“Your Highness purposely choose today to visit the Shen residence for the betrothal gift? And purposely sent everyone away? Is there something you want to say?” Lu Zhao’s gentle expression faded as he watched Shen Qingyao leave with Shen Qingli. Though he was still smiling, the smile did not reach his eyes, and his expression was somewhat serious.
Xiao Mu turned to look at Lu Zhao. Xiao Mu’s face remained cold and stern, without much expression. He furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice, “Are you planning to go south?”
Clearly, Xiao Mu had also heard the news that Lu Zhao intended to take up a post at the Southern Frontier, Lingnan.
The two had been friends since childhood, so Lu Zhao didn’t hide it from Xiao Mu and nodded.
“Why the south?” Xiao Mu asked again. The south was known for its fierce and rugged populace, as well as being poor and remote. Few in the court desired to go there.
Lu Zhao smiled, his tone somewhat nonchalant, “Your Highness’s control over the north is already unparalleled; he doesn’t need much help from me. Isn’t it fitting for me to go south? Besides, the southern climate is better, so Yaoyao’s health can handle it.”
Mentioning Shen Qingyao softened Lu Zhao’s expression.
Seeing this, Xiao Mu’s eyes showed a hint of a smile. He scoffed and curved his lips, “You’re really falling for this Shen family girl, aren’t you?”
Lu Zhao also curled his lips into a smile, his eyes shifting to stare at Xiao Mu, and he retorted, “Hasn’t Your Highness also fallen for a Shen family girl?”
The two Shen family girls were currently sitting together, chatting warmly. The two men fell silent for a moment, then exchanged a knowing smile. The previously tense atmosphere shattered instantly.
Xiao Mu took two steps forward, patted Lu Zhao on the shoulder, and solemnly said, “If you are determined to go south, I won’t stop you, but there are a few things I need your help with on this journey.”
Lu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated this. He smiled, “Is Your Highness referring to… Ningcheng?”
“You know?” Xiao Mu was a bit surprised, but also found it easy to talk to a smart person, as many things didn’t need to be spelled out; the other person could understand on their own.
“Your Highness has decided to vie for power. Naturally, the thing in Ningcheng must be in his grasp.” Lu Zhao sighed softly, “I originally didn’t want to get involved in these court struggles, but since you’re marrying Yaoyao’s Eldest Sister, if something happens to you, she will undoubtedly be sad. Given that, I’ll help you fight for it.”
As he spoke, he took a step back and solemnly saluted, “Lu Zhao will not fail in his mission.”
These words carried significant weight, almost akin to a pledge of allegiance. Xiao Mu’s face showed a trace of joy. Although he had always had a good relationship with Lu Zhao, this friendship was based on mutual appreciation of each other’s character and abilities, not enough to make Lu Zhao serve him. Now, through the Shen family, they could stand on the same side, which delighted him.
When Shen Qingyao finished chatting with her Eldest Sister and came out, she saw the two main leads standing together harmoniously, eagerly waiting for them. They even seemed to be getting along quite well.
“Hmm? Aren’t these two supposed to be rivals? Why haven’t they started fighting yet?” Shen Qingyao had been quite worried for a while. She found it strange. Although she now knew that Lu Zhao had no interest in her Eldest Sister, he was still a man who had been rumored with her Eldest Sister for many years. How could the male lead get along with him so harmoniously?
[Host, are you really looking forward to them fighting?] The system was speechless, wanting her to wake up a bit. After all, her tasks included not only pursuing Lu Zhao but also preventing his blackening and assisting the male lead in ascending to the throne! Although it would love to see a dramatic showdown, it had to remind her of her duties.
Shen Qingyao immediately shook her head. She wasn’t, she wasn’t! Don’t speak nonsense. She wanted to live a few more episodes.
When Lu Zhao saw Shen Qingyao coming out, his indulgent smile reappeared, making Shen Qingli’s teeth ache.
Shen Qingyao smiled sweetly, let go of her Eldest Sister’s hand, and ran toward him. Concerned about her health, Lu Zhao quickly took a few steps forward, catching her hand before she could jump off the steps and carefully helping her down.
Shen Qingli shook her head in disbelief and muttered under her breath, cursing Shen Qingyao, “She really can’t be kept once she’s grown up.”
With an expression that said she couldn’t bear to look, she pulled Xiao Mu away as well.
When the two men passed each other, their eyes met for a fleeting moment before they quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened. Shen Qingyao, observing this secretly, became even more suspicious, thinking, “They must have made some secret deal!”
She conveyed this to the system, but unfortunately, both men were too adept at hiding their true intentions. She couldn’t discern what it was about, but since both seemed to be in a good mood, it probably wasn’t anything bad. Relieved, she relaxed a bit.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, let’s go back,” she said, leaning heavily on Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao supported her without any complaint. Hearing her words, he felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, replying gently, “Alright, let’s go home.”
Two days later, Lu Zhao ended his wedding leave and returned to court for his duties, leaving Shen Qingyao alone in the room, lost in thought. She absentmindedly flipped through the book in her hands again. After a while, she looked up at the sky outside the window. It was getting late, and for some reason, Lu Zhao had not yet returned. She felt incredibly bored.
“Cui Qiao…” Shen Qingyao called out, intending to ask Cui Qiao to go check where Lu Zhao was, when a commotion outside the courtyard caught her attention.
When Shen Qingyao poked her head out curiously, she saw a maid from Grand Princess Duanhua’s side running in with a panicked expression.
