Hurried footsteps sounded from behind the corridor pillar.
A woman came rushing around the path, her skirt billowing in the wind. The silver hairpin at her temple had tilted to one side, but she had not even bothered to straighten it.
She ran the entire way, her shoes tapping rapidly against the stone pavement. The moment she spotted Su Yuling leaning against the pillar in the distance, her eyes immediately reddened.
“Yuling!”
Shen Hanqiu rushed over and grabbed Su Yuling by both wrists, anxiously looking her up and down. “Are you all right? What’s wrong? The moment I heard the news, I rushed straight here. You mustn’t do anything foolish!”
After being shaken twice, Su Yuling finally managed a faint smile. “Fifth Sister-in-law, I’m fine.”
“How can you be fine? The news has already spread throughout the entire Royal Capital, and you’re still pretending nothing happened?” Tears streamed down Shen Hanqiu’s face, and even her voice trembled. “If anything happens to you, how could your brother’s spirit ever rest in peace?”
Su Yuling said nothing. Instead, she reached out and held Shen Hanqiu’s hand.
Her body was ice-cold, and she was drenched in cold sweat from running all the way here.
“I’m really fine now.”
At that moment, the doors of the front hall opened with a creak.
Lu Yuan followed Su Tan outside. His gaze swept around before settling on the woman standing beside Su Yuling.
He looked twice.
Shen Hanqiu wore a pale moon-white ruqun dress with a plain sash tied around her waist. Her hair was arranged in a falling-horse bun.
Her features were delicate and refined, while her brows and eyes had a clean, graceful beauty.
Her eyes were filled with tears, making them appear especially bright.
Lu Yuan had only one thought.
‘The Su family’s fortune with beautiful women is incredible. Every woman here is prettier than the last.’
The moment Su Tan saw Shen Hanqiu, the stern expression he had worn all morning finally relaxed, and he managed a smile. “Hanqiu, you’re here? Come, everyone, let’s go inside!”
Shen Hanqiu released Su Yuling’s hand and greeted Su Tan respectfully. “Grandfather.”
“Good, good. Come inside and sit!”
Su Tan tapped his walking stick against the ground, his tone noticeably gentler than before.
Everyone entered the front hall.
When Madam Zhao and Madam Li saw Shen Hanqiu, they hurriedly offered her a seat and poured water for her.
Shen Hanqiu helped Su Yuling into a chair but never released her hand.
Lu Yuan did not sit down. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe, tilted his head, and winked at Su Yuling.
Su Yuling’s face immediately flushed.
Lu Yuan asked, “You heard what Earl Su and I were talking about just now?”
Su Yuling said nothing. She merely twisted the corner of her clothes between her fingers.
Lu Yuan folded his arms across his chest, his posture casual. “What do you think?”
The entire hall became deathly quiet.
Even Madam Zhao and Madam Li seemed afraid to breathe too loudly. Su Tan held his teacup without taking a sip, his eyes fixed firmly on his granddaughter.
“When has Lu Yuan ever lied?”
Su Yuling asked, “Those who practice martial arts are often injured. Can you accept that?”
“Of course.”
Lu Yuan answered without hesitation, “If you don’t find training satisfying enough, I can even be your sparring partner when we get home. I may not be as skilled as you, but I have plenty of experience getting beaten.”
The corner of Su Yuling’s mouth twitched. She nearly laughed but managed to suppress it.
Beside her, Shen Hanqiu widened her eyes. “So you’re the Ninth Prince everyone says has no ambition whatsoever?”
Lu Yuan turned toward her and greeted her politely. “That’s right. That’s me!”
Shen Hanqiu shot to her feet and pointed directly at Lu Yuan’s nose, her voice urgent and firm. “Your Highness the Ninth Prince, I don’t care whether you’re a prince or anything else. If you dare bully Yuling, then as her sister-in-law, I definitely won’t let you off!”
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Su Tan was still holding his teacup in midair. Madam Zhao’s mouth fell open, while Madam Li even stopped murmuring her prayers.
Lu Yuan froze for a moment. Then his eyebrows rose, and the corners of his mouth curled upward. “Oh? Then how exactly are you planning to deal with me?”
Shen Hanqiu choked.
She had blurted out everything in a single breath. Now that Lu Yuan had turned around and asked exactly how she intended to “not let him off,” her mind instantly went blank.
