Chapter 22: The Servant's Wife 22 (Three in One) "This is just to tame someone...
Seeing Lu Huai stunned by his sudden action and aggressive words, he was completely different from the image of a gentle and refreshing man who was always at ease in dealing with people.
Chen Chensheng really felt that he was pitiful and cute. Thinking that such a rare emotion of his came from herself, a sense of sad pleasure rose in her heart.
He held Lu Huai's hand so firmly that he could even put his arm around the slender waist that captivated him in the next second. He seemed to be in absolute control of everything, but he knew clearly that he was the passive one, waiting to be killed.
In matters of the heart, whoever falls first loses. He thought he was going to win, but he got too caught up in the drama.
He had originally thought that if the Duke's Mansion couldn't accommodate him, he would seek freedom elsewhere. This time, by offending Chen Meng, he had completely torn their relationship apart. Although it was Chen Meng herself who had given him this evidence, and revealing her true face at the banquet had not been his original intention, the result was still this. He would be severely tortured when he returned, and he would inevitably bear their wrath.
He himself was fine, and could beat, scold, or treat her harshly as he pleased, but because he was still the legitimate daughter of a woman, and he still wanted to maintain his reputation, he couldn't go too far. He was mainly afraid that they would attack the two little girls again; that was his Achilles' heel.
Since Concubine Liu, who had been promoted to mistress, originally wanted to find someone to marry him off in exchange for some betrothal gifts, it would be better for him to turn the tables and escape as soon as possible. He could use Lu Huai, who had already had feelings for him, to strike back at the Duke's Mansion and take back what he had lost bit by bit.
Anyway, it has come to this point. The worst that can happen is that he has to sacrifice his looks. At least he can control a pure and innocent top scholar.
But now he had ruined his plan, and he found that he could not be satisfied with just dealing with profit. His emotions were like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, and it seemed as if a voice in his heart was always tempting him to possess and embezzle.
Chen Chensheng believed that he entered the game later than Lu Huai. He was clear-headed when he first made clear his feelings, but in the end, it was not Lu Huai who willingly indulged in the quagmire of love and refused to give up, but him.
Therefore, now we have to wait in such agony for the other party to make the judgment, which is all our own fault.
He murmured in his heart, the ugly him who tore off the mask was actually the real him. Could a god as bright as the moon in the sky still have mercy on such a despicable sacrifice?
Chen Chensheng didn't want to see Lu Huai in a dilemma. If he wanted to be evil, he would be as evil as possible so that he could see clearly what kind of person he was. He would not dare to say the loving promise that almost made him immersed in it before, and would not dare to take on this loss-making job that was like cutting flesh to feed an eagle.
This was the first time he had discarded his disguise in the eyes of others. Although he felt uneasy, he still longed to be accepted. He didn't dare to hear the final judgment of the gods, but he couldn't help but hope for his mercy.
These twenty-two years had been too long, and living alone had been too hard. He was almost unable to hold on any longer… If Lu Huai hadn't entered his world, everything would have been gray and gloomy, which wouldn't have been unbearable; but now that the only bright spot had appeared, the colorless rest seemed dull and boring.
"Why are you so quiet? Do you still not believe I'm not a woman? Do you want me to take off my clothes and show you... so you can know if I'm really a man like you?"
As she said this, she was about to grab Lu Huai's hand and move it downwards, using more incisive evidence to make him completely give up.
But Lu Huai had sobered up and was no longer at his mercy. Instead, his face was stained with crimson, and his face, as pure as an ink painting, was now as bright as a peach blossom.
He broke free from his hand, which was quite out of control. His lips, which had always spoken only gentle words, uttered a word in a somewhat collapsed state: "Enough!"
Lu Huai felt that he must be looking embarrassed, annoyed, and not very intimidating, so he turned his head away and continued in a muffled voice: "I believe you."
"Don't, don't do such self-deprecating things anymore...Are you like this to others besides me?...No matter you are a man or a woman, you should not treat yourself so lightly." Even though he was shocked by the truth that Shen San was a man, his feelings towards him were extremely complicated at the moment, and his words were a bit spicy, but his heart softened after all.
