Translator – Xiao He Lian
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
Chapter 44
In Chang’an in the third month, there were few sunny days, the air was mixed with dull fog, and it was about to rain.
At noon, Lu Yan returned to Jingzhao Prefecture after completing the autopsy.
For a person with severe mysophobia, autopsy is indeed not an easy task. For example, he couldn’t eat lunch now. He put his hands in the copper basin and scrubbed it back and forth for a long time and returned to the hall.
After sitting down, Lu Yan rubbed his brows, drank half a cup of cold tea and prepared to rewrite today’s report.
The sun outside jumped from one window to another.
When he put down my pen, he felt exhausted.
The sky was dark, the wind was rustling, and raindrops fell on the uneven stone road. It was time to get off work.
Lu Yan took off his black gauze hat, closed the file, stood up, and walked out of the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture…
The carriage stopped in front of the gate and before getting in, Yang Zong spoke first, “Master.”
Lu Yan frowned, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Zong coughed slightly and said, “Just now, the eldest princess sent someone to send a message.”
“What did Mother say?”
Yang Zong really didn’t want to say it but the eldest princess ordered him to convey these words to his master word for word…
So he could only bite the bullet and said: “The eldest princess said that if you don’t return to the Duke’s mansion today, then don’t have to come back ever again.”
Lu Yan was naturally aware of Princess Jing’an’s stubborn temper. If he dares not to go back today, “a fire” will be set on Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow.
After thinking about it, he returned to the Duke’s Mansion that night.
Sure enough, as soon as he walked into Suning Hall, he saw the figure of Princess Jing’an.
The eldest princess sat in the pavilion in front of his door and was drinking tea, obviously waiting for him.
Lu Yan took the oil-paper umbrella from Yang Zong, walked over, sat in front of Princess Jing’an.
Princess Jing’an’s slender jade fingers slid back and forth on the edge of the cup and said quietly: “You still know how to come back.”
Lu Yan straightened his back and said seriously: “It’s because this son is unfilial and made mother worry.”
The patter of rain suddenly hit the tiles, and the surrounding wind was mixed with a hint of chill.
“Heh,” the eldest princess chuckled, “I don’t blame you. The top courtesan in Pingkang lane, stole your soul away. It’s normal for you not to remember to be filial.”
When the eldest princess was extremely angry, she always talked like this.
Lu Yan knew in his heart that if he lived outside for a long time, the eldest princess would become suspicious sooner or later, so he recorded the courtesan Yunzhi in the brothel in Pingkang lane under his name early on.
Although he didn’t go there,he still spent the money. So Yunzhi was happy and at ease, and the madam in the brothel was tight-lipped.
When he didn’t answer, the eldest princess asked again: “Is her name, Yunzhi?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a smile appeared on Lu Yan’s lips. The tenderness radiating from all over his body was obvious at a glance, as if he had been immersed in the sensual pink bubble.
“Did mother go to find her?” Lu Yan asked.
Hearing this, the eldest princess clenched her fists and said, “Why? Are you afraid that I will make her feel wronged?”
He knows his mother the best.
Lu Yan knew that no matter how angry the eldest princess was, she would not lower herself to go to a brothel, let alone use the majesty of the eldest princess to embarrass a courtesan, she was just throwing a fit all by herself.
The eldest princess placed the cup in her hand on the stone table and raised her voice: “Is it possible that you want to bring her into the house?”
Lu Yan said calmly: “I have never thought about it.”
The eldest princess’s face looked a little ugly, and it was obvious that she was angry.
Their eyes met, she took a deep breath and said, “Lu Shiyan, it’s time for you to start a family.”
The rain around them became heavier and heavier, and after a while, all the banana leaves in the yard were washed away.
The eldest princess looked into his eyes and continued: “Your grandmother was ill when you went to Yangzhou. When the high fever persisted, she was still mumbling your name in her dreams. The old lady is old, but she insists on fasting and chanting sutras every day. Apart from hoping for your safety and success, she also hopes that you can start a family soon.”
Lu Yan said nothing, but his eyes moved to the spring grass that was being ravaged by the wind and rain.
“General Mu was escorted to Dali Temple yesterday, and the third prince was also grounded. The court is currently in turmoil. It would be better to settle your marriage as soon as possible. Your Father also thinks the same. I think the girls from the Yun family and the Wang family are both good, but the choice is still up to you.” The eldest princess paused and continued: “You should also know your identity and your responsibilities.”
