Chapter 44

Chapter 44

In the Linghua Pavilion of the imperial palace,

Within the pitch-black chamber, a colossal luminous pearl cast a faint glow, illuminating the room.

The walls were adorned with portraits of a beautiful woman, both large and small—some depicting her gently caressing her belly during pregnancy, others showing her galloping on horseback with a long sword in hand.

The woman in the paintings had a heroic and spirited countenance, with bright, captivating eyes and a seductive red mole beneath one of them.

The emperor, like a widower, sat silently on the cold floor, his fingers lightly tracing one of the portraits—an image of the beauty leaning tearfully on a soft couch, his eyes filled with deep nostalgia.

Lu Yu's eyes were growing more like his mother's, even bearing a seventy percent resemblance in their expression of resentment.

The emperor picked up a teacup beside him, took a gentle sip, then tenderly sprinkled the tea before the memorial tablet on the table. His eyes were filled with bottomless affection. "Nuo Nuo, you should also taste the tea our son specially brewed for me."

With that, the emperor looked up and, as if cradling a precious treasure, tightly embraced Shen Nuo's memorial tablet.

In the faint glow, the tablet clearly read: "Spirit Tablet of Imperial Consort Shen."

"Nuo Nuo, what is so good about Lu Yan? Clearly, I met you first, and it was you who showed me kindness first. Back when we were training at your family's martial arts school, Old Lin was still Crown Prince of Ding, and I was just an unpromising prince. You would bring us pastries every day, laughing at us for our lack of skill and how you punished us."

"How could it be that just a few short years after I was exiled to the southwest, you married that brute Lu Yan?"

The emperor's eyes filled with rage, and the edges of the memorial tablet pressed painfully into his palm. He gently stroked the tablet.

"Fortunately, I have already brought you back from beside Lu Yan's grave. When I pass away, we can rest together. Please wait for me a little longer in the imperial mausoleum."

"Whether in life or death, we must be together."

As the emperor spoke, a content and serene smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Suddenly, the door of the chamber was gently knocked, and his personal eunuch urgently called out, "Your Majesty, Chief Grand Secretary Lu Yu requests an audience."

The emperor looked at the memorial tablet in his arms and sighed deeply. "Our son has grown up."

After stepping out of the chamber, the emperor gazed at the overcast clouds outside, where a drizzling rain continued to fall.

He turned to look at Lu Yu, who was kneeling prostrate in the Linghua Pavilion. Lu Yu was dressed in a sky-blue robe, wearing a jade crown, his face cold and mature.

Lu Yu was indeed his finest son—his dominance in the court was the best reward for the emperor's nurturing.

Except for five years ago, when he nearly died over a woman, the emperor looked at Lu Yu with irrepressible satisfaction, a smile tugging at his lips.

He asked, "Lu Yu, what urgent matter brings you here in such haste?"

What the emperor did not expect was that Lu Yu's next words would strike like thunder in his ears.

Kneeling with his back straight, Lu Yu kowtowed heavily to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I beg for your forgiveness," Lu Yu said before he even finished speaking, his forehead already hitting the floor with heavy thuds. "I have long admired Princess Ding'an, and today I come to humbly request Your Majesty to grant me marriage."

As soon as Lu Yu finished speaking, the emperor angrily threw his teacup at him. The scalding tea instantly soaked Lu Yu's robe, and flying shards cut his forehead.

"How dare you! Lu Yu, do you think just because I value you, I dare not kill you?! My word is law—how dare you question it?"

"I would not dare."

Lu Yu's voice was low and hoarse. As he slowly raised his head, his eyes were red-rimmed, his narrow gaze filled with moisture, and the small mole beneath his eye became even more pronounced.

The emperor took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly recalled the scene from over a decade ago, when Shen Nuo knelt on the ground begging him to let her return and bury Lu Yan.

Mother and son were like two peas in a pod.

"In my youth, I once traveled to the northern frontier with my mother. Because my grandfather defended against foreign enemies for decades, my mother once wrote letters praying for peace in the north..."

"I am the only thing my mother left behind in this world. Without her, I would not be where I am today. Night and day, I worry and wish to share Your Majesty's burdens. After marriage, I will lead troops to pacify the northern frontier. In the annals of history, Your Majesty will be revered as an unparalleled enlightened ruler, admired by future generations."

Lu Yu spoke with heartfelt sincerity, his eyes glistening with tears. He held a jade flute in both hands and looked up at the emperor, his lips trembling slightly as if he wanted to call him "Father," but the words that came out were only: "Your Majesty."

The emperor's eyes widened in shock, his heart trembling violently. In an instant, his shock turned into thunderous rage.

"Guards, drag him out and give him fifty... no, twenty strokes of the rod. Lu Yu, kneel at the palace gate until you come to your senses. Only then may you return to your marquis residence."

