Chapter 3 Threat. Your fiancée is in my hands.
The fragrance of jasmine wafted from Zhang He's red lips, filling his nostrils and causing Lu Songyuan to catch his breath.
He looked at Jing Hui in silence for a moment, then said, "I wonder what Your Highness is talking about."
Jing Hui chuckled, then tapped his chest with even more force than before and repeated the statement with certainty.
"You agreed to this marriage because you had ulterior motives and wanted something else. Isn't that right?"
A slight tingling sensation in my chest.
Lu Songyuan grasped Jing Hui's mischievous hand and said with pursed lips, "Princess, you're drunk. Go back and rest early."
He used too much force; Jing Hui's wrist went numb.
She tried to shake her hand off, but couldn't, and cried out, "You're gripping too tightly, it hurts!"
Lu Songyuan paused, released Jing Hui, leaned back in his chair, and distanced himself from her.
Jing Hui's soft fingers brushed against Lu Songyuan's arm, fell onto his lap, and hurt her.
She lunged forward, exclaiming, "So hard!"
Lu Songyuan's starry eyes darkened as he looked at Jing Hui.
Why is she so delicate?
After a moment of silence, Ayu rushed in from outside the palace and helped Jing Hui up. "Princess, why did you drink so much again!"
"Not many, maybe three or five jars."
Jing Hui turned to look at A Yu, who suddenly appeared several times. She said as she fell down, "Don't make a sound, I want to sleep..."
"Princess!"
-
After a long dream, when Jinghui woke up the next day, he didn't have the familiar headache from a night of drinking. Instead, he had an unfamiliar pain in his temples.
She reached out and touched something, and surprisingly, she touched a bag.
"Ayu!"
Jing Hui suddenly sat up and asked A Yu, who rushed in, "Why is there a big bump on my forehead for no reason?"
Ah Yu picked up a mirror from the side, and Jing Hui leaned over to look at himself. Sure enough, there was a red and swollen patch on his forehead and hairline.
“Yesterday you instructed me to deliver palace banquet pastries to the Fifth Princess. When I returned, you were talking to General Lu.”
Ayu paused, glanced at Jing Hui's suddenly widened peach blossom eyes, and whispered, "I don't know what you two said, but you..."
"So what if I am?" Jing Hui asked irritably.
"You just walked right into General Lu's arms."
Without pausing, Ayu continued, “Not only that, but you also grabbed General Lu’s collar tightly and said that he had ill intentions towards you. Many people at the banquet saw you desperately trying to get into his arms. In the end, it was the female deputy general and the servants by General Lu’s side who brought you back.”
I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk...
Those words are still ringing in my ears; this is practically retribution!
Jing Hui hugged the corner of the blanket and lay back down on the pillow. She clearly remembered that she was drinking well last night, so how did she end up getting mixed up with Lu Songyuan!
"He must have brought this on himself," Jing Hui cursed Lu Songyuan in her heart many times over.
Tired of scolding, Jing Hui stood up, took a sip of tea, and said, "Select some things that women like and send them to that female deputy general. Tell her that this princess thanks her."
"Yes, I have already instructed someone to send it."
Ayu said, "Princess, His Majesty woke up this morning. He just sent someone to say that he was unable to get up last night, and the envoys from neighboring countries who came to the capital to pay tribute were also unable to deliver their gifts. His Majesty will meet with the officials in the Imperial Garden this afternoon to receive their tributes. Please go to the Imperial Garden to select some tributes after you wake up."
"Father is awake? That's wonderful!"
Jing Hui sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs, saying, "That's right! It's time for the envoys from the southwestern neighboring country to come and pay tribute."
"yes."
Ayu helped Jing Hui put on her shoes and served her as she washed up. "I heard that General Lu brought the three defeated tribes of the Northern Frontier with him to pay tribute when he returned to the capital this time."
Jing Hui was delighted. "The Northern Territory must have a lot of good stuff there."
"yes."
Ah Yu asked, "Does the princess wish to go now?"
"go!"
After Ah Yu finished applying makeup to Jing Hui, she got up and changed into a light blue washed dress. As soon as she tied her waist belt, she ran outside.
Ah Yu quickly followed behind Jing Hui, saying, "Princess, please slow down! Be careful not to fall!"
Eager to see Emperor Jingwen and the tribute, Jingwen returned to the Imperial Garden before the appointed time for their meeting.
