Yuxi County.
Lord Lu lay on his side in bed, his forehead wrapped in bandages, his left leg bound with splints and gauze. He held a case file in his hands, reading intently.
A gentle knock came at the door, followed by Aunt Zhou's soft voice.
"My lord, I've prepared a bowl of chicken soup for you."
Lord Lu closed the case file and set it aside before responding.
"Come in."
Aunt Zhou entered gracefully, carrying the soup, her eyes reddened as she gazed at Lord Lu.
"My lord, are you feeling better today? You gave me such a fright the other day—losing so much blood. You must nourish yourself properly."
Lord Lu lifted the lid and took a few sips of the soup before waving his hand with a pained expression.
"Enough with the tears. Don’t worry, my life is a sturdy one!"
Aunt Zhou’s tears fell freely.
"Alright, alright. I’ve already had four or five bowls of soup today, and it’s making trips to the privy rather inconvenient. You and Aunt Li shouldn’t bring any more tonight."
Lord Lu was troubled. A crowd of commoners had gathered at the county office, demanding the release of prisoners. He had no time to deal with the concubines’ rivalry for favor.
Being a county magistrate was no easy task!
Even road construction had led to problems.
"My lord!! My lord!!"
Dacheng’s urgent voice echoed from outside the door.
"What now?!"
Lord Lu’s heart skipped a beat at the tone, and he clutched his chest, his voice trembling.
"Second Young Master and Third Young Master have arrived!"
Lord Lu exclaimed, "You sent word home?!"
Dacheng scratched his head. "When you were carried back injured that day, Aunt Zhou feared the worst and sent a letter. She only told me after it had already been dispatched."
This was Dacheng’s first time handling such a situation, and he lacked his father’s experience. He had considered sending someone to retrieve the letter, but Aunt Zhou’s words—"If something truly happens to the lord, can you bear the responsibility?"—made him hesitate.
Lord Lu slapped his thigh. "Foolish! The shortsightedness of women! If this frightens my wife, I’ll hold you accountable! Bring them in at once!"
Lu Chao winced as he rubbed his sore thighs and backside, limping into the estate.
Riding a horse looked dashing, but it certainly took a toll on one’s rear.
When no one was looking, Zhou Qingyuan shot Lu Chao a teasing glance, mimicking his awkward, crab-like gait.
It made Lu Chao grit his teeth in irritation.
As soon as the two entered the room, they saw Lord Lu’s pitiable state, wrapped in bandages.
"Father!"
"Are you alright?!"
"Did Mother take the news badly?!"
The three spoke almost in unison.
"Mother is fine. Eldest Brother and I kept it from her. But Father, what happened? How did the riot break out so suddenly?"
Lu Yuanyi sat by the bedside, his eyes reddening as he took in his father’s disheveled appearance.
"You did well! Your father is fine—just a minor injury."
Lord Lu looked at his sons with relief. Knowing his family was unharmed eased his mind. His wife was due to give birth in two months and must not be distressed.
"Father, when we arrived, we saw a crowd of commoners kneeling outside the county office. What’s going on?"
Lord Lu exhaled deeply and recounted recent events.
Upon taking office, he had traveled extensively to understand the people’s needs. Though Yuxi’s soil was mostly sandy and yielded poor harvests, the county was rich in iron ore. Aside from the mines claimed by the government, the locals refined nearby ore to forge farming tools. While these tools weren’t as durable as official ones, they were serviceable for fieldwork.
Lord Lu had an idea: if these tools could be sold, it would boost the locals’ income.
Yuxi bordered the prosperous Chu Prefecture. If a trade route could be established between them, it would benefit both regions.
The problem lay in the road’s construction.
After surveying the land, two viable routes emerged—one passing through Xiaohe Village, the other through Yangjiagou.
Lord Lu convened the county clerks and local gentry to discuss funding, hoping the latter would contribute. But word leaked before a decision was made.
Before the route was even chosen, villagers from both settlements clashed.
Everyone knew: to prosper, build roads first.
With such a golden opportunity at hand, who wouldn’t fight for it?
When Lord Lu and the constables intervened to stop the brawl, someone’s hoe flew loose—striking him squarely. Injured and trampled in the chaos, he was carried back unconscious.
With the magistrate wounded—possibly fatally—the matter couldn’t be brushed aside. The constables rounded up the brawlers, filling the jail to capacity for the first time.
With most of the village men imprisoned, their wives and children knelt outside the county office, pleading for mercy.
Spring planting season was approaching. Any delay would devastate Yuxi’s harvest, making Lord Lu the county’s greatest failure—and costing him his official position by year’s end.
Yet releasing the prisoners too easily would undermine his authority. If kneeling sufficed to sway judgments, where was the law’s dignity? But punishing so many would only incite further unrest. How could the people’s livelihoods be secured?
For two days, Lord Lu hesitated, unable to decide. He ordered his steward to announce that he remained unconscious while constables urged the crowd to disperse—to little effect.
After hearing the story, Lu Chao frowned.
"This seems far too coincidental. Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes."
Lord Lu sighed.
"I suspected as much. What I didn’t expect was how easily the once-honest villagers were manipulated."
Since arriving in Yuxi, he had served with integrity, believing he’d acted in the people’s best interests. Yet it was they who had harmed him.
Seeing his father’s despondent expression, Lu Yuanyi slammed the table in anger.
"Ungrateful wretches! Father, don’t build the road for them!"
Lu Chao shook his head.
"Second Brother, that’s exactly what the schemer wants."
This was a ploy with multiple aims: to drive a wedge between Lord Lu and the people, to discredit Prince Kang, and—perhaps—to sever the Lu family’s ties to the prince entirely.
A masterful strategy indeed.
People could endure never having something, but losing it after a taste was another matter. Public outrage wouldn’t fade easily.
And what would the Emperor think?
"Then what should we do?"
Lord Lu hadn’t expected his sons to solve the problem, but he was pleased Lu Chao had discerned the hidden machinations.
"Did the Third Prince give any instructions before you left?"
Lu Chao glanced guiltily at his father, thinking of Xiao Youcheng waiting outside.
"Father, I meant to tell you—the Third Prince sent Young Master Zhou and two other study companions to assist me in resolving this."
Lord Lu’s eyes lit up, and he nearly rose from bed.
"Bring them in at once!"
