Upon entering the study, the Duke of Lu coldly ordered, "Kneel down!"
Lu Xingli pouted, feeling wronged and dissatisfied, but still obediently knelt down.
Duke Lu rebuked him, "Why did you do that today? Do you think the Duke's mansion is still the same as it used to be? If you offend the General's mansion, my whole family will probably be buried with you!"
"Father, everything I did today was for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"For the sake of the Crown Prince?" Duke Lu was very puzzled.
With a sob in her voice, she accused, "Father has always known that I am in love with His Highness the Crown Prince, but now His Highness only has eyes for that Liu Qingying and cannot see anyone else. I am afraid that in the future I will have to give up the position of Crown Princess."
Duke Lu frowned deeply. "Are you telling the truth? Have those two really fallen in love?"
“It’s absolutely true! My daughter fell off the carriage the other day, and His Highness the Crown Prince personally stood up for her. I know about this.”
All along, Duke Lu had allowed Lu Xingli to get close to Wei Huaixu with the intention that if his daughter became the Crown Princess in the future, she could help the Duke's family. Now that he knew that his hopes were about to be dashed, how could he not be worried?
"You mean, as long as you get Liu Qingying away from the Crown Prince, you're confident you can become the Crown Princess?"
Lu Xingli nodded, "I'm confident. His Highness treated me very well before. If it weren't for her appearance, the position of Crown Princess would have been mine."
Duke Lu nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, do whatever you want, but you must never be as reckless as you were today."
"yes."
With her father's support, Lu Xingli became increasingly confident. As she walked out of the study, she was already imagining herself dressed as the Crown Princess.
In fact, she wasn't just after the position; she genuinely liked Wei Huaixu.
She still remembers that three years ago, when she went to the palace to visit her cousin who had become a concubine, she happened to meet Wei Huaixu, who was practicing swordsmanship, in the Imperial Garden.
That day, he was dressed in a noble purple robe, and a long sword in his hand seemed to be infused with his soul. Every movement he made was clean and neat, and even the falling sword tassel became an adornment for him.
She was engrossed in watching when the long sword suddenly slashed across a treetop, knocking down a profusion of blossoms. The pink and white petals fell like snowflakes.
His longsword swept across her head, catching a flower that was about to fall on her.
He smiled gently and said softly, "Miss, you might get hurt standing here."
As he spoke, his dark eyes seemed to be adorned with stars.
She was captivated by him at first sight.
...
Just as Qingying and Wei Huaixu reached the gate of the Duke of Lu's mansion, Lu Jingyan caught up with them, holding a scroll in his hand and nervously presenting it to them.
“Miss Liu, this is a painting by Tang Huaishan. I am giving it to you as an apology on behalf of my fourth sister.”
"Give it to me?" Qingying was somewhat surprised.
It's important to know that Tang Huaishan's paintings are extremely rare on the market nowadays, and even if they are available, they cost a fortune.
Lu Jingyan nodded and said very sincerely, "I originally bought this painting because I knew you liked it. I wanted to give it to you just now, but that thing happened and I can't appreciate the painting with you."
Qingying felt a tickle in her heart, and was struggling with whether to accept it or not. She slowly stretched out her hand, but was stopped halfway by Wei Huaixu.
He reached out and grasped Qingying's shoulder, pulling her into his arms. With a harmless smile on his gentle face, he looked at Lu Jingyan and said, "Young Master Lu, you should keep your painting for yourself. As long as Shushu likes it, I am willing to send the best paintings in the world to her."
Lu Jingyan stared at his actions in astonishment, and even the slow-witted Lu Jingyan noticed something amiss. "You...you guys..."
"It's just like what you see." Seeing his blank expression, Wei Huaixu bluntly stated, "She is my betrothed Crown Princess. Are you trying to steal her away right in front of me?"
"This humble subject dares not..." Lu Jingyan immediately lowered his head and tightened his grip on the scroll.
"It's good that you know you wouldn't dare."
Wei Huaixu snorted softly, picked up Qingying in front of him, and walked towards the carriage.
Qingying wrapped her arms around his neck and couldn't help but tease, "Is Your Highness jealous?"
"So what if he is? I've been putting up with him for a long time. I haven't even settled the score with him from Chongfu Temple yet, and now he's offering himself up to me. I'm being too kind to him!"
"Tsk tsk, Your Highness's usual upright and gentlemanly image has been completely shattered."
Wei Huaixu stepped into the carriage, set her down, and then bent down.
"I have never been a virtuous gentleman; that was just a facade for outsiders."
His slender fingers gently pinched her chin and lifted it slightly.
Qingying instinctively grabbed the corner of his clothes, her shimmering eyes filled with a thin mist.
“Ah Xu…”
He couldn't help but lower his head and capture her lips, gently rubbing them... It was a delicate and long kiss, the collision of two hearts intense yet suppressed.
In the end, Qingying's lips turned crimson, her eyes were moist, and her cheeks were rosy, just like a flower that had been watered and was blooming beautifully.
Wei Huaixu held her on his lap, cupped her cheeks in his hands, and gently brushed his thumbs across her luscious red lips. His dark eyes were filled with affection, and his voice was hoarse and deep: "My Jiaojiao is so beautiful."
Qingying leaned against him, breathing softly.
After a while, he suddenly asked, "Do you like Tang Huaishan's paintings?"
"I've never seen it before, I just happened to see it once, and I was amazed by it."
"I happen to have a few in my palace; I'll have them sent to you tomorrow."
She couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Tang Huaishan's paintings are so rare, how come you have several?"
"What's so strange about that? Tang Huaishan was a court painter for a while. When the previous dynasty fell, the palace still had many of his paintings. Some of them were burned by the rebels, but at least a dozen still exist in the palace."
Only now did Qingying truly appreciate the benefits of her noble status; what ordinary people could not obtain was simply within their grasp.
That's right. The emperor is the ruler of the country, the supreme ruler, and most of the good things in the world are in the palace.
The carriage smoothly arrived at the side gate of the General's Mansion. Qingying got off the carriage and saw a fine horse parked beside her.
Wei Huaixu watched her enter the door before mounting his horse and saying, "I will seek justice for you during the autumn hunt."
"Huh?" Before Qingying could react, he had already spurred his horse and ridden away.
"Autumn hunt? What autumn hunt?"
Yu Yue smiled and said, "Naturally, it's the autumn hunt organized by the Emperor."
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