Shen Youying had no idea how much struggle and hesitation Lu Minghe had gone through.
She was just bored in the pavilion and came out with Xie Qinglan for some fresh air, but unexpectedly they ran into Lu Minghe.
Lu Minghe looked much thinner than before. He wasn't wearing the silver-white robe he wore on the polo field, but instead a dark blue robe. His eyes, which looked over, were like whirlpools, holding a thousand unspoken words, and he even seemed emaciated.
Shen Youying stopped in her tracks and nodded politely: "Cousin."
Lu Minghe gave a rather desolate laugh. His heart, already riddled with holes, didn't feel pain; instead, he felt a sense of relief. He was relieved that Zhaozhao was so gentle and kind, that even when facing the enemy who had pushed her into the abyss, she could still politely call him "cousin."
Lu Minghe looked at her and subconsciously took a step forward: "Zhaozhao, I—"
“Young Master Lu, Zhao Zhao is now the Princess Consort of Qin. Even if you are cousins, you should avoid suspicion. If you have something to say, just stand there and say it. Don’t cause any gossip for Zhao Zhao.”
Xie Qinglan spread her arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks, blocking Lu Minghe from getting close.
Lu Minghe stopped in his tracks, his numb heart finally feeling a slight pang of pain because of that one word, "avoid suspicion."
He obediently stopped, his jaw clenched and veins bulging on his forehead from the inner turmoil. After a long silence, he said slowly in a hoarse voice, "Miss Xie, I have no intention of causing trouble for Zhaozhao. I just want to ask Zhaozhao about some things."
After saying this, he bowed deeply, his posture extremely humble.
Xie Qinglan was not a sharp-tongued person after all, and upon seeing this, she hesitated and looked at Shen Youying.
Shen Youying nodded to her: "Go play first, I'll talk to my cousin for a bit and then come back." She then said to Lu Minghe: "Cousin, if you have something to say, go to the pavilion over there and say it."
The two moved into the pavilion.
Lu Minghe remained silent for a long time. Shen Youying kept a step's distance from him, just watching him quietly, waiting for him to speak.
After a long silence, Lu Minghe finally spoke with difficulty: "I... found out some things."
Shen Youying's eyelashes fluttered, and she looked up at him.
"That day at the Zhou family's villa, the person Prince Chen originally favored was you." Lu Minghe's voice was very soft, as if afraid of startling her: "Wasn't that right?"
Because of the letters sent by Shen Muyu, he vaguely felt that his mother was hiding many things from him, so he asked Lu Yang to follow these letters to investigate. As a result, they accidentally found a maid who had been sold by the Zhou family and found out about the Zhou family's villa.
On the same day that her mother went to the Shen family to annul the engagement, Zhao Zhao went to Zhou Zhenrong's flower-viewing banquet at the Zhou family's villa.
The maid said that she was originally a maid serving Zhou Zhenrong, but because of the scandal between Zhou Zhenrong and Prince Chen, all the servants who knew about it were sold off far away.
As the Censor, he was well aware of the situation in the court and the palace. Prince Chen had already betrothed a woman from the Yang family, and Empress Zhou would never allow her niece to interfere. Moreover, Zhou Zhenrong had always been at odds with Zhaozhao, and he knew a little about her as well. Zhou Zhenrong was extremely proud and not the kind of person who would have an affair with Prince Chen and cause a scandal.
This matter was suspicious in every way. It took Lu Yang a lot of money to find out from the maid that the trouble caused by Prince Chen and Zhou Zhenrong that day was a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead. Prince Chen's original target was Zhaozhao.
However, for some reason, Zhao Zhao escaped this calamity, and the person who ended up with Prince Chen was Zhou Zhenrong.
The maid couldn't understand, but Lu Minghe did.
He found out the guest list of the Zhou family villa, reviewed the events of that day again and again, and finally found someone who shouldn't have been there—Prince Qin, Xue Shen.
As fate would have it, he didn't go to the Shen family to receive the auspicious gift that day, but Wang Deshun, the chief secretary of the Prince of Qin's mansion, did.
He hadn't found out the details, but he guessed that given Zhaozhao's personality, she probably wouldn't agree.
Afterwards, Zhao Zhao went to the Zhou family's villa for a banquet, and the King of Qin also went.
After the banquet, Prince Chen and Zhou Zhenrong had an embarrassing affair, while Prince Qin went to the palace and asked the emperor for a marriage decree.
This time, Zhao Zhao is waiting to be married peacefully.
A suspicion he didn't want to think about, yet couldn't help but ponder, lingered in his mind, causing him to toss and turn as if tormented by fire.
If this speculation is true, then he is also the culprit who personally pushed Zhao Zhao into the abyss.
Lu Minghe closed his eyes, hoping she would say no.
But Shen Youying hesitated for only a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes."
Her gaze held no resentment, but was like a clear, bottomless lake, reflecting the truth that Lu Minghe dared not face.
His expression was pained, and he almost instinctively took a step back, shaking his head repeatedly: "I didn't know it would be like this. If I had known, if I had known..." His eyes were red, and he could barely speak.
If he had known what Zhaozhao would go through, he would have fought to the death to agree to his mother's so-called "expedient measure".
But there's no such thing as knowing beforehand, and there's no going back.
His voice was hoarse as he made a promise, each word deliberate and earnest, filled with pity and solemnity: "It's my fault, I will find a way to get you out—"
"Is the Prince of Qin's residence a den of dragons and tigers? Do I really need to trouble Chief Censor Lu to save my princess?"
A sudden voice interrupted Lu Minghe's words.
Shen Youying looked at the person who had spoken, her expression momentarily flustered. Lu Minghe instinctively stepped in front of her, assuming a protective stance.
Xue Shen smiled slightly, maneuvered his wheelchair to the table, beckoned to Chen Youying, and said in a gentle voice, "Zhaozhao, come here."
Shen Youying looked up at him in surprise, hesitated for a moment, and then obediently walked to his side.
Xue Shen then said, "Sit down."
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