Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Name

He couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning, and finally got up and went outside.

Du Lingjing heard something vaguely, but she was too tired and slept until dawn. Qiulin asked her if she wanted to eat something.

She had a poor appetite, so she waved her hand and said forget it, and called Chong'an to ask.

"How is His Majesty the King Hui?"

Chong'an didn't hear the letter and shook his head at her.

A night has passed. If the situation still doesn't improve, I'm afraid it will be very dangerous. What should I do then? How long can I keep it a secret?

Thinking about these things, Du Lingjing could no longer eat. She sat alone in the armchair, flipping through a book with a worried look on her face.

In the quiet main courtyard room, only the sound of the banana leaves swaying in the wind could be heard.

At this moment, the sound of a familiar man's footsteps suddenly came into her ears.

Du Lingjing immediately put down the book and stood up, about to go out to greet him, but the man lifted the door curtain and strode towards him.

Before Du Lingjing could see his expression clearly, he hugged her in his arms.

His strength was so great that he almost pressed her into his chest. Du Lingjing heard his usual hoarse and trembling voice.

"Doctor Wang... restored Fengzhen's hearing!"

Du Lingjing seemed to have been suffocated underwater for too long and could hardly breathe, but at this moment, she was suddenly pulled out of the water by this news.

She was breathing heavily.

When the man saw her like this, he was stunned at first, and then he laughed out loud.

"Why is my wife more nervous than me?"

He asked again, "Does my wife care too?"

Du Lingjing asked him back, "How can you not be nervous? How can you not care?"

Then he suddenly asked a strange question, staring into her eyes.

"What does Quanquan care about?"

"..." Du Lingjing paused, "Of course I care about His Highness Prince Hui."

This time it was the man's turn to pause, almost unnoticeably, and then said, "Oh, that's right."

Du Lingjing suddenly tasted something.

He wouldn't want her to answer, would she care about him more?

How could anyone compete with a sick little nephew? She stared at the man.

The man seemed to feel a little ashamed and laughed twice to cover it up, but joy was rising from the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

Maybe it was because of the good news, but Du Lingjing suddenly felt hungry and asked him if he wanted to eat.

He agreed and had the meal served.

The two talked about this quietly while eating breakfast.

Du Lingjing asked, "What did Doctor Wang say specifically?"

Lu Shenru said that the situation last night was a bit dangerous. Even the old doctor Wang, who was always tight-lipped and cheerful, stopped talking. He soaked seven handkerchiefs just from wiping sweat that night, and gave Feng Zhen countless injections, and asked the imperial concubine to talk in Feng Zhen's ear without stopping.

"The queen talked all night and her voice was hoarse by dawn. Fortunately, Feng Zhen woke up and recovered his hearing, so he could talk to the queen fluently."

Du Lingjing breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What did Doctor Wang tell you?"

Lu Shenru said that Feng Zhen's hearing was only preserved. As for the future, "Doctor Wang said he would go back and think about it carefully, but it would take some effort."

When Lu Shenru said this, her face looked a little strange, "Madam, guess what he said to you?"

"How do you say it?"

"He said that if I could just stay quiet and not run around and cause trouble, he could spend all his time looking through medical books."

The man never heard anyone describe him using those irrelevant words of a young boy again.

He looked very strange.

Du Lingjing laughed out loud.

"In my opinion, Doctor Wang is right."

It would have been fine if he was just shot by an arrow, but he then drew his bow and shot arrows without a care in the world, causing his flesh and blood to burst. He rode back to the capital on horseback, and not only did his own injuries worsen, but she also fainted due to the unstable fetus. Which of these things was not caused by Doctor Wang?

She said, "Just listen, my lord. Don't forget that there is a huge reward."

The man also laughed and shook his head helplessly.

"I have to listen to him when he talks about me, and I have to reward him handsomely. Well, if he can really cure Fengzhen's ears, I will reward his whole family handsomely."

Du Lingjing: "..."

Why does this sound so weird?

She pursed her lips and smiled.

The two of them spent half a quarter of an hour longer on their meal, and Du Lingjing's appetite finally recovered.

Wei Cong sent someone to deliver a message, saying that the ninth Tatar prince, Lieutenant General He, had been taken to the capital.

Lu Shenru left the capital immediately.

When he saw Lieutenant General He, he almost didn't recognize him.

"How could you be so thin?"

Deputy General He has lost a lot of weight, but he is still in good spirits.

"My Lord, Prince, I was escorting people to the capital this time, but I encountered obstacles many times. It took us quite some time and a lot of detours."

As long as nothing happens, it doesn't matter.

Wei Cong asked, "Did you ask along the way?"

