time.
For someone of Lu Anfan's background to be addressed as "Young Master" by a prime minister is truly an honor.
As for his current military rank, it seems he doesn't hold one.
It's ridiculous that such a nobody would lead a group to surround the Prime Minister's residence. Whose mouth can His Highness possibly be silenced, and whose heart can he possibly win over by doing something like this?
Tomorrow he will send his trusted censor to bombard the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin!
Lu Anfan was only able to take such a shortcut because his sister became the Princess Consort of Jin. Therefore, even the Princess Consort of Jin was impeached!
Just as Prime Minister Shen was thinking this, he heard Lu Anfan say, "Prime Minister, you can just call me Little Lu."
He paused for a moment, showing no embarrassment or self-pity, but rather a very calm expression. "Although I am now considered a lieutenant general in the army."
Prime Minister Shen was shocked.
He became a lieutenant general so quickly?
This is impossible, right?
"Your Highness, I never expected you to be so dedicated to promoting your own princess's relatives. It seems that Your Highness is indeed susceptible to the charms of a beautiful woman and the influence of her pillow."
What Prime Minister Shen is saying is that Lu Anfan only obtained his military position because of Zhou Shiyue.
Zhou Shiyue sighed, "Alas, I really wish I had such an opportunity. After all, as the Emperor's favorite younger brother and a high-ranking prince of the Great Zhou, it would be too embarrassing if I couldn't even promote my own brother-in-law!"
He said more frankly, "Unfortunately, this kid didn't give me a chance. After going to Subei, he worked hard, was bold and meticulous, and made several merits in a short period of time, which surprised even me."
"If the Prime Minister suspects me, he can send someone to investigate."
Lu Anfan remained expressionless. "But before the Prime Minister investigates this matter, I must, on His Highness the Crown Prince's orders, ask you first how you met and became acquainted with the Empress Dowager. Over the years, have you had any dealings with the Empress Dowager that violated the rules of the court and the regulations of the palace?"
"presumptuous!"
When Prime Minister Shen was asked these questions by such a young upstart, his old face turned bright red, and he felt insulted.
"Prime Minister, this is what His Highness the Crown Prince instructed me to ask. It would be best if you answered truthfully."
"I am merely an acquaintance of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager; we have never had any illicit relationship, nor have we ever met in secret!"
“But your concubine Luo Qiu didn’t say that,” Lu Anfan said again. “If the Prime Minister doesn’t explain clearly, we can only ask you to stay in the Prime Minister’s residence for the time being and think it over.”
Lu Anfan said, "Until Your Excellency the Prime Minister has thought things through, please do not leave the Prime Minister's residence."
"In addition, His Highness the Crown Prince hopes that the Prime Minister can allow us to investigate the Prime Minister's residence to see if there is anything amiss. After all, Luo Qiu has confessed that her master is an evil cultivator."
"You are the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If any evil cultivators have hidden anything bad in your residence, it is a matter of great importance and could have an impact on the entire court. We must investigate thoroughly, and this is also to protect Your Excellency the Prime Minister."
Lu Anfan spoke these words very clearly, looking at Prime Minister Shen with a bright and righteous gaze, as if he was truly only thinking of Prime Minister Shen's best interests.
Prime Minister Shen's face turned green.
They talk a good game, but they clearly just want to search the Prime Minister's residence!
Lu Anfan took out a confession and handed it to Prime Minister Shen.
"This is Luo Qiu's confession. Although she has no cultivation, she is a disciple of an evil cultivator. If she were to hide some evil things in the Prime Minister's residence, everyone in the residence would be in danger. So, Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness truly wants to protect Your Majesty."
fart!
Prime Minister Shen almost swore.
Zhou Shiyue chimed in, "That's right, Prime Minister, the Crown Prince is doing this for the good of everyone in the Prime Minister's residence. After all, Luo Qiu is your concubine."
Prime Minister Shen was about to vomit blood.
Little did he know that he had only recently taken Luo Qiu as his concubine, and instead of accomplishing anything significant, he had given the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin a huge handle to use against him, allowing them to cause trouble using Luo Qiu!
And yet, he was unable to refute it.
"Is this really Luo Qiu's confession?" Prime Minister Shen tried to remain calm. "If she really confessed, then why was Lin Rong in such a hurry to execute her? Isn't this a case of murder to silence her?"
“Then the Prime Minister can impeach Lin Rong for this,” Zhou Shiyue said, spreading his hands. “How can Your Highness the Crown Prince and I care about so much? Anyway, if you don’t have anything to hide, let them search you and that’ll be it. If they don’t find anything, you can go and slap Lin Rong in the face.”
"Prime Minister Shen, when the time comes, I will definitely stand on your side and cheer for you!" Zhou Shiyue raised an eyebrow.
Prime Minister Shen felt that he had been driven to a dead end.
They're going to search, how could they not find anything?
We can at least try to find some incriminating evidence against him!
They clearly came prepared, yet they put it so nicely!
"I have many important official letters here, including those concerning diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. If anything goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?" Prime Minister Shen asked through gritted teeth.