Chapter 41 Settlement

Chapter 41: Settled

Second Uncle Lu finally looked up and saw clearly the figure right before his eyes.

Yin... No, the one who had returned to the Lu family with Lu Jiming was not the Third Young Master Yin at all, but the Emperor himself.

Second Uncle Lu finally understood the reason behind He Zenian's earlier odd conduct. It wasn't that he was too fearful of the Son of Heaven to speak, but rather that he had looked up, seen the Emperor's face, and been frightened into utter silence.

"Xu Cifeng is Xuping's savior. Through my interactions with him, I know he is a rare man of deep feeling, forthright nature, and generous spirit, who already has a family and is deeply devoted to his wife. Just recently, he had someone deliver congratulatory gifts and letters for Xuping and me. Should any of my esteemed ministers disbelieve this, I can have Eunuch Chen personally bring them for you all to see."

The court officials chanted in unison once more, "We dare not."

Wei Yan gave a cold laugh and continued, "Regarding the marriage contract between the Marquis of Yu'an's family and Xuping, both the late Emperor and I were aware long ago. The two had already called off the engagement, with no further ties. As for the matter of being expunged from the clan registry... After all, the Lu family raised Xuping, so I must still save some face. What do you think, Second Uncle Lu?"

Second Uncle Lu's face had long turned deathly pale. He knelt on the ground, repeatedly pleading, "Your Majesty, spare my life," and similar words.

Seeing that Wei Yan paid him no heed, Second Uncle Lu turned to look at Lu Jiming. Half-crawling to Lu Jiming, he grabbed his leg and said, "Please, in light of your Second Uncle's momentary lapse in judgment... spare me this once."

Seeing Second Uncle Lu's reaction, even the most foolish person understood the hidden truth of the matter. Lord Wang, who had been so righteous and stern just moments ago, now dared not utter another word.

Lu Jiming shook him off, said with a smile, "Lu Yuanzhe, I am no longer on the Lu family register. What uncle are you to me?"

Lu Yuanzhe froze in place, his gaze sweeping the surroundings like a drowning man searching for a final lifeline.

But the entire court, civil and military officials alike, knelt trembling, and it seemed no one could pull him out of this.

"Your Majesty, my cousin and Xu Cifeng are truly innocent! I was residing with the Lu family under duress from my uncle and had no choice but to come here! I beg Your Majesty for leniency!" He Zenian's voice rang in Lu Yuanzhe's ears.

Lu Yuanzhe glared angrily at his nephew. They had been in this together... and now he was washing his hands of it all!

He was just about to speak when he heard Wei Yan say, "All ministers may rise. Thus, the rumors surrounding Xuping these past days should now be clear to everyone."

The court officials stood up, and Lord Wang immediately retreated into the ranks.

Wei Yan spoke, "Lu Yuanzhe, for slandering the royal family and deceiving the sovereign, the penalty according to the law is decapitation..."

Lu Yuanzhe's eyes widened, his entire body trembling, but he dared not make any further move.

"However, in light of his former status as a relative of the Empress, I cannot bear to cause the Empress sorrow. I will show special leniency. Lu Yuanzhe is exiled three thousand li. His sons, grandsons, and descendants are forbidden from serving as court officials. He Zenian is expelled from the capital, never to set foot in Bianjing again."

The courtiers dared not utter another word, all proclaiming the Emperor's wisdom. The Imperial Guard stepped forward and dragged out the pleading incessantly Lu Yuanzhe and He Zenian.

"Lord Wang, for acting on hearsay, failing to distinguish right from wrong, and slandering the Empress, you are demoted."

The Empress Dowager was under house arrest, Chen Yiqing was imprisoned, and the hidden factions of the two in the court had long been chafing at the bit. Today in court, to some extent, some had revealed themselves.

After today's court session, the Imperial Guard would investigate each one, striving to eliminate those with disloyal intentions.

"Furthermore, I have vaguely heard some rumors about Xuping causing the late Emperor's death. Do my ministers still require me to explain this to you all?" Wei Yan pressed coldly.

At this moment, declaring openly that the late Emperor was harmed by Chen Yiqing would be ideal. It would both severely punish Chen Yiqing and completely suppress the rumors.