How could he pull away from someone he'd fallen for since their first encounter when they were young? Being of the same gender, this was naturally an insurmountable mountain for someone like him who had always been content. But he wasn't a saint after all, he had his own emotions, and it wasn't like he could completely control himself simply by understanding the truth.
Lu Huai still couldn't bear to see Shen San with all his thorns erected like this. Every time the glass-like beauty became tough, it seemed as if she would either obey his wishes or perish together, as if she could fall apart in an instant.
Others might think that such a personality is too delicate and difficult to please, but he is just humble and still thinks Shen Chensheng is cute because he thinks everything is beautiful in his lover's eyes.
The following sentence made Shen Shensheng, who was in despair after he let go of her hand and thought she was being abandoned, feel like she saw the light again.
"Of course it's impossible. Apart from you, there is no other man in this world who knows about this. After all, I only trust you, Lu Lang..."
He walked slowly and ponderously to Lu Huai, like a ghost from the underworld wearing shackles as heavy as a thousand pounds. "But why are you asking me this? Could it be that Lu, the top scholar who is as pure as the wind and bright as the moon, still can't let go of me, a man? Aren't you afraid of disobeying the words of the sages you most admire?"
"I just can't let go." Lu Huai sighed. Even though the fact that his beloved had turned into a man was earth-shattering and really shocked him, he also knew that feelings between men were against moral principles and were a taboo in the world.
However, he found that no matter how many words of saints and unfavorable evidence from books came to his mind, they were of little use. In fact, the more you don't want to erase some things, the more you can do it.
His usually intelligent brain had now become a complete traitor, as if it had been split into two halves - on one side, it taught him everything he wanted like a knowledgeable teacher in a private school, while on the other side, it indulged him and told him that this was what he wanted.
Even the memories of being with Shen San appeared more and more clearly in my mind: even though I knew that "she" was actually "him", the fleeting glimpse at the Qionghua Banquet, the heartfelt confessions when we met again at the Duke's Mansion, and the thrilling difficulties they had overcome together today...
Lu Huai sadly discovered that Shen San's every frown and smile still touched his heart, forcing him to admit that he had selfish motives and was willing to abandon ethics and moral principles and become the person he despised the most, who was full of moral etiquette but full of evil desires.
"Then are you still willing to marry me...bring a male daughter-in-law into your Lu Mansion?"
Chen Chensheng invaded Lu Huai's space even further, and the two of them seemed to be breathing together, returning to the posture of a pair of embracing mandarin ducks that Cheng Ruochen had previously seen.
He boldly and greedily used his eyes to depict Lu Huai's face, from the slightly red corners of his eyes that were reflected in the sunset due to being forced into a corner, and were full of charm, to his pink and beautifully shaped lips.
While anxiously waiting for Lu Huai's answer, she couldn't help but feel the desire to devour the person in front of her.
Lu Huai slightly avoided his sharp and beautiful eyebrows that were very close to him, and tried to calmly reply to him: "If you are still willing to marry me, what I said before still stands."
Chen Chensheng was still relying on his favor to be arrogant, speaking harsh words with a stubborn face, deliberately exposing all the harms, "But I am a man, so I can't give birth to children for you, so that you can have many children and grandchildren; I am also unwilling to be submissive to you and be controlled by you, and be your little pet locked up in the mansion..." But his mind was filled with strange thoughts, such as his lips seemed very kissable.
"No problem. As long as you wish, the Lu Mansion will always be open to you. As for the matter of children, I will persuade my father to adopt a child from the side branch of the clan as my own son. If you don't want me to touch you, I won't force you."
"We can get along like good friends. If you feel constrained in the Lu Mansion, I will set you free without hesitation."
Lu Huai even forgot that he had never thought that he would fall in love with a man, so how could he know how men "touched" with each other? Unaware that the other party had already coveted him, Lu Huai was still trying to express his true feelings to his sweetheart with the most sincere words in a serious, simple and clumsy manner.
