Chapter 69: A thought-provoking statement
That day, Pei Yuanzheng had no choice but to harden his heart and slap Lu Zhaoxing. If Pei Yuanzheng had shown Lu Zhaoxing any mercy at the time, it would have only made Princess Jinde target Lu Zhaoxing more, and the consequences would have been unimaginable. He wanted to use this slap to protect Lu Zhaoxing's safety.
Lu Zhaoxing rolled her eyes at Pei Yuanzheng, turned her head away, and refused to look at him. Pei Yuanzheng had no choice but to hug her tighter. "Xing'er, I'm really sorry. I didn't want to do that either. Please forgive me, okay?"
After the Lu family's misfortune, he should have stayed by her side to help her through the crisis, but he had no choice but to break off their engagement for the sake of the Pei family.
"Xing'er, I really don't want to be separated from you, and I don't want to break off the engagement, but I really have no other choice..."
Lu Zhaoxing's eyes reddened slightly. She pursed her lips and then said firmly, "It's over between us. Don't come looking for me again."
"Xing'er, do we really have to do this?"
Lu Zhaoxing nodded heavily again.
"I'm sorry, Xing'er, I'm so sorry. I will not marry Princess Jinde. I swear to you, when the time is right, I will definitely take you away. At that time, it will just be the two of us, and I will be good to you for the rest of my life."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoxing looked at Pei Yuanzheng with surprise. Then she shook her head and took a step back. Suddenly, she bumped into something, lost her balance, and almost fell.
Upon seeing this, Pei Yuanzheng quickly stepped forward to help Lu Zhaoxing.
Lu Zhaoxing didn't want to face Pei Yuanzheng anymore, so she quickly said, "I...I've been out for a long time, my sister will worry about me! I should go back now!"
"Okay, Xing'er, I'll take you back now."
...
When Lu Zhaoxue heard Pei Yuanzheng's voice coming from outside the hall, she almost thought she had misheard. Seeing that no one opened the door, Pei Yuanzheng called out again, "Miss Lu, it is I, Pei Yuanzheng. Zhaoxing is with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Zhaoxue hurriedly went to open the door. When she saw Lu Zhaoxing and Pei Yuanzheng standing together, she frowned slightly.
When Lu Zhaoxue saw that Lu Zhaoxing's eyes were red, her heart tightened instantly. Her face turned cold, and she pulled Lu Zhaoxing behind her, her tone filled with anger: "Pei Yuanzheng, if Zhaoxing does anything disrespectful, you can come to me. Don't bully her!"
Pei Yuanzheng was taken aback by Lu Zhaoxue's words. After realizing what she meant, he quickly explained, "Miss Lu, you really misunderstood me. I didn't bully Xing'er. I just brought her back because I saw that she was lost."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoxue felt a wave of fear wash over her and quickly turned to look at Lu Zhaoxing, "Xing'er, you must never run around like that again, understand?"
Lu Zhaoxing nodded obediently, "Sister, I understand. I won't run away anymore."
Lu Zhaoxue bowed to Pei Yuanzheng and said, "Then thank you very much, Young Master Pei, for today."
Pei Yuanzheng nodded, about to say something more, but seeing Lu Zhaoxing's repulsive look, he swallowed the words he was about to say, turned around to take his leave, and bumped into Chu Huaiyu as soon as he stepped out of the hall.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you."
"No need for formalities, rise." Chu Huaiyu glanced at Pei Yuanzheng, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry. "Pei Yuanzheng, your wedding with Jinde is approaching. I hope you are well aware of this and avoid any mistakes!"
"Yes." Pei Yuanzheng lowered his eyes, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. His life had already been arranged, and he had no room to resist. It was truly laughable and pathetic.
Chu Huaiyu entered the hall and saw Lu Zhaoxing curled up in Lu Zhaoxue's arms, looking aggrieved. The two sisters did not react when they saw Chu Huaiyu enter.
Chu Huaiyu asked curiously, "But what happened?"
Lu Zhaoxue looked up at Chu Huaiyu and gently shook her head. "Your Majesty, it's nothing. Zhaoxing got lost today, and Pei Yuanzheng happened to run into her and brought her back."
Upon hearing this, Chu Huaiyu nodded and hummed in agreement.
Seeing that Lu Zhaoxue was dressed in thin clothes, Chu Huaiyu took off his fox fur cloak and draped it over Lu Zhaoxue's shoulders. He then instructed Eunuch Wei to have several more charcoal braziers brought in.
The snow gradually melted, and winter quietly came to an end. The days seemed peaceful, but the chill of spring was even more biting than the cold of winter.
Not long after Chu Huaiyu ascended the throne, he insisted on doing everything himself and often stayed up late to handle official business. Although there were palace servants on duty at night, Chu Huaiyu insisted that Lu Zhaoxue serve him, leaving Lu Zhaoxue with no way to complain.
Lu Zhaoxue was very dissatisfied, so she asked Chu Huaiyu to increase her monthly allowance. Chu Huaiyu smiled and immediately agreed.
On the day she was to receive her monthly allowance, Lu Zhaoxue received three times more than usual. After returning to her bedchamber, she also discovered that Chu Huaiyu had sent her some jewelry.
During dinner, Chu Huaiyu casually mentioned the matter, "Those monthly allowances are a reward for you, for taking such good care of my meals and daily life, and the jewelry is a reward for serving me every night..."
Before Chu Huaiyu could finish speaking, Lu Zhaoxue immediately interrupted him, gritting her teeth and saying, "Then this servant thanks Your Majesty for the reward!"
Chu Huaiyu smiled brightly, reached out and ruffled Lu Zhaoxue's hair, and said loudly, "No need to thank me."
After that, Lu Zhaoxue stared at Chu Huaiyu with a blank expression, but in her heart she had already cursed Chu Huaiyu a thousand times over.
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