Chapter 4 Cross-examination
Sima Jun turned his head and looked outside the hall.
It had just rained, and in the blue summer sky, white clouds piled high like snow.
A woman followed behind the yellow gate, and her figure appeared gracefully on the jade steps, her sleeves slightly lifted in the summer breeze.
Sima Jun's gaze settled slightly.
"How much do you know about the Lu family?" the prince suddenly asked.
He turned around and said, "I know nothing."
Sima Jun's answer was exactly what the prince had expected.
He looked at Sima Jun with a half-smile on his face.
"Then I'm afraid I must remind you of something," the prince said. "Ms. Lu is only seventeen, three years younger than you. Remember to call her mother when you meet her."
Sima Jun had a cold face, as if he had eaten a handful of coptis.
"I don't have a mother." He said calmly, "My mother passed away when I was eight years old."
Sima Jun's words were not arrogant.
Prince Yuzhang had many concubines, but since the death of his first wife, Lady Mu, the position of principal wife had remained vacant.
"You still don't believe it?" asked the prince.
"This matter is of grave importance and cannot be judged lightly," Sima Jun said. "I request to confront this woman in front of His Highness."
The prince smiled but remained silent.
When the eunuch reported, he used the title "Princess Lu of Yuzhang Prince", which shows that the identity of this concubine had been approved by the Empress Dowager.
Sima Jun looked at the woman coldly as she walked into the hall.
She was slender and graceful, dressed in a plain white dress. Her black hair was tied in a bun, and apart from a white silk flower, she wore no hairpins or ornaments. Her face was unpainted, yet her complexion was fair and even, a testament to her natural beauty. Beneath her long eyebrows lay a pair of bright and calm eyes, none of the naive fear that characterizes a young woman entering the palace for the first time.
"Your concubine, Lu, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Lu came forward slowly and bowed to pay her respects.
The Crown Prince studied her for a moment, accepted her greeting, and said gently, "Princess, you must have traveled all the way to the capital. I am under the orders of the Empress Dowager to summon the Prince of Yuzhang to meet you."
After saying that, he looked at Sima Jun.
But Sima Jun remained motionless. After a while, he simply nodded towards Lu and said, "Madam, you are polite."
Madam Lu looked at him, their eyes met, then she lowered her eyes and bowed politely, "Your Highness, you are polite."
The prince knew that Sima Jun was arrogant by nature.
He had opposed Prince Yuzhang's marriage from the beginning and would not easily accept such a sudden stepmother. Even in front of the Crown Prince, he refused to perform the mother-son ceremony, let alone call her mother.
Honestly, the Crown Prince was curious about the abilities of this daughter of a master of yin and yang that had the Prince of Yuzhang travel so far to personally propose marriage. Now it seemed that she was not only strikingly beautiful, but also possessed graceful manners and a measured demeanor, rivaling even the most distinguished ladies of the capital. Even her southern accent had a distinct flavor.
Now it seems that the person that Prince Yuzhang has his eyes on is indeed no ordinary person.
The prince was quite interested and asked the palace maid to lead Lu to sit down.
Sima Jun sat upright and spoke directly, "I have some questions about my father, the King Cangwu, falling into the water. I would like to ask Madam for advice."
Lu looked at Sima Jun with a calm expression.
"I don't deserve it. Please speak, my lord."
"As far as I know, on the night of April 19th, there was a torrential downpour and a strong wind, and the ship collided with the reef and sank instantly. Is this true?"
"It is true," Madam Lu said slowly. "I was also seriously injured at the time, and I still have scars on my body. I had the imperial physician examine me just now at the Empress Dowager's palace. I managed to save my life by clinging to a piece of driftwood and swimming desperately. All the details are exactly the same as what Your Highness heard, but Your Highness has misremembered the date."
Her voice was gentle: "The incident happened on the night of April 9th, not April 19th."
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