Chapter 122 Stealing the Big One, Then Stealing the Small One

Hearing footsteps, the two turned around and saw Lu Jinlan dressed in a bright yellow imperial robe. Her jet-black hair was tied up high with a jewel-encrusted gold crown, with only half hanging down behind her neck, giving her a clean and neat appearance. Between her majesty and grandeur, there was also a touch of the carefree ease of an emperor.

The two men quickly bowed and greeted the Emperor, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise." Lu Jinlan sat down, tilting her head to examine the man wearing a veiled hat, and asked softly, "Is this A-Li?"

The man shook his head slightly, raised his hand to lift the veil, revealing a face that bore a resemblance to Chi Li.

Lu Jinlan understood, "Oh, it's Cheng-di. What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Lu Jinlan instructed someone to offer them seats and tea, and the Chi siblings thanked her and sat down.

Chi Moyao was straightforward and got straight to the point: "Our emperor heard that Your Majesty was holding a grand selection of men, so he ordered people to select handsome men from the Jiang Kingdom to send to Your Majesty for selection. My elder brother, as the Crown Prince, recommended my younger brother Cheng. Therefore, on the day of the selection, my younger brother Cheng will be among the twenty handsome men sent by our country."

“My brother said that he and Yang’er are far away in Jiang Kingdom, and he misses you day and night. He sent Cheng’er here this time, hoping that Your Majesty would accept him. Once we become relatives, he can use this as an excuse to bring Yang’er to the palace to visit Your Majesty.”

Lu Jinlan rubbed his temples as he listened. It made perfect sense, but the problem was… what would Chi Cheng think?

The last time she saw Chi Cheng, he was still a child. He had a face full of childlike innocence. Now, he looked even more striking, but she wondered if he had matured. If he did this in a daze, it would only harm him.

Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, then looked at Chi Cheng, "Are you doing this willingly? If you enter the palace, you will not only be far from your homeland, but you will also be subject to the constraints of the palace, unlike the freedom you have outside."

Chi Cheng nodded and replied with only five words: "I am willing to do so."

Lu Jinlan then asked Chi Moyao, "What did your mother say about this? Does she know anything about it?"

Chi Moyao said, "Mother knows."

She didn't like lying, so she vividly recounted her mother Chiqin's words: "Mother said: 'Go, go! Go find everyone surnamed Lu. Otherwise, she'll steal from the big ones and then the small ones. I'm afraid of being robbed again, and I'm afraid of being targeted by thieves. It'll save me some trouble if everyone goes.'"

Lu Jinlan laughed heartily, "The old man still has such a temper. Alright, let me think about it. Moyao, you can take a stroll in the garden. Chengdi and I will have a private chat."

After Chi Moyao left, the two sat facing each other. The afternoon breeze blew gently by, and they looked at each other, the atmosphere gradually becoming somewhat ambiguous.

Lu Jinlan coughed lightly, "Chi Cheng, I think you should think about this again. The palace is not like your village. If your brother hadn't found the palace so boring, he wouldn't have insisted on running away with me."

"Now he's trapped in one palace, and you're going to be trapped in another. What's the point if neither of you brothers is happy?"

"If you marry me in name only, whether it's in name or in reality, you can't marry anyone else in the future. I don't want to ruin your life."

"Your brother, though a royal consort, still suffers from inner turmoil. If you stay with me, you'll have to start as a low-ranking noblewoman, not even as prestigious as your brother."

Chi Cheng pursed his lips, disagreeing with Lu Jinlan's statement.

He said dismissively, "My brother is unhappy because he didn't marry the woman he wanted to marry. It has nothing to do with his rank. I've seen him in the palace several times in the past few years. I think that since he met you and had Yang'er, he's had a lot of hope in life."

"He doesn't care about being a royal consort or anything like that. He's your lover now, and we're still happy to be part of our family. We've lived in the mountains since we were little, and we don't care about worldly rules or wealth. We only care about our own hearts."

"My brother is like that, and so am I."

Chi Cheng spoke, his face slightly flushed. He lowered his head, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, and whispered, "Actually, as long as you marry the woman you love, what does it matter whether you're the head of the household or a concubine?"

