The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

“But after Li Qinghuai supplanted Prince Zhao in gathering popular support, he did not expose his intent to usurp the throne to the court.”

“Presumably, because he couldn’t find direct evidence to convict Prince Zhao immediately, the matter was put to rest.”

The color drained from Lu Fengmian’s lips. She rejoined, “That’s not right. Aren’t the hundreds of lives of the Mo family evidence?”

“She didn’t speak up, unless it was to win you over,” her logic was always clear and her tongue sharp, interjecting at just the right moment. “Prince Zhao wields great power. Forcibly weakening his influence would cause instability, but unless the Emperor is biased towards Prince Zhao, this instability shouldn’t be an excuse to simply let the matter drop.”

And Li Qinghuai bringing up the Plague Case again might mean she has found new leverage against Prince Zhao. If so, the Mo family is about to be discarded to take down Prince Zhao.

“If you don’t want to talk about what happens next, then don’t. I don’t particularly want to hear it either.” Lu Fengmian was willing to save her life, but if the matter was exposed, it would implicate more than just her—it would involve the entire Lu family.

She couldn’t agree to that.

“I believe our acquaintance is shallow. To you, we’ve only known each other for barely a year or two. Even before you lost your memory, I only saw you a few times,” Mo Xianghao seemed somewhat embarrassed to say this.

With these words, Lu Fengmian already concluded that she was here to ask for help.

“Her Highness guaranteed to ensure the safety of my Mo family, and she did this to protect you,” Mo Xianghao said urgently, “According to the agreement.”

Lu Fengmian abruptly looked up.

She absolutely could not understand this statement. Setting aside whether Li Qinghuai’s guarantee was true or false, or how much she could truly protect, the statement that Her Highness entrusted her to protect her made her feel intensely resistant.

“You know she and I are old acquaintances. When did you know this? At Tuoliang Mountain? Or when we met in the capital?” Lu Fengmian’s eyes were sharp.

“I’ve known all along. This is no secret in the capital. Although I’ve never seen Her Highness’s true face, I don’t know why she came to Tuoliang Mountain.”

If Mo Xianghao’s attitude hadn’t been so serious, she would have suspected the other party was joking with her.

“So, at that time, you… told me that Her Highness was going to marry a legal wife because I had a decent relationship with her?” Lu Fengmian forced herself to ask.

Impossible, I don’t believe it.

“The merchant’s younger daughter.”

Lu Fengmian was confused. “Huh?”

“She is marrying Shang Miaocen of the Shang merchant family,” Mo Xianghao’s lower lip stuck to her gums. “They were engaged two years ago. How could you not know? The world knows that the former Crown Prince has a penchant for ‘mirror-grinding’ (a euphemism for lesbianism), but whether this is because unmarried young ladies are easier to control for the purpose of seizing power is unknown.”

Lu Fengmian, who did indeed know about this, was speechless for a moment. Although curious as to why that person went against convention, it seemed insignificant. The Plague Case was the most pressing matter.

“What are you planning to do? Wait and see, or…”

Or what? She wanted her to escape, but was it possible? Would she be willing?

“Even if things genuinely become irreversible, you must take care of yourself. ‘As long as the green hills last, there’s always wood to burn.’ At the very least, the direct lineage of the Mo family cannot be broken. You should leave quickly. I’ll pretend you were never here.” Lu Fengmian felt a heavy burden.

Before the person surnamed Mo could reply, her eyes sharpened again. She whispered, “Someone is approaching.”

The next second, the door was pushed open. In came an unfamiliar maid, carrying a basin with great effort.

A chilling sensation suddenly washed over Lu Fengmian. She was drenched from head to toe. Water droplets slid down her hair. A film of water hung on her cheeks, making her look even more delicate and alluring.

After half a month of recovery, the maid Cong Ji had already developed a special skill for binding hair. Even her uneven, scorched hair could be styled into a new updo.

Now, all of it was ruined.

