Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 670 - 669: Young Master

It seems that from beginning to end, Emperor Jin never mentioned, much less decreed, to reclaim the "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" waist card from Lu Qing, nor did he mention dismissing him from this position!

The "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" is a special position that does not require the Ministry of Personnel’s involvement and reports solely to Emperor Jin. Emperor Jin did not dismiss him, nor did he reclaim the waist card, which means...

Lu Qing is still the "Golden-faced Imperial Censor"!

The play these two acted out that day was truly performed with enough effort.

Zhu Yu once again envisioned the face of Emperor Jin, then glanced at Lu Qing beside her, and couldn’t help but want to click her tongue.

Emperor Jin’s own sons, apart from appearance, intellect, and character, with regard to temperament, not a single one resembles him.

Instead, it is the adopted son, Lu Qing, who became the one with the most similar character to that old fox, despite only having the same bloodline.

If he were a prince born of Emperor Jin, perhaps Lu Qing would become the most favored and valued one.

But as an adopted son, with such deep scheming, meticulous thinking, and such an impenetrable personality...

Alright, although Zhu Yu subjectively harbored quite a bit of resentment towards Emperor Jin, rationally speaking, if she were sitting in Emperor Jin’s position, she would probably feel the same complex emotions towards Lu Qing.

On one hand, she hoped that such a compliant junior would be loyally used by her, becoming her indispensable right arm, achieving mutual accomplishments. Yet, she couldn’t help but worry, what if this fellow’s ambition was much heavier than expected? If his usual indifference was just a facade, then how many of her legitimate sons could be his rivals?

She wanted to "make full use of people’s talents and things," while ensuring that Lu Qing’s skills and abilities were employed in matters beneficial to her grand endeavors, without any disloyal intentions.

While being cautious and safeguarding, she also secretly stirred the waters.

No wonder his attitude towards Lu Qing has been so contradictory over the years.

The "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" waist card was handed down from the talisman and delivered to the Lan King’s legitimate grandson, who held the waist card in his hand and examined it carefully.

It was already getting dark by now, and his guards beside him, fearing he couldn’t see clearly, particularly moved the torch closer.

Under the torchlight, every pattern on Lu Qing’s waist card was so clear.

The Lan King’s legitimate grandson scrutinized it thoroughly, though he didn’t know if there really was such a position as "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" beside Emperor Jin, nor did he recognize what style the "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" waist card should be, yet the memories of his childhood in the Prince Mansion had not faded away.

At that time, his grandfather was still very fond of him. Whether dealing with official matters or not, as long as he saw him, he would always pick him up and let him sit on his knee.

So, the Vassal King’s imperial bestowment waist card at his grandfather’s waist was something he didn’t know how many times he had seen, touched, or played with.

Sometimes, others would see him playing with the waist card and try to stop him in fright, but his grandfather would just stroke his beard, laugh heartily, pat his head, and tease him, telling him to study well and that the card would be his if he proved capable.

Back then, how harmonious everything was in the Prince Lan Mansion...

His grandfather diligently managed various affairs within Lan Country, while his father earnestly followed his grandfather, and the uncles were brotherly loyal and respectful, whether in the outer courtyard or the inner courtyard, everyone was in harmony.

Then somehow, it seemed as if everything changed overnight.

His father and uncles got into trouble one after another.

The way his grandfather looked at him no longer had the affection and warmth from before, cold, as if he didn’t recognize him.

"Young Master... Young Master...?" The person beside him saw him being lost in thought with the card and got a bit nervous as well.

After all, there had already been two groups of brothers who inexplicably got caught and tied up firmly, so now seeing their own Young Master spacing out after getting the card made them inevitably feel anxious too.

The Lan King’s legitimate grandson came back to his senses, looked again at Lu Qing’s waist card, and nodded, "I saw my grandfather’s imperial waist card when I was young. This thing is indeed ordered by the current Holy Emperor to be supervised."

When he said this, the guards beside him reacted in a varied manner.

Since they all had fallen for Lu Qing’s trick before, they weren’t particularly trusting of Lu Qing’s words. Hearing their own Young Master confirm definitively that the waist card on the person was an imperial bestowment suddenly made more than half of them relax their guard, and even led to a subtly joyous hope.

These people looked at each other, unable to conceal the excitement and joy on their faces and in their eyes.

Though they had been lying hidden on the back of this mountain for so many years, never forgetting their mission, as time went by, watching their Young Master grow from a little kid to an adult, yet they still couldn’t strengthen their ranks.

All these years they tried every means to gather news from the outside, but what they heard were worsening situations in Lan Country, with the Lan King allowing chaos all over, dispatching subordinates to enslave the people to grow all sorts of herbs and plants for him.

The various situations outside made them realize that wanting to recruit reliable people was as hard as climbing to heaven. One careless move could not only hinder strength enhancement but also introduce troublemakers, causing big problems for the Young Master.

The longer time passed, the more anxious and worried they became inside, even a bit vaguely feeling hopeless.

Now if this person really were a confidant of the Holy Emperor, then all that seemed impossible before now seemed to ignite a new hope.

Even the matter of Lu Qing twice tricking their people, be it due to a change in identity, turned from a teeth-gritting affair to a matter of high regard—after all, if someone with such tactics turns from an enemy into an ally, the situation changes significantly!

Yet among them, a small portion remained more composed, and among that group, the tied-up Big Beard was one of the calm ones.

"Untie me, I have something to say to our Young Master." He turned his head and spoke to the Fu Lu beside him.

Fu Lu glanced at Lu Qing, and Lu Qing waved his hand, "Untie them all."

The talisman went up and cut the ropes binding their arms so they could free their own feet.

Big Beard freed himself with a few moves, got up, and walked straight to the Lan King’s legitimate grandson, while those around quickly made some space for him to approach.

"Young Master, I think this matter still needs careful consideration; there might be more doubts." He stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said in a deep voice.