Chapter 86 Chapter 86
The imperial study in the palace in the capital.
The emperor looked even paler and thinner than Lu Shenru, who was seriously injured and had been traveling for days.
He was clearly in his forties, the prime of his youth, but his cheeks were sunken, and even his appearance seemed to have changed. Lu Shenru knew that he had not been in good health since he ascended the throne, and had been suffering from minor illnesses.
This year is the eleventh year of the emperor's reign. He originally thought that the emperor would not collapse at his age and could hold on for a few more years. But now it seems not optimistic.
Even the emperor himself said, "Why is the capital so hot this summer? I can't stand it. After the Wanshou Festival, I should find a cool place to escape the heat for more than a month."
In previous years, the emperor would also go out to escape the heat in the hot summer, but this time he gave a few more instructions.
"I wonder if it's because I've been feeling weak lately and the border defense is feeling uneasy."
After he said this, Lu Shenru said, "I have re-arranged the military affairs of the northwest border. Please take care of your health, Your Majesty, and don't worry about this."
"That being said, you have worked hard, but the northwest is the northwest. I always feel that the defenses to the north of the capital are not enough. After all, if the northern border is breached, the capital will be in danger."
The Tatars are mostly active in the northwest. The border north of Beijing is of primary importance, and they know this, so they don't come here often.
But since the emperor had said so, and he had always been timid and uneasy, Lu Shenru said, "I will pay more attention and strengthen my defense."
The emperor made a few more suggestions and asked him to go to the northern border more often in person in the near future.
Lu Shenru's wound had just been torn and had not yet recovered. It seemed that it would be difficult for him to rest at the moment. He bowed and accepted the offer. The emperor and his subject chatted for a few more words before leaving the imperial study.
The imperial concubine sent someone to bring him some medicine for his injuries, and asked his aunt to ask about his injuries. She told him to rest well and not to leave any sequelae.
Lu Shenru did not mention the fact that the emperor asked him to make a few more trips to the northern border city. He only sent someone to convey the message to comfort the imperial concubine and told her not to worry.
Marquis Lu endured the pain and walked out of the palace, but for some reason he didn't want to go home.
The sun was scorching, and the flesh and blood at the wound where the shoulder and arm were connected seemed to turn into a pool of pus. The pain was so severe that the person felt dizzy, as if the scorching sun was shining directly into his eyes.
He thought about it, then walked towards the prince's residence.
Unexpectedly, he had not walked far when he met a prince.
Lu Shenru hadn't seen him for a long time. He had never had much presence in the palace. The emperor didn't mention him, and the ministers didn't mention him either. It was as if he had been forgotten by everyone.
At this moment, he was standing in the shade of a tree, wearing a silver-gray robe. If it weren't for the little eunuch standing beside him, Lu Shenru might not have been able to find him.
He was not as gentle and refined as Prince Yong, who was surrounded by civil officials, nor was he as noble as Prince Hui, who was born with a lot of respect.
His biological mother was just an insignificant palace maid, and she was not promoted to the position of concubine after giving birth to him. Now he is sandwiched between his elder brother Prince Yong and his younger brother Prince Hui, one in front and one behind. Even the young eunuch looks impatient when talking to him.
"Your Highness, it's so hot today. You just lost a folding fan. Why don't you stop looking for it?"
"But I only have a decent folding fan." He explained himself, but he didn't dare to be justified.
Lu Shenru frowned.
He couldn't help but think of what the imperial concubine had said about him, "Fengxiang is also a pitiful child. His birth mother was of a low rank and died early. He has to see the faces of many palace maids in this palace."
The Queen loved children the most. When she first came to the Emperor's side, she took the orphaned Prince Yong to raise him by her side. Later, the Emperor's third son, Prince Cheng Fengxiang, also lost his biological mother. She had also had some thoughts about it, but she was just afraid that the child would be bullied.
But she was pregnant at that time, and it would be inappropriate for her to raise all the emperor's children on her own, which would make the empress unhappy.
The emperor had no such intention, so the matter was dropped.
But my sister was kindhearted and always took good care of the third prince, Prince Cheng.
He was two years younger than Prince Yong, and was only fourteen years old. He was thin and frail, and resembled the sick emperor more closely than any other prince.
The eunuch looked impatient and kept making excuses, refusing to help him find the fan.
Lu Shenru walked forward, and the two of them looked over when they heard the footsteps. When the young eunuch saw that it was him, he quickly came forward with a flattering look on his face.
"How come you have time to come here, Lord? You are here to look for His Royal Highness Prince Hui. His Royal Highness is studying with Mr. Hu. I am here to report to you."