“Back then, my brother couldn’t go with you because of me, so I should do something for him. Putting aside the brotherly affection between us, I have… deep admiration for Your Majesty. I used to think that the best woman in the world was like my sister, a pillar of strength who could grit her teeth and bear any great burden.”

"But then I met you, and I felt that my sister was too dull and boring. There are countless heroes and heroines in the world, each with their own merits. But in my eyes, as a young man, I always feel that no matter who it is, compared to you, they all lack a bit of the free and unrestrained spirit and a bit of the extraordinary demeanor."

"If you're talking about ruining one's life, you've already done it. If you didn't want to ruin it, you shouldn't have met me in the first place. Otherwise, I wouldn't be still unmarried at twenty."

Chi Cheng's eyes reddened as he spoke, "In short, I am willing to enter the palace, not only for my brother, but also for my own selfish reasons. No matter how vast or free the outside world is, it is boring if I can't see the people I want to see. I am willing to be confined in the palace. Even if it is in name only, I am willing."

Having said all that, if Lu Jinlan pretended not to understand, she would be considered unromantic.

Chi Cheng has truly grown up. Judging from his speech, he has probably learned to read and write, and he has his own ideas about what he says and does. Although the two brothers look somewhat alike, their personalities are completely different.

Chi Li is aloof and cold, like the bright moon in the sky, pure and white as snow. When she is moved, it is as if the cool moonlight warms her in her arms, making one's heart flutter and deeply moving.

Chi Cheng was passionate, like the midday sun, warm and straightforward. After expressing his feelings, he stared intently at Lu Jinlan, his eyes revealing a determination to marry her no matter what.

Lu Jinlan shook her fan, trying to calm the agitation in her heart. "Does your brother know what you're thinking?"

Chi Cheng, with his neck stiff, replied, "I know, I was the one who suggested this idea to him."

Lu Jinlan smiled and waved for Xi Mo to come over. "Give the order that the handsome men sent from abroad should not go through Lu Gong's initial screening. Arrange for them to meet the Emperor directly tomorrow, and I will personally select them."

Chi Cheng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, will you keep me here tomorrow?"

Lu Jinlan smiled slightly and nodded.

*

Chi Cheng only began to learn to read and write after meeting Lu Jinlan. His barely adequate level of literacy was already considered the pinnacle within the Chi family.

Chi Li is learning to read with the child, while Chi Moyao has only attended a private school for two years and knows a few characters. He is essentially a rough man.

The Emperor ordered her to stroll through the Imperial Garden, but she thought to herself, "What's there to see here? There are flowers, trees, and shrubs everywhere in my hometown. What's there to see?"

But she couldn't disobey the emperor's order, so she wandered aimlessly in the garden. As she walked, she almost bumped into a man walking hurriedly. The two of them quickly took a step back, both startled.

Chi Mo saw that the person was dressed in luxurious clothes and thought that he might be one of Lu Jinlan's royal servants. He was frightened by the scar on her face and quickly apologized, "I am from Jiang Kingdom. I was injured on the battlefield and accidentally bumped into you, my lady. Please forgive me."

The man couldn't help but smile. "I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. Being wounded on the battlefield is an honor, General, there's no need for you to explain. Besides, I'm not some minor official, I'm the Emperor's brother."

After Lu Jinlan ascended the throne, he honored Lu Jinzhao as his mother and posthumously honored Yan Shi as his father.

Lu Xian and Lu Hui, the two younger brothers born to Lady Yan, were granted the titles of Virtuous Lady and Lady Hui, respectively. Lu Jinqi, the daughter born to Lady Song, a concubine of Lu Jinchao, was granted the title of Imperial Sister.

Lu Jinlan arranged a palace for the Lu family so that they could live together and visit each other frequently.

Lu Xian is now nineteen years old, but she still hasn't gotten married.

Firstly, because he was Lu Jinlan's younger brother, people were afraid that marrying him would make him difficult to manage, so few dared to propose marriage. Secondly, he was proud of having such a wonderful and capable older sister, and wouldn't be interested in just anyone.

Most of the people who came to propose marriage were after him to climb the social ladder and become relatives of the emperor, seeking power and wealth. It had nothing to do with him personally, and he knew this, which is why he always refused to marry.

