The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

After that incident, except for the subtle change in the atmosphere of the residence, everything that happened at Luo Liang Mountain seemed not to have occurred. She was under house arrest, so she had no way of knowing what the famous young ladies outside the residence thought of her.

She spent her days walking along the verandas and waterside pavilions in an attempt to strengthen her body.

According to her visiting cousin, her uncle seemed intent on confining her until June or July, after the court’s current investigation into the corruption case passed.

Upon learning her uncle’s intention, Lu Fengmian felt a sense of tragic grandeur. She would only regain her freedom when the lotus flowers bloomed in the pond and the magnolia withered in June or July.

Since she was bored, she naturally had to find her own fun. In the middle of April, during a dark and windy night, she avoided the household servants and launched a blue firework into the sky.

The Zhao residence immediately plunged into chaos.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, a man with a goatee, leading a group of guards, arrived in a flurry, and in no time, had completely surrounded Lu Fengmian.

Lu Fengmian had been acting uncharacteristically for years and was not afraid of punishment, but when she saw the man leading the group, she froze in place. It was her biological father, Lu Enzhuo.

“Bold criminal! Why are you here in the middle of the night?” Lu Enzhuo glared at his daughter, who resembled him by six parts, his handsome face showing no emotion.

Lu Fengmian’s throat felt dry upon hearing his voice. The night wind blew into her eyes, making them sting painfully. She mumbled, “Father.”

However, even though he recognized his own daughter, he still waved his hand decisively, sternly shouting, “Do you know that the court is already in turmoil? The martial arts world is showing signs of fragmentation, and multiple assassin organizations have appeared in various regions. Thirteen local officials have already been attacked.”

“Since you are staying under someone else’s roof, why don’t you properly learn the rules instead of recklessly following your whims everywhere? When you were confined a few years ago, you caused trouble everywhere, wanting your martial arts comrades to knock on the door, completely disregarding the etiquette of a noble house.”

For the first time in the prosperous land of the capital, she felt a bone-deep chill. Lu Fengmian was speechless. She had indeed indulged a few martial artists to climb over the walls to chat with her.

“Do you think you did nothing wrong just because your uncle and aunt indulged you?”

“You are utterly mistaken. Now that the situation is volatile and full of ominous signs, the court has ordered the removal of all of Song Xurao’s official duties and instructed him to quietly await further notice in his residence.”

Lu Fengmian was stunned again. Seeing the surrounding guards looking at each other and hesitating to step forward, she voluntarily took a few steps toward her father, lowering her head and saying, “I accept Father’s punishment.”

The ground before her gradually blurred. She suddenly felt an agonizing sting in her internal organs, the tingling pain receding and surging like a tide. She inexplicably smelled the fragrance of lotus flowers, pure and rich, a scent exclusive to midsummer.

She watched two tears the size of soybeans fall, certain that this was not caused by shame due to the harsh reprimand.

“Everyone thought the matter of Luo Liang Mountain was coming to an end. Her Highness Li, that close friend of yours, suddenly submitted a memorial requesting a thorough investigation into the Qilu plague case…”

Lu Enzhuo’s words were sharp and harsh, truly too aggressive, frightening his sworn brother, who was outside the courtyard wall, into rushing over to restrain him, hoping to control the situation.

“I heard you were imprisoned and rushed over from afar, worried and terrified that you would be implicated in the Luo Liang incident. You should know that the body of that prodigal son of the Song family, Song Xuan Ye, was transported back yesterday… Their family produced three generations of prime ministers and are still cautious, yet you are here constantly bringing shame upon us!” Lu Enzhuo roared angrily.

No one expected that after his outburst, before he could even catch his breath, Lu Fengmian suddenly fell to her knees with a thud.

This was not Lu Fengmian’s intention. Her knees uncontrollably lost strength. Her uncle’s voice, defending her, was so sharp it pierced her eardrums painfully.

Under the stinging pain came a sensation of floating bliss, as if she could hear and see everything around her. Everything in front, back, left, and right was in her sight, yet nothing she heard or saw felt real.

It was like, it was like, she was separated from the world by a layer of watery mirror.

The sounds in her ears were a cacophony, sometimes the howling of the wind, sometimes the laughter of children. The laughter was very familiar, seemingly having accompanied her for years. But despite enduring the intense pain, she couldn’t recall who it belonged to.

Time stretched out under the agony. When the blunt knife stopped grinding her nerves, the first thing she heard was her father’s pardon.

“Forget it, go kneel in the ancestral hall.” After saying this, he flicked his sleeve and left, ignoring his sworn brother’s attempts to stop him.

