Seeing that Lü Tu, who was usually so confident and assertive, was now pretending to be humble, Zhao Qingyao knew that Lü Tu was the kind of guy who wouldn't act until he saw the benefits.
She glanced at the good-for-nothing Prince Duan again, and finally could only sigh helplessly. Then, under the incredulous gazes of Prince Duan and the palace maid Xiao Huan, she actually bowed to Lü Tu and said, "I trouble General Lü to think of a way. If you can save me and Prince Duan, I am willing to ask the Emperor to issue an edict to appoint you as a Grand General!"
Upon seeing this, Lü Tu instinctively reached out to help Zhao Qingyao, but just before he touched her, he suddenly remembered that she was a princess and he couldn't even touch her, otherwise he would give others something to gossip about.
He then withdrew his hand, feigning urgency, and said, "Princess, please don't say that. It's not that I don't agree, but even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice!"
Prince Duan realized what was going on; otherwise, Zhao Qingyao wouldn't have treated Lü Tu, a mere fifth-rank military officer, with such courtesy.
"General Lü, my second sister and I have already assured you, what else are you worried about?"
Lu Tu explained, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm worried, but can you find an example of 4,000 men fighting 500,000? Even the great Emperor Taizu, who was skilled in warfare, might not have been confident that he could do it."
Upon hearing this, the room fell into a deathly silence. Just as Lu Tu had said, in the minds of Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan, no one had ever done such a thing before.
Zhao Qingyao's gaze remained fixed on Lü Tu's face. Suddenly, as Lü Tu looked up, their eyes met.
At that moment, she became convinced of her idea because she saw no fear in Lü Tu's eyes; on the contrary, she saw a reassuring power.
She seemed to have made up her mind. At this moment, meeting Lu Tu's gaze, she bit her lower lip hard and then did something that shocked everyone else present.
Zhao Qingyao resolutely took off the gold hairpin from her head, then presented it to Lü Tu with both hands: "General Lü, I have admired you for a long time. I have seen both your character and your strength. You perfectly meet my criteria for choosing a consort."
"Huh?" Not to mention her personal maid Xiao Huan, even Lü Tu was startled. He originally just wanted to force Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan to do something for him, but he didn't expect this woman to be so ruthless, willing to risk everything to save her own life.
You must know that she is a princess. Even if she is in trouble for the time being, she is still the second princess of the Great Yu Dynasty and the second elder sister of the current emperor!
Prince Duan: "No, Second Sister, are you serious?"
Zhao Qingyao nodded with unwavering determination, meeting Lü Tu's surprised gaze with composure: "Anyway, I've already said what's on my mind today, so let me tell you, Lü Tu, I not only admire you, but I've also fallen in love with you! If you didn't have so many wives, I would have already made you my consort. Don't you believe me?"
Prince Duan and Xiao Huan stood together, both covering their mouths in astonishment, becoming onlookers. After all, this scene was too unbelievable for them, who came from the palace.
Lu Tu quickly recovered from his surprise, looked calmly into Zhao Qingyao's eyes, and shook his head, saying, "No!"
"Huh?" This time, not only were Prince Duan and Xiao Huan surprised and their mouths dropped open, but even Zhao Qingyao took a half step back in disbelief.
"You...you're rejecting my advances?"
Lu Tu nodded: "Yes."
Zhao Qingyao stubbornly bit her lip, which was already slightly bleeding, making her delicate lips look even more alluring: "Why?"
Lu Tu firmly stated, "I can never be a live-in son-in-law, nor can I ever become some kind of imperial son-in-law!"
"Hiss!" Prince Duan looked at Lü Tu in horror. He swore he had never seen such a courageous man in his life.
If Zhao Qingyao had mentioned this matter half-jokingly when they first met at the Commandant's Mansion, since no one took it seriously.
But the situation is different now. Zhao Qingyao personally went to confess her love to Lü Tu. She is a princess! Lü Tu actually rejected her outright. How can there be such an amazing person in the world?
Prince Duan couldn't help but give Lü Tu a thumbs up: "Dude, you're awesome! You probably don't know what my sister's situation is like in the capital, do you? She only needs to cough once, and at least a thousand handsome young men will come to comfort her."
A hint of disdain flashed in Lü Tu's eyes: "You're comparing me, Lü Tu, to those petty scoundrels?"
Upon hearing Lü Tu's domineering words, Zhao Qingyao, who had been angry just moments before, trembled all over. She had known since childhood what kind of person she wanted.
The slightly dark-skinned man in front of her perfectly met all of Zhao Qingyao's standards. Even his speech and actions exuded an aura of dominance that came from the bone. This was not an act. Zhao Qingyao had seen countless people and knew that this was the domineering aura that had been cultivated through countless battles!
Zhao Qingyao parted her red lips slightly: "Lu Tu, I don't mind that you have so many wives, I just want to ask you one question, do you like me?"
Lu Tu gave Zhao Qingyao a deep look. To be honest, he had actually considered it before, but when he thought of the feud between Song Yuxi's family and Zhao Qingyao's family, he finally shook his head: "I don't like it!"
He thought Zhao Qingyao would be angry and the conversation would end there, but to his surprise, Zhao Qingyao threw herself at Lü Tu without hesitation, tears streaming down her face like a broken string: "I can't dislike you, I'm going to marry you!"
"ah?"
Faced with this warm and soft beauty, Lu Tu, as a man, absolutely could not bring himself to punch her. He could only let Zhao Qingyao throw herself into his arms, her hot tears gradually wetting his chest.
"I like you, I love you. I've had feelings for you since the first moment I saw you. I'm willing to not marry you and let you be my parent. I just hope you can be sincere with me too. Anyway, you'll like me sooner or later!"
Zhao Qingyao finished speaking in one breath, as if she had used up all her strength, and the next second her legs went weak and she fainted.
"Princess!"
"Second Sister!"
Lu Tu quickly supported her waist with his hands, picked her up and placed her on the bed. He looked at Prince Duan and said, "The princess must have caught a cold to be talking nonsense. I will go and call a doctor right away."
Just as Lü Tu was about to get up and run away, his hand was grabbed by a soft, boneless jade hand.
Do you really hate me that much?
Zhao Qingyao's tearful voice came from behind. When Lü Tu turned around, he met Zhao Qingyao's eyes, who looked pitiful and was crying with tears streaming down her face.
Lu Tu said with difficulty, "I don't dislike you, it's just that our marriage isn't such a simple matter..."
"We like each other, isn't that enough? Am I not beautiful enough? I, Zhao Qingyao, am the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Just as Lü Tu was at a loss for words, a very familiar voice came from outside: "I agree to this marriage!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
