Chapter 534 Our Son
Upon hearing that something had happened to Consort Liu, the Emperor rushed over immediately.
Just as the emperor reached the outside of the bedchamber, he saw Lu Changqing helping Consort Liu slowly walk back. The emperor paused for a moment before leading the eunuchs to greet them.
"Why are you with Consort Liu?" The emperor asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Although Consort Liu was not a Noble Consort and had not been favored in recent years, she was the most respected consort by the Emperor, second only to the Empress.
Now that Lu Youming has met with misfortune, the Emperor is both heartbroken and aware that Lu Yuanbin is responsible for Lu Youming's current state. This combination of pity and guilt leads him to pay more attention to Consort Liu.
"Your Majesty, I encountered Consort Liu on the road just now. Consort Liu insisted on stopping me, but I was worried that something might happen to her, so I brought her back."
Lu Changqing's face was completely open and honest, without the slightest hint of lying.
Upon seeing this, the emperor's concerns disappeared, and his gaze towards Lu Changqing became calm.
"Now that the person has been brought back, you should go home first! You're not young anymore, so don't wander around too much."
The emperor clearly disliked Lu Changqing, seemingly unwilling to even glance at him. Seeing that the emperor didn't want to talk to him, Lu Changqing tactfully took his leave.
He was fine, but Consort Liu wouldn't have it. She turned around, grabbed his hand, and wouldn't let him leave, saying, "My good son, come back with your mother. Your mother will make you something delicious."
Consort Liu's words successfully caught the emperor's attention. Thinking of the news the palace maid had reported, the emperor's gaze towards Lu Changqing changed.
"Your Highness Consort Liu, I have to go back now. I'll come to see you again another day when I have time."
Lu Changqing tried to coax Liu Fei in the tone of a child, but Liu Fei just wouldn't let go of him. "No, you have to come home with me. Your mother will give you lots of delicious food."
Consort Liu seemed to only acknowledge Lu Changqing, leaving the Emperor momentarily at a loss. Unable to refuse several times, Lu Changqing could only fix his gaze on the Emperor's face.
His expression was very calm, as if he were just looking at his father like an ordinary person.
For some reason, being looked at like that by Lu Changqing, the emperor felt a little affection for this son for the first time.
"Help them inside first!" The emperor had no choice but to make a gesture towards Lu Changqing, indicating that they should go inside.
Consort Liu is like a child now; no matter how much you talk to her, she won't understand. It's better to just go along with her wishes, and then comfort her before leaving.
Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing hesitated for a moment, but after hesitating, he gritted his teeth and helped Consort Liu into the bedchamber.
Even after lying down again, Consort Liu still held onto Lu Changqing, and said to the Emperor with a look of satisfaction, "Your Majesty, don't you think our son is well-behaved?"
Lu Changqing was completely bewildered by Consort Liu's words, and the Emperor also looked at Consort Liu in disbelief. Seeing that Consort Liu was otherwise normal except for not recognizing people, they could only let her be for the time being.
The emperor sat in his bedchamber until Consort Liu fell asleep. Looking at the book Lu Changqing was holding, the emperor couldn't resist picking it up and flipping through it.
"You actually read this book?" The emperor was clearly surprised.
Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing lowered his head slightly and replied somewhat fearfully, "Father, I didn't mean to. It's just that all my brothers have read it, but I haven't even looked at it and was just a little curious."
Lu Changqing looked like he had done something wrong, which made people feel sorry for him.
Looking at his sons who had never caught his eye before, the emperor suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Although they were all sons, he clearly favored the crown prince and the fifth prince more. As for the third prince, Lu Youming, although he was also disliked by the emperor, he was far inferior to Lu Changqing.
"Have you finished reading them all?" The emperor flipped through the book and, for the first time, asked about Lu Changqing's studies.
Lu Changqing was unsure whether to be pleasantly surprised or taken aback, and for a moment he didn't know how to speak. After a long while, he nodded firmly and said, "I've finished reading."
So, in front of the sleeping Consort Liu, the emperor asked Lu Changqing a few questions, which Lu Changqing answered one by one, and the answers became more and more fluent as they went on.
"Go back and rest! Come over and keep your mother company again tomorrow if you have nothing else to do."
When the emperor suddenly uttered such a sentence, even though Lu Changqing was excited inside, he dared not show it on his face. He even had to pretend to be puzzled.
Looking at his somewhat simple-minded appearance, the emperor suddenly didn't dislike him as much anymore. "Since Consort Liu can't live without you, let's grant her wish and have her adopted into her name!"
Lu Changqing's birth mother had no official status and had been dead for many years. Now that she could be listed in front of Consort Liu, it was no different from winning the lottery.
Lu Changqing showed a hint of disbelief, but after realizing what was happening, he hurriedly kowtowed to the emperor to express his gratitude.
The emperor nodded, but didn't say anything more to him. He then led his men back to his bedchamber.
As a result, in the following days, Consort Liu showed great dependence on Lu Changqing. With the Emperor's orders, Lu Changqing naturally began to call Consort Liu "Mother Consort" and frequently visited her palace.
After several days of recuperation, Gu Shuyan's health has finally recovered to about 70-80%.
Just as Gu Jin breathed a sigh of relief that the previous situation hadn't repeated itself, Gu Shuyan came looking for him.
"Father, when I mentioned breaking off the engagement to you before, did you inform the Grand Secretary?"
Gu Shuyan stopped calling Yun Yichen "Brother Yun" altogether and instead addressed him as "Grand Secretary."
Hearing Gu Shuyan's words, Gu Jin's hand twitched slightly. "With so much trouble before, I had completely forgotten about this matter."
"How could I forget this? The wedding is less than ten days away. If we delay any longer, it will be the wedding day itself."
Gu Shuyan only wanted to confirm, but she didn't expect Gu Jin to not say anything. If this dragged on any longer, there would be no need to say anything at all.
"I know, but there have been many things to do these past two days. How about this, tomorrow, I will go and discuss it with the Grand Secretary?"
Gu Jin was in a bind. He had never considered breaking off the engagement, but Gu Shuyan kept pressing him for an answer, so he could only stall for time.
"Really?" Gu Shuyan looked at Gu Jin's perfunctory expression and was somewhat skeptical of him.
"Really, I'll go tomorrow."
Gu Jin made his promise, but Gu Shuyan still didn't believe him. After a moment of silence, Gu Shuyan simply said, "Forget it, I'll go and talk to the Grand Secretary about this myself. Father, you don't need to worry about it."
Gu Shuyan's unpredictable behavior gave Gu Jin a headache. Seeing that Gu Shuyan was about to leave, Gu Jin quickly called out, "Wait!"
"Is there anything else you need, Father?"
Although Gu Jin had already performed very well, he still subtly revealed a hint of urgency. This unusual reaction of his naturally caught Gu Shuyan's attention.
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