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Everyone involuntarily turned their gaze towards her.
“May I ask the Empress Dowager, are you intending to betroth Zhao Yutan to Xie Zhan and give the me, Lu Songli to Qin Sheng?”
At these words, everyone gasped in shock. This woman was truly bold!
“What if I am, and what if I’m not?” The Empress Dowager asked her back nonchalantly.
“Does the Empress Dowager know that I and Xie Zhan are already engaged?”
Lu Songli’s words were a direct blow to the Empress Dowager’s face.
“How dare you!” Bang! The Empress Dowager slammed the cup in her hand, glaring unkindly at Lu Songli.
The entire Chang Le Palace hall fell silent, with no one daring to breathe loudly.
Zhao Yutan lowered her head, hiding the expression on her face from others.
Xie Zhan shook his head inwardly, feeling helpless towards Lu Songli. At this point, it was best to comply and not struggle. Why bother to resist and incur the Empress Dowager’s displeasure, which would not be good for the Lu family.
Qin Sheng glanced displeasingly at Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan, then pursed his lips.
Several princesses felt that Lu Songli was quite bold. This was not in line with the rumors, as she was said to have been quiet and timid before, with Zhao Yutan being the favored one. This behavior was completely unexpected. But considering the current situation, it was understandable. She was truly fighting hard for her fiancé.
Not only the princesses, but everyone else also felt that Lu Songli was not timid. Especially those around the Empress Dowager, who had initially called the four of them into the palace to easily arrange their marriage without any resistance. After all, Jiang’s aggressive and notorious reputation was well-known, and if she caused trouble in Chang Le Palace, it would be embarrassing. Now it seemed like a miscalculation.
Only Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan, who had interacted with Lu Songli twice after the incident in the water, felt that she had changed drastically.
Qin Sheng did not have their complicated thoughts. He had only interacted with Lu Songli a few times after she fell into the water, and she had shown boldness and strength. Before that, he had paid little attention to her, not even bothering with his own fiancée.
Lu Songli was unaware of the turmoil in everyone’s minds as she knelt there, not regretting her directness. As the saying goes, those who are not good do not come, and those who come are not good. The Empress Dowager clearly had a bias against her and would not change her opinion just because of her compliance. Of course, going against her wishes would only worsen the impression. But with many lice, it doesn’t itch.
However, Lu Songli always believed that sometimes, one must take the initiative. Knowing that the Empress Dowager intended to support Zhao Yutan, how could she allow the Empress Dowager to make the decision? That would be like offering oneself as a sacrifice. Besides, although the Empress Dowager’s words were not as authoritative as the Emperor’s, they still carried weight. How could she allow her to speak freely?
“Rongqiu, the old Nanny, was the personal maid who accompanied the Empress Dowager when she was young. She was very favored by the Empress Dowager.
At this moment, Rongqiu stepped forward and gently stroked the Empress Dowager’s chest, then spoke to Lu Songli, who was kneeling, in a soft and gentle voice, “Why are you so stubborn, child? The Empress Dowager is well-intentioned, wanting to help you resolve the mess in your marriage. If no one intervenes, and you let things continue as they are, do you think you will have any good outcome? Child, you can’t be so ungrateful.”
Lu Songli lowered her eyes slightly. One playing the good cop, the other playing the bad cop, they were a perfect pair.
Everyone was looking at her. She couldn’t be stubborn anymore, or the negotiations would break down. So she softened her attitude, “Empress Dowager, do you know why I was betrothed to Xie Zhan?”
The Empress Dowager remained silent, and Rongqiu, her maid, replied, “We’ve heard that you saved his life once, and then Old Master Xie made the decision to betroth you two.”
Lu Songli nodded, “I saved him in the middle of winter. After rescuing him, I stayed in the icy water for more than an hour. My body has been left with irreparable scars.”
“We have heard about this, but isn’t your heart condition better now?”
Lu Songli looked up and gave a bitter smile, “Empress Dowager, summon a physician to examine me and you will know.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yutan couldn’t help but tighten the handkerchief in her hand.
Xie Zhan also pursed his lips tightly.
Qin Sheng frowned, wondering what kind of riddle these people were playing.
