"My lord, Consort Zhao is threatening this old servant with my son's life. This old servant has no choice. He is my only son, my lord!"
"Please, sir, have mercy on me this time, for I have been loyal to the Zhao family."
"Steward Lu, I have never treated you badly. Your son's life is precious, but Xiao Jin's life isn't?" Zhao Guangtao's eyes were filled with heartache.
Steward Lu has been Zhao's servant since he came to the Zhao family, and now he is Zhao's steward. It would be a lie to say that he has no feelings for him.
But Zhao Guangtao also knew that he could not keep such a person around.
"Steward Lu, considering your hard work for the Zhao family, you will be sent to Sucheng Manor starting tomorrow."
Butler Lu was stunned.
Sucheng is a thousand miles away from Yuncheng, a remote and harsh place. Once he goes there, he will never be able to return to Yuncheng in his life.
He also knew that this was already a mercy from the master; otherwise, the crime of murdering the princess would have been enough to atone for with the lives of his entire family.
Steward Lu wiped away his tears and kowtowed heavily. "Master, I know I have wronged you and the princess. I have a request, but I cannot ask for your help. Please rescue my son. I am willing to be your servant in my next life to repay your kindness."
"Father." A child's voice rang out. Butler Lu turned around and saw that it was his son.
"Zhuang'er!"
The child ran into Butler Lu's arms and cried, "Daddy~"
Butler Lu hugged his son tightly, comforting him repeatedly, "Don't be afraid, Dad's here, don't be afraid."
Zhao Guangtao said, "It was Xiao Jin who sent people to rescue your son. If you had told me about this from the beginning, things wouldn't have come to this."
Steward Lu put his son down and knelt down to kowtow deeply to Su Ruojin. "Princess, this old servant has wronged you. In the next life, this old servant will repay your kindness."
Su Ruojin said nothing. She handed over all the power of disposal to her great-uncle and would not interfere again.
"Go ahead, pack your things, we'll leave tomorrow. Xiao Jin, Ning'er, let's go." Zhao Guangtao said, then turned and left, with Su Ruojin and Zhao Jingning following closely behind.
"Master..." Butler Lu called out to Zhao Guangtao.
Zhao Guangtao stopped and turned to look at him. Butler Lu hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Master, you must be careful of the Third Prince and Consort Zhao."
Zhao Guangtao said nothing and turned to leave.
Su Ruojin glanced at Butler Lu and said, "Butler Lu, the child is still young and cannot be separated from his father."
Steward Lu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and two more tears streamed down his face. "This old servant thanks the princess."
The next day, the Zhao family received news that Steward Lu had committed suicide.
At that moment, Su Ruojin had just finished administering acupuncture to Zhao Tingyi when Zhao Jingning rushed over to tell her about it.
Zhao Jingning was puzzled. "Grandfather has already spared his life, so why did Steward Lu still commit suicide?"
Su Ruojin slowly put away the needles and said, "He was fighting for a better future for his family. If he hadn't died, the whole family would have had to go to Sucheng, far away from Yuncheng, and live in a bitter and cold place. Perhaps several generations would never have been able to get out."
With his death, given his maternal great-uncle's character, he would certainly not cause further trouble for his family. Lu Rong had served as the Zhao family's steward for so many years; his savings were more than enough for his family to live comfortably in Yuncheng for the rest of their lives.
Zhao Jingning understood. "So what you said to him when you left yesterday was that you expected this outcome."
Su Ruojin nodded and said nothing more.
Everyone has their own destiny, and she has no right to interfere.
She had already seen the will to die in Butler Lu's eyes yesterday, and her last words were just a hope that he would cherish his life.
Since Butler Kelu chose to risk his life to secure a better future for his family, that was his choice, and no one else could say anything about it.
Zhao Jingning sighed and said nothing more.
Su Ruojin concealed the ruthlessness in her eyes. Did Zhao Jingyi really think that she could be fearless forever because of her status?
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