Her finger remained pointed at Lu Yuan. Her lips moved three or four times, but not a single sound came out.
Su Yuling turned her head aside, her shoulders beginning to tremble.
“I… I… I…”
Shen Hanqiu’s face turned bright red. After struggling for an answer for what felt like forever, she finally gritted her teeth.
“I’ll bite you to death!”
The front hall fell silent.
A moment later, Lu Yuan burst out laughing.
It was not a polite chuckle. He was genuinely amused. His shoulders shook so violently that he bent over and clutched his stomach.
Shen Hanqiu’s face turned so red it looked as though blood might drip from it. She desperately wished she could find a crack in the floor and disappear into it.
Su Yuling finally failed to hold herself back. The corners of her mouth lifted briefly before she quickly suppressed the smile.
Su Tan coughed twice and tapped his walking stick against the floor. “How improper!”
Despite his words, a trace of amusement appeared in the old man’s eyes.
Once Lu Yuan finally stopped laughing, he straightened up and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. “Fifth Sister-in-law, that has to be the fiercest threat I’ve ever heard.”
Shen Hanqiu glared at him, sat back down, and refused to say another word.
Lu Yuan suppressed his smile and turned toward Su Yuling again.
His expression became serious as he took two steps forward and stopped before her. “Yuling, I’ll say it again. I, Lu Yuan, will never bind you with the rules of the inner residence. I won’t stop you from practicing with sabers and spears, nor will I stop you from riding horses or practicing archery. If you’re willing, I’ll find an opportunity for you to command troops in the future, fight enemies on the battlefield, and keep the Su family’s banner flying.”
Su Yuling’s eyes flickered slightly.
Command troops.
Fight enemies on the battlefield.
If those words came from anyone else, they would be nothing more than empty promises. New chapters come out on g.com first.
But coming from a prince, they carried an entirely different weight.
Her grandfather had spent his entire life fighting wars. Her father and brothers, nine men in total, had all died on the battlefield.
Every shred of the Su family’s glory had been purchased with their lives.
Yet because she was a woman, once she married, she would be expected to remain confined within the inner residence, forbidden even from touching a saber.
She refused to accept that fate.
Su Yuling asked, “Do you truly mean what you just said?”
“If I ever break my word, you can have Fifth Sister-in-law bite me to death.”
Shen Hanqiu immediately glared at him again from the side.
Su Yuling lowered her head and stared at her hands for a long time.
Her palms were covered in calluses, all formed from years of gripping weapons.
Only after a long while did she finally raise her head and give a slight nod.
The movement was tiny.
But everyone saw it.
The teacup in Su Tan’s hand dropped onto the table, spilling water everywhere.
“Good! Very good! Excellent!”
After saying it three times, Su Tan rose with the support of his walking stick and turned toward Su Fu. “Go prepare lunch! Slaughter the old hen in the rear courtyard! And bring out the osmanthus wine I’ve been saving for 3 years!”
Su Fu immediately acknowledged the order and hurried outside.
Madam Zhao and Madam Li began crying again, but this time, their tears were filled with joy.
Madam Zhao held Su Yuling’s hand and repeated the same words over and over again. “Thank goodness you don’t have to die. Thank goodness you don’t have to die.”
Lu Yuan stood there with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
‘It’s settled.’
The marriage with the Su family was as good as secured.
Next, he only needed to return to the palace and ask for the royal decree granting the marriage, push forward the matter of the Horseshoes, and establish a firm foothold.
Once that was done, everything afterward would become much easier.
Just as he was thinking, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
A young maid of twelve or thirteen rushed into the front hall. She had not even caught her breath before greeting Shen Hanqiu.
“Young Lady, we secretly slipped out, and neither Master nor Young Master Han knew! Someone from the residence just came looking for us. They said Master has already discovered you’re gone, and he’s absolutely furious!”
Shen Hanqiu’s expression immediately changed.
All the boldness she had shown moments ago vanished, replaced by fear she could not conceal.
She instinctively clutched her sleeve so tightly that her fingers began turning pale purple.
Su Yuling reacted immediately, reaching out and gripping her hand. “Is the Han family still refusing to leave you alone?”
Shen Hanqiu opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Su Yuling’s expression grew heavy.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan frowned. “What’s going on?”