“Brother Shiji, your marriage hasn’t even been decided yet, but the Duchess is already stepping in and openly hinting outside that Shen Lichu will be the future Crown Prince’s consort. She must have been planning this for a long time. Brother Shiji, you need to be careful. Don’t let them scheme against you!”
Song Qinghe spoke anxiously, then noticed Lu Shiji’s expression growing darker and darker, to the point that it scared her.
Song Qinghe’s face stiffened slightly, and her voice slowly weakened. “Brother Shiji…”
Lu Shiji finally spoke, but his voice was cold and completely without warmth. “You don’t need to worry about my matters.”
Song Qinghe froze for a moment, her throat feeling like it was blocked.
Lu Shiji simply lifted his foot and walked past her.
Song Qinghe was still standing there, frozen, her face turning pale.
They had grown up together. In this dangerous Duke’s residence, they had always been the closest people to each other.
This was the first time he had spoken to her in such a cold, firm way, telling her not to interfere in his affairs.
“Miss, the Crown Prince probably has his own plans,” Huashan whispered softly to comfort her.
Tears rolled down Song Qinghe’s face. “Does Brother Shiji think I’m being troublesome?”
“How could that be? To the Crown Prince, right now in this world, Miss is the most important person.”
Song Qinghe tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her hand. But why was it that no matter how hard she tried to hold onto him, she could never truly catch him?
How could he not understand her feelings?
“Young master, the master asked you to go in quickly. Prince Ning has already arrived,” the servant hurried over to report.
His father brought him here to congratulate Prince Ning on his promotion, so naturally they couldn’t delay important matters.
Zhang Rongyu originally wanted to chat a bit longer, but after hearing this, he could only nod. “I’ll go now.”
Zhang Rong looked at Lichu. “Then we’ll meet another day.”
Lichu nodded. “Okay!”
Zhang Rongyu’s gaze brushed over Lichu, and he curled his lips into a small smile before turning and leaving.
Lichu said to Zhang Jingshu, “Brother Rongyu is still as gentle as before.”
When they were young, Lichu and Zhang Jingshu often caused trouble. Most of the time, it was Zhang Rongyu who helped cover for them in front of their parents, helping them escape punishment many times.
Zhang Rongyu was only four years older than Lichu, but since he was young, he had always been mature and reliable, like a little adult. The elders had always trusted him.
“My brother has always been like that,” Zhang Jingshu said, sounding a little proud. “Back in Youzhou, my brother’s talent and reputation are widely known. If he were in Yanjing, he might not be any worse than Prince Ning.”
Zhang Jingshu excitedly continued, “I heard from my parents that when we were little, the families even thought about arranging a childhood engagement between you two. But our family moved to Youzhou at that time, so it never happened. Hey, Chuchu, if you really can’t win Prince Ning’s heart, how about I help you win my brother instead? My brother is very easy to talk to!”
Lichu seriously thought about it for a moment. She remembered her cousin’s almost immortal-like presence, his refined and noble handsome face, then shook her head without hesitation.
“My cousin is still better.”
Zhang Jingshu pinched her cheek. “Yes, yes, in heaven and on earth, your cousin must be the best. Then you better work harder, or another woman might take advantage of the chance.”
Lichu lifted her chin, already confident in her heart. “Just wait and see!”
Qingsong quickly moved through the noisy crowd in the flower hall, hurried to Lu Shiji’s side, and lowered his voice to report.
“This time in the capital, the case involving the rebel faction has implicated many officials. After their properties were confiscated and their families wiped out, several important court positions were left empty. So His Majesty promoted a few officials from the provinces. Governor Zhang of Youzhou is one of them. He only brought his whole family back to the capital the day before yesterday. Lord Zhang is now the Vice Minister of Rites.”
Lu Shiji sat calmly in the grand chair, his fingers lightly rubbing the teacup on the small table beside him. But deep in his eyes, a faint trace of hostility quietly stirred.
Zhang Tangshan being promoted and transferred back to the capital… he had almost forgotten about that.
The Dingzhou rebel case had involved many court officials. After the purge, many positions gradually became vacant.
In his previous life, the Zhang family only returned to the capital half a year later, because Vice Minister of Rites Wang Shan was only exposed and dealt with half a year later as well.
But in this life, the investigation moved faster. Wang Shan had already been dealt with, so naturally the Zhang family returned early to fill the position.
Right now, Zhang Rongyu had already appeared in Yanjing.
Lu Shiji’s gaze slowly darkened. The veins on the fingers pressing against the teacup faintly showed, before he forced himself to relax and let go.
Cold sweat was already running down Qingsong’s back. He carefully asked, “Your Highness, do you have any orders?”
Lu Shiji spoke calmly. “No need. You may leave.”
The calmer his expression became, the more frightened Qingsong felt, like a storm was about to arrive.
Qingsong didn’t dare ask more. He immediately lowered his head. “Yes.”
Then he withdrew.
At that moment, two people stepped forward and cupped their hands in greeting. “Congratulations, Duke. Congratulations to Prince Ning on your promotion.”
The Duke of Ning was in an excellent mood today. Almost every noble family in the capital had practically worn down the Duke’s residence gates, coming one by one to offer congratulations. Such glory naturally pleased him.
“I haven’t yet congratulated Vice Minister Zhang on your promotion,” the Duke of Ning said politely.
Vice Minister Zhang quickly waved his hands. “I only have today because of Prince Ning. By thoroughly investigating the rebel case and removing the traitors within the court, I was given this opportunity.”
The Duke of Ning raised his hand. “Ah, that was part of Shiji’s duty to begin with.”
Lu Shiji lifted his eyes and calmly glanced over Vice Minister Zhang and Zhang Rongyu. His voice was steady. “Lord Zhang is too polite.”
Vice Minister Zhang seemed to notice Lu Shiji looking at Zhang Rongyu and quickly introduced him. “This is my son, Zhang Rongyu. He deeply admires Prince Ning.”
Zhang Rongyu cupped his hands. “The Dingzhou rebels were arrogant for a long time. Thankfully, Your Highness suppressed and eliminated them, restoring peace and stability to the people of Dingzhou.”
Lu Shiji looked at the sincerity in his eyes, but in his ears, Shen Lichu’s mocking voice seemed to echo.
“He is upright and honorable, full of sincerity and good intentions. How could he possibly compare to the Duke, who holds overwhelming power and uses ruthless methods?”
Then suddenly, he heard her crying, pleading voice again.
She was kneeling on the ground, both hands clutching the hem of his robe. When she looked up, her face was already covered in tears. “I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again. I’m begging you, I’m begging you, please let him go.”
The tears all over her face were unbearably glaring.
What was Zhang Rongyu worth? How was he worthy of her kneeling and begging like this?
He bent down. Her trembling eyelashes fluttered in fear, but those tear-filled eyes were looking toward the man lying in a pool of blood beside them.
Her voice shook. “I begged him… begged him to take me away. It was my fault. You can punish me however you want. I’m begging you, please let him go…”
He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing across her cheek, wiping away those unbearable tears.
Her body trembled slightly. She instinctively wanted to dodge, but she still obediently let him wipe her tears.
But her obedience at that moment only made him more furious.
He was still bent over, his fingers slowly brushing across her thin, delicate face. His voice was calm, almost without any warmth. “Ali, if you want to kneel, go back and kneel on the bed.”