Chapter 651: Call Me Husband Again
Long Yang's enigmatic eyes narrowed, and he reached out abruptly and pulled her into his lap. "Happy, are we?"
Gazing into his handsome face, Lu Liangwei nodded honestly. "Yes."
Long Yang slid his fingers along her waist and tickled her, making her shriek with laughter immediately. "It tickles. Stop it, Your Majesty..."
Long Yang's gaze darkened, and he lightly pinned her down to the bed with one arm. "Then do you plead guilty?"
"How am I guilty?" Lu Liangwei covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Since you refuse to plead guilty, then I'll..." Long Yang suddenly lowered his head and bit her on the lip.
Hissing sharply, Lu Liangwei quickly shielded her mouth and stared at him in disbelief. "You bit me?"
She did not seem to be faking the pain. Long Yang's chest tightened and he moved her head onto his lap. "Let me take a look..."
Without warning, Lu Liangwei shot her hands out and grabbed the front of his shirt. Pulling herself upward, she bit him on the corner of his mouth in retaliation.
"You'll only know how much it hurts when you get a taste of it, hmph!"
Unprepared, Long Yang received her attack head-on, which immediately produced a wound at the corner of his mouth. His eyes narrowed. "You bit me."
"Courtesy demands reciprocity," Lu Liangwei replied stoutly without any sense of guilt.
Actually, Long Yang had not bitten her that hard-she did it on purpose.
Long Yang touched the corner of his mouth and looked at her in resignation. "You're such a wild kitty cat; you really won't let other people get one over you."
Lu Liangwei lay back down on his lap and continued the previous subject. "I think Lu Yunshuang wanted to verify whether we'd really slept together. She probably had a hunch before this, so she barged into my bedchamber to find out if you'd really recovered from your illness." What she was truly curious about was why Lu Yunshuang had suddenly realized that Long Yang had recovered.
According to the original plot, Long Yang would die at the end of the year, and at the beginning of next year, Long Chi would ascend the throne naturally.
They were positive that Long Yang could not be cured of the poison, so they did not make any big moves in private. Once Long Yang dies, Long Chi could easily and rightfully ascend the throne.
However, now Long Yang had been cured. Long Chi and Lu Yunshuang had probably gotten an inkling of it too, which led to Lu Yunshuang barging into her bedchamber.
Now that they confirmed Long Yang's recovery, what would they do next?
There was a pensive look in Long Yang's eyes after he listened to her. "Are you saying that they'll do something to seize the throne?"
Lu Liangwei nodded. "Yes. I'm just a bit worried that they'll harm you."
Although the present had deviated from the original plot, she was unsure whether the ending would change.
The ending was Long Chi ascending the throne and Lu Yunshuang becoming Empress.
They had not reached that stage yet, and no one could possibly know how it would turn out.
What if the ending was still the same?
Fear gripped her heart all of a sudden.
She grasped Long Yang's hand and said earnestly, "You must take precautions, Your Majesty." Unseen ambushes are harder to guard against than open attacks.
Now that Long Yang was healed, Long Chi's position as Heir Apparent has become unstable, and it was difficult to guarantee that Long Chi would not try anything in the future.
Long Chi was someone who would resort to underhanded means to get the throne.
Long Yang stroked her head, feeling warm in his heart. "You're worried about me?"
Lu Liangwei pursed her lips and nodded. "You're my husband, of course I'd be worried about you."
Long Yang's heart instantly melted into a puddle. He leaned close to her face and urged, "Call me husband again."
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Chapter 652: The Emperor Was Almost Crippled By Lu Liangwei
Lu Liangwei had uttered the word without thinking just now, but now that he was earnestly asking her to repeat it, she was a little embarrassed.
"No." After saying that, she turned her face away. However, she forgot that her head was still resting on his thigh, and the movement caused her to bump into a particular body part.
The man let out a low groan.
When Lu Liangwei realized what she had just hit, her face flushed furiously.
She said awkwardly, "I didn't mean to do it."
"Lu Liangwei, how could you be so careless? What're you going to do if you break it?" Long Yang sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.
Despite her guilt, Lu Liangwei said, "Well, I could just choose not to remarry and stay with you for my whole life."
It would have been fine if she had not said this, but the moment she did, Long Yang's handsome face clouded over ominously. "You're even considering remarrying?"
Seeing that he was seriously infuriated, Lu Liangwei could not help reaching out to give him a massage. "I really didn't mean to do it."
She pressed her hand on his injury, and only after a moment did she realize what she was doing. She immediately retracted her hand as if scalded, but the man grasped it firmly.
"Since you injured it, you should nurse it." Long Yang's voice was deep and carried a hint of delight as it sounded next to her ear.
Lu Liangwei's fingers trembled. She was sure that the Emperor was pretending.
She did not even use that much force when she bumped her head on it.
Thinking it over, she said indignantly, "It's not made of tofu; how could it be so easily... easily..."
