Lu Ping’s expression shifted subtly.

Why had Prince Yan suddenly come to the Lu estate?

This act of condescending to lower himself — at such a sensitive juncture — far from inspiring any feeling of gratitude, instead gave off an air that was puzzling and unsettling.

Lu Hong spoke in a low voice, reminding him, “Second Uncle, since His Highness Prince Yan has gone to the trouble of calling in person, there must be something important. It would be best not to delay — please go and welcome His Highness inside.”

Lu Ping came to himself and gave a nod.

With Prince Yan arriving in person, every member of the Lu household, from top to bottom, had to join Lu Ping in going out to receive him.

“Your Highness has deigned to come in person — this humble official is both overwhelmed with gratitude and filled with trepidation.” Lu Ping bowed respectfully with clasped hands. Behind him, the members of the Lu household bowed in unison.

Prince Yan gave a slight pull at the corner of his lips, his voice remaining reasonably mild. “Bureau Chief Lu need not be so ceremonious. This Prince has also come on Imperial Father’s command.”

Lu Ping was struck speechless for a moment.

He was merely a Bureau Chief of the Ministry of War, a man who ordinarily did not even qualify to attend morning court sessions. Why had the Emperor suddenly thought of him?

Lu Ping bowed repeatedly, smiling in anxious deference. “This servant wonders what His Majesty’s oral decree may be?”

Prince Yan swept a glance over the assembled household, his gaze settling on the handsome young man standing behind Lu Ping. A flash of cold, dark severity passed through his eyes.

So this was Lu Hong!

If not for him, Princess Changping would never have lost her mind and murdered Prince Consort Xu, and she would never have ended up in her current situation. Now that Princess Changping was locked in Ciyun Convent, this man need not imagine that he could remain at ease and unbothered on the sidelines.

Prince Yan’s gaze resting on Lu Hong was far too deliberate to overlook.

Lu Ping’s heart sank. The sense that something was very wrong was growing stronger and stronger.

Lu Hong kept his head lowered, yet still felt Prince Yan’s gaze passing over his face like the edge of a blade, and was secretly alarmed.

He heard Prince Yan say at a leisurely pace, “In truth, it is nothing of great importance. Imperial Father has heard that the Lu Family’s eldest son is a man of unrivaled talent and remarkable charm, and has expressed a wish to meet him. He has sent this Prince personally to escort the eldest son of the Lu Family to the palace for an imperial audience.”

Lu Hong was speechless.

The assembled Lu household was speechless.

Those few short sentences struck everyone like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving them all dizzy and dazed.

How could the Emperor possibly have heard of Lu Hong’s name? The part about unrivaled talent was one thing — but those four characters of “remarkable charm” carried an unmistakable implication that was terrifying to contemplate!

Never mind Lu Hong himself — even the worldly and astute Lu Ping was so stunned by these words that he could not find his voice for a long while.

Prince Yan watched Lu Hong’s pale face with cold eyes, giving a quiet inward snort of cold amusement. With a smile that was not quite a smile, he said, “Eldest son of the Lu Family — come along with this Prince to the palace now. Imperial Father is waiting to see you.”

A summons from the Emperor was, of course, not something that could be refused.

Lu Hong steadied himself and clasped his hands. “I respectfully ask His Highness to permit me a moment to change into clean, fresh clothes and make myself presentable before going to the palace for the imperial audience.” It would be a perfect opportunity to use this moment to consult properly with his second uncle on a strategy.

Prince Yan had evidently seen straight through Lu Hong’s thoughts and said, with a trace of impatience, “You are not a woman — there is no need to wash and change. Get into the carriage now.”

His tone carried an imperious high-handedness that brooked no argument.

Lu Hong’s heart clenched, yet he dared not refuse to comply.

Lu Ping could only watch helplessly as Lu Hong followed Prince Yan into the carriage. With an unsettled mind, he gazed after the carriage as it set off.

When the carriage had vanished from sight, his expression grew grave, and he lowered his voice swiftly. “A’Qian, write a letter at once back to Jizhou and tell your father about this matter.”

A’Qian gave a sound of assent and was on the verge of turning to leave, but Lu Ping changed his mind. “No — this is too critical a matter. It would be better for me to write the letter myself. Come with me to the study.”

