vrcanaries Chapter 407 Lu Jiangnian's Noble Concubine!
Chapter 407 Lu Jiangnian's Noble Concubine!
a bolt from the blue!
Liang Yuhua could hardly believe what she was hearing. Just as she was wondering what to do, the emperor said coldly, "What, why aren't you hurrying up and accepting the imperial decree to express your gratitude?"
Her knees, kneeling on the gold bricks, had long since lost all feeling. Every word the emperor spoke was like a poisoned knife, cutting into her heart.
"This humble woman...is unworthy of..."
She heard her weak voice trembling.
"Think carefully before you answer."
The emperor's voice was as light as a feather, yet it weighed on her back so heavily it felt like it would break her: "If I can pardon you, then naturally I can also—send you on your way again."
Liang Yuhua felt dizzy and wished she could faint on the spot. How could things have developed to this point?
She was just an ordinary young lady, but now she was terrified out of her wits.
The emperor's cold and ruthless voice kept drilling into her ears: "Go to the Lu family and keep an eye on the Yuan family for me. I need to know whether she understands medicine or not."
"Liang Yuhua, the lives of your entire family are in your hands. It's up to you to choose."
Liang Yuhua trembled violently, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.
"The people's daughter follows the decree."
At this point, does she still have a choice?
She couldn't just stand by and watch her family members die.
She had always loved that person, who was like the bright moon in the sky, unattainable, while he already had a beautiful girl by his side. She had long since decided to bury those feelings in her heart.
She never intended to sabotage Prince Lu and his wife.
She felt that even coveting someone as refined and noble as Prince Lu was a desecration.
Why force her to be the villain?
A metallic taste rose in her throat, and as she kowtowed heavily, a tear fell onto the gold brick.
She finally understood that the most painful punishment was not death, but being forced to become a knife that hurts others.
How could she possibly have the face to see Madam Lu?
"Liang Yuhua, if you dare to divulge even a single word of the matter I entrusted to you..."
"You can't afford the consequences."
-
As Liang Yuhua stumbled across the vermilion threshold, her embroidered shoes caught on the dragon relief, and she fell forward. Liang Nian rushed forward to support her sister, feeling only the icy coldness of her body and the trembling of her fingers like withered leaves in the wind. "Yuhua?"
He lowered his voice, his fingertips digging into her wrist, "What did the Emperor say to you?"
The girl's pale lips twitched, but she ultimately just shook her head.
The shadows cast by the palace walls enveloped her, shattering her beautiful face into fragments.
As soon as they stepped into the mansion, the sharp voice of the imperial eunuch pierced the twilight: "In consideration of the Duke of Wei's past merits, Liang Shangde is hereby granted the title of Baron and shall continue to reside in the Duke's mansion."
The eunuch squinted at the kneeling members of the Liang family, his gaze finally settling on Liang Yuhua. "Having heard of Liang's quiet virtue and admiration for the integrity of Commander Lu, I hereby bestow upon her the title of Noble Consort. She will enter the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence tomorrow."
Liang Shangde collapsed to the ground on the spot, and Liang Nian's temple veins bulged.
"Your subject...accepts the decree."
In the end, Liang Yuhua's voice was as soft as a snowflake, but as she bowed her head, she plunged the gold hairpin from her sleeve into her palm.
pain!
As the eunuch flicked his whisk with satisfaction and left, Liang Nian snatched the imperial edict from her sister's hand, a low growl escaping her throat: "What the hell..."
Liang Shangde covered his mouth tightly, his cloudy eyes filled with terror.
The cold glint of the Imperial Guards' armor still lingered at the corner of the Liang residence; one must not shout.
-
Meanwhile, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence nearly died under Lu Jiangnian's sword.
"Zheng——"
Lu Jiangnian's soft sword was placed against the neck of the eunuch delivering the imperial decree, and a line of blood had already been drawn from the blade.
