Chapter 43: Marriage Granted by Imperial Decree
Chapter 43
Lu Desheng couldn't understand why his daughter acted like her father had died after snatching the pill. Ugh, wasn't he cursing himself?
Before he could ask, someone came outside the study.
The doorman came to the study breathlessly, knocked on the door, and said anxiously, "Master, Second Miss, there's an imperial decree from the palace. Madam wants you to go to the front yard as soon as possible."
The father and daughter looked at each other, got up without delay, and rushed to the front yard together.
Lu Songli thought as she walked. She knew without a doubt that this imperial decree must have come from the Empress Dowager of Changle Palace. It must be that the Empress Dowager had not slept all night so early in the morning.
Lu Songli didn't know, she just guessed the truth at random.
******
That night, the Empress Dowager of Changle Palace tossed and turned in bed. Early the next morning, she issued two imperial decrees with a bad look on her face after staying up all night.
When Rong Qiu heard this, she was shocked. "Isn't this too unfair to Lu Songli?" She knew that the Queen Mother was angry and was deliberately making trouble for the Lu family. The Queen Mother was so angry that she was hesitant to issue an imperial decree yesterday, but today she just ignored it.
The Queen Mother said with a cold face, "Who doesn't suffer grievances in this world? Didn't I suffer enough grievances when I was young?" She rushed to get there last night, but she was still a step late, allowing Lu Desheng to take the golden medal of immunity from death out of the palace, which made her very angry.
"Your Highness, I am worried about you. That Censor Lü Desheng is a troublemaker. I am worried that he will impeach you for this matter and take revenge on you."
The Queen Mother sneered, "What a joke, would I be afraid of him? Does being an emperor mean death?" She is the Queen Mother, second only to the emperor and above everyone else, how could she need to be afraid of a mere minister?
"He doesn't dare to confront you openly, but he dares to deal with the Cheng'en family."
"No need to say more! I have made up my mind."
The imperial decree had been issued, so Nanny Rong Qiu simply shut up.
*******
In the front yard of the Lu family, people were kneeling on the ground, and the three members of the Lu family were kneeling in the front to receive the order.
When the eunuch Hai Gonggong, who came to announce the imperial edict, saw that everyone was present, he began to read the imperial edict aloud.
"The Empress Dowager decrees: Qin Sheng, son of Qin Yue, the Marquis of Pingxi and General of the Western Expedition, and currently serving as Cloud Cavalry Commander, is a man of unwavering integrity, promising young talent, exceptional military skill, and a filial son, yet unmarried. Song Li, the second daughter of the Lu family, the descendant of a capable minister, is dignified, virtuous, and beautiful, and is now unmarried. These two are a match made in heaven, and I decree their marriage! I hope you two will choose an auspicious date for your wedding, unite your hearts and minds, serve your country wholeheartedly, and live up to my wishes. This is my decree!"
Lu Songli: "I obey your order and thank you for your grace, Queen Mother!"
Lu Desheng led everyone in kneeling, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your grace!"
Lü Songli stood aside after receiving the decree. Honestly, this marriage decree really caught her off guard. She had thought that revealing her secrets last night would make the Empress Dowager hesitate and give up her original idea.
Who would have thought that she would issue an imperial decree the next morning without hesitation, truly acting recklessly and without regard for public opinion. It seemed that her father's death sentence had really hit the Empress Dowager's soft spot.
After the eunuch announced the decree, he looked down at the three members of the Lu family and said, "Lord Lu, have you understood the Empress Dowager's decree?"
Isn't it just an arranged marriage? What else is there? Lu Desheng suppressed his anger and said, "Please let Eunuch Hai know."
"The Empress Dowager wants your daughter to marry the sixth son of the Qin family as soon as possible." Eunuch Hai emphasized the word "as soon as possible".
As soon as possible? Lu Desheng's heart skipped a beat. What does this mean?
"How early is as early as possible?" Lu Songli asked indifferently.
Eunuch Hai looked at her with pity, "The Empress Dowager has requested that you, Miss Lu Er, and the Sixth Young Master of the Qin Family, marry within two months."
Lu Songli asked again, "May I ask, Eunuch Hai, has the Empress Dowager also granted marriage to Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan?"
When Lu Desheng and the others thought that Eunuch Hai would arrogantly refuse to answer this question, he replied, "Yes."
