Chapter 49 She is worthy of me

Lu Ming certainly knew that they could no longer afford to wait.

It was not only because Lu Zhaoyun was reaching an age where waiting was no longer an option, but also because the Emperor had already been scouting potential bride candidates for the Second Prince.

Had they not previously devised a scheme to stall the matter, the Second Prince would have been married long ago.

"We must find that betrothal contract. If we cannot find it, Consort Shu will never acknowledge it," Lu Ming said, striking the table with his palm.

"Consort Shu is simply burning the bridge after crossing it. Back then, when she was on the verge of being cast into the Cold Palace, she practically begged us to secure that match. Now that she has gained power, she puts on airs!" Madam Lu scoffed.

Lu Ming said impatiently, "Shut your mouth. Is Consort Shu someone whose actions you are permitted to discuss? With that mouth of yours, you will bring disaster upon us sooner or later!"

He stood up. "Tonight, I am going to Yaoxiang Courtyard."

With that, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

"Master! Come back!"

Madam Lu turned green with fury.

Yao Xiangyi was truly a despicable bitch! Her daughter was already fourteen, and she herself was no longer in her youth, yet she still managed to seduce the master into sneaking off to her chambers every few days.

Yao Xiangyi was the Second Concubine of the Lu estate and the mother of Lu Zhaohua.

Having received three hundred taels of silver, Lu Zhaoqing gave ten taels each to Qingyin and Qingbao, telling them to use the remainder to purchase new clothes and other items.

As for herself, feeling refreshed, she resumed drawing talismans.

The several peace plaques she had bought were carried around her courtyard and buried in specific locations.

"Miss, what is the purpose of this?" Qingyin and Qingbao asked, not entirely understanding.

After purchasing those jade plaques, Lu Zhaoling had placed them over several sheets of talisman paper, claiming they needed to "nourish" for two days before having the maids bury them.

"Setting up a formation. A spirit-gathering formation."

The formation she set up did more than just gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; it included financial fortune as well.

Even if any wandering bird imbued with spiritual energy happened to land in her courtyard, it would have to leave behind a trace of its feathers—her motto was that not even a goose flying past would leave its plumage behind.

Only through such means could she recover her strength more swiftly.

Though Qingyin and Qingbao could not fully comprehend, the moment all the jade plaques were buried, they both felt a gentle breeze sweep by, and the surrounding air instantly seemed much fresher.

Even the flowers smelled sweeter, and the wind felt milder.

For reasons unknown, their moods suddenly lifted considerably.

Lu Zhaoqing glanced at the two maids and offered a faint smile.

It could be considered fate that brought her and these two girls together. By staying and living here with her, their health would improve significantly, and their martial arts progress would surpass that of others.

Over the next two days, Lu Zhaoqing continued to eat, drink, and sleep to her heart's content.

Having lost three hundred taels and waiting for her to attend Princess Changning's banquet, Madam Lu naturally dared not resort to any further tricks.

However, news that the Lu family had welcomed back a Second Young Miss from the countryside, who had furthermore been bestowed a marriage to Prince Jin, had finally spread throughout the entire capital.

Even amidst the period of grand mourning, such news was enough to shock and titillate everyone, sending them rushing to catch up on the gossip.

Lu Ming was the first to be "besieged" by his colleagues.

He only now realized that even men—men in official circles—could be quite gossipy.

What people were most curious about was—

"Lord Lu, we had never heard that you had another young daughter raised in the countryside! This official remembers your second daughter has always been in the capital? What was her name again? Oh, right, right, right, Lu Zhaoyue."

Internal curses raged through Lu Ming's mind.

Why on earth did they even remember his daughter's name? Lord Censor, you really didn't need to be quite so diligent!

"Lord Lu, how did your daughter from the countryside come to know Prince Jin?"

Lu Ming: *I'd like to know that myself!*

"Lord Lu, why is Prince Jin still so cold when he sees you? The two of you are practically future father-in-law and son-in-law now."

