Zhu Yu looked at Lu Qing with some confusion, not quite understanding how he had so early on determined that Duke Yan, Zhao Bi, would inevitably part ways with his favored protégé, Luo Yushu, leading to a complete falling out.

Lu Qing noticed her perplexity and asked, "Madam, do you recall how Bai Qihong recently infuriated his father-in-law?"

"I remember. He personally rejected in front of the Holy Emperor the lucrative position that Duke Yan had painstakingly secured for him," Zhu Yu nodded and, after speaking, suddenly seemed to have a moment of realization, "I recall that during Lu Zhang’s wedding, you pretended to be ill and didn’t attend the banquet at his house.

Afterward, when the rune returned, he said that everyone else from Duke Yan’s household was brought over to support Lu Zhang, except for Bai Qihong, who was sent to Huazhou by the Holy Emperor due to canal construction matters managed by the Ministry of Industry.

At that time, I thought that Bai Qihong, being Zhao Bi’s son-in-law, would never willingly take on the taxing role of the Minister of Public Works, that it was just a formality, a way to feign compliance.

However, after meeting him in person later, I had to admit that my previous thoughts were too narrow. Vice Minister Bai and that Zhao Bi are definitely not birds of a feather. He is genuinely willing to do something beneficial for the country and the people in the Ministry of Industry, not minding the hardship.

Supposedly, as Bai Qihong had been Zhao Bi’s son-in-law for so many years, Zhao Bi should have a clear understanding of what sort of person his son-in-law is.

Later, Bai Qihong was able to reject the lucrative position in front of the Holy Emperor, which perhaps indicates that his wife, Zhao Bi’s second daughter, is not solely ambitious either, and even if not completely aligned, at least respects her husband’s ambitions.

In that case, the previous effort of securing a lucrative position for Bai Qihong somewhat carries the flavor of Zhao Bi’s wishful thinking and acting on his own accord!

Does that mean... can I understand it that Zhao Bi is someone who practices favoritism?

And this ’favoritism’ of his is truly based on blood relations, at the very least requiring absolute diligence. Once it is his close kin, not only does he not hesitate to use his connections and resources to help secure things for them, but he would even impose what he considers a better future on them, like a forced sale?"

"What Madam says is very true; Zhao Bi indeed has such a character." Lu Qing smiled faintly and nodded.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu fully understood: "No wonder! Although the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is also a high-ranking official of the third rank, wielding significant power and deserving of certain respect across the court,

Luo Yushu has flattered Duke Yan tirelessly over the years, certainly not just to stop at the third rank, settling for only being the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Initially, he probably expected that after Zhao Bi achieved success, he could also rise dramatically in status and career.

But from Zhao Bi’s considerable support of Bai Qihong, and perhaps other specifics beyond what outsiders like us can fully grasp, Luo Yushu finally had to accept a reality: regardless of Zhao Bi’s future success or failure, the only ones he would wholly support unreservedly would certainly be the Zhao Family’s blood relatives and in-laws.

As for the other so-called protégés, who have flattered and depended on Zhao Bi for years, they remain in secondary roles, akin to eating the leftovers of others.

It appears that this time, Luo Yushu, upon realizing his desires were unattainable, didn’t even bother pretending anymore and directly turned against him. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

This old coot Zhao Bi, after calculating against others all his life, ended up being bitten by a dog he had raised himself!"

"Maybe this isn’t the first time he realized his dreams were unattainable," Lu Qing slightly disagreed, "For Luo Yushu to have stayed by Zhao Bi’s side all these years, receiving his support, and risen steadily to a third-rank position, firmly entrenched in the Ministry of Personnel, he must have made considerable contributions along the way.

However, his betrayal of Zhao Bi probably wasn’t a recent occurrence. Perhaps he had long realized there was always a barrier of precaution from Zhao Bi, making it impossible for him to achieve his dreams. If he followed Zhao Bi to the end, he might remain a mere pawn at the critical moment.

Therefore, he might have turned to someone else long ago, merely maintaining a façade of allegiance with Zhao Bi, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow.

By stepping out personally to expose him, it was not only the most credible approach but also allowed him to establish a righteous image, completely severing ties with Zhao Bi to ensure he wouldn’t get implicated when Zhao Bi fell.

Zhu Yu nodded in agreement.

The court struggles seemed new to her, yet she well understood the principle that "betrayal from within is the most brutal."

In the past, with the unresolved and mysterious cases she handled, the cruelest crimes often involved some connection between the perpetrator and the victim.

The greater Luo Yushu’s hopes for support from Zhao Bi over the years, the deeper his disappointment became upon realizing he could never become a core member in Zhao Bi’s eyes; the more he had invested before, the deeper the resentment bred by disappointment ran.

And precisely because Zhao Bi, relying on his past service and his daughter once being an Imperial Concubine who bore a highly favored Prince, Lu Zhang, in Da Jin, stood almost unparalleled, under one man but above thousands of others, commanding wind and rain at his whim.

Moreover, Luo Yushu’s years of obsequious politeness left Zhao Bi greatly inflated, inflated to near-blindness, thinking those around him had long been utterly loyal, firmly under his control, with no second thoughts whatsoever.

In the end, he was stung fiercely right in the heart by the very favored protégé he had highly valued all along.

"What stance has the Holy Emperor taken?" Lu Qing turned his gaze back to the rune and asked.

"At first, it’s said he didn’t believe it, saying that with so many years of camaraderie and trust between the sovereign and ministers, Duke Yan would never do such a thing. Yet later, a few more ministers came forward to testify, stating on the Duchess Yan’s birthday, they indeed saw the items Luo Yushu exposed at the Duke Yan Mansion.

Those people said they initially thought the items were openly displayed and believed them to be rewards from the Holy Emperor, thus marveling at the honor bestowed upon Duke Yan. It wasn’t until Luo Yushu stepped forth with his revelations that they realized those items were not imperial gifts but rather the result of Duke Yan’s private embezzlement.

It turned out that all along, the tributes from various vassal states were sent to the Duke Yan Mansion upon arriving in Jin Country, where Zhao Bi would inspect and retain what he favored before sending the excess to the palace..."