Chapter 236: A Ruthless Scheme (1/2)
De Quan clearly thinks I cannot afford to offend him. Tonight, if I don’t let Lu Wenshu stay over, this old crafty servant will probably mention tonight’s matter to Emperor Father intentionally or otherwise after he returns. Tomorrow morning, during the morning court assembly, Emperor Father will probably say that I am petty-minded.
“What is Eunuch De Quan saying? How will Emperor Father be willing to give you a beating? Young Master Lu’s has truly encountered some hardships… Since you are already here, how can I refuse to play the host? Ming Lu, arrange a superior room for Young Master Lu. Better pick one carefully and make sure no other problems occur.” Pei Rumo instructed Ming Lu who stood by his side.
De Quan saw that he had achieved his objective and a brilliant smile appeared on his face. He quickly bade farewell to Pei Rumo, “Since this matter is resolved, this old servant shall not stay here and disturb Your First Highness any longer. The palace gates are about to be locked and I have to hurry back. I shall bid you farewell. Your First Highness doesn’t have to see me out.” Finishing his statement, De Quan immediately headed for the entrance.
Seeing that De Quan had walked far away, Pei Rumo withdrew his pretentious smile and addressed Lu Wenshu. “I am truly overwhelmed by Young Master Lu for thinking of me when you need help. Since things are already at this stage, there is nothing more for me to say. Young Master Lu, please.”
No one knew how sincere or pretentious Pei Rumo was.
Lu Wenshu resided in the First Prince’s residence with satisfaction but no one knew that the great fire was actually a self-guided act that he had conducted. After all, his goal was to live in the First Prince’s residence in order to grow closer to Bai Luochu. Of course he had noticed the frequency at which she visited the First Prince’s residence.
It might seem as if Lu Wenshu didn’t have any influence in the capital city, but he had actually planted his men in hidden places. These people wouldn’t appear in front of Lu Wenshu normally and would only appear during major incidents. They would usually use special message slips to relay their report to Lu Wenshu to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Early this morning, after Lu Wenshu finished his breakfast, he returned and saw a message slip on the table. He immediately knew that it came from someone observing the general’s residence. When he saw how often Bai Luochu was visiting the First Prince’s residence, he couldn’t sit still. She already hated him so much that she wished for him to turn into ashes and it was already busy enough dealing with Pei Qingfeng. Now, there was another Pei Rumo. If this carried on, he would die before he got his chance.
Consequently, Lu Wenshu chose the most dangerous method that involved burning down his house. But even if he was going to burn down the house, it had to be convincing. Even if it was convincing, someone had to persuade Pei Rumo on behalf of Lu Wenshu. After thinking through the consequences, Lu Wenshu picked the best candidate... De Quan. De Quan might just be a court eunuch, but he was actually the most favored court eunuch of the emperor. Even Pei Rumo would have to show him some respect. That was a good enough reason for Lu Wenshu to make use of him.
De Quan assumed that Lu Wenshu respected him and gladly accepted the invitation. He never expected that he was merely a tool for Lu Wenshu to achieve his goal.
Lu Wenshu wrote an invitation card to invite De Quan over for a chat and immediately started to prepare the things to start a fire. After all the preparations, dusk had already fallen. He hurried to the inn to buy a few dishes and jugs of liquor, putting on a show that he was sincerely treating De Quan to a meal.
When it was almost time, he used his spirit qi to knock over a candlestick. The flammable power had long been scattered around the room and the moment a spark appeared, the entire house would be engulfed by a sea of flame.