Chapter 17 The Truth
Looking back, the last time I went to the palace to meet the emperor was six or seven years ago, when I attended a celebration banquet with my father.
Jiang Ran felt a little nervous when he thought about having to plead his innocence in front of the emperor.
After seeing the figure in front of Changhua Gate, the tension eased a little.
As long as Lu Weiqing is here, any difficult situation can be easily solved.
Jiang Ran clenched his fist to encourage himself, trotted over, and called out sweetly, "Brother Lu."
"Yeah." Lu Weiqing was prepared and nodded slightly, which counted as a greeting.
With Lu Weiqing by her side, no one dared to stop her. Jiang Ran didn't dare to look around and followed Lu Weiqing closely.
"Jiang Ran, I have something to ask you." Lu Weiqing paused, took a step back, leaned close to her ear and asked in a low voice.
Warm breath brushed past his ears. Jiang Ran shrank his neck and answered in a lower voice: "Brother Lu, ask."
"Can you sell your Jixian Bookstore to me?"
"What?!" Jiang Ran couldn't control himself and yelled, then quickly covered his mouth and asked in a low voice, "What?"
"Sell Jixian Bookstore to me. I will give you 10,000 gold coins, and you can still run it in the future. We will split the profits 50-50." Lu Weiqing explained patiently.
Jiang Ran's mind raced, and no matter how he thought about it, she was the one who was taking advantage.
Why would Lu Weiqing be willing to suffer such a huge loss? Was it just to help her get through this difficult time?
She didn't have the confidence to think that she and Lu Weiqing were that familiar.
"Okay, that's great. Thank you, Brother Lu." Jiang Ran was afraid that he would go back on his word, so he agreed immediately.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at the imperial study. Jiang Ran raised his hand to tidy up his appearance and followed Lu Weiqing into the room.
She didn't dare to look up and could only stare at her toes. She took a few steps for every step Lu Weiqing took.
The floor beneath your feet is so shiny that you can even see your reflection.
Catching a glimpse of him saluting, she followed suit.
A hearty laugh echoed from above his head. "Oh, is this General Zhennan's little daughter? She's grown up so much. Look up and let me see her."
Perhaps because the imperial study was too big, Jiang Ran felt that the deep voice echoed around her ears.
"Your servant Jiang Ran will obey the Holy Spirit's will."
Jiang Ran answered loudly and looked up.
The emperor's appearance was the same as in my memory, except that he had some white hair. He was still as majestic and kind as before, and there were always some smile lines at the corners of his eyes when he spoke.
"She looks exactly like your mother." The emperor looked her over and laughed, clapping his hands.
"Back then, your mother was also stunningly beautiful when she was young. I don't know how she fell for your father, that rough guy."
Jiang Ran couldn't help but retort, "Father is also very good. I heard from Mammy that father used to be very handsome too."
"My eldest brother looks a lot like my father, so he has the most girls secretly in love with him."
The emperor laughed again and gave her a thumbs-up. "That's great! No wonder you say your daughter is a caring little cotton-padded jacket. She's better than my Le'an. Le'an, you've never praised me before."
Jiang Ran also smiled foolishly a few times, thinking to himself, the emperor seems to be very easy to talk to, and meeting him is not as scary as imagined.
"My dear Minister Lu, why did you bring Fourth Miss Jiang into the palace today?" The emperor looked at Lu Weiqing and his tone became much more serious.
Lu Weiqing lifted the hem of his official uniform, knelt on one knee and saluted, "I have come to apologize."
"What crime have you committed?"
"Jixian Bookstore is actually owned by this humble servant. I have long admired Fourth Miss Jiang. I instructed the scholar Lu, Fuxueke, who is imprisoned today, to write the book 'Yuanyang Hui'. This has damaged Miss Jiang's reputation. Your Majesty, please punish me."
Jiang Ran listened from the side, his mouth opened wider and wider, and he forgot to close it.
She had vaguely guessed it just now, but she didn't expect Lu Weiqing to really break the situation at the cost of his own life.
Indeed, anyone who fabricates rumors about an imperial official will be imprisoned, unless the person who spreads the rumors is himself.
But there is more than one way to solve this problem.
I heard that Princess Le'an is extremely favored by the emperor. As long as she acts coquettishly to her father, this matter can be easily resolved.
Jiang Ran suddenly had an idea and felt that he seemed to have discovered an incredible truth.
It turns out that Prime Minister Lu also likes Princess Le'an!
In order to help Princess Le'an conceal the truth, he bought the bookstore with 10,000 gold coins, and even apologized to the emperor, sacrificing his own reputation, admitting his love for her, and even going so far as to hire someone to write a book for her.
What a shocking secret! She found out about it, and she learned a lot of gossip today.
Jiang Ran stared at Lu Weiqing with his eyes shining, and had already imagined a big drama in his mind.
Everyone in Chang'an thought the princess was just wishful thinking, but she was the only one who knew that Lu Weiqing and the princess loved each other. However, for the sake of his career and the position of the head of the Lu family, he had to reject the princess on the surface, but in fact he had been silently protecting her.
It’s so good!
After listening to his statement, the emperor stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked down the stairs.
"Lord Lu, so you are asking for an audience this time because you want me to grant you a marriage?"
"Cough cough cough cough cough..." Jiang Ran was so scared that he choked on his saliva. The more he wanted to stop, the more he couldn't stop, and his face turned red from holding it in.
Lu Weiqing had no choice but to reach out and pat her back.
Jiang Ran was startled and coughed even louder.
"I didn't...cough cough cough cough."
"No, nothing. Cough cough cough cough..."
Jiang Ran was speechless and could only warn him with his eyes.
Don't move!
Get up!
The old emperor has such a strange train of thought. Isn't this just making things even more confusing?!
Unfortunately, Lu Weiqing didn't understand her eyes at all. Not only did he not move away as she wished, he moved closer.
Jiang Ran was so angry that he stopped coughing and started burping.
The emperor felt guilty and gave Jiang Ran a cup of tea. Jiang Ran didn't bother to be polite and drank it in one gulp, and then his hiccups stopped.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for my misconduct in front of you."
Jiang Ran made a bitter face, kicked up the hem of her skirt, and knelt on the ground.
The emperor looked serious and just stared at Lu Weiqing, waiting for his answer.
Lu Weiqing faced the scrutiny and said frankly, "I am pursuing Miss Jiang."
"When Miss Jiang agrees, I will come to ask His Majesty for an imperial decree to grant the marriage."
The emperor's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and he suddenly laughed, "Hahahahahaha, Lu Qing, ah Lu Qing, you have come to this day!"
"Okay, okay. I didn't expect that Prime Minister Lu, who has always been aloof and reserved, would do such a thing to please his beloved."
"Lord Lu, please work harder. I am waiting to be your witness."
Seeing that His Majesty was in a good mood, Jiang Ran quickly responded, "I heard that two bookshop employees were implicated. I feel really uneasy..."
The emperor was surprised when he heard this, as if he had just learned something. He waved his hand and asked, "Is there such a thing?"
"There's nothing wrong with entertaining yourself, but if it gets out of hand, it's not pretty."
"Your Majesty, I will remember your Majesty's teachings."
Lu Weiqing bowed deeply and was about to leave when the emperor asked him to stay and play a few games of chess with him.
Jiang Ran was led out of the palace by the palace maid.
She had been waiting in the carriage outside Changhua Gate. The wind was so cold that even the hot water bottle in her arms was blown cold.
Nearly two hours passed before Lu Weiqing came out.
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