"Easily what?" Long Yang looked at her, a smile playing on his lips.
"Broken." Gulping, Lu Liangwei replied a little unconfidently.
"I also feel that it wouldn't be so easily broken, but for safety's sake, I should test it."
"How?" Lu Liangwei suddenly had a sense of ominous foreboding.
Sure enough, the next instant, she was picked up and placed on his lap.
Lu Liangwei, "..."
She stared at him in horror, her legs betraying her by suddenly giving out.
"I don't want to do it." Lu Liangwei's small face turned white with dread when she sensed his intentions.
They had already done it a few times today; she would not be able to stand another round.
With his arms wrapped around her back, Long Yang coaxed her in a husky voice, "Be good, Weiwei. It won't take long this time."
Gritting her teeth, Lu Liangwei suddenly made a squeezing motion beneath her. There came a muffled groan from the man, and she hurriedly said, "No need to test it; I know for sure that you'll be fine, Your Majesty. See, if you were hurt, you wouldn't be acting like this at all." With that, she took advantage of his momentary daze and jumped down onto the ground quickly.
Long Yang came back to his senses, drenched in sweat as he stared at the girl running away into the distance.
He rubbed the spot between his eyes and smiled ruefully. This girl was awfully bold-if she had exerted more force, she would have really crippled him.
The next day, at the city gates.
Although the Duke Chen Family was now in disgrace, the Lin Family and the Duke Chen Family had been friends for generations, and they even nearly became in-laws, too. Therefore, as the people of the Duke Chen Family were about to be banished from the imperial capital today, Minister Lin came to see them off, along with his wife and daughter.
Both parties were somewhat silent as they approached each other again.
Lin Qingyuan felt a little emotional as she looked at Duke Chen's haggard face-gone was his past elegance and dignity.
Lin Zhenshu, the Minister of Revenue, was the first to break the silence. He stepped forward and took Duke Chen's hand. He sighed, wanting to say something comforting, but did not know where to begin.
Duke Chen understood his old friend's intentions and patted his hand, saying, "In any case, this outcome is already a good enough sign of His Majesty's grace. Despite everything else, we're truly fortunate that we can still be alive, and I'm content with that. Please, don't bother to see us off. If there's a chance in the future, we'll meet again."
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Chapter 653: I Wouldn't Be Able To Face You
Lin Zhenshu was relieved to hear this. It was fortunate that his old friend was broad-minded, and it was rare to see a person so optimistic after suffering such a heavy blow.
"There will always be a chance. When you've settled down, remember to send me a letter. I'll go and visit you when I'm free, and we can have a nice drink together."
"All right." Duke Chen nodded. When his gaze landed on Lin Qingyuan, all sorts of emotions welled up in his mind.
He had a lot of regrets, but remembering his son's deeds, he felt that it was wise of Lin Qingyuan to fake her death. Otherwise, he would have ruined her whole life.
Besides, that foolish scoundrel Chen Xuping was not worthy of Lin Qingyuan at all.
Lin Zhenshu took a bag from Lin Qingyuan and stuffed it into Duke Chen's hands. "Even the best of friends must part at some point. Take care."
The bag in Duke Chen's hands seemed to weigh a thousand catties, and his eyes brimmed with tears.
The Duke Chen Family was also considered a prominent noble house, but the moment they fell into plight, their past friends shunned them right away.
Lin Zhenshu was the only one who came to see him off and extend a helping hand.
Although the Duke Chen Family was eventually pardoned from death, their property was confiscated, and now they were even about to be exiled from the capital. Duke Chen had an entire household to feed, and hence he readily accepted the gift instead of faking virtuousness and declining it.
"I'll forever remember your kindness, Brother Lin. If you ever require my services one day, I won't hesitate to lay down my life for you!"
Lin Zhenshu felt guilt-ridden when he heard this.
He had not been of any help when the Duke Chen Family was imprisoned, and the money that he had just given was only enough to support them for a while.
"I feel ashamed to hear you say this. I'm dreadfully sorry for not being able to help you out of this predicament." Lin Zhenshu sighed.
"It's us who should be ashamed. I didn't know that Xuping had wanted to harm Qingyuan. Thank goodness that she's all right, or else I wouldn't be able to face you again," Duke Chen spoke from the bottom of his heart.
Not only did he regret his son not being able to marry Lin Qingyuan, but he was also deeply ashamed of his son's lack of judgment.
It was already a miracle that Lin Zhenshu did not shun him after Lin Qingyuan had almost been killed by Chen Xuping. Now that he was even willing to provide financial aid, he saw it as a tremendous showing of generosity.
"That's all in the past; no need to dwell on it." Lin Zhenshu, on the other hand, was also glad that his daughter had dodged a bullet by faking her death.
If not, his daughter would have married into their family and ended up being exiled together with them today.
How blind he had been to think that Chen Xuping was a good man who could make his daughter happy if they got married.
