Chapter 2 The Lu family rejects the engagement; how could a man dare to mock a princess like that…
"Bring the letter to me so I can see it," Yuan Yan said to his attendant.
Yuan Yan took the item from the servant and discovered that what the servant called a letter was not actually complete.
There were not only many letters and some hairpins and other items, but also daggers, inkstones and other odds and ends, which took up half of the table.
The system wondered: [Where did all this random stuff come from...? Why is Young Master Lu sending these hairpins and ornaments? These are men's cosmetics; you can't use them.]
However, Yuan Yan remained silent in the face of the system's question.
Others might not know where these things came from, but Yuan Yan knew perfectly well. Seeing these familiar objects, fragmented images naturally surfaced in her mind.
“This flower that Father-in-law has cultivated is truly beautiful. Father-in-law, please pick it for me and send it to Young Master Lu by fast horse.”
"Oh, Your Highness, this is the Imperial Nobleman's favorite flower. If you pick it like this, we barbarians will have a hard time explaining ourselves when the Imperial Nobleman asks about it!"
"Father-in-law, what are you worried about? This is for my fiancé. Father is not so stingy. Go quickly."
...
"As is customary, sir, this dagger should be sent to the Lu residence."
"Oh dear, Your Highness... who gives a man a dagger as a gift?"
"This is no ordinary dagger. It was awarded to me by the Queen Mother for defeating my elder sister and winning first place in the hunt. It holds great significance for me. I want to give it to Yue'er so that he can see how powerful I am."
...
The hairpins, inkstones, jade pendants, and letters on the table were all gifts given to Lu Lingyue by the original owner, but now he has sent them all back without missing a single one.
[No, these were gifts the original owner gave to Lu Lingyue. What does it mean that he's sending them all back now?] The system was puzzled.
"What do you mean? Of course, it means to sever all ties." Yuan Yan sneered, having already guessed Lu Lingyue's thoughts from the food on the table.
But she still asked the servant, "Besides these things, has Young Master Lu sent any other messages?"
"Your Highness, no." The attendant hesitated as he said this.
"But the Lu family sent a message... saying that Your Highness and Young Master Lu are both getting on in years. Young Master Lu is about to be engaged, so it's not appropriate to continue this relationship. They hope Your Highness... can pay some attention to the difference between men and women, and for the sake of Young Master Lu's reputation, and stop sending him messages."
As the attendant spoke, he almost dared not look at Yuan Yan's face and lowered his head deeply.
The system finally realized what was happening: [What? That Lu family! They've realized you're no longer favored by the Emperor and are planning to break off the engagement, haven't they?]
The Lu family was a prominent and prestigious family, one of the "Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families". Many members of the family served as officials in the imperial court, and the family produced many prime ministers, scholars, and calligraphers. They also had close ties with the imperial family and other major families through marriage.
Lu Lingyue is the eldest son of the current patriarch of the Lu family. He has been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, and is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy and painting. His talent is renowned far and wide. In addition, he has a rare and handsome appearance. He is a model of a noble young master in the capital, and has many admirers.
When the Imperial Noble Minister was still alive, he had long heard of Lu Lingyue's good reputation and summoned Lu Lingyue to the palace for a personal inspection. After meeting him in person, he felt that Lady Lu had raised Lu Lingyue, this young man, exceptionally well, and intended to betroth Lu Lingyue to Yuan Yan as a chief minister.
However, Yuan Yan and Lu Lingyue were both still young at the time, so the Imperial Noble Minister did not inform the Emperor, but only made a verbal agreement with the head of the Lu family. The two families exchanged tokens of their affection, and the marriage was thus settled.
The two were supposed to get married last year, but the Imperial Noble Minister passed away, and Yuan Yan was observing the mourning period for his father, so the marriage was naturally postponed.
Now that the situation has changed and Yuan Yan has been suppressed, the Lu family has realized the emperor's attitude and no longer wants to marry Lu Lingyue to Yuan Yan.
The fact that he said such things today clearly shows that he believes only a few people know about the agreement made back then. In addition, with the death of the Imperial Noble Minister and Yuan Yan losing power, he is preparing to break off the engagement.
