Chapter 81: No Rush For This Moment
“Wait!” Lu Chengjing gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and stood up. In an instant, his legs gave way, and he plunged straight toward the fire pile in front of him.
The flames were about to lick his cheek when Lu Chengjing instinctively closed his eyes.
He didn’t fall into the fire pile; his body suddenly felt light.
Shang Wan turned back, her face pitch black as she held her own big flapping moth that had just been playing at moth-to-flame, grinding her teeth as she asked, “Need me to set up a grill for you?”
Didn’t he know his legs weren’t healed? Why was he hopping around blindly?
Lu Chengjing had no time to explain; his left hand grabbed tightly onto Shang Wan’s arm. “We can’t kill Lu Chengyuan right now.”
Shang Wan frowned. “Why?”
Lu Chengjing glanced toward the cloth curtain. Shi Tou was still bathing and hadn’t come out. He said, “Put me down first, and I’ll explain slowly.”
“Not putting you down.” Shang Wan pursed her lips. “You don’t even weigh as much as a piglet.”
Lu Chengjing: “…”
This was calling him names, right?
Shang Wan looked down at him, thinking of how he had suffered great grievances at the Lu Residence. In the end, she was somewhat reluctant to bully him and put him back in his original position.
She tossed two pieces of firewood into the fire pile, turned her head to Lu Chengjing, and said, “Speak. Why can’t we kill him?”
Lu Chengjing said slowly, “I know you’re skilled, but two fists can’t beat four hands. If something happens to Lu Chengyuan, the Lu Family will definitely investigate to the end.”
“Let them investigate. Am I afraid of them?” Shang Wan didn’t take it seriously. She had moved so many things from the Lu Residence, yet the Lu Family hadn’t traced it back to her.
Lu Chengjing knew what Shang Wan was thinking and analyzed, “Lu Chengyuan to the Lu Family is far more important than those dead objects. If Lu Chengyuan is killed, not only the Lu Family, but the Wang Family will investigate too.”
“Wang Family?” Shang Wan was puzzled. “Which Wang Family?”
Lu Chengjing gave her a look. “Mother’s family is surnamed Wang.”
Shang Wan suddenly understood; she hadn’t even noticed that Madam Lu was surnamed Wang.
“Is this Wang Family very powerful?”
Lu Chengjing nodded. “Last year, my eldest maternal uncle was promoted and transferred to the Capital City, serving as a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel’s Personnel Evaluation Department.”
The original host’s memory had no content about this at all. Shang Wan asked, “What’s so powerful about this official position?”
“The Personnel Evaluation Department mainly handles the punishment of civil officials, merit evaluations, the capital inspections, and other key matters.” Lu Chengjing explained simply and straightforwardly. “If you want to eliminate rivals in the Imperial Court, having someone in the Personnel Evaluation Department will make it twice the result with half the effort.”
It sounded like the Personnel Evaluation Department was a bit like the Organization Department at headquarters, responsible for talent assessment, rewards and punishments, and system implementation.
But Shang Wan was puzzled. “Your eldest maternal uncle’s promotion, what does it have to do with Lu Chengyuan?”
Lu Chengjing said, “During last year’s festival, Father sent thick gifts to the Wang Family via someone, and after the new year, we received a letter back from my eldest maternal uncle.”
“My eldest maternal uncle secured a spot for Lu Chengyuan at Bai Hong Academy, allowing him to arrive in the Capital City before June to study at Bai Hong Academy, then return home next August for the provincial examination.”
“Spots at Bai Hong Academy are hard to come by. My eldest maternal uncle didn’t give it to the Wang Family’s own sons and nephews but to Lu Chengyuan, showing he hopes to cultivate him as an ally. If you kill Lu Chengyuan, not only will the Lu Family pursue it with all their might, the Wang Family won’t let it go either.”
Shang Wan felt this reason couldn’t convince her. “Wouldn’t it be fine if we don’t leave any traces?”
Lu Chengjing shook his head. “Even if they can’t discover it temporarily, as long as it’s done, there will be a day it gets exposed. Besides, your good skills aren’t a secret in the village, and they won’t be in the future either.”
“Niangzi, those in power want to deal with someone; they don’t need evidence. Just suspicion is enough.”
Sometimes not even suspicion is needed.
