Shang Mozheng was dead!
When the young emperor heard this news, he was reviewing memorials. His hand trembled, smudging the vermilion comments on the memorial.
Later, when he learned that the last people Shang Mozheng saw before his death were Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi, the vermilion brush in his hand dropped directly onto the memorial, staining it red in a blinding way...
"De Cheng, repeat what you just said. Who were the people who saw Shang Mozheng before his death?"
De Cheng, the head eunuch, was the one serving beside Shang Luo when he went to see Shang Mozheng that day. He naturally knew why the emperor was suddenly so agitated. So he repeated as told, "Your Majesty, it was His Highness the King of Jing... and the fourth young lady of the Lu family."
After saying that, he somehow looked up slightly, stealing a furtive glance at the emperor's face from the corner of his eye. He saw that the emperor's face was ashen, with a hint of fear in it.
As for Shang Luo, there was only one sentence echoing in his mind and heart repeatedly, "Shang Luoshu was the last one to see Shang Mozheng!"
So, did his elder brother already know that he was the emperor's son? Or had he known his true background all along? Maybe he had been pretending to be stupid all these years to lull him into a false sense of security and use his hand to get rid of Shang Mozheng.
If not, why did Shang Luoshu secretly hide 30,000 elite troops in Jizhou?
The young emperor still remembered clearly how brave the 30,000 soldiers Fang Qinhu brought back were on the battlefield. The enemies were like melons and vegetables waiting to be cut in front of them. If it weren't for the large number of the enemy, the battle to defend the capital might have been declared victorious before Shang Luoshu arrived!
However, Shang Luo had never heard of this extremely powerful army. Just like everyone else in the capital, he only learned of their existence for the first time during this battle to defend the capital.
If Shang Luoshu had no ambition for the throne, why did he train such a large army?
And then there was Lu Yinxi. She was the daughter of Prime Minister Lu, and there was also her uncle who held absolute power in Longxi behind her. Now Shang Luoshu wanted to marry her. Wasn't this an attempt to win over forces?
Actually, Shang Luo had always heard that Lu Yinxi's uncle from the Su family held absolute power in Longxi. But at that time, it was Shang Mozheng who held the power, and Longxi had clearly shown hostility towards the regent king. So the young emperor didn't pay much attention to it.
But now that Shang Mozheng was dead and he, Shang Luo, was the only king of this dynasty, if Uncle Su continued to act like this, it would be an act of treason. And Shang Luoshu's desire to marry his niece Lu Yinxi meant that he was coveting the throne!
It has to be said that once a person takes a dislike to someone, everything that person does will be labeled as having ill intentions.
Despite this, Shang Luo still retained a bit of rationality in his heart. He knew that he couldn't make this matter public. However, three days after the news of Shang Mozheng's death spread, something happened in the capital that completely wiped out the last shreds of his rationality.
With Shang Mozheng dead, the most unstable factor within the Great Qi was completely removed. Everyone was looking forward to a better future. The capital regained its former bustle, and the court resumed its normal operation.
Shang Luoshu never liked to get involved in such things. These days, he had been busy with his own wedding.
In the Great Qi, the marriage of ordinary men and women usually followed the six etiquettes of "proposing, asking for the name, divining for good luck, presenting betrothal gifts, choosing the wedding date, and fetching the bride." But Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi were different from ordinary couples.
They had known each other for a long time and their marriage was bestowed by imperial edict. Moreover, Shang Luoshu had always wanted to marry her into his mansion earlier. So he skipped directly to the step of "presenting betrothal gifts" and ordered his men to carry the betrothal gifts to Prime Minister Lu's mansion, hoping to set the wedding date with Lu Yinxi as soon as possible. But Prime Minister Lu just wouldn't agree!
Now that the world was at peace, Lu Wenhan began to fulfill his promise to his wife. He consciously handed over the affairs of the court to the younger generation and gradually withdrew to the second line. That was why he didn't want to marry his daughter off in a hurry.
He wanted to make up for the more than ten years he had owed Xi'er bit by bit!
"Father-in-law, the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month at the end of this year is an excellent day. I've also asked the imperial astrologer. This day is most suitable for marriage!"
"Please show some respect, Your Highness,"
Lu Wenhan didn't even look at him. He leisurely picked up his teacup and said, "You and Xi'er are not yet married. It's inappropriate for you to address me like this."
"Moreover, it's already the tenth lunar month. It's still too soon to get married in the twelfth lunar month. But if this day is really suitable for marriage, I think it's okay to set the wedding date for the twelfth lunar month of next year."
Wouldn't that mean waiting for more than a year?
Shang Luoshu naturally didn't agree, but Prime Minister Lu also stuck to his own opinion. Neither of them could persuade the other, and finally they parted on bad terms!
In the room, seeing Shang Luoshu constantly pouring himself warm tea in an attempt to suppress his dissatisfaction, Lu Yinxi couldn't help laughing, "Are you that angry?"
Hearing this, the man immediately became alert. His mind started to race, "Xi'er, do you not want to marry me?"
"When did I ever say such a thing?"
She filled the cup in front of him with tea. The young girl covered her face and yawned, then explained helplessly, "I just think it's too rushed to set the wedding date for the twelfth lunar month!"
Rushed?
In Shang Luoshu's opinion, he wished he could send the betrothal gifts today and marry Lu Yinxi back tomorrow. If he didn't have her under his nose every day, he would worry that she might use her spirit words.
"Alright, don't be angry, Your Highness the King of Jing! Father just can't bear to part with me. I think you should discuss it with him again?"
Of course, they had to discuss it again!
After finishing the tea in his cup and giving her a kiss on the lips, Shang Luoshu climbed over the wall and left. After parting on bad terms with Prime Minister Lu, he naturally couldn't visit his fiancée in a proper way. So climbing over the wall was the only option left for this kind of "roguish" behavior.
On his way back to the mansion, he heard a ridiculous rumor. Some people in the folk actually claimed that he, Shang Luoshu, was the biological son of the late emperor?!
Although Shang Luoshu himself didn't understand why the late emperor had suddenly adopted him as an adopted son, one thing was clear to him. There was definitely no blood relationship between him and the late emperor!
"Chen Guang, go and investigate the rumors outside and suppress them as soon as possible."
After returning to the capital, Shang Luoshu could clearly feel that the emperor had changed. If this news reached his ears, life in the future would definitely be restless. So he wanted to suppress the rumors while they were still spreading on a small scale.
However, the man didn't expect that Shang Luo had already known about this from Shang Mozheng.
After Shang Luoshu left, Lu Yinxi couldn't help yawning again. She didn't know what was going on these days. She was more sleepy than ever.
People say that "one feels drowsy in spring, listless in summer, and sleepy in autumn." Was it because autumn had arrived that she had become so sleepy? She rubbed her eyes, said hello to Hong Rui, and then fell into a deep sleep on the bed.
The next day, the rumors didn't get suppressed as Shang Luoshu had expected. Instead, they were intensifying. At the same time, after the court session, Shang Luo ordered Shang Luoshu to enter the palace for an audience.