strictlysupreme Chapter 037 Something went wrong
Chapter 037 Something went wrong
The Prince of Yue stopped, lowered his head slightly, and looked at Lu Zhiyuan. He was met with a pair of clear eyes, carrying a faint smile, seemingly different from the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion described by Lu Jinyao. Before he could think further, Lu Jinyao tugged at his sleeve.
She stood shivering in the autumn wind, her clothes wet.
"Your Highness!" She raised her eyes slightly, revealing a pitiful expression, "Jin Yao is just a maid, and there are no spare clothes in the Marquis's carriage."
"It's alright, I'll help you find a solution." The King of Yue's gaze shifted to her: "I am not yet sixteen and have not yet established my own residence. I live with my mother. There are also palace maids of similar age to you in my mother's palace. If you don't mind, I will have them find you a new set of clothes."
Lu Jinyao's face lit up with joy: "If you don't mind, how could Jinyao dare to mind the palace maid? Besides, it was His Highness who helped me get these clothes."
As she spoke, a tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly lowered her head to wipe it away with her sleeve: "If it weren't for Your Highness, Jin Yao would probably have been beaten to death by the Empress by now."
"Sister, be careful what you say!" Lu Zhiyuan reminded her. "Sister is going to become a concubine in the Prince of Yue's mansion. You should know what you should say and what you shouldn't say. Don't implicate the Marquis's mansion and His Highness the Prince of Yue because of a slip of the tongue."
"Your Highness, did Jin Yao say something she shouldn't have?" Lu Jin Yao choked slightly but dared not shed tears again: "Jin Yao comes from a humble background and cannot compare to my younger sister, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, who has been taught everything. If Jin Yao said something she shouldn't have, Your Highness must tell me, so as not to implicate Your Highness."
"Rewards and punishments are all due to the Empress's grace. Sister, just remember this." Lu Zhiyuan bowed to Prince Yue: "Please ask Your Highness to find a tutor for my sister so that she can fulfill her wish to learn etiquette and manners."
The Prince of Yue nodded at Lu Jinyao. Compared to the noble ladies present, she did indeed need to learn etiquette and manners, especially those of the palace.
Although a concubine cannot compare to a princess and requires constant social engagements, a concubine still represents the dignity of the royal household. Before his formal wedding, if she can win the favor of the Empress Dowager, it is possible for her to be promoted from a concubine to a secondary consort.
Lu Jinyao was unaware of what the Prince of Yue was thinking. She assumed that Lu Zhiyuan was targeting her, so she glared at her as the Prince of Yue turned around.
Seeing this, Qingzhi wanted to step forward, but Lu Zhiyuan stopped her: "Why bother arguing with her!"
"This servant doesn't understand. She treated Miss like this, yet Miss still protects her." Qingzhi said indignantly, "That cat of Her Highness the Princess is most likely the one she created."
"Don't speak recklessly without evidence!" Lu Zhiyuan blinked: "How does sister know that my advice isn't a trap for her?"
Qingzhi was stunned: "What does Miss mean..."
Lu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the back of the figure that was almost sticking to the King of Yue.
Even if Lu Zhiyuan hadn't brought it up, the palace would have arranged for Lu Jinyao to learn etiquette. But now that she had, the meaning changed for Lu Jinyao. She would think Lu Zhiyuan was deliberately making things difficult for her and would definitely not study properly with the nanny. Not only would she not learn, but she would also try every means to exaggerate and complain to the Prince of Yue.
If this nanny was hired by the Marquis's residence, His Highness Prince Yue would naturally believe Lu Jinyao and make things difficult for the Marquis's residence at every turn. But if this nanny was hired by His Highness Prince Yue and appointed by the Empress, Lu Jinyao's resistance, complaints, and embellishments would be seen as a lack of ambition, inability to achieve great things, and disloyalty to the royal family.
