Chapter 183
The servants of the Third Princess’s residence had almost run their legs off, busy tidying up the garden.
It was too rushed.
This garden had only just become the Third Princess’s, and now they had to hurry to hold a wedding.
In fact, there were other gardens that could be used, but for Lu Dieqing, rather than moving to a place without her parents, it was better to be here.
She and Ningning could only stay here for two days. Even if they had a whole garden to themselves, what was the point?
When they could be together, they should be together as much as possible.
The matter of the two getting married had not only made the people in the Third Princess’s residence busy, but the people of the Shan Kingdom were also very shocked, especially the Shan royal family.
“What? Married?”
“So rushed?”
When the Empress heard this, she almost broke the wine cup in her hand.
“How could this be? How come they didn’t come and ask me first?”
Such a big matter, and her third daughter had not even discussed it with her. It was clear that in these years outside, she had indeed become distant and estranged from her.
Otherwise, for a major life event like marriage, she would have had to get her approval first before she could go and arrange it.
The Empress was at first angry, dissatisfied, and shocked, but after a moment of silence, she had to accept the reality.
—She was even giving away the throne, and her own granddaughter didn’t want it. What else could she say?
“Quickly go and open my private treasury and take out all the jewelry, headdresses, silks, antiques, and paintings. Take a third, no, take half.”
The Empress gritted her teeth and also made a ruthless decision.
Her granddaughter’s marriage was an opportunity to mend the rift. The rewards could not be few; it was a matter of heart and attitude.
When she said she was taking half of the rewards from her private treasury, the Empress’s own heart was bleeding.
She had never been a generous person, and now, to be able to cut her own flesh without a change in expression, she was actually in great pain.
But there was always a distinction between big and small, and important and unimportant.
The Empress sincerely hoped that the Shan Kingdom could keep Lu Dieqing and her mother.
For no other reason than that with an extra powerful cultivator here, the Shan Kingdom would be worry-free. In the future, if those people from outside the domain really broke in, they would also have an extra bit of strength.
The Empress almost held her nose, so she wouldn’t have to look at the list of items presented from her private treasury, and waved her hand. “Have someone send it to the princess.”
“Forget it, wait. I’ll write the imperial edict myself.”
The Empress, who had not personally written for a long time, in order to express her solemnity and sincerity, specially sat down at the desk, and with the palace maid at her side grinding the ink, she drafted the imperial edict, character by character.
At the side, a female official peeked for a long moment, then quickly looked away, but her heart was in shock.
His Majesty had always been a little stingy with rewards. Even when giving a title, she was not willing to give some substantial jewelry or a fiefdom. However, in one day, she had issued two imperial edicts in a row for the same person.
It was truly a reward on top of a reward, so many that there were no more to give.
It was also a spectacle.
The Empress carefully wrote the imperial edict, and after its ink was dry, she reluctantly stared at the characters on it, looked away, and sighed.
To be able to cultivate, what a good thing.
Unfortunately, she had not been in time. She was old and didn’t even have the qualification.
Thinking about it was really unwilling.
She seemed to remember something and said to the female official at her side, “Summon that girl Ruyi to the palace.”
She remembered clearly today that when that girl Ruyi had been tested for her spiritual root talent, a lot of light had been emitted from that white stone. No doubt, that meant that that girl Ruyi was quite powerful?
Thinking about it was not bad. Ruyi had always been clever, and among all the juniors, she had always been at the top.
Then it would be normal for her cultivation talent to be a little better.
When Lu Ruyi returned to her own courtyard today, her whole person was in a daze, her eyes scattered, and she was so absent-minded that she almost fell into the pond while walking.
It was the old woman by her side who was meticulous. At the critical moment, she had pulled her back, so that she had not caused any trouble.
The Second Princess’s birthday banquet today could be considered to have been ruined, but her mood was not bad.
At least in the eyes of outsiders, the Second Princess seemed very magnanimous, smiling, without the slightest bit of displeasure at her birthday banquet being delayed.
In fact, it was true. For the Second Princess to be able to stand out among the Empress’s children, she did not rely on just her surface skills. She also had a bit of wisdom in her heart.
Knowing that something was impossible, she had to go with the flow and be able to see the “trend,” not to be a mantis trying to stop a chariot and go her own way, and in the end, lose everything.
“Is Ruyi back?” she asked, concerned about her young daughter in her heart. She knew that her daughter had been found to have cultivation talent today, and could be considered to have one foot in the gate of the immortals. In her heart, she was very happy.
Compared to being a monarch, in the future, her family, old and young, could have an immortal as a backer. This was something even more worthy of being happy about.
Today, among all the royal descendants, among so many people, only four had been found to have a spiritual root and could cultivate. Her own daughter was among them, which made the Second Princess very happy.
However, the twins of the fourth son’s family could both cultivate, which was equivalent to suppressing her own daughter. This still made the Second Princess a little unconvinced.
But these were all things for later. Now, she was eager to see Ruyi and to hear what the heir of the Chaoying Kingdom had told them, these cultivation seedlings, after he had taken them away.
Had he said anything about any immortal cultivation secret manuals?
However, when she saw Lu Ruyi, the other showed an extremely dejected aura, so devastated that she was not as spoiled and flamboyant as she usually was.