[Aren't you afraid the Lu family will complain to the Empress Dowager about what they're doing?] The system was a little angry.
"Hmph, of course they're not afraid." Yuan Yan knew the reason and gave a cold laugh.
Before she transmigrated here, Lu Lingyue had sent someone to take away the jade box that the original owner had used as a token, leaving Yuan Yan with no evidence to prove the engagement from back then.
If this matter were brought before His Majesty, Yuan Yan would be powerless to stop it unless the Lu family denied it. Given her current situation, the Empress Dowager already felt that she relied on her aunts' power and didn't respect her sisters, so why would she be willing to marry a member of the Lu family to her, thus giving her further support?
"What can we do now? Are we just going to watch them break off the engagement?" The system spoke up for Yuan Yan.
"Breaking this deadlock is neither too difficult nor too easy."
Yuan Yan fiddled with the jade hairpin on the table and said, "Someone, have Xue Lang come here."
Xue Lang was the commander of the guards in the Prince's mansion, a person given to her by her aunt, Lin Tai. He was highly skilled in martial arts and extremely loyal, making him a capable subordinate of Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan told Xue Lang about Lady Lu's broken engagement.
Upon hearing this, Xue Lang flew into a rage and knelt down on the ground. "Your Highness, the Lu family has gone too far! I cannot bear to see Your Highness suffer such humiliation. I will make this matter public. I, Xue Lang, will risk my life to show the Lu family what the consequences of humiliating Your Highness will be."
“No, Xue Dianjun, you are an important official in my royal palace, in charge of the palace’s guards. The Lu family’s breach of marriage is a loss of a son for me, how can it compare to Xue Dianjun? It’s not worth you taking the risk for this.” Yuan Yan calmly helped Xue Lang up.
"I have a task for Commander Xue to perform, which must be kept secret. I wonder if Commander Xue is willing?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Lang disregarded everything else and immediately replied, "Your Highness, please give me your orders, and I will certainly do my best."
Yuan Yan beckoned to her: "Commander Xue, come closer, I have something to say to you."
Upon hearing this, Xue Lang was first surprised, then nodded emphatically.
"Yes, Your Highness. Such an important matter will certainly be handled by this humble servant." Xue Lang solemnly accepted the order and prepared to leave.
"etc."
Just as she turned around, Yuan Yan called out to her again.
"General Xue, please do me another favor." Her expression was indifferent.
"Smash all these hairpins and other items on this table. Burn all the letters."
Xue Lang was at a loss: "This, Your Highness..."
"If those who collect them don't cherish them, then there's no need for them to exist anymore."
As soon as Yuan Yan let go, the jade hairpin fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces in an instant.
The memories he had just experienced were so real that Yuan Yan felt as if he were the original owner of the body.
A princess of the throne, how could she allow herself to be fooled by a man? The fire in her heart was ignited, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.
Yuan Yan, I will make sure you get back all the sincerity that was betrayed from you.
...
A few hours ago, inside the Lu residence.
Lu Yingkan, the clan head of the Lu family, was discussing the annulment of the engagement with Lu Lingyue.
"Yue'er, I've had someone explain things to the Prince of Yue. From now on, you two should go your separate ways and have no further connection. Just pretend that the marriage never happened."
"Ever since the death of the Imperial Noble Minister, the Prince of Yue has become increasingly unpopular with the Emperor. He is naive and his abilities are mediocre. Apart from his martial arts skills, he is inferior to His Highness Prince Qi in every other aspect."
"If the King of Qi were to ascend the throne in the future, what good would come of the daughter of a former favorite minister like the King of Yue? If you were to marry him, the Lu family would be implicated as well. It would be wiser for you to break off the engagement with her as soon as possible and marry the King of Qi instead."
"I have already made an agreement with Prince Qi to let you, Yue'er, marry into the Prince's mansion as the chief minister. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, you will be the Phoenix Minister in charge of the harem," Lu Yingkan said.
She originally thought that Lu Lingyue and the Second Princess had been corresponding for a long time and had developed some feelings for each other. She thought that if Lu Lingyue suddenly broke off the engagement, Yue'er would feel reluctant. She would probably have to use a lot of words to persuade him.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Lingyue remained unusually calm upon hearing this.
