Lu Tong was slightly surprised to see Murong Jie and asked, "Sixth Prince? Why are you here?"
He had just returned from outside and didn't know about the absurd things his son had done. Lu Yunqi replied perfunctorily, "I invited the Sixth Prince to our home as a guest, and today I'm bringing him along to the palace banquet. That's enough, Father—don't worry about it. Let's get going!"
With that, he grabbed Murong Jie's arm and pulled him onto the carriage.
Lu Tong and Lu An boarded another carriage. As soon as he climbed in, Lu Tong asked, "What's going on with Qi'er? Didn't he used to hate the Sixth Prince the most?"
Lu An hadn't been to the palace these past two days, but he had heard some rumors. He pressed his lips together and said, "Little brother is still young. He might be curious about certain things. He's interested in the Sixth Prince for now, but he should get bored after a while…"
Lu An knew this couldn't be hidden, and Lu Yunqi clearly had no intention of hiding it either.
Better for Lu Tong to hear it from him directly than from someone else's mouth—that way he could also offer some words of persuasion on the side.
Sure enough, Lu Tong said angrily, "Nonsense! Even if the Sixth Prince isn't favored, he's still an imperial prince. Isn't he afraid of offending the imperial family and having that old emperor punish him?"
Lu An said, "Godfather, you worry too much. The emperor is as spineless as they come—he wouldn't dare punish my little brother. Besides, he relies on you for everything right now. How could he possibly offend our Nine Thousand Years Estate over such a trivial matter? If you ask me, Godfather, you're simply too loyal to the Murong family. In my view, we should just overthrow that old emperor! When the time comes, we'll support little brother onto the throne, and the imperial seat will belong to the Lu family."
Lu Tong stopped him: "No. The late emperor showed me kindness. I promised him I would assist the Murong family for twenty years. Nine of those years have passed—ten in total. In one more year, I can retire with my mission accomplished."
Lu An understood. One year from now would be the death knell of the Murong imperial house!
The useless didn't deserve the throne. And don't think he didn't know—the old emperor was deathly afraid of his godfather. There was no telling when he might kick aside the donkey once it had done its work.
The Murong family had always been like this: granting heavy power when needed, and executing the entire household when no longer useful.
The carriage rattled along through Jiazi Avenue all the way to the imperial palace. The palace guards at the gate didn't even stop them—they simply let the carriage through.
As dusk fell, the palace was lit up with lanterns and decorations. Palace attendants bustled back and forth, the great hall was filled with delicacies, palace music played melodiously, dancers twirled gracefully, and maidservants stood at attention on both sides. Even the princes were standing outside the hall to welcome the immensely powerful Nine Thousand Years.
Lu Tong descended from the carriage with Lu An's support. The two waited a moment for Lu Yunqi and Murong Jie, then walked together toward the hall.
As soon as they stepped inside, all the palace maids and eunuchs bowed to Lu Tong, and the princes also inclined their bodies in greeting.
Lu Tong didn't even blink. He led his son straight into Qianyuan Hall, clasped his fists toward the emperor, and said in a booming voice, "This old minister pays his respects to Your Majesty."
The old emperor's face crinkled into a smile, and he quickly waved his hand: "Ziqiong, come, have a seat! You've worked hard these days—what a great victory you've won! I've specially prepared this banquet today to welcome you back and celebrate your nineteenth triumph."
Since the late emperor's passing, Lu Tong had gone out to war every year, winning nearly every battle.
He was as if blessed by heaven—victorious in every endeavor.
His son, however, left something to be desired. He had only managed to produce one son at an advanced age, and that son was a useless, pleasure-seeking playboy.
As the saying goes: the moon wanes when full, water overflows when brimming, and things turn when they reach their extreme. The father is a hero; the son is a coward—that's roughly the idea.
Someone brought over a special armchair for Lu Tong and placed a golden nanmu table before it, which was quickly laden with the most precious delicacies.
Lu Yunqi, guided by the chief eunuch Fuhai, took his seat among the princes. Murong Jie was originally to be seated at the very back, but Lu Yunqi pulled him over to sit right beside him, whispering in his ear, "Sit by young master's side. Pour my wine and serve my food."
Murong Jie didn't resist. He picked up the wine cup and poured for him, then picked up a piece of succulent roasted lamb for him before sitting down properly in the kneeling position.
The old emperor chatted cheerfully with Lu Tong: "Ziqiong, you're truly vigorous in old age—not like me. My body is growing more useless by the day."
Lu Tong maintained the facade of ruler and subject: "Your Majesty, what are you saying? You are the Son of Heaven, blessed by the heavens above. Your fortune is naturally long and enduring."
The emperor waved his hand: "Those are merely flattering words from the world—nothing to take seriously, nothing to count on, hahaha! Alas, I know my own body well. It's just that I have twelve sons, and aside from the eleventh and twelfth who are still young, not a single one has won my heart. If any of them should ascend the throne in the future, I fear they will have to rely on your guidance, Ziqiong."
Hearing the emperor's words, Lu Tong still stood up respectfully, clasped his fists, and said, "This old minister will devote himself wholeheartedly to the task, until death do us part."
The emperor was delighted, cheerfully drinking and making merry with Lu Tong, and had the dancing girls perform a lively clogs dance.
