In the blink of an eye, Ma Haihu tugged Sheng Chumu’s shirt and pulled him back. He cursed, “You asshole, how dare you peep at my sister changing!”
Sheng Chumu desperately tried to explain. “I was in a rush to return something to my room and I accidentally opened the wrong door. Every room door on this ship looks exactly the same!”
Ma Haihu glared at him. “What are you shouting for? Are you guilty? Did you see my sister’s body?”
Ma Hainiu carried a gleam of hope in her eyes. “Are you satisfied?”
Sheng Chumu felt coldness and hotness surrounding his body at the same time. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “I did not see anything!”
Disappointment overridden Ma Hainiu. “What? You did not see anything? How can that be? I will let you take another look.” Ma Hainiu suddenly took her hand off her chest.
Sheng Chumu quickly shut his eyes tight and traced the walls of the room with his hand to guide himself out. My god! I never want to return to this ship! They are a bunch of unruly barbarians!
Lu Yunji returned back victorious, having stabilised the region and getting rid of the rebel troops in Anxi Canyon. The Emperor personally went to greet him as the citizens cheered for him. No one knew that the contributions and sacrifices of Sheng Chumu and his numerous troops had been claimed by the Lu father and son.
A deathly aura overwhelmed the Duke Lu Residence. Sheng Xiaojing had not recovered from his grief and remained sick in bed. Lu Yunji visited him and pretended to be concerned. Not only was it a show for the Emperor, it was also to boast. As soon as Sheng Chujun heard that their enemies were here to visit them, he immediately drew his sword, wanting to fight them. All of a sudden, he heard his mother shout-
“Stop right there! Since Lu Yunji dares to visit us, we cannot lose to him. We must show everyone that despite losing a son, we have not gone crazy!” Madam Sheng roared at the housekeeper, “Go and invite Duke Chen [1] in!”
Sheng Chujun froze as he looked back at his mother in shock.
Sheng Chuling was also in a slight daze. He knew that his mother was very strict when it came to managing internal house affairs. She controlled their father till he was like a tortoise. However, he did not know that she had such strict standards for others too. She had the demeanor of a man on guard.
Lu Yunji was getting impatient as the door of Duke Lu Residence opened. Two servants ran out in sync. The servants both held long sticks in their hands as they stared at the two of them, daggers piercing out of their eyes. Although Lu Yunji knew they would not dare to do anything to him, their glare made him regret coming.
However, when Lu Yunji saw Sheng Xiaojing, who was sick in bed, his spirits were raised. While he sighed, he felt full of energy internally.
“Chumu is too pitiful. He was so young and brave. He conquered the Nine Pillar City and made a great achievement. It would have been sufficient for him to just stay in camp. It was unfortunate that he was ambitious and wanted to take down Anxi Canyon. Anxi Canyon had a difficult terrain and was known as the Death Canyon by people. The rebel army had several hideouts there. He did not listen to my advice and was determined to check out Anxi Canyon. He took several men with him and never returned.”
“Duke Chen, that's not possible. Who doesn’t know that a general’s command is law in the army? Without your order, Elder Brother has no reason to risk going against martial law to scout.” Sheng Chuling caught hold of the gap.
Lu Qi glared. “Sheng Chuling, what do you mean by that?”
“Elder Brother is an Assistant General. The only person that could order him go to the Anxi Canyon is the Main General.” They better not think he, Sheng Chuling, was stupid.
“Are you trying to say that my father intentionally killed your Elder Brother?” Lu Qi slammed the table and stood up.
“Lu Qi, that is enough.” Lu Yunji let out a long sigh. “Duke Lu, I feel guilty for not being able to bring Sheng Chumu back to Chang’an unharmed.”
Sheng Xiaojing lacked energy. “Duke Chen, you don’t have to feel guilty. People die in war. As the main general, you are in charge of so many people. If you are to ensure everyone returns alive, there is no point in going to war.”
Lu Yunji took over. “Duke Lu, you are as reasonable as before and understand the difficulties of being the main general.”
“We are both fathers and should be reasonable. I finally have a taste of losing my son. It really hurts to live. Young General Lu is brilliant in martial arts and has potential. I hope that he will remain safe and that you won’t ever end up in my position.”
Sheng Xiaojing was grieving, how could he not feel hatred?
Sheng Chujun’s eyes burned. “The fate between the Sheng family and Lu family is deep and we might meet during the hunt. We can exchange greetings then. Lu Qi, you should be careful. There are bears and tigers in the hunting ground. Last year, a wild animal attacked someone and even chewed off his head.”
Lu Qi could not help remarking, “You're the one who should be careful. Your brother lies in a cenotaph. If you are eaten by a tiger and your body cannot be found, you will need another cenotaph.”
Lu Yunji and Sheng Xiaojing looked at each other, letting their sons bicker. They were fighting each other internally.
Meanwhile, Fu Rou headed towards Lizheng Palace. Empress Zhangsun had ordered her to prepare the best embroideries for Lu Yunji’s daughter, Lu Yingying. She really could not bring herself to hate Lu Yingying. Lu Yingying was not evil but had simply been born into a despicable family.
“Head Seamstress Fu.”
Fu Rou turned back to look. She saw Shuangxi taking a walk with Sun Lingshu. They both had light expressions. Her gaze fell to Sun Lingshu’s usually flat stomach. She saw how Sun Lingshu placed her hand there and how Shuangxi had a slightly bent over position. The biggest news in the palace was that the Crown Princess was pregnant.
Fu Rou greeted, “Your Highness.” It was obvious Sun Lingshu was in a good mood, she even took the initiative to talk to Fu Rou.
Sun Lingshu smiled lightly. “I was in a bad mood previously and I was always at odds with you. I should not have done that.”
Fu Rou maintained a calm expression. “Crown Princess, please do not say that. It is my responsibility to serve you. If there is anything you are unhappy about, please point it out to me so that I can correct my ways.”
A kind expression returned to Sun Lingshu’s face, reminiscent of her times at Han Mansion. “I don’t have many friends in the palace. You are the first friend I met before entering the palace. If I do anything wrong, I hope you will not blame me. It would be good if we remain on good terms in the future.”
“Yes, it is definitely good for us to be on good terms.” Friends? She could not afford to be friends with her.
“You seem to be very down. Is there something bothering you?”
Sun Lingshu’s tone was slightly inquisitive as she recalled how Prince Zhou had helped Fu Rou out previously. Prince Zhou was the Crown Prince’s biggest threat and therefore hers. If there was something going on between Fu Rou and Prince Zhou, perhaps she could make use of Fu Rou.
Fu Rou did not want to divulge her personal matters with strangers. She replied, “No.”
“Head Seamstress Fu, you still don’t see me as a friend.” She casually glanced at the embroidery Fu Rou held. “I heard that Imperial Mother invited Lu Yingying to the palace. Is this for her?”