A chilling ferocity surged in his eyes: "I already have a wife!"
The eunuch trembled, but forced a sinister smile: "His Majesty knows that you already have a wife. His Majesty values you highly, which is why he specially bestowed this concubine upon you. Lord Lu, disobeying the imperial decree will cost you your head."
Wang Min looked anxious, not understanding why she had suddenly received such an imperial edict. What exactly did the Emperor mean?
Yuan Wanru was filled with rage. So, that damned emperor was waiting for her here!
She said that Consort Liang's words would not be easily forgotten.
The imperial edict has already arrived at their homes. How many heads do they have left to defy it?
Seeing that Lu Jiangnian was about to fly into a rage and kill someone, she had no choice but to step forward and say in a cool voice, "Husband, Yuhua is a good girl. Please don't do anything reckless and embarrass her too much."
She stepped forward slowly and gently pressed her fingertips against Lu Jiangnian's sword.
“My husband,” she said, her voice clear and sharp, like icicles under the eaves, “accept the imperial decree, and do not fail to live up to His Majesty’s grace.”
From an angle unseen by others, her fingernails dug deeply into Lu Jiangnian's wrist.
Lu Jiangnian's pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw the cold fire in his wife's eyes—a fire even hotter than when she wanted to kill Liang Yusong.
"...Your subject obeys the decree."
He clenched those three words so hard they bled.
Lu Bai, Zhou Fang, and the others remained silent, fearing that Lu Jiangnian might actually defy the imperial decree and send them all to jail.
Fortunately, Yuan Wanru was sensible.
-
"Bang—" The sound of the door being slammed shut made the windowpanes tremble.
Lu Jiangnian threw the dazzling bright yellow imperial edict to the ground, the gilded scroll head hitting the blue bricks with a crisp cracking sound.
His eyes were bloodshot as he pinned Yuan Wanru against the carved door panel, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Why should we accept the imperial decree?!"
His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded clean, "You said it yourself, that you wouldn't allow anyone else to be by my side in this lifetime. You said it yourself, have you forgotten?"
Yuan Wanru's back was pressed against the door panel, but she suddenly chuckled softly.
A cluster of flames danced in her eyes, reflecting a stunning brightness.
She raised her hand to touch her husband's tense cheek, her fingertips brushing against something damp and cool: "Fool..."
The voice was as soft as a sigh, "Disobeying the imperial decree is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family."
Lu Jiangnian trembled violently, his forehead pressing heavily against her shoulder, his voice hoarse: "I can resign from my post, we can leave the capital."
"Then what?"
Yuan Wanru suddenly cupped his face in her hands, a chilling light burning in her eyes, "That reckless fool,"
She lightly traced her fingertips along her husband's Adam's apple. "Since you dare to disgust me like this..."
Lu Jiangnian's pupils contracted sharply, and he saw an unprecedented ruthlessness in her eyes.
“I, Yuan Wanru, have always been vengeful and relentless in my actions.”
She leaned close to his ear, her breath like a viper's tongue, "Anyone who dares to cross my bottom line..."
Her red lips curved into a breathtaking smile. "I'll make him regret his actions."
"you……"
Lu Jiangnian's Adam's apple bobbed as he suddenly realized the deeper meaning behind her words.
Regicide!
The thought struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him numb all over.
He stared intently into his wife's eyes, where a burning rage capable of consuming everything and a resolute determination that chilled him to the bone.
Silence spread throughout the room.
Yuan Wanru broke the silence first, staring straight at him with eyes full of starlight: "Lu Jiangnian, what about you? Do you dare?"
Lu Jiangnian stared intently at her, then chuckled softly, his fingertips stroking the back of her neck: "My wife."
He leaned down and bit her earlobe, his voice filled with a chilling tenderness, "When has your husband ever... disappointed you?"
Suddenly, he turned colder than ever before: "Anyone who dares to separate us, whether human or ghost, I will... kill them!"