Volume 13
Chapter 10: What a Handsome Young Man
“Your dad is here,” Lu Li said, not without a hint of teasing. “Have you ever met your dad?”
Zhu Xi was expressionless. “Take your hand away first.”
Lu Li let go of her cheek. He saw Zhu Xi straighten her clothes. “Of course I have. On important holidays, there are royal banquets, and all the Zhu family members have to go.”
Hearing the words “Respectfully welcome His Majesty,” Lu Li knew they were safe today. Although Shenzhou was a constitutional monarchy, and the emperor only existed as a representative of the state, the word “emperor” naturally represented the legitimacy of the government. If you overthrew me today, and I overthrew you tomorrow, would this country still exist? Out of a certain tacit understanding, the aristocratic families all maintained the dignity and status of the Zhu royal family. Although the emperor had no real power, every appointment and dismissal of the cabinet had to be personally announced by that His Majesty. Everyone was very satisfied—the aristocratic families were satisfied, and the common people were satisfied. That was why the Yan family, who insisted on taking revenge on the Zhu family, was jointly suppressed by the aristocratic families. They didn’t want the current class division to be broken.
If the Yan Matriarch had come in person, she might have crazily ordered her people to open fire on Zhu Youcheng. But unfortunately, none of the Yan family’s lackeys present dared to give that order. They all knew that no matter who pulled the trigger, the aristocratic families would find all three generations of their family and make them pay with their lives.
Lu Li, Wen Hupo, and Zhu Xi silently listened to the commotion outside the door. They heard the sparse sound of kneeling, then the sound of neat and uniform footsteps, and finally, an old man’s voice: “Officers, please rise.” Lu Li was quite familiar with this voice. He had often heard this man’s voice in advertisements—that fat, kind-looking old man, who was also the man with the highest nominal status in Shenzhou, the Emperor of Shenzhou, Zhu Youcheng.
“Your dad,” Lu Li poked Zhu Xi with his elbow. He was also a little curious, a little nervous. He had never seen an emperor—Zhu Zhengyuan didn’t count; he wasn’t even a member of the Zhu family.
“I know!” Zhu Xi said with dissatisfaction.
“I have heard that the second detachment of the Capital City special police is organizing an anti-terrorism drill. I am very gratified. With such brave officers, how can there be any troublemakers in this capital? I have heard that the weather is severe today, so I have specially come to observe and express my condolences to all the officers. Now that I see you, indeed, the second detachment is extraordinary!” Zhu Youcheng began to speak in circles, saying a lot without saying anything. Yet the Yan family members kneeling outside had to listen sullenly, not daring to refute. They had used the pretext of an anti-terrorism drill to besiege and kill Lu Li and Zhu Qiao. It was perfectly appropriate for Zhu Youcheng to use this as an excuse to intervene.
“Your dad is quite good at talking nonsense,” Lu Li said with a smile.
“I know!”
“I have also heard that the Fourteenth Princess is in the team as a drill instructor. Is this true?” They heard Zhu Youcheng ask again. It was obvious that His Majesty the Emperor was playing dumb.
“…Re-replying to Your Majesty, the Fourteenth Princess… is indeed participating in this drill as a guiding instructor.” That harsh woman was timid and submissive. The aristocratic families could look down on the emperor, but she definitely did not have that qualification.
“Nonsense!” Zhu Youcheng shouted loudly, scaring the woman into a shiver. “Zhu Xi is truly being nonsensical! What ability does she have! To actually be able to guide such outstanding heroes?! If this isn’t nonsensical, what is? Where is she now? I will take her back to the palace. As her father, I should have taught her a lesson or two long ago!”
Lu Li found this quite amusing. “Your dad is quite the actor. I would have already lost my composure.”
“I know!”
“Do we have to kneel when we see your dad later?”
Wen Hupo reminded him in a small voice, “The kneeling ritual in Shenzhou was abolished fifty years ago.” Lu Li was ashamed. As a native of Shenzhou, he actually didn’t know these rules as well as Hupo.
Zhu Xi snorted coldly. “If he had even half the guts he has today back then, my mother wouldn’t have died, and the Yan family wouldn’t have had the obsession for revenge!”
“Maybe it was beyond his control,” Lu Li suddenly remembered Zhu Zhengyuan’s words. Sitting in that position, perhaps everything was out of necessity. Sure enough, power is a double-edged sword. It restrains others, and it also restrains oneself.