As Lu Yu bowed his head in a kowtow, his voice was hoarse. "I... obey Your Majesty's decree. This is an heirloom of my mother's that I found at my grandfather's home. I heard it was a gift from Your Majesty. Now, I return it to its rightful owner."

The emperor's lips trembled, and his fingers shook uncontrollably as he took the jade flute.

Just as he was about to say something, Lu Yu had already turned and walked out of the Linghua Pavilion. He knelt directly on a long bench to receive his punishment.

Lu Yu watched as the emperor sat motionless inside the room, but a gloomy light flashed in his eyes. He had staked everything he could—now, all that remained was to wait.

---

Lin Shuyun sat for a long time on the soft couch by the windowsill, her gaze fixed on the distant green leaves swaying in the wind and rain.

The sky was overcast, dark clouds looming over the city. The heavy rain seemed intent on washing away all the filth of the capital. It had been raining all day, without cease even as evening fell.

Suddenly, Lin Shuyan appeared at the gate of Wutong Yard, waving urgently, his expression hurried and anxious.

"Has he... remembered everything? I heard from our younger brother that Father beat him."

Lin Shuyun nodded vacantly.

"The news of Lu Yu requesting to marry you from the emperor has spread throughout the capital."

Lin Shuyun was stunned.

Moments later, Lin Shuyun, holding an oil-paper umbrella, slowly stepped down from the carriage.

Under the towering and majestic Qin Hua Gate, Lu Yu's upright figure knelt directly in the pouring rain. The cold rain pounded against his broad shoulders, and splashing droplets fell from his shoulders to the ground.

His body swayed slightly, and blood flowed like water from beneath him, slowly mingling with the rainwater.

She could not see Lu Yu's face, but the exhaustion and fatigue emanating from his figure pierced her eyes.

"The emperor was furious... he gave him twenty strokes of the rod," Lin Shuyan said in a low voice. "He has been kneeling outside Qin Hua Gate for two hours now..."

Lin Shuyun's throat felt as if something were stuck in it. Holding her umbrella, she slowly walked forward.

As she gradually moved out of the alley, a tall guard suddenly appeared before her, as if he had been waiting there all along.

"Officer Sun greets the Prince and Princess," he said respectfully, bowing and blocking her path. "My master specifically ordered me to wait here and prevent the Princess from approaching."

"Oh," Lin Shuyun murmured softly. As she turned away, her voice carried a hint of hoarseness: "Tell him not to die here."

Then, as if indifferent, she turned and left the alley, heading straight for the carriage.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, a glimmer of tears welled up in Lin Shuyun's eyes, fleeting like a shooting star, before her delicate cheeks once again turned expressionless.

She sat silently in the carriage—not returning home, not speaking to Lin Shuyan, and no longer glancing at Lu Yu's blood-stained figure kneeling in the rain.

This was not the heir to the Marquis of Xuanping she once knew.

Back then, his words and actions were all about upholding the prestige of the Marquis of Xuanping's house. His shoulders bore the heavy responsibility of shouldering the house's honor.

Every decision he made was for the sake of the marquis' house—he was willing to sacrifice himself, even to the extent of weighing and using his marriage to his advantage.

But now, he had changed.

Lord Lu, a man of immense power at court, had been caned by her father in the morning, punished with twenty strokes by the emperor in the afternoon, and was now kneeling in front of Qinhua Gate.

By the next morning, the entire capital would know that Chief Grand Secretary Lu had defied the emperor’s will to marry an unattractive, twice-married woman, and was punished by the Emperor by being made to kneel in public, certain to become the laughingstock of the world.

Lin Shuyun’s throat tightened, and she didn't want to think about it anymore.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when Lin Shuyan entered the carriage. As he lifted the curtain, her eyes met Lu Yu’s through the rain.

Lu Yu’s face was as pale as wax, his light-blue robe soaked and mud-stained. He said nothing, only offering a faint smile.

Lin Shuyun quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding Lu Yu’s burning gaze, and said hoarsely, “Brother, it’s time we returned home.”

“Oh, alright.”

At that moment, a faint moonlight broke through the thick layers of clouds, illuminating the carriage’s path home.

---

By the time Lin Shuyun returned to the prince’s residence, it was already past midnight. She had not picked up Zhang’er that day, nor had she seen the child, leaving her with a lingering unease.

Tiptoeing to Zhang’er’s bedroom, she noticed the lamp was still lit. Ming Yue seemed to be sitting by the bed, soothing the child. The sound of Zhang’er’s soft sobs tugged painfully at Lin Shuyun’s heart.

Suppressing her low spirits, she pushed the door open and called out gently, “Who made our little young master shed golden tears?”