"Huai Huai is so awesome!" 0359 peeked at the screen in Lu Huai's sea of consciousness and saw the host passionately acting out his loyalty in front of the protagonist, showing his unwavering and unyielding style. His round face flushed with excitement and he cheered for Lu Huai crazily.
If it were made into a movie and released, it would be a complete highlight and it is so consistent with the character setting. Lu Huai perfectly restored the entire mental journey of the second male lead in the original plot line, who was struck by lightning when he confessed to his sweetheart, and who became determined in his feelings after the conflicting struggles.
Look at this graceful and elegant flower from the high mountains stepping down from the altar, opening everything about herself to Shen San and being open and honest with him with her deep affection.
Looking at the protagonist's smug (?) look, who was deeply moved and felt that his sacrifice was worth it, apart from the fact that Chen Chensheng confessed his identity as a man in advance, which was different from the plot's action on the wedding night, it was a bit unexpected. It was really the description of the negotiation between the two in the plot line.
The only flaw was that the protagonist, caught off guard by some unknown reason, didn't play by the rules. Looking at the 1% increase in plot deviation caused by the main character's unauthorized tampering with the plot sequence, 0359 grumbled unhappily, desperately wanting to give Chen Chensheng a negative rating.
But looking at Lu Huai's wonderful performance, he roared with excitement again, praising the host's emergency response with starry eyes, saying it was a perfect combo to smooth out the mess and return to the original plot!
0359 However, he never expected that Chen Chensheng's attitude was not one of complacency. It was clearly like an abandoned child who had been wandering for twenty years and was finally taken into a warm embrace. It was a kind of stubbornness and madness that would never let go, mixed with a dangerous and strong desire for the host.
Even Lu Huai, who was acting seriously at the moment, could not have imagined that Shen Chensheng's heart was filled with an astonishing desire for possession, and his sanity was about to burn out.
His heart and eyes were filled with the person before him who, knowing his true identity and corrupt character, still steadfastly professed her love for him, refusing to find excuses to leave. A beautiful, joyful arc curved through his thin lips. He was indeed different from those people...
Except for Ningshuang, Ningbi and Liu Xi, who could be considered his "sister", he usually entrusted his smile and anger to Xushe when he was outside. This time, he unexpectedly revealed his true feelings.
Shen Chensheng thought to himself, this is what you said about marrying me, Lu Huai. From now on, in this life, he, Shen San, will entwine his heart and soul tightly with Lu Huai, no matter whether he is a human or a ghost.
Once you become his nominal husband, you will never be able to escape, and his gods will never be able to get rid of him again.
"Lu Lang, I am willing to marry you... Then, can you come and propose marriage later?"
"I will stay at home, hoping my husband will come and rescue me, and get me out of this cold and filthy place."
Chen Chensheng seemed to have finally received an answer that satisfied him. He distanced himself from him, which had been considered dangerous, and then returned to being completely obedient as he was before. However, the words he spoke were more intimate and pitiful than ever before.
"Chen Meng will suffer a great loss this time. If I go back, Aunt Liu will definitely not let me go..."
“…Okay, I’ll get ready when I get home, Chen Sheng, wait for me.” Lu Huai felt pity for him, and he really enjoyed seeing Chen Sanyi playing the victim.
But when he heard him call him "Lu Lang" again, the two of them had already talked to this extent.
Seeing Shen San's quiet and elegant appearance, like a flower reflecting in the water, Lu Huai's mood was completely different from when they first met. His lips were inexplicably dry, and he suddenly wanted to ask Shen Chensheng, "Then do you have feelings for me?" Shen San kept saying that he was waiting for him and needed him, but he never said what he felt about him, Lu Huai.
The beauty opposite him seemed to see through his thoughts, and a charming smile appeared on her lips. "Of course, I have admired Lu Lang for a long time, and my feelings for him have deepened day by day. Now, even more so..."
