Chapter 29 Imperial Marriage "By the way, Your Majesty, I request that you bestow a marriage upon this humble subject."...
Chuze nodded subconsciously.
A sharp gaze swept over him, and he immediately shook his head.
Lu Xiuyi glared at him, and after a moment asked, "What is it?"
Chu Ze suddenly came to his senses: "His Highness Prince Rui has returned and invites you to the Prince's residence for a chat when you have some free time today."
Lu Xiuyi's expression softened slightly: "Did you mention what it was about?"
"Yuezhou is flooded, and Prince Yu was summoned to the palace early this morning. It seems that His Highness Prince Rui did so for this reason."
Lu Xiuyi frowned slightly: "I understand, I'll change my clothes and then go."
After saying that, Lu Xiuyi immediately changed direction and went to the bedroom.
As Chuze watched his departing figure, his pounding heart gradually calmed down.
Lu Xiuyi's bedroom was only two corridors away from the front hall, and he arrived in a short while. He pushed open the door, went around to the screen, and was about to take a new dress from the wooden frame to change into, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find the brocade robe he usually wore.
Tap! Tap!
Just as he was wondering, there were two knocks on the door. The person who came in said timidly, "General, your clothes."
Lu Xiuyi walked around to the screen and saw that the person who came was Ying Congxin, who had two garments hanging on his arm, one of which was the brocade robe in blue and white that he usually wore.
Lu Xiuyi's face turned cold, and he yanked the clothes back: "Who gave you permission to touch my clothes?"
His voice was so cold it seemed to have come from an ice cellar. Ying Congxin lowered her head in fright, leaning against the door, her voice weak: "It was Granny Zhuang who sent me to tidy up the general's room. I saw the general hanging these clothes on the wooden frame and assumed they were taken off, so I..."
Lu Xiuyi glanced at her meaningfully, his eyes filled with a hint of doubt, his brows and eyes sharp: "From now on, no one is allowed to enter my room, and no one is allowed to touch my things, including you, Ying Congxin."
He specifically called out her name, and Ying Congxin felt even more aggrieved, lowering her head further: "Yes."
Seeing that she didn't leave after responding, Lu Xiuyi had no choice but to say coldly, "No one needs to serve you here. Don't come here again. Get out."
Ying Congxin responded again, hurriedly turning aside and retreating. Only after turning the corner of the veranda did her eyes redden, and she covered her lips as she ran towards the artificial hill in the backyard.
Diexue, the maid who had come with her from Tongzhou, was carrying an earthenware basin back from the well when she saw Ying Congxin running towards the artificial hill, sobbing. She quickly put down what she was carrying and chased after her.
"Sister Congxin, what's wrong? What happened?" Diexue blocked her way.
Ying Congxin looked up at her, then immediately lowered her head and leaned against the artificial hill, her voice hoarse and choked with sobs: "General, the general won't let me into his room, and he said, he said I'm not allowed to touch his things again."
Diexue sighed: "Aunt Zhuang told us long ago that the general's bedroom should not be tidied, and his things should not be touched. Even if those things fall on the ground, they should not be cleaned up unless he gives the order. Good sister, why can't you listen to her?"
Ying Congxin sobbed, "Before we entered the manor, the general had already thoroughly investigated our background. We are not spies. How could a man like the general know how to tidy up the bedroom? If that's the case, why can't I help him tidy up?"
Die Xue smiled: "Good sister, your mind is always so clear and insightful. We don't need to tidy it up, which saves us a lot of trouble. Isn't that better?"
Hearing this from the bottom of his heart, the crying gradually stopped.
Diexue is simple-minded and innocent; no matter how subtly she tries to understand, she will never comprehend her thoughts.
***
The carriage passed through the bustling streets and arrived at a mansion with green tiles and red walls.
The guards at the gate recognized the owner of the carriage and hurriedly bowed and stepped forward to lift the curtain. Lu Xiuyi got off the carriage and entered the mansion. Everywhere he looked, there were jade railings, embroidered doors and red curtains, towering artificial mountains, and a gentle breeze that carried the fragrance of flowers.
The servant need not announce it; Lu Xiuyi already knew that Prince Rui was at the shooting range.
He walked through the covered corridor and the two auspicious moon gates, and as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he saw Prince Rui's eyes flashing with malice as he aimed an arrow at the prisoner in prison clothes who was tied to a wooden stake opposite him.
Lu Xiuyi frowned slightly.
Prince Rui's archery skills were extremely poor; this was common knowledge throughout the capital.
In that instant, the arrow flew like the wind and slipped from Prince Rui's hand.