“Ruyi?” the Second Princess said, taking a step forward and flicking her handkerchief.
Lu Ruyi slowly came back to her senses, looked at her, and a look of hatred suddenly burst out in her eyes.
“It’s all your fault, Mother! It’s all your fault! If it had been you who had gone to the Chaoying Kingdom back then, the one who would have successfully cultivated now would be me!”
The reason why Lu Dieqing could be so close to that Crown Princess was not because they had been together day and night and had developed feelings.
If she had also grown up in the Chaoying court, then everything this cousin of hers, Lu Dieqing, had now should have been hers.
Everything she had experienced in the illusion formation was still so clear and vivid, which made it impossible for Lu Ruyi to accept the reality of having nothing.
Especially after the illusion formation had ended, and that immortal-like heir of the Chaoying Kingdom had actually told her that her character was not good, and her spiritual root was also poor, and that there was no hope for her to achieve the Dao, and that she should continue to be a mortal and not cultivate?
How could this be!
Clearly, in that half-lifetime she had experienced, she had commanded the wind and rain, had stood by the side of that heir of the Chaoying Kingdom, and had been treated gently and considerately by the other, and had had everything.
How was it that after she had woken up from that dream, everything had disappeared like a bubble!
Lu Ruyi deeply hated everything around her now.
She burst into a hysterical shout, which almost frightened the Second Princess.
This little daughter of hers, although she had a spoiled personality, at least she still had a sense of respect and seniority. When had she ever been in such an out-of-control state?
“What’s wrong with you, Ruyi? What kind of madness are you having?”
“Someone from the palace just came. Your grandmother, the Empress, wants to see you. When you go, don’t throw a tantrum. Whatever your grandmother, the Empress, asks, you just answer honestly.”
She helped Lu Ruyi to tidy up her messy hairpins and then said in a low voice, “You are not a child anymore. You have to have some bearing and keen eyes. That cousin of yours is not a mortal. Since she has such a deep relationship with the Crown Princess of the Chaoying Kingdom, and they are even getting married in these two days, we can’t add to the chaos at this juncture and ruin the relationship…”
The Second Princess had originally wanted to slowly instruct her young daughter and teach her a little more about how to be a person.
She had not expected that before she could finish, Lu Ruyi had started to go crazy.
“Married?! Why! Why are they getting married!”
“Mother! You’ve ruined me! I’m the one who should be with her! Lu Dieqing stole my place!”
Lu Ruyi threw away the hairpins on her head, her face flushed, her expression ferocious.
Her handsome face, because of her extreme emotions, had a strange aura that made the Second Princess not dare to approach.
Her emotions had come without any reason, and her madness was baffling.
The Second Princess frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Ruyi, you are not such a brainless child. There has to be a limit to being spoiled.”
She actually understood her young daughter’s personality. She had thought that the other’s limelight had been stolen by Lu Dieqing’s appearance today, which was why she was dissatisfied and was like this.
And that Crown Princess from the Chaoying Kingdom was indeed a character. That aura and looks, let alone her young daughter, even she had taken a second look.
If she were a dozen or so years younger, she might not have been unmoved by the other, just like Ruyi.
But it was clear that the other’s heart was all on Lu Dieqing. They were a pair of lovebirds. Why did her daughter have to be jealous?
“You’ve only seen their glory. When have you seen the bitterness of being a hostage? I’ve let you live in luxury for so many years and have held a golden rice bowl since you were born. I’ve really raised you to not know the hardships of the world.”
The Second Princess did not indulge Lu Ruyi and gave her a good scolding.
There had to be a limit to being willful, especially for a noble family like them. If they did whatever they wanted and offended someone they shouldn’t, then the whole family would capsize.
The great clans valued being of one breath the most. Even if there were some conflicts, one had to look at the time.
Lu Ruyi was stunned by the Second Princess’s scolding and ran out, wiping her tears.
At the side, an old woman said with worry, “The person from His Majesty’s side is already waiting…”
The Second Princess shook her head. “Let her be. In this state, she will only anger her mother, the Empress, if she goes to the palace. I will go to the palace.”
…
The matter of Lu Dieqing getting married was like two beautiful little butterflies, flapping their wings together, stirring up a trend that blew through the entire Shan Kingdom.
Zheng Xuening, when she was with Lu Dieqing, was serious on her face, but the moment she turned her head, she immediately had someone go to the bank to get money, and urged the local broker to go and buy a large house.
“It has to be grand, in a good location, auspicious, and exquisite. And the furniture and furnishings have to be brand new, and everything has to be complete.”
Zheng Xuening personally instructed on this matter, her gaze as sharp as a knife, which made the broker shiver.
He thought to himself, the Crown Princess of the Chaoying Kingdom, to have come to their Shan Kingdom to buy a large house, wasn’t that a bit absurd?
You are already as rich as a country. Even the Shan Kingdom has to bow down and send a hostage. How come you still came here?
“Yes, yes, this humble one will go and do it right away. It will be done before tomorrow.”
The broker swallowed his saliva and did not dare to say that he couldn’t do it.
Zheng Xuening’s face was expressionless. She threw over a large banknote. “Money is not a problem. Get it done today. It cannot be delayed.”
Even if it was a rushed marriage, the things a bride should have, she had to have them all. Nothing could be lacking
