Chapter 117 Lady Lu's Plea for Mercy Was Too Late
If it weren't for the relationship between Yang Lingyi and Yuan Yan, Yuan Jing probably wouldn't have launched an attack on the eldest prince's residence that day. The eldest prince was actually implicated by Yuan Yan.
"This matter is over. I was not injured, Yan'er, you don't need to worry about it. As long as the title of Crown Prince remains, those people will not dare to do anything to me."
"I am already quite old and have experienced many trials and tribulations. How could I be intimidated by the Prince of Qi's force?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince showed no resentment whatsoever, and instead comforted Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan smiled and thanked the eldest prince for his help in procuring grain.
"Yan'er is being too formal with me again. I only have one child, Yi'er. You are his wife, and in my heart you are just like my own daughter. If I don't help you, who else can I help?"
The eldest prince said gently, "It's a trivial matter, Yan'er, don't take it to heart."
"Is this the legendary father-in-law looking at his son-in-law and liking him more and more? Host, I feel that the Crown Prince treats you very well and truly regards you as a daughter," the system said from the side.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan did not express his gratitude again, but instead offered a cup of tea to the eldest prince, saying, "I understand your father-in-law's high regard for me."
In this harmonious atmosphere between father-in-law and son-in-law, the eldest son-in-law exchanged a few more words with Yuan Yan, and then, seeing that it was almost time, put down his teacup.
"Now is a busy time. Yan'er has heavy responsibilities and must have many things to do. There is no need for you to come to see me at this time. It is more important to attend to state affairs first."
After seeing Yuan Yan off, the eldest prince couldn't help but talk to the eunuch beside him.
"Yan'er is a perfect son-in-law. He is considerate of Yi'er and respectful to me. There is really no fault with him."
"Your Highness is quite right. The King of Qin has rendered great service to the state and is deeply devoted to the young master."
The old man smiled, glanced up at the high place, and lowered his voice slightly, "Old Lu, you see, the young master's good fortune is yet to come!"
The eldest prince naturally understood what his father-in-law meant.
"Fortunately, I felt sorry for Yi'er and listened to his own wishes, and did not stop the marriage. Otherwise, we would not be where we are today."
"Looking back now, this was all the good fortune that Yi'er was destined for..." the eldest prince sighed.
...
At the same time, someone requested an audience with Lu Lingyue.
"Young master, someone from the manor has arrived." Hengwu hesitated before speaking.
When news of Lu Yingkan and others' imprisonment spread, the Lu family was thrown into chaos and fear. Even Lu Lingyue, a man confined to the inner quarters, heard some of the rumors.
Lu Lingyue paused slightly. "Why would the people from the Lu family come at this time?"
He was about to say he wouldn't see him when Hengwu, as if guessing what he was about to say, hesitantly told him that the person who had come was Lu's father, and that the audience had been granted by the chief minister. The chief minister agreed that the father and son could speak in the side hall.
Lu Lingyue remained silent for a long time, a feeling of weariness that she couldn't quite put into words suddenly welling up inside her.
"This is the last time... I'm going to see my father."
In the side hall, Lu's father had been waiting for a long time and was very restless. When he saw Lu Lingyue, he immediately stepped forward anxiously.
"Yue'er, do you know that your mother has been imprisoned?"
Lu Lingyue: "I am in the backyard of the Prince's mansion and know nothing of the affairs of the court."
Father Lu wept, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. “Since your mother was arrested, the household has been in chaos, with no one to support us. I had no other choice but to come to you… Now only the Prince of Qin can save your mother and the entire Lu clan.”
"Father knows that the King of Qin has always treated you differently. If you were to beg for mercy, the King of Qin might be able to show leniency out of consideration for our past relationship."
As if grasping at a straw, Lu's father grabbed Lu Lingyue's sleeve.
As expected, Lu Lingyue heard words urging him to plead for mercy, and her heart, which had long since turned cold, finally lost its last trace of warmth at that moment.
"Father, what affection remains between His Highness and me?"
Lu Lingyue's voice was clear and melodious, tinged with a hint of self-mockery.
“When I first entered the palace, you were all afraid of being implicated by His Highness, so you ignored me and were eager to distance yourselves from him. Now that His Highness has won and Mother is imprisoned, you have remembered that I am a member of the Lu family.”
Father Lu was slightly taken aback, not expecting that Lu Lingyue, who was always gentle and sensible, would say such blunt and hurtful words, even colder than his attitude when he returned to the mansion earlier.
Father Lu's face was somewhat pale as he tried to explain, "Yue'er, listen to your father. It was a matter of necessity. Your mother wasn't abandoning you; she had no choice but to consider the entire Lu clan..."
Father Lu, unable to offer any explanation, repeated the same words he had spoken before.
Lu Lingyue had already guessed what her father would say, and now that she felt no disappointment, the answer naturally came to mind.
Because of the matter of raising grain, Yuan Yan finally softened his attitude and stopped looking at him with that distant and cold expression.
How could he bear to make such an unreasonable request of her at this time, hurting Yuan Yan again and putting her in a difficult position?
He can't do it, and he's unwilling to do it.
"Father, please go back. This path was chosen by the Lu family themselves... Please forgive me for being unable to comply." Lu Lingyue turned her face slightly away, suppressing the pain in her heart, her voice resolute.
"Yue'er, how can you say that? That's your mother!"
Amidst the disbelief on his father's face, he was escorted away by Lu Lingyue's men.
