After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 931 Negotiation
Haitang sent Wang Xiaoqing away and went to think in the yard.

She felt that she and her brother Haijiao had discussed exposing the affair of the grand scholar's son, originally with the purpose of preventing the daughter of this risky family from becoming the new emperor's empress, but she did not expect that the underground tunnel network secretly dug by the Sun family would be exposed. This was definitely an accident!
I'm afraid that after Lord Tao received the secret report and brought together the cabinet and the army to catch the grand secretary's son in the act, he might not have expected such a huge harvest.

As for whether the grand secretary's son discovered the Sun family's secret passage when he hired people to dig a tunnel, and whether the Sun family discovered the actions of the grand secretary's son when digging the secret passage, only people who have experienced the scene in person know.

But considering that the grand secretary's son hired people to dig the tunnel after the neighborhood where the Sun family lived was blocked by soldiers, and he acted secretly without telling his family, the besieged Sun family might not have noticed it at all?

If the Sun family had not been blocked, it would have been impossible for them not to notice that someone was digging a tunnel around their home. Once they knew someone was digging a tunnel towards their home, there was no reason not to stop it. Not only was the Sun family worried that the two tunnels would collide, exposing their secretly dug network of tunnels, but also because no one wanted to have their house dug out, and the secret tunnels could allow outsiders to sneak into their home from the outside world and plot against them.

The grand secretary's son took advantage of the opportunity, but fortunately Haijiao, a reborn man, stopped his plan.

The present is different from the previous life. In the previous life, when the new king ascended the throne, the Sun family was still in power and prosperous, and there was no need to dig a tunnel to escape. The son of the Grand Secretary would only silently fight against his parents and relatives at home, refusing to marry another woman, waiting for the day when his parents would change their minds and allow him to marry his sweetheart. He would not go to dig any tunnels, at most he would rent a small courtyard to meet his sweetheart privately. When the Sun family fell and the Sun family members were in trouble, it would be easier for him to bribe the jailer and secretly rescue his sweetheart from prison instead of renting a house to dig a tunnel. Anyway, it was common for an unmarried girl from the Sun family's side branch to "die" in prison, and no one would pay much attention to it.

The Sun family had already shown signs of decline in this life. Grand Secretary Sun had also retired from the cabinet early and returned home to retire. Concubine Sun had fallen out of favor in the harem and was demoted. Therefore, the Sun family prepared for a rainy day and started digging a secret tunnel under their house a few months in advance, just in case. This was reasonable. Since the Sun family was involved in the crime of treason, once convicted, the entire family might be implicated. The son of the Grand Secretary was worried about his lover, so he came up with the bad idea of ​​digging a tunnel to save him.

Fortunately, Hai Jiao reported the secret early, and Tao Ge Lao was careful. When he led people to catch the son of the Grand Secretary, he searched carefully enough, so he accidentally discovered the Sun family's tunnel network. Such a discovery also means that the two secret passages must be very close to each other. If they dig deeper, they will soon collide. If it is not exposed in time, the tunnel of the Grand Secretary's son will be discovered by the Sun family in two days. In order to keep it secret, the latter will most likely kill him to silence him, and then take the secret passage he dug for themselves, adding another exit to their own secret passage network.

The Grand Secretary and his family should really thank Lord Tao for saving their lives!

Now it seems that the rumors outside only talk about the secret network dug by the Sun family, but no one mentions the name of the grand secretary's son. I'm afraid this matter has also been concealed. The grand secretary's son has kept his innocent reputation and has a future. His parents really should thank Tao Ge Lao.

I just don't know whether the candidacy of the Grand Secretary's daughter for the new emperor's empress will be affected by her brother's scandal?

Haitang was thinking secretly in her heart, when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. She turned around and saw that it was her grandfather Hai Xiya coming out of the main courtyard.

He had just taken a nap and was hastily woken up by his wife. There was still some sleepiness on his face, and his clothes were not completely tidy, with the collar of his outer robe crooked.

Haitang hurried forward to greet Grandfather, while fixing his collar for him, she whispered to him: "Grandpa Cao seems to have heard some bad news. The Lu family is involved in the Sun family's affairs. It is estimated that it will be difficult to get out of it. I am afraid that the whole family will suffer, and Grandpa Lu will also be implicated." Hai Xiya suddenly became serious, and the sleepiness on his face disappeared instantly: "Really? I will go over and ask in detail. You ask someone to find your cousin. This concerns your Grandpa Lu. We have to discuss a countermeasure."

Haitang responded and watched her grandfather enter Lu Bainian's room, greet Lu and Cao, and sit down to discuss matters. Then she turned around and ordered someone to bring hot tea into the room, and at the same time sent someone out to find Xie Wenzai.

Not long after, Xie Wenzai hurried back and joined the discussion.

The four of them discussed for most of the day, and when the sun was setting, no one left the house. Ma had already sent Wang Xiaoqing and Cao Yong to rest, so she asked someone to prepare a sumptuous vegetarian dinner and sent it to the front yard room, so that they could eat and chat. She had dinner with her granddaughter.

But during the meal, Ma couldn't help but complain to her granddaughter in a low voice: "Your grandpa finally came back, but he only cared about talking to his cousin and old friends. He didn't care about his physical fatigue at all. He couldn't sleep well or eat well. He even ignored us relatives. What's so important?!"

Haitang told her, "I asked Wang Xiaoqing, and it seems that the Lu family has been involved in a big trouble, and it might even lead to the destruction of the family. Grandpa Cao heard about it and hurried over to inform Grandpa Lu. The four elders are now sitting together to discuss how to deal with it."

Ma sneered, "The Lu family is so ruthless and ungrateful to Old Lu, who cares if his family dies?! Anyway, everyone in the upper echelons knows that Old Lu has had no contact with our family in recent years, and the two sides have long severed ties. Let them punish the people of the Lu family. Why should they bother with Old Lu? He doesn't even know what his grandson looks like now, there is no reason for him to be implicated and lose his life because of an unfilial son!"

Ma didn't understand. What was there to discuss? She went to Ma Shangyi to plead for mercy, asking Ma Shangyi to help speak well of her in front of Queen Mother Zhou. Xie Wenzai could then take his old friend to see Tao Gelao. It would probably be alright. Did the four old men really need to discuss this for half a day?

Haitang thought that Grandpa Lu might not be so cruel as to stand aside and watch all the family members suffer. If he wanted to save not only himself but also others, it would be much more troublesome and he would need to discuss with everyone before he could come up with a solution.

While Haitang was gossiping with the Ma family, Lu Bainian had also made up his mind in the front room: "You don't have to persuade me. I am worried about the innocent women and children in the clan, but I will not risk doing anything I shouldn't do. I believe Tao Nanshan will not allow the new king to start a massacre right after he ascends the throne. The head of the Lu family and those clan members who are guilty, no matter what their fate is, they deserve it; the rest of the family members who were not involved in the case will most likely be lightly punished, whether it is exile, dismissal or confiscation of property, as long as they can save their lives, their hometown still has sacrificial fields, and the whole clan will not starve to death."

He raised his head and looked at his three friends: "When the time comes, I will go with them. They can't raise good children, and I can't watch them make mistakes again and again and teach their children and grandchildren to go astray. I have to let the younger generations of the family know what is the right way!"

"You don't have to try to plead for the Lu family. Tomorrow, I will go out to look for a house."