A’Qian followed behind Lu Ping into the study.

Lu Ping knitted his brows and spread open the writing paper. A’Qian stood silently at his side, grinding the ink, his heart a swirl of confusion.

Everything was different from his previous life!

The Empress and Princess Changping had both fallen from their positions in turn, leaving only Prince Yan struggling to hold on alone. Prince Yan’s prospects of seizing the position of Crown Prince were growing ever more remote.

If Prince Yan could not claim that dragon throne, what fate awaited the Lu Family, who had bound their fortunes to his? What destiny awaited Lu Hong, who had just been summoned to the palace? And what of Ling Jingshu — formerly a female official serving the Empress, now trapped within the palace — was there still any chance of her leaving? What exactly could he do?

Questions upon questions pressed down upon his heart like weights, making it hard to breathe.

Lu Ping’s mind was consumed with his own concerns and he took no notice at all of A’Qian’s distressed state, quickly writing out the letter and dispatching a man on horseback to ride day and night without stopping to deliver it to Jizhou.

Lu Hong had indulged in fantasy many times, imagining the scene of attending a palace audience.

In every one of those fantasies, without exception, he had first passed the metropolitan examination, then dazzled in the palace examination, winning the Emperor’s favor. From that point on, a swift and glorious rise to prominence awaited him.

He had never imagined that it would be under circumstances as mortifying as these that the Emperor would summon him to the palace.

Throughout the journey, Prince Yan kept his eyes closed in feigned rest, and whether deliberately or not, did not exchange so much as a single additional word with him from beginning to end.

Lu Hong sat in silence inside the carriage, his thoughts in turbulence.

After passing through the palace gates, he followed behind Prince Yan into Zichen Hall. Once Prince Yan entered the hall, Lu Hong stood alone beneath the eave of the corridor and waited for more than a full hour. By the time his legs had gone numb and aching from standing, the Emperor’s summons finally came.

The interior of Zichen Hall was permeated throughout with the smell of medicine, mingled with sandalwood incense, forming a scent that was neither pleasant nor comfortable, and which was rather stifling.

The Emperor was not wearing his dragon robes — he wore only everyday attire, half-reclining and half-sitting upon the dragon throne.

Lu Hong dared not lift his head, and knelt to perform the full formal salutation. “Student Lu Hong presents himself before His Majesty the Emperor.”

He held the title of Recommended Scholar, so calling himself “student” was fitting enough.

The Emperor made no reply. His sharp gaze came to rest fixedly upon him.

Lu Hong dared not rise, maintaining his kneeling posture, while a cold sweat gradually seeped down his back. He had been uneasy and apprehensive all along the way, his heart in a state of tumult — and now, at last, that premonition of wrongness had been confirmed.

The Emperor’s intentions were evidently far from benign.

The matter between him and Princess Changping — fanned by parties with vested interests who had spread it far and wide — had long since circulated throughout the capital. The Emperor must certainly have gotten wind of it, and that was why he had summoned him to the palace to be questioned.

Today, he did not know whether he would still be able to walk out of Zichen Hall alive.

After an indeterminate time had passed, the Emperor at last asked in an even, flat tone, “You are Lu Hong?”

Lu Hong straightened himself from his kneeling position and replied respectfully in the affirmative.

“Raise your head. Let Us have a look at you.” The Emperor’s voice betrayed nothing of his mood, and yet carried a stately authority that was deeply unsettling.

Lu Hong had no choice but to raise his head.

He finally saw the Emperor’s face clearly.

The Emperor was old and frail, his complexion a sickly pallor, his forehead and the corners of his eyes etched deep with wrinkles — in appearance not particularly different from other aged men. Yet those eyes, narrowed into a slight squint, were strikingly keen and penetrating.

The Emperor studied him for a few moments, then smiled with an indecipherable expression and said slowly, “You are indeed handsome and refined, and your bearing is distinguished. Changping’s eye for men is not without merit.”

Lu Hong’s color drained from his face.

It was indeed because of Princess Changping.

In the presence of an Emperor who knew everything, Lu Hong found no will whatsoever to offer any defense. He silently swallowed that portion of humiliation and replied in a low voice, “This student’s thoughts are base and ignoble. I dare not deserve His Majesty’s praise, nor am I worthy of the Princess’s favor.”