As Lu's father was being led away, he pleaded desperately, "You can resent your father, but don't hate your mother. She had no choice... Please, I'm begging you."
Hearing her father's mournful voice, Lu Lingyue's shoulders trembled slightly, but she still restrained herself from turning around.
When Lu's father saw that he couldn't get Lu Lingyue to move no matter what he did, he found it hard to believe.
Lu Lingyue was such a well-behaved young man, how did he become like this after entering the Prince's mansion?
He couldn't understand it at all, and stared absently at Lu Lingyue's back as he pondered.
When Lu's father's pleas for mercy failed, he had to seek other methods.
However, at such a time, who would dare to get involved with the Lu family's affairs? Despite Lu's father's numerous visits, he was still at a loss.
Knowing he was finished, Lu Yingkan was filled with remorse and despair in prison.
However, the regret was not that he shouldn't have given up Lu Lingyue, but that he made the wrong bet between Yuan Yan and Yuan Jing, betting on the hopeless Yuan Jing and missing out on Yuan Yan, the real golden phoenix.
It's all her fault for not recognizing the value of gold.
If it weren't for that incident of breaking off the engagement back then, she would be the current emperor's mother-in-law now!
Thinking about the fate that awaited him, Lu Yingkan wished he could go back in time and slap his past self, filled with regret.
However, given the Lu family's current situation, it's too late for her to regret it.
...
When Yuan Yan returned, Yang Lingyi told him about Lu's father's request to see Lu Lingyue that day.
“It wouldn’t be a problem if Lu Shifu’s family asked to see me, but given the current situation of the Lu family, I think I should still inform my sister.” He said softly as he removed Yuan Yan’s hair ornament.
Lu Lingyue and the Lu family... Yuan Yan opened his slightly closed eyes and frowned for a moment.
She knew almost without thinking what else Lady Lu could have come to the Prince's mansion for.
Therefore, Yuan Yan was prepared for Lu Lingyue to come and plead with her.
Strangely, Lu Lingyue remained silent this time. The following day, after inviting Yuan Yan to dine in the courtyard, he did not discuss anything else.
Even as lunch was almost over, Yuan Yan hadn't heard a single word about the Lu family from Lu Lingyue.
This clear-cut attitude caused Yuan Yan to raise an eyebrow slightly.
Lu Lingyue was more clear-headed than the Lu family members. She knew that the purge of the Lu family was inevitable, so she didn't bring it up with her, which meant that she had completely broken ties with her maternal family.
Lu Lingyue felt Yuan Yan's gaze lingering on his face, seemingly lost in thought, and she slowly stopped serving Yuan Yan her meal.
"Why is Your Highness staring at me?"
Yuan Yan: "You have changed quite a bit lately, which has surprised even me."
"Your nature hasn't changed. It's just that after experiencing various things, you've come to understand some things and know what's truly important to you," Lu Lingyue said.
As he spoke, he unusually did not avoid Yuan Yan's gaze, his eyes suppressing a certain deep emotion, and the important thing in his words was obviously self-evident.
“You’re right, everyone has to make decisions in life.” Yuan Yan’s brows furrowed.
Lu Lingyue: "Yes, it's a pity that I understood this too late..."
His voice was low, and Yuan Yan didn't hear him clearly. Just then, a servant rushed over, interrupting Lu Lingyue's words.
"Your Highness, at the Grand Tutor's residence..." a servant whispered.
"Such a thing actually happened." Yuan Yan's tone contained a hint of surprise after hearing the servant's report.
Seeing this, Lu Lingyue knew that Yuan Yan had important matters to attend to, so she stopped speaking, stood up, suppressed the emotion in her heart, and stepped back to avoid him.
After Lu Lingyue left.
"Grand Tutor Wang is dead," Yuan Yan said to the system after a moment's thought.
【Grand Tutor Wang…Host, I remember now, he was the old minister who strongly supported Yuan Jing back then!】The system recalled the time when the Prince of Qi sent someone to request the establishment of the Crown Princess.
"Yes, it's her."
When Yuan Jing forced the emperor to abdicate, Wang Renyu had tried to dissuade him, but Yuan Jing avoided him and forcibly had her carried back to his residence.
Then came the news that Yuan Jing had been defeated and had committed suicide by burning himself. Wang Renyu was filled with shame, feeling that he had failed to properly educate the Prince of Qi, which had led her down the path of rebellion.
After leaving behind a letter of apology, she dismissed her servants and children and committed suicide in the mansion.
[Huh? I don't understand. She couldn't stop the King of Qi from rebelling, so why should she atone with her death...] The system was shocked and even crashed for two seconds, indicating that it really couldn't understand.
Yuan Yan: "She died for her reputation."
Wang Renyu consistently supported Yuan Jing, pushing him to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. As a result, Yuan Jing was instead labeled as disloyal and unfilial.
Wang Renyu believes he also bears undeniable responsibility for this outcome.
Wang Renyu's death was undoubtedly a way of telling the world that the King of Qi's fate was not what she had hoped for. She had fulfilled her final duties as a subject and teacher in this way.
It can be said that he sacrificed his life to preserve his reputation.
The emotions behind this were too profound and difficult to understand; the system couldn't easily process them. Yuan Yan said a few words, but the system still seemed to understand only vaguely.
"The Empress Dowager should already know about this matter. I need to go to the palace to see." Yuan Yan stood up and ordered his horse to be prepared for him to enter the palace.
In the palace.
Yuan Hao was on her sickbed, her spirits low and she was in a daze as she listened to her attendant reciting Wang Renyu's last letter.
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