Then, as if she felt that words could not support her point, she danced up, her newly changed purple silk skirt covering the corner of Lu Huai's aquamarine robe. The purple and green sleeves were inextricably intertwined, showing an indescribable ambiguous posture.
"I love you so much that I can't help myself..."
Shen San's beautiful face was so charming that even his words reminded him of the phrase "breath like orchid", which was really poetic.
But there is a huge drawback, which is that it is easy to disturb the heart of this humble young man who already belongs to him, and make him forget that he is also a man with strength no less than his own. It makes him dizzy and even slow to react to words that are not right with him.
Therefore, when Lu Huai realized his intention and wanted to dodge, he was trapped in a corner with nowhere to go.
"I know that you, a gentleman who follows etiquette, cannot prove your love with actions, but I have been a woman for many years and have long known that I cannot be a so-called gentleman, so I can tell you in another way. Shen San admires you..."
Shen Chensheng inexplicably brought the conversation back to the word "proof," smiling beautifully and speaking in a gentle tone. However, Lu Huai, remembering his outrageous behavior the last time he mentioned this matter, felt a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, when he came to his senses, he could only watch as Shen San unscrupulously grabbed his wrist, his face as delicate as a meticulous painting approached, and his red lips captured the place where he wanted to utter the spoiling words.
Chen Chensheng first moved closer, knocked on the lips of the person in front of him, and invaded slowly like a frog in boiling water, until Lu Huai relaxed his guard a little and loosened his teeth, giving him a chance to curl up his soft tongue. Knowing that he had complete control over him, he cunningly drove straight in, greedily plundering all the sweet saliva.
It seems to make some sense to say that he pities Lu Huai, because Shen Chensheng's actions are not rough, and can even be considered gentle and considerate, with the ultimate lingering love;
But he was really too much. He knew clearly that he shouldn't do this, but he insisted on releasing the beast in his heart under the guise of "proof". He had no intention of stopping at all, and Lu Huai's "no" and "let go" that were about to blurt out were eliminated and turned into whimpers full of lust. All resistance and rejection were suppressed quietly and silently.
The beauty who had always been indifferent and arrogant suddenly revealed the masculine dominance and aggressiveness, and unexpectedly made this weak scholar who had never experienced any storm unable to resist at all. It was as if he was being embraced and lying on an endless hillside covered with flowers and plants, with the surroundings shrouded in misty clouds.
But why is the arm around her waist so unscrupulous, and why is the kiss of the person in front of her so swift and lingering?
Lu Huai felt that even his breath was about to be robbed by Shen Chensheng, and the words he wanted to say were broken and scattered between his lips and tongue.
One of his hands was grabbed by Shen San again and pressed tightly against his hot chest. Feeling the other's heartbeat trembling powerfully for him, Lu Huai could only focus on what he was doing at the moment and could no longer think about anything else.
Until he saw Lu Huai's face, as pretty as a spring flower, blushing incredibly again, and he looked so pitiful that he could hardly breathe from the kiss, with moisture at the corners of his eyes, Shen Chensheng finally breathed a rejuvenating breath to him as if to give alms, and reluctantly released the hot arms that were tightly holding him.
She had already anticipated that Lu Huai would collapse somewhat powerlessly after she let go, so she proudly held him in her arms again, feeling that everything was under control.
What should he do? It was such a wonderful feeling that it was hard for him to let go. Shen Chensheng savored the lingering kiss just now, his eyes still burning with scarlet desire, but he also knew that he had gone too far, so he could only let it slowly subside.
If he continued to do so, he was afraid that this sacrifice would be too disrespectful and it would be difficult to appease the exasperated god. Behind the god were the covetous Cheng Ruochen and the murky Pei Yu, not to mention the countless beautiful women.
This good young man who is so seductive and unaware of it has offended so many people. If he messes up, won't he create opportunities for his rival?
No problem. After he married into the Lu family, there would be plenty of opportunities to coax his lovely husband into "consummating their marriage." He couldn't even resist a simple kiss, so he probably didn't know how much he would do when the time came. He looked so ignorant and naive... He didn't know what kind of seductive gestures he would make when the time came. Just thinking about it made him lose control.
