Chapter 257: Chapter 195: The Beginning of the Inquiry of the Heart, No Right or Wrong, Only Different Stances

When Lu Mingyuan didn’t respond,

Lu Yunqing sighed inwardly, aggrieved and helpless. After saying those words, he quickly lost the nerve to even meet Lu Mingyuan’s gaze.

’But what choice did he have?’

He carried the expectations of too many people—the hopes of his numerous subordinates, the admonitions of his teacher, the anticipation of his Imperial Father. He absolutely could not afford a single misstep.

If he couldn’t secure the Emperor’s Throne, he would never see Ning Feiyu again.

Meaning his beloved consort, after her Flesh Body was reconstructed, would no longer recognize him.

The image of the Military Saint’s departing back was still vivid in his mind, his parting words unforgettable.

If he couldn’t prove his own worth, then everything would slip away from him.

Lu Yunqing believed Lu Mingyuan would surely agree to his request.

’Sixth Brother has never been ambitious and has no interest in fighting for power. If the two of them could just speak openly, things would be much simpler. He would help Lu Mingyuan solve all his problems and then let him have his freedom.’

After he ascended the throne, he would also take care of him as much as possible.

However, hearing this, Lu Mingyuan was filled with a mix of complicated emotions.

He had long known that the path to the throne was destined to be a bloody one, but he never expected that after navigating all the schemes and conspiracies, the final hurdle would be family affection.

After a long silence, he finally asked a question in return:

"Is this question from you, or from someone else?"

He really wanted to know if these words were Lu Yunqing’s own, or if his Staff Officers had orchestrated this.

Seeing that Lu Mingyuan was willing to talk, Lu Yunqing actually breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"It is their intention, and it is also mine."

"I understand." Lu Mingyuan nodded, then continued,

"Yun Qing, have you ever considered a question?"

"Imperial Brother, please, what is it?" Lu Yunqing asked with a serious expression.

"Have you ever thought about why you want the Emperor’s Throne?" Lu Mingyuan looked at him and said grimly.

Lu Yunqing nodded lightly. "Of course I have. Before, it was to stop our Second Brother’s actions. Now that he’s dead, I was lost for a time. But now, I have reasons that I cannot ignore. Though the methods I’ve used behind the scenes are not exactly honorable, and I cannot escape the blame, as long as the outcome is good, it’s of little consequence."

"Sixth Brother, you probably don’t know this yet, but Lu Guangjing killed many people behind the scenes. He not only framed you, but he also conspired against First Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother, who died in the Grotto Heaven. He got what he deserved, but it’s a real shame his life didn’t end at my hands."

Lu Yunqing’s voice was cold, his enmity for Lu Guangjing clearly not yet faded.

His master, the Li Sheng, had told him that besides Xun Yu, Prince Jin was also involved in Princess Consort Ning’s death. They could not be forgiven.

Anyone or any power connected to this matter must die!

The tree has fallen, but the monkeys in it are not all dead yet.

The notorious Infinite Faction was also on his list of targets to be eliminated, a high-priority one at that.

After returning from the Grotto Heaven, Lu Yunqing had already sent people to kill numerous spies from Prince Jin’s Mansion.

"Besides Prince Jin’s Mansion, how many more people do you intend to kill?"

Lu Mingyuan asked.

Lu Yunqing said earnestly, "Until this matter is thoroughly investigated, I will kill every single one I catch. There will be no quarter."

"Sixth Brother, you’ve been in the Cold Palace. You don’t know what’s happened this past year."

"You don’t know how much Lu Guangjing deserved to die, how detestable Xun Yu is, or how the Infinite Faction behind them is pure scum. Here in the Capital City, grudges are endless and good and evil are hard to distinguish. There are too many people just begging to die. You know Fourth Brother, right? On the surface, he’s all righteous and saintly, but in reality, he’s in Prince Zhuang’s Mansion every day, using women’s Palace Blood for Alchemy. And then there’s the Fifth Prince, who’s always been after you—savage and cruel. None of them are good people. I used to pity them, but now, looking back, don’t they deserve to die?"

"And our Seventh Imperial Brother, who has always seemed like an honest businessman—where do you think his money comes from? It’s all from merchant guilds colluding with the Government Office, evading taxes and skimming from the Great Yan National Treasury."

"Even Third Brother, who was always upright and valiant, was embroiled in a treasonous plot to usurp the throne. To this day, the truth of it remains unclear."

"In our Imperial Capital, if I only killed those who tried to kill or harm me, that would be the compassion of a Buddha saving all living beings. So, shouldn’t I pull out the weeds by the roots? Don’t you think that’s right, Sixth Brother?"

Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly. "Pulling out the weeds by the roots is not wrong, of course. But let me ask you: if you could guarantee that by killing just one enemy, everyone close to you would be safe, what would you do?"

Lu Yunqing, based on the teachings he had received, found such a question meaningless. He asked, perplexed, "If I can kill them all, why would I leave behind a potential threat?"

Hearing this answer, Lu Mingyuan remarked with a sigh.

"You really have changed."

The Lu Yunqing of before probably wouldn’t have even dared to kill. But now, he could speak of taking lives without batting an eye. It was a transformation Lu Mingyuan had not expected.

Lu Mingyuan chuckled. "By your logic, everyone deserves to die. In that case, you might as well kill me too. After all, I’m an obstacle to your throne. I’m also a man of low character who frequently pesters women in brothels and even abducts common girls."