“Feudal dregs!” Zhu Xi said, almost gritting her teeth. Lu Li gave her a strange look. You, a royal princess, are the last person qualified to say those four words, aren’t you? He also knew that Zhu Xi was pushing all this onto “feudal dregs.” In truth, the resentment in her heart toward Zhu Youcheng had already dissipated. The one she truly resented now should be the Yan Matriarch.
So many years of accumulated hatred were finally released today.
At this time, the polite talk outside had finished. Zhu Youcheng finally asked, “Then where is the Fourteenth Princess?”
Of course, the Yan family members wouldn’t answer. They all lowered their heads and played dumb. Lu Li pushed Zhu Xi. “Your dad is asking where you are.” Zhu Xi ignored him. Lu Li could only shout himself, “Your Majesty, over here, in the Zhu Clan Ancestral Hall!”
“Good, good, good!” Zhu Youcheng said with joy. Then he seemed to realize something, cleared his throat, and reprimanded sternly, “You all wait outside. The Zhu Family Ancestral Hall is an important place of the Zhu family. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter.”
“Yes!” It wasn’t the Yan family’s reply, but that of Zhu Youcheng’s own men.
Before long, Lu Li saw a man who looked kind and amiable—Lu Li almost never used the four words “kind and amiable” to describe a person’s appearance and temperament, but Zhu Youcheng just looked kind and amiable, much like the stereotyped image of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan.
The moment Zhu Youcheng walked into the ancestral hall, he didn’t even glance at Lu Li, Wen Hupo, or Grandma Zhu. He took small steps toward his daughter. “Xi’er, Xi’er, are you alright? I’m not too late, am I?” Alright, now he’s not even using ‘We’ anymore. His self-address has become humble.
It seemed Chu Xiaodong was right. Zhu Youcheng truly saw Zhu Xi’s mother as his true love, and that true love, along with kinship, was also left for Zhu Xi. Lu Li even suspected that even if Zhu Xi did nothing, Zhu Youcheng would still give the throne to her in the future. The second female emperor in the history of Shenzhou, hmm… sounds very tempting.
But Zhu Xi was dismissive. “I wasn’t the one who called you here.” She looked at Lu Li. “I didn’t want to call you. He was the one who insisted I call.”
Only then did Zhu Youcheng look at Lu Li properly. He sized Lu Li up and nodded seriously. “Good!” For an ordinary person, with this one word “good,” perhaps the rest of their life free from worries about food and clothing was guaranteed.
Zhu Youcheng noticed Zhu Qiao in Zhu Xi’s arms. The fat on his face trembled slightly, his face full of disbelief. “This is… Qiao’er?!” His hands couldn’t stop trembling. He had two daughters. One was Zhu Xi. Although their father-daughter relationship was stiff, at least they could meet on holidays and festivals. But Zhu Qiao was locked up in the ancestral hall and was rarely seen even once a year. At this moment, the two daughters his beloved wife had left him were both in front of him. He was so moved his eyes turned red. “Little Qiao has grown up too. Little Qiao has grown up too. Good, good, good! What-what happened to her? What happened to Qiao’er?”
Zhu Xi still said coldly, “Little Qiao was attacked by that group of people outside and almost died.”
Zhu Youcheng’s expression froze. Fortunately, Zhu Xi didn’t take a long pause. “But she was saved by him, before I came to the ancestral hall.” Zhu Xi nudged her chin toward Lu Li.
Zhu Youcheng wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, turned around, and re-examined Lu Li. He looked several times and squeezed out a warm smile. “A fine young man! A fine young man! What a fine young man!”
Zhu Xi was clearly giving all the credit to Lu Li. Lu Li gave her a grateful look. He clearly felt that Zhu Xi’s attitude toward him had changed. She was really treating Lu Li as the imperial son-in-law.
Zhu Youcheng smiled and looked at Lu Li. “What is this young man’s name? Which family’s son is he?”
Before Lu Li could answer, Zhu Xi cut in. “He’s not from any family. His name is Lu Li, and he’s the imperial son-in-law I’ve chosen.” The moment she said this, the ancestral hall fell briefly silent for a moment. Lu Li even thought time had stopped. The next second, Zhu Youcheng’s plump body moved closer to Lu Li, and he enthusiastically shook his hand. “What a handsome young man!”
From “good,” to “a fine young man,” to “what a handsome young man,” Lu Li had also experienced a bit of dark humor.