Deputy General He asked, "But I have seen the nine Tatar kings, and I am afraid I only know one of them, not the other."

Lu Shenru had an idea in mind and saw someone in the dungeon of the mountain villa.

He walked through the winding, dark tunnels, and the dim light of the fire illuminated the depths of the dungeon.

The hung Tatar Ninth Prince saw him and laughed in a strange voice.

"Marquis Yongding..."

But before he could finish his words, the man pulled out a whip.

Without saying a word, he raised the long whip in his hand, which broke through the air with a loud bang, and then fell heavily on the Tatar.

One whip, two whips, three whips.

The man's body was covered in blood and flesh, and he almost fainted.

Lu Shenru spoke with hatred.

"For my father who died young, for General Wei who was beheaded, and for all the millions of people who died in that battle..."

He first gave him three lashes.

The Ninth Tatar Prince had not yet fainted, but the pain made him almost crazy.

"Lu Shenru, even if you beat me to death, you will never know who sent me the secret message back then!"

He said, "That is the bloodline left by my lost tribe. It is hidden by a nobleman with a very high status in your Han court. He has hidden it very deeply, and he will not let you know at all!"

He raised his head and laughed, "In the court of the Han people, there is my Tatar bloodline, so good..."

The man looked at the Ninth Tatar King who was laughing crazily.

"Don't worry, no matter how deep he hides, I, Lu Shenru, will definitely find out!"

He ordered, "Take him away and lock him up next to the Han spy. Give him nine lashes a day and make him tell you everything he knows."

The ninth Tatar prince was taken away.

The whip made him scream. On the other side of the wall, the flowers that someone had been silently nurturing for half a spring and summer were all in bloom.

"Who's that next door?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

But the guard told him, "The Marquis has captured the ninth Tatar prince who caused the Yongding army's disastrous defeat and is imprisoned next door."

The flowers were delicate and bright, blooming silently, but the screams from the other side of the wall poured into the yard in waves.

The Han spy paused, and his hand holding the flower pot trembled again and again.

*

Lu Shenru returned to the mansion and placed the whip stained with the blood of the ninth prince of Tartar in front of the tablets that stood like a dense forest in the ancestral hall. Also placed next to it was the round bone plaque with the same pattern as that left by the spy.

He will definitely find out who the person with Tatar blood is who is hidden in the court.

He kowtowed three times under the layers of tablets before leaving the ancestral hall.

It was late at night, and when he came back he heard that his wife had gone to bed, so he did not go to the main courtyard.

But at this moment, when Lu Shenru came out of the ancestral hall, he saw someone standing quietly in the moonlight with a lamp under the flowing moonlight.

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

Du Lingjing shook her head. She was not sleepy.

But there was still a slight smell of blood on the man, and she sniffed.

He immediately realized that there was a shortcut from the ancestral hall to the outer courtyard Yuanxiu Pavilion. "Since you don't want to sleep, do you want to go with me to Yuanxiu Pavilion to change clothes?"

She nodded, softly.

"good."

The man's heart softened, and the two of them walked half a step apart under the moonlight. From time to time, they reached the outer courtyard. He changed all his clothes and sat and talked with her in the courtyard where the night breeze caressed him.

He said that spies were important people in the court.

This person has been able to hide for so many years without being discovered, which shows that his identity is extraordinary. Although there is some chaos in the court now, it is still considered peaceful.

The man turned the teacup in his hand under the moonlight, and the tender tea buds in the cup began to swirl.

"There are occasional natural disasters, but no major wars, which is also a blessing for the people." He said, "I wonder if this person has achieved what he wanted, and has stopped fighting and is living in peace in this world, or if he has not yet given up his plans and is still trying to cause chaos in the world again?"

Du Ling was silent.

No one knows what this man is thinking, but he has Tatar blood, controls spies, and has been in contact with the Tatars.

As long as he holds a high position in the court, true peace and security will not last long.

She looked at the Marquis beside her. The man turned the tea bowl again, and the color of the tea became much darker.

He chuckled as he thought of something.

"Everyone says that I, Lu Shenru, am a traitor and a villain, and they are on high alert against me, even more than against a river. But in fact, the ones I fear the most are not them, but my ancestors."

He said that the Lu family ancestors feared this day the most. "They feared that one day, the title of Marquis of Yongding would be passed on to one person, and this person would no longer be a loyal minister who defended the country, but a traitor who destroyed the foundation of the ancestors."

He asked Du Lingjing, "Quanquan, do you know where my name comes from?"

Du Lingjing didn't know, "But I feel that the name of Marquis doesn't really match my personality."

She started talking and the man started laughing.

