Lu Lingzhi looked at Ye Zhen's back as she left. He did not chase after her. In his heart, he suspected that she had betrayed him and told the emperor that Shuang 'er was not dead. But seeing her today, he denied the idea. Yao Yao was not sure that Shuang' er was still alive, and she had no evidence. Moreover, the emperor had found the little nun. How could he suspect that Yao Yao had betrayed him?
He didn't want to force her to accept his feelings. Now that he had nothing and was demoted to the Border Town, if it weren't for the emperor's contribution to the throne, he would probably have confiscated his house. How could he let him go to the Border Town to guard the territory?
Perhaps there was another reason, it was for Yao Yao.
Lu Lingzhi shook his head and smiled bitterly. Even if he pretended to be indifferent and confident, he couldn't hide the confusion in his heart in front of Yao Yao. He really didn't know … if there was a chance for a comeback. For the first time in many years, he felt a sense of fear.
Unknowingly, he had arrived outside Lu Shiming's study.
"Third Uncle." He gently knocked on the door. He knew that his uncle must have been waiting for him in the study.
"Come in." Lu Shiming's low voice came out.
Lu Lingzhi walked into the study and found that his third uncle had prepared dinner for him. For a moment, his eyes were a little moist. "Third Uncle, I'm back."
"You must have not eaten all day. Come and sit down, just in time to eat with me." Lu Shiming said with a smile, pointing to the opposite seat for Lu Lingzhi to sit down.
"Uncle, I have troubled you today." Lu Lingzhi suddenly knelt down. "I have failed to live up to grandmother's and your expectations."
Lu Shiming patted him on the shoulder. "Don't say these words for the time being. Fill your stomach first. The old lady doesn't blame you. She's just worried about you."
"Third Uncle …" Lu Lingzhi bowed his head. He really didn't know what to say.
"Let's eat." Lu Shiming said, "Your mother was stimulated today. The doctor has already seen her, but you still need to persuade her again."
Lu Lingzhi stood up and sat down opposite Lu Shiming, clutching his chopsticks tightly in his hand. "I have already told my mother. She will not make noise again."
It's best if Mrs. Liu can be quiet. Lu Shiming can't be as tolerant to Mrs. Liu as he is to his nephews: "Eat, we'll talk after eating."
Uncle and nephew quietly finished all the food on the table. This was probably the most delicious meal Lu Lingzhi had ever eaten.
After the two of them had eaten their fill, Lu Shiming asked someone to come in and clean up before he sat down with Lu Lingzhi on both sides of the tea table. "Tomorrow morning, we will move back to our original residence. Today, I've already asked the servants to go and clean it up. Tomorrow, we will be able to move in. It's just that … an ordinary residence is a little different from a marquis's residence. I only hope that everyone can get used to it."
"Tomorrow …" Lu Lingzhi said bitterly, "Third Uncle, I've been demoted to guard a border town. I have to leave tomorrow."
Lu Shiming raised his head in surprise, "The emperor demoted you to the border town?"
"Without the emperor's imperial edict, I will never be able to come back." Lu Lingzhi lowered his head. This was his biggest worry.
"What have you done to make His Majesty so …" Merciless! Sending Lu Lingzhi to the border and not being able to come back was already a great punishment.
Lu Lingzhi said, "There's something I haven't said. The reason Shuang 'er was conferred the title of Noble Consort was because she pretended to be the benefactor that saved His Majesty's life when he was young. His Majesty later found out that she was a fake, so Shuang' er lost his favor. Because she did something wrong, she was stripped of her status as a consort and became a sister-in-law. I couldn't bear to see her spend the rest of her life in Nianci Temple, so … I sent her somewhere else and His Majesty found out."
"Pretended to be … the benefactor that saved His Majesty's life? Is Shuang 'er crazy? How could she just pretend to be someone like that? "Lu Shiming stared at his nephew in shock," Wasn't Shuang' er burned to death? You let her go? That fire in Nianci Temple was set by you? "
"Third Uncle, at that time, it was already too late to back down. I couldn't bear to see Shuang 'er sad, so …" Lu Lingzhi sighed. Actually, doing it for Shuang' er was one reason. The other reason was that he had his own ambitions.
Lu Shiming slammed the table heavily and stood up, "You're simply making trouble! For Shuang 'er, you're willing to gamble the lives of your entire family? This isn't just a crime of deceiving the monarch, this is a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of your family. Don't you know that? Even if Shuang 'er's imperial concubine position was abolished, she's still His Majesty's woman. You … you actually burned Nianci Temple like this and even sent her away? "
"Yes." Lu Lingzhi's face paled as he lowered his head.
"Wrong!" In his rage, Lu Shiming recalled the rumors about a stunning woman that had spread out in the palace not long ago, "What's going on with that Ye Yaoyao?"
Lu Lingzhi knew that there was nothing he could hide from Third Uncle. Only by telling Third Uncle the entire truth could he protect Lu Family in the future. "… Shuang 'er told His Majesty that it was Father who wanted her to pretend to be his benefactor. The woman who truly saved His Majesty was under house arrest. I beat her at her own game and sent Ye Yaoyao away."
"Ye Yaoyao isn't the true benefactor either. You've already prepared this long ago, right?" How smart was Lu Shiming? He immediately guessed Ye Yaoyao's purpose. "Yanzhi, Ye Yaoyao is a backup plan you prepared long ago to prevent Shuang 'er's identity from being exposed. You … you really disappoint me."
"Third Uncle, I have no choice. Apart from doing this, I don't know how else to protect Lu Family from being implicated." Lu Lingzhi said hoarsely. In fact, he had already regretted it, but … what could he do? After he poisoned Ye Zhen, there was no turning back.
"This Ye Yaoyao is not the person the emperor is looking for. The person who really saved the emperor, who is it?" Lu Shiming really wanted to reprimand this nephew of his, but what's the use of scolding now?
Lu Lingzhi sucked in a deep breath. "I only found out today that the woman who once saved His Majesty has a nickname called Yaoyao … the same name as Third Younger Sister. No wonder … His Majesty was so certain that Shuang er wasn't the person who saved him back then."
"Yao Yao?" Lu Shiming cried in amazement. "The emperor suspected Shuang 'er because of Yao Yao?"
"I don't know when the emperor began to suspect Shuang 'er. Third Uncle, this is the case. That's why the emperor abolished my title today …" Lu Lingzhi bowed his head in pain. In fact, the emperor should have suspected him for a long time. Was it because of old affection that the emperor had not issued an edict to punish him?
Then what was the reason that made the emperor no longer care about old affection?
Lu Lingzhi thought of Lu Yaoyao.
"The emperor has been merciful by only abolishing your title." Lu Shiming said in a deep voice. "You can only tell me about this matter. Don't mention it to Old Madame again, lest you hurt her heart."
"I know." Lu Lingzhi nodded gently. "Third Uncle, Yao Yao … whose biological daughter is she?"
(Nine-headed Bird Academy)
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