Nosy. Lu Shenru raised his hand to stop him, "Don't delay His Royal Highness Prince Hui's studies."
He was impatient, and the eunuch saw it at a glance, and said, "Yes, yes, yes!"
Lu Shenru added, "Since you are free, you should go and look for the item for Prince Cheng. Don't delay."
After he gave the order, the young eunuch dared to shirk the young Prince Cheng, but he did not dare to push him, and hurried away in fear.
Prince Cheng was also a little surprised and couldn't help but look up at him, "My Lord..."
He looks timid, but even if he is not welcomed, he is still a dragon and a phoenix.
As a man, you should stand up immediately. If you can't stand up on your own, no one can help you.
Lu Shenru really didn't like this Prince Cheng, he just liked him because of his sister's kindness. He bowed to him and left.
The young man stood behind him, following his steady steps under the sun. He watched him walk away before lowering his head and standing in the shadows where no one cared.
However, after walking a short distance, Lu Shenru met someone again.
This time it was Prince Yong, and as usual, there were many people around him, but the person closest to him was no longer the former top three scholar Shao Boju, nor the person Shao had recently pushed to his side, but this year's new top three scholar, Jiang Fengchuan.
It was obvious that Prince Yong Fengqi liked him very much and kept talking to him while leaning sideways.
Jiang Fengchuan had a disgusting smile on his face. He first said a few words to King Yong and then glanced at him.
Lu Shenru ignored it and didn't want to go forward, just pretending he didn't see it.
But Jiang Fengchuan laughed and said something to Prince Yong.
"I am fortunate that Your Highness loves me. But my literary talent is not as good as that of my elder brother."
Prince Yong asked, "The third place winner is Jiang Jieyuan, right?"
Jiang Fengchuan laughed even more and said, of course.
"My brother was a top scholar and a man of deep love. He loved to collect ancient books from the Song Dynasty and even made a long-cherished wish. After he passed away, his childhood sweetheart was deeply saddened. If it weren't for his long-cherished wish of collecting 100 Song Dynasty books, she would have died with him."
His words made King Yong sigh.
But he did not say this to King Yong. His words drifted into Lu Shenru's ears with the wind. The man suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulders and arms, and his heart felt tight.
He strode away with a sullen face.
I didn't meet anyone else this time.
But the annoying words of Jiang Liu kept ringing in my ears.
"... After he passed away, his childhood sweetheart, his fiancée, was deeply saddened. If she had not fulfilled her long-cherished wish to collect 100 Song editions, she would have died with him."
That year, Jiang Zhuxiu's death took away most of her mind and heart. Her will to live was indeed weakened. She only survived the cold winter of that year by collecting a hundred volumes of the Song Dynasty edition for Jiang Zhuxiu.
And he had initially brought her to Beijing, relying on Jiang Zhuxiu's long-cherished wish of Song Ben, so that she was willing to take his bait and leave Qingzhou and head north... ...
The scorching sun made people's hearts feel scorched. The man endured all kinds of discomfort and closed his eyes deeply.
Until a young eunuch beside Prince Hui Fengzhen saw him and asked, "The Marquis is here?"
Marquis Lu opened his eyes and heard the young eunuch say, "Your Highness will soon be out of school!"
The man came back to his senses and walked towards the school. He happened to meet the school closing time. Hu Tinglan walked out of the school with a book in his hand, and Feng Zhen followed behind him with admiration and respect on his face.
The young eunuch gestured to him, and the young prince looked up and saw his uncle at a glance.
His eyes were as bright as stars and he smiled at him, and the man's heart softened. However, he saw Hu Tinglan stepped forward to greet him, then hesitated, as if he had something to say.
Lu Shenru immediately said to his nephew, "It's hot, Your Highness must be thirsty. Let's go back to Yuxing Palace and have some tea. I will be there soon."
Feng Zhen said hello repeatedly and bowed to Mr. Hu before leaving.
Hu Tinglan also smiled and nodded at him.
After Feng Zhen left, only Lu Shenru and he were left.
He first asked about Feng Zhen's academic progress, and Hu Tinglan replied that his highness was not a naughty child, "The queen is also very concerned and has never slacked off in her studies."
Lu Shenru nodded, but saw that he was even more hesitant, "It's just..."
"Sir, please feel free to speak."
Hu Tinglan saw that there was no one around and asked in a low voice.
"Your Highness is intelligent and willing to learn. He understands everything quickly and is never lazy. But..." He paused, "My Lord, is your Highness's hearing not very good?"
The little prince missed every lecture. At first he thought it was just because the prince was young and couldn't concentrate throughout the class.
