Lu Peiran is the second son of the Lu family in this generation. Above him is the eldest son, Lu Jinran.
The Lu family has always revered the eldest son, and therefore has devoted the most effort to him.
Not only was she raised individually in her childhood, but even her marriage was arranged with the best possible match.
The man who was to marry the eldest son of the Lu family was the emperor's youngest daughter, Princess Chaoyang.
She was the emperor's youngest and most beloved daughter. Even Liao Wu, who lived far away in the mountains, had heard some rumors about her.
To ensure his beloved daughter could enjoy the coolness of the Jiangnan water towns even in the sweltering summer, the emperor drastically increased taxes throughout the land.
And more than 100,000 laborers were employed to build a summer palace in the royal gardens.
This palace cost no less than ten thousand taels of gold and silver, and it also caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
When he heard the news, Liao Wu and his master knelt before the Buddha for three days and three nights, praying for those innocent people who died from overwork.
It was precisely because of this palace that Lu Peiran came here.
After the palace was completed, the emperor was overjoyed and took Princess Chaoyang to the palace for a vacation.
The entourage included over a thousand officials and attendants.
Among them, the Lu family is the leader.
Originally, this vacation at the imperial palace was also partly intended to allow Princess Chaoyang to meet her fiancé.
The Lu family had prepared for this meeting for a long time to ensure that everything went smoothly.
On the day of the meeting, in order to avoid an overly awkward atmosphere, the emperor gave an order.
All eligible men and women are free to participate in a poetry and calligraphy competition in the center of the waterside pavilion. The winner can ask the emperor for good luck.
Therefore, all the eligible men and women from various families went, and Lu Peiran was naturally among them.
To keep his somewhat anxious brother company, Lu Peiran didn't chat with his friends. Instead, he kept offering words of comfort to his brother.
When the banquet was halfway through, Princess Chaoyang arrived, and everyone greeted her.
Princess Chaoyang was no ordinary person to receive such favor from the emperor.
The moment she appeared, she outshone all the other women present and attracted the attention of most of the men.
The people here naturally do not include Lu Peiran, who is currently staring at his older brother.
Seeing his usually mature and composed older brother so shy and flustered, Lu Peiran couldn't help but smile.
Princess Chaoyang looked around and then settled on the direction of the Lu brothers.
Feeling the princess's gaze, Lu Peiran sensed that his older brother was becoming even more excited, and couldn't help but whisper, "Brother, calm down!"
Hearing her younger brother's words, Lu Jinran blushed, managing to regain some of her former composure.
As expected, in the subsequent poetry and calligraphy competition, Lu Peiran's elder brother defeated all the young masters with an overwhelming advantage.
Amidst the sincere or feigned congratulations from the young gentlemen, Lu Jinran suppressed her inner excitement and walked before the Emperor…
The emperor looked at his carefully chosen future son-in-law with a smile in his eyes, and stroked his beard with satisfaction.
"Hmm...not bad, as expected of the Lu family's prodigy! Jinran, you have indeed lived up to my expectations and won the championship!"
Haha, as I said before, the leader is entitled to ask me for a prize, anything at all...
Now, have you thought it through? What do you want?
Understanding the emperor's meaning, Lu Jinran excitedly knelt down...
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