Chapter 62 062 A fire at the city gate affects the innocent bystanders

"I have long admired the Second Princess and wish to marry her. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

It's all in chaos, complete chaos.

Emperor Mingkang's eyes swept across the court with a fierce and imposing gaze, causing the officials to bow their heads in fear. Finally, his gaze landed on Lu Yunye in front of him, and he said sharply, "Out of consideration for Lord Lu's dedication to the court, I will not kill you."

Dexi stepped forward and pulled him aside, but Lu Yunye was a martial artist, and when he became stubborn, how could a effeminate eunuch shake him? Dexi looked to Meng Qingshan for help, but saw that his brows were furrowed and he did not move. Dexi had no choice but to give up, cursing in his heart that they were all lunatics.

Emperor Mingkang snorted coldly, no longer concerned about the princess's fainting. A seasoned emperor, once enraged, could strike fear into the hearts of the people. He calmly questioned, "Do you truly wish to marry the princess?"

Lu Yunye carries the blood of the previous dynasty. His grandfather died by his hand, but he didn't eliminate him completely, only because his grandmother, a princess of the previous dynasty, was still somewhat useful. However, the possibility of a resurgence of the dynasty cannot be ignored. Keeping Lu Yunye under his nose and controlling him within the palace is what Emperor Mingkang feels most at ease with. How dare he even propose marriage to a princess?!

Emperor Mingkang's eyes were filled with ruthlessness, and he had already decided to kill. The murderous intent made the ferocious beasts restless.

Lu Yunye straightened his back and solemnly said, "Your subject sincerely requests to marry the Second Princess."

Enraged, Emperor Mingkang kicked Lu Yunye aside, then drew a knife from beside him and placed it on Lu Yunye's neck. Lu Yunye's breath caught in his throat, but he remained stiff and motionless, even closing his eyes, as if he were resigned to the emperor's fate.

The Emperor was furious, and no one dared to utter a word of advice. The blade was sharp and blood had already been drawn, but Lu Yunye remained defiant and stubbornly unmoved.

Dexi took small steps back. Meng Qingshan glanced at him, and Dexi blushed with embarrassment, his eyes drooping. Seeing a figure flash before his eyes, Meng Qingshan stepped forward and walked behind Emperor Mingkang, scolding Lu Yunye, "The princess is precious. How can you be so shameless as to make such a fuss with just a few words? Relying on one side of the story to make baseless accusations against women, even the elders in the common people would beat you up. Moreover, His Majesty regards the princess as a treasure. It is His Majesty's wisdom that he has not executed you at this moment."

Beneath the artificial hill, the Second Princess was already in tears. If Qing Li hadn't been holding her tightly, she might have rushed out earlier. Qing Li gently stroked Ling Shuyao's back, her mind at ease, waiting to hear Emperor Mingkang's reaction.

Meng Qingshan's words were ostensibly a rebuke of Lu Yunye for his arrogance, but they also contained a warning to the Di envoys: if they were to casually implicate the princess, the Emperor would be furious and kill them, and no one would have anything to say. After all, the Emperor was not only the ruler of a country but also a benevolent father, and everything he said was perfectly reasonable.

Emperor Mingkang had previously suspected Lu Yunye of having ulterior motives and, in his rage, decided to eliminate him completely. Now, he sheathed his sword and stared intently at Meng Qingshan. If Meng Qingshan pleaded for mercy, he might be implicated as well. However, Meng Qingshan's accusations made Emperor Mingkang calm down instantly.

Emperor Kang of Ming was indifferent to the idea of ​​princesses being sent to marry foreign rulers. He believed that marriage could stabilize the border and was more pacifying than a large army pressing in. However, if the other side were to launch a war, how could women in the inner quarters possibly control the situation?

Emperor Mingkang's eyes darkened as he ordered, "Take Lu Yunye into the imperial prison."

The Di envoy on the other side looked away, opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed it.

As soon as the Imperial Guards stepped forward and took Lu Yunye away, Meng Qingshan took a step back and gestured to Dexi. Dexi was momentarily confused, but immediately realized what was happening. He stepped forward and took the knife from Emperor Mingkang's hand. The knife felt heavy in his hand, and his heart sank as well. He wondered how Dexi had gotten involved, but said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Imperial Concubine is still waiting for you to come over."

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Ling Shuyao began to sob, crying helplessly, "Qingli, what should we do, what should we do?"

Qingli pondered for a moment. This matter was indeed strange. It was obvious that someone had plotted against Ling Shuyao, with the aim of a marriage alliance. The person behind it was undoubtedly the eldest princess, yet they had not shown themselves, and no one had noticed. However, after the eunuch reported the matter, Lu Yunye acted so abruptly, suggesting there might be more to the story. She said, "Let's go see what happened?"

The two returned to the banquet, which had already ended and was now deserted. Only a few family members remained, their eyes sweeping over Ling Shuyao with meaningful glances. Tang Shuqing saw the two and hurriedly went forward, pulling them under a tree. She said in a panic, "Many of the women saw the eldest princess in the back of the hall, disheveled, entangled with a prince from Da Di."

"The eldest princess fainted. When she woke up, she said that the second princess had tricked her. She cried and made a scene. His Majesty just went in."

Under the warm sunlight, Qingli felt a chill run through her body. One thing led to another, but who was pulling the strings behind the scenes? Was the eldest princess shooting herself in the foot, or was it someone else entirely?

She watched as the door opened, and Luo, the old woman beside Consort Liu, walked impatiently toward them. She took Ling Shuyao's hand, her expression stiff as ice, and said, "A person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear. Think of Lu Yunye."

Ling Shuyao's hand trembled slightly, and her eyes gradually regained their focus. That fool Lu Yunye hadn't even figured out the situation yet, and he was already trying to marry her without any regard for the consequences. If her reputation were to be damaged now, he was risking his life to leave her a way out.