Chen Chensheng's mind was full of junk, and 0359, who was watching all this in his sea of consciousness, was almost petrified into a statue. He changed his posture of waving flags and shouting, and felt that his body was hollowed out.
He watched as the deviation of the world's plot line on the holographic display screen increased from 1% to 10%. At this moment, even the rarely popped up red warning [The protagonist's pure personality has been changed, please pay attention to the system and taskers] suddenly appeared in front of him.
Did it read it wrong? This is clearly a pure love story from Lujiang. In the plot, the protagonist, even after marrying the second male lead, is very virtuous and sleeps in a separate room, forcing the second male lead to sleep in the study every day.
Let alone kissing, even slightly intimate gestures like hugging are quite limited. In fact, all the hugs and hand-holdings are just to stabilize the second male lead, to draw him into a whirlpool of tenderness, and to make him continue to do things for him willingly.
The protagonist can only be shameless with Chu Yuanting, otherwise it will be listed as a character change. So now, who is the one who still hasn't let go of Huai Huai? Which death is going to happen? The degree of plot deviation increases, but it will be negatively correlated with points. Wow, points are already hard to earn...
The most abominable thing is that not only did he lose all the points he had earned, but his wise and powerful host Huai Huai, the best in the world, was actually kissed by a bad man with malicious intentions! This protagonist took advantage of the fact that the other person had no defenses against men in the world of pure love, and used his dirty hands to touch and take advantage of the other person. How unreasonable!
"Let go of my Huai Huai!" 0359 was furious. It felt from the bottom of its heart that Lu Huai must be acting very patiently and enduring humiliation. It wished it could materialize into the small world and bite to death the unsportsmanlike protagonist named Shen.
Although Lu Huai was very professional at this moment and did not reveal any emotions that did not belong to the second male lead, God knows the turbulent waves that surged in his heart when he was restrained by Shen Chensheng and had such close contact with him just now.
He thought about the flag he and 0359 set on the first day he came to this world. It might have become a paradox that people in the pure love world would not be interested in him, an ordinary second male lead.
At this point, is this kind of "sacrifice" still a means for the protagonist to tame "Lu Huai"? But he had clearly already agreed to marry him and treat him well, right? Is it that his role was not good enough that made Shen Chensheng take such a desperate action?
He was a man of great ambition and apathy, but he was only slightly surprised and ashamed that he had been kissed by a man, and he did not rise to the level of resentment like 0359. His focus was on reviewing his performance and whether there was any error in his performance, and where he had gone wrong in his control of the role.
But such extraordinary behavior can only be experienced in the pure love world. Even after returning to the main world and knowing the plot, he only got passing marks. The root cause was that Ren Yuan in the previous martial arts world and Lin Xiaoyuan in the modern world had feelings for him that went beyond friendship, but when he was "alive", they were very well-behaved and honest, and no one dared to do anything serious to him.
I don't know if it was due to the limitations of the bg world, the exceptionally pure emotions between men at that time, or because I knew he had a significant other, but at least there hadn't been such excessive contact. Except for those people after he'd escaped death... Of course, that was a shameful aftermath he didn't want to mention.
Even Lu Huai, a man with a cold heart, couldn't help but want to call these people mad dogs. Therefore, rather than suspecting that Shen Sheng's kiss stemmed from her lust for him, he would rather believe that it was due to his own negligence in the role that the protagonist believed that he needed to give more "sweetness" to stabilize the army's morale, even though this was more like taking advantage of him as a virgin.
Forget it, let's focus on dealing with the protagonist who ruined the plot. This action increased the level of collapse by 10%, which is really a bit painful for a social animal like him. I wonder if 0359 will be furious when seeing this. He seemed to hear it yelling something just now, and wondered if it was also lamenting the loss of points.