He had been utterly deceived by his gentlemanly facade.
"Hey, isn't that Chen Qiyu?" Just then, Lin Qingyuan's exclamation startled them out of their moment of reminiscence.
All heads turned to look, and sure enough, they saw Chen Qiyu descend a carriage and rush over toward them.
Aunt Liu's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly went up to her.
"Yu'er."
Chen Qiyu threw herself into her arms, her voice tearful. "Mother..."
Aunt Liu's tears spilled out without reservation, relieved to see her daughter safe and sound.
She gave her a quick look over, thought of something, and asked, "I heard that you were... What in the world happened? Are you all right?"
Chen Qiyu paused. Aunt Liu probably already knew about the incident, but she did not want to talk about what happened in the brothel. She simply said, "I'm fine. His Majesty saved me and even brought me back to the Eastern Palace. Don't worry about me, Mother. I'll take good care of myself. You, on the other hand, are about to go on a long journey, and it will be difficult for us to meet in the future. Promise me that you'll take care of yourself, Mother." She then stuffed a bag of valuables into her arms. "Keep this safe."
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Chapter 654: There Was No Way That Lu Liangwei Would Not Feel Bothered
Aunt Liu initially wanted to reject it, but she gave up after looking into her daughter's determined eyes. "I'm fine. I'm already quite old, anyway. You, on the other hand, need to be extremely careful. The Eastern Palace is not like the outside world. Besides that, there are also those snakes and scorpions..."
Chen Qiyu's tears fell when she heard her mother's concerned reminder. She hugged Aunt Liu and did not really want to let go. She wanted to stay this way, and follow her mother to leave this wretched place.
However, she could not do so now no matter how much she wanted to.
She still had not obtained her revenge. At the very least, she needed to witness Lu Yunshuang's retribution before being able to leave.
"Mother, I'm pregnant with the Crown Prince's child," Chen Qiyu whispered in Aunt Liu's ears.
Aunt Liu was surprised, a look which later turned to delight. She held Chen Qiyu by the shoulders and asked agitatedly, "Is that true?"
"Yes." Chen Qiyu smiled and nodded.
Aunt Liu was happy for Chen Qiyu, but she also could not help but worry. All her daughter did previously was attract the attention of the Crown Prince, and that ended with Lu Yunshuang hurting her. Now that Chen Qiyu was pregnant, it could only spell more danger.
Chen Qiyu noticed her worry and tried to console her. "It's going to be fine. There's no need to worry too much. It's the Crown Prince's first child, after all. The Empress Dowager is very concerned about it."
At that, she paused. She thought back on the Crown Prince's reaction the other day, and had an idea of where she stood on this.
If the Crown Prince did not fix his issue, her child may very well end up being his only child.
She did not expect her child to become someone great and important one day, but at the very least, her child would be the Crown Prince's only child. This was enough to crush Lu Yunshuang.
Although, she would need to practice extra caution before that.
She was not aware of this previously, but after she had experienced those dark days in the brothel, she came to realize how vicious and cruel Lu Yunshuang was.
Lu Yunshuang was capable of doing anything to those who were in her way.
Chen Qiyu needed someone to protect her in such circumstances.
This person was not the Crown Prince, nor was it the Empress Dowager. The only person who could help her... was Lu Liangwei!
Even though Lu Liangwei and Lu Yunshuang were sisters, there was no way that Lu Liangwei would not feel bothered by Lu Yunshuang stealing her previous love away.
It was only by getting Lu Liangwei's protection that Chen Qiyu would be able to ensure the safety of the child growing within her.
Aunt Liu could not bear to leave her daughter, but the officials in charge of escorting them on the road were rushing them. She had no choice but to release her daughter as she reminded, "Yu'er, remember to be extremely careful."
Chen Qiyu nodded with tears in her eyes. "I know. Please take care of yourself too, Mother. I'll make sure to visit you once I have the opportunity."
Aunt Liu nodded. She sobbed until her voice went hoarse.
She had no idea when they would have the chance to meet again once they said their goodbyes.
Duke Chen looked at Lin Zhenshu as he left. He wanted to say something, but did not in the end. Instead, he waved and turned back toward his family. "Let's go."
Chen Xuping had been given the death sentence and would be executed soon. There was no point in Duke Chen asking after him. Nothing could be changed.
Lin Zhenshu and his family saw the Duke Chen Family off and only returned to their mansion in the city once they were far away.
Lin Qingyuan looked at Chen Qiyu, who was standing alone beside her. She turned toward her parents to say, "Father, Mother, you may return home first. I'd like to have a word with Chen Qiyu."
"Alright. Be careful when you're on your own and remember to come home early," Madam Lin reminded.
"Okay."
Once they were gone, Lin Qingyuan strode toward Chen Qiyu. She looked at Chen Qiyu's red eyes and asked a little awkwardly, "Are you feeling alright?"
