Chapter 61: You missed me too, didn't you? The files in the duty room are piled up like...
There were piles of files in the duty room, and the candles that were lit at night were forgotten to be extinguished, and they were still burning with a faint light.
Xue Yu felt confused at first, and then an indescribable bitterness spread to his heart. Yun Yang in front of him had lost a lot of weight, and his eyes seemed to be getting bigger. Those clear eyes were full of worry for another man.
Thunder rumbled in his ears, and his heart was in turmoil. He subconsciously asked, "Lu Jie? Do you want to plead for Lu Jie?"
He remembered that Yun Yang and Lu Jie had some connection. He had sent people to investigate, but found nothing. Meanwhile, other things interrupted his thoughts. Later, when the Zhang family proposed marriage, and Yun Yang accepted, he assumed that in Yun Yang's heart, Lu Jie was just an insignificant passing figure...
Why would she beg for mercy for Lu Jie in such a panic?
How could that be?
Xue Yu thought he had misheard, but Yun Yang stepped forward quickly, tugging at his sleeve. The desperate light in his eyes turned into a cold sneer that pierced his heart.
She has no feelings for you at all. If she had any romantic feelings for you, why would she beg you for another man? Song Fanghe, Chu Qin, Zhang Qian, even the Crown Prince, are all her minions, and you, nothing!
"Brother-in-law, Lu Jie isn't that kind of person. He would never collaborate with the enemy and commit treason. There must be a misunderstanding here, and he's been framed! How could the benefits of collaborating with the enemy and treason compare to staying in the prosperous Shangjing and waiting for a guaranteed promotion?"
"Where is Lu Jie now? Has he returned to the capital? How will His Majesty punish him? The Ministry of Justice, where my brother-in-law works, will decide the sentence."
"If he, he, is found guilty, what kind of punishment will he receive? Will he be beheaded?"
Xue Yu's clenched hands loosened and tightened again, his gaze shifting from her bloodshot eyes, as if he didn't care about what she said so frantically. He said calmly, "Beheading and displaying your head in public is a light punishment. Collaboration with the enemy and treason is a heinous crime that has caused public outcry. The entire clan must be executed."
Yun Yang staggered back, as if he was stupid, staring at him blankly, and the hand that was pulling his sleeve became harder and harder.
Xue Yu took a step back, lowered his eyes and said, "Let's go back. It's going to rain soon."
It was not until Xue Yu changed into his outer robe and walked past her into the drizzle that she suddenly woke up, as if she had escaped from suffocating deep water. Her heart was beating extremely fast, and she rushed out to reach out to stop him.
Xue Yu stopped and stood quietly, as if in a trance. He ignored her extremely panicked look and just waited for her to speak.
Yun Yang hesitated for a long moment, "But, but Lord Lu is innocent! He won't go against the imperial court."
Xue Yu suddenly asked, "Have you been waiting here these days?"
Yun Yang nodded hesitantly, "Yes, I just want to hear my brother-in-law say something fair."
Xue Yu's face was grim and he took a deep breath.
"When he left, I asked him why he chose to go to Lucheng, where the lawlessness was completely gone, instead of taking the promising path to the capital. He said he had made up his mind and that he didn't become an official for wealth and fame...Brother-in-law! He's already recognized his identity as the eldest son of the Lu family. The Lu family is wealthy, and there's no way he would betray his country for the mere money he could earn from selling enemy intelligence!"
"His parents and relatives are all in the capital. If he betrays his country, he won't be able to come back. Why would he do this?"
After Yun Yang finished speaking, there was silence. Xue Yu lowered his eyes indifferently.
"Brother-in-law, you know the inside story, right? He must have been wronged, right? You and Lord Lu served in the same court, how could you not know his character... Brother-in-law, you must seek justice for him!" Yun Yang said stubbornly, "I guess those people are jealous of him. He came from a humble family, but he recognized his noble parents. His story of recognizing his mother in the Golden Palace is so popular that it aroused people's jealousy..."
At this moment, Xue Yu's patience reached its limit. "You know quite a lot. When did Lu Tanhua become so familiar with you? How could Yangyang know his character?"