Upon seeing Shen Qingyao, the maid’s face lit up with joy as she rushed over, shouting, “Young Madam! Young Madam, something terrible has happened! Grand Princess has invoked family law to punish Young Master! You must come quickly!”
“What?” Family law? How could this be?
Shen Qingyao stood up abruptly. This was unexpected! Grand Princess Duanhua was extremely fond of Lu Zhao; why would she suddenly resort to such severe measures? “What happened?”
“This servant doesn’t know either! Today, Young Master went to see Grand Princess, and somehow their conversation turned into a serious disagreement. Grand Princess was so enraged that she called for family law! How can this be? Master Duke is not at home, and now only you can persuade her!” The maid spoke tearfully, which made Shen Qingyao even more anxious.
Without wasting time pondering if she had missed any crucial plot details, Shen Qingyao tossed aside what she was holding, called for Cui Qiao, and hurried towards Grand Princess Duanhua’s courtyard.
Before they even got close, they could hear Grand Princess’s furious voice from inside the house, “No! I do not agree! You go tell your uncle, this matter cannot be handled this way!”
Lu Zhao’s voice, sounding somewhat helpless, came through quietly, “Mother, please calm down and listen to me…”
“Listen to what? What else is there to say? No matter what you say, it won’t change my mind!” Grand Princess Duanhua was in a towering rage, “You are my only son. If something happens to you, how will I face your Father? How will I face the ancestors of the Lu family?!”
[…What did White Moonlight do to make his mother so angry?] The system popped up curiously.
Shen Qingyao had no idea either. She had no time to respond to it, took a deep breath, and bit her lip before pushing the door open.
“What’s going on? Why is Mother so angry? Did Elder Brother Lu Zhao upset you?” Shen Qingyao smiled as she walked in. Both people inside were stunned to see her, giving her the chance to move quickly to Lu Zhao’s side and subtly pull him behind her, fearing that Grand Princess Duanhua might actually hit him.
“Yaoyao? Why are you here? Are you feeling better?” Grand Princess Duanhua’s anger momentarily subsided upon seeing Shen Qingyao, but she still called out angrily, “I asked for family law, why did they call for Yaoyao?!”
“Mother~~~” Shen Qingyao quickly intervened when she heard the family law still being mentioned, stepping forward to hold her arm, “Please calm down.”
Then she glanced curiously at Lu Zhao, her eyes questioning him : What on earth did you do to make Mother this angry?
Grand Princess Duanhua sighed, her anger dissipating. “Since Yaoyao is here, you might as well listen too.”
Shen Qingyao nodded eagerly, as if she couldn’t agree more.
“He just said he has submitted a memorial to His Majesty, requesting to be posted to Lingnan. He wants to inspect the southern borders!” Grand Princess was furious. “You, a newly appointed top scholar, want to go to such a remote and desolate place? Have you considered us? Have you thought about Yaoyao? Huh?”
Shen Qingyao was taken aback. She hadn’t expected it to be because of this. She had heard her Eldest Sister mention it before, so she wasn’t too surprised, but she hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction from Grand Princess Duanhua. On second thought, given that Grand Princess was known for her deep love for her son, this reaction wasn’t surprising.
“Yaoyao, you’re here just in time. Persuade him! You’re not in good health. How can you really follow him to the southern borders? How could you possibly endure it!!!”
Shen Qingyao looked at Lu Zhao again and saw that although he appeared helpless, his expression was resolute. She didn’t understand why he was so determined to do this, but she supported his decision. She smiled slightly, relaxed, and said, “Mother, don’t worry, I can manage. My health isn’t that bad.”
As soon as she said this, both Lu Zhao and Grand Princess Duanhua were stunned.
Grand Princess Duanhua exclaimed, “You already knew?”
Lu Zhao also raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised that Shen Qingyao already knew. He had spent a long time thinking about how to tell her.
Shen Qingyao nodded, let go of Grand Princess Duanhua’s hand, and stepped back to Lu Zhao’s side. “Mother, since Brother Lu Zhao has made his decision, he must have his reasons. I don’t understand politics, but I believe in him.”
She glanced at Lu Zhao and smiled, then continued, “And if it’s about my health, you don’t need to worry. With Brother Lu Zhao there, he will surely take good care of me!”
“Yaoyao!” Grand Princess became even more anxious.
Lu Zhao looked down at Shen Qingyao’s profile, feeling deeply moved. He hadn’t expected her to support him so wholeheartedly. He held her hand tightly, took a deep breath, and said, “Mother, I have my reasons for going to the southern borders. The court is rife with factional strife. If I stay in the capital, I could certainly advance, but how much safer would I be amidst the political struggles than at the southern borders? Mother, let me go and take a chance. Perhaps it will open up a new path.”
“You…” Grand Princess Duanhua hesitated, wanting to say, “You might as well go to the northern borders. Military experience in the north is far better than pioneering the southern borders!”
“The southern climate is mild, with many strange and exotic plants, ideal for recuperating. Yaoyao’s health might benefit from it.” Lu Zhao squeezed Shen Qingyao’s hand a bit tighter, causing her fingers to ache, but she didn’t make a sound and continued to listen quietly. “There are also rumors that the famous doctor Kong Lin is in the south.”
At this, Grand Princess Duanhua was completely speechless. Shen Qingyao, on the other hand, looked up abruptly. She never expected that Lu Zhao’s decision to go to the southern borders had something to do with her…
So that’s why… Shen Qingyao’s heart sank, suddenly understanding why Lu Zhao gave up following the male and female leads to the north. A warm and bittersweet feeling welled up inside her. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn’t make a sound for a long time, only her eyes reddened slightly…