With the marriage of Princess Wuyang, the capital city was immersed in a sentimental atmosphere for a while. Even the topics of conversation after dinner and the jokes told by storytellers in teahouses were replaced by everything related to Princess Wuyang. It was the people's longing for a good and down-to-earth princess.
The news that Feng Yuheng and Xuan Tianming sent a hundred soldiers from the Shenjiying to help Xuan Tiange with her dowry spread quickly. After hearing about it, people sighed at the Ninth Prince's protective heart for his sister, and the sisterly and aunt-in-law relationship between Princess Ji'an and Princess Wuyang. Some people even had wild ideas, saying that if the people of Gu Shu dared to bully their Da Shun princess in the future, the hundred soldiers from the Shenjiying would use the thunder in their hands to blow up Gu Shu, and from then on Gu Shu would be completely included in Da Shun's territory.
Of course, these are all fantasies. People still hope that Xuan Tiange can live a good life. At least the ancient Shu emperor is good-looking and it is rumored that he treats her well enough. I hope that this life will not be in vain, and that ancient Shu and Dashun can live in peace for a hundred years.
The eighth prince fell, the sixth prince became regent, everything seemed so smooth and stable in the capital, the palace, and the court. But in fact, everyone was secretly wondering who would eventually take over the throne of Dashun? Why did the ninth prince look like nothing happened? Sometimes he didn't even attend the morning court, and often took Princess Yu out of the city, either to the camp or to the suburbs, and even stayed in a manor in the suburbs for a few days. He lived a leisurely and comfortable life, ignoring the government affairs, as if the government affairs had nothing to do with them, and only cared about his own happiness.
Those who were originally inclined to the Ninth Prince were getting a little restless. Although the Sixth Prince was also good, they always felt that something was missing from the Ninth Prince. He lacked dominance and prestige. The Sixth Prince was too elegant, like a scholar. If Dashun was handed over to him, would it become a great Confucian country? Would the military and force still need to be developed in the future? If they encountered a strong enemy, would they be able to defeat it?
These are what people are worried about, so many old ministers began to try their best to meet Emperor Tianwu, wanting to hear the old emperor's opinion on this matter. But the old emperor, except for showing up once when he sent Princess Wuyang off to marry, never wanted to see anyone again. It is said that he has recently become addicted to a chess game called checkers, and he plays checkers with Zhang Yuan all day long. His attitude towards state affairs is the same as that of the ninth prince, ignoring them.
This left people helpless. Even though they were always worried, they had no place to vent. They could only chat in groups to relieve their boredom. Fortunately, the Sixth Prince had done nothing wrong in presiding over the government. He was humble and popular, especially among the civil officials. In addition, the Ninth Prince and Princess Yu had long since shown that they had a good relationship with the Sixth Prince. Therefore, even if people had some thoughts in their hearts, they were still respectful to the Sixth Prince and would not vent their emotions on him.
However, compared to the Ninth Prince ascending to the throne, the current Left Prime Minister Lu Song is more looking forward to the Sixth Prince ascending to the throne. After all, if the Ninth Prince ascends to the throne, he will have to go through a detour and use the route of the Pingnan General's Mansion to curry favor with him, and whether it will succeed or not is still another matter. But if the Sixth Prince ascends to the throne, it will be different. His Lu family will not have to go through the trouble of finding connections, but can directly send Lu Ping to the palace and take the route of becoming an imperial concubine or even the queen, which is much more direct.
The last time Lu Ping ran away from home, she was taken back by the Lu Mansion within an hour or two. Now she was locked up in the courtyard by Lu Song, and she couldn't even step out of the door. There were also special people to deliver three meals a day. Lu Ping wanted to ask the person who delivered the meals about the news in the Lu Mansion, but the person was like a mute and refused to say a word. She was very frustrated and gradually became a little anxious. She asked Jian'er, the maid who served her, "What do you think I should do if my father forcibly sends me to the palace?"
Jian'er thought for a moment and said, "That shouldn't be the case, right? I think this is just the master's wishful thinking, but it's not that easy to implement. Didn't we also ask about the Sixth Prince? He is a man who is no less than the Seventh Prince. Would such a man listen to the ministers? If he is asked to choose a concubine, will he choose one?"
Lu Ping was absent-minded for a while, and she went over everything she knew about the Sixth Prince in her mind. In the end, she had to admit that Jian'er was right. But even so, she was still worried. She knew Lu Song and Ge too well. They would definitely do anything to achieve their goals. Once they set their sights on a path, they would do whatever it took to get there. The Lu family had already lost a son and two daughters. I'm afraid that if it came to her, the Lu family would have to fight for it even if there was no successor.
"No." She murmured to herself, "I have to find a way. I have to leave the Lu family and never let them control me again."
Jane was shocked when she heard this and couldn't help asking, "What is the young lady talking about? How could she leave?" As she spoke, she walked to the door of the room and looked out through the crack of the door for a while. She sighed and said, "The master brought two big yellow dogs to the yard. Although they don't bite people, they are extremely sensitive to smells. As long as the young lady leaves the room, they will bark loudly, and the nurses will arrive in a few seconds. In this case, how could the young lady run away?"
