RPAGF Chapter 415 Who is the better player?
Chapter 415 Who is the better player?
"Have you heard? Young Master Lu and Miss Liang were childhood sweethearts..."
"That's right! The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is right next to the Duke of Wei's mansion. It's not surprising that the young master Lu and Liang Yuhua are about the same age and have some kind of story."
"I heard that if it weren't for the engagement, Prince Lu would never have married that orphan girl, Yuan Wanru!"
"Tsk tsk, no wonder the young master was willing to offend the fifth prince to bring her into the manor..."
"Yes, she is truly devoted. I heard that it was Prince Lu who intervened with the Emperor to get the royal family to pardon the second branch of the Liang family, and then he knelt down and begged the Emperor to grant them a marriage."
"No wonder, a female relative of a disgraced official could still obtain the status of a concubine."
In just two days, these scandalous rumors spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the capital.
In teahouses and taverns, storytellers vividly described how Prince Lu was so enraged for his beloved that many secretly admired Lu Jiangnian's deep affection and unwavering devotion.
-
"boom--!"
The rosewood table shattered into pieces under Lu Jiangnian's hands, with wood chips flying like snowflakes.
His eyes gleamed with a terrifying ferocity, his voice chillingly cold: "What a brilliant scheme to sow discord!"
Yuan Wanru frowned, her fingertips lightly tracing the cracked wood grain: "The finest huanghuali wood is worth fifty taels of silver."
She looked up at him and glared, "You spendthrift!"
Lu Jiangnian suddenly turned his head, and his sharp, knife-like gaze softened instantly.
He pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her head against his: "My wife, I don't like my name being associated with other women."
His tone was so aggrieved, like a big dog whose bone had been stolen.
Yuan Wanru chuckled, tilting her head back to pinch his cheek: "Are you silly?"
Her eyes gleamed with an all-knowing light. "Why is the Emperor spreading these rumors? Do you think I can't see through it?"
She tiptoed closer to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids: "Since we've already decided to take that path, we'll accept whatever moves he makes."
Suddenly her gaze sharpened, and she drew a circle on his heart with her fingertip. "As for you, why don't you hurry up and put on a show to amuse our Emperor?"
Lu Jiangnian's eyes darkened suddenly: "I'll go now."
Before leaving, he bent down and bit her bright red lips, only releasing her when Yuan Wanru was out of breath. "Luckily, my wife is intelligent and can distinguish right from wrong, otherwise I would have been truly wronged."
Yuan Wanru's eyes lit up: "How about you start sleeping in the study tonight?"
Lu Jiangnian pinched her slender waist: "Absolutely not!"
"I can't sing the play that my wife has chosen."
After saying that, he gave a light snort and strode away.
-
East Palace.
"boom!"
A celadon teacup shattered at Lu Jiangnian's feet, splashing scalding tea onto the hem of his robe.
The crown prince suddenly stood up, his brocade robe sleeves stained with spilled tea, and his usually gentle and handsome face was now frighteningly gloomy.
"Lu Jiangnian, you know perfectly well that I deeply despise the Liang family, yet you still went to beg Father Emperor to give up the Liang family's daughter?"
Lu Jiangnian sneered, "How could you be so stupid? Do you think I would want that woman?"
The crown prince sneered, "Then tell me, why did Father Emperor specifically bestow this person upon you?"
"The Fifth Prince clearly wants to take her as a concubine. If you hadn't interfered, how would she have ended up in your residence?"
"I've said it eight hundred times!" Lu Jiangnian's temples bulged with veins. "This matter has nothing to do with me; it's the Emperor's decision."
"The Emperor's decree was sudden; I have no choice but to accept it!"
"If the Crown Prince wants to understand, he can simply ask the Emperor."
The Crown Prince looked at him coldly: "You've really come up with a good excuse. How could I possibly ask Father Emperor about such a thing?"
"If you and the Liang family are completely innocent, why does everyone say that you are deeply in love with Liang Yuhua? Are you still trying to hide it from me?"
“Lu Jiangnian, I’m not a fool.”
"It wasn't originally like that."