Eunuch Hai thought to himself that before leaving the palace, the Empress Dowager had told him that if anyone from the Lu family asked about this, he should answer directly. It seemed that the Lu family had offended the Empress Dowager badly.
"They don't have any requirements to get married as soon as possible, right?" Lu Songli said with certainty.
"That's right, Miss Lu Er is really smart." Eunuch Hai stretched out his tone.
This was a clear target. As they asked and answered each other, both Lu Desheng and Jiang felt it.
"Thank you, Eunuch Hai, for clearing up my doubts. It's getting late, you should go back and report as soon as possible." Lu Songli began to see the guest off.
Not to mention what the three members of the Lu family were feeling at the moment, Jiang suppressed her emotions and gave a red envelope to the eunuch who announced the decree. After Lu Desheng sent the people away, Jiang also asked the servants to leave.
The Lu family cleared the place out, and only the three of them were left in the entire flower hall. The atmosphere was depressing.
"Revenge! This is blatant revenge." Lu Desheng was truly furious. "This is too much!"
Jiang couldn't understand it either, "How could the Empress Dowager do this?"
Lu Desheng and Jiang looked at their silent daughter with concern.
Lu Songli said nothing, slowly savoring the imperial decree: forcibly breaking up her engagement with Xie Zhan, forcibly pairing her with Qin Sheng, and finally forcing them to get married within two months.
This is truly a feudal dynasty where the subjects have to die if the king wants them to. After traveling through time for so long, she finally feels what it means to be forced to do things against one's will.
Lu Songli sighed lightly, it was really a matter of time and fate.
Now the Lu family and the Qin family were truly tied together. She and Qin Sheng were married by the Queen Mother, and such an engagement was usually difficult to dissolve unless one of them died. But who would want to die when they could live?
Empress Dowager, the whole world belongs to the emperor, and all the people are his subjects. Empress Dowager, you are one of the highest role models of the Li people. If you are unreasonable, how can there be any reason in the world? So, Empress Dowager, please don't blame me.
She thought that some things should be prepared.
"Daughter, are you okay?"
Lu Songli smiled and said, "Mother, I'm fine."
At this moment, Lu Songli was extremely calm. She felt that she was in a good state, better than ever before. She had never been a person who would just accept anything.
"I'm going to the study!" Seeing his daughter like this, Lu Desheng felt very uncomfortable.
"Dad, let's calm down first." Lu Songli held her father. It was obvious that her father had gone to the study and wanted to draw his sword again. But this time they couldn't move and had to endure it.
"His father, can you ask the emperor for help? Ask the empress dowager to withdraw the imperial decree?" Jiang asked.
Lu Desheng didn't say anything, as if he was considering this possibility.
Lu Songli answered for her father, "No, Dad, don't go and beg the Emperor." If it hadn't been for the Emperor's decree, it might have been possible, but without it, the Emperor wouldn't have disobeyed the Empress Dowager for such a small matter. She also didn't want her father, with his tiny frame weighing just a few hundred pounds, to confront the Empress Dowager. She felt the Empress Dowager would be eager for her father to make a scene and plead for mercy. Even better would it have been if she could have used this opportunity to reclaim the golden ticket of immunity from death she had given her father the night before.
"Father and mother, putting aside the fact that the Queen Mother forced the marriage upon us regardless of our wishes, marrying into the Qin family is still a good idea, right? Mother, don't you like Qin Sheng very much?"
Lu Desheng and Jiang nodded. Indeed, what their daughter said was right. There was nothing wrong with the arranged marriage to Qin Sheng, but it was very aggrieved that their Lu family was forced to accept it.
Jiang forced a smile and said, "That's the truth, but in my heart..."
Lu Songli understood that her mother was just unhappy. To put it bluntly, her mother had too high an opinion of the royal family, and had a filter and expectations for them, which in turn dominated her own happiness, anger, sorrow and joy.
She thought that after learning about the huge price she paid to save Xie Zhan, she would feel pity, give up her original plan, and stand on the side of fairness and justice again. However, the Empress Dowager did not do so, so her mother's filter was shattered, and she felt upset.
No, not only her mother thought so, but she herself overestimated the virtue of the royal family. Lu Songli thought to herself, it turns out that after she came here, she was not unaffected.
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