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Chapter 655: Glanced At Her Belly With Some Regret
Chen Qiyu was taken aback. She had never thought that Lin Qingyuan would speak to her, and was therefore slightly surprised about this.
Chen Xuping had never treated Chen Qiyu well since she was young, and Lin Qingyuan had followed suit. The two women had always ignored each other whenever they crossed paths in the Duke Chen Mansion.
It took Chen Qiyu quite a while before she recovered enough to shake her head. "I'm fine."
She paused a moment before adding, "Thank you."
Lin Qingyuan shrugged. "There's nothing to thank me for. I didn't do a thing."
Chen Qiyu said with slight awkwardness, "Thank you for willing to speak to me."
Lin Qingyuan felt slightly embarrassed at this. "I was too narrow-minded before and too young to know better."
Lin Qingyuan had never treated Chen Qiyu with any courtesy because of Chen Xuping. Now that she recalled this, Lin Qingyuan felt that she did not even have her own stand during those times. She had given all her attention to Chen Xuping and only cared about getting into his good books.
"You did nothing wrong. I did not know any better either," Chen Qiyu said softly as she shook her head.
Chen Qiyu had also done many things that were not right. Back then, she regularly tried to show off. She suddenly realized how annoying she must have been as she thought of her past actions.
"Well, that's all in the past. Let's not talk about that anymore," Lin Qingyuan said.
They looked at each other and smiled as they slowly walked into the city. The Eastern Palace guards followed behind them in a horse-drawn carriage.
"Oh yeah, I actually saw you being knocked out and taken away a while back, then I told Lu Liangwei about it. She played a big part with you being saved." Lin Qingyuan suddenly mentioned this as the memory came to her mind.
Chen Qiyu was a little surprised. She had never thought that Lin Qingyuan had seen her being taken away the last time, however...
"The Empress?"
Lin Qingyuan replied in a low voice, "That's right. I was almost beaten to death at that time when I tried to tail the people who kidnapped you. It's only thanks to Lu Liangwei that I managed to survive. You know how much His Majesty dotes on her. His Majesty had gone to the brothel personally because she mentioned it to him."
It was only then that Chen Qiyu how many people had been involved with the incident of her being captured and sent to the brothel.
That explained why His Majesty had appeared at the brothel that day.
"It was all thanks to her," Chen Qiyu said earnestly and sincerely.
When she had sunk deep into the pool of inescapable mud, the Emperor had appeared to save her. Because of that, she would never forget what the Emperor and Empress had done for her.
They were both her benefactors.
When the Emperor found out she was pregnant with the Crown Prince's child, he had even sent someone to take her back to the Eastern Palace and kept her time at the brothel a secret.
It did not matter to her what the Emperor's motives were for doing that, she was still extremely grateful.
"Do you have any idea who was the person behind the suffering you endured?" Lin Qingyuan attempted to find out.
Chen Qiyu did not bother to hide it. "The Crown Princess."
Lin Qingyuan was secretly relieved when she heard this. She pointed out to Chen Qiyu, "I used to be close with Lu Yunshuang, thinking she was a really kind person. I used to constantly make trouble for Lu Liangwei for her sake. In the end, it turns out I was the stupid one who was being played around by Lu Yunshuang. That Lu Yunshuang has a cruel and vicious heart. You need to be extra cautious now that you're in the Eastern Palace. I don't think she will let you off that easily."
With that, Lin Qingyuan glanced at Chen Qiyu's belly with some regret.
Lu Liangwei had mentioned to Lin Qingyuan that Chen Qiyu was now pregnant.
There was no way that cold-blooded Lu Yunshuang would allow a concubine to be the first to give birth.
Chen Qiyu replied seriously, "Qingyuan, thank you so much. I will remember your words."
"Why are you suddenly acting all polite?" Lin Qingyuan said with some indignance.
Chen Qiyu laughed. This was the first time after the brothel incident that she had laughed so whole-heartedly.
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Chapter 656: It Would Be Nothing But An Accident
Lin Qingyuan went into a slight daze as she watched Chen Qiyu.
She realized that Chen Qiyu looks really pretty now that she was no longer using any makeup.
"By the way, I heard that Chen Xuping's execution has been fixed for tomorrow. Will you be seeing him off?" Chen Qiyu asked.
Lin Qingyuan clenched her teeth when she heard this. "I'll definitely be there, but I won't be seeing him off. I want to watch him beheaded with my own eyes. That jerk has harmed so many people. I'd love to watch him die."
Chen Qiyu sighed and suddenly said emotionally, "In truth, my older brother is nothing more than another poor victimized soul."
Lin Qingyuan was momentarily stunned. Chen Qiyu continued, "He's been blinded by Lu Yunshuang all this while."
Lin Qingyuan laughed bitterly. "You're right about that. To be honest, if not for Lu Liangwei, I would still be foolishly led by Lu Yunshuang and still be her tool without knowing any better."
Both of them continued walking together for quite a while before saying their goodbyes.