Boxes of tribute were placed in the garden early on, almost filling the entire Imperial Garden.
The sun shone on the boxes, and each box of offerings reflected a different, dazzling light.
Jing Hui loved bright and eye-catching things the most. She walked among the offerings and looked around with delight.
As Jing Hui walked further in, she saw at the end of the offering boxes a man sitting in a wheelchair with his back to her. In front of him were Northern Army soldiers in black armor, who seemed to be listening to him say something.
Jing Hui approached slowly with light steps, intending to eavesdrop on their conversation, but the person in the wheelchair suddenly turned their head and looked over, their gaze icy and seemingly poisonous.
Jing Hui stopped in his tracks immediately.
Lu Songyuan's eyes are terrifying.
"Greetings, Princess."
The person behind him pushed Lu Songyuan's wheelchair around. After he bowed, the soldiers from the Northern Border beside him bowed and said, "Your subject greets the princess."
Jing Hui swallowed hard, realizing that this was the palace, her home. She felt a little relieved and approached to ask, "Why aren't they in the capital garrison? Why are they still in the palace?"
Lu Songyuan said, "Rongxi and Tuofeng have more tributes. The Empress Dowager has allowed them to come and help. They will leave in a while."
These two tribes are located right next to the northern border. The other tribe, which is a little further away, is called the Yan tribe.
"oh."
Jing Hui nodded, then looked at Lu Songyuan seriously.
Today, he has removed his black robe, tied his black hair high, wore a red jade crown, and sat upright in a wheelchair in a light, dark red outfit.
Putting aside his terrifying gaze, he seemed like a young man who grew up in the capital, riding a horse through the streets, as handsome as jade.
As his gaze shifted downwards and his breathing rose and fell, Jing Hui could still vaguely make out the bulging muscles beneath the fabric covering his chest and abdomen.
No wonder she bumped her forehead and got a bump.
Realizing where his gaze had fallen, Jing Hui quickly looked away.
Just then, a strong voice called out from behind.
“Ah Zhu”.
Azhu is Jinghui's nickname, given to him by Empress Huixiao as a precious pearl in her palm.
Jing Hui turned around and saw Emperor Jingwen striding towards him.
Behind him were the concubines, princes, and princesses of the imperial harem.
Jing Ao was not seen; the rest of the foreign envoys who came to pay tribute were at the very end.
"Father!"
Jing Hui's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over to bow, "Your subject greets Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty feeling much better?"
"Much better. Seeing Ah Zhu makes me happy, which is even better."
Emperor Jingwen ascended the throne at a young age and was diligent in governing the country, but he was not enthusiastic about martial arts.
After his serious illness, when he was lying in bed covered by a blanket, it wasn't obvious, but when he walked around, his figure appeared even thinner, his cheeks were slightly sunken, and even the dragon robe that used to fit him well seemed much too big.
Jing Hui's eyes welled up with tears, and she clung to Emperor Jingwen's arm affectionately.
"Father is just trying to coax me!"
Emperor Jingwen laughed heartily, his laughter as loud as a bell, and it was indeed a very good sound.
After chuckling twice, Emperor Jingwen glanced at Lu Songyuan behind Jing Hui.
Since Lu Songyuan returned to the court, Emperor Jingwen had never summoned him before; today was their first meeting.
Lu Songyuan stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your subject Lu Songyuan greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."
As he spoke, he tried to get up from his wheelchair and perform a deep bow.
Emperor Jingwen had already heard about his injury and how he was unable to stand up when bowing to the Empress Dowager at the palace banquet. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, sit down. We'll talk about it another day."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Thinking of the military power he held and the matter of the arranged marriage, Emperor Jingwen's smile faded, and he stepped forward to sit on the dragon throne.
"Let the nations begin to offer their tribute."
"yes."
The servant acknowledged and turned to make the arrangements.
Jing Hui turned around and walked back to his seat. He saw that the Northern Border Army behind Lu Songyuan had pushed him down the steps not far from Emperor Jingwen. Then he went to stand guard by himself.
A moment later, people dressed in black armor stood in an orderly fashion behind them.
Jing Hui turned his gaze back to the present. Everyone had already taken their seats. After consulting with Emperor Jingwen, Ning Lu took the gift list and checked each item one by one.
Offerings were carried in from the garden entrance, checked, and then carried out from both sides, forming a long and orderly line that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.