"What do you think I should be named?"

Be careful, that’s definitely not the way to go.

Huairu and Hengru, Empress Yu and the Second Master are all very suitable.

Du Lingjing couldn't think of any good name for a moment, but a word suddenly popped into her head.

"Usually." she said.

"Used to it?" The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Du Lingjing pursed her lips and smiled at him.

"The Marquis has a personality that requires him to have whatever he wants, and he can get whatever he wants. I'm afraid he has been 'spoiled' by his parents, right?"

Lu Guanru.

Before he finished speaking, the man laughed out loud.

A row of birds sleeping on the eaves were startled by his laughter and flew away. Chong'an hurried over to check. They looked like they were still dozing off. When he got closer, he realized that it was the Marquis who was laughing.

Du Lingjing waved her hand to let him go, and the man laughed for a long time before stopping.

"When did my wife pick up the bad habits of that old man Wang who treats the disease?" He shook his head helplessly.

Du Lingjing smiled but did not answer. He only asked him, "Why was this name given to the Marquis?"

Lu Shenru smiled and remained silent. He said that the name was given to him by his grandfather.

"But it's not just for me," he said, "it's to warn the entire Lu family."

Be cautious, be as careful at the end as you were at the beginning, and be consistent from beginning to end.

"My grandfather said that the Yongding Marquisate existed to resist foreign invaders and protect the country and the people. With the trust of the emperor and the people and a large number of troops under command, we must not turn our guns around and start a war to disrupt the hard-earned peace of the people."

So be cautious, just as you were at the beginning.

Du Lingjing lost the mood to joke and picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

She heard the Marquis say, "So the Yongding Marquisate never gets involved in military forces outside the northwest."

He said that he should not have taken care of the North Pass as well, “But this is the emperor’s intention, but the soldiers in Liaodong, the Mu Mansion in the southwest, and especially the troops of the Zhou family of the Jing’an Marquis Mansion in the southeast, who have been guarding for generations, the Lu family will never move.”

He said that the Imperial Concubine had a difficult life. "My mother and the wife of the prince of the Marquis of Jing'an were good friends. The eldest grandson of the Zhou family was just one year older than the Imperial Concubine, so my mother arranged a marriage with the Zhou family and let the Imperial Concubine marry into the Zhou family. The Zhou family has a peaceful temperament and will definitely treat her well."

However, when this matter was raised, it did not receive immediate approval from the two families.

"Grandfather and old Marquis Jing'an are both worried that the Lu and Zhou families hold a large number of troops and occupy the northwest and southeast respectively. If they marry the eldest grandson of the direct line, it will probably cause unrest in the palace and make other civil and military officials in the court have other thoughts."

Both families hesitated, "but before they could think it over, the queen was given the Phoenix Fate. After the Phoenix Fate was announced, the Zhou family could not marry her, and the matter was never mentioned again."

Lu Shenru raised his head and saw the Milky Way flowing and the stars shining brightly.

He said that the Yongding Marquisate and the Jing'an Marquisate usually help each other, "They are all for the people and the country. If someone from the Lu family rebels and causes chaos to the people, the first to raise troops to suppress it will be the Zhou family. And vice versa."

Du Lingjing didn't expect that the relationship between Lu and Zhou was so close and delicate.

She sighed softly, "For ordinary people, if they can live outside of war from birth to death, it is a rare blessing. Those who start wars and cause disasters are using the blessings of millions of ordinary people to fulfill their own selfish desires."

Lu Shenru nodded and glanced at his wife with a smile, "Yes."

He turned the teacup over and over in his hand, finally picked it up and took a sip.

"It is so rare that the world is peaceful right now. If the person hiding in the court insists on causing chaos and disrupting the government with shady means,

He paused, then spoke coldly.

"If it comes to that, I will have no choice but to raise an army. Even if I have to be a traitor, I, Lu Shenru, will be one."

"Even if I am attacked by the whole world and die a miserable death, I can only take this narrow path."

The courtyard was quiet. The birds that had been startled just now had already flapped their wings and flew away to who knows where.

Du Lingjing didn't know what to say for a moment, only tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

She lowered her head, and the man saw the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

He pulled her stool towards him and held her in his arms.

He stroked her shoulders repeatedly.

"Your husband is just assuming, it may not have reached that point."

Du Lingjing inexplicably thought of his desire to go to Jiangnan. The current chaos had made it impossible for him to go to his Jiangnan. If it really came to the point he said, Jiangnan would no longer exist even in his dreams.

She felt an indescribable sadness.

Tears rolled down her eyes, and the man wiped them away with his calloused fingertips.

"Quanquan, don't cry. I was just saying it casually."