Lin Qingyuan informed Chen Qiyu before leaving, "Both of us are different people than we were before, which is why I've shared those words with you. Lu Liangwei-I mean-the Empress is someone who might be able to help you if you are facing any trouble. You may seek her help. She doesn't put on airs. She may act like a cold-blooded person, but in fact, she has a kind heart."
Lu Liangwei, who was currently far away in the Palace, suddenly sneezed. She was completely unaware that this busybody Lin Qingyuan had just volunteered for her to do more work.
Chen Qiyu nodded and replied in a low voice, "I was just planning to reach out to the Empress."
Lin Qingyuan waved an airy hand. "That's good then. I'll be going off first. Be careful on the road."
"Alright." Chen Qiyu nodded. She watched Lin Qingyuan disappear from sight before turning to enter the carriage.
Night.
Empress Dowager Xiaojing rotated the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. She looked like she had been meditating for half a day. She gave her grandson a strange look and asked with concern, "Chi'er, is there something wrong?"
Long Chi gave a start and replied, "Grandmother, I think that preventing Lu Liangwei from getting pregnant with Royal Uncle's child is not a surefire plan. Royal Uncle has other concubines besides Lu Liangwei and there will always be a flaw in the plan no matter how well we prepare. We won't be able to guarantee that we can cover every single thing. In my humble opinion, we need to set our sights directly on Royal Uncle."
Empress Dowager Xiaojing nodded. A flash of viciousness appeared in her cloudy eyes. "You are absolutely right. I've thought about this as well. It's the Autumn Hunt in two days and the Emperor will take his ministers to the West Mountains to hunt when the time comes. That will be an excellent opportunity."
Long Chi's eyes narrowed. "There's a crater on the way to the West Mountains near a cliff of a hundred feet. If we are able to set an ambush there, we could wait for Royal Uncle to pass by and shoot arrows at him. That should scare his horse into a craze and run toward the cliff..."
"A good idea. If we were targeting the throne, we can't allow anyone to catch hold of any evidence. The Emperor sent plummeting down the cliff by a crazed horse would be nothing more than an accident. There would be nothing holding you back from taking the throne." Xiaojing's cloudy eyes brightened suddenly at the thought of this, as if the outcome was already set in stone.
Long Chi looked delighted as well, but was reminded of something that darkened his expression once more.
Empress Dowager Xiaojing did not notice this. She gave the plan further thought before continuing, "Although, I feel that this should be arranged for the Emperor's return schedule. Only at the end of the hunt would their guards be at their lowest."
Long Chi nodded. "Your considerations are well-considered, Grandmother."
Empress Dowager Xiaojing stopped shuffling the beads in her hand. She could not wait to see that vile spawn, Long Yang, die at the bottom of the cliff.
Once that vermin was dead, her grandson would be able to finally capture the throne as the Emperor.
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Chapter 657: That Would Mean He Would Be Without An Heir
The throne was meant for her son.
Long Yang had occupied it for many years; it was time he had returned it.
Long Chi stood up and prepared to leave, having received the answer he wanted.
"I'll make all the preparations for the trip up to the Cool Mountains. I'll take my leave first."
Even though he was about to get his hands on the throne, Empress Dowager Xiaojing noticed that there was not much delight in his expression. She was slightly puzzled about this. "Is something bothering you? You can share your troubles with me. I'm your grandmother, the closest person to you in the world. You can share anything with me."
Long Chi was still hesitant about it.
Even though she was his grandmother, she had been planning his life for him since the day he was born. This involved his dignity as a man, which was why he did not know how to voice it out.
Empress Dowager Xiaojing slowly rotated the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand and asked, "Is this because you had a fight with the Crown Princess? I've told you many times before not to allow such emotions to rule your head. Once you've ascended to the throne, you can have any woman you desire. There is no need to be upset over her."
Long Chi's heart thumped at those words.
He could have any woman he desired?
Lu Liangwei immediately appeared in his mind.
If he could have her, he did not care about having any of the other women at all.
However, his heart quickly went cold.
With his current predicament, there was nothing much he could do even if he desired a woman.
At the thought of this, he said with slight frustration, "It has nothing to do with the Crown Princess. It's just that I... There's something wrong with me."
"What's wrong with you?" Empress Dowager Xiaojing asked as she stared at him in surprise.
Long Chi found it difficult to explain. "For some reason, I've been unable to perform for the past couple of days."
Empress Dowager Xiaojing was stunned by his words. "How did this happen?"
Long Yang replied with a frustrated expression, "I have no idea as well. I was doing fine until it suddenly happened..."
Xiaojing was completely caught off guard by this serious problem.
Her grandson was unable to perform. This simply would not do.
He did not even have a son yet, and who knew if the child growing in Chen Qiyu's belly was a boy or a girl? What if she gave birth to a daughter? That would mean that her grandson would be without an heir.
Empress Dowager Xiaojing stopped rotating her prayer beads and turned silent.