Lu Huai was a little dazed, feeling that he had just escaped and then fell limply into Shen San's arms without a trace of backbone. He simply hated his body for not being able to hold up. Just as he had recovered his strength, he struggled to break away from the ambitious Shen Chensheng.
"The proof you're talking about is doing something like this? This is clearly something that should only happen between married couples." Which gentle and polite gentleman can remain calm when treated like this?
Lu Huai could no longer hold back his kiss, his eyes turning red and even tearful. Even his usual gentle and kind attitude towards others was gone, and he turned away angrily, "If you continue to do this, don't even think about getting close to me..."
Such a contrast made Shen Chensheng look just like a delicate cat slave sent from the Western Regions. However, the cat slave was angered by the two-legged servant, so he had to be coaxed, otherwise he would suffer the consequences.
"Lu Lang, I just can't help myself." He knew that Lu Huai couldn't resist, but he cunningly pretended to be pitiful and reflective, which made Lu Huai shamefully soften. He took advantage of the situation and used his beautiful face to act coquettishly. "Lu Lang, please forgive me this time..."
Lu Huai gave in now and didn't care, but he also knew to be alert to being attacked again. He made three rules with Chen San, saying that they were not allowed to do anything inappropriate again. The two of them straightened their clothes and went out one after the other, deliberately avoiding suspicion.
He returned to the banquet unnoticed. Except for the friendly ministers who asked Lu Huai why the color of the official robe covered by the moon-white cloak did not match the outer coat, and Liu Xi who was curious about why Shen San changed into a silk dress, no one else paid attention to the sudden appearance of the two people who had disappeared before.
Cheng Ruochen, who had been watching the situation from the sidelines, was furious when he saw how long it had taken them to return. Damn it! If he had known, he would have sent Bai Xianming to the scene later. He had been apprehended so quickly, leaving Lu Huai and the three demons of Shen alone for so long in vain. He wondered what those two had done. Did the demon take advantage of the opportunity to seduce the gentleman and tempt him into the world of the world?
But what made his eyes sparkle was that it seemed that after returning from the dressing room, the two of them had no extra communication, and Lu Huai's attention was always on him. Of course, Shen San's unilateral eye teasing of Lu Huai was not included.
In just five minutes, Lu Huai only chatted with him for five minutes, but Shen San's eyes swept over him dozens of times, and her eyes did not have the gentleness and restraint of a lady from a noble family.
Cheng Ruochen had always been a gentleman to women, very gentle and considerate, and therefore he had earned a reputation for being affable in the brothels and teahouses of the common people. But seeing his rival acting coyly and flirting, he couldn't help but clench his fists, thinking "she" was truly abominable.
"I have to thank Xuan Ning for helping me escape this time, otherwise I really don't know how this would end..." Lu Huai looked at him seriously, took a step back solemnly, and actually bowed to him to express his gratitude.
"Why are you so polite, Yan Jin? We are good friends, how can I just watch someone die without helping? Why are you so polite when it's my job..." He hurriedly helped Lu Huai to his feet. He was just immersed in the joy of helping his beloved when he felt aggrieved by his distant and polite behavior.
Lu Huai, who was usually very understanding, saw that the third place winner was unhappy and immediately started to hint at him, saying that he had something good to give him, trying to achieve his goal. Cheng Ruochen was also happy to take advantage of it, in order to further gain the opportunity to spend time with his sweetheart.
But what he wants is not material rewards, but spiritual comfort.
Under Cheng Ruochen's deliberate guidance, Lu Huai said what he wanted, "Xuan Ning is welcome to come to your house often" and "I will definitely attend any appointments in the future." Both parties felt satisfied and they clinked glasses happily.
But as Lu Huai happily raised the wine jar, his wide official robe slipped down to reveal a fair wrist. Cheng Ruochen saw with surprise and suspicion the faint red mark on the wrist... With a secretive mind, he quickly thought of many bad things, but he had misjudged Bai Xianming once before. In such a short time, there should be no despicable person who would do such a thing.