Lu Jiangnian curled his lips in a mocking smile. "Now it seems about the same."
"Besides, those evil deeds were all committed by Consort Liang, and have nothing to do with the second branch of the Liang family. You shouldn't take your anger out on them!"
"Lu! Jiang! Nian!"
The crown prince spoke slowly and deliberately, "My mother..."
He abruptly stopped himself from saying, "There's not a single good person in the Liang family. Lu Jiangnian, if you still consider me a friend, you shouldn't have any dealings with the Liang family."
Lu Jiangnian said with a blank face, "Now that things have come to this, do you still think it's possible?"
The crown prince's voice was extremely low, yet every word was as cold as ice: "Are you really going to turn against me for a woman?"
Lu Jiangnian: "It's you who are being unreasonable and have lost your gentlemanly demeanor."
"Besides, Your Highness is meddling too much. I am the Emperor's subject, and Your Highness has no right to interfere!"
"Get out of the Eastern Palace!"
The Crown Prince threw an inkstone at Lu Jiangnian. The inkstone grazed Lu Jiangnian's temple and smashed into the wall, leaving a dark dent.
Lu Jiangnian turned his head away, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar: "Your Highness, don't push your luck!"
Their noses were almost touching. The Crown Prince winked at Lu Jiangnian and whispered, "Smash the table."
Lu Jiangnian understood, and kicked over the wooden table with a loud crash.
“From now on, I will not come again.”
Before leaving, he slammed the door shut with a deafening roar.
-
"Did they really start arguing?"
The emperor stroked the secret report in his hand, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.
The guard knelt on the ground: "It's absolutely true! His Highness the Crown Prince smashed Lord Lu's inkstone, and Lord Lu was so angry that he kicked the table to pieces."
"Good!" The Emperor suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the empty hall. "Summon Lu Jiangnian to see me tomorrow."
Ever since the Second Prince's rebellion was exposed, he has seen everyone as harboring evil intentions.
Lu Song was extremely loyal to him, Lu Jiangnian was his son, and the emperor also valued him.
But Lu Jiangnian had once been the Crown Prince's study companion, and with that relationship, the Emperor was never at ease.
Now that they have broken off contact, it suits his wishes perfectly.
-
"puff--"
Yuan Wanru spat out a mouthful of tea, laughing so hard she pounded the soft pillow: "Did the Crown Prince really swing an inkstone at you?"
She lightly touched the red mark on Lu Jiangnian's forehead with her fingertip. "If this mark were even half a fraction off, it would have disfigured him."
"But you two are pretty good at crafting the plot, did you enjoy acting?"
"You still treat this as a joke? You really don't care about your husband."
Lu Jiangnian grabbed her wrist and pressed it against the pillow, his nose brushing against the crook of her neck: "Also, now that I'm disfigured, does my wife dislike me?"
Suddenly, he kissed her earlobe, whispering, "You heartless little rascal."
Yuan Wanru laughed and pushed his chest: "Let's get down to business!"
As she sat up, her gaze suddenly sharpened. "That old fox, the Emperor... will he really believe your act?"
"Of course he believes it."
A cold laugh crept across Lu Jiang's face, the candlelight casting flickering shadows in his eyes.
"Those who have sat on the dragon throne for too long have long forgotten that the human heart is the most difficult thing to control."
"He thought that by giving me a woman, he could drive a wedge between me and the Crown Prince, and that by spreading rumors, he could create discord between my husband and me."
The emperor has been confined to the nine-layered palace for too long; his heart has become an iron prison, and he no longer believes that sincerity still exists in the world.
Yuan Wanru scoffed, "It's just that the higher you stand, the more afraid you are of falling hard."
Originally, who would have wanted to harm him?
He insists on scheming against others at every turn, so he shouldn't blame others for scheming against him in return.
Lu Jiangnian let out a low, hoarse laugh, covering her hand with his palm: "Yes, it's lonely at the top. Actually, that position isn't all that great."
The emperor thought he was playing a grand game of chess, but little did he know that the real player had already laid out a deadly trap before he even made his move.
How ridiculous.