Ling Shuyao suppressed the stinging in her nose, gripped Qingli's hand tightly again, and then slowly let go. She couldn't do something that would hurt her loved ones and please her enemies. In a moment, she had prepared herself, straightened her back, and walked forward with an upright posture to meet Granny Luo, saying, "Granny Luo, please lead the way."

Granny Luo gave the Second Princess a deep look. Consort Mu was not favored by the Emperor, but the Second Princess had become the Emperor's favorite princess by virtue of her own merits. In such a big matter, Consort De cried and wailed inside, feeling sorry for the First Princess, but the Second Princess walked forward calmly all by herself, which made the difference between them even more obvious.

As Qingli watched the heavy palace doors close, she immediately said to Tang Shuqing, "We need to inform Consort Mu about this as soon as possible."

"Wow! I can get into the palace."

Qingli told Tang Shuqing the whole story and her speculations, and finally said, "Reassure Consort Mu, the Second Princess will be safe and sound."

No matter who it is, they won't accept being blamed for this.

A gentle spring breeze swept by, and peach petals swayed and drifted down. Qingli reached out to catch them; the petals were slightly damp. Looking around, the peach grove was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, and the first spring rain fell silently.

A pale blue oil-paper umbrella was held over her head. Meng Qingshan looked down at her, his eyes filled with concern and tenderness, which made her lower her head involuntarily. A tear melted into the growing spring rain and dripped to the ground.

For some reason, Qingli couldn't suppress the surge of grievance. Just a moment ago, she was calmly analyzing the pros and cons and clearly listing strategies to deal with various outcomes, but why did she suddenly feel wronged in front of him?

Meng Qingshan was angry that she disregarded his own safety, thinking that by stubbornly standing there, she could control things. But seeing her pitiful state in front of him, his heart softened.

He couldn't calm down for a long time today. He thought about how Lu Yunye was intelligent and how his usual unrestrained behavior had put Emperor Mingkang at ease. He never expected that Lu Yunye would risk his life to marry the Second Princess in a critical moment. He should have known that marrying the princess would be like thorns in Emperor Mingkang's heart, but he still insisted on doing it.

It's obvious that Lu Yunye loves the Second Princess, but what about him? Does he love the intelligent and kind girl in front of him? He thinks so.

The events of that year separated them for five years. Finding her had become an obsession for him day and night. The first time he saw her, he wanted to take her back, which became a new obsession. But when he saw her sobbing, his heart tightened. To relieve her worries and make her happy was his only thought at that moment.

The wind and rain should belong to him alone; she only needs to be under his umbrella, enjoying the romance of nature, adorned in brocade and jade, with gold and jade hairpins.

He had no habit of talking about other people's feelings. Apart from her, everything else was irrelevant to him. His words of comfort were very indifferent: "No destruction, no construction. It might be an opportunity for the two of them."

After Qingli finished crying, her tense emotions relaxed. Knowing that she had acted out of concern, she didn't dare to look him in the eye and said shyly, "I know."

She revealed that the two men were hidden under the artificial hill and shared her suspicions.

Meng Qingshan was somewhat skeptical, "Feng Yuchan?"

Qingli nodded, her voice thick with nasal resonance as she emphasized, "Every sentence is barbed and veiled, very shrewd."

There was a hint of resentment in her words. Meng Qingshan frowned. When talking about the Second Princess, she felt that she was also being sarcastic. "Feng Wuxiu has always valued Feng Yuchan. He sent people to arrest those who gossip in the capital. The Feng family has killed many servants. Their methods are cruel."

"If you suspect Feng Yuchan of doing something wrong, you might as well just say that Feng Wuxiu is taking revenge on the woman."

Qingli was startled, her eyelashes quickly lifting to reveal her tear-streaked, moist eyes. If this was the case, then Feng Wuxiu was a petty and vindictive person, someone one had to be wary of.

"I'll send someone to investigate this matter. Be careful."

"What am I being careful about? I'm just caught in the crossfire."

Meng Qingshan: ...

But seeing her smile, the city gatekeeper dared not argue.

Neither of them saw the window open in the distance. Emperor Mingkang stood by the window, his expression one of surprise followed by a moment of disorientation. The cries behind him seemed both near and far, indistinct to him. A heavy thought echoed in his mind: It was so similar, so very similar.

He asked, stunned, "Who is that person?"

Dexi leaned forward, squinted, and said, "That's Commander Meng's cousin, Qingli."

"Where are you from, and what is your surname?"

Dexi only knew the general idea and vaguely replied, "I am from Taiyuan Prefecture, but I don't know my surname."

Emperor Mingkang glanced at Dexi expressionlessly.

Dexi's heart was filled with alarm bells, and he said tremblingly, "It was my oversight. She is the Fourth Princess's playmate. There should be a record in the palace. I will go and inquire about it right away."

"Halt!" Emperor Mingkang suddenly shouted, "She's in the palace?"

Dexi wouldn't pay attention to a young lady, but after taking a closer look, he felt as if his spine was breaking and he bent over deeply. Without Emperor Mingkang asking any further questions, he recounted the whole story.

"Has Consort Mu seen her?"

The sudden question startled Dexi, who had already huddled his legs together tightly, feeling the chill of the wind whipping against him. "Consort Mu has never left the palace."

De Xi felt as bitter as if he had eaten bitter herbs. He hadn't told the whole truth; he had heard that the Second Princess and she got along very well.

Emperor Mingkang sighed, "Go, find out carefully, and do it quietly."

Dexi responded and stood under the eaves. Dusk had already fallen, and there was no one under the peach tree. His vision was blurred by the rain, and he sighed that the weather could change so quickly.