Lu Ming wanted to tear his hair out.

Right on cue, Prince Jin and the Crown Prince walked in from ahead.

The officials instantly fell silent.

They were not familiar with the adult Prince Jin. But many of them had deep impressions of him from his childhood.

Back then, he was someone who relied on the Grand Emperor's indulgence and cared for no one.

Once, a certain Grand Academician's grandson scooped a small golden carp from the palace pond and accidentally crushed it to death. Even the Grand Emperor at the time declared it was the act of an innocent child and chose not to pursue the matter, but the young Prince Jin walked straight over and shoved that small carp right into the child's mouth.

To this day, that child still dared not eat fish.

Another minister once remarked that Prince Jin's late mother had lacked proper decorum in her youth. Prince Jin went straight to their residence and sat there for an entire day, staring intently at how the family maintained their decorum. When the minister accidentally dropped a grain of rice while eating and let out a tiny fart, Prince Jin nearly turned their household upside down.

In short, he was a living young demon king.

There were plenty of such incidents, and when Prince Jin eventually left the capital, quite a few people breathed sighs of relief.

"Are you all discussing this Prince?" Prince Jin had already walked over.

He walked slowly, yet every step seemed laden with a low pressure.

The ministers drew sharp breaths.

*No way. He was that far away—did he really hear them?*

Daring not to answer, everyone turned their gazes uniformly toward Lu Ming.

Thus, Prince Jin's gaze followed theirs and landed upon Lu Ming.

Back in the day, Lu Ming had not been qualified to attend court audiences, so he was not particularly familiar with Prince Jin.

Sensing that the imperial marriage decree was real at any rate, and figuring he could now somewhat be considered Prince Jin's future father-in-law, he straightened his back and met Prince Jin's gaze.

Yet when he locked eyes with those deep, ocean-like eyes of the prince, his heart still involuntarily trembled.

How could Prince Jin be so young yet possess such unfathomable eyes!

"Your Highness, they merely heard of the Emperor's marriage decree and came to offer their congratulations to this official."

Prompted by Lu Ming, another military general nearby grew slightly bolder. "Could Prince Jin and the Second Young Miss of the Lu family have known each other for a long time?"

Prince Jin's lips curled slightly. "Not particularly long. We met the day this Prince returned to the capital."

*Hiss.*

That had only been a few days ago?

Seeing that Prince Jin's attitude seemed relatively fine, someone hurriedly chimed in with another question. "The Second Young Miss was raised in the countryside, so she surely lacks all propriety. Can a woman like that fulfill the duties of a prominent royal kinswoman? We must not let her tarnish the royal reputation in the future."

This person appeared to be one of Prime Minister Shen's faction. Lu Ming saw it clearly—was Prime Minister Shen attempting to seek justice for his own daughter?

Truth be told, Lu Ming also felt he had lost face; what sort of honor could a daughter raised in the countryside possibly bring him?

Prince Jin's gaze swept over them, and suddenly he raised a foot and kicked the official squarely in the chest.

*Bang.*

The official was sent sprawling backward onto the ground, staring up in shock and rage.

The others were also startled, instinctively retreating two steps.

The Crown Prince pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Imperial Uncle..."

Prince Jin's voice was chilly. "Did you see that? Even this Prince cannot manage to be a proper prince; as long as the Second Young Miss is a match for such a Prince as me, that is quite enough."

With that, his gaze swept past Lu Ming's face once more.

"She was raised in the countryside—shouldn't the person deserving of curses be Lord Lu? Lord Lu, how on earth did you serve as a father?"

Challenged thusly, Lu Ming's expression shifted yet again.

"This... Your Highness, sending Zhaohua—Zhaoling away to be raised in the countryside was truly a last resort back then..."

Prince Jin cut him off. "Must this Prince sit here and listen to you spin fairy tales? In short, if anyone dares curse her lack of propriety from this day forth, this Prince will curse you."

Having said his piece, he departed, taking the Crown Prince with him.