But he later realized that this might not be the case. When he raised his voice and lectured the entire lesson, the little prince no longer missed anything.
But the raised voice was beyond the normal range and would even attract the attention of passers-by.
After Hu Tinglan finished speaking, he saw the Marquis' eyes darken and fall.
He didn't answer his question directly, but just lowered his eyebrows.
"Sir, you don't have to raise your voice deliberately, so as not to arouse others' curiosity. If it is convenient, you can come closer and give some pointers, or repeat the part that he missed."
The man's voice contained a rare low and helpless tone. At this moment, he answered the question directly, but added a sentence.
"Sir, just keep this to yourself, don't let anyone else know. Remember that."
He looked at her with a look of entrustment, and Hu Tinglan understood instantly -
I'm afraid there's something wrong with His Highness Prince Hui's ears!
This matter cannot be underestimated. Hu Tinglan knew the seriousness of the matter and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will never say anything more."
"Please."
After Hu Tinglan left, Lu Shenru stood there for a few breaths. His eyes fell on the window of his nephew's school. After a while, he took a deep breath and went to Yuxing Palace.
He did not mention this matter in front of Feng Zhen, and played the flute with him for a while. However, the young prince was worried that his shoulders and arms were injured and it would be inconvenient for him to raise his hands to play the flute, so he was reluctant to let him play.
The love in the man's eyes could no longer be stopped from overflowing.
He silently put his arm around his little nephew's shoulders and stayed with him for a while longer. Only when the sun set outside did he reluctantly leave the palace.
Chongping led the horse and waited for him at the palace gate. Seeing that his face was still not good and pale, he considered it carefully.
"My Lord, you are going out today, why don't you take a carriage? Riding a horse is always inconvenient and will not be good for your injury."
But the man waved his hand, he jumped onto the horse, his eyes swept across the Palace Gate Street in front of him, and looked at the entire capital city from afar.
"I can't show any weakness, otherwise the capital, the court, and the world will be full of vicious dogs ready to pounce on me."
The moment the words fell, Chongping quickly calmed down.
"I understand."
Lu Shenru said nothing more, still sitting firmly on the tall horse. He then remembered something and gave Chongping an instruction.
"I have to go to the army in Guancheng in the north today, so you should go and prepare first."
Chongping was frightened to see him going out again when his injury had not yet healed, but he did not dare to say more, "Yes."
*
Yongding Marquis Mansion.
Du Lingjing roughly sorted out the two large boxes of paper pages left by Sanlang that Ruan Gong brought back.
These were nothing more than some imperial copies and the political affairs of various places that Saburo had inquired about. He did not leave much trace, but he did leave a few words on these news.
It's just like the actions of the Royal Guards.
In the fifth year of Yin You, Wei Jue was promoted to the Northern Pacification Envoy of the Jinyiwei. In the twelfth month of the same year, he was ordered to go south to deal with the anti-poetry case in Jiangxi.
The Jinyiwei acted inappropriately and accidentally killed a respected scholar while handling a case.
This great scholar was only a few years younger than her grandfather. He had contacts with both her grandfather and her father. However, due to the turmoil in the court, he left the court early and returned to his hometown to teach. He had unique insights, was bold in speaking, and had many students all over the world, many of whom held high positions in the court.
The Jinyiwei accidentally killed him, which immediately caused chaos in the court. The officials directed their criticism at Wei Jue, who had just taken office as the Jinyiwei's Northern Pacification Envoy, and wrote to the emperor demanding that he be severely punished.
Du Lingjing had also heard about this matter, after all, Wei Jue was also someone she knew from the past. However, the emperor only punished some of the Jinyiwei, reprimanded Wei Jue, fined him half a year's salary, and then let the matter go. A few years later, Wei Jue was successfully promoted to the commander of the Jinyiwei and was not affected by this incident.
However, Sanlang made some remarks on this matter and singled it out, and I don't know what his meaning is.
There were too many pages for Du Lingjing to read all at once, so she asked Ruan Gong to put them in the study in the west wing and read them slowly later.
After using her eyes a little, they began to hurt, so she had to get up and go outside to ask someone else.
"Is the Marquis back?"
She looked at the sky. The setting sun had already fallen below the city wall, with a hint of red glow still on the horizon.
He entered the palace in the morning, why hasn't he come back yet?
Ai Ye replied that it was not yet, but she was worried and went to the outer courtyard.
As expected, he hadn't come back yet, and he wouldn't let her enter his Yuanxiu Pavilion, so she could only sit in a small pavilion on the roadside nearby.
Du Lingjing held her chin and suddenly remembered the time when she had just returned to Beijing but had not yet entered the capital.
