Cheng Lang stood frozen, unable to snap out of his daze. He gazed at her tired profile as she reclined on the chair, recalling her earlier pleading murmurs.
A subordinate beside him asked, “Lord Cheng… shouldn’t we inform the Governor about this?”
“Silence!” Cheng Lang coldly commanded. “Not a word of this to anyone!”
If Lu Jiaxue found out, he would surely terminate the pregnancy. With his return date uncertain, it was best to keep this secret. Once past the critical first trimester, the child would have to be kept. Given Yining’s personality, Cheng Lang couldn’t imagine her reaction if harm came to her child.
He couldn’t bear to see her suffer such grief.
The subordinate, unsure why Cheng Lang was suddenly angry, fell silent. Cheng Lang took a deep breath and asked the physician, “How is her health?” He worried the journey had affected her condition.
Puzzled by Cheng Lang’s displeasure but not daring to inquire further, the physician replied, “The honored lady’s pregnancy appears stable. Her pulse is strong, with no major concerns.”
“Good. Prescribe some herbs to safeguard the pregnancy. Not a word about today’s events,” Cheng Lang instructed, fixing the physician with a stern look.
After the physician’s acknowledgment, Cheng Lang entered the room where two young maids were tending the fire. He sat beside Yining, deciding not to tell her about the pregnancy. If she knew, she might inadvertently reveal it. It was better to keep it secret for now. In her previous life, she had no children and always regretted it, treating him like her own son.
Now she would have her child and become a mother.
Cheng Lang gently took her hand, daring to do so only in Lu Jiaxue’s absence. He lowered his head, resting against her outer garment.
This unexpected contact startled Yining awake. Seeing the black-haired head before her, she quickly sat up.
Cheng Lang released her hand and asked, “Are you hungry? I’ve had the maids prepare chicken soup with codonopsis and some steamed glutinous rice.”
Luo Yining stopped him, wanting to speak frankly. “Cheng Lang, even if you don’t release me, I’ll keep trying to escape. You know this. You caught me this time, but you might not next time. No matter how many precautions you take, I’ll eventually succeed.”
After a moment of silence, Cheng Lang replied, “Rest for now.” He beckoned to a servant, “Take good care of the lady. Anyone who neglects their duty will suffer the same punishment of kneeling on ice.”
The two maids who had been attending Yining were punished so severely that their knees were bleeding, possibly crippling them for life. Everyone in the room was too frightened to speak.
Luo Yining leaned back in her chair and said flatly, “I’m hungry. Serve the food.” She needed strength to escape from these two madmen. She had to eat well before planning her next move!
Meanwhile, in the capital, Xu Shi brought hot water for Wei Ling’s foot bath.
Wei Ling had heard about Lu Jiaxue marrying Miss Luo. After the initial shock, he was filled with anger. For days, he had waited for a chance to confront Lu Jiaxue at the palace. Finally seeing Lu Jiaxue’s sedan chair leave the palace gate, he prepared to visit the Lu residence for answers. “I won’t soak my feet now. Go to bed; don’t wait up for me,” Wei Ling told Xu Shi as he put on his outer robe.
Xu Shi, still new to managing household affairs, was fortunate to have an amiable mother-in-law and no concubines to deal with. She asked, “My lord, it’s past curfew. Where are you going? Wait, take the fox fur cloak!”
But Wei Ling had already left the room.
His carriage stopped in front of the Lu residence, just ahead of Lu Jiaxue’s. Wei Ling watched Lu Jiaxue dismount, clenching his fist.
Lu Jiaxue noticed him too.
Wei Ling approached Lu Jiaxue and threw a punch at his face. Caught off guard, Lu Jiaxue barely managed to step back, avoiding serious injury. His eyes turned cold.
Wei Ling’s hand trembled with rage. “Where is my girl? Where is she? Bring her out!”
“Your girl naturally married Luo Shen Yuan. Why are you asking me?” Lu Jiaxue said slowly, wiping his mouth.
Wei Ling retorted, “No wonder… I always thought the way you looked at her was inappropriate. You bastard, she’s your adopted daughter, listed in your family records! She’s already married, yet you did this. If I don’t teach you a lesson, I’m unworthy of being her father!”
Lu Jiaxue laughed. How absurd that he had adopted Luo Yining as his daughter, only to hand her over to another man.