She didn’t know how long the two had been arguing. Lu Fengmian took a deep breath, raising her head to meet her uncle’s face, which held an embarrassed smile.

In terms of appearance, Lu Fengmian resembled her uncle more than her biological father. Both had warm, pale complexions, willow-leaf eyebrows, and oval faces.

“Fengmian, don’t move yet. I’ll help you up.” Her uncle looked distressed, stepping forward to assist her.

At this moment, Lu Fengmian’s mind was still somewhat muddled. When faced with her uncle’s questions along the way, she answered vaguely. Even after entering the ancestral hall, facing the rows of dark spirit tablets and hearing words of comfort and concern, she had completely forgotten what he had asked earlier.

“Your father, he has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. I was often scolded by him a long time ago…”

“He is the elder brother I acknowledged. An elder brother is like a father, so I shouldn’t say anything about him, but sometimes he is indeed too harsh on you, alas.”

She didn’t hear a word of the comforting talk, only finding it familiar again, as if her uncle had said the same thing long ago, or perhaps it was her aunt.

“Uncle, do you still remember how my mother died?” Lu Fengmian didn’t hesitate to interrupt him, forcing the question out.

Not only was her uncle bewildered after she spoke, but she herself was also confused. She vaguely felt a red thread float through her mind. Although she couldn’t clearly see it, she instinctively knew this piece of information was extremely important, important enough to be related to her life and family.

But why did she ask whether her mother had died in childbirth?

Could her childhood understanding be wrong? Yet, more than one person had told her this. In her fuzzy memory, her father, her aunt, and her close friend had all told her the same thing, without exception.

Lies would have loopholes, not like this, where every piece of the puzzle fit.

Furthermore, if this were a lie, who could she trust afterward?

The Shang family’s information suggested that her mother and aunt did not get along, and frequent arguments ultimately led to her mother’s death in childbirth. During her period of doubt, the Shang family brought forward a witness who had administered chronic poison many years ago, confirming that her aunt was not only guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but had even bought safflower.

Her reputation in the capital was quite poor, a large part of which was due to her having been a merchant’s wife, yet she initiated a divorce after only half a year of marriage due to some undisclosed reasons.

Even though it wasn’t for elopement or vanity, her reputation was still ruined.

Furthermore, her aunt soon arranged a verbal engagement for her, which that family miraculously agreed to. Many people joked that the eldest son of the Song family was a second-hand recipient.

Since both the Zhao and Shang families claimed her mother died in childbirth, it was likely not wrong. The two families had a tense relationship, and if there was an opportunity to ruin or sow discord in the other, they probably wouldn’t let it pass easily.

The faint feeling that something was amiss might not have originated from herself. Perhaps someone else had cried to her, and the deep emotion made the memory vivid, intertwining with her existing memory fragments.

Lu Fengmian’s expression was unpredictable. After a long silence, she finally uttered, “While I was kneeling in punishment earlier, I felt dizzy and nauseous. I remembered many stories others told me, which reminded me of my mother.”

“Uncle, please don’t take it to heart. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.” Seeing her uncle’s face change for the worse, she quickly tried to backtrack.

“Alas, let bygones be bygones,” her uncle reached out and patted Lu Fengmian’s left shoulder. The greenish tint on his face did not subside. He sighed deeply, “Your father has been heartbroken for years because of this incident.”

Dark clouds enveloped the moon. The wild wind suddenly intensified. The draft that swept through made Lu Fengmian, whose temples were damp with sweat, shiver.

She tactfully avoided dragging the matter out, subtly changing the subject, constantly criticizing herself internally.

The night was not quiet. After a long period of stillness, Lu Fengmian’s legs had very little sensation left. Bored, she took out the events of the daytime to analyze in detail.

The capital had no curfew, and fireworks were set off in many places, but they were usually more for viewing pleasure and did not have a wide visible range. However, the firework she launched was clearly a signal, visible ten li away.

The State of Qin was powerful. Since the regional military governors had been weakened in the previous dynasty, there were no regulations controlling fireworks in the city. Lu Fengmian’s momentary reckless act was harmless.

However, as her father mentioned, the deposed Crown Prince’s visit to Luo Liang Mountain had other intentions, and she had also submitted a memorial to thoroughly investigate the Qilu plague case.

The Qilu plague case was managed jointly by the Song and Shang families at the time.

After the epidemic subsided, rumors spread in the capital that the Song family was corrupt. They had allegedly preemptively bought large quantities of Houttuynia cordata when the epidemic was minor, and then sold it at a high price to profit from the national disaster when the court allocated silver for disaster relief.

