The next day, Lu Tingzhi was brought into the palace to see Ye Zhen.
"This commoner greets the Empress." Lu Tingzhi knelt down. He already felt very guilty when facing Yao Yao. Now that he thought of what Lu Lingzhi had done, he felt even more ashamed to see her.
Ye Zhen looked down at Lu Tingzhi and saw that there were scars on his hands. She asked faintly, "Did Lu Lingzhi hurt you?"
"Replying to the Empress, this subject … accidentally hurt himself. This subject wanted to escape, but was caught." Lu Tingzhi said guiltily. If he had left earlier, he might not have let Lu Lingzhi escape.
"How do you know that Lin Yan is Lu Lingzhi?" Ye Zhen's hatred for Lu Lingzhi could not be appeased. Even though she knew that Lu Tingzhi was not what she thought, she still could not treat him like Lu Zan.
She could calmly call Lu Zan 'third brother', but she couldn't call Lu Tingzhi 'second brother' no matter what.
Lu Tingzhi whispered, "Empress, this commoner recognized him from the portrait left by Duanmu Ya. Before going to see him, this commoner handed the portrait to the housekeeper and told him that if he did not return home before dark, he should take the portrait to Third Uncle. This commoner … was too naive. Uncle Lu was originally Lu Lingzhi's man, but I didn't know."
"The Uncle Lu you mentioned is no longer in the mansion." Ye Zhen said coldly. It seems that he was also silenced by Lu Lingzhi. "None of you really know Lu Lingzhi's identity in the capital."
"Empress, whatever this commoner says now is just sophistry." Lu Tingzhi lowered his head with a wry smile on his lips. "If I had known this earlier, this commoner would not have let him kill his friend. If my mother knew of his existence, she would have come to the door long ago. Four years ago, Lu Lingzhi said that he would no longer care about the Lu family's affairs. How could he let us know that he had become like that?"
Ye Zhen looked at Lu Tingzhi indifferently. He was right. If he knew Lu Lingzhi's identity, Duanmu Ya would not have died.
"Lu Tingzhi, you know that this consort's father trusts you very much. He has never doubted your motives for coming back." Ye Zhen said lightly.
"This commoner has already told Her Ladyship the reason for my return. Whether it's in front of Grandmother or Third Uncle, this commoner will not let down my conscience." Lu Tingzhi's heart was filled with bitterness. He knew that Yaoyao would not believe him, but her repeated doubts still hurt him.
Ye Zhen gave him a deep look. "I believe you once. If I find out that you have ulterior motives, I will not let you go."
Lu Tingzhi's heart trembled as he raised his head in disbelief. She was willing to believe him?
"Go down. This time, you are under house arrest by Lu Lingzhi. This concubine hid it from the Lu family. Now they should know it. You can explain it yourself." Ye Zhen said.
"Yes, niang niang." Lu Tingzhi knew that yesterday was his fourth brother's wedding, so it was right to hide the news from them.
He stood up, bowed his head, and retreated. After taking two steps back, he suddenly thought of something else. "Niang niang, Lu Lingzhi isn't a descendant of the Lu Family. He's been willing to help Shuang 'er all these years because Shuang' er is the only one who knows of his parentage."
In that case, Lu Lingzhi really was a posthumous son of the Pan Family.
"This concubine knows." Ye Zhen said, "You go and tell father about it."
Lu Tingzhi was a little surprised that Ye Zhen already knew about it. He saluted and withdrew from the hall.
… …
… …
The Lu Family had just held a joyous event yesterday, and today, the entire residence was still brimming with joy and smiles. Moreover, today was the day the bride would be acknowledging relatives. Liu-shi hadn't seen her son for a few days, and this morning, she wanted to make a scene at the third branch. Their first branch's life was not going well, and how could they be willing to see Lu Shiming's family be happy and happy? However, when she brought her maid over, Pei shi only lightly asked her if her face still hurt. Liu-shi recalled that time when she was slapped, and she was afraid of being slapped again.
Seeing Lu Xiangzhi shyly appear in front of her with the bride, Liu Shi was really jealous. She had two sons. The eldest son had disappeared for several years, and the youngest son had also disappeared recently. If it weren't for the third branch, she would now be the old madam of the Hou Family.
Lu Shixun also came today, but he didn't have the jealousy of Liu Shi. Now he only wanted to please the third branch. In the future, maybe the Empress will support his son. As long as Lu Zan has a promising future, they will get better sooner or later.
Isn't it a lot better than before?
After Lu Xiangzhi led Su Xiaoxiao to greet the bride, Pei Shi let them go back to rest. It was rare for the third branch of the Lu family to get together, so they said a few more words.
"Third uncle, do you know where Tingzhi is?" Liu Shi looked at Lu Shiming and asked.
Lu Shiming had learned about what happened yesterday this morning, and his mood was very heavy. When he heard Liu Shi's question, he said lightly, "He probably has something to do. He should be back soon."
Pei Shi looked at him doubtfully. Yesterday, he was still asking where Lu Tingzhi had gone. Why did he change his mind today?
Liu Shi cried and said, "I only have this son left now. He hasn't come back for a few days. I don't know if he was killed. Those people killed Yan Zhi, but they are not reconciled. Now they don't even let Tingzhi go …"
"Eldest sister-in-law, what do you mean? The third branch is celebrating. What are you crying for?" Wang Shi glanced at Liu Shi and said.
"What's wrong with me wanting my son?" Liu Shi cried. "How many times have I told him not to come back? He won't have a good ending if he does!"
Pei Shi was originally in a good mood, but when she heard Liu Shi's crying, she was so angry that she wanted to chase her out. "That's right. People who do evil will definitely not have a good ending. Tingzhi is a good child, so he will definitely be fine. He will be back in two days. Eldest sister-in-law, don't cry."
"Do you mean that Yan Zhi and Shuang 'er deserve it?" Liu Shi immediately cried out.
Didn't they deserve it? Pei Shi sneered. "Eldest sister-in-law knows very well whether they deserve it or not. My son just got married. If you continue to cry, then don't blame me for being rude."
Liu Shi still thought that because she was the eldest sister-in-law, everyone had to respect her. "How do you want to be rude?"
"Throw her out. Also, if she dares to make a fuss, send someone to reclaim the mansion tomorrow!" Pei Shi's words struck at Liu Shi's weakness. She wasn't afraid of being thrown out, but she was afraid that the mansion would be gone.
Wang Shi could not wait for Liu Shi to make a fuss.
"You … You dare! I'm your eldest sister-in-law! "Liu Shi didn't dare to scream loudly and only glared angrily at Pei Shi.
Lu Shiming was burning with anxiety. He didn't want Pei Shi to worry, so he drank a cup of daughter-in-law tea here. Now, he still wanted to go to the palace.
"Master, Second Young Master is outside asking for an audience." At this moment, a maid came in to report.
"Tingzhi is back?" Lu Shiming's eyes lit up. "Have him wait for me in the study."
Liu Shi shouted unhappily. "My son is back. Why should he go to the study? I want to see him."
Lu Shiming looked at her coldly. "Eldest sister-in-law, are you thinking of returning to the countryside to retire?"
"I …" Liu Shi immediately fell silent.
...
In Tianjin.
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