Chapter 52 Qingshan Bites and Holds Firm

Princess Jiuli gazed at the man kneeling on one knee before her, seemingly at a loss for what to say.

She, too, was seeing him this way for the first time and she wasn't that familiar with him.

Without waiting to be asked, Lu Yunqi voluntarily spoke up.

"Princess, don't you want to see her?" His slender eyes shone like twinkling stars.

No wife in the world wants to see another woman beloved by her husband, even if she appears to be virtuous and magnanimous on the surface, deep down she surely wishes for that woman's demise.

Unfortunately, men always fail to realize this, hence they ask such foolish questions.

Upon the mention of this woman, a fleeting sense of melancholy and a subtle sorrow that was hard to discern flashed through Princess Jiuli's eyes.

"I do not wish to." She answered, void of any insincerity or flattery towards her husband, nor any ridicule for his foolish words.

Lu Yunqi didn't get angry at his wife's candid rejection; the smile on his face remained.

"I want to," he said, as he rose to his feet, slowly retreating with a smile, and repeated, "I want to."

Princess Jiuli stood up.

"Lu Yunqi," she said, "Can you stop this? Is there any point in acting like this?"

Lu Yunqi halted and looked at her.

"You never found it pointless before," he said, his slender eyes sparkling like ignited fireworks with delight, "You also think she is very similar, don't you? Exceptionally similar, right?"

Princess Jiuli looked at him, feeling an inexplicable sourness.

Of course, this sourness wasn't because her husband was so determined to pursuit another woman.

Indeed, didn't he ask her if she didn't want to see her? To see this person who so resembles the one she's lost and yearned for.

She knew that Lu Yunqi kept many women in his other households, but she never cared nor inquired.

Ever since becoming Princess Jiuli, she never said no again, no objections, no opinions, silent.

Why then did she ask about this girl and repeatedly oppose what Lu Yunqi wanted to do?

"Lu Yunqi, she is not her, no matter how similar, there is only one her in this world," she said, "Can you stop this charade?"

Lu Yunqi laughed, then the laughter faded.

"I can't," he shook his head and said, then turned and strode out.

Princess Jiuli took a few steps forward.

"Lu Yunqi," she said, her voice remaining calm although her breath was slightly disturbed, "She is gone already, can't you let her rest in peace? The things you are doing will all burden her, why add needless worries for her? Can't you just let her go?"

Lu Yunqi's steps paused, but he did not turn around.

"I can't," he said, then pulled open the door, crossing the threshold into the night.

He can't.

Absolutely not.

The night enveloped the luxurious Lu Mansion, and the maidservants hidden in the shadows were trembling with fear, their expressions flickering with various emotions.

More than half a year after their marriage, the couple that had always treated each other with respect finally had a quarrel.

The quarrel was about Thousand-Man Commander Lu wanting to take a concubine.

Taking a concubine.

The maidservants' hearts were filled with mixed emotions. Lord Lu had kept so many women outside, and everyone had been comforting themselves and the princess with the fact those women were just kept in the outside and not brought into the household. Now they could no longer deceive themselves.

Having kept so many women, there was bound to be one or two enchantresses who could bewitch Lord Lu to the point of bringing them into the house.

Still, he had to take a concubine, and the princess had to agree, meaning there would soon be more than one woman in charge at the Lu Residence. After the second, will the third be far behind?

Hidden in the shadows, the maidservants exchanged looks, communicating their various speculations, emotions, and the most crucial question.

Who was that enchantress?

They were in the inner courts and heard the chaos outside but had not seen who the visitor was.

However, it was clear to the people outside of the Lu Mansion, and the news spread rapidly under the cover of night, leaving no doubt that when the night lifts and day breaks, a tumult will arise.

Not caring is one thing, but the thought of the gossip and idle chatter that would spread as a result was infuriating.

In the depth of night, Manager Liu sat behind the desk, the letter to Yangcheng was already sent, but he still couldn't fall asleep.

Though he was not scared nor did he fear the situation, there was still some suffocation in his heart.

"This world is always tougher on women," he sighed lightly.

.........................

At the break of dawn, officials waiting for the morning court were once again stopped outside the hall.

The arrangement and promotion of the smallpox vaccinations were well underway and everything was proceeding orderly.

The palace examinations were coming up soon - what could be so important that it took precedence over them? The officials' brows furrowed slightly in displeasure.

A crisp sound emerged from within the hall, as if a teacup had been shattered.

The officials' eyebrows twitched; for something to infuriate the emperor to such an extent, it must be a grave matter indeed.

"Have you gone mad?"

The emperor's voice followed from inside the hall.

Who had gone mad?

The officials pricked up their ears.

But silence fell in the hall once again. Nobody admitted fault nor did anyone argue back; it seemed there was a standoff with the emperor.

"I don't have time to deal with your damn mess, get out," the emperor's voice came again after a long pause, filled with anger.

But this statement left the officials with mixed emotions.

Anger was one thing, but the words that he "didn't care" added another layer of meaning—it was an acknowledgment of someone's actions.

Who could it be, and what had they done to trigger such fury from the emperor, yet also receive tacit approval?

While everyone guessed, the palace doors opened, and a tall, slender figure in red walked out. As this person appeared in everyone's sight, despite the sunlight being cheerful and his clothes brightly colored, everyone's gaze darkened inexplicably.

So it was that lunatic.

No wonder, then.

God knows who's unlucky enough to run into Lu Yunqi now.

The onlookers composed themselves and looked on with a degree of sympathy, no longer paying mind to Lu Yunqi walking past them.

The day of the palace examinations soon arrived.

Before dawn, the Imperial Street was already crowded with people.

The Imperial Guards of the Imperial City stood solemnly on both sides, with incoming palace graduates either silent or quietly chatting with familiar classmates, while further afield, numerous onlooking citizens gathered, including the families of the new graduates and even more idle folk of the capital.

However, unlike the usual excitement, this time the murmurs amongst the crowd were mixed with some strange talk.

"...Have you heard?"

"...About the dowry?"

"...Really? No way, right?"

Dowry?

Those nearby couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"Is it about one of the palace graduates receiving a dowry?"

The triennial imperial examinations were also a great opportunity for arranging marriages, with many waiting to secure a palace graduate as a son-in-law. Every year, there was much commotion over competing for these graduates.

But this time, no one mentioned any graduate's marriage.

"No, it's Thousand-Man Commander Lu..." someone whispered, lowering their voice.

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Thanks to the southern ice, 一,?The Last Shot? for rewarding the He's Bi.

The official group event on Saturday night is about to start, friends who are interested and haven't joined the group, come along.

To give back for everyone's company over the past half year, I hope everyone is happy, thank you all.