The vast palace was only filled with the sound of the wind blowing the curtains; no other sound responded to her.
Since Shen Jiyan proposed to Lu Qingyan, he has never appeared before her again. After the Emperor's death and the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne, Shen Jiyan, as a high-ranking official, was busy day and night and had even less opportunity to see Lu Qingyan.
On this day, Lu Qingyan unexpectedly encountered Shen Jiyan in her own palace.
“Brother Jiyan?” Lu Qingyan looked at him in confusion and walked towards him. “Why are you here at this time? I thought you were busy and didn’t have time to see me.”
“There are indeed many things waiting to be dealt with, but your Crown Prince brother is there, so I’m not that busy. The reason I came to see you this time is because of the Jin Kingdom.” Shen Jiyan looked up at Lu Qingyan and hesitated before saying, “The Jin Kingdom’s army is about to attack.”
"Huh?" Lu Qingyan looked at Shen Jiyan in surprise: "Them, how could they..."
"The Jin state has been showing signs of this for quite some time. Even when the late emperor was still alive, there were some restless thoughts, but the time was not yet ripe. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the court is unstable, and the Jin state could very well launch a full-scale attack on the capital."
Lu Qingyan's palms were sweaty: "These matters in the court are only for you men to handle. Why is Brother Jiyan suddenly telling me these things?"
“Most people in the court are appeasers and have no desire to resist them. Therefore, they want to stabilize the Jin Kingdom through marriage alliances.” Chen Ji said, placing a hand on Lu Qingyan’s shoulder: “Many people in the court have mentioned you.”
Her long fingernails dug into her flesh. Lu Qingyan looked up at Shen Jiyan and asked, "What does Brother Jiyan think? Does he agree with their views?"
Of the two countries, Lu is currently at a disadvantage, so it's natural for Lu to send their daughter to Jin. Among the royal family, the only eligible daughters are Lu Qingyan and Lu Qingshu; there are few suitable candidates from the collateral branches.
Furthermore, even if there were other candidates from the collateral branches, the Jin state would never agree to it.
Lu Qingshu is a member of the Shen family. Given the Shen family's current status and position, who would be so foolish as to suggest sending Lu Qingshu to the Jin Kingdom?
The answer was obvious; the candidate was herself—Lu Qingyan.
Shen Jiyan smiled and shook his head, saying, "This matter is not something I can decide just because I agree. It concerns the Lu family, the Shen family, and even the entire Lu country. How can I make such a decision? I just hope you can stay away from there, but I can't stop you at all."
Lu Qingyan took a few steps back and looked at Shen Jiyan: "Brother Jiyan is the best at making people sad and cry. If there's no way to change anything, why did you tell Ayan about this?"
“But there are some things you’ll have to know sooner or later, so what does it matter?” Shen Jiyan’s voice trembled slightly. “The Emperor will come to tell you about this in person soon, and you won’t be able to refuse.”
When Lu Qingyan heard Shen Jiyan mention the Emperor, her first thought was of her father. She paused for a moment before realizing that her father had already passed away, and the Emperor Shen Jiyan was referring to was Lu Qinglin, her former elder brother who was the Crown Prince.
Lu Qingyan had little hope for Lu Qinglin. Her father had devoted himself to him, hoping to groom him into a wise ruler. Unfortunately, Lu Qinglin simply lacked the talent. He might have been able to maintain the status quo in a prosperous era, but in this world, who knew what would become of him?
With two empresses and a crown prince, the Shen family's ambitions will certainly not stop there.
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