It rained those days, and she was worried that the farm outside Beijing where she lived would be swallowed up by the bursting flood. She heard that troops were dispatched from nearby areas to support the reinforcement of the river embankment.
She was very surprised and delighted, so she went to the river in person to express her gratitude, but she heard that the soldiers who came to reinforce the river bank were transferred by Lord Lu, the Marquis of Yongding, to bring back the imperial concubine and Prince Hui who had gone out to burn incense.
They said they were afraid that the river would burst its banks and that it would be inconvenient for Her Majesty and His Highness to return.
Du Lingjing didn't think much about it at that time. Now that she thought about it, with the Imperial Concubine and Prince Hui returning to the palace, it would not be a big deal even if the river burst its banks. The heavy rain would not destroy the large tracts of grain fields in the capital. It would only be the area where she settled that would be affected.
When he dispatched troops, he went to great lengths to make an excuse for the empress, but in fact he was afraid that the flood would accidentally wash away her farm.
Du Ling sat quietly under the pavilion outside his yard and bit her lip gently. At that time, she could no longer think of such a possibility. But that day, he looked at her from far away across the rushing river through the thick rain.
But he had revealed the old story and refused to tell her, so how could she know who he was and why he came.
Just as he said, “first meeting” was on the Pillow Moon Tower.
She almost fell down in the stairwell, which had nothing to do with him, but he stepped forward and held her waist.
She had no idea who this was, so she asked him unhurriedly, "Excuse me, do I know you, sir?"
At that time, she asked him a question that made him pause. She just felt that the way he looked at her was very strange. He really had nothing to say and could no longer explain to her who he was. He could only purse his lips and say in a low voice that he had recognized the wrong person.
He advised her not to go upstairs to meet Shao Boju, but she thought this man was really strange and meddlesome.
She said coldly, not wanting to talk to him any more, "Thank you for letting me know."
After saying that, she left and never treated him kindly again.
At this moment, Du Lingjing recalled it, her eyes turned red, and she couldn't help wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled bitterly.
"How stupid..."
How did she know who he was? And how could she possibly treat him well?
But even if she didn't look happy at all, he was not afraid to go forward, and smiled and swallowed all the food she gave him. He also loved to hold her in his arms and call her by her nickname, "Quanquan"... ...
Maybe it was because she was pregnant or had a baby, but Du Lingjing's mood kept going up and down.
... ...
However, on the way back home, Lu Shenru saw Jiang Fengchuan again. This time, he rode away without waiting for the annoying Jiang Liu to act weird again.
But the word "Jiang" haunts people like a ghost.
In the early winter of the sixth year of Yin You, she had just finished mourning for her father.
He went to see her before the New Year, but when he just arrived in Jinan, he heard someone say that she was not in Qingzhou but in Jinan.
He was quite surprised. He heard that Daming Lake was frozen. Although she didn't know how to skate, she booked a lakeside restaurant with a lake view, where she could enjoy the scenery and watch people skating.
It was a very lively day. She was not one who liked to watch the fun, but she somehow ended up in the restaurant.
He asked someone around and was told that she was the only one upstairs and Jiang Zhuxiu was not there.
Coincidentally, he ran into Jiang Zhuxiu at a roadside tea stall just after he heard the news.
Jiang Qianjun was talking with his old friends of the same age, who warmly invited him to have tea and drinks together.
Jiang Zhuxiu didn't respond at first, but then he noticed him, and then he accepted his friend's invitation, and his friend was happy.
He went to the Daming Lake where she had tea.
But when he went upstairs, he found that the seats were full. Chongping wanted to help him buy a private room with a large sum of money, but he stopped Chongping and asked her if it was convenient for him to sit with her for a while.
She couldn't recognize him, but hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the upstairs was full, she nodded and asked someone to bring a small screen to separate him.
This was fine. He and she sat on either side of the private room, separated by a thin screen.
There was an endless stream of people skating on the lake. There was some residual snow in the distance, while vendors setting up stalls nearby were greeting passers-by in a lively manner.
He clearly said nothing to her, but the noisy sound of fireworks could be heard upstairs, and there was a special, relaxing atmosphere in the private room.
Just then, the ice cracked and someone almost fell down, not far in front of her.
She couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" and turned to look sideways. He took the opportunity to say, "It's only early winter now, and the ice in Jinan doesn't look solid yet."
He spoke, and no one else responded, and she realized that he was talking to her.
She said yes, but asked him sharply, "Are you coming from out of town?"
He nodded, but didn't say where he was from. Instead, he asked her, "Your accent doesn't sound like you're from Jinan."
She paused, "You have good hearing, you can even hear the difference."