At present, no romantic feelings have developed between her and His Highness the Prince of Yue. His public proposal to marry her is merely out of gratitude for saving her life. If she were smart, she should use this opportunity to improve herself, so that the plot can be reversed and return to the original author's intended path. But she is not smart enough; all she can see are the small, immediate benefits.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiyuan touched her nose.
It's not that Lu Jinyao is stupid, but rather that she has the script in her hand, a God's-eye view, and is arguing with a ten-year-old child with a soul in her twenties.
To be honest, it was a bit of bullying.
On second thought, Lu Jinyao isn't actually ten years old; she's just a ten-year-old imagined by the original author.
Therefore, it's not that she's fighting against Lu Jinyao, but rather that she's fighting against the original author's setting.
The original story did not include the scene where the King of Yue falls into the water and Lu Jinyao risks her life to save him. This scene was added to correct a plot error. If this assumption were true, Lu Jinyao would have followed the book's plot, carefully scheming to become the King of Yue's consort, while the Xie family would still have faced annihilation.
"Miss, what are you thinking about? Did you hear what I said?" Qingzhi waved her hand, and seeing that Lu Zhiyuan had come back to her senses, she sighed heavily: "The imperial physician is back, and Her Majesty the Empress is looking for you."
The imperial physician retrieved the antidote but dared not administer it to Princess Ping Le. Princess Ping Le protected her cat, preventing the physician from using it for experiments. The situation reached a stalemate. Lu Zhiyuan used a silver needle to probe the cat's wound before inserting it into her left arm. About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea later, the area where the needle had been inserted showed the same symptoms as the princess.
After taking the antidote brought by the imperial physician, her symptoms subsided in no time. Upon seeing this, the Empress immediately urged Princess Ping Le to take it as well, and only breathed a sigh of relief after Ping Le's symptoms had subsided.
"Yuan'er saved the princess, what reward does she want? As long as it's within my power, I will grant it."
"It is my honor to test medicine for the princess, and I dare not ask for any reward." Lu Zhiyuan bowed and said, "If Your Majesty insists on rewarding me, then please reward me with the flowers in the garden! I dare to ask for the pot of phoenix feathers."
"You sharp-eyed girl, those are the best-blooming flowers in the garden." The Empress laughed: "Give them to me. Not just the Phoenix Fluttering its Wings, but any flower in the garden that catches your eye, take it all. I'll have Xu Rui drive a carriage to deliver them to your residence."
Lu Zhiyuan held up one finger: "Then let's have another pot of Purple Dragon Lying in Snow."
The Empress was even more delighted, patting Xie Chaoyun's hand: "Chaoyun is a lucky girl, you are very intelligent."
Princess Ping Le, carrying the kitten, moved closer. "I misunderstood you today. The snake you mentioned, Xu Rui, has been found. The Empress Dowager has also questioned everyone in the palace, and neither you nor your mother are suspects. You can also ask me for a reward. Apart from Xue'er, I can give you anything I have."
"This humble woman dares to ask for the handkerchief in the princess's hand."
Princess Ping Le glanced at the handkerchief clutched in her hand. It was stained with blood, from when the imperial physician had stopped her bleeding. Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan didn't seem to be joking, she pursed her lips and handed the handkerchief over.
"From now on, you will be my confidante, and I will keep this handkerchief of yours carefully." Princess Ping Le glanced around the hall: "If anyone calls you a sickly weakling or a good-for-nothing in the future, come and tell me, and I will not let them off the hook."
On the return journey, Lu Jinyao did not travel with them, having heard that His Highness Prince Yue had sent another carriage. Just as they arrived at the gate, the steward told them another piece of news: Ji Wanwan had returned, and the Zhu family's case was closed.
The poisoner was a maid in the Zhu family.
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
This suddenly appearing maid was either part of the plot or a scapegoat someone had found for Ji Wanwan. Just as Lu Zhiyuan was testing Lu Huai, that unreliable system appeared.