“I heard something about a rebel leader named Yi. Old Master received a lot of valuables from him and secretly let him go. Now, that person is unsettled and started to make a move once again. They were discussing how to get rid of him.” Ling Long sat on Lu Hanxing’s thigh.
“Is his name Hong Yide?”
Ling Long nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
“No wonder.” Lu Hanxing came to a realisation. “I was wondering how they got so much money after quelling the rebel army. They even managed to fill several huge crates and were going to send them back home secretly. It was an illegal transaction.”
Ling Long casted a side glance. “Oh right, I also have to congratulate you. You are going to marry. I heard Old Master say that he managed to settle a marriage between you and Assistant Minister Zhao’s daughter.”
“Assistant Minister Zhao? What? His daughter is literally the ugliest girl in the capital!”
Ling Long laughed. “Yes, the ugly one. She has pimple scars all over her face and even stutters. Old Master said that the Lu family needs this marriage.”
Lu Hanxing exclaimed, “If the Lu family needs this marriage then why don’t Lu Qi marry her? Why must I be the one to marry her?”
“Lu Qi is Old Master’s biological son. What are you? Officially, you are his nephew but you are actually just a subordinate.”
Seeing how Lu Hanxing’s expression changed, Ling Long grabbed onto his neck and acted cute. “I am not the one that made you angry, don’t take your anger out on me. Don’t be anxious. The marriage with Assistant Minister Zhao’s daughter cannot be settled within two or three days. You can take your time to discuss it. Now, I have good news for you.”
Lu Hanxing was suspicious. “What good news?”
“Haven’t you got your eye on Yin’er? I am a generous person and decided to let you try her.” Ling Long had realised that Lu Qi was starting to care more and more about Yin’er.
Lu Hanxing could see through her. “Don’t think I don’t know what you are planning. She is serving Lu Qi’s study room. If I do something to her, Lu Qi will give me trouble.”
“You are his cousin. Even if he creates trouble for you, it will just be a fight or a scolding. Can he really kill you? When the time comes, you can just say that Yin’er was the one that seduced you. When she is dirty, Young Master will no longer care for her. He might even give her to you. Let’s make it clear. This is not just for me. I am doing this for you too. If Yin’er gains more of his favour, how will I be able to hold my position in the study room? If I lose my position, how will I help you get information? Even if you cry, you won’t be able to find out anything.”
Chapter 36.1: Bidding Farewell
Fu Yin had once again been summoned to Lu Qi’s study room. He had just sent out two letters of high importance and could finally relax. He wanted her to massage his legs. She hesitated before beginning to massage his legs. As she saw him close his eyes comfortably, she could not help but think of her mother and used more strength.
Lu Qi opened his eyes and frowned. “What did your family used to do?” How were her hands so strong?
“They had a business…” Fu Yin subconsciously replied.
“What kind of business?” Lu Qi continued to ask.
“We sold…” Fu Yin did not dare to tell the truth. “...calligraphy items.”
“No wonder you know how to draw. You are considered a lady of a merchant. How did you end up selling yourself to the Duke Chen Residence?”
“Our business went bankrupt and we owed a lot of money. My parents could not take it and abandoned me. I went to my distant uncle for help but my aunt said I was unlucky. She scolded and hit me everyday. Eventually, she sold me.” Fu Yin made something up.
Lu Qi assessed Fu Yin for a moment before pulling his legs back. “Have you never helped anyone massage their legs before? It is not comfortable at all.”
Fu Yin took the chance to leave. “If Young Master has no other orders for me…”
“I have.” Lu Qi did not let her leave. “Sing a song for me.”
“I don’t know how to sing.” She was born fortunate and never had to worry about clothes or food. She also never had to sell the arts to survive.
Lu Qi wanted to laugh. “You are clumsy at serving tea, don’t know how to massage, don’t know how to sing. You are incredibly useless except for one thing. You know how to draw. Go and draw then.”
“Draw what?” Fu Yin did not refuse.
“Mmhm, draw me.” Lu Qi proudly pointed at himself. “You drew me in secret, now I am giving you the chance to draw me properly. You should be grateful.”
Fu Yin looked at how Lu Qi posed in a manner that he thought was handsome as she nervously picked up her brush. As she drew, he commented. He would suddenly say that he wanted to look powerful and in another moment, he would comment that his eyes were not big enough. She fumed and drew huge exaggerated eyes for him.
Lu Qi closed in on her, forcing her to the corner of the room. Both his arms locked her in, making it impossible for her to escape. “You did that on purpose?”
She glared at him with eyes that looked like a rabbit’s. “When did I…”
“Your eyes are so big and so bright…” Unknowingly, Lu Qi became absorbed and shifted closer. Fu Yin was frightened but could not avoid him.
Lu Qi grabbed onto Fu Yin’s chin and said in a seducing voice. “Please me and you can get anything you want.”
Lu Qi was about to get intimate with Fu Yin when Fu Yin pushed him away roughly. She ran to her room. He was furious before slowly becoming interested. She clearly admired him but chose to remain shy like a rabbit. She was so cute that it made his heart tickle. He did not mind slowly pursuing her.
The Royal Palace was gloomy. A single lamp shone on a small paper boat. Fu Rou placed her palms together as she prayed.
Two lives were lost in silence. Many people in the palace were pitiful people that had their family relationships cut off. The least she could do would be to light a lamp for them to show them that there was someone that remembered them and wished them to have a smooth road ahead.
“Li Chun’er from Jiangling County.”
Fu Rou was startled as she turned back. She saw Prince Zhou walk up. Prince Zhou said, “If you want to pray for the deceased, you should at least know their name.”
“How did you know…” Fu Rou only managed to ask half of her question before she chuckled bitterly, “I always forget that Your Highness has a huge network in the palace. There is nothing that you don’t know.”
“I typically do not care about trivial matters. However, since this is related to you, I can’t help but be slightly concerned.” Prince Zhou did not mind telling the truth. “Are you feeling sad?”
“Yes. I never thought that it would end like this.” In a normal common household, this would be a trivial and insignificant issue. But in the Royal Family’s household, it was worth someone’s life.
“Li Chun’er also never thought that using white arsenic to poison rats would cause her to lose her life.” Prince Zhou pursed his lips. His tone was surprisingly cold. “Don’t you find it interesting?”
Fu Rou was horrified. “It is so tragic. How can it be interesting?”
“By interesting, I am referring to how unpredictable human life can be. Just like this, a person’s fate has been completely changed. Right from the beginning, you would never have imagined things to end like this.” To be born in the Royal family is actually a kind of sorrow. “When I was young, I once fell into a pond and almost drowned. Did you know who saved me?”
Fu Rou shook her head.
“The Crown Prince.” He would remember this for life.