How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 135 The Secret of the Lü Family

In the evening, the former servants of the Lü family also returned.

"Master, Miss." Grandpa Hua, with his white hair, went over to apologize with tears in his eyes as soon as he saw his former master.

"Please forgive me, sir. I, an old man, failed to protect the two young ladies."

"Please get up. This is not your fault. I am a nobody in Sifang City, let alone you. Don't say anything more. It's all in the past, there's no point in saying more."

"Yes, thank you for your magnanimity, sir."

Qingru also sighed. On the day the incident happened, she left Grandpa Hua and ventured back to Sifang City alone. She didn't know how he had managed to get through these days.

"Grandpa Hua, how did you get back?"

Grandma Hua helped Grandpa Hua sit down to the side, and sighed as she recalled the incident. "Alas, that day you returned to Sifang City alone, and I didn't know what would happen to you. So I stayed outside the city, disguised as an old beggar and mingling in the crowd. Later, I took the opportunity to return to the city as well."

I didn't dare leave to go home, so I came to the shop first. I noticed there were always plainclothes officers patrolling there, and the same thing happened at my son's place, so we never recognized each other. Until recently, when I realized no one was guarding the area anymore, I secretly went back to my son's house.

Looking at Grandpa Hua's face, which had aged ten years in just over six months, and his rough hands, one could tell that he had suffered a lot.

Qingru said with heartache, "You've really suffered, Grandpa Hua. I'm so sorry. After I got away, I've been following Young Master Guo around, and I'm always being followed. That's why I didn't dare to go looking for you, for fear of implicating your family."

Grandpa Hua waved his hand and said, "Miss, please don't say that. Your consideration is correct. In any case, it's all in the past now, everything is fine, and there will be better days ahead."

Even if disaster strikes unexpectedly, having a loyal servant makes it all worthwhile.

They invited Grandpa Hua and his wife inside, and Lü Peijun gave a large sum of money to Grandpa Hua's grandson as a token of gratitude for the family's kindness.

That evening, the temporary worker they had hired returned, and Mr. Lü went to the street and ordered a table full of dishes. The family enjoyed a lively reunion dinner together.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Mr. Lü asked everyone to leave the courtyard, then closed the door and called his two daughters into the room to discuss something.

"Yanru, you should still get your health checked out. It would be better to have some peace of mind before making any further arrangements."

Yan Ru said, "Yes, I will see a doctor tomorrow."

Looking at her two beautiful daughters, Lü Peijun stood up again to make sure no one was around before solemnly bringing up the matter of the jade pendant.

“Before you were in the city, Qingru, I gave the family heirloom jade pendant to Yanru. It contains a great secret of our Lü family.”

Yan Ru suddenly realized something, "Are you talking about that ink-wash jade double fish pendant?"

"Yes."

Lu Peijun continued, "Originally, I planned to pass this on to you after my death, but this incident has taught me a lesson. Life and death are unpredictable, and no one can say for sure what will happen next. Therefore, I solemnly tell you two the secret of my family."

Qingru and Yanru both held their breath, waiting for their father to continue.

“Our Lü family has a long history, much longer than you can imagine, dating back to the Lü family of the Western Han Dynasty. Empress Lü, who is often mentioned alongside Wu Zetian as ‘Lü Wu,’ was an ancestor of our family.”

The Qingru sisters stared wide-eyed, completely incredulous.

"Before Empress Lü married Liu Bang, our Lü family was already a prominent clan. After Empress Lü assumed power, she reached the pinnacle of her authority and accumulated countless rare treasures."

Before her death, Empress Lü had foreseen that things were about to change, so she secretly made preparations, hiding all the treasures of the Lü family in a secluded place, waiting for the day she could rise again.

Yan Ru exclaimed in surprise, "How much treasure is there?"

"About, the entire nation's resources."

This sentence shocked Qingru and the other person.

"All I know is that for two thousand years, our Lü family's treasure has never been opened; it has simply been passed down from generation to generation. It was because the Liu family purged us too ruthlessly back then, damaging our very foundation. Although a few high-ranking officials occasionally emerge in the court, the Lü family has never been able to regain its former glory."

"Then which branch of the Lü family are we descendants of?"

"Our family is the direct descendant of Prince Zhao, Lü Lu. In addition, there are descendants of Prince Lü, Lü Tai, and Prince Liang, Lü Chan, as well as descendants of Lü Feng, who considers himself the legitimate heir. Lü Feng's lineage has always considered itself the legitimate heir and is not very close to the other three lines."

"Each of our four families holds a power, and the treasure map has been divided into four parts. To unlock the Lü family's treasure, we must unite with the other three families. This was our ancestor's plan—for our four families to check and balance each other, and to help each other. If any family becomes greedy and tries to monopolize it, it will inevitably face suppression from the other three."

Yanru listened, seemingly lost in thought.

Qingru asked, "If our lineage doesn't participate in the struggle, nor does it unite with the other three families, can we live in peace forever?"

After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Lü shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it won't work."

Qingru asked in confusion, "Why?"

"I'm afraid this peace won't last long. The reason I'm telling you this is because my current imprisonment is inextricably linked to this matter. That Hayakawa Namio went to the prison several times to coerce and bribe, but then nothing came of it. Why do you think that is?"

Qingru exclaimed in surprise, "Did someone leak the information?"

"In the past two thousand years of changing dynasties, the Lü family has never had any internal strife. Now, however, someone has learned of this news. Tell me, isn't it possible that one of the branches leaked it? I'm telling you this so that you can be prepared. This is probably the most peaceful moment for our Lü family."

Yan Ru asked, "The Lü family was divided into four, and they've never lived together?"

"No, you could say we're quite far apart. This lineage includes the Lü clan of Qing'an in Jiangxi, the Lü clan of Laiwu in Shandong, the Lü clan of Lu'an in Anhui, and our own Lü clan of Taozhu. Your great-grandfather was Lü Zhu, the anti-Japanese general. Later, he offended someone, which is why we moved to Sifang City."

Yanru couldn't process these words immediately. "Dad, what about us?"

Lu Peijun said, "Whether you are pregnant or not, you must get back the jade pendant I gave you. That's the most important thing. Secondly, we also need to get back some things left by your great-grandfather."

Where are those things?

"exist…"

"knock."

"Who is it?" Before he could finish speaking, there was a noise outside the window, and Lü Peijun quickly went out to check.

Could it be that someone overheard what you just said?