All this time.
Lu Mingyuan had always considered Wei the Ninth his final trump card.
He would never use him unless absolutely necessary.
Since Wei the Ninth had said he could act on his behalf once, he must be completely confident he could deal with a top-tier existence of the Upper Three Grades.
This was his only way to contend with the Upper Three Grades.
Lu Mingyuan had, in fact, just considered having Wei the Ninth kill his father, the Emperor. It would eliminate his greatest threat and resolve the immediate crisis.
But after careful consideration, he realized it was inappropriate. Publicly, his father, the Emperor, was still a wise and benevolent ruler. Only he, through his divinations, knew the Emperor's true intentions and his deep scheming. Everyone else still believed his father was the brilliant and mighty Emperor of a golden age.
In fact, being brilliant and mighty was not at all in conflict with being deeply scheming. Both traits could exist in a single person.