"Mother, there's no need to say any more. I understand these principles, and I will listen to you," he said calmly.
"Good child, it's good that you understand your mother's good intentions," Lu Yingkan said with relief.
"The King of Qi has already gone to the palace to request an imperial decree. It is estimated that the imperial decree appointing you as the Chief Minister of the King of Qi will be issued soon. Be prepared to receive the decree."
After Lu Yingkan left, Lu Lingyue continued to pluck the strings of her zither.
“Young master, you have been with His Highness the Prince of Yue for so long, exchanging letters from time to time. We, the captives, have all seen the Prince of Yue’s feelings for you.”
“The Prince of Yue respects you, young master. In order to wait for you to enter the palace, there is not a single servant in the palace. On the other hand, His Highness the Prince of Qi already has a group of servants from the lower ranks. If you marry into the Prince of Yue, you will have to compete with those men for his favor. How can it be better than marrying the Prince of Yue?”
"If it weren't for the King of Yue observing mourning, the King and the young master would have been husband and wife long ago. Now that the head of the family is forcing the young master to break off the engagement and marry another, is the young master prepared to simply obey...?"
The young servant was simple-minded. Having witnessed the correspondence between the Prince of Yue and Lu Lingyue over the years, he felt that the two had a deep affection for each other and that it was the head of the family who had separated them. He was determined to stand up for the Prince of Yue and the young master.
However, before he could finish speaking, Lu Lingyue's personal attendant, Hengwu, scolded him, "How dare you! How dare you discuss the affairs of your master and the princess! Shut up right now!"
The male servant protested, "Brother Hengwu, I'm just worried about the young master. It's heartbreaking that such a good marriage between the young master and the King of Yue has been ruined."
"Enough! It's all because the young master has spoiled you too much that you've lost your sense of propriety and dared to say such things. How many heads do you have to chop off for talking about the princess?"
Hengwu sternly rebuked him: "Go down and receive your punishment."
"That's enough. I have nothing to do with the Prince of Yue now. From now on, tell the servants in the manor not to mention the Prince of Yue again." Lu Lingyue finally stopped playing her instrument, her cold voice revealing no emotion.
After the male servant was taken away and punished, Hengwu returned to Lu Lingyue's side. Seeing her young master's emotionless appearance, Hengwu couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"Young master, that barbarian is talking nonsense. What does that little barbarian know? Prince Qi is the legitimate son of Feng Qing, of noble status, and is expected to inherit the throne. If you marry Prince Qi, you will be the most honorable Prince Qi, which is incomparable to Prince Yue... Young master, please don't take it to heart."
“I know. My marriage has never been my choice.” Lu Lingyue lowered her eyelashes, her long lashes casting a shadow beneath her eyes.
“I am the eldest son of the Lu family. From a young age, my mother raised me according to the requirements of the Crown Princess, and I was destined to marry someone who could bring benefits to the Lu family.”
"This person could be either the second princess or the eldest princess."
"I have no feelings for the King of Yue... If that's the case, what difference does it make to me whether I marry the King of Yue or the King of Qi?" Lu Lingyue had a clear understanding of her situation. Her expression was indifferent, like a statue made of white jade. She spoke of her marriage without any joy or sorrow.
Hengwu felt even more distressed: "Young Master..."
"Hengwu, pack up and have someone return all the things that the King of Yue sent you before," he said.
So, a few hours later, Yuan Yan received the pile of old things.
The music started again, soft and mournful.
"Young Master, someone from the Prince Qi's residence has arrived." Hengwu received the message from her servant and turned to report to Lu Lingyue, "His Highness Prince Qi has invited you to join him on an outing, Young Master, what do you think..."
Lu Lingyue paused for a moment, then said, "Since it's His Highness Prince Qi's invitation, please accept it for me."
A note from the author:
The female protagonist is the original owner of this body; whether in her past life or this life, she is a female, not a male.
Fiancé (x) Target of Revenge (√)
If you don't cherish the true love you've missed, he'll regret it later.
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