However... Chen Yiqing is the clan uncle of Consort Chen. If it were explicitly stated that Chen Yiqing poisoned the Emperor, no one would think he colluded with the Empress Dowager. Instead, people would suspect he did it to pave the way for the Third Prince, thus implicating Consort Chen and the Third Prince in trouble.

Therefore, to completely eliminate the rumors, one could only employ the same method as the Empress Dowager—using superstition to counter superstition.

The leading Lord Wang had already been dealt with, and his faction, harboring ill intentions, naturally understood the principle of self-preservation. None dared to step forward and speak further, fearing implication. They knelt along with the other courtiers, only saying phrases like "We dare not" and "Your Majesty, forgive us."

But Wei Yan was relentless. "Summon the State Preceptor."

The State Preceptor had also been waiting outside the hall and entered shortly after the command.

The State Preceptor had always lived in seclusion, rarely appearing in court. This was also Lu Jiming's first time seeing him.

The State Preceptor looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, dressed as a Daoist priest. As the late Emperor had permitted him not to kneel before the sovereign, upon entering the hall, he only performed a Daoist salute to Wei Yan.

"State Preceptor, tell me, was the late Emperor's death caused by Xuping?" Wei Yan asked.

The State Preceptor seemed to have rehearsed his lines with him beforehand, responding in tandem, "Your Majesty jests. When selecting the Crown Princess for His Highness, this humble priest specifically calculated. The Crown Princess's destiny is of supreme nobility, capable of ensuring the Great Qi's prosperity for generations.

"Moreover, the late Emperor had been ill for many years, confined to his sickbed long before the Crown Princess entered the palace. After the Crown Princess entered the palace and attended to him, his condition actually improved significantly. There is no basis for the claim that she harmed the late Emperor. It is likely nothing but baseless talk."

"The State Preceptor is a reclusive master personally invited into the palace by the late Emperor and had no prior connection with Xuping." Anger tinged Wei Yan's words. "To claim Xuping colluded with the State Preceptor is both an insult to Xuping and a slander against the State Preceptor's character!"

The courtiers fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

Wei Yan declared loudly, "Thus, the recent rumors have been clarified by me personally for you all. If any minister still has objections, you may raise them now. After court is dismissed today, if I hear any further rumors about Xuping, my ministers, do not blame me for disregarding the bond between monarch and ministers!"

Seeing that no one else spoke, Wei Yan said, "In that case, the enthronement ceremony on the second day of the new year will proceed as scheduled. If my ministers have no further business, court is dismissed."

The courtiers took their leave, and Lu Jiming also bowed to Wei Yan before withdrawing. Having been reborn for nearly a year, although Lu Jiming only saw the State Preceptor's true appearance today, he had heard his name mentioned by Wei Yan many times, thus harboring many questions about him in his heart.

So, walking the same path today, Lu Jiming wanted to stop the State Preceptor and have a proper chat. However, he had just opened his mouth when he saw Eunuch Chen approaching.

Eunuch Chen: "Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to return."

Lu Jiming hesitated for a moment. The State Preceptor spoke first: "Your Highness, please go see His Majesty. This humble priest and Your Highness have not yet reached the destined moment for discussion. I shall not disturb further. On another day, when His Majesty actively brings Your Highness to the Mystic Pivot Institute, this humble priest will serve tea and converse with Your Highness in detail."

Hearing this, Lu Jiming could only return to the main hall with Eunuch Chen.

Wei Yan sat on the dragon throne and beckoned to Lu Jiming as he approached.

Lu Jiming ascended the steps and knelt on one knee before Wei Yan in front of the dragon throne.

"Your subject offers deepest gratitude for Your Majesty's defense before all officials."

"Sit here." Wei Yan disliked Lu Jiming being so formal and proper with him. Frowning, he patted the dragon throne.

Lu Jiming looked up: "I cannot."

Wei Yan stood up and, without another word, directly pulled Lu Jiming into his arms, pressing him down to sit together on the dragon throne.

To say he was sitting on the dragon throne was not quite accurate; Lu Jiming was actually sitting on Wei Yan. Lu Jiming panicked, trying to break free and leave, but Wei Yan held him tightly.