"Everyone knows that if he stays in Shangjing, he'll be on the road to success. Doesn't he know that? He finally found his parents again, and while they're still around, they shouldn't travel far away. Everyone knows that going to Lucheng is a difficult task, so why did he insist on taking it? Don't you think about the reason?"
"He did it for the common people. He said his three years would bring peace between the ruler and his subjects, and safety for the people living on the border. That would be worth it!" Yun Yang said. Lu Jie's thin, aloof figure, his calm demeanor hidden among the lights of thousands of houses, suddenly appeared before her. Under Xue Yu's scrutinizing gaze, she said sternly, "Brother-in-law, don't you believe there are people of high moral character in this world?"
Lu Jie had come to the capital before the Spring Imperial Examination. How long had she known him, at most? His character was noble, and he spoke so freely.
Xue Yu smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Whether it's true or not, it can't be determined by just you and me. His crime will be tried by the Dali Temple, the Supervisory Office, and the Ministry of Justice."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Yun Yang stood there in a daze. It turned out that Lu Jie's case was not only under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, but also had to be tried jointly with the Inspectorate and the Dali Temple.
If convicted, beheading is not enough, all nine generations of the clan must be executed.
These are the blood relatives he just recognized...his clan members must hate him to death.
She had long regarded Lu Jie as the most important person besides her sister and brother-in-law, and he was also the person she admired and was grateful to. Why should such a good person like him have to endure such a tragic ending!
I don't know when, tears blurred my vision, or maybe it was the drizzle falling from the sky...
An oil-paper umbrella was held above her head, and a servant beside her whispered, "Miss Yun, Lord Xue has ordered me to take you back to the palace."
Yun Yangruo was like a puppet that had lost its soul. She followed the servants out, got on the carriage, and sat inside blankly, feeling a kind of despair of having nowhere else to go.
If she is so desperate, what about Lu Jie?
Where is he now, what is his situation, has he been tortured into confessing? Or was he injured and did not survive to return to the capital to stand trial...
Brother Fairy, you are a good man. Do good people deserve to be framed like this?
Her brother-in-law won't help her, and he can't make the decision on this matter.
Judging from the prevailing sentiment in Beijing these days, everyone is trying to avoid the issue of treason. If my brother-in-law were to intervene, he would probably get into trouble himself.
Yun Yang lifted the curtain of the carriage. The streets were bustling with people and traffic. It was drizzling. There were scholars running fast with oil-paper bags on their heads, young children leaning on their mothers' arms to avoid the rain, and young couples strolling with umbrellas.
She found it hard to accept such a change, and found it hard to accept that Lu Jie had ended up like this.
At this moment, watching everything in the streets as normal, I felt extremely sad and resentful. I hated Lu Jie for having to go to Lucheng for the sake of the common people. But did these people know?
They knew nothing. They didn't know that a promising young official had bravely gone to that dangerous place to save the people from the war. They didn't know how important this young official had given up, and they didn't know that his life was now hanging by a thread.
Yun Yang was just a young woman, a lazy, useless one who didn't enjoy studying. While she knew the scholars' pursuits were to establish a mind for heaven and earth, a life for the people, to carry on the lost knowledge of the sages, and to bring peace to the world, she had never seen how to put these literary aspirations into action... until she met Lu Jie.
The tears flowed even more violently. She hadn't repaid him yet. She couldn't do anything for him...
Yun Yang sobbed silently. As her vision grew increasingly blurry, she heard a voice in her ear: "The Crown Prince has arrived. Everyone who has nothing to do with you must step aside!"
When Yun Yang stepped forward to stop the prince's sedan chair, she was about to be driven away as a rioter, but it happened that the young eunuch recognized her and stopped her immediately.
The prince had not seen her for a long time and had originally thought of waiting for some time after the wedding to develop feelings for her. However, he suddenly heard from Master Xue some time ago that she was betrothed to the son of the former general of the Zhenjun Army who died for his country.
How could he dare to touch my wife, especially a loyal and brave one?
He thought that this was it with Yun Yang, but he didn't expect her to come to him on her own initiative.
The prince immediately waved at her with a smile, and without saying anything, took her back to the East Palace.
This was Yun Yang’s first time in the Eastern Palace.