After a while, she finally said consolingly, "Don't act all anxious yet. I will help you find a solution. There is definitely a genius physician who would be able to cure you."
At that, one person immediately came to her mind.
Ling Lihua.
Long Chi felt better after seeing how confident his grandmother was.
It looked like she had already thought up a solution.
The moment Long Chi left, Empress Dowager Xiaojing immediately ordered Liu Fu, "Find a way to capture Ling Lihua."
Since Ling Lihua was known as a genius physician, she would definitely know how to cure this secret ailment her grandson was suffering from.
She had initially wanted Ling Lihua killed as a prevention of future complications, but now that Ling Lihua was useful once more, her life would be temporarily spared.
"Yes, Your Imperial Highness," Liu Fu replied, then left.
The next day, the sun was shining brightly.
Long Qingzhi had brought Zhi'er into the Palace and Lu Liangwei was strolling in the imperial garden with both of them.
After spending a period of time on the kid's treatment, Wanyan Zhi's condition had improved tremendously. Even though he was still unwilling to speak, he was no longer trembling or suffering from sudden convulsions.
Long Qingzhi was very happy about this.
Wanyan Zhi's little mouth was pursed and his black, bright eyes stared continuously at Lu Liangwei.
Long Qingzhi pointed at Lu Liangwei when she saw this. She smiled as she said to him, "Zhi'er, this is your aunt."
A puzzled look appeared in Wanyan Zhi's eyes.
Lu Liangwei crouched down next to the boy and rubbed his head as she asked with a smile, "Zhi'er, do you still remember me?"
Wanyan Zhi looked at her smile and could not help but hide behind Long Qingzhi before sticking his head out to call out in a cute little voice, "Big Sis?"
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Chapter 658: Your Highness Is In An Aesthetic Mood
Lu Liangwei was slightly taken aback. She was about to say something when Long Qingzhi corrected him, "Zhi'er, you need to call her 'Aunt' now."
Wanyan Zhi shook his head and repeated persistently, "Big sis."
Long Qingzhi was surprised but also delighted.
She was delighted that Zhi'er was finally willing to speak, but surprised that he was determined to refer to Lu Liangwei as 'big sis'.
"Zhi'er, she has already married your uncle, so you need to call her 'Aunt' from now on." Long Qingzhi crouched down to correct him patiently.
Lu Liangwei did not mind this at all. It was just a form of address to her, but Long Qingzhi did not think so.
There was nothing wrong for Zhi'er to address Lu Liangwei as 'big sis' in private, but she was worried he would do the same thing in public, which would be inappropriate.
Her younger brother was much older than Lu Liangwei, but because of his stern authority, no one dared mention anything. In private though, things were very different.
If someone were to overhear Zhi'er addressing Lu Liangwei as 'big sis', where would her brother stand in this?
Wanyan Zhi continued shaking his head even after his mother had tried correcting him.
Long Qingzhi felt slightly anxious when she saw this. She grabbed his arm and said sternly, "Oh, this child of mine, why are you being so disobedient?"
Wanyan Zhi's face turned pale when he saw the stern look on his mother's face. Fear appeared in his eyes as he shook his head and backed away.
Long Qingzhi was alarmed. She called out in panic, "Zhi'er, what's wrong?"
Wanyan Zhi continued shaking his head as he looked at Long Qingzhi in fear.
Lu Liangwei was shocked as well. She quickly took Wanyan Zhi's hand and blocked his view of Long Qingzhi.
"Zhi'er, it's me, big sis. How about I bring you along to go and play?" Lu Liangwei said soothingly.
Wanyan Zhi's unfocused gaze immediately turned toward her.
He was momentarily stunned at the sight of Lu Liangwei's gentle, friendly demeanor. Then he softly nodded.
Lu Liangwei breathed a sigh of relief as she held his little hand. "Let's go."
She signaled Long Qingzhi with a look as she said this.
Long Qingzhi was also relieved when she saw her son being calmed down. She lifted her sleeve to wipe the sweat on her forehead and followed behind the two, but did not say another word.
She had acted too anxiously just now and had frightened Wanyan Zhi, whose emotions were already unstable.
Lu Liangwei had made a few kites and was now teaching Wanyan Zhi how to play with them.
Wanyan Zhi grew up in Danjue, so he had never seen a kite before. Moreover, Lu Liangwei had made the kites into cute little animal shapes, which immediately caught his attention.
"This is called a paper kite. Hold on to this string and go run a circle. It will fly into the sky if you do that. Zhi'er, would you like to try?"
Wanyan Zhi held out his hand and accepted the string from Lu Liangwei.
Lu Liangwei continued, "You'll need to run along with the wind and go a little faster at the start for the paper kite to fly higher. Why don't you let your mother run with you?"
Wanyan Zhi's eyes were glued to the kite while Lu Liangwei brought Long Qingzhi over.
Long Qingzhi replaced Lu Liangwei's position.