Finding his efforts futile, Lu Jiming thought he must find an opportunity to learn martial arts from Ning Jia. Otherwise, he would always be overpowered by Wei Yan, without even the strength to resist.

"Xuping, it is merely an ordinary chair," Wei Yan said.

Lu Jiming was not fooled: "This is the symbol of my clan's imperial power. How can it be an ordinary chair?" For the chance to sit on this chair, how many had shed rivers of blood? Even the closest kin could become bitter enemies.

"Xuping, you should understand my heart." Wei Yan's arm around Lu Jiming's waist tightened a bit more. "When you become Empress, this chair—where I have half, you shall have half."

Lu Jiming stared blankly at Wei Yan, unable to utter a single word.

He did not desire these things. His reason for staying by Wei Yan's side in this life was not for power or status.

Even if Wei Yan confined him to the rear palace like the Empress Dowager, even if in the future he had to compete for favor with imperial consorts, he would have no regrets.

He had already prepared himself to be buried in the rear palace for a lifetime.

But he never expected that Wei Yan would say such things to him... In his past life, why—why had he abandoned Wei Yan for that hollow reputation and those undeserving people?

A wave of sorrow, unlike anything he'd ever felt, washed over Lu Jiming—a sorrow beyond words.

He regretted it so much. Every choice he had made in his past life, he deeply regretted.

In his drive to be a worthy son of the Lu family, he had failed to be a good lover, a devoted official, a good father... Yet Wei Yan was still willing to forgive him, again and again.

What did I do to deserve this?

Lu Jiming’s tears fell once again. When he cried, he did not sob; he hardly made a sound at all. Only the teardrops rolled down, one after another, a heartbreaking sight.

Wei Yan turned and used his fingers to wipe Lu Jiming’s tears away.

“Stop crying. What’s there to cry about?” Wei Yan said. “I never noticed before that you were such a crybaby.”

“I’m not crying,” Lu Jiming replied, though his voice still held a slight nasal tone.

“Xuping, do you remember the first time we met?” Wei Yan asked.

“I remember,” Lu Jiming said. He would never forget—after the palace examination ended, he, along with the *zhuangyuan* and the *bangyan*, received their rewards and followed the eunuchs out of the palace.

“What were you thinking when you saw me?”

Guided by Wei Yan, Lu Jiming gradually emerged from his earlier sadness. Remembering the past, a smile unconsciously touched his lips. “I thought, what a young child, still so delicate, yet his every gesture already carried the bearing of a Crown Prince—truly remarkable. Only later did it dawn on me that this might be the sovereign I would serve for decades to come.”

“Is that all?” Wei Yan complained, dissatisfied. “You didn’t even think I was good-looking.”

Lu Jiming burst out laughing. “How old were you back then? You hadn’t even grown into your features, just a little kid. And we were all newly passed *jinshi*—who’d have the nerve to stare at the Crown Prince?”

Wei Yan seized Lu Jiming’s shoulders and turned him to face him. “Now I dare you—take a good look at your husband.”

Lu Jiming’s gaze settled on Wei Yan’s handsome face, and he still couldn’t hold back a smile.

Wei Yan smiled too, saying to Lu Jiming, “I was different from you. The first time I saw you, I thought, this person is truly beautiful. I must tell Father later to make this person my Crown Princess.”

Lu Jiming realized Wei Yan was talking nonsense again.

“Anyway, Father agreed in the end,” Wei Yan said, leaning bonelessly against Lu Jiming. “The coronation ceremony is almost here. Even if you wanted to run, you couldn’t escape now.”

Lu Jiming narrowed his eyes, thinking that if he were unwilling, there would always be a way to escape. That he was still here now was simply because he had nowhere else he wanted to go.

Volume One: Journey to the Underworld—End

Ten years of dust, a dream of Huzhou, yet we meet again as before. Eyes in accord, hearts aligned, though only a trace of spiritual resonance remains.—Wang Ji, “Gathering Mulberries”

-----------------------

Author’s Note: Volume Two jumps straight to the pregnancy—I can’t wait a moment longer.