About an hour later, the tribute items on the gift list were finally put into storage. Next came the rare and precious items personally selected and sent by the kings of various countries.
These tributes were the rarest items in every country and even the world; they could not be bought anywhere, even with silver.
Jing Hui straightened up and looked at the several ebony boxes that had been placed on the ground in front of him. As each box of offerings was opened, it shone with a different light in the bright daylight, much more dazzling than the ordinary offerings from before.
Everyone leaned forward, their eyes dazzled by the sight.
Envoys from various countries stepped forward one by one to introduce their tributes. After they finished speaking, Emperor Jingwen stepped down from his dragon throne, walked past the many tributes, and finally stopped in front of the box from the Rongxi Kingdom.
This year, Rongxi Kingdom sent over a piece of unparalleled gold and colorful brocade. When the sunlight fell on the brocade, it shone with multiple dazzling rays of light.
Emperor Jingwen looked down at the box and suddenly thought of Empress Huixiao.
Many years ago, this brocade was her favorite.
Behind him, the concubines whispered among themselves, "Humph, it really is gold gauze and colorful brocade, truly a sight to behold once in ten years."
"The last time I saw the golden gauze and colorful brocade was when Empress Huixiao was alive. During that sacrificial ceremony, when she ascended the steps, the sunlight fell on her, making her look like an immortal descending to earth."
"I wonder to whom His Majesty will bestow this priceless bolt of cloth."
"Someone has already set their sights on it, and it's not going to be given to you or me."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwen looked up and immediately saw Jing Hui staring intently at the box of colorful brocade with bright, sparkling eyes.
He chuckled and called out, "Ah Zhu, come and take a look."
"yes."
Jing Hui stood up, lifted her skirt, and ran a few steps to Emperor Jingwen's side, asking, "Is this the golden gauze and colorful brocade?"
A Rong envoy stepped forward with a smile and said in a somewhat broken Liang dialect, “Indeed. Princess, please look. At night, this golden brocade seems to be woven from moonlight, like silver feathers. In the daytime, this brocade seems to contain all the colors of heaven and earth, and it looks different under all kinds of light, like a fairy light shining. It would be so beautiful to wear as a garment.”
Jing Hui nodded. "It is indeed beautiful."
"Your Majesty, Princess, and General Lu, please understand."
When Jing Hui heard Lu Songyuan's name, she turned her head and looked at him, only to meet his dark eyes. She didn't know when he had come up behind her.
"This brocade, produced by the entire Rong tribe with all its might, can only yield three feet a month. Hearing that our neighboring allies have come to pay tribute to the Great Liang, my king has offered up all the remaining resources of the nation. I hope Your Majesty will accept it with pleasure."
Of the three tribes in the North who did not participate in the recent turmoil, only Rongxi did not.
"Your king is very kind."
Emperor Jingwen smiled at Jing Hui and said indulgently, "Such fine items are rare. It just so happens that it's time to make autumn clothes, so let's give them all to Azhu."
As soon as Emperor Jingwen finished speaking, gasps and whispers came from the surrounding area.
Jing Hui smiled and said happily, "Thank you, Father. You love me the most."
"What do these things matter when it comes to pleasing my Ah Zhu?"
Emperor Jingwen gently pinched Jing Hui's cheek and said, "Go and see if there are any other things you like. You can choose and take them first. I'm tired, so I'll go back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to rest. You can take your time choosing."
"Thank you, Father!"
A hint of sorrow crept across Jing Hui's newly broken smile, and he said in a low voice, "Your subject will visit Father Emperor again tonight to bid him farewell."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
"Farewell to Your Majesty."
After everyone saw the emperor off, the Rong envoy made way, and Jing Hui had the palace servants close the box of gold and brocade and place it in front of A Yu. Then, he wandered among the treasure boxes alone, selecting the items.
Looking left and right, for almost half an hour, Jing Hui was completely overwhelmed.
Upon seeing this, the envoys from various countries all stepped forward and surrounded Jing Hui, vying to introduce her to them.
Surrounded in an instant, with no familiar palace servants around, Jing Hui frowned and turned her head to avoid them, only to meet Lu Songyuan's gaze.
His already serious expression suddenly turned cold. He said something to the Northern Army, and the Northern Army soldiers walked towards her.
Jing Hui sensed something was wrong and was about to tell the envoys to leave when a gust of wind blew past his ear.
