He hadn't been pleased for long before Lu Qingwan said seriously, "I went to great lengths to use the guise of sworn brotherhood to trick a high-quality free laborer. How could I possibly kick him away so openly?
We should at least have him work for us for free for a few days..."
Her words, natural and utterly unashamed, stunned Lian Yu on the spot, while Li Yang and the others outside the carriage burst into uproarious laughter.
Si Fengwu, who had initially intended to complain about Lu Qingwan’s fickleness, instantly beamed like a child who had received candy.
Putting on a serious face, he apologized to Lu Qingwan, "It is my fault. How could one kick someone so openly? I should have worn a night suit and stuffed him into a sack.
Or perhaps setting fire to him while he sleeps also sounds good..."
As he spoke, his eyes provocatively fixed on Lian Yu, his smugness almost palpable.
Yet, paradoxically, Lian Yu's face, gloomy all day, finally broke into a smile.
"Just calling me 'brother' to trick me into working for you for a lifetime, isn't that a bit insufficient?"
Lian Yu stared at Lu Qingwan's belly with a half-smile, "At the very least, you should add 'uncle,' shouldn't you?"
This was a roundabout way of pushing them to have children. Everyone in the court knew Si Fengwu protected Lu Qingwan, so only he dared to speak so directly and without reservations.
Lu Qingwan, however, deliberately feigned ignorance, "Calling me uncle wouldn't be a problem, but it would mean arbitrarily increasing your generation. Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan?"
The others outside the carriage erupted into another chorus of cackles.
Lu Qingwan, however, had no intention of letting the matter slide entirely.
After the playful banter, she turned serious and said, "Brother has always stayed out of my personal affairs with the Prince. If you're suddenly pushing for children, has someone in court been insinuating that I can't have any?"
The reason Lian Yu could follow Si Fengwu for so many years, holding great power yet remaining unharmed, was his ability to always maintain his proper place.
For matters that concerned him, he would handle them perfectly without Si Fengwu needing to say a word.
For matters that did not concern him, no matter how much fuss there was from the outside, he would never interfere.
At times, he would even prevent others from pestering Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan.
Therefore, Lu Qingwan was certain that Lian Yu's sudden urging for them to have children was not baseless.
Lian Yu did not deny it. "No one in the court dares to doubt your ability to bear children anymore. It's from Great Qin. Someone knows that the Prince has become the Emperor of the new dynasty, and you two have no heir.
Those people from the Si clan are now eyeing the position of Crown Prince of the new dynasty.
They intend to select a son from the Si clan and send him to the new dynasty to be the Crown Prince, inheriting the legacy of the Prince and the Princess!"
Lu Qingwan blinked, looking at Si Fengwu with confusion. "Does the empire we built have any relation whatsoever to the people of the Si clan?"
"Absolutely not," Si Fengwu denied without hesitation. He then looked at Lian Yu, "I haven't heard even a whisper of such news. How did you find out?"
Si Fengwu had not taken everyone with him when he left Great Qin. His eyes and ears were everywhere in the Great Qin palace and court.
He didn't intend to cause any trouble in Great Qin, but he knew that as long as he existed, those in Great Qin would not stop using his and Si Fengming's sibling relationship to stir up trouble, so he left some informants as a precaution.
Yet, Lian Yu had obtained information he was unaware of.
This made Si Fengwu suspect if his intelligence system had malfunctioned again, and if it had been deliberately intercepted, as before.
Fortunately, the situation was not as dire as he had imagined.
Lian Yu shook his head slightly. "The old men of the imperial clan know that their reasoning for doing such a thing is weak, so they haven't openly discussed it in court.
Instead, they are plotting in private.
To catch the Prince and the Emperor of Great Qin off guard, they are planning very secretly, intending to present a feasible plan and then force the Emperor of Great Qin and the Prince to agree to it.
So, not many people know about this yet."
Lian Yu said with a hint of sarcasm, "As for how I know about it, that's even easier to explain.
They know the Bai family would never make peace with the Prince and the Emperor of Great Qin. So, they roped the Bai family into their scheme.
My esteemed grandfather already considers the new dynasty a vassal state of Great Qin.
He specifically sent me a letter, asking me to persuade you to agree to let his precious great-grandson become the Crown Prince of the new dynasty.
He also said that if I can convince the Prince to agree to this matter, I can return to the Bai family and regain my status as a Bai family disciple?
Isn't this sincerity very touching?"
Both Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan were shocked by what they heard.
Lu Qingwan couldn't help but retort on the spot, "If I recall correctly, you've been the one unwilling to return to the Bai family all these years, haven't you?
That 'white lotus' county princess even asked you to go back before. Why is it suddenly being presented as if letting you return to the Bai family is a great favor?
And he wants his great-grandson to be the Crown Prince of the new dynasty? Why doesn't he ask my Imperial Brother to make his great-grandson the Crown Prince?
Who does he think he is, making such grand pronouncements from thousands of miles away?
Does he think the distance is so great that my and the Prince's slaps can't reach his face?"
Lian Yu's mood, soured by the situation, improved slightly as he listened to Lu Qingwan's fiery tirade.
"The imperial clan members who can remain in Zhongzhou are not fools. My esteemed grandfather has a particularly shrewd mind.
If he didn't have a certain level of confidence, he wouldn't have rashly told me this.
I'm a little worried, has something happened in Great Qin?"
He continued earnestly, "The Prince and Princess are heading south. Could you detour through Zhongzhou and personally see what exactly is happening there?"
The Emperor of Great Qin was Si Fengwu's only elder brother, so he naturally wouldn't refuse such a request.
However, "If something has indeed happened, by the time I get there, it'll be too late.
When did Bai Xu send you the letter, and what else did he say?"
"The letter arrived this morning during our meal."
Lian Yu directly handed the letter from the Bai family head to Si Fengwu. "I intended to tell you on the way out of the city, but you were talking about other things, so I didn't get the chance."
After reading the letter, Si Fengwu felt sickened by the righteous and condescending tone.
He looked at Lian Yu with disdain. "Have you fallen into their hands with some weakness?
Otherwise, how would that old scoundrel Bai Xu dare to send such a letter to you so openly, knowing full well you are my person?"
Lian Yu let out a cold laugh. "I forgot to tell you, according to Bai Xu's intentions, this letter should have been delivered to you first.
However, the person delivering it couldn't get into the palace. While he was dawdling at the palace gate, Tang Xiao intercepted him.
Perhaps he thought that if you saw this letter, you would suspect my loyalty to you was for ulterior motives?"
Si Fengwu, utterly speechless, tossed the letter onto the table. "I'll write a letter to my Imperial Brother and ask him directly what's going on.
And I'll have the subordinates investigate. If there really is a problem, these people's ambitions might extend beyond just the new dynasty."