Jian'er was also worried about Lu Ping. She had followed Lu Ping since she was a child, so she naturally understood that what Lu Ping least wanted was to be manipulated by the Lu family. Over the years, she had used the excuse of having a hidden illness, and the Lu family also had two other daughters, so they had not targeted her. But now there were not many people in the Lu family. Even if her daughter still had a peculiar body odor, she still had to rely on inferior spices to cover it up all day long. Lu Xiang's mind had already moved to this side. Now that Lu Ping said she wanted to escape, she also hoped to escape, but she felt that it was almost an impossible task. She became depressed for a while and sighed repeatedly.
Lu Ping was not as pessimistic as she was. She asked Jian'er, "If the two dogs couldn't smell the scent, would they bark?"
Jane shook her head, "That's not the case. Usually, the servants walked around in the yard and didn't hear them barking. They were very quiet, just lying on the ground. But didn't the young lady see that when the master first brought them here, the two dogs kept barking as soon as you showed up?"
"Yes! Because the smell on my body stimulates them, but if the smell is gone, I hope they will still be obedient even if they see me."
She had made up her mind and didn't say anything more. She just quietly packed her things in the house. She packed a bundle with two pieces of clothes in it. She also took out the silver she had saved from the cabinet, as well as a few small, easy-to-pawn jewelry, and stuffed two handfuls of osmanthus candy into the bundle. Then she tied the bundle into a knot, which was bulging and looked very solid.
Jane was puzzled: "Miss, what are you going to do?"
She asked Jian'er, "If you were asked to choose between Lu Fu and me, which side would you choose?"
"Of course it's Miss." Jian'er quickly expressed her opinion: "I was bought by Miss and have been with Miss since I was a child. No matter what time it is, I will always stand on Miss' side."
"Well," she said as she took out a piece of paper from a box and stuffed a piece of silver into her hand. "This is your indenture. I'm returning it to you now. From now on, you're free. I have only one request of you. Take this piece of silver and go out of the house. Hire a carriage for me secretly and wait for me outside the west gate. I will find a way to get out before the gate closes. After I get out, I'll go my way and you'll go your way. I'll give you some more money. From now on, don't be a slave to others anymore. Return to your hometown and live a good life."
Jian'er was stunned and opened her mouth in surprise. She couldn't understand why her young lady would have such an idea. Leave? Can she leave? How to escape from this Lu Mansion?
But Lu Ping didn't think it was difficult. She just told Jian'er, "They only restricted my freedom, not yours. You servants can still move around in the mansion, and even go out to buy things. Just say that you want to find out what kind of good spices there are in the capital. I usually ask you to go out to buy all kinds of spices, so I won't be suspicious. But you have to be careful after leaving the mansion, don't let anyone stare at you, do your things quickly, hire a car and wait for me outside the city, understand?"
Jian'er nodded mechanically, still a little dull, but Lu Ping couldn't wait too long and urged her to do it quickly. Jian'er left the house under her urging, and soon, Lu Song came here in person, and the first thing he said was: "I heard that you asked your maid to buy spices?"
Lu Ping was not surprised at all that her father came to visit her. She nodded naturally and asked, "Father, why are you asking about this? Isn't it normal for my daughter's maid to go buy spices?"
Lu Song didn't dwell too much on the maid leaving the house. He just asked Lu Ping, "Have you figured it out? You should prepare more spices and choose the most suitable ones for you, which can both cover up the smell and make it less pungent. Otherwise, no matter how hard your father works, you will never be favored by the Sixth Prince."
Lu Ping frowned, and did not go along with Lu Song just because she wanted to escape. She thought that would be easier to expose, and she should keep the same as before, which would be more natural. So she said to Lu Song: "My daughter, there is no such thing as whether you understand it or not, because I have never thought about this matter. I have already rejected my father. I don't want to enter the palace, let alone marry the Sixth Prince. As for what my father and stepmother think, that is your business, and it has nothing to do with me."
"You..." Lu Song felt that his daughter was really stubborn. Sometimes he was so angry that he wanted to slap her. But when he looked at her beautiful face, he was afraid that he would ruin her and ruin the family's important affairs. So he had to tell her harshly: "You are the daughter of the Lu family. Since ancient times, the marriage of children has been decided by parents and matchmakers. Even if you were not born in the Lu family, it would be the same if you were a daughter of another family. Think about it carefully!" After Lu Song finished speaking, he pushed the door open and led the two big yellow dogs in the yard to Lu Ping's door to guard it closely.
Lu Ping didn't pay attention to his actions. She only asked the servants to prepare water for bathing after she was sure he was far away. Although it was still daytime, she had a hidden illness and often had to take a bath several times a day, regardless of day or night. The people in Lu's mansion were used to it. Even if Lu Song, who didn't walk far away, heard about it, he didn't suspect anything...
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