“The young master sent me to check on the young lady,” the maid looked up, speaking with arrogant aggression.

Lu Fengmian’s slightly open mouth completely closed. Her expression gradually twisted. The other party didn’t give her time to react, quickly scanned the room, circled behind the altar table, and began checking it.

“Ugh.” Lu Fengmian, startled repeatedly, let out a hiccup.

Seeing the person circle back, find nothing, and then try to lift the altar table runner, she quickly rose and bear-hugged the person’s waist, shouting loudly, “Where did this lunatic come from, daring to be wild in the ancestral hall? Are you tired of living? I’ll give you a chance, hurry and run! Run! Don’t wait for me to report you to the officials!”

The table runner flew up, revealing Mo Xianghao squatting underneath, her eyes wide open.

Lu Fengmian yelled again, “Run! Run! Or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The person under the table finally reacted, scrambling backwards on all fours, only to have a meaty hand from nowhere grab her waist sash. Unable to move forward or back, she thrashed about on the spot.

Tear.

The sound of silk fabric ripping burst out. Mo Xianghao pulled up her trousers with both hands and bolted out. The dark silver waist sash smacked into the arrogant maid’s palm, but the person was gone. Infuriated, the maid intended to chase, only to realize that a clinging Lu Fengmian was still wrapped around her waist.

“Young Lady, let go! I am carrying out orders!”

Lu Fengmian gritted her teeth, “You were ordered to splash water on me?”

She rolled her eyes a few times, guessing that her father had arranged this stakeout, but it was truly difficult to find such a savage, stout maid.

Lu Fengmian, being newly recovered from illness, had little strength. In the process of pulling and tugging, she was dragged into the courtyard. Fortunately, the one who lost her waist sash had already fled far away.

However, based on the commotion not far off, she was ultimately discovered. The sounds of chaotic, rushing footsteps made her especially anxious.

Unsurprisingly, the family patriarch was coming. The worst-case scenario was at hand. Lu Enzhuo approached with large strides, his wide sleeves flapping with his movement, his face almost spitting fire, looking at his own daughter with rage in his eyes.

The father, who hadn’t been within a meter of her for a long time, this time walked directly to her, raised his hand, and delivered a decisive slap to Lu Fengmian’s face. Her head was knocked to the side, but after briefly suppressing her fear, she took a long, sharp breath and turned back to face him.

“What do you remember? Can you distinguish right from wrong? Do you know what is important and what is cheap in a great nation?” Lu Enzhuo roared furiously. “I tell you once and you don’t listen. How many more times do I have to say it? Has the knowledge in your head been eaten by dogs?”

Lu Fengmian silently endured the torrent of abuse. But misfortunes never come singly. Soon, three or four guards with swords escorted her old acquaintance over.

They were clearly prepared. Mo Xianghao’s hands and feet were tightly bound with rope, and her mouth was stuffed with white cloth.

This posture suggested she was about to be sent to the woodshed.

Lu Fengmian’s fiery spirit was extinguished. She was lifeless and too weary to struggle further. Although she had reached this point, she couldn’t help but glance up at the stout maid standing proudly behind Lu Enzhuo, borrowing his power.

She couldn’t understand it. How could a young lady like herself lose to a maid? Did the other party truly not fear her retaliation in the future?

Faced with the spittle-flecked air now, she gradually lost even the energy to mutter complaints.

After all, she genuinely wasn’t the type to cause trouble for no reason.

A coppery taste spread in her mouth. Her lips and teeth felt strangely awkward. Her father’s face suddenly became strange. Only then did Lu Fengmian belatedly realize that a trail of fresh blood was streaming from the corner of her mouth.

She quickly wiped it with the back of her hand—bright crimson.

A buzzing chaos rang in her head. She wasn’t particularly uncomfortable; in fact, her thoughts drifted to whether she should feign fainting on the spot. The only unusual feeling was that something broken seemed to have quietly reconnected at that moment.

