Volume 12
Chapter 10: The Imperial Sons-in-Law
“This is Dehui Roast Duck. I sometimes come here to eat with my family. It’s very good.”
“I buy all my own clothes now. I buy them all at the mall here.”
“Actually, there’s a snack street behind the school with very good snacks, but every time I go, they have to clear the area, so I don’t really want to go anymore.”
“Lu Li, Lu Li, look, there’s such a fat orange cat over there, haha…”
“Your hand is so sweaty. Do you want to switch hands?”
They say the winters in the north are colder, but perhaps because the air humidity wasn’t high, Lu Li didn’t feel the climate was cold. After a stroll with the joyful, sparrow-like Yibao, he was steaming with heat. Chu Jingyi was very lively today. It was as if she were trying to convey all her future joy and the restlessness of her love at this very moment.
The two of them walked out of the pedestrian street, and the Silly Goose’s excitement ebbed. “…Lu Li, how much longer will you be staying?”
Lu Li had expected her to ask this question. “Maybe after the New Year is over.” That was only two months away. In two months, if he hadn’t resolved the matter with the Yan family, he might have no choice but to go abroad. He sometimes wondered, if he hadn’t gone to talk to Zhu Xi while skiing back then, would he have been discovered by the Yan family?
“You have to take good care of yourself in the future,” the Silly Goose’s voice grew smaller. “…In the future, if you get married, don’t send me an invitation… I’m afraid I’ll be very sad.”
Lu Li’s heart felt blocked. A thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers separated him and Chu Jingyi, and words seemed pale and powerless. He didn’t like this feeling of helplessness. What if he really went abroad? Would he still have a chance to see this pretty and lovely girl again? If not, then wasn’t that encounter and love in high school a kind of cruel punishment?
Lu Li pulled Chu Jingyi closer to him. “Don’t be too pessimistic, Yibao. Maybe your Lu Li can turn the tide?”
This address, “your Lu Li,” made Chu Jingyi both sad and happy. She looked at Lu Li with deep affection. “Liar.”
“If I lie to you again, I’m a silly goose.”
Chu Jingyi was smart this time and knew Lu Li was teasing her. “You’re the silly goose! You bad guy, you always used to deliberately tease me!”
Lu Li laughed heartily. After a short while, his laughter subsided, because he saw a woman with an ordinary face walking straight toward him and Chu Jingyi. “That’s Auntie Wen. She used to be my father’s guard, and now she’s the leader of my security team.”
“Mr. Lu, hello.” The muscles on Auntie Wen’s face seemed to be dead. When she spoke, besides her lips moving slightly, there was no other facial movement. “I’ve seen you before in Chuanhai, but you probably didn’t see me then.”
Yes, at that time, Lu Li’s understanding of the Chu family was not yet deep enough. He only knew that the little girl’s family background was extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected it to be so noble.
“I don’t really want to interrupt your reunion. It’s just…” Auntie Wen took out a black object, like a gun, with only a barrel and no body. “This is a homemade gun I just found on a suspicious passerby. That guy has been following you ever since you appeared, Mr. Lu. I have reason to suspect he is an assassin sent by your enemies, Mr. Lu. If you continue to be with him, Miss Chu will be placed in danger.”
It was someone from the Yan family. Lu Li sighed slightly. He had known for a long time that he was being monitored by the Yan family. The only reason they hadn’t made a move now was because he was now an imperial son-in-law candidate who was being watched by public opinion.
The Silly Goose’s hand holding Lu Li’s tightened abruptly. Hearing that Lu Li was being followed, her first reaction was not that she was also in danger, but an instinctive urge to get closer to Lu Li, to worry about him.
“So, I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave,” Auntie Wen said, her face expressionless.
“Then if Lu Li is without protection, won’t he be in even more danger?” Chu Jingyi said quickly. “At a time like this, shouldn’t he stay by my side even more?”
“Alright, alright.” Lu Li didn’t want Chu Jingyi to have a falling out with her family over him. He gently patted the little girl’s head. “They won’t touch me right now. They’re just monitoring me. This is also the reason I insisted on coming to the Capital City. As long as I’m still in the public eye, I’m safe.”
Auntie Wen grunted in agreement. “It’s good that you understand, Mr. Lu.” She turned slightly to the side, already intending to ask Lu Li to leave.
Lu Li glanced at Chu Jingyi. “Goodbye, Yibao. It was great to see you.”
The Silly Goose’s eyes immediately turned red. She suddenly realized that this “goodbye” was different from any “see you later” before. It was very likely that they would really never see each other again. Although she could talk to Lu Li on the phone, how could that compare to the living, breathing Lu Li?
The words “see you later” just couldn’t be squeezed out of her throat. Her lower lip tightened, and she forced herself not to cry.
Lu Li didn’t dare to look at the little pitiful thing again. He was afraid his heart would soften and he would be completely captured by this little girl. He pretended to be suave and turned around. “I’ll come find you to hang out again next time.” Then he walked away quickly, afraid that if he were a step too late, he would hear Yibao’s cries.
…
When he returned to the hotel with a heart full of sorrow, Zhu Qiao was still in her room watching TV. She seemed to have sensed Lu Li’s mood. When she saw him, she didn’t hang on him as usual, but calmly pressed her forehead against Lu Li’s. “Gege, don’t be sad. Your wishes will come true, they definitely will.”
Lu Li didn’t want his emotions to affect Zhu Qiao. He smiled. “Don’t think too much, little girl. You should think more about how you’re going to explain things to your sister.”
At the mention of Zhu Xi, Zhu Qiao indeed became conflicted. “I still haven’t figured out how to explain… Why don’t you tell Sister Xi a little later, gege? Let me… let me prepare for another two days?”
This talent selection would last for nearly half a month, so there was no rush. Lu Li agreed. He vaguely sensed that Zhu Qiao was delaying, but he couldn’t guess her motive.
…
The next day, Lu Li adjusted his mood and went to the Capital Red Ocean Hall mentioned in the notice. This hall was rumored to have once been a place where a powerful minister of a late dynasty kept his female slaves. It was magnificent and extremely corrupt inside. After the constitutional monarchy was established, it was taken over by the imperial family and, after renovation, became a gathering place for the princesses of the Zhu family.
By the time Lu Li was led by a servant to the tea room, he realized that he hadn’t asked Zhu Xi what this interview would be about. When he stepped into the tea room, which was filled with the fragrance of agarwood, he saw that seven young men were already there, having waited for a long time.
What made Lu Li dumbfounded was that these men were of a similar age, height, and build as him. Even their hairstyles were almost identical.
Seeing Lu Li come in, these candidates let out a hiss and muttered under their breath, “Another one.”
Lu Li sat down at the table, and a servant came to pour him tea. The other candidates were enjoying their tea on their own. Lu Li glanced around and found that they were all masters of putting on airs. Their sitting postures were upright, and the movement of their hands when they drank tea was as precise and elegant as if it had been measured with a ruler. The seven of them sat together like seven clones.
Only Lu Li seemed to be a country bumpkin, bringing the teacup to his mouth as soon as he picked it up, which made them secretly snicker.
“May I ask your esteemed surname, brother?” one person asked.
How long had it been since Lu Li had heard the address “brother”? He thought the Ming Dynasty had already fallen!
“My humble surname is Lu, and my given name is Li.”
“Do you have a courtesy name?”
Lu Li glanced at them. “Do you all have courtesy names?”
They looked at each other, a look of smugness on their faces. “Of course we do.”
Lu Li shook his head in his heart. Zhu Xi, oh Zhu Xi, what kind of taste do you have?