Lu Liangwei backed away slightly and watched mother and son play with the kite.
When the kite soared high into the sky, Wanyan Zhi suddenly let out a chuckle. Long Qingzhi was overjoyed.
Right then, the Virtuous Consort and the Prudence Consort appeared together.
When they spotted Lu Liangwei, they suppressed their usual jealousy as they approached her to offer a curtsy.
"Greetings to Your Highness."
"You may rise," Lu Liangwei responded nonchalantly.
When the Virtuous Consort spotted the few paper kites sitting right next to Lu Liangwei's feet, she smiled and asked, "Your Highness is in an aesthetic mood. What prompted you to think about flying paper kites today?"
Lu Liangwei suddenly remembered that she had made extra kites when she heard this. She said, "Both of you are right on time. I made a few extra kites when I was making them for the Prince. You should take them and have fun too."
Zhu Yu immediately took two paper kites and gave them to the Virtuous Consort and Prudence Consort.
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Chapter 659: Lu Liangwei Took Over Her Place
Ji Linghui reacted accordingly as she accepted the paper kite, smiling as she thanked Lu Liangwei. "I'll take up your offer, then."
With that, she unfurled the string of the paper kite and slowly began to run on the grassy field.
The Virtuous Consort did not look happy when she saw this.
She was no longer young and was not some little girl who was still blooming. What would she even look like if she ran around the field with a paper kite in her hands?
However, the Empress had spoken and even the Prudence Consort did not reject her. If the Virtuous Consort were to reject the offer now, people might suspect her of disrespecting the Empress.
Even though she had no respect for Lu Liangwei, it was still necessary for her to put on a façade.
As she was hesitating, Lu Liangwei had also taken a paper kite and slowly unfurled the string. When Lu Liangwei noticed the Virtuous Consort still standing where she was, Lu Liangwei was puzzled. "Virtuous Consort, what's wrong? Do you not want to fly the paper kite?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'll fly it right now." The Virtuous Consort felt like throwing up blood in her heart. She was extremely unhappy about being reduced to a little girl like this.
Lu Liangwei did not say anything more when she saw this.
It was not long before the sky had three new additions of paper kites of different shapes and sizes. The kites flew higher and higher, as if competing to be the highest in the sky.
Long Yang walked out from the imperial study and immediately spotted four paper kites in the sky. He stopped in his tracks and asked, "Who's flying paper kites?"
Zhao Qian shook his head. "I have no idea. Shall I go and check it out?"
Long Yang gave this some thought and replied, "It's fine. Just go find out where the Empress is. I remember that my Royal Sister is coming into the Palace today."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Qian immediately left.
It was not long before he came running back to report, "Master, Her Highness is in the imperial garden."
Long Yang glanced at the paper kites flying in the sky when he heard this. A small smile appeared on his lips. So, it was Weiwei who was flying the paper kites. He instructed, "Make the arrangements for me to head to the imperial garden."
At the imperial garden.
Long Qingzhi was flying the paper kites with Wanyan Zhi when she suddenly felt the need to relieve herself. She turned toward Lu Liangwei. "Weiwei, I'd like to use the lavatory. Can I trouble you to take care of Zhi'er for a while?"
Lu Liangwei immediately agreed. "Go on, Royal Sister. I'll take good care of Zhi'er."
Long Qingzhi had trust in Lu Liangwei and left with her servants after informing Wanyan Zhi.
"Zhi'er, I'll play with you now, alright?" Lu Liangwei took over Long Qingzhi's place and crouched down in front of Wanyan Zhi.
Wanyan Zhi glanced at her and nodded.
Ji Linghui was flying her paper kite not far away. She slowed down as she turned to look at Lu Liangwei and Wanyan Zhi.
She had heard that the Grand Princess' son had some sort of problem and was very easily frightened.
She slowly pulled back the kite's string and quietly looked toward the direction of Lu Liangwei and Wanyan Zhi.
She silently followed behind when she saw both of them walk toward the lake.
There was a man-made lake on the west side of the imperial garden. The lake was very deep and there were usually not many people at the lakeside.
However, for some reason, Wanyan Zhi had ended up going there while flying the paper kite. Lu Liangwei was very cautious as she followed closely behind him.
Unfortunately, the trees at the lake were taller than those in other areas and Wanyan Zhi's kite was soon caught between the branches.
Wanyan Zhi's black, bright eyes bulged as he stared at the stuck kite blankly. It was not long before his eyes turned red.
When Lu Liangwei saw this, she quickly tousled his hair gently. "Don't worry, Zhi'er. I'll get Big Sis Jiu to help you get it down."
With that, she turned toward Chu Jiu and Zhu Yu. "Find a way to get the paper kite down."
"Yes, Your Highness." Chu Jiu and Zhu Yu immediately went toward the tree with the paper kite in it.
The tree was very tall and had a thick trunk. Chu Jiu stood beneath the tree and looked at it for quite a while before leaping up into the tree.
