“My parents are both from Chang’an,” Lu Jing said.
Meng Shuhe looked up at him. “Your parents are actually from Chang’an? Then why did you tell me over a month ago that you came to Chang’an for the imperial examinations, were robbed of your money, and had nowhere to go? Lu Jing, you actually lied to me!”
Her eyes were filled with the hurt of being deceived by him. “In that case, there is no need to write back to Jiangnan to discuss our marriage with my parents. I will not marry a liar.”
Lu Jing said softly, “Could it be that you haven’t lied to me as well?”
Meng Shuhe met his phoenix-like eyes. “When have I ever lied to you?”
Lu Jing leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Are your parents truly in Jiangnan?”
Meng Shuhe took two steps back. Looking at his scrutinizing gaze, she couldn’t help but recall what the cub had said about the Anwei.
Did Lu Jing truly already know her identity as the daughter of Marquis Pingyuan?
Lu Jing continued to explain gently, “The part about coming to Chang’an for the exams wasn’t an intentional lie. I just wanted to stay at the manor to spend more time with you. Don’t mind it.”
He reached out to touch her hair, which was messy from her nap. “The day after tomorrow, my sister is hosting a poetry gathering at her residence. I’ll take you to meet my sister and my mother first.”
“Your sister?” Meng Shuhe asked.
“Yes,” Lu Jing replied. “There are four siblings in my family. My elder half-brother is six years older than me, my elder sister is five years older, and I have a younger brother from the same mother who is two years younger. The day after tomorrow is the third day of the third lunar month. My sister is hosting a Shangsi Jie poetry gathering at her villa. It’s the perfect time to introduce you.”
Meng Shuhe looked at him. “Can I choose not to go?”
“You’ve taken my innocence,” Lu Jing said. “You have to take responsibility and give me a status. Come with me to see my mother and sister to finalize our marriage.”
Meng Shuhe took a deep breath. Weren’t those words backwards?
For a moment, she doubted again whether he really was the Crown Prince. If he were the noble heir to the Donggong, why would he need her to give him a “status”?
“It’s time for dinner,” Lu Jing added. “I saw you didn’t eat much at lunch. Eat more later.”
Meng Shuhe was indeed hungry. She asked the maid for warm water, freshened up, fixed her hair, and went to the dining hall with Lu Jing.
The meal was lavish. She decided to take things as they came; for now, filling her stomach was more important.
As for Lu Jing wanting to marry her—there was a distinction between ruler and subject. He was the heir apparent; it wasn’t as if she could just run away. Even if she fled to Jiangnan, he knew where she lived there. Even if she fled to a place where she knew no one, she couldn’t abandon her adoptive parents in Jiangnan.
She would take it one step at a time.
After dinner, seeing Lu Jing returning to the room with her, she looked up. “Lord Lu, it’s late. You should return to your own room.”
“It’s still early for sleep,” he said. “How about a game of chess?”
Meng Shuhe let out a yawn. “I’m tired. Let’s play tomorrow.”
With that, she shut the door tight, locking Lu Jing outside.
Lying on the bed, she heard the voice of the cub in her womb. “Mother, you really can’t marry Lu Jing!”
She sighed. “Alas, whether I marry him or not isn’t up to me. He is the Crown Prince of the Donggong. If he insists on marrying me as the Taizifei to appease the Emperor and protect the one he truly loves, and obtains an imperial decree, could I even defy it?”
Lu Xiu said, “Mother, how about we run away to Jiangnan tonight? Before Imperial Grandfather issues the decree.”
“I can’t escape,” she whispered. “Lu Jing knows where I live in Jiangnan. And didn’t you say he likely planted Anwei around me? How could I leave Chang’an under their watchful eyes?”
Lu Xiu was puzzled. “How would Lu Jing know your address in Jiangnan? Did you two know each other before?”
“Yes. We met long ago in Jiangnan. We studied together at Wanhe Shuyuan. I suppose I was his Shijie.”
“I never knew this!” Lu Xiu took a sharp breath. “If Imperial Grandfather issues a decree, will you really marry him? Lu Jing is truly not a good man.”
“Xiao Xiu, I have no say in marrying the Crown Prince, but I don’t think the Emperor would agree to a woman who has been married before becoming the Taizifei. You said before that I only rose because of you, which is why the Emperor had us marry. In this life, as long as I keep your existence a secret, the Emperor and Empress might not agree to let a woman like me be the Taizifei. We’ll take it as it comes; the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge.”
Lu Xiu sighed. “I really don’t want Lu Jing to be my father.”
“Was he very bad to you?” She felt a pang of sympathy.
Lu Xiu nodded. “Yes, he wasn’t good to me at all. He didn’t like you, so he hated me by association.”
She stroked her belly gently. “It’s alright. We won’t like him either.”
Pingyuan Houfu.
On the day of her return visit, Meng Ruoli stayed until after dinner, reluctantly saying goodbye to Old Madame Pingyuan Hou in Songhe Yuan.
The Old Madame took Ruoli’s hand. “Ruoli, at the Zhenguogong Fu, you must serve your parents-in-law well and support your husband.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
The Old Madame continued, “Did Jiayu Gongzhu give you an invitation to the Shangsi Jie poetry gathering on the third of March?”
“She did,” Ruoli replied.
“I heard the Princess is hosting this gathering for the Crown Prince’s selection,” the Old Madame said. “Your cousin Yunlan has already turned fifteen. Unfortunately, your second uncle’s rank is a bit low, so she didn’t receive an invitation. When you go to the gathering the day after tomorrow, could you take Yunlan with you?”
Ruoli looked slightly hesitant. “Grandmother, taking Sister Yunlan is fine, of course. However, Jiayu’s husband’s biological sister, Shen Xi, also received an invitation. She is the legitimate daughter of the Zhenguogong Fu. In terms of the selection, I’m afraid Yunlan might not compare to Shen Xi in any aspect.”
The Old Madame chuckled. “I never expected her to become the Taizifei. Our Meng family daughters don’t seek such grand fortune. It would be excellent if she were selected as a Liangdi or Liangyuan. As for your sister-in-law Shen Xi, if she has the fortune to become the Taizifei, wouldn’t it be better to have a Liangyuan in the Crown Prince’s harem to support her?”
Ruoli smiled thinly. “Very well, Grandmother. On the third, before I go to the gathering, I’ll come to the Houfu to pick up Sister Yunlan. Make sure she dresses up beautifully.”
If Meng Yunlan were actually chosen as a Liangdi, she would owe Ruoli a favor.
For the past few years, Meng Yunlan and Meng Shuhe hadn’t gotten along. Their grudge had formed long ago because Meng Yunlan shared the same name as Shuhe’s maid, Lan’er.
It could be said that Yunlan detested Shuhe. If she really became a Liangdi…
Shuhe had been so arrogant as to offend a potential Liangdi; she would likely have to spend the rest of her life hiding miserably at that rural manor.
However arrogant Shuhe was now, she would cry just as bitterly in the future.
A girl from the countryside was ultimately unrefined and lacked etiquette, thinking herself special just because she was the true legitimate daughter of a Marquis’s house. Little did she know, she had already thoroughly offended every person of status around her.