After three rounds of wine, the old emperor's face flushed red, and he finally remembered the main purpose of today's gathering. He waved his hand and said, "Look at my memory—today is supposed to be a banquet held for the marriage of the young Marquis Lu. How could I have forgotten that?"
As soon as Lu Yunqi heard the old emperor calling him out, he began to complain inwardly: Did you specially prepare a whole plate of dumplings just for my little dish of vinegar?
The old emperor waved his hand, and all the palace maids and dancing girls withdrew. The emperor's three princesses were then brought forward.
It was the Murong family's custom for children to be ranked separately by gender. The eldest princess was Murong Xian, the second princess Murong Shu, and the third princess Murong Hua.
Each of the three princesses had her own kind of beauty—indeed, the eldest princess was even born of the empress herself. However, none of the three princesses wore pleasant expressions, clearly unwilling to be married off to that little wastrel of the Lu family.
But as imperial princesses, having enjoyed the reverence of the people, they were bound to serve the royal house.
The old emperor beckoned to Lu Yunqi and said with a kindly expression, "Qi'er, come here, to your imperial uncle."
Lu Yunqi put away his slovenly demeanor, rose, and stepped forward to bow to the emperor: "Greetings to Imperial Uncle. May Imperial Uncle be blessed with fortune and good health."
The old emperor smiled and said, "Good, good, good. Qi'er is such a good boy. You've grown up in the blink of an eye. If I remember correctly, Qi'er should be eighteen now, right?"
Lu Yunqi replied, "In answer to Imperial Uncle, Yunqi is indeed eighteen."
The old emperor nodded with satisfaction. "You truly have your father's bearing—so handsome. Surely you will also inherit Ziqiong's legacy."
Lu Yunqi thought to himself, You old dog of an emperor—what a filthy thing to say!
But neither of them exposed the other. Lu Yunqi maintained a surface-level cordiality and accepted the compliment politely.
The emperor coughed twice, looking like a candle flickering in the wind. He was only three years older than Lu Tong, yet he seemed more than a decade older. It was clear his health was indeed failing.
He beckoned to the three princesses and said, "Qi'er, what do you think of my three daughters? Is there one you fancy? Whoever you like, just say the word. Your imperial uncle will make the decision for you and grant you a marriage."
Lu Yunqi thought to himself, This old emperor is getting more muddled with age. Even if he wants my father to shore up his regime, he shouldn't be offering his own daughters up like goods for a wastrel to pick from.
But since you're letting me choose, then I'll choose carefully.
So he turned to look at the three princesses and began to scrutinize them one by one.
The third princess, Murong Hua, immediately wore a displeased expression, thinking, I am an imperial princess—how dare this wastrel pick and choose over me as he pleases?
She was about to flare up when the eldest princess stopped her, whispering a reminder: "If you don't want your mother to be punished for this, keep your mouth shut and say nothing!"
Murong Hua was angry but dared not speak. Lu Yunqi did feel sympathy for these princesses, but if he didn't put on a proper show, he feared he wouldn't be able to fool the emperor.
He circled around the princesses, then curled his lips and turned to bow to the emperor. "Imperial Uncle, can I choose anyone at all?"
The old emperor coughed for a long while again. After the chief eunuch Fuhai handed him a cup of tea and he suppressed his coughing, he spoke to Lu Yunqi: "Of course. Since your imperial uncle is letting you choose, I'll back you up. You may choose whoever you like."
Lu Yunqi let out a laugh and said, "Thank you, Imperial Uncle. But… Imperial Uncle, these three princesses are of noble status. Whichever one I were to marry… Yunqi knows he is unworthy of any of them. Rather, there is another one I quite fancy, and I hope Imperial Uncle will make the decision for me."
"Oh?" The old emperor's expression showed a hint of confusion. He asked, "Another one? You're being mischievous again, child. I only have three princesses—where would another one come from? However, if you have another noble lady of the clan in mind, that's fine too. Whichever commandery princess or young lady it is, I will grant you the marriage."
Look at that attitude—utterly doting to the extreme. No wonder the original owner of this body had gotten so carried away he didn't know his own name.
Lu Yunqi said, "She's not a commandery princess, nor a noble lady of the clan…"
"Not one of those? Could it be a common woman or a respectable wife? Hahaha, child, if you fancy a common woman, as long as her origins aren't too lowly, just take her as a concubine. No need to bring it up in the great hall. What I'm choosing for you is a principal consort—a future marchioness. That must be matched by a woman of noble status."
A mysterious smile appeared on Lu Yunqi's face. He said, "Imperial Uncle, it's not a common woman, nor a respectable wife. He… is also in this great hall right now. I can point him out and beg Imperial Uncle to grant Yunqi the marriage."
Lu Yunqi's words had everyone on the edge of their seats, and even the Emperor was curious, his eyes narrowing slightly as if in thought. "If she's neither a princess nor a noble lady, nor a common woman, then surely not a palace maid, dancer, or courtesan? That wouldn't be out of the question either—even if she were one of my own female attendants, I would grant you the marriage if you so desire. Stop keeping us in suspense, boy, and point her out at once!"
Lu Yunqi bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes, Imperial Uncle. The one I fancy is… him, the Sixth Prince, Murong Jie."
With that, he turned and pointed directly at Murong Jie, who was seated upright in his place.
At that moment, a damp and sinister male ghost began to silently crack apart.