But it really felt like he was being controlled by a powerful force and couldn't break free from the mark left behind, just like the way Mr. Ruyu was controlled by him in his dream. He couldn't help but ask his doubts, wanting to know who had the courage to pinch and hurt him, but he saw that Lu Huai's expression was unnatural for a moment, and he just said in a gentle and vague voice: "It's okay, I just accidentally touched it."
How could he believe such nonsense? But Cheng Ruochen also knew that Lu Huai's attitude meant that he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore. He had finally managed to get Lu Huai to agree to frequent contact with him, so he couldn't lose his composure any more.
"Yanjin, please pay more attention to your safety in the future." He could only respond insincerely.
But for some reason, even though the force applied to the marks clearly indicated a man's hand, he couldn't help but think of Shen Chensheng, feeling that this might be related to "her." Either she was just too strong, or Lu Huai had provoked another newcomer... The more Cheng Ruochen thought about it, the more suffocated he became. His heart was so sour and twisted that it could squeeze out juice. After all, it wasn't his own hand that did it.
But he didn't notice that during the moment he was distracted, Chen Chensheng's eyes secretly met with the liberated Lu Huai, and they met again at an angle he didn't know.
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After the banquet that day, Chen Meng's incident caused a huge sensation in the capital.
The Bai family, disgraced by Bai Xianming, arrested him and subjected him to a harsh punishment. Their restraints were apparently quite strict. They genuinely hated Chen Meng, and since Bai Xianming had revealed the truth and his shady dealings at the banquet, they fanned the flames, focusing everyone's attention on the Shen family's vicious daughter, persecuting their eldest sister. Meanwhile, the perpetrators, intent on actual violence, were being treated with gentleness and protection.
If it weren't for the Duke's Mansion's continued influence, the doorway would have been piled with rotten eggs and vegetable leaves. Chen Meng didn't dare leave the house for days. Pei Zhi from the General's Mansion had also spread the word that he was coming to cancel this disgraceful marriage, waiting for Pei Yu to return from his pursuit of the Northern Huns. Upon hearing this devastating news, the already haggard Chen Meng fainted.
This also gave Chen Chensheng a rare chance to enjoy some peace and quiet, because Madam Liu was in a state of panic, and everyone in the mansion was busy treating Chen Meng and dealing with rumors from the outside world, and they had no time to torture or persecute him.
On Lu Huai's side, he was oblivious to the storm outside and was attending court as usual.
After resolving the urgent matters of the day, Chu Yuanting followed the custom and decided to reward Chen Qingyuan and Lu Huai who had traveled to Chongzhou.
Seeing Lu Huai live up to expectations and complete the task perfectly, he was very satisfied. Thinking back to the clerical work assigned to him earlier, he concluded that besides the rule that there are always surprises when important tasks are entrusted to the top scholar, the more he looked at this beautiful and elegant official, the more he liked her.
Compared with those ugly and incompetent officials who did things in an unclear way, he preferred such pleasant and capable ministers. If there were more people with the same talents as Lu Aiqing, he would have no worries about the longevity of the Yong Kingdom and the eternal enjoyment of the country.
Speaking of the ages, Chu Yuanting was troubled by the thought of those white-haired, loyal, and somewhat old-fashioned old ministers who constantly urged him to have children and favor the six harems as soon as possible. But looking at those ladies of noble families who were either too serious and boring or too vulgar, he always felt that he could not find a place for his soul to rest.
He hated people like his father, who were obsessed with beauty, taking in so many concubines that he eventually separated from his mother and her husband, leaving the elegant and gentle queen mother in tears every day. He knew that the imperial family was not a good thing, but he coaxed his mother, who came from a powerful family, into believing they would be together for life, using his mother's family to climb to the throne. But when the time came, he not only failed to keep his promise, but also filled his mother with more and more people.
So he swore since he was a child that even if he couldn't do this, he would only communicate with the person he loved, and would never let his beloved suffer the pain of being rejected.