Ignoring Wei Ling, he brushed past him, saying, “I’ll overlook your insubordination this time. Be careful; next time, I won’t be so lenient.”
Wei Ling clenched his fists as the cold wind hit his face. The gates of the Ning Yuan Marquis’s mansion closed behind Lu Jiaxue.
Inside, someone approached Lu Jiaxue. “Governor, shall we depart for Datong immediately?”
“Yes, leave at once,” Lu Jiaxue replied, walking towards the main hall. The man followed, hesitantly adding, “Sir, that person is eager to see you… Should we arrange a meeting?”
Lu Jiaxue stopped, eventually asking, “Where is she now?”
Late into the night, the tavern was nearly empty, with few patrons warming their wine. The owner hadn’t closed yet. Steam rose from the boiling pot, and flickering candlelight cast shadows of the dozing young waiter and the candelabra on the table.
The sound of weapons clinking approached as two columns of guards quickly surrounded the area. The startled waiter was motioned to silence by an attendant as a carriage arrived. A tall figure alighted and entered the tavern, leaving the waiter wide-eyed with shock.
Wasn’t that… the Marquis of Ning Yuan?
Inside a private room, someone knelt at a table with several attendants standing behind. The table held steaming wine and sliced beef in a reddish-brown sauce.
The cloaked figure’s face was hidden until the doors closed. Removing the cloak, she spoke softly, “Lord Governor.”
Her exquisite beauty, combined with a regal air, revealed her to be none other than the Empress.
“My lord, you always arrive with such fanfare. Are you afraid I might scheme against you?” the Empress said with a smile.
“Your Majesty’s actions leave me no choice but to be cautious,” Lu Jiaxue replied as he sat down, exuding an intimidating aura. He bore no resemblance to his brother Lu Jiayan, who was a gentle person, even when plotting against others.
“This late-night meeting is out of necessity,” the Empress said. “I simply wanted to ask if you truly dislike my third son. Without your support, his future is uncertain.”
Indeed, it was more than uncertain. The third prince wasn’t her biological child, and his birth mother was of low status. Moreover, the Emperor didn’t favor him. If not for some old ministers insisting on legitimate succession, the Empress would be powerless. Even then, this legitimate heir’s claim was tenuous. She lacked the strength to contend with that vile Consort Dong.
Consort Dong had been insufferable since entering the palace. Zhou Shi, the Empress, had endured for so long; how could she let that woman walk all over her? If Consort Dong’s eldest son became Crown Prince, there would be no hope for her to regain power.
“This matter is for the cabinet ministers and His Majesty to decide. As a military official, it’s not my place to comment,” Lu Jiaxue said, leaning back. This was an evasion; seeing the Empress and the third prince’s fortunes waning, he was reluctant to get involved. Moreover, after Xu Wei’s downfall, there were even fewer central supporters for the third prince. Wang Yuan, that old fox, never took sides on such sensitive issues, so Lu Jiaxue saw no point in speaking up.
The Empress clenched her hand. Lu Jiaxue was indeed a cunning old fox! They had an agreement before, but these court players were never simple. Without something truly tempting, Lu Jiaxue wouldn’t agree to help. But he lacked for nothing – power, wealth, or women. She couldn’t think of anything that would move him.
Looking at Lu Jiaxue, she said softly, “If Lord Lu is willing to help me, I’ll certainly repay your kindness.”
Lu Jiaxue smirked. “Your Majesty, I’m not sure how to respond to such an offer.”
The Empress’s implication was ambiguous. How did she intend to repay him?
Seeing his mocking smile, the Empress knew he was secretly laughing at her. She turned to look at the winter plum blossoms in a vase. “I know Lord Lu has been searching for years for the true culprit behind your wife’s murder.”
Lu Jiaxue’s smile slowly faded.
“If you help me, I’m willing to tell you who the real killer was and reveal the truth behind that incident,” the Empress said, turning back to Lu Jiaxue. Seeing his usually impassive demeanor falter, she relaxed a bit, knowing she had found his weakness.
“Others don’t know you once had a wife. They think you’re heartless. But few realize you loved her so deeply that you can’t even bear to mention her. After years of fruitless searching, I can now tell you the truth. But I have a condition. Lord Lu must leave an important token with me as insurance. It’s for my protection. The choice is yours.”