The marriage of the Heir Apparent of Zhenguo Duke Mansion does not aim for a prominent family background, but rather for common aspirations. This is another reason why the eldest princess had previously acquiesced to the Meng family’s daughter living in the Duke’s mansion.
Whether it is the daughters of the Meng family, the Yun family, or the Wang family, they all have one thing in common, that is, they are daughters of good ministers.
To put it bluntly, Princess Jing’an requires the two families to have the same position – not to participate in party disputes and only to be loyal to the emperor.
After listening to his mother’s words, Lu Yan’s eyes darkened and he subconsciously turned the ring on his hand.
“Lu Shiyan, no matter how much you like outsiders, it can only be up to that. The Zhenguo Duke Mansion will never allow you to bring a courtesan back nor will I allow my daughter-in-law to suffer this injustice and humiliation in vain. The Lu family is not like this.”
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
“From tomorrow onwards, you should come back home and don’t stay out overnight. Last time, I didn’t think through the Meng family’s daughter’s matter well and I never asked you what you wanted. Next month, the Ying Duke Mansion Duchess will hold a polo match, and I promised her that you will come. If you are busy and can’t come, then there will be another one the month after that.”
The meaning of the eldest princess’s words is very clear. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the Meng family daughter, since there is no shortage of noble young ladies in the capital.
Her aggressive tone seemed to be telling him – this year, your marriage must be decided no matter what.
Lu Yan’s expression did not change, but the hands on his knees had blue veins popping out.
This is not the first time that his mother had forced him to marry, but this is the first time she had the most resolute attitude.
But his current situation makes it impossible for him to get married. If he gets married, what will happen to her?
He saved Shen Zhen a few months ago simply because of those bizarre yet real dreams and the heart disease he suffered from for no reason. As for why he touched her, he acknowledges that it is due to the inherent flaw in men..
He admitted it.
At first, he just thought that when he found a way to cure the heart disease, he would send her back to Yangzhou, settle her with her siblings and give her the property he bought in Yangzhou, so that the fact that she was with him all this time was not in vain.
And he won’t feel guilty towards her either.
But what about now?
Lu Yan asked himself: Can he still send her somewhere else?
Their identities have not changed, and the fact that she lives in Chengyuan has not changed, but he has.
When he decided to take Bai Daonian to the East Palace to treat the Crown prince, everything had changed. If the Crown prince recovers from his illness and secures his position in the Eastern Palace, then the imprisonment of Marquis Yunyang will not last for two years.
He knows this better than anyone else.
Lu Yan smiled nonchalantly, then poured a cup of hot tea for Princess Jing’an and handed it into her hand, “Mother, calm down.”
Princess Jing’an frowned and said word for word: “Lu Shiyan, do you think I’m joking with you?”
Lu Yan explained: “I have indeed been sleeping out these past few days, but I haven’t gone to pinkang lane.”
The eldest princess retorted: “Why? Are you talking back to me now?”
“I am just afraid that my grandmother will worry.” As he spoke, Lu Yan coughed twice on purpose and said, “The evidence that the Mu family selling private salt and raising private soldiers was brought back from Yangzhou by me and on the way back to the capital, I was slightly injured. “
As soon as he finished speaking, the cup in Princess Jing’an’s hand fell to the ground. She knew he wouldn’t joke about something like this.
“Where’s the injury?”
Princess Jing’an’s eyes changed slightly, how can she still be angry now?
Lu Yan pointed behind him and said calmly: “It’s okay now.”
After hearing this, the eldest princess didn’t have the heart to talk about other things. She dragged Lu Yan back to the house, lit the lamp, and insisted on taking a look at his wounds.
The eldest princess looked at the two dazzling scars and her eyes immediately turned red, “How can this be called a slight injury?”
Now that the timing was just right, Lu Yan turned back and looked into the eyes of the eldest princess and said: “Jingzhao Prefecture has been busy recently, so I won’t go to the Polo competition. Is that okay?”
The eldest princess stared at his dark and profound eyes.
Suddenly she felt that he was pitiful and hateful at the same time. The fact that he was injured was real and taking advantage of her sympathy was also real. It was just as Princess Fu’an said – children are all debts of their parents.
The eldest princess often wondered why her son, who had been outstanding in everything since he was a child and never let her worry about him, suddenly changed his temperament.