Although they didn’t know what kind of riddle she was playing, after Nanny Rongqiu silently inquired with the Empress Dowager, a palace maid was sent to fetch a physician. During this time, Nanny Rongqiu signaled for her to get up.
The physician arrived quickly and was very skilled in women’s health.
The physician took her pulse for a long time. Although nothing could be discerned from the physician’s face, everyone knew that Lu Songli’s health issues were not minor.
“Physician Chen, how is Lu Songli’s heart condition? Is it serious?”
“Miss Lu’s heart condition should improve with timely medication. But…” Physician Chen glanced around, looking troubled.
“Physician Chen, just tell us the diagnosis directly.” Lu Songli calmly spoke. Fortunately, she had kept a close watch and hadn’t immediately grabbed medicine to treat herself. She had originally planned to use this as leverage to negotiate with the Xie family. But now, it was better used here.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yutan was incredulous. Did Lu Songli know what she was saying? With her underlying health issues, wouldn’t she be afraid of being shunned by society if exposed? If this secret were revealed, wouldn’t the respectable families in Chang’an avoid her? With these thoughts, her heart tightened. Did Lu Songli really rely on the Xie family so much that she disregarded everything?
Xie Zhan was also surprised. He carefully studied Lu Songli’s expression and had a certain speculation. Did she know? But when they were betrothed, both families had made an agreement that only their parents, his grandfather, and he would know the true state of her health. Not even she knew, and Lu Desheng and his wife wouldn’t tell her. How did she find out about her health condition?
Lu Songli noticed the expressions of the two and raised her eyebrows. She had long known the fundamental issue with her health. Did they all think she would just accept this disadvantage?
At this moment, the Empress Dowager and others also realized that there might be something wrong with her health.
“Miss Lu has a cold body constitution, likely from spending time in extremely cold places during childhood, which damaged her foundation. She is sensitive to cold, prefers warmth, has irregular menstruation, experiences unbearable pain at times, and may have difficulty bearing children in the future.”
Boom! Everyone looked at Lu Songli in disbelief.
Qin Sheng looked up, surprised, and then pursed his lips. Was it this serious?
The eyes of several princesses exchanged frantic glances.
Is this real?
If the physician diagnosed it, it couldn’t be false.
This is too tragic.
Some may not get what they wish for.
Nanny Rongqiu glanced at her master and confirmed with Lu Songli, “So, you saved Xie Zhan back then, but not only did you develop a heart condition, you also suffered from cold entering your body, making it impossible to bear children?”
Lu Songli nodded, “Yes.”
This was the hidden reason for the betrothal between the Xie and Lu families. After saving someone and soaking in icy water for too long, cold entered her body to such an extent that it affected her ability to bear children. This was the main reason for the betrothal between the Xie and Lu families. All because of a debt of gratitude that couldn’t be repaid. Only a few people knew this reason, not even the original owner herself. It was only after she came here and noticed something unusual with her body that she deduced it.
So, Empress Dowager, how could you bear to take away the marriage she risked her life to obtain?
As she nodded, everyone present couldn’t help but feel that she had truly presented the Empress Dowager with a difficult dilemma.
The Empress Dowager gripped the prayer beads in her hand tightly! Her expression was far from good. Such a significant matter, and the young man from the Xie family didn’t even inform her? Wasn’t this just purely embarrassing her?
The Empress Dowager cast a dark glance at Lu Songli. Originally, she had planned to gather everyone tonight and then issue a decree to bestow marriage upon Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan. Now, after learning of such a hidden truth, if she were to proceed with the marriage decree, she would certainly be criticized.
Rongqiu, the nanny, glanced at her mistress and sighed in her heart. Miss Lu was not to be feared, but her father, Lu Desheng, was not someone to be trifled with. They couldn’t allow this matter to be used as an excuse to attack the Empress Dowager. It would be like breaking a precious vase to kill a rat—not worth it. Lu Desheng’s power was known even in the imperial harem. If the Empress Dowager were truly impeached because of this, it would be a tremendous loss of face. Even if Lu Desheng had concerns about confronting the Empress Dowager, what about the Duke of Cheng’en’s family?