Chapter 15: Too plain and merciless, this king doesn't like it...
"His Highness the Prince of Yue has said that no one from the Lu family is allowed to enter the Prince of Yue's residence," the guard said expressionlessly.
“I am the young master… no, the personal attendant of the King of Yue’s husband, not an ordinary servant. Please trouble this guard to ask the steward of the manor if I may be allowed to enter.” Hengwu, seeing that her group was being kept outside, became even more worried about the young master and pleaded.
The guard did not agree immediately, but said, "Wait here."
Hengwu and the servants waited for a long time before the steward of the Prince's mansion finally arrived and allowed Hengwu to enter alone.
He repeatedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your leniency, sir."
When Hengwu was in the Lu family, he was the young master's head servant and accompanied him to banquets. Even the sons of minor officials had to treat him with utmost respect. He had never been treated so disrespectfully before.
However, he also knew that things were different now. The patriarch had been reprimanded by His Majesty and lost face, and had been dismissed from his official post. The young master had been reduced from a high-ranking official of the Prince of Qi to a concubine of the Prince of Yue. They no longer had the right to be proud.
Judging from the attitude of the servants in the Prince's mansion, it was clear that the young master did not hold a high position in the Prince's mansion. Hengwu had prepared himself mentally before entering, but when he saw Lu Lingyue's pale face, he still couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"Young master, are you alright...?"
"Hengwu, watch your words. I've married into the Prince's mansion, not into some dangerous place. What could possibly happen?" Lu Lingyue, not wanting anyone to seize on this, interrupted him and stopped Hengwu from speaking out of turn.
"I already know about His Majesty's punishment, and I was anxious all night waiting for you to come. Hengwu, tell me quickly, is there anything Mother asked you to bring?" Lu Lingyue asked.
"The patriarch said..." Hengwu thought of the patriarch's heartless words, hesitated, and couldn't bring herself to speak.
"say what?"
"The patriarch asked me to ask the young master why the jade box he was asked to retrieve is still in the hands of the Prince of Yue... If the young master is soft-hearted and did not retrieve the jade box on purpose, then the young master has harmed the entire household, and even the master himself has been implicated by the young master. The young master can only blame himself for his current predicament," Hengwu said hesitantly.
"Jade box...you mean the jade box containing the keepsake?" Lu Lingyue was taken aback upon hearing this before realizing what Hengwu was talking about.
“I retrieved this item from the King of Yue that day. The jade box should be in the Lu family now, so why does my mother say that I used the jade box to harm her?”
Hengwu said, "Young Master, that's how I explained it too. But the Patriarch told me that yesterday, the Prince of Yue took out the jade box in front of His Majesty to prove the engagement with you... If you have already retrieved the jade box, then where did the Prince of Yue get it from? The Patriarch told me to ask you."
"No, that's impossible." Lu Lingyue was absolutely certain of this. He clearly remembered that he had followed his mother's instructions and found an excuse to retrieve the jade box from Yuan Yan that day.
Yuan Yan was completely unsuspecting at the time and easily gave him the item. Lu Lingyue opened it as soon as he received it, and only after verifying that the jade pendant and other items were correct did he order them to be put away... Now, the news that the jade box had inexplicably appeared in the Yue Prince's mansion has left Lu Lingyue in a state of turmoil and full of doubt.
"And the head of the family instructed the young master that the Lu family is suffering such a great humiliation because of this matter. The young master's position in the Yue Prince's mansion is low and he is not a proper relative by marriage. The Lu family has absolutely no chance of getting close to His Highness the Yue Prince."
"The Lu family has already decided to pledge allegiance to His Highness Prince Qi, and this decision will not change. If the situation changes and the two princes clash, we will have no choice but to sever ties with you, young master, so that you may be prepared." Hengwu felt reluctant, but she still endured Lu Lingyue's pained gaze and relayed Lord Lu's words verbatim.
"Mother is blaming me in her heart."
Lu Lingyue's heart ached and felt cold. She murmured, "The Lu family's actions are tantamount to abandoning me. I'm already a discarded child of the family..."
"Young Master, please don't say that. The Patriarch was just saying that in a fit of anger, and it shouldn't be taken seriously. The fact that things have turned out this way is all due to fate, and it has nothing to do with you, Young Master." Seeing his distraught appearance, Hengwu felt bad for him and quickly comforted him.
...
Lu Lingyue, dressed in plain clothes, waited in the mansion.
As soon as Yuan Yan returned to his residence after court, he stepped forward.
"Your Highness, I have something I would like to ask you."
Yuan Yan glanced at him, handed the riding whip to a servant, and walked into the courtyard.
"What is it?"
"There's something I don't understand. Was the jade box Your Highness took out yesterday genuine?" Lu Lingyue asked.
Yuan Yan scoffed, "Who would dare to lie before His Majesty? Why don't you go and see for yourself?"
"But Your Highness clearly gave me the jade box that day, so where did this jade box come from..." Lu Lingyue was much calmer than before, and he already had a guess about this question, but he still wanted to know the answer.
Yuan Yan interrupted Lu Lingyue and told him bluntly.
"Naturally, I ordered my men to retrieve it."
Upon hearing this answer, Lu Lingyue felt a mix of emotions.
This proves that the jade box Yuan Yan gave him earlier was indeed genuine. Yuan Yan's sincere sincerity towards him, without any suspicion, was rewarded with the Lu family's scheming. No wonder Yuan Yan hated the Lu family and him because of this.
"...Your Highness, do you know that my mother has already sent someone to tell me today that the Lu family will have no further connection with me?" Lu Lingyue paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Given the Lu family head's profit-driven nature, it's not surprising that he did this," Yuan Yan replied dismissively, then added.
"Go and change your clothes. This outfit is too plain for me. I'll be going to your courtyard later, so take a bath and get ready."
She didn't care what Lu Lingyue thought, nor did she care that he had just been favored for the first time last night and was still covered in marks.
Yuan Yan simply felt that Lu Lingyue was quite delicious. He hadn't been satisfied last night and still wanted more, so he faced his desires openly and prepared to do it a few more times.
Lu Lingyue was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, not expecting that while she was feeling distressed, that was all she could think about. Moreover, Yuan Yan's merciless lovemaking last night had been so intense that she was still in pain and didn't want to think about it, and even felt a little afraid of it.
“It’s still daytime, Your Highness, how can you indulge in such matters between men and women… I am now of no use to Your Highness, you may go find someone else, why humiliate me like you did yesterday?” He looked away, unwilling to agree.
"You're the only husband I have in the manor right now. Who else would I turn to if not you?" Yuan Yan sneered inwardly upon hearing this.
The original owner, as the Prince of Yue, did not marry a chief minister or a secondary minister, but she did have servants. However, because the Imperial Noble Minister had already begun preparing to marry Lu Lingyue before her death, the original owner released those one or two servants out of the mansion to show her sincerity.
This is why Yuan Yan, the dignified Prince of Yue, only has Lu Lingyue as his concubine. It not only sounds pathetic, but it's also hard to believe if word got out.
Just watch, original owner. Good women are struck by lightning. This is the consequence of being too kind to men and showing them too much pity.
Yuan Yan thought to himself.
A note from the author:
I have plenty of drafts saved up, but the data is just too bad, so I can only update according to the rankings before it becomes a paid post, sob sob.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