In a flash, Jing Hui felt his hands being suddenly grabbed and bound behind his back, and a cold, sharp dagger pressed against his neck.
"Princess!"
Ah Yu screamed.
The change happened too quickly. Dozens of people wielding long knives appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group.
Before anyone could escape, the palace concubines and eunuchs screamed incessantly. Even though the black-armored soldiers moved extremely quickly, several palace servants still had their throats slit, and their blood splattered on the stone pavement, emitting a pungent smell.
They threatened, "Don't move if you don't want to die!"
Everyone was held in place and dared not move. Only Jing Hui was taken to the front of the group. Not far from her was Lu Songyuan, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
During the scuffle, the tip of the knife seemed to have cut open his neck, and Jing Hui felt blood flowing from the wound.
She closed her eyes in pain and gritted her teeth as she asked, "Let's talk this out. What do you want?"
The man glanced at Jing Hui, then tightened his grip on her and pulled her closer to Lu Songyuan.
He was breathing heavily, his voice hoarse and booming like a broken bell, speaking in broken Daliang dialect, "Tell your fiancé to give me back Tagan, and I'll let you go!"
In an instant, Jing Hui knew why he had been kidnapped.
The person behind him was an envoy from the Camel Wind Tribe, and Tagan was the military token used by their king to mobilize troops.
A few days ago, Lu Songyuan stormed into the main city of Tuofeng, beheaded the Tuofeng king, and then found someone close to the Liang dynasty within the Tuofeng tribe to take over. After that, Natagan disappeared without a trace.
Where they went, only Lu Songyuan probably knows.
Jing Hui looked at Lu Songyuan with difficulty, only to see that Lu Songyuan looked indifferent.
She nervously said to the person behind her, "You're asking him for something, why are you tying up this princess!"
The Camel Wind Messenger stopped speaking to Jing Hui and said to Lu Songyuan, "Your fiancée is in my hands. Give us back our Tagan!"
Lu Songyuan remained silent, his expression unchanged.
Ah Yu, who was being held down, couldn't hold back any longer and struggled to say, "General Lu, please save the princess! The princess's neck is bleeding!"
Jing Hui swallowed hard and looked at Lu Songyuan.
Lu Songyuan seemed to be looking at Jing Hui, but also at the Camel Wind Messenger.
"This general has no idea what you're talking about."
"What are you pretending for! Tagan can command the 30,000 troops hidden deep within our tribe."
The camel-wind messenger gritted his teeth, "My king knew long ago that you were eyeing our Tagan, and that you must have taken it when you massacred the city!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze towards Lu Songyuan instantly changed.
This general not only holds great power in the northern border, but also commands 30,000 private troops from foreign tribes!
"I told you, I don't know anything about your Tagan."
Lu Songyuan said, "Do you send out a mad dog to bite people just because you lost something?"
"Enough with the nonsense! You're incredibly cunning, who else could it be but you!"
As the camel-wind messenger spoke, he pressed the short knife in his hand against Jing Hui's neck again, and the bleeding that had stopped started flowing again. Lu Songyuan narrowed his eyes.
Jing Hui dared not move, and said stiffly, "Don't be impulsive, this princess will ask for you."
Judging from last night and today, the Camel Wind Messenger could tell that Jing Hui was of noble status and that his words carried weight.
He hesitated for a moment, then loosened his grip slightly and said, "Don't try anything funny!"
"I won't play games; this princess wants to live."
After Jing Hui finished speaking, he looked at Lu Songyuan and said, "Lu Songyuan, if you took the Tagan, you should take it out and return it to him as soon as possible."
Lu Songyuan repeated, "Princess, I really didn't."
Jing Hui had long known that Lu Songyuan was not a kind person, but she never expected him to remain so aloof.
With red eyes, she gritted her teeth and looked at Ah Yu.
Ah Yu carries fine needles as hidden weapons. If she can hit the person behind her and release Jing Hui, the guards beside her will be more than capable of dealing with these few people.
She had a good plan, and Ayu also received a hint from Jing Hui.
Before it could be carried out, the Wind Messenger behind him noticed Jing Hui's actions.
"Don't move—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jing Hui suddenly heard a gust of wind like an arrow.
The next moment, a sharp pain shot through my neck, and a stream of hot liquid splattered onto my face, followed by the pungent smell of blood.
It's blood.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
