Chapter 26 Chapter 26 The East Palace Invites
The prince personally went to Chonghua Temple to burn candles and pray for the late queen for five days, and then the group returned to the capital in a grand manner.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is truly filial. Even after so many years since the late Queen passed away, he still insists on going to pray for blessings every year. He truly is the demeanor of a crown prince."
"But the Sixth Prince is also on the rise. Not only is there a prophecy from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory that he will bring prosperity to our dynasty, but the key is that Concubine Jiang's mother's family is powerful."
"Speak softly, don't let anyone overhear you."
The people blocked the road and the place was bustling with noise, among whom were many people whispering about the current situation in the dynasty.
Surrounded by the crowd, Lu Suizhu frowned and fell silent. She looked around, lowered her white gauze hat, and pushed away the crowd with her bare hands.
The prince's sedan chair passed in front of the people. Guards with swords were stationed on the road to prevent villains from causing trouble. A hand with a jade ring slowly stretched out from the car window.
Lu Suizhu retreated from the bustling crowd, folded her hands at her waist, and walked quickly through the small path to go home.
I was walking along an alley, and when I reached the end of it, suddenly a sharp blade crossed my path.
A slight chill from the cold weapon came from his neck, and his pores stood up. Lu Suizhu paused, the veins on his neck bulged, and he didn't move.
With a bend of his wrist, the dagger seemed to be wrapped around Yingyi's hand, turning around a few times before slid back into the sheath.
Lu Suizhu took a small step back, gritting her teeth. Ying Yi actually knew her so well that he could easily recognize her just by looking at her figure.
When he clasped his fists to his chest, Ying clenched his teeth, narrowed his eyes slightly, and stretched out his palms covered with thick calluses.
Lu Suizhu quickly put one hand in front of him and said, "Don't hit me. I'll just go with you."
No matter how sad she looked along the way, Yingyi remained silent as always. After following him into the East Palace, he spoke a word for the first time.
"Don't disobey the master."
She walked cautiously, testing each step. The suffocating feeling of not knowing where to retreat made her feel breathless.
"Master Lu is willing to come back"
A joking voice sounded.
Facing Xiao Mao's back, Lu Suizhu was already kneeling on the cold floor, saying nothing and not defending herself, quietly waiting for Xiao Mao's judgment.
"I really thought you could escape my control with a little trickery... but I'm a little surprised that you came back on your own."
Seeing that Xiao Mao was not as furious as she had expected, and that there was still room for improvement, Lu Suizhu slowly raised her head, still kneeling.
"Your Highness, I had no choice but to escape. Pei Zhiji had already discovered my identity and wanted to force a confession from me. In order to protect Your Highness's secret, I had no choice but to flee the Pei Mansion. I wanted to escape and explain this to Your Highness, but Pei Zhiji is suspicious. I dare not take the risk and can only resort to this last resort."
After carefully observing Xiao Mao and seeing that he showed no sign of surprise, Lu Suizhu continued, "Now that the storm has passed, I will naturally return to continue serving His Highness."
Xiao Mao sat down and slowly sipped his tea, the cups making a crisp sound as they collided. He looked at the woman kneeling on the ground and said quietly, "Since you have come back on your own initiative, I am willing to give you a chance to make amends. It depends on whether you can seize it."
A few remaining leaves swayed lightly in the cup.
"Oh, by the way, I also heard that you have been reunited with your family. I haven't congratulated Master Lu Qin on such a good news yet."
While speaking, Xiao Mao had already squatted down to look her in the eye. He was playing with the folding fan in his hand, rubbing it against the jade ring. The corner of his mouth was raised in a smile, and his eyes contained a hint of teasing, as if he was looking at a pet and waiting for the woman in front of him to open her mouth.
Lu Suizhu knelt down and took two steps back, hitting his head heavily on the ground. His voice was dull and sad, and his lips and back were trembling slightly.
"Your Highness...I will do my best to carry out your orders."
The black and gold-plated folding fan lightly lifted Lu Suizhu's chin, forcing her to raise her head. With a force that was neither light nor heavy, her body rose up along with Xiao Mao.
Her neck was tilted back, her jaw was aching, her eyelids were slightly red like peach blossoms, and the posture of the superior was contemptuous and teasing, and the fan was casually rubbing against the woman's face.
Over and over again, it creates thousands of ripples.
She was ashamed and angry, but she lowered her brows and became obedient. What people could smell faster than anger and resentment was the fragrance. She took the fan covered with rouge and powder and sniffed it lightly, making her look like the crown princess at home who was always brow-down and depressed.
When you’ve had enough fun, come closer and spray your breath into your ear.
"I want you to kill the Sixth Prince at tomorrow's banquet."
She stood up straight from her low position, still feeling dizzy. When Lu Suizhu raised her eyes, she could only see Xiao Mao's lips moving.
Her knees were numb and slightly painful, and her face was burning from the rubbing of the fan. She forced herself to straighten her body, her expression a little stiff.
"Tomorrow the East Palace will hold a flower viewing banquet. Since I am kindhearted and would like to honor virtuous people, I would like to invite all the candidates and their families to attend."
"Why me?"
Lu Suizhu asked in a weak voice, and her knees became weaker.
"Because you are a member of the Pei family, hahahaha." After saying these ambiguous words, Xiao Mao rushed out the door.
The heaviness of her body was about to crush Lu Suizhu. She had thought everything in the past was too simple. She thought that by faking her death she could break free from the shackles and end all the absurdity. When she saw Xiao Mao again today, she realized that she was a complete fool.
