boyutpedia Chapter 175 Heartache
Chapter 175 Heartache
Before leaving, someone behind her called her "Princess."
Lu Yun turned around and asked, "Mr. Zhou, what's wrong?"
Zhou Boli stood by the door, candlelight shimmering behind him. His dark robe made his face look like a jade, and he was incredibly gentle. "Princess, due to family matters, I have to leave Kyoto for a while."
"Now?" Lu Yun was panicking, but then she remembered that she still had to marry into a foreign alliance, and she instantly regained her composure. "Alright, I wish Mr. Zhou a safe journey."
"If the princess has any questions, I am willing to tell you." Zhou Boli spoke again.
"Originally, I did, but then—" Lu Yun exhaled lightly and smiled. "I don't think it's that important. We've known each other for many years, and friendship is what matters. We'll meet again if we're destined to."
After saying that, he turned around without hesitation, tapped his toes, and disappeared into the night.
Lu Yun raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. The night wind was cold, and she used to cry in the wind.
Returning to the princess's residence, Lu Yun saw that the courtyard was no different from usual, and her heart was relieved. Lu Tan was leading the maid out of the room. Seeing her return, she was obviously relieved. "My princess, you are back. There is a bit of chaos outside. The princess was just about to send someone to look for you."
"Oh, you scared me to death." Roujia pulled her to sit under the window, frowning tightly. "I just came back, and the servants reported that many soldiers had come into the city and blocked all the roads."
Lu Yun poured her a cup of hot tea. Thinking of what she had seen on the road, her face darkened slightly. "On my way back, I also saw a large number of soldiers and officers raiding homes and arresting people."
Roujia was shocked. "Could it be——"
Lu Yun comforted her softly, "You are a married princess, and your husband's family has no real power. Even if it is true as you think, this matter will not implicate you. As for the two ladies in the palace, Empress Zhao has no children, but she will be fine with the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, and Empress Li will also be fine with Princess Yongle. Besides, these are just our speculations, and we will have to wait until tomorrow to know everything."
After listening to this, Roujia's expression looked better, but she still kept talking to Lu Yun for half the night before falling asleep.
The next day, Lu Tan said that the soldiers who blocked the road yesterday had disappeared without a trace, but several families had suffered losses, and all their belongings were confiscated.
What Lu Tan didn’t say was that a batch of vegetables had already been cut down at the vegetable market this morning.
Roujia's face was extremely ugly. "I want to hand in a sign to enter the palace."
Lu Yun stopped her and said, "The situation is unclear. Even if you enter the palace now, it will be useless. Wait for me to send someone out to find out."
Lu Yun still remembered Zhao Qingyu's address, so she took Roujia there directly. The person who opened the door was still the woman named Liu Sanniang.
"Oh, it's the princess, please come in quickly." She obviously still remembered him. Liu Sanniang was wearing something brighter and more revealing than in winter, with two white breasts faintly visible beneath her collar.
Roujia had only seen women dressed like this in taverns. She frowned and whispered, "Ning'an, is this Mr. Zhao reliable?"
Lu Yun turned her face away from where she was staring at Liu Sanniang, gritted her teeth and whispered, "Rou Jia, stop staring at her there."
He turned around and smiled at Liu Sanniang, took out a purse from his sleeve and handed it to her, "Please tell me when your master will be back, we have an urgent matter."
Liu Sanniang was blinded by the sight of money and smiled even more enthusiastically. She quickly put her purse into her sleeve and said, "Your Highness, you have come at the right time. You have been away a lot lately and only came back today. Please come into the room and have a seat. I will serve you some tea."
The room remained the same as usual. Roujia's eyes fell on the pot of begonias beside his desk, and her eyes widened slightly. "Which noble family is this Mr. Zhao from?"
"How did you know that?" Lu Yun was surprised. Just based on this pot of begonia?
Roujia said proudly, "Begonias are native to southern provinces and prefer hot and humid weather. Many years ago, several of them were brought to Beijing from southern provinces, but half were broken on the way, leaving only four when they arrived. Empress Zhao received one, and the remaining three were given away by my father to close ministers and members of the royal family."
Lu Yun remembered that there was also a tree in her eldest cousin's house. When she heard this, her eyes widened.
Roujia: "What's wrong with you?"
Lu Yun came back to her senses and said, "It's okay." She just ate a piece of melon.
The two sat in the room and waited for a while. When they heard movement at the door, Lu Yun stood up and went out. "Master Zhao."
Liu Sanniang had already told Zhao Qingyu what was going on. Zhao Qingyu remained calm and bowed, "Greetings, Princess. Let's go in and talk."
Roujia was anxious. "What happened last night? Please tell me everything, Lord Zhao."
Zhao Qingyu kept it brief. "This morning, Prime Minister Lu read out the imperial edict at the morning court. His Majesty is ill, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been appointed Regent. A conflict broke out between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince in court, and the Third Prince's residence has been surrounded by troops sent by the Crown Prince. Other ministers who raised objections were executed in court."
Roujia looked terrified, tears welling in her eyes. "How could this happen? How could this happen? Father has always been in good health."
Zhao Qingyu lowered his eyes and bowed, "Princess, take care of yourself and don't act rashly."
Lu Yun looked nervous. "Excuse me, sir, are there any members of our Lu family among those ministers?"
Zhao Qingyu slowly shook his head. "Don't worry, Princess. There is nothing wrong. However, there is one thing that concerns you."
Roujia was stunned. She looked at Lu Yun and asked fearfully, "What's the matter?"
"Prime Minister Lu has brought up the matter of a marriage alliance with the State of Cao again." Zhao Qingyu frowned. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not refuse."
On the way back in the carriage, Roujia cried all the way. "Nine years ago it was Sister Yongle, and today it's you. Father, wuwuwu, Lu Xiaosan, I can't bear to leave you."
A joke made many years ago turned out to be a prophecy.
Back at the Princess's residence, Lu Yun handed Roujia over to Lu Tan and went to the guest room. She sat on the kang and pieced together the jewelry until dark. When Roujia pushed the door open, she saw her tiny body, her hands constantly moving, with gold, silver, and gems piled up in front of her.
"Ning An, why don't you leave?"
Lu Yun didn't even raise her head. "Roujia, I have family and friends in Kyoto. What will happen to them if I leave?"
Roujia sat down in a daze, muttering, "Is there really no way out?"
Lu Yun could still comfort her, "As you said, women always have to get married. You know my ability better than anyone else. Most people can't beat me. If they dare to bully me, I will beat them to a pulp. Besides, Cao State still has Sister Yongle, she is the respected Grand Princess. For her sake, no one dares to embarrass me."
Roujia smiled, then started crying again. "You said that so easily. I'm not familiar with this place. If anything happens, where can I find you?"
Lu Yun's eyes were slightly red, and she joked with her half-seriously. "Just stay in Beijing and don't go anywhere else. When I'm gone, just forget about me."
Roujia was so angry that she raised her hand and slapped her, but she finally stopped crying.
In the Purple Palace, the Crown Prince dismissed the others and walked into the room, kneeling before the bed. "Father, you always held me back, forcing me to neither advance nor retreat. I've been the Crown Prince for so many years, and the longer it goes, the further I feel from this position."
Emperor Longqing's face was sallow, and he leaned back on the pillow. "Prince, is this the excuse you've been thinking of all day to force the emperor to abdicate?"
The prince stood up straight, a smile on his face. "Father, I have heard from the Imperial Physician Hai that you don't have much time left. You can rest assured and leave the Qin Dynasty to me."