Lu Shenru was not from Shandong, so he really couldn't tell any obvious difference. He just knew that she was from Qingzhou.
He smiled and chatted with her for a few words about it.
He realized that before he could say anything, it was getting dark, the ice was cracked again, the skaters gradually dispersed, and the place became a little quieter.
She glanced out and suddenly asked, "Have you had your tea, sir?"
"how?"
She was a little embarrassed, but she still said, "The person I'm waiting for should be here soon."
It’s Jiang Zhuxiu.
She was waiting for her fiancé, no wonder she didn't like crowds and even booked a room at this lakeside restaurant.
He pursed his lips slightly, "The person the girl is waiting for hasn't come for so long, maybe he will come again, right?"
She was stunned for a moment.
"No, I have agreed with him, he will definitely come."
But Jiang Zhuxiu had already accepted his friend's invitation and went out for a drink.
He couldn't say this, he could only hint to her.
"There are many people in the world who have made promises, but most of them cannot fulfill them. He may have met someone else on the road."
But she shook her head and said it was impossible.
"To be honest with you, I am waiting for my fiancé. He will definitely come if he agrees with me."
"What if something gets in the way?"
She paused, "Then I'll just wait for him here."
What a good one who has been waiting for him.
Lu Shenru fell silent.
She didn't know that the man had gone out to drink with his friends. No matter what the reason was, how could he wait for them to drink?
He couldn't help but ask in a muffled voice, "Why is the girl so determined?"
She asked back in confusion.
"Why is your Excellency occupying the private room I reserved for him and refusing to leave?"
Lu Shenru was completely silent.
And she simply said, "He is coming, please leave."
Jiang Zhuxiu drove him away.
Lu Shenru smiled silently, but was reluctant to make her unhappy again.
At least, today I enjoyed the view with her by the Daming Lake...
He said sorry, "I am sorry for being rude. Thank you for giving me your seat. I am leaving now."
He said goodbye politely. She seemed to realize that her tone had been a little harsh just now. She stood up and bowed to him lightly through the screen.
But he did not go far. He went to sit in another restaurant on the lakeshore, from where he could just see the window of her private seat.
He ordered some wine and ate slowly while she was waiting for someone. She really had been waiting the whole time, sitting alone in front of the lamp. It was not until the restaurant was almost closed that Jiang Zhuxiu appeared downstairs.
She immediately went downstairs and walked over quickly.
He thought she would be angry, after all, she didn't have a very good temper towards him.
But she just looked Jiang Zhuxiu up and down, "Being pestered? Did you drink? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
He was stunned. Those were the softest words he had ever heard from her again.
He saw Jiang Zhuxiu shaking her head and said sorry that he couldn't accompany her to enjoy the scenery by the lake, "Quanquan, have you been waiting for me for a long time? Let's go up and sit back down?"
But she said no, and warmed Jiang Zhuxiu's hands, "There's nothing to see there. You're so cold, let's go back."
After she finished speaking, she even took off her cape from her shoulders and gave it to the person beside her...
That night, he was alone in a restaurant by Daming Lake, drinking all night long.
When the horse arrived at the gate of the marquis' mansion, Lu Shenru dismounted and walked silently into the inner room. When he dismounted, his wound was pulled and it started to hurt again.
It seemed as if it was destined that Jiang Zhuxiu would drive him away.
Now that Jiang Zhuxiu is gone, she will still leave him for that man.
He never heard such "soft words" from her again. The tenderness and affection she showed him was never even one-fifth of what she showed Jiang Zhuxiu.
... ...
The man walked in, but saw his wife in front of the gate of Yuanxiu Pavilion.
He paused slightly, and she looked at him, but he just wanted to pretend he didn't see her, but she quickly walked towards him.
"Only stone."
Lu Shenru controlled his gaze and kept it on her face, his voice cold.
"What's the matter, ma'am?"
He was extremely cold and only wanted to call her "Madam", but Du Lingjing didn't care and asked him softly.
"Why did you come back just now? Did you tear the wound again?"
The man was fine and remained indifferent.
"Don't bother, ma'am."
It's not like she really cares about him.
He wanted to leave, but she asked, "Can you come back to the main courtyard tonight?"
"No."
"Then I can stay at Yuanxiu Pavilion tonight, is that okay?"
He hardened his heart.
“No need.”
After saying that, he walked away.
But as soon as he took a step forward, someone quickly stepped forward.
She grabbed his sleeve, then suddenly put her arms around his waist.
But she was strong, holding him tightly around his waist, burying her face in his broad back.
Lu Shenru paused in shock.
She slurped.
"Lu Weishi, don't be angry, okay?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