Lu Liangwei stood and watched fixated, looking like she had forgotten about Wanyan Zhi, who stood behind her.
Right then, Ji Linghui came over holding a little aquarium with a tiny goldfish, approaching Wanyan Zhi.
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Chapter 660: The Situation Has Escalated To Such A Point, And You're Still Adamant About Dragging Me Down With You
Wanyan Zhi was born in Danjue and had never seen a fish before. When he saw the pretty little goldfish swimming happily in the aquarium, he was immediately drawn to it and forgot about the paper kite stuck in the tree.
When Ji Linghui saw that she had successfully caught his attention with the little fish, a smirk appeared on her lips as she beckoned him over. "Come here."
Wanyan Zhi was standing near the lakeside at that moment, but he was very young and was not aware of the danger he was in. Moreover, his attention was fully focused on the little goldfish in her hands. When he heard her calling to him, his little feet made quick strides toward her.
A vicious look flashed in Ji Linghui's eyes.
Long Qingzhi had entrusted her son to Lu Liangwei. If anything happened to Wanyan Zhi, Long Qingzhi would never let Lu Liangwei off the hook. No matter how much His Majesty doted on Lu Liangwei, he would never brush off something like this. At the very least, he would have to reevaluate her.
When Wanyan Zhi was standing at the edge of the lake, the expression on Ji Linghui's face turned cold as she reached her hand out to him.
She had planned this well. Lu Liangwei's attention was still on the paper kite in the tree and she had no idea what was happening at the side of the lake.
All Ji Linghui needed to do was to push Wanyan Zhi into the lake and run off quickly to hide in the forest nearby. No one would be able to discover her.
After all, the forest next to the lake was very dense. It was difficult to find anybody there if they were hiding in it.
Wanyan Zhi was oblivious of the danger that was about to befall him. When he saw the aquarium being tossed into the lake and the little goldfish swimming off after a short struggle, he became anxious and instinctively reached out in an attempt to catch it.
Ji Linghui did not need to do anything at all. His foot stepped into thin air and it looked like he was about to fall into the lake.
A pleased look flashed in Ji Linghui's eyes-her scheme was about to succeed. She was about to make her escape when someone suddenly reached out a hand to hold Wanyan Zhi tightly and pulled him into their arms.
Ji Linghui paused in her steps and the smile on her face froze as she looked at Lu Liangwei standing right in front of her.
Chu Jiu, who was supposed to be taking down the paper kite from the tree, was standing next to Lu Liangwei. Lu Liangwei was holding the unharmed Wanyan Zhi in her arms.
Ji Linghui was taken aback, she clenched tight on the handkerchief in her hands.
It had been all for nothing!
Lu Liangwei looked at her indifferently. "Prudence Consort, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Ji Linghui gave a start and replied nonchalantly, "I'm afraid I don't understand. Whatever do you mean, Your Highness?"
"Don't you know what I mean?" Lu Liangwei said coldly as she clapped her hands. A team of palace guards suddenly surged around the originally silent lakeside.
"You thought that no one would figure out what you were up to. And even if I happen to see through it, you would have claimed that I was maligning you. Now that you're surrounded by so many witnesses, are you still planning to talk your way out of it?"
This team of palace guards was in charge of patrolling the lakeside.
Lu Liangwei had seen them when she went to the lakeside and had instructed Chu Jiu to get them to lie in wait in the area. For one thing, it was to prevent Ji Linghui from doing something untoward. Another reason was to get them to be witnesses.
Ji Linghui immediately understood what was going on when she saw what had transpired.
While she was scheming against Lu Liangwei, Lu Liangwei was also scheming against her. She had been too careless, and walked right into Lu Liangwei's trap. 𝐟𝚛e𝐞𝙬𝗲𝒃𝓷𝒐𝘃e𝒍.c𝑜m
"You do have your underhanded ways, Your Highness. You used the child as a tool just to deal with me." The corner of Ji Linghui's eyes spotted Long Qingzhi running anxiously toward them.
A sneer appeared on Ji Linghui's lips as she said sarcastically, "Have you ever considered the fact that if you hadn't rushed over to catch the Prince in time, what would happen if he fell into the lake with that weak frame and fragile emotions of his?"
Long Qingzhi caught those words just as she arrived. She looked at Lu Liangwei with shock, her gaze filled with questions and confusion.
Lu Liangwei frowned almost indistinctly. She had never expected Ji Linghui to still smear her with a bad name during her own imminent doom.
She had never planned to make use of Wanyan Zhi to get one over Ji Linghui. She had just gone along with the situation to trap Ji Linghui when she realized what was going on. Yet, the situation seemed to have been turned upside-down at the words of Ji Linghui.
A cold stare appeared in Lu Liangwei's eyes as she gave a small smile. "The Prudence Consort is quite something. The situation has escalated to such a point, and you're still adamant about dragging me down with you.