He said, "My father-in-law likes me," much more than she likes him, "I will definitely protect you and our child."

Du Lingjing said nothing, just looked at him. The man looked into her red eyes.

Inexplicably, he felt somewhat pleased.

Although she didn't like him as much as her father-in-law, she would still shed tears for him.

Even if I can never be as good as Jiang Zhuxiu, even if it's just this one tear...

*

Du Lingjing stayed in his Yuanxiu Pavilion at night. When she woke up the next day, she found that he had asked someone to prepare breakfast for her.

Du Lingjing's appetite seemed to have improved significantly, and she was quite tempted by the smell of rice.

She put on her clothes, and he suddenly looked at her belly and asked her a question.

"Quanquan, are you going to give me a daughter?"

He was still thinking about his daughter.

If Du Lingjing knew the gender of the baby, she could also become an imperial physician.

She said she didn't know, and recalled that he insisted on having sex with her at that time. She was obviously still angry with him, but he insisted on dragging her around and asking her to give him a daughter.

She glanced at the man who was determined to have a daughter and said, "What if it's a boy?"

He laughed, "That's good, kid. When those people in the Yongding Army saw that the prince they had been waiting for had arrived, they stopped bothering you and me."

Du Lingjing was too lazy to discuss this unknown matter with him. After her appetite recovered, she washed up and sat down at the dining table in the courtyard.

Chongping personally served her soup. She didn't want to trouble Chongping, and was about to say something when Chongan suddenly came to report.

"Mr. Liao is here and wants to see the Marquis' wife."

Mr. Liao hadn't taken up his post yet, but he arrived at this time. Du Lingjing hurriedly said, "Then please invite Mr. Liao to come over and have dinner with us."

Lu Shenru also asked someone to add more bowls and chopsticks, and said with a smile, "Mr. Liao came at the right time."

Who would have thought that when Mr. Liao saw the two of them, his expression looked a little strange.

"Sir, if you have anything to say, please talk while we eat." Lu Shenru invited him.

But Mr. Liao waved his hand and said he had already eaten, and he glanced at the two of them.

"I found Chu Mu, the missing aide to Lord Du."

Du Lingjing immediately put down her chopsticks. Lu Shenru asked, "This is good news. Where is this person?"

Mr. Liao said Chu Mu was not in a good mood and was afraid to meet people easily. "He only met me once."

He looked at the two of them again, "He also wants to see Jingniang, which shows that he has something important to tell Jingniang, but... he only wants to see Jingniang and wants Jingniang to go alone."

Du Lingjing was slightly stunned.

"Why?"

"He didn't say."

Du Lingjing couldn't help but look at the man beside her.

But Lord Lu was not surprised.

"Given my status, it's normal for Chu's staff to have concerns." That's why he has been unable to find this person's whereabouts in the past few years. He looked at Du Lingjing and said, "I'm only worried about your safety, and I don't care about anything else."

He really doesn't care.

Du Lingjing asked Mr. Liao when.

Liao Xu said there was no rush. "I see that he is in a bad condition and is quite confused. Let him rest at my place for a few days. You can come back when he is calm."

"That's fine."

... ...

After the Wanshou Festival, the heat became unbearable and the Emperor had to leave the capital to escape the summer heat.

The imperial concubine was not brought this time, and Prince Hui was also ill, so the emperor appointed his two sons, Prince Yong and Prince Cheng, to serve him. The empress had always had difficulty leaving the palace, so naturally she could not go either. However, the emperor appointed Dou Ge Lao and a group of civil officials to go together.

Other cabinet members remained in the capital, and apart from them, Lu Shenru, Marquis of Yongding, was in charge of the capital.

Although the emperor hadn't left yet, Du Lingjing noticed that he had already become busy.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, an urgent letter came from Xi'an.

It turned out that a group of failed candidates from Beijing had returned to their hometown. They heard that the two young masters of the exiled Rongchang Earl's Mansion were secretly saved by their families. They did not want to let them serve their sentences and took them to their hometown to settle down.

The candidates first heard about the scandal of Miss Yang, the eldest daughter of Earl Rongchang, in Beijing, and then heard about it again when they returned home. They were outraged and led half of the scholars in Xi'an to block the door of Earl Rongchang, asking him whether Earl Rongchang could do whatever he wanted because of his military achievements, and whether he still had any respect for the law.

"My uncle was already ill due to family problems, and when the scholars blocked his door and he heard their angry curses, he... drew his sword and committed suicide."

Du Lingjing's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

When this incident came to light, there was an uproar in the capital, and memorials from both the civil and military authorities accusing each other flew into the palace like autumn leaves.