The prisoner's mouth was gagged with a white cloth. When he saw the arrow flying towards him, his face contorted with fear and he struggled desperately. However, the ropes were tied very tightly, and he could not escape. He could only close his eyes in resignation.
The moment I closed my eyes, a sharp gust of wind blew in my face, followed by a gasp of cold air.
Prince Rui's voice, tinged with displeasure, drifted from afar: "Ziye, you're being a bit too nosy."
Ziye was the courtesy name of Lu Xiuyi.
Upon hearing this, the prisoner dared to open his eyes slightly, only to see the renowned and talented young Marquis Lu catching the arrow that was being shot at him with his bare hands. The arrowhead gleamed white in the sunlight, sharp as a knife, and was only half an inch away from him.
The prisoner felt a wet patch beneath him, and it took a long time for his trembling legs to calm down.
Water dripped onto the ground, leaving a mark that was either deep or shallow.
Lu Xiuyi threw away the arrow in his hand, ignoring his bleeding palm, and said in a cool tone: "If Your Highness does not want to lose the Emperor's favor, it is best not to do this again."
Prince Rui glanced at him for half a second, then chuckled and tossed the bow back to the servant behind him, completely unconcerned about what had just happened, as if he were just playing with something very interesting: "Ziye, don't be angry. He committed a crime and has already been sentenced to death. It doesn't matter how he dies."
Lu Xiuyi smoothed out his furrowed brow: "How he died and where he was executed will be determined by the laws of our dynasty. Your Highness's act of shooting him in the palace will only displease the Emperor."
Prince Rui laughed, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes: "Ziye has become the General of Huaihua, and he's certainly changed. He speaks with such eloquence."
"Your humble servant would not dare."
Although he expressed his dissatisfaction, he did not bow down even slightly.
Prince Rui stared at him intently for a moment with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, then suddenly laughed and said, "Enough. Someone, summon the imperial physician to examine General Huaihua's wounds."
Lu Xiuyi declined, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, but I have only suffered a minor injury and am not seriously injured, so there is no need to disturb the imperial physician."
"Very well, I just have something to remind Ye of," Prince Rui paused for a moment, "A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Ye, you must not forget the kindness I showed you when you saved you back then, which is why you are where you are today."
When the past was mentioned, Lu Xiuyi's furrowed brows twitched slightly.
Back then, he was young, only fifteen years old, and at the height of his playfulness. He and Chuze traveled away from the capital. Unexpectedly, on the very night they arrived in Tongzhou, they were attacked by hundreds of assassins in the street. If it weren't for Prince Rui's intervention, he and Chuze would have perished.
Later, he discovered that the mastermind behind the assassination attempt was Lu Jiayan, and Lu Huaiyuan shamelessly protected him. If there hadn't been no substantial evidence, he would have nailed him to the execution platform long ago.
The sun was blazing overhead, and a gentle breeze was blowing.
Thinking of the past, Lu Xiuyi was momentarily dazed, and his expression softened slightly. He lowered his head slightly and said, "Ziye dares not forget. I wonder what important matter Your Highness has summoned Ziye here for?"
Seeing that his expression relaxed, Prince Rui put away his sharp gaze and said, "You must have heard that today Father Emperor summoned Prince Yu to the palace to deal with the floods in Yuezhou."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiuyi paused and asked, "Does Your Highness mean that I should also go along?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ruiwang gave him an approving look: "If Prince Yu goes to Yuezhou and handles this matter well, he will be more respected in front of the Emperor. But if he is not careful and makes even the slightest mistake..."
“Then he is out of the running for the throne.” Lu Xiuyi lowered his head and replied, his voice neither loud nor soft, as if he were discussing something perfectly normal with Prince Rui.
Prince Rui looked at him again, his eyes full of praise: "It's so easy to talk to Ziye, it's effortless."
Lu Xiuyi remained calm, showing little reaction to the praise: "Your Majesty, I will soon go to the palace to request permission to travel to Yuezhou with the Prince of Yu, and along the way, I will ask Your Majesty to bestow a marriage upon me."
Upon hearing this, Prince Rui was momentarily taken aback, then smiled with interest and said, "Oh? Ziye also has someone he admires?"
"yes."
"Whose daughter is she?"
"Secretary Vice Director Meng Yanqing, from the Meng family."
***
No sooner had Lu Xiuyi left than Meng Yin swaggered into Qingli Courtyard.
Meng Yu had just caught her breath and was still in shock from Lu Xiuyi when she had to get up and deal with her again.
Meng Yin's arrival was sudden, and Huai Yin quickly greeted her with a smile: "What brings you here, Fourth Miss?"
Meng Yin glared at her, then suddenly raised her hand.