Lu Fengmian’s courage grew, emboldened by her father’s softening attitude.

She glared at Mo Xianghao, with words of intense questioning almost bursting from her throat. How could one be so stupid? To be captured by a group of people whose martial arts were inferior to her own!

Mo Xianghao, being dragged along the ground, turned her head away in embarrassment. Her old wounds hadn’t fully healed, so she naturally couldn’t compare to her peak condition. The situation was already ruined; arguing and explaining were useless.

Lu Enzhuo’s finger, pointing at her, trembled. After a long time, he sighed and spat out, “You… you go back.”

Unexpectedly granted parole, Lu Fengmian was temporarily confused about where to go back to—back to the woodshed for starvation and solitary confinement, or back to the soft cotton quilt with the lotus pattern.

Lu Fengmian took small, stiff steps, turning her direction. She vaguely sensed that the situation was developing strangely. She raised her hand again to wipe her lip. The bloodstain on the back of her hand grew darker, yet she didn’t realize she was ill.

Taking unsteady, uneven steps, she returned like a zombie to the lotus-scented bedroom.

Pushing the door open, the first person that greeted her eyes was Cong Ji. Lu Fengmian had thought her own condition was bad enough, but she hadn’t expected her maid’s condition to be even worse.

Her cheeks were swollen, and her eyes were red from crying, like ripe apricots. Though her face held no tear traces, the fatigue of having suffered immense grievances was evident.

“Cong Ji, what happened to you? Who hit you?” Lu Fengmian reached out and grabbed the hand opposite her.

The personal maids of young ladies like her were spared the rough work of washing and cooking. Their hands were mostly soft and fair, long and slender, but Cong Ji’s palms had many calluses and were not smooth.

Lu Fengmian recalled the rainy night a few days ago when the other party seemed to have had a conflict with someone, but when she saw her again after that day, she showed no abnormality, so she hadn’t pressed her to ask about it.

She hadn’t expected that letting it go would lead to such a serious consequence.

Lu Fengmian said righteously, “Tell me who bullied you! Don’t be afraid. Just tell me what grievances you’ve suffered. I will definitely get back at them for you.”

Cong Ji had been with her since childhood and rarely made mistakes, big or small. She didn’t think the punishment was meted out by the Lady of the House for a mistake.

Someone must have been secretly working against her sweet darling.

“Young Lady, Young Lady, it’s all my fault. Please don’t take this to the Madam,” Cong Ji cried, tears blurring her vision like a pear blossom drenched in rain. “I broke a rule your father set a few days ago. I deserve the punishment; I deserve to be slapped.”

Her words directly struck Lu Fengmian’s heart. A surge of hot blood rushed through her body.

This was likely one of the ridiculous rules Lu Enzhuo had recently set to prevent information from the jianghu (martial arts world) from entering the manor. Ultimately, she was the one who dragged Cong Ji into this mess.

Since someone else had paid her debt, it was a great kindness. Lu Fengmian, unable to express her gratitude, could only leap upon her in a bear hug, gently stroking her hair in silent comfort.

A bitter smile hung on Lu Fengmian’s lips. The maid, who was being embraced, was flattered and embarrassed, wriggling to break free but not daring to use too much force.

From the moment her Young Lady entered, Cong Ji had noticed the blood on her lip, but she had no choice but to answer the Young Lady’s questions. After a few words, her kind-hearted mistress hugged her, completely disregarding her own situation.

Cong Ji was at a loss. The two hugged for a long time without separating.

She wasn’t the only one who needed comforting. Even a person as candidly rebellious as Lu Fengmian couldn’t help but feel sorrow after being scolded by her own father.

Slowly, the embracing arms loosened. Lu Fengmian straightened up, her mind both chaotic and clear. She looked at the other person with a complex expression.

Her lips moved, opening and closing, as if saying—

I think I remember.

Lu Fengmian stumbled backward, lightly shook her head, turned, and reached for the door to leave.