But the Song family was credited with successful epidemic control at the time. Other merchants who bought low and sold high had committed suicide out of fear of guilt, making it impossible to investigate. The rumor mongers were executed to serve as a warning.

Now, the simultaneous appearance of the deposed Crown Prince and the Song family’s second young master on Tuo Liang Mountain was indeed thought-provoking.

When she encountered Li Qinghuai, although she had few guards by her side, the outer perimeter of the mountain was secured by imperial guards. They allowed exits but no entry, clearly indicating prior preparation.

A not-so-wide gap was left in the heavy wooden door. The wind swept across Lu Fengmian’s back from outside. Amidst the cold, the wind gradually dissipated, and the sporadic sounds of patrolling also faded into the distance.

She instinctively felt her father was watching. In her limited, vague memory, he was always secretly watching her being punished to check if she was slacking off.

Lu Fengmian suppressed her anger, straightened her back, and adopted an air of untouchable aloofness.

The other person stayed for the time it took for half an incense stick to burn. When the door creaked and finally closed tightly, Lu Fengmian still refused to turn her head.

Although she was angry, she didn’t entirely believe she was without fault. It was just that she urgently wanted to know the recent developments in the court or the martial arts world. Her father had people patrol the residence, precisely because he didn’t want her to know what was happening outside.

Lu Fengmian, who had been kept in the dark her entire life, was so exhausted after figuring this out that she couldn’t even summon the strength to sigh.

It was as if she was not a member of the household. Whenever important events, especially those related to old matters, arose, they were inevitably kept secret from her, with evasive language and prevarication.

The night was about to recede. The dawn light illuminated the spirit tablets on the altar.

Her knees were swollen with stagnant blood, and she was utterly exhausted. With a sullen face, she struggled to her feet, pushing open the heavy, ancient brown door.

The light brown sky was mixed with the brightness of day. The red glow was still hidden behind the East Mountain. The night had been so long. As she crossed the threshold after an all-night punishment, she almost collapsed onto the ground.

The red clouds of the morning occupied half the sky. The beautiful scenery flashed before Lu Fengmian’s eyes. She grabbed the door frame and staggered forward. Due to the wind-induced headache during the night, her consciousness gradually blurred.

A hand stretched out toward her, appearing and disappearing, accompanied by the calls of a passing maid. She could no longer hold on and fainted onto the ground.

When she woke up, she was in her boudoir, filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

She was wrapped in a quilt imbued with the scent of lotus flowers, looking far from a dignified young lady, leaning her head against the heavily decorated wall. The parrot in the room chirped incessantly, occasionally spitting out a word or two of human speech.

“Miss, Madam asks you to rest well and not worry about other things,” the maid, Congji, whose eyebrows showed alertness and who had grown up with Lu Fengmian, puffed out her cheeks with a lack of propriety. “I think Madam is right. Miss, you just don’t take good care of yourself.”

“You weren’t even anemic before. After wandering outside, not only were you locked up in the government office, but you also angered the Master, and were punished to kneel.”

Congji’s cheeks were puffed up and round. She said indignantly, “The most important thing is that you didn’t even plead for yourself, just accepting the ‘Young Master’s’ punishment. You just don’t know how to cherish yourself, hmph.”

Lu Fengmian was helpless. She got out of bed, still wrapped in the quilt. “If you do something wrong, you must admit it. If you admit it, you must accept the punishment.”

“Will Miss change next time?”

She lowered her head and smiled, then raised her eyes to smile at the maid. “I certainly cannot change.”

“Miss, you truly are a handful!”

Walking to the wardrobe, Lu Fengmian interrupted the other woman’s endless chatter, saying, “Congji, help me change.”

After fainting, and with her aunt’s intercession, Lu Fengmian was allowed to recuperate from the illness she contracted during her travels before continuing the seven days of kneeling in the ancestral hall.

For an ordinary young lady in the boudoir, this situation would likely mean staying indoors to reflect honestly. But Chengmei was different. She changed into a spring-like skirt and spent her time strolling brazenly among the lakes and mountains.

The Zhao residence was, after all, a famous and influential family. Even the artificial hills and waters had a unique charm. Various floral fragrances lingered in the air, making her feel very comfortable.

Over the next few days, she often ran into her own father. Lu Fengmian would avoid him and choose a different path each time. After a while, he would actively snort and walk away as soon as he saw her.

Miss Lu, however, felt no guilt about this, but rather felt increasingly at ease.