Mu Xu initially echoed a few words, but then gradually fell silent.
Jiayin had finished speaking, but all that remained was the howling of the mountain wind.
She turned her head and saw that Mu Xu had already fallen into a deep sleep.
This was the first time Jiayin had the opportunity to carefully observe his sleeping face.
Her eyebrows were as dark as ink, and her long eyelashes could even cover her entire under-eye area. Her high nose bridge and her lips, which were neither too thick nor too thin, no longer had the smile that she always wore, but instead looked tired, which made people feel sorry for her.
A boy not yet twenty years old, due to a sudden and huge change in his family, wished he could grow up instantly. He plotted revenge, learned skills, and suffered too much hardship that ordinary people could not endure.
Yet he remained optimistic and open-minded, always stubbornly and bravely facing the disasters that befell the world.
It seemed that nothing could trouble him, nothing could make him compromise or back down!
From strangers to acquaintances, he gradually built trust in her heart, eventually forming a reliable mountain...
Not to mention Jiayin and Muxu enjoying the mountain breeze together, relaxing and clearing their minds.
Inside the Kunning Palace, around noon, the Emperor arrived once again.
The Emperor had just finished court and dealt with some state affairs when he came to offer incense to the Empress.
The third princess, dressed in plain clothes and wearing mourning attire, knelt before a copper basin to burn paper money.
The firelight made her face red, but she looked haggard no matter how you looked at it.
After all, she was his own daughter, and the Emperor felt sorry for her. After offering incense, he advised her, "Don't be sad. Your mother has been ill for too long. Continuing like this will only cause her more suffering. Now she is finally free."
"You must take good care of yourself. If you also fall ill, I will worry, and your mother's spirit in heaven will not be at peace."
The third princess remained silent for a long while, but then knelt down, turned around, and kowtowed three times to the emperor.
"Father, I have a request."
The Emperor frowned, glancing subconsciously at the Empress's coffin, and said with barely restrained patience, "Don't say anymore. Your mother cannot be buried immediately. Tomorrow is the day to appoint the Crown Prince, and in three to five days the selection of concubines will be over. At that time, I will definitely give your mother a grand funeral."
Unexpectedly, the Third Princess shook her head and said, "No, Father, I am not asking for Mother's burial as soon as possible. I want to get married as soon as possible and marry Prince Lu!"
The Emperor was surprised and, with a hint of anger, asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to get married? Have you done something wrong with Lu Zong?!"
By the end, his expression had changed.
The court is currently overwhelmed with numerous matters and troubles. If our daughter were to commit any more disgraceful acts, it would be like adding fuel to the fire!
"Father, you are overthinking it. I am a princess of the country. How could I do such a shameful thing!"
The third princess frowned, annoyed by her father's misunderstanding, but she had no choice but to endure it if she wanted to get what she wanted.
"When Mother was alive, her biggest concern was my marriage. If I wait until Mother's funeral, I will have to observe three years of mourning, and by then I will be an old maid in my twenties."
"Moreover, in three years, too many things may happen, and I do not want to gamble with my lifelong happiness."
"Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to marry as soon as possible, preferably around the same time as my elder brother, the Crown Prince, is choosing a consort. This way, it will be a double celebration for our royal family, a good omen."
Seeing that his daughter didn't seem to be lying, the Emperor secretly breathed a sigh of relief and replied.
“Your princess residence has been built long ago, so you can get married at any time. But Lu Zong may not be as good as you think, so you should be more cautious about this matter.”
The third princess smiled bitterly, raised her hand and threw another handful of paper money into the copper basin, replying indifferently, "Father, what in this world is perfect? Even you and Mother, outsiders say you treat each other with respect. But in reality, Mother is still here, unable to be buried in peace even after death."
"It doesn't matter who I marry, as long as I remain a princess. No matter what the husband's true nature is, he must always appear gentle and refined in my presence. That's enough!"
"Furthermore, the Lu family has dominated the southwest for many years, and now they are too powerful to be controlled. I should marry into the Lu family as soon as possible and give birth to the eldest grandson of the direct line of the Lu family."
"Then we can help the Crown Prince better control the Southwest and the Lu family. Perhaps in ten years or so, the Crown Prince will be able to easily regain control of the Lu family's military power without any effort."
The Emperor was moved by what he heard. The strange illness that Lu Zong had suffered earlier clearly indicated that he was unwilling to get married.
Could it be that the Lu family truly harbors ulterior motives, unwilling to marry the royal princess and unwilling to be controlled?
Emperors are inherently suspicious, and once that suspicion arises, it's impossible to suppress it.
"I will consider it. You should keep vigil for now."
The emperor uttered a single sentence, then turned and left.
Hearing the creak of the door closing, the Third Princess curled into a cold smile, her eyes filled with mockery...
Because he had to handle the tasks assigned by the Emperor, Chief Eunuch Yi did not go to Kunning Palace.
As a result, the emperor walked in from outside with a sullen face, and his heart skipped a beat.
He quickly poured the emperor's favorite plum juice and carefully served it. Seeing that the emperor's expression had softened, he tentatively asked the question.
"Your Majesty, is the Third Princess too heartbroken? Should we send a royal physician to her?"
The Emperor shook his head, gestured for everyone else to leave, and then asked Chief Steward Yi for his opinion.
"Whenever the Third Princess and Prince Lu meet, do you...?"
He had only asked half of his question when a short sound came from the corner of the wall, like the sound of a flute being played, or like the sound of wind entering through the window.
Steward Yi immediately retreated behind the curtain, lowered his head, and tried his best to be deaf, mute, and invisible.
At this moment, an old eunuch in gray quietly appeared in the room, took a few steps forward, and placed a copper pipe on the desk.
The emperor quickly disassembled the copper pipe, took out a note, and frowned deeply after only glancing at it.
"Summon the Crown Prince here!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Chief Steward Yi hurried out and personally went to Xilong Pavilion to invite the person.
When the Crown Prince arrived, the Emperor was pacing around with his hands behind his back. When he saw his son coming, he waved his hand.
Manager Yi personally closed the door and stood guard by it.
The Emperor's first words were, "The Lu family is not as honest as they seem. I have been deceived. Hundreds of Lu family members have appeared in Jiangbei and intercepted and killed the secret guards I sent out. Their intentions are unclear."
The Crown Prince paused for a moment, then replied, "Father, please calm down. After all, the Lu family holds military power, so it's not surprising that they have some people working in secret. However, at such a critical moment, the fact that the Lu family has people in Jiangbei must mean they have some arrangements. We still need to find out."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and then said, "Young Master Lu is currently claiming to be ill, and we don't know when his marriage to the princess will be postponed. Otherwise, we could take this opportunity to place some people into the Lu family."
The emperor frowned, then sighed.
"It's quite a coincidence, actually. Your sister just asked me to marry Lu Zong as soon as possible. She even said that she would choose a concubine for you at the same time, so it would be a double celebration."
The crown prince raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
He didn't suspect that the Third Princess had found out about Jiangbei in advance; after all, she was a princess raised deep in the palace and didn't have the strength or ability to do so.
However, Lu Zong had previously "injured" a crucial part of himself.
Isn't the Third Princess afraid that Lu Zong will become impotent?
Has she fallen so deeply in love with Lu Zong?
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