Lu Lingzhi had been by Mo Rongzhan’s side for a long time, so he already knew him very well. If he(MRZ) really believed that he had nothing to do with this matter, he would have summoned him to come to the palace and asked him about it. Now that he had not, but investigated on the sly, it was obvious that the emperor was suspecting him.
“Eldest Brother, what should we do? If the emperor doesn’t even believe you, who can get me out of here?” Lu Wushuang first asked softly before her expression and demeanor changed as she abruptly stood up. “I don’t want to stay in Nian Tzu Temple for even a quarter of an hour. Eldest Brother, please, even if I have to go far away and never return to the capital for the rest of my life, I am willing, just please… Please save me… get me out of here.”
Lu Lingzhi pressed Lu Wushuang’s shoulder and said, “Don’t get agitated. Sit down and listen to me.”
“Eldest Brother, you don’t know how hard it is here, I really can’t take it anymore.” She choked with emotion.
“It’s not impossible to get you out,” Lu Lingzhi said in a low voice,”I had thought I could get you back to the palace, but now I’m afraid I can’t. The emperor is such a person… He detests being deceived.”
Lu Wushuang was overjoyed. “Even if you don’t want me to go back to the palace, all you have to do is get me out.”
“Then we have to count on Yaoyao.”He looked at his sister and said,“I know you don’t like her, but besides her, Eldest Brother has no other way to help you.”
As soon as she heard Yaoyao’s name, Lu Shuanger’s face immediately changed. “Lu Yaoyao? Brother, how could she help me out? She wants to kill me. No, I can’t count on her. She’s just a princess with a different surname. One day when Empress Dowager is unhappy with her, she will be nothing.”
“The emperor wants to make her the empress.” Lu Lingzhi said in a low voice,”As long as she becomes the empress, she will be able to decree that you leave.”
Lu Wushuang felt that her ears were playing tricks on her. What did she hear from Lu Lingzhi? The emperor wanted to make Lu Yaoyao Empress?
“Eldest Brother, are you joking? Lu Yaoyao is now a princess, how can she become the empress?” The jealousy in Lu Wushuang’s heart swelled like a venomous snake gnawing at her heart.
“You also know that Yaoyao is not a real princess. Becoming an empress is but a word from the emperor.” He whispered, raising his eyes to look at his sister’s face. “I know you feel uncomfortable, but Yaoyao is your sister, and if she becomes an empress, it will always bode well for you and the Lu family.”
“No, she won’t let me off.” Lu Wushuang looked fierce. “I knew it…I knew she had already seduced the emperor behind my back. I really didn’t wrong her, Eldest Brother, kill Lu Yaoyao, kill her!”
“Shuang’er, I have told you that the remaining poison in my body has yet to be purged, I can no longer make military contributions for the Lu family. The emperor knows that you were not the one who saved him back then, so now only Yaoyao—”
“You and Grandmother are biased towards her!” Lu Wushuang shrieked. “I just knew it. You’re all biased towards Lu Yaoyao. Eldest Brother, am I not your favorite sister anymore? In the past, no matter what happened to me, you would always help me. Do you want to help Lu Yaoyao now?”
Lu Lingzhi smiled bitterly. “Yaoyao doesn’t need my help at all. She’s not in the capital.”
“Eldest Brother, why can she become the empress? Why did…the emperor only make me Gui Fei but is willing to make her Empress?” She was unreconciled. She didn’t think she’d lose to* Lu Yaoyao
[*she didn’t think she was inferior to LYY]
“I don’t know either.” Lu Lingzhi shook his head. Mo Rongzhan might already know that Lu Yaoyao looked like Ye Zhen. If he knew that Ye Zhen was the one who saved him…
He did not dare to imagine what would happen to the Lu family then.
Lu Wushuang looked at him.”Eldest Brother, are you… not going to help me anymore.”
“Shuang’er, Eldest Brother will save you.” He persuaded her in a low voice. “Once Yaoyao becomes the empress, you can leave.”
“You have all been deceived by Lu Yaoyao. She is not as kind and innocent as you think. If she really did not seduce the emperor, would the emperor abandon me for her?” Lu Wushuang screamed.
Lu Lingzhi sighed. “Shuang’er, Yaoyao is also our sister. She will help you for the sake of our Lu family.”
“I don’t think Lu Yaoyao is Third Uncle’s daughter!” Lu Wushuang snorted and said coldly.
“Shuang’er, what are you saying!” Lu Lingzhi frowned and looked at her. How could she say such words?
Lu Wushuang harrumphed. “When I was young, I clearly heard Third Aunt tell Third Uncle that she was injured when she gave birth to Xiang. It’s very difficult for her to be pregnant again. How could she have given birth to Lu Yaoyao in the border town?”
“What?”Lu Lingzhi looked at Lu Wushuang in shock. “Are you sure?”
Lu Wushuang bit her lip. Actually, she wasn’t sure, but when she thought of Lu Yaoyao becoming the empress, her hatred surged such that she wanted her to die. “Yes, if you don’t believe me, go ask Third Uncle!”
“I will naturally ask about this matter. You can just stay here in Nian Tzu Temple without fear. However, even if I save you, you might not be able to return to the palace. You know the emperor best. He doesn’t like people lying to him,” he said gently.
Lu Wushuang had already considered the consequences in the event that Mo Rongzhan questioned her. However, even if she was in love with him, she did not want to spend her entire life alone here. No matter where she went, she did not want to stay in Nian Tzu Temple.
“As long as I can leave this damned place, I’m willing to go anywhere,” she said.
“Then I’ll leave first. You’ll have to endure for a while longer. I’ve already spoken to the Nian Tzu Temple’s nuns and asked them to treat you kindly and not force you to do such rough work,” Lu Lingzhi whispered.
Lu Wushuang nodded with an aggrieved expression.”Eldest Brother, come back quickly and save me.”
“Good.” Lu Lingzhi patted his sister’s head before turning to leave Nian Tzu Temple.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Lu Lingzhi held his chest and panted heavily. No one could understand how excited he was. When he heard that Yaoyao might not be Third Uncle’s daughter, he…He was actually filled with an unprecedented surprise and anticipation.
If Yaoyao was not Third Uncle’s daughter, then she would not be his cousin!
Lu Lingzhi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Could he stop suppressing his feelings for her? Did he not need to think about marrying her out as soon as possible to prevent falling deeper and deeper?
She looked too much like Ye Zhen. Now, he couldn’t even tell if he couldn’t forget Ye Zhen or if it was because he liked her so much that he thought of her as Ye Zhen.
He wanted to go back and ask Third Uncle if Yaoyao was really not his cousin…
No matter what, he would never marry Yaoyao to someone else, even if she were to be an empress.
He had only ever erred once, lost (her) once; he didn’t want to miss (her) again.
Lu Lingzhi suppressed his excitement and strode towards the carriage at the foot of the mountain. “Return!”
♚♚♚
