Zhuo Jiayu had difficulty speaking, so she could only watch her mother cry in front of her bed.
She looked like she was crying very sadly, but Zhuo Jiayu found that she wasn't as happy as she had imagined.
Even though she was in such a state, her parents came in without asking a single question. One glared at He Jiu Niang menacingly, while the other did nothing but cry.
It seems he only cares about her life or death, but doesn't care about her feelings at all.
After a while, Madam Yan finally finished crying and stood up, but she only patted Zhuo Jiayu's hand and then turned around to argue with He Jiuniang, insisting on taking her home no matter what.
Zhuo Jiayu's heart sank little by little. Did they really come because they cared about her?
If her parents had come here every day to make a fuss when she was first imprisoned, just to take her home, she would have been very touched. But they didn't do that. Even when people from the Duke's mansion came, they were just ordinary servants. Her parents never showed up.
Perhaps it was because they felt ashamed; her parents have always been people who care a lot about their reputation.
Now that they've finally arrived, they don't care about her at all, they're only focused on arguing with He Jiuniang. Could it be that they really...
No, she dared not think about it, nor dared she admit it.
No way. Her parents love her. They must have been terrified and too anxious to notice her feelings.
She tried to comfort herself with this thought, but when she saw her parents arguing with He Jiu Niang not far away, she closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.
He Jiuniang looked at the aggressive couple, a playful smile flashing across her face, and asked, "Gentlemen, Miss Zhuo hasn't had a drop of water since she woke up. You should show her more concern. As for releasing her, no way."
After He Jiuniang finished speaking, she left, saying as she went, "Either you visit her properly and then leave on your own, or you stay here with her. It'll be a good opportunity for the three of you to be reunited."
Her voice faded into the distance, yet it was still clearly audible.
Only then did Madam Yan realize that she hadn't really paid much attention to her daughter. She hurriedly turned around to look at Zhuo Jiayu, only to find her crying her eyes out.
Madam Yan hurriedly stepped forward, took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, and comforted her, "Don't cry. That little slut has harmed you so much. Your father and I will definitely avenge you. Your father and I will go to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor in a little while. This He Jiu Niang is truly lawless!"
He then said a lot of unpleasant things, all cursing He Jiuniang and the Lu family, but still didn't care about Zhuo Jiayu.
Zhuo Jiayu listened quietly without uttering a sound.
When Yan saw her like this, unable to even speak, her face deathly pale, it was clear she was barely clinging to life.
This is my own daughter. It would be a lie to say I don't feel sorry for her. After all, I had hoped that she would marry into a good family and help the Duke's family, but now it seems that there is no chance.
Yan turned and glanced at Zhuo Wei, and the couple instantly understood each other's thoughts.
Zhuo Wei glanced at the jailers guarding the area and said, "You may all step back."
"No, the general's wife ordered that we must stay here and guard the place."
The jailer was very principled and refused to leave no matter what.
Zhuo Wei was a little angry again, but in the end he held back and didn't say anything.
Madam Yan said to Zhuo Jiayu, "Xiaoyu, take good care of yourself. Your parents will risk their lives to bring you home!"
After saying that, he left with Zhuo Wei.
Seeing that they hadn't cared about her at all from beginning to end, even though He Jiuniang had already reminded her, her parents still didn't notice. Zhuo Jiayu couldn't hold back any longer and broke down in tears.
If they had risked their lives to bring her home from the beginning, would none of this have happened?
Now that something has happened, all they say is that they want to take her back, and they don't seem to care much about anything else. So, why take her back?
He Jiuniang's words rang in her ears again, and she couldn't stop crying.
The jailers felt sorry for her, and one of them stepped forward and asked, "Miss Zhuo, would you like some water?"
My sister-in-law just said she hasn't had any water yet. Could it be that she's thirsty and that's why she's crying?
The jailer meant well, but after asking the questions, he found that Zhuo Jiayu was crying very hard.
Even the prison guards who had no connection with her would ask about her and show concern, but her parents would not.
Perhaps it's not that they can't, but that they don't care.
He Jiuniang didn't know how long Zhuo Jiayu had been crying, but she went to catch up on sleep in the room where Lu Baichuan had stayed before. Meanwhile, in the imperial court, civil and military officials were engaged in a heated debate targeting Lu Baichuan.
Although it was He Jiuniang's idea to imprison Zhuo Jiayu, Lu Baichuan did not stop her and even indulged her, which was a major taboo.
"Ms. He is just a woman. Instead of being a proper lady in the inner quarters, she dares to interfere in court affairs. She also abuses her power by imprisoning the young lady of the Duke's mansion in the imperial prison for nearly a month. She acts so recklessly and without any discipline. Is this how General Lu allows women in the inner quarters to run wild like this?"
“While the young lady of the Duke’s mansion is certainly at fault, her crime does not warrant such punishment. Madam He’s actions are truly disgraceful. I implore Your Highness to punish her severely!”
"General Lu's indulgence in the affairs of the inner quarters is unbecoming of his position. Your Highness, I request that you reclaim his military power!"
"If it weren't for the He family's reckless actions, Miss Zhuo of the Duke's mansion would not have suffered this harm. We beg Your Highness to seek justice for Miss Zhuo!"
...
Many people have come forward to accuse Lu Baichuan and his wife, and the Crown Prince is so tired of hearing it that he looks at Lu Baichuan with a helpless expression.
Lu Baichuan stepped forward and said nonchalantly, "Your Excellencies are right. Your Highness, please reclaim the military power in my hands."
Everyone was stunned by his words, not expecting him to say such a thing, and for a moment they didn't know how to respond.
Is he really willing to relinquish his military power? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
The Crown Prince was the first to react, and said seriously, "Nonsense! The current situation is so dire. If you relinquish your military power, who can take on such a heavy responsibility? Training troops is at a critical stage; you can't just shirk your duties as you please!"
The court officials were originally full of ideas and had even thought about who to recommend to replace him. However, the Crown Prince's words negated everything they had just said and showed that he was going to favor Lu Baichuan no matter what.
The court officials were quite displeased and were about to speak when Kang Tanhua stepped forward and said directly, "You gentlemen, in your criticism of General Lu, have you forgotten who restored peace to the capital? Who thwarted the Eastern Court's conspiracy? Who quelled the palace coup? Who drilled the soldiers day and night?"
"You all speak up for the Duke of Mu's mansion, but have you forgotten why the young lady of the mansion was imprisoned in the first place? She was forbidden from contacting the Eastern Court's spies and was even threatened as a hostage. Did none of you ministers know this? Or do you think that none of that matters, and that what matters is that General Lu holds a large army, making you all feel insecure and worried about being replaced? Or perhaps you're worried about when some shady background will be discovered?"
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