And so it dragged on until now. Today, because he rejected another marriage proposal, Lu Jinzhao called him over and scolded him a few times. That's why he walked quickly with his head down, almost bumping into Chi Moyao.

He couldn't help but glance at Chi Moyao a few more times because of his imposing appearance. Chi Moyao was also looking at him, thinking, "So he is the Emperor's younger brother in the Lu family. The two don't look alike at all. It seems that the Emperor is indeed a descendant of the Zhao family. She didn't lie to the world about this."

The two stood awkwardly, each lost in their own thoughts, when Yan Wuxin happened to come looking for Lu Jinlan and they met.

They greeted each other, and Yan Wuxin, hearing Chi Moyao address her as Grand Commandant Yan, asked in surprise, "You know me?"

Chi Moyao laughed and said, "Have you forgotten that we met when you led an army of 400,000 to Yezhou?"

Yan Wuxin slapped his forehead. "Oh, I remember now. So what are you doing here?"

Chi Mo said, "His Majesty is speaking with my younger brother and asked me to take a stroll in the garden."

"Your younger brother?" Yan Wuxin was a little confused. "I remember you told me at the foot of Yezhou City that your eldest brother knew the Emperor. How did you become your younger brother?"

Chi Moyao was an honest man and not good at making up lies. When Yan Wuxin suddenly asked him, he could only vaguely explain, "My elder brother and the emperor are... acquaintances, and now my younger brother is also... In short, he is going to marry into the palace."

Yan Wuxin guessed the hidden reason from her embarrassed expression and nodded knowingly.

It's not uncommon for two brothers to share a wife. The story of the handsome Jiang Guomen and the two Chi clansmen serving Emperor Zhaowu is also quite remarkable.

However, I feel like I've heard the surname Chi somewhere before.

Yan Wuxin had no choice but to ask, "Where is your brother?"

Chi Moyao said, "The nineteenth princess is still young, so the Crown Prince will naturally stay in our palace to raise the child."

Yan Wuxin was struck dumb, instantly recalling a ridiculous gossip he had heard years ago, saying that the widow of the Jiang Kingdom had a child after the emperor's death, and some people suspected that it was Lu Jinlan's.

It seems she wasn't wronged in this matter.

Yan Wuxin pursed her lips, unsure what to say, then pointed to the scar on Chi Moyao's face, "How did you get this?"

Chi Moyao: "You were the one who killed me in the Battle of Prison Dragon Pass."

Yan Wuxin took a deep breath. "I suddenly remembered something urgent, I have to go now."

*

Upon seeing Lu Jinlan, Yan Wuxin angrily said, "Fine, you stole the Emperor's consort's child, and you even had a baby with him. Such a big thing, and you didn't tell me a thing!"

Lu Jinlan retorted confidently, "How can I tell you that when he was born, you were at the border, enjoying the cold wind and healing your soul? Do you expect me to write you a letter saying, 'Don't be sad, I have something to tell you, I stole someone and got a child. Am I crazy?'"

Yan Wuxin was taken aback. "That seems to make sense."

Lu Jinlan: "You came to me just to talk about this?"

Yan Wuxin almost forgot, "No, Ruzhen didn't have time to tell you just now. She asked me to tell you that her daughter's 100-day celebration is the day after tomorrow. There will be no outsiders, just the three of us. She invited us all to come."

After considering it for a moment, Lu Jinlan agreed, "Alright, tomorrow you'll come with me to select the people sent by Qu Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom, and the day after tomorrow we'll hold a grand selection of handsome men from our Hua Kingdom. The day after that, when we're free, we'll go to the Prime Minister's residence for a banquet."

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye. Lü Gong, along with nearly a hundred palace men, used the selection criteria given by Lu Jinlan to conduct a preliminary screening of more than three hundred candidates.

Over here, Yan Wuxin sat with Lu Jinlan on the high platform, preparing to select a few handsome men sent from abroad.

The two sat and drank tea, while twenty men from the Qu Kingdom stood below the platform and bowed in worship.

As soon as Lu Jinlan told them to rise, the men looked up and she was instantly dumbfounded.

Yan Wuxin had just taken a sip of tea when he glanced at it, and he spat out half a cup of tea.

Lu Jinlan slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Bring the Imperial Consort here!"