Unfortunately, he had never favored anyone, and no woman had ever been able to crack the emperor's cold, hard heart. While it wouldn't be considered romantic interest, he did have a rare interest in Lu Huai. Therefore, while the process should have ended with him receiving a promotion, he suddenly felt the urge to show him some favoritism.
"My dear Lord Lu, you have made great contributions on this trip. Is there anything you want?" The emperor on the high platform simply nodded with satisfaction at Chen Qingyuan, raised his hand and awarded him a half-rank official position. This time, he actually focused his attention on Lu Huai, an official who was not a high-ranking official in the court and was extremely young. This time, many people thought that the emperor just wanted to send an official who was not from the two factions, but this idea was personally dispelled by him.
He intended to use Lu Huai, cultivating a sharp sword fit only for the emperor. Chu Yuanting's aggressive behavior made the Prime Minister, the head of the civil service, look dark. This time, he had to reassess the influence this young man would have on the court and the value of winning him over...
Those who knew that receiving envoys was a lucrative job, although hard work, were quite envious. When they saw Lu Huai accepted the task, they went back and thought about talking to their superiors about assigning him this good job next time. However, they never expected that they would pour cold water on him right away and tell him that he was chosen because of his own specialness.
This made her feel uneasy. She thought that Lu Huai might have bewitched the emperor with his beauty. He looked even more handsome than a woman. She knew a person by his appearance but not by his heart. She thought he was a pillar of the country, but he turned out to be a flatterer. Now she looked at him with a frivolous look.
Now seeing that Chu Yuanting was asking him for something in such a partial manner, which was simply supporting Lu Huai, they were even more angry and their eyes were red with envy.
Officials with real talents and more experience think these people are stupid. When they see a good-looking face, they tend to favor that person and ignore the extraordinary talent and outstanding ability of the top scholar. No wonder he has achieved nothing today.
"This is my duty. I can help His Majesty share his worries. I have nothing else to ask for." Lu Huai did not think that he had done anything outstanding in this matter. He just did what he should do. Therefore, he was a little worried about Chu Yuanting's favor and humbly declined the emperor's reward.
But this twist and turn made Chu Yuanting unhappy. The emperor's grace was something that many ministers could not ask for. It was rare for him to like someone so much that he wanted to reward Lu Huai and fulfill his wish. Isn't this a very unreasonable thing to do?
Thinking of this, Chu Yuanting's brows knitted slightly, his narrow eyes brewing with displeasure. He glanced at the handsome young man standing at the bottom of the stairs, his posture as straight as a bamboo and his elegance unparalleled, and suddenly his anger towards him faded. Forget it...
He suddenly remembered that the ministers kept urging him to summon girls from various families into the palace. Lu Huai was a young man of the right age, so why not tentatively ask him if he had a girl he liked? Who knows, maybe he could give out the reward.
"My dear Lu, if you have a lady you like, I can arrange a good marriage for you. What do you think?" The more Chu Yuanting thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was very good. He touched it lightly with his palm under the dragon robe, waiting for Lu Huai's response.
What he didn't expect was that Lu Huai, who had just stood tall and slender and only rejected his words, would change his attitude so quickly and actually kneel down and pay his respects.
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The author has something to say: I’m so excited for my first time in v! Today is another day where the plot deviates from the one-man-one-dominance rule and I scream~
The Zhazuo's activities in the three-dimensional world also achieved satisfactory results. Although it's a bit late, you have finished my big fat chapter. I'm so excited.
Hehe, I did some exciting little moves, I hope you all enjoy watching them) As for the top, whoever gets to eat the meat will get to know the others, boo-ji boo-ji!
The emperor will deeply regret his virtuous little act in the future, which is to invite a wolf into the house...
Cheng Xiaogou is so miserable, I wonder if his owner was really taken advantage of by a bad guy QWQ! Love! Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2024-03-04 23:13:18 and 2024-03-07 22:27:34~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the grenade: 1 Mimouse;
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Lazy 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 6 bottles of Moyyyy; 2 bottles of 62247888; 1 bottle of 19017927 and He Du Shang Xi Lou;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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