No matter how capable Shang Wan was, she would eventually run out of strength.
Even if she couldn’t beat them and ran, what about the others at home? With Shang Wan’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t abandon her family.
Stepping back ten thousand steps, even if the family luckily escaped, they would definitely be wanted by the government, and peaceful days would be gone forever.
Between the family’s peaceful life and killing Lu Chengyuan, Lu Chengjing unhesitatingly chose the former.
He’d already endured for over ten years; there was no rush for this moment.
Shang Wan frustratedly smashed a fist into the ground and compromised. “If I don’t kill him, castrating him should be fine, right?”
Lu Chengjing shook his head. “How can a castrated person take the imperial exams? It’s no different from killing him.”
Shang Wan was annoyed. “Can’t kill him, can’t castrate him. Should I just let him keep living and disgusting people?”
“Don’t be annoyed, Niangzi.” Lu Chengjing gently tugged at Shang Wan’s sleeve, deliberately softening his voice.
“So annoying, acting cute all day.” Shang Wan glared at him, her eyes turning cold. “Tell me the truth. Was it that beastly thing who sent the anonymous letter to Tian Sheng?”
Lu Chengjing was slightly stunned. “Why do you think it was him?”
“For imperial exams and official career, reputation can’t have any stains.” Shang Wan said, “Molesting a young child, and that child is his own younger brother. If outsiders knew, wouldn’t it be a ready-made handle? Lightly, use it to threaten him; heavily, directly ruin him, make him despised and beaten by everyone.”
“It’s possible, but…” Lu Chengjing was helpless. “Besides you, how could I tell anyone else about this?”
He’d buried this matter deep in his heart for years, never mentioning it to anyone.
Even Shi Tou didn’t know and was puzzled why Lu Chengjing disliked Lu Chengyuan so much, finding even talking to him disgusting.
Shang Wan pursed her lips. “Only dead people can keep secrets forever.”
Lu Chengyuan worried that Lu Chengjing would block his path to glory, so he deliberately framed Lu Chengjing to be connected to the poisoning of the county magistrate and used the chance to expel him from the Lu Family.
Once Lu Chengjing was dead, his biggest confidant threat would be resolved.
Shang Wan felt her guess was very reasonable; it just lacked evidence.
“Even with evidence, he can’t be convicted.” Lu Chengjing said, “The poison was administered by Tian Sheng. Lu Chengyuan only sent an anonymous letter to Tian Sheng, which doesn’t violate the law. Moreover, Tian Sheng died by suicide via poison, not poisoned by Lu Chengyuan.”
Shang Wan: “…”
Lu Chengjing said, “Lu Chengyuan is cautious. Even when scheming against others, he’ll first find ways to clear himself completely.”
Shang Wan took a deep breath. “By this logic, the jade pendant and rice shop matters probably weren’t his doing too, right?”
Lu Chengjing said, “I’m not sure about the former, but the latter was him.”
Not angry, not angry, not angry… She was angry!
Shang Wan felt that if she stayed angry, she’d get mammary gland hyperplasia.
She said, “Can’t kill, can’t castrate. Breaking his legs to add some difficulty to his trip to the Capital City should be okay, right?”
No matter what, she had to vent this anger!
Lu Chengjing’s lips parted slightly. Shang Wan glanced at him and warned coldly, “Don’t say no again!”
Lu Chengjing: “Whatever Niangzi wants.”
“Good boy.” Shang Wan’s anger finally eased a bit. She stood up, cupped Lu Chengjing’s face, and rubbed it vigorously, finally clicking her tongue. “Almost no meat. Why don’t you learn from Yuan Yuan?”
Lu Chengjing: “…”
If he grew as chubby as Yuan Yuan, he was certain the first one to make him lose weight would be the woman in front of him.
Shang Wan pinched Lu Chengjing’s pointed chin and shook it. “Eat more from now on. A body full of ribs is pokey to hold.”
Lu Chengjing pursed his lips. “If it’s pokey, you don’t have to hold me.”
“No way.” Shang Wan teased him like a cat, lightly rubbing the soft flesh under his chin with her fingertip. “I have a question. The Wang Family is so powerful; why did they marry their daughter to the Lu Family?”
This world valued matching families. How could an official family marry their daughter down to a commoner family?
