Chapter 86: The Reason

After learning it was the Chief Cuisine Officer, Lu Yuner’s vigilance lessened somewhat. They had brief contact at the Imperial Academy. Zhang Yun had the longest tenure at the Imperial Academy, was strict in her work, and although not approachable, she had upright and elegant character.

Lu Yuner sat opposite her, thoughtfully looking at the cold-brewed tea on the table. Recalling Liu Bing’s words “accustomed to drinking”, she had a clear answer in her mind about the relationship between her and the Chief Cuisine Officer. She silently picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

Zhang Yun looked at Lu Yuner with a faint smile in her eyes and said calmly, “How’s the tea?”

Lu Yuner put down the teacup and replied with a smile, “The tea color is clear and bright, the taste is smooth, refreshing with a sweet aftertaste. Not bad!”

Zhang Yun’s inscrutable gaze lingered on her face, seeing that her brow was as gentle and relaxed as ever. The interest in her eyes gradually deepened, “Good things are coming soon, congratulations! Dr. Lu.”

Lu Yuner’s eyes flickered slightly, staring at her steadily, and got straight to the point, “Chief Cuisine Officer, you called me here today… I’m afraid it’s not as simple as offering congratulations, is it?”

Zhang Yun’s smile faded, her expression suddenly serious, her tone dropping a few notches, “Regarding the relationship between the account book, Yan Luo, and Juzi, I presume Dr. Lu has guessed it all. Although the account book matter has been resolved, I’m afraid it’s not that simple in Dr. Lu’s mind.”

Lu Yuner pressed her lips straight, ripples appearing in her calm eyes, staring at her without speaking.

Zhang Yun’s eyes were deep as she said, “Moreover, Dr. Lu should remember a year ago, when you were framed as a rebel of the previous dynasty. If Han Ranzhi hadn’t found Chen Min, and Minister Chen hadn’t strongly testified to your innocence, her whole family wouldn’t have suddenly died at the hands of bandits.”

Lu Yuner’s eyes focused, her straight back suddenly tensing up, her hand involuntarily clenching into a fist inside her sleeve, her whole body exuding a hint of coldness.

Zhang Yun was right. When she first took office as Minister of Revenue, not knowing the depths of the muddy waters of the court, she was framed for colluding with rebels to plot rebellion.

As the saying goes: Since ancient times, the imperial family has been heartless.

As emperors, they are all naturally suspicious. Born into royal nobility, almost no one is willing to give up supreme power in exchange for vague affection.

Since her ascension to the throne, although Her Majesty held imperial power, if anyone shook her position as the ruler, even if it was just rumors, she would investigate thoroughly.

The punishment methods were extremely cruel, imprisoning in Zhaoyu Prison, preferring to kill a thousand wrongly rather than let one go.

It was also at that time that Lu Yuner felt the pressure of serving the emperor being like accompanying a tiger. To be honest, entering the court as an official was not her heart’s desire, and holding power was not what she sought.

Although the Lu family was a military family, before her soul transmigrated, because the original owner had mild anorexia, her body was weaker than ordinary women. The Lu couple urged the original owner to practice martial arts from childhood, just to strengthen her physique, not for her to follow in her mother’s footsteps and bring glory to the family name.

When the Lu couple passed away, they both considered that without the support of noble families, entering the court as an official was actually most inappropriate, so they let her follow Aunt Mu on the path of business.

Who would have thought…

After all, the current Emperor had been in the palace for a long time and was quite suspicious, not trusting certain old acquaintances. She issued an edict appointing her to the position of Minister of Revenue, which forced her to enter the court as an official. Fortunately, the original owner indeed had some real talent and learning. Combined with the original owner, Lu Yuner handled government affairs with ease, but still took a big fall.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the country’s finances, not only responsible for collecting and storing the court’s taxes, but also responsible for the court’s expenses, while also managing the civil affairs of the world.