She leaned against the cold, solid wall, rubbed the clothes on her back, and slowly knelt on the ground, pulling the clothes on her chest with her hands. She was so heartbroken that she couldn't help but want to laugh.
Xiao Mao and Concubine Jiang are in a rivalry, and he wants to kill someone with a borrowed knife. If this succeeds, he will get rid of the Sixth Prince, who is a big threat to him. If it fails, Xiao Mao can also expose her identity.
In short, whether this matter succeeds or not, it is natural to put the blame on the Pei family, so that no blood is stained and two birds with one stone are achieved.
What a good calculation.
There were footsteps behind me again. I turned around and saw Yingyi standing there.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you have any other instructions?" Her eyes were dull and her expression was indifferent, and she was still kneeling.
The cold, hard hilt of the sword was extended in front of Lu Suizhu. After a moment of surprise, he curled his lips into a self-deprecating chuckle, grasped the long arrow handle to gain leverage, and said, "Thank you."
"If this is accomplished, no matter what the outcome, the master will ensure that your brother ascends to the top of the world and that your family remains safe. However, if you do not do so, the master will not show mercy."
"That's all I have to say. You can do whatever you want."
I don’t know what emotion it was, but when he left, Ying looked back and frowned, and the scar on his eye moved slightly.
Only then did Lu Suizhu understand what power was. It was like a vast, impenetrable net that could cover the sky and the sun and could take other people's lives. An occasional act of kindness would make people feel grateful and cry bitterly, and the dust from a sneeze would be like a steep peak pressing on the backs of ordinary people.
If you struggle, your internal organs will be crushed and it will be futile.
After returning home, Lu Suizhu began to put on the flower ornaments on her forehead in front of the mirror. She took out all her hairpins and rings and displayed them one by one, touching them one by one.
"It's almost dark, why is the girl dressed up?"
Fang Dian had just come back from outside with some hot water, and was a little suspicious of Lu Suizhu's abnormal behavior.
"Please pick out the most beautiful hairpin for me. I may not have the chance to wear it again after tomorrow."
Lu Suizhu used her fingers to move the black hair to the side of her cheek. Holding a wooden comb, she gently combed a strand of hair towards the small window. The corners of her lips were slightly raised, but her eyes were full of desolation.
After today, these hands that dress up will be stained with blood.
This nonsensical remark frightened Fang Dian. She put down the basin in the water and said, "Young lady, why are you saying such unlucky words for no reason? What happened? Did the Pei Mansion give you a hard time?"
Lu Suizhu put her finger on her lips and made a hushing sound, and Fang Dian immediately fell silent.
She held Fang Dian's hand and said in a whisper, "It's not Pei Mansion, it's the Crown Prince. He assigned me a mission that will kill me regardless of success or failure."
Fang Dian's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she was about to let out a loud cry, but Lu Suizhu quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
"Sacrificing me to save my family is the best solution. I have made up my mind, so there is no need to persuade me."
Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Fang Dian didn't know what to do, tears overflowed from her eyes and fell on the back of Lu Suizhu's hand.
"Don't cry, don't cry, don't let your brother hear you."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
"Are you asleep, Wenjia?"
I heard some talking inside just now, but now there was no sound. Shen Wenjian knocked twice again.
After receiving Lu Suizhu's nod, Fang Dian wiped away her tears and hurried to open the door.
As soon as Shen Wenjian entered the room, his eyes fell on Lu Suizhu, and he did not notice Fang Dian's red eyes.
He seemed to be in a very good mood, and his voice was a little excited at the end: "The Crown Prince is courteous to the wise and has hosted a banquet for us candidates and our families in the palace. This is such a rare opportunity. Come with me tomorrow."
After receiving the gorgeous and exquisite invitation and carefully smelling the unique scent of incense from the Eastern Palace, Lu Suizhu could not pretend to be happy and only responded in a flat voice.
"Okay, that's a good thing."
"That's great. I was worried that you wouldn't want to go. I'll introduce you to all your classmates and let them see how beautiful my sister, Shen Wenjian, is.
"Brother, is there anything else?"
When Shen Wenjian entered the room just now, he placed a box on the table. When he opened it, he saw several colorful women's dresses inside.
"I picked out a few clothes for you while shopping today. I didn't know what patterns you liked, so I chose according to my taste."
From a distance, one could tell that the material of the clothes was delicate and high-quality. Lu Suizhu only touched it for a moment before quickly withdrawing her hand. Her throat felt sore and even her nasal cavity was a little blocked. She didn't look at Shen Wenjian's expectant eyes, but turned her back to face the window.
"Brother, don't waste money like this in the future."
Afraid of revealing unusual emotions, she didn't dare to say anything more, and urged in her voice: "It's getting late, brother, go back, I also need to rest."
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but Fangdian immediately asked him to leave. Shen Wenjian had no choice but to stand outside the door and remind him, "Then Wenjia, you should get some rest early. If you need anything, call me. I'm always here."
Such indifference, is it because he doesn't like the clothes?
Just as they were about to go back to their room, Shen Wenjian felt something was wrong and shouted at the door, "If you don't like the clothes, don't force yourself. I'll take you to buy new ones tomorrow."
When the sound was completely gone, Lu Suizhu could no longer suppress her emotions. She leaned on Fang Dian's arms and sobbed softly. Looking at the stack of clothes that she had carefully selected, she felt even more sad.
She has such a good family.
Not sure if she was asking Fangdian or talking to herself, she murmured softly: "Do you think I am doing this right?"
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