Hearing his mother’s voice, Zhang’er, who had just been comforted by Ming Yue, broke down again. Barefoot, he rushed from the bed and threw himself into her arms, sobbing with grievance.

“...They said...” Zhang’er choked out between sobs, “that you... are to be sent away... to marry... the barbarians.”

News from the imperial study had spread quickly, and the matter had already reached Zhang’er’s ears.

Lin Shuyun crouched down, holding Zhang’er close. She gently stroked his trembling body, holding him tightly as she whispered softly, “When you were little, I held you in my arms. Even when your uncle found us, you never let go of my hand.”

“I promise you, no matter what happens, I will never abandon you.”

Lin Shuyun didn’t dare make any guarantees to Zhang’er; she could only offer him this commitment.

Zhang’er, old enough to understand adult words, burst into tears, whimpering pitifully, like a little animal, “Mother can’t go. Zhang’er doesn’t want you to go.”

Lin Shuyun gently wiped away Zhang’er’s tears. “Alright, I won’t go, I won’t. Xiao Bao, it’s time for bed. How about I hold you while you sleep tonight?”

Curled up in Lin Shuyun’s arms, Zhang’er breathed in her familiar scent. Her gentle hands patted his back softly as a lullaby hummed softly in his ear.

After struggling through a long day at the imperial study, Zhang’er finally drifted into sleep, his small hand clutching tightly to Lin Shuyun, refusing to let her go.

The next day, the sky was overcast, and even the birds’ chirping seemed faint.

Lin Shuyun had not slept all night, and Zhang’er had also been restless. Just after she finished washing, hurried, panicked shouts came from outside the Wutong Courtyard.

“Princess Ding’an, Eunuch Li from His Majesty’s side is here to deliver an imperial decree. Please come quickly to receive it.”

Lin Shuyun’s heart skipped a beat, her face instantly turning pale. Her chest felt as if weighed down by a heavy stone, her throat tight as if gripped by an invisible hand.

No one had expected the imperial decree to arrive so soon.

She could think of nothing else but the decree appointing her as a princess to make a marriage alliance with the northern tribes.

Once the emperor’s will was declared, no one could defy it—not even his own son.

At this thought, Lin Shuyun forced a faint smile and murmured, “I suppose this is fate.”

Princess Consort Ding stood outside the Wutong Courtyard, her eyes red-rimmed. If not for her maid supporting her, she would have collapsed.

Lin Shuyun lowered her gaze, hiding her emotions. “Let’s go, Mother. If it’s a blessing, it won’t be a disaster; if it’s a disaster, we cannot avoid it.”

Tears streamed down Princess Consort Ding’s face as she sobbed, “My daughter…”

Sensing the adults’ sorrow, Zhang’er tugged at Lin Shuyun’s skirt, silently crying as he followed behind her.

The entire Ding Prince's residence was shrouded in gloom. No one had the heart to prepare gifts for the decree-delivering eunuch. Prince Ding and his two sons were already kneeling at the front.

Lin Shuyun supported Princess Consort Ding as they hurried over, and everyone’s sorrowful gaze immediately fell upon her.

Eunuch Li, however, could not suppress a smile as he held the bright yellow scroll. “Since everyone is here, this servant will now proclaim the decree.”

“Princess Ding’an of the Ding Prince's residence, receive the decree.”

“By the mandate of heaven, the emperor decrees: Shu Yun, daughter of Prince Ding, virtuous and graceful, talented and refined, is a fitting match for Lu Yu, Heir to the Marquis of Xuanping, a distinguished scion of noble lineage. Hearing that they are of suitable age and status, the emperor decrees their marriage to unite two noble houses. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomer shall jointly oversee the wedding ceremony within one month. Respect this.”

For a moment, everyone was stunned. Prince Ding was the first to regain his composure, leading the others in proclaiming, “Your subjects kowtow in gratitude for the imperial grace.”

As Lin Shuyun bowed her head, tears fell from the corners of her eyes. Her body trembled slightly, but her eyes were filled with the relief of having narrowly escaped disaster.

Zhang’er asked dazedly, “Is Mother going to marry Uncle Lu?”

---

At the Marquis of Xuanping’s residence,

Lu Yu’s hands trembled slightly as he received the decree meant for him. Unrolling the bright yellow scroll, he saw that it differed from Lin Shuyun’s marriage decree.

The emperor had stripped him of his position as Senior Grand Secretary and appointed him General of Northern Pacification. He was to lead troops to quell the northern rebellion immediately after the wedding, which was to take place within a month.

“Since His Majesty’s decree has been issued, we must quickly prepare for the wedding,” the Marquess said calmly.

Lu Yu looked up, his gaze firm. “All wedding arrangements in the marquis’ household shall be under my command. I will handle every detail.”

“As for you, Mother, it is time we discussed the division of the household.”