The Emperor had always strictly investigated rebel remnants. In one accidental encirclement, a large number of military supplies used by the court were found, and these military supplies were also under the management of the Ministry of Revenue.

These court items being used by rebels was a matter of great importance, and as she was the Minister of Revenue, she must bear primary responsibility.

Later, after re-examination and verification by Minister Chen of the Court of Judicial Review, it was confirmed that what the rebels used was a batch of counterfeit products that were indistinguishable from the real ones, and the person behind it was also caught, which exempted her from guilt.

In the same year, Minister Chen retired and returned to her hometown. On the way south, the passenger ship carrying her whole family mysteriously capsized in the river, resulting in the drowning of everyone on board.

Whether it was a sudden natural disaster or intentionally done by someone, Lu Yuner knew clearly, but unfortunately, there was no concrete evidence.

After a brief trance, Lu Yuner’s knuckles turned white as she clenched her fist, “So what exactly did the Chief Cuisine Officer call me here for today?”

Zhang Yun’s expression suddenly turned cold, her rough thumb pressing hard on the teacup, “Minister Chen and I were good friends for many years. She can’t die without clarity. I must avenge this grudge!”

Lu Yuner had always felt guilty about Minister Chen’s death. Her gentle eyes were indiscernible as she asked, “What do you want me to do?”

Zhang Yun said, “Dr. Lu is also someone who deals with the officialdom. You must have guessed one or two about the person behind this. Actually, over these years, I’ve sent people to investigate secretly and collect evidence, including the Imperial Academy account book matter. I thought this time we could bring her to justice, but unexpectedly, she still got away with it.”

“If it were before, I naturally wouldn’t have come to you. But now you have a close relationship with Prince Yun. I want you to use Prince Yun’s hand to present the evidence to Her Majesty.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuner’s face showed a hint of confusion.

Seeing the puzzlement in her eyes, Zhang Yun said, “Qin Jin is cunning and ruthless, and moreover, the people around Her Majesty are not as simple as you think. Otherwise, why could she escape every time?”

“Although there have been no major disputes in the court and the country in recent years, there have been constant small movements. Among the six ministries, Qin Jin of the Ministry of Rites is the most favored by Her Majesty, and also the least likely to be suspected by Her Majesty. Moreover, Her Majesty and Prince Yun are as close as sisters. Her Majesty might half believe what others say, but if it’s Prince Yun’s words, even if Qin Jin quibbles, Her Majesty will definitely believe it.”

After all, Her Majesty and Prince Yun were life and death companions.

Lu Yuner frowned slightly, “But you should know that Prince Yun doesn’t get involved in government affairs. She might not…”

“She definitely will.” Zhang Yun’s lips curled up slightly, lowering her voice, “Do you know who leaked Su Qingwan’s address to the eldest princess back then?”

Lu Yuner was startled, her eyes suddenly sharp as arrows, staring intently at Zhang Yun.

Zhang Yun said seriously, “Su Qingwan was previously engaged to Qin Jin.”

Lu Yuner’s eyes lowered slightly, recalling that when Prince Yun spoke about the events of that year, she mentioned that Su Qingwan had escaped an arranged marriage to seek her out. It seemed this matter was a bit more complicated, but with Prince Yun’s temperament, the pain of losing her husband would definitely cost Qin Jin her life.

Seeing Lu Yuner lost in thought, Zhang Yun furrowed her brow and continued, “Since the account book incident, it took several detours today for you to shake off the people following behind. Moreover, Prince Yun doesn’t deal with government affairs or get involved in party struggles. She has been living in seclusion for years, refusing all visitors. At the same time, she has to be wary of spies from the other side and consider her own safety. It’s impossible to meet with Prince Yun. So, I want you to arrange for me to meet with Prince Yun, and as soon as possible!”

Later.

A plain and elegant carriage slowly drove down the bustling street. Lu Yuner leaned against the carriage wall to relieve her physical and mental fatigue, raising her hand to gently massage her temples. Today’s trip had yielded quite a lot, enough for her to digest thoroughly.

