Lu Yunshuang glared at her sharply. “Go and approach my father. Tell him that I’ve miscarried and my health is poor. Also let him know that I’m depressed and miss Auntie. I want her by my side to take care of me.”
Shocked, Hong Xiu quickly lowered her eyes.
The Crown Princess was terribly pale from the excessive blood loss. Her pale face coupled with the dark expression made her look especially vicious and frightening.
Hong Xiu hesitated a moment before saying carefully, “Would His Highness…”
Lu Yunshuang gave a cold laugh and replied with confidence, “I’ve just miscarried and His Highness is feeling guilty over this. He will not reject my request.”
Hong Xiu nodded. “I’ll invite His Highness over on the pretense of telling him that you’re in pain again.”
Lu Yunshuang nodded her satisfaction. Hong Xiu was not that stupid, after all. “Go on. You do know what to say when you see His Highness, don’t you?”
“I know what to do,” Hong Xiu answered.
She continued, “When I see His Highness, I’ll casually mention that you have fallen into depression due to the sorrow of losing your child. You are so upset that you can’t even take your medicine and last night, I heard you talking in your sleep, calling out for Aunt Zheng…”
Lu Yunshuang’s mood improved when she heard this. “Go on and get this done. You will be rewarded handsomely.”
Hong Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly scurried out.
Just as Lu Yunshuang expected, when Long Chi heard Hong Xiu telling him about how Lu Yunshuang was depressed because of the pain of losing her child, even to the extent of calling out Aunt Zheng in her dreams, his heart softened.
When saw the sickly Lu Yunshuang laying on her bed, he was overcome with guilt. Before Lu Yunshuang made her request, he informed her on his own accord that he would speak to Lu Hetian about sending Aunt Zheng back to care for her.
Just to be safe, he made it a point to meet Long Yang, planning to request a decree from him.
When Long Yang heard his request, he took some time to think about it before saying, “This is a family matter of the Grand Duke Family and it’s inappropriate for me to interfere with it. If you are truly sincere about this, you should make this request directly to the Grand Duke.”
Long Yang had yet to clarify the reason for Lu Hetian sending Aunt Zheng away to the temple for meditation. If he gave a decree brashly and later found out that Aunt Zheng was sent away for crossing a line with Lu Hetian, his future father-in-law might be unhappy with him for letting himself get coerced into bringing Aunt Zheng back with a decree, which could not be defied.
Long Chi did not expect Long Yang to reject him so blatantly.
Long Chi did not think this would have been a difficult matter. It should not be an issue for his Royal Uncle to give a decree such as this.
However, his Royal Uncle had rejected his request immediately without a shred of hesitation.
Long Chi’s fist clenched tight quietly in his sleeves.
Long Yang glanced at him and continued, “I can tell that you’re very worried about the Crown Princess. There isn’t much governmental administration work to be done for the imperial court during this time. You may remain in the Eastern Palace and spend some quality time with the Crown Princess. The work that I have previously passed to you can be arranged for someone else to take over. This way, you will be able to accompany the Crown Princess with peace of mind.”
Long Chi’s heart sank. What did his Royal Uncle mean by this?
He immediately replied, “Royal Uncle, you worry too much. The Crown Princess might not be feeling well, but I’m not a physician. There’s nothing I can help her with. I will do a good job with the work you have given to me.”
Long Yang glanced at him. He actually did not mean anything else with his intentions. All he saw was Long Chi’s anxious expression and had thought that he was worried about Lu Yunshuang. This was why he had thought to pass Long Chi’s work to someone else to handle. It was to give him some peace. However, it was apparent that this nephew of his not only did not appreciate this, but had misinterpreted his good intentions.
Long Yang frowned. “If that’s the case, we’ll just keep business as usual.”
