Zhuo Wei and his wife were determined to bring Zhuo Jiayu back. Now that they had taken action, there was no reason for them to give up halfway.
They admitted they were heartless, but a daughter who had been imprisoned for so long would have her reputation ruined even if she got out. Not only would she be unable to marry into a good family, but the Duke of Mu's mansion would also become a laughing stock throughout the country. It was better to squeeze out her last bit of value before she became a laughing stock and bring wealth and glory to the Duke's mansion.
The couple exchanged a glance. If the old emperor didn't see them today, they would kneel here forever.
"Lord Duke, the Emperor no longer interferes in state affairs. If you have any questions, please go to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Even the father-in-law standing nearby couldn't stand it anymore and came over to remind him. Although he had already said it three times this morning, his tone was still very gentle.
After all, it's hard to accept that such a thing happened to a daughter who was locked up in jail, so I felt a bit more sympathy for her.
Zhuo Wei looked bitter and pitiful, saying, "We couldn't get through to His Highness the Crown Prince, and my wife and I were desperate, so we asked His Majesty to make a decision. Please understand our feelings as parents!"
Yan cooperated by crying beside her, though she didn't make a sound, but her tears fell like they were free, and she looked really miserable.
But the father-in-law's face instantly darkened, and the sympathy that had just arisen vanished in an instant.
How could a eunuch understand the feelings of parents?
That's like killing someone by breaking their spirit!
The father-in-law snorted coldly, ignored them, and turned to leave.
When the old emperor woke up, some people still brought up the matter of Zhuo Wei and his wife. Without thinking, the old emperor said, "I don't care about these things now. Let them go find the crown prince."
The old emperor was still somewhat angry when he said this. After all, he had said that he would not interfere in state affairs and would leave all matters to the crown prince. If he suddenly intervened in the affairs of the Zhuo Wei family, wouldn't that be making the crown prince lose face?
Their father-son relationship had finally been somewhat repaired, and they couldn't let these things cause further discord.
Furthermore… he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Wasn’t Zhuo Wei spreading rumors all the time that Jiu Yatou was his daughter?”
"That seems to be the case, but Madam Lu doesn't admit it and has never seen anyone from the Zhuo family. Every time they come, she has the butler lead people to drive away any members of the Zhuo family who come to her door."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor immediately snorted coldly: "This Zhuo Wei, his schemes are so elaborate that I could hear them even in the palace!"
So, she initially wanted to curry favor with the Lu family, but seeing that there was no opportunity, she wanted her daughter to take the chance to get close to Lu Baichuan. However, He Jiuniang caught her red-handed, and now she is furious and wants to cause trouble for the Lu family again.
Such a blatant trick, as if no one can see through it!
The old emperor, with an expression that seemed to see through everything, said, "This kind of person still wants to get benefits from Jiu Yatou? Tch! Go away, get rid of him quickly, and don't let him get involved with me."
These words amused Consort Liu, who asked, "How did Your Majesty figure that out?"
To be honest, she was genuinely curious. Aren't men generally uninterested in these little tricks? Or perhaps they simply don't care about these details, which is why only women can see through many of these things.
"I'm not stupid!"
The old emperor became increasingly arrogant. Some things were not that he couldn't see them, but rather that he was willing to care. If they were harmless, he would turn a blind eye. But if they were outside the palace, then he would naturally not tolerate them.
Consort Liu nodded and said nothing more. Sure enough, men aren't truly ignorant; the important thing is to see who the other person is.
In all the years she'd been in the palace, she'd only ever seen the Emperor show such concern for one woman.
She had good reason to suspect that if the emperor were younger and He Jiuniang were still unmarried, the harem would likely have changed hands, let alone have a place for her.
However, ever since the Emperor began to change, she has stayed by his side. She has never seen the Emperor have any special feelings for He Jiu Niang. It was just like the feelings of an elder for a junior whom he really likes.
Thinking about it that way, it seems she was overthinking it.
On the other side, a young eunuch went out to convey the old emperor's message. When Zhuo Wei heard that the old emperor did not want to see him, he immediately became unhappy and started wailing and howling outside.
Just as the palace maids and eunuchs were about to send her away, someone came to deliver a message saying that His Highness the Crown Prince had agreed to let Zhuo Jiayu go home.
Zhuo Wei and his wife were stunned; they hadn't expected the Crown Prince to agree so readily.
However, before they could be too happy, they heard the messenger continue, "His Highness means that Duke Mu left the palace without permission during his confinement, showing no respect for the law. He must be punished with thirty strokes of the cane before he can leave the palace."
Zhuo Wei was stunned again. He had come to plead with the Emperor for his daughter's sake. Was that wrong?
That prince is truly heartless; why does he insist on helping the Lu family make things difficult for him?
Now that things have come to this, even if he harbors deep resentment, he must still shout "Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy!" and then obediently follow the others to receive his punishment.
Zhuo Wei was so badly beaten that he almost fainted, so he couldn't go to pick up Zhuo Jiayu himself. It was Yan who went alone.
He held Zhuo Jiayu in his arms and cried for a while in the prison, and said some resentful things to He Jiuniang before having Zhuo Jiayu carried away. He didn't ask about Zhuo Jiayu's current situation or ask He Jiuniang for the antidote.
It was as if they didn't care about her body at all.
As Zhuo Jiayu thought about the things He Jiuniang had given her and the words she had spoken before her mother arrived, her heart sank deeper and deeper.
He Jiuniang watched the Zhuo family's carriage leave and was about to go back to catch up on her sleep when she saw Lu Baichuan riding up on horseback.
She waved, and Lu Baichuan came over, reached out and pulled her onto the horse, and the two returned to the General's Mansion together.
Lu Baichuan held the reins with one hand and had his arm around He Jiuniang's waist with the other, and explained, "His Highness kept me here to talk after court, so I came out late. You had a hard night last night, let me take you back to get some sleep."
Lu Baichuan only learned about what happened last night on his way to court, and was told that his wife had intentionally kept it from him so that he wouldn't have to travel back and forth. He felt a pang of heartache for his wife.
He's a grown man, so making a few trips isn't a big deal. But his wife, who's clearly a woman, is always the one who rushes to the front in everything and always thinks of him first.
"Yes, after you send me back, you take some men to guard the Duke's mansion. If you hear any noise of things being smashed, take action. This is the code I gave Zhuo Jiayu."
He Jiuniang leaned against Lu Baichuan's chest. She was busy last night, so now it was Lu Baichuan's turn to run errands.
Actually, she could have gone along to see what was going on, but then she thought it wasn't necessary, since the situation was pretty much as she had guessed.
"good."
Lu Baichuan understood He Jiuniang's meaning almost immediately. His wife was always reliable and must have been confident, which was why she had someone inform him before he went to court, so that he would agree to let Zhuo Jiayu go back.
Although I write slowly, I've been updating three chapters every day for the past few days. Sisters, please don't abandon me, I'm trying my best to update, sob sob.
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