Qiu Yi casually surveyed the surroundings, a hint of vigilance flashing in her eyes. She turned slightly and said in a low voice, “My lady, the tail is back again.”

Lu Yuner’s delicate eyelashes trembled slightly. She couldn’t go to see Prince Yun right away, so they could only drive around a bit more. She spoke up, “If that’s the case, let’s drive around the area. Let’s go to the jewelry shop! To prepare a gift for young master Su.”

“Yes.” Qiu Yi’s lips curled up slightly as she drove the carriage away.

Qiu Yi knew all the shops in the capital area. The Yan Ji shop had the most variety and the best styles of jewelry.

Soon they arrived at their destination. Qiu Yi reminded, “My lady, we’re here.”

Lu Yuner lifted the curtain and got down from the carriage. Seeing new customers arriving, a servant immediately came forward to greet them and led the horse to park nearby.

This jewelry shop always sold men’s accessories, so most of the browsers were men, occasionally accompanied by their wife-masters shopping. Lu Yuner’s appearance was naturally extraordinary, so as soon as she entered, she attracted the attention of many young masters, who whispered to those beside them from time to time.

The one who also caught attention was the shop owner, Yan Luosi. He was stunned for a moment until the silk cloth in his hand fell to the ground. He came to his senses, picked up the cloth, and immediately went over to greet her warmly, “Oh! This young lady looks unfamiliar! I’m Yan Luosi, the owner here.”

As he spoke, he happily looked the woman before him up and down. This appearance! This figure! This temperament! Excellent!

Lu Yuner looked at the newcomer and found that the shop owner was only about thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance, but exuding the charm of a mature man still in his prime.

Whether it was because the shop owner was too enthusiastic or too close to her, the strong scent of powder that assailed her nostrils made Lu Yuner slightly uncomfortable, and she took a step back, replying, “This is my first visit.”

“First time? Then you’re a rare guest! What would you like to buy?” Although the newcomer was dressed plainly, her extraordinary temperament suggested she was either wealthy or noble. Yan Luosi happily led her upstairs, “If you don’t fancy anything downstairs, there’s more upstairs. By the way, how should I address you, young lady!”

Lu Yuner said, “My surname is Lu.”

Hearing that her surname was Lu, Yan Luosi’s expression changed slightly, then he smiled and said, “So it’s Miss Lu!”

Arriving on the second floor, Lu Yuner looked around and found that none of these styles were what she wanted. Yan Luosi saw that Lu had walked around without even touching anything. If it were any other customer, he would have angrily driven them away by now. He had put a lot of effort into these accessories, yet none of them caught her eye.

But faced with this Miss Lu, he couldn’t get angry. Yan Luosi smiled and walked up, “What’s wrong, nothing the young lady wants?”

Lu Yuner raised her eyes to look at him, “Can it be custom-made?”

Yan Luosi was slightly stunned, then reacted, “What kind of style does the young lady want?”

Lu Yuner asked, “Do you have brush, ink, paper, and inkstone?”

“Yes.” Yan Luosi looked at her thoughtfully, then ordered someone to bring them.

Lu Yuner drew the shape of a modern ring on the counter beside her. She had previously noticed the size of young master Su’s fingers, and noted all the dimensions. After finishing, she handed it to Yan Luosi, “This is the design I want, made of silver and in a pair.”

Qiu Yi had never had much appreciation for these men’s accessories, otherwise she wouldn’t have been criticized by young master Mu, so she didn’t find anything strange about her lady’s drawing.

Yan Luosi carefully looked at the drawing in his hand. Apart from some special patterns, there was nothing particularly strange about it. To be honest, compared to the accessories in his shop, it was rather plain in both style and color.

But after all, every customer is a guest, and everyone has different preferences. There’s no reason to turn away business that comes to the door.

Yan Luosi smiled, “Ten days later, Miss Lu can come to collect them.”