It was almost as majestic and grand as the imperial palace, but the bays were not as large and wide as the imperial palace. The jade buildings, carved beams and painted pillars were remarkable, but she was not in the mood to appreciate them.
"Your Highness! The Imperial Physician from the Imperial Hospital just took the Crown Princess' pulse. Initially, they said her pulse was abnormal, so they invited Doctor Liao, a gynecologist, to come and examine her. Doctor Liao is an expert in gynecology, and upon taking her pulse, he confirmed that the Crown Princess is pregnant!" The maid came forward and knelt on the ground. "Your Highness, this is your first child! Congratulations, Your Highness!"
Yun Yang was stunned and couldn't help but glance sideways at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's originally gloomy and pale face flushed abnormally, and he looked a little confused. He glanced at her again, cleared his throat, and said, "Really? I'll go see the Crown Princess."
"Yangyang, go ahead and wait for me in the side hall." The prince didn't look at Yunyang, and looked a little embarrassed. He waved his sleeves and walked towards the inner hall.
The palace maid who was kneeling on the ground stood up and looked at Yun Yang strangely.
Yun Yang couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. After she knew the Crown Prince's feelings for her, she didn't want to get involved in this mess, especially since she knew that he and the Crown Princess were deeply in love. What merits did she have to make him care about her? Her brother-in-law had repeatedly emphasized that she should not get involved with the Crown Prince, and she was willing to obey. But when it came to Lu Jie, it seemed that only the Crown Prince had a say. She still remembered that the Crown Prince had some friendship with her. For this reason, if not to forgive Lu Jie, at least he could ensure fairness during the trial. But now the Crown Prince was going to be his father... She still had some weight in his heart. Would her words still have any effect?
Yun Yang sat on a large armchair in the side hall, his hands resting on his knees and twisting nervously.
Soon, the prince came over. The door of the hall was very high, but the inside was deep. Yun Yang was staring at the murals covering the entire wall in a daze. Dust was floating under a beam of sunlight. The girl had black hair and snow-white skin, and was pure but not coquettish. There was a faint sadness between her brows. Under the compassionate gaze of the gods and Buddhas in the sky, she looked like the newly condensed morning dew, which would dissipate if not carefully observed.
The scene of his first meeting with Yun Yang and all the past events reappeared in his mind and gradually became clearer. The prince raised his thin lips and smiled, which was rare. It seemed that it could dispel the lingering gloom and irritability around him, revealing the elegance of a favored child of heaven.
Every part of her touched his heart, how could he not like her...
His eyes were fixed on her, and he didn't say a word for a long time. Yun Yang was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the prince's presence.
Crown Prince Li Yi prided himself on his cold temperament. Even when he was newly married to the Crown Princess, he did not feel much sweetness. He thought all the rumors from the outside world were just a show. Even when his hands touched the Crown Princess's belly just now, he was thinking about whether the unborn child's mother's family was so prominent and whether it would threaten the country in the future.
Li Yi looked at Yun Yang, whose face was filled with sorrow, for a long time before he realized that Yun Yang was the only woman in the world who could move his heart.
As soon as he saw her, all the emotions that he had previously deliberately forgotten and suppressed were completely shattered.
The sky-high mural was brightly colored, with a flying goddess in the painting showing an enchanting figure. The gods and Buddhas were gazing at her quietly with their eyes slightly closed.
Yun Yang sighed and sorted out her chaotic thoughts. She thought that when she met the prince later, she must calm down and plead for Lu Jie. The prince was a good man. She appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him. The prince would definitely not sit idly by and watch a loyal and good man being framed.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stood up, she was suddenly hugged tightly by a pair of hands from behind. The faint scent of ambergris lingered in her nostrils, the chest pressed against her back was hot, and the hand around her waist was neither light nor heavy, but she dared not move.
At this moment, she thought of many things.
She had a request to the prince, and it was a matter of great importance.
The other party is the prince, a person of great value. Her brother-in-law said that this person would kill entire families at will, and she could not afford to offend him.
The other party seemed to have expected that she would not resist. He tightened his grip around her waist and sniffed her neck with his warm breath. The prince's voice was hoarse, trying hard to suppress some surging emotions. "You missed me too, didn't you?"
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The author has something to say: Yun Yang (holding his forehead): I miss you so much
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