Huaiyin, quick-witted and agile, immediately dodged to the side.
Seeing that Huaiyin dared to hide, Meng Yin became furious. Her once playful and lively face twisted into a demonic shape: "What are you? Do I need your permission to go anywhere? Come and stand properly."
Just then, Aunt Shen returned from Ci'an Hall and stepped forward with a faint smile: "Fourth Miss is indeed a mistress, why get so angry over a maid?"
Seeing Aunt Shen approach, Meng Yin became more restrained and said, "Tell Meng Yu to get out here. Don't think that just because General Lu sent her two doses of medicine, she can climb up to him. Aunt, remember to tell her not to covet things she shouldn't be thinking about."
Meng Yin's voice drifted in through the crack in the door. Meng Yu, who was about to unlock the door, suddenly stopped, turned around, sat down at the desk, wrote a few words in a flowing style, and then stepped out. She smiled slightly and came to Meng Yin, holding up the notebook for her to see.
"I just fainted from the sight of blood and only just woke up. Fourth Sister rarely visits, so is your visit only to remind me about General Lu sending medicine? If that's all, Sister, you can rest assured. How could General Lu possibly notice a mute like me who can't speak? The fact that the General sent medicine is only because of you."
After reading it, Meng Yin raised her chin, thinking that Lu Xiuyi was really showing goodwill to her sister because he cared about her. She was quite proud and did not see the implication in Meng Yu's words at all.
After regaining his senses, Meng Yin's anger had largely dissipated. He simply said that it was good that Meng Yu knew his place, and then left.
***
The next day, when the imperial decree of marriage arrived at the Meng residence, Meng Yanqing and Meng Zhangzhou were in the study speculating about the possible topics for this year's autumn examination.
Suddenly, Steward Lin came to report. The two looked at each other in alarm, feeling a little uneasy. They didn't know what imperial decree the eunuch had brought, so they hurriedly ordered someone to inform Old Madam Meng, Madam Yuan, Aunt Shen, and their children to come to the front hall to receive the decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The daughter of Meng Yanqing, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Library, is virtuous, dignified, gentle, pure, and possesses a delicate and cautious demeanor. She is hereby betrothed to Lu Xiuyi, the General of Huaihua, as his principal wife. The relevant officials are hereby ordered to select an auspicious day for the wedding. This is an imperial decree!"
The eunuch put away the bright yellow silk and put on a smile: "Madam Meng, Lord Meng, congratulations! This is an imperial decree that General Huaihua personally requested from His Majesty."
Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Meng Yu, who was kneeling at the back, felt her knees buckle. Seeing this, Aunt Shen quickly reached out to help her up, so that she wouldn't lose face and sit on the ground.
Meng Yanqing was taken aback, only reacting upon hearing the voice. While accepting the decree, he trembled and asked doubtfully, "This humble official dares to ask, I have three daughters, but the imperial decree does not specify which daughter is being betrothed? I wonder, Your Majesty…"
The eunuch smiled and said, "His Majesty said that all three daughters of Lord Meng are good, especially the second and fourth daughters. It is up to you, Lord Meng, to decide which one to marry."
Meng Yanqing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and after a moment of confusion, he suddenly came to his senses. He hurriedly invited the eunuch in for tea, but the eunuch waved his hand and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I have other matters to attend to, so I will not disturb you any longer."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yanqing hurriedly asked Steward Lin to bring over the reward money: "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."
The eunuch made a token refusal before finally accepting the silver.
Seeing the eunuch leave, Madam Yuan was about to speak with a bitter face when Meng Yanqing saw her and knew what she wanted to say, so he preemptively rebuked her: "You all go back first. I will decide which girl to marry."
***
"His Majesty bestowed the marriage, personally naming the Second Miss and the Fourth Miss. Fortunately, it didn't include you, Yu'er." Aunt Shen was unaware of Lu Xiuyi's previous entry into Qingli Courtyard. Now, hearing that Emperor Jinghuai had bestowed the marriage without mentioning Meng Yu's name, she naturally assumed that Lu Xiuyi had not discovered her identity, and was therefore very happy.
“Auntie’s words make sense. Besides, I think Fourth Miss is quite fond of that young Marquis Lu. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come over to cause trouble yesterday after hearing that he sent two packets of medicine to Miss.” Huaiyin felt a sense of relief when she thought of how Meng Yin was furious but couldn’t see through her mistress’s sarcastic remarks.
Meng Yu, however, was not as carefree as them. After returning to Qingli Courtyard, she sat for a long, long time before her legs, which had gone limp, finally recovered.
Recalling Lu Xiuyi's expression yesterday, as if he wanted to tear her apart and devour her, she shuddered.
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