Someone behind her seemed about to remind the Empress of something, but she kept her eyes fixed on Lu Jiaxue.
“How does Your Majesty know about the incident at the Marquis’s mansion?” Lu Jiaxue asked. “Why should I trust you?”
“Lord Lu doesn’t have to believe me. But if I didn’t know some truth, I wouldn’t dare negotiate with you,” the Empress continued.
After a moment of silence, Lu Jiaxue suddenly unfastened a jade pendant from his waist and tossed it onto the table in front of the Empress with a soft clink.
“Speak,” he said, his two words light but laden with gravity.
The priceless jade pendant landing before the Empress carried the weight of a thousand catties.
The Empress dismissed everyone else from the room. The night was deep. She knew she had to reveal something valuable, worth Lu Jiaxue’s jade pendant. Holding it was like having Lu Jiaxue’s guarantee. If she failed to deliver, Lu Jiaxue might truly kill her.
He would show no mercy.
The Empress clutched the cold jade and began, “Years ago… Lu Jiayan and I had an affair. I was already the Crown Princess when we met. He was the heir to the Ning Yuan Marquis, devastatingly handsome and powerful. Few women could resist his charm and grace.”
Palace secrets and scandalous affairs were all too common. Lu Jiaxue had heard rumors of the Empress’s indiscretions, though they were rarely spoken of. He could guess that she likely had a relationship with Lu Jiayan, and it wasn’t a simple one – men and women usually had only one thing between them.
“As Lord Lu might have guessed, I won’t go into details,” the Empress continued, slowing her pace. “Once, your wife even caught me at the Lu residence, though she didn’t recognize me then.”
Lu Jiaxue continued to watch her.
“Lu Jiayan was a peculiar man. He had an irresistible charm over women, which contrasted strongly with his demeanor and status. With Xie Min’s presence, he appeared abstinent outwardly but acted without restraint in secret. Isn’t that alluring? I was very fond of him then, but later I discovered… he was also secretly involved with another woman.” The Empress suddenly smiled. “Can you guess who? It was his second brother’s wife, your second sister-in-law.”
“Amusing, isn’t it? Yet no one knew, and he continued to play the role of the modest heir, Lu Jiayan.”
The Empress’s expression seemed distant. “Even after discovering this, I couldn’t bear to cut ties with him. He was just so… impossible to leave. But part of his personality enjoyed liaising with other men’s wives. Your wife was also unique, unlike us. Her kindness was too simple, and she was always gentle. Do you know from whose mouth I heard these words?”
“It was Lu Jiayan himself,” the Empress’s smile deepened. “He said these things personally. His feelings towards your wife were more complex, unlike any other woman he’d been with. Although Xie Min was dignified and your second sister-in-law was charming, these weren’t enough. Your wife, even after marrying you, still maintained that pure, girlish innocence. I know what he was thinking.”
Her eyes changed, though her tone remained calm: “You were the bullied bastard son, someone he didn’t even consider. Yet your wife was like a little white rabbit, weak and naive, just out of his reach, tempting him. He wanted to possess her forcefully, to pin her down and tear off her layers of clothing, to hear her scream… He might have even wanted to claim your wife entirely. During that time, Lu Jiayan’s interest in your wife grew increasingly intense, almost uncontrollable. I had never seen him desire a woman so desperately. So he was starting to secretly plot against your wife, luring her step by step into his trap… But your second sister-in-law became jealous.”
“She was the one who killed her.”
The Empress concluded: “I know it was her. That maid had been bought by your second sister-in-law long before. Your second sister-in-law was also an extraordinary person, managing to carry on with Lu Jiayan for years without anyone noticing. Quite formidable. Falling from the cliff left no chance of survival. The maid was later beaten to death without uttering a word.”
Lu Jiaxue closed his eyes, his fingers trembling with anger. He had suspected Xie Min or Lu Jiayan, which was why he hadn’t spared either of them. After gaining power, he killed Lu Jiayan and imprisoned Xie Min. But his second sister-in-law, a mere woman, was too easy to overlook. If not for someone who knew about this secret affair, no one would have thought it could be her. It was her!
At the same time, he gradually calmed down, realizing this was just the Empress’s side of the story. His second sister-in-law had died shortly after Lu Jiayan’s death, leaving the Empress as the only living witness. Regardless, it was all based on her word alone.