"Sixth Brother!"

Lu Yunqing never imagined he would say something like that. He felt as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern. He lowered his head, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

"You’re different. I know you didn’t do those things. That incident where you supposedly abducted a common girl—I had it investigated. It was our Fifth Imperial Brother, Lu Mingkong. To tarnish your name among the people of the Imperial Capital, he deliberately had a common girl pretend to be a brothel worker and set you up with an ’Immortal Jump.’ You were drunk and delirious at the time, so of course you couldn’t defend yourself."

"Do you think I’m just killing indiscriminately? In truth, I’m not. I know who deserves to die and who is innocent."

"A Saint once said, ’A scholar cannot but be resolute, for his burden is heavy and his road is long.’ I can tolerate evil; I just need to act according to the specific situation and within my own capabilities."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head. "Even as your older brother, I have no right to criticize you. These are all your own choices. I just hope you don’t go against your own heart."

"You once said you studied to bring peace to the world, that you didn’t want to see brothers turn on each other. But now, I feel you are straying from your own Dao. If your Dao is unstable, how can you even speak of ascending the Emperor’s Throne?"

"You might kill Seventh Imperial Brother, Lu Yunwan, for corruption and breaking the law. But what about our Ninth Imperial Brother, Lu Yunhuang, who has never been involved in the struggle? How would you deal with him?"

Lu Yunqing lowered his head. "My teacher taught me that Heavenly Principle is without emotion. ’Preserve Heavenly Principle, extinguish human desire.’ Before Heavenly Principle, what are human beings? They can only make way for Principle."

Lu Mingyuan sighed inwardly and said faintly, "If people must make way for Heavenly Principle, then what is the point of living?"

’Eighth Brother’s way of thinking is still too naive.’

’He’s only come this far because he had the support of the Li Sheng and our Imperial Father. Without them, where would he be today?’

’At the same time, it was the Li Sheng who molded him into this person, a Lu Yunqing qualified to contend for the throne. He has now completely accepted the values of the Confucian Temple, becoming the very thing he once hated most. He can’t see it yet, but he will stray further and further down this path. When the time comes, it will be far worse than just his Daoxin shattering.’

’He refused to believe that his Imperial Father was unaware of all this.’

’Lu Mingyuan even suspected that this was all his Imperial Father’s doing.’

’From the moment he received the imperial edict of pardon, Imperial Father’s choice of successor had subtly changed.’

’If Emperor Yong’an wanted to support the Eighth Prince, Lu Yunqing, he would never have let me out of the palace.’

’Since he did, it means his stance had changed long ago.’

’The underlying message was clear: Imperial Father had given up on Lu Yunqing.’

’Lu Yunqing and Prince Chongwen’s Mansion must have sensed this shift in the winds, which is why they came to find me.’

’They hoped to use Lu Yunqing’s persuasion to make me give up the throne without a single soldier being lost.’

Lu Mingyuan had now seen through the situation.

’No matter what the Great Nether Empress did—whether it was saving me or letting public opinion fester—nothing could shake my current position in Imperial Father’s heart.’

’He had no need to be anxious about anything.’

At this moment, Lu Mingyuan finally understood the purpose of Emperor Yong’an’s edict.

From this, he could see.

He was the candidate who had "slaughtered" his way out from among the many princes.

Combined with the Yuqing Ancestor Master’s previous words, he understood. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He carried the Destiny of the Three Religions; he was the chosen one of the Taoist Sect.

Lu Mingyuan looked at the crestfallen Lu Yunqing, turned away, and murmured softly,

"Between you and me, there is no right or wrong, only different standpoints. Please, go back."

No one is perfect.

Lu Mingyuan admitted to himself that without the Six-Yao Turtle Shell, he was just an ordinary person, far from having Lu Yunqing’s level of scholarship.

But the Lu Yunqing of today no longer possessed his original heart for the Dao.

He was no longer qualified to vie for the Emperor’s Throne.

’Can an Emperor who treats human life like weeds and uses any means necessary really save Great Yan?’

As an Emperor, to save tens of millions by having a million corpses lie at his feet—Lu Yunqing would choose this great Dao without hesitation.

A great hero serves the country and its people. Though one can only save those before them, the future still unknown, he only hoped he could be the latter. That would be enough.

Hearing Lu Mingyuan’s words, Lu Yunqing’s eyes suddenly turned red. His voice was choked and heavy as he said,

"What on earth do I have to do for you to stop being angry, to not lash out, to give up the throne? Sixth Brother, if you continue like this, I’ll never see Ning’Er again! Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it immediately."

Lu Mingyuan turned to the side, his eyes dimming. "I am also very sorry about the death of Princess Consort Ning."

After that, Lu Mingyuan said no more.

Lu Yunqing gnashed his teeth in anguish, his eyes moist and his fists clenched tightly as he left the rear courtyard of Qingzhu Hall.

It was a long time before Qi Muxue returned to the small courtyard with the other women. Seeing Lu Mingyuan’s desolate figure from behind, none of them spoke, afraid to disturb their husband.

She exchanged a look with Huo Hongling before cautiously asking,

"He left, just like that?"

Lu Mingyuan glanced at the newly opened peach blossom buds outside the palace walls and said calmly, "He’s gone. Gone for good."

...