Chapter 349: The Cat Substitutes for the Prince
These words seemed to have a hidden meaning, but Lu Juncheng was unable to understand it for a moment.
But the last sentence is very true, opportunities only come to those who are prepared.
The fame and fortune are for himself, not for his parents. He should change his mindset and take this matter seriously.
He bowed respectfully to Lu Zhiran and said, "Thank you for your advice, big sister. I will give it my all this time."
When leaving Yaoguang Pavilion, Lu Juncheng's back straightened a little, and his whole spirit seemed to be very different.
Everyone in Yaoguang Pavilion could see that the young lady had a strange attitude towards the eldest young master. They were all puzzled. Even Cui Fu and Dan Yan didn't know the reason. They just thought that their young lady thought the young master was a man of good character and not the same kind as Fang.
Only Nanny Jin knows the inside story.
Nanny Jin closed the door and reported to Lu Zhiran, "Miss, we have found the witness and are now placing him in a house in the west of the city. When will we take action?"
Lu Zhiran shook her head, "No rush."
Nanny Jin was rarely impatient. "Are you worried about the young master and want to wait until he passes the imperial examination?"
"Not all of them. There is still one person who has not returned to Beijing yet."
That person is one of the most important links in this matter. Without him, how can this play go on?
Nanny Jin thought the same and could only suppress her anxiety.
When Fang learned that Lu Juncheng went to Yaoguang Pavilion and stayed there for half the afternoon before leaving, her face looked a little ugly.
She cursed softly, "That rebellious son is such an ungrateful bastard!"
Wei Ma Ma advised her, "The eldest young lady is about to rise to prominence, so it's only natural that the eldest young master should spend more time with her. Don't get angry about this. Even if the eldest young master is confused, he can still distinguish between relatives and strangers."
Fang took a deep breath and rubbed her brows. "It will be fine once Jiao'er arrives in Beijing. Then we can be reunited as mother and daughter."
Fang Jiao is nominally the daughter of Fang Chengcai, but in fact she is the daughter of Fang.
At that time, Fang diagnosed early on that she was pregnant with a daughter. In order to consolidate her position in the Lu family, she asked her family to make arrangements in advance and replaced her daughter with a son on the day of delivery.
This is why Lu Juncheng, although her only son, is not liked by her.
He was just a bastard that the Fang family picked up from outside. He was a bargaining chip and tool for the Fang family to consolidate their position. How could the Fang family treat him sincerely?
Fang Chengcai was exiled, and Fang Jiao was taken away with him. They were kept away from the capital, avoiding the possibility of the matter being exposed, but also causing Fang to be separated from her mother and daughter for many years.
Wei Ma Ma also lowered her voice, "Yes, Miss Jiao'er has come to the capital and arranged a marriage with the eldest young master. Then she can live with the madam, and your hard life for so many years will come to an end."
When Fang thought of this, the depression in her heart dissipated a little.
"I can't wait any longer. Please arrange for a group of people to go to southern Fujian and bring Jiao'er back personally."
Fang Chengcai returned to Beijing more than half a year ago, but did not take his wife and daughter with him.
At that time, he said Fang Jiao was ill and needed to recuperate and should not travel around.
Now, several months have passed, and Fang Chengcai said that the weather was very cold and the roads were difficult to travel, so he would wait until the next spring to enter Beijing.
Fang Jiao also wrote to Fang, expressing the same idea, and only then did Fang suppress her dissatisfaction.
But now, she suddenly didn't want to endure it anymore, and she wanted to send someone to bring Jiao'er back.
How could a place like Southern Fujian be compared to the capital? Her darling had suffered for so many years, how could she let her continue to suffer there?
She wants to see her darling right away!
Last year, due to severe cold weather in various places, the local princes did not come to Beijing and only sent New Year gifts.
This year, all the princes submitted petitions to come to the capital, including Prince Rui.
Prince Rui is the younger brother of Emperor Defeng and just turned 30 this year.
He has not returned to Beijing since he went to his fiefdom at the age of fifteen, and it has been fifteen years now.
This time he took the initiative to submit a memorial, saying that he had dreamed of the late emperor many times, and after waking up, he thought about it and was heartbroken, so he requested an order to return to Beijing to pay tribute to the late emperor.
When Emperor Defeng saw his memorial, he felt sad and agreed to it.
The second and third princes were still on the way, but Prince Rui arrived first.
He and his princess immediately went to the palace to pay a visit to Emperor Defeng.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you! I have been away from the capital for fifteen years. Though I live far from home, my heart is always with you. Now, thanks to Your Majesty's grace, I am temporarily able to return to the capital. I am deeply grateful. After paying my respects to the late emperor and expressing my sincere condolences, I will return to my fiefdom as soon as possible and will not delay any longer."
Emperor Defeng quickly helped Prince Rui to his feet and said, "My royal brother, please stand up quickly. Why should we be so formal with each other, brothers?"
Prince Rui had a tall and straight figure and a face unworn by the vicissitudes of life. Standing with Emperor Defeng, they looked more like father and son than brothers.
Emperor Defeng looked at his brother like this and felt his own old age again.
Prince Rui bowed and spoke respectfully.
"The etiquette between the ruler and his subjects must never be abolished."
Emperor Defeng talked a lot about reminiscing about the past, and for a moment, the eyes of the two brothers were slightly red.
Princess Pei of Prince Rui stood quietly to one side, waiting for a break in their conversation before speaking, "I wonder how the Emperor's sister-in-law is doing lately? I haven't seen her for many years, and I'd like to go and pay her a visit."
Prince Rui also said: "This humble servant has obtained a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, which is perfect for nourishing the Empress's wife. I will present it to her as a token of my filial piety."
Emperor Defeng's face remained amiable. "The Empress has been deeply absorbed in worshipping Buddha lately and hasn't seen many people. Even I rarely see her. I accept your filial piety on her behalf."
Prince Rui looked worried and hesitated to speak.
Princess Pei of Prince Rui spoke again, "Your Majesty, I have always heard the prince say that his sister-in-law took care of him when he was young, and I am deeply grateful. Now that the sister-in-law is not feeling well, I would like to express my greetings to the prince in person on his behalf, which will also relieve his worries. I hope Your Majesty will grant this."
Prince Rui didn't say anything, but his expression was indeed full of concern.
At that time, Prince Rui's biological mother passed away. He was still young and was indeed raised in the Prince's Mansion for a few years. To him, Empress Sun was like an elder sister-in-law and a mother to him.
Emperor Defeng couldn't help but feel touched.
He nodded and said, "Go ahead, but I can't guarantee whether the Queen will see you."
Pei quickly thanked him and left.
Prince Rui started chatting with Emperor Defeng again.
"I heard that Xiao Qi is getting married soon?"
Emperor Defeng smiled and nodded, "It's a coincidence that you returned to the capital this time."
Prince Rui sighed, "When I left the capital, Xiaoqi was only that tall. In the blink of an eye, he has grown up."
"I am old now, and you have all grown up naturally."
Prince Rui naturally said some compliments to Emperor Defeng about his prosperous life, but Emperor Defeng just smiled and passed it by.
He has been feeling increasingly overwhelmed as he handles government affairs recently.
Even an emperor has to admit that he is getting old.
Pei came back soon. She did not see Empress Sun, but just sent the hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum in.
Upon hearing this, Prince Rui felt a flash of disappointment, but he did not show it on his face.
The couple said goodbye to Emperor Defeng and left together.
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