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Lu Desheng couldn’t understand why his daughter looked like she had lost her father after snatching that pill. He thought to himself, isn’t she cursing herself?
Before he could ask, someone arrived outside the study.
The gatekeeper, out of breath, hurried into the study and said, “Master, Second Miss, an imperial decree has arrived from the palace. Madam is calling for you to come to the front yard as soon as possible.”
Father and daughter exchanged a glance, then quickly got up and hurried to the front yard together.
As they walked, Lu Songli thought to herself that she knew the imperial decree must have come from the hands of the Empress Dowager of Chang Le Palace. It was early in the morning, could the Empress Dowager have not slept all night?
Little did Lu Songli know, her casual guess had hit the mark.
That night, the Empress Dowager of Chang Le Palace tossed and turned in bed, and early the next morning, she issued two imperial decrees with a very unpleasant expression after staying up all night.
When Nanny Rongqiu heard this, she was shocked, “Isn’t this too unfair to Lu Songli?” She knew that the Empress Dowager was furious and intentionally causing trouble for the Lu family. The Empress Dowager was so angry, yesterday she hesitated to issue the decree, but today she didn’t care.
The Empress Dowager, with a cold expression, indifferently said, “Who in this world doesn’t suffer grievances? Hasn’t the Empress suffered enough when she was young?” She was still a step too late last night, letting Lu Desheng take the pardon token out of the palace, which made her furious.
“Empress Dowager, this servant is worried about you. Lu Desheng is reckless. This servant is afraid he will accuse you because of this matter, seeking personal revenge.”
The Empress Dowager sneered, “Ridiculous, would I be afraid of him? Is the Emperor dead?” She was the Empress Dowager, superior to ten thousand people, did she need to fear a mere courtier?
“He wouldn’t dare confront you openly, but he would go after the Duke Cheng’en’s family.”
“No need to say more! The Empress’s mind is made up.”
The imperial decree had been issued, so nanny Rongqiu wisely remained silent.
In the front yard of the Lu family, people knelt on the ground, while the Lu family of three knelt at the forefront to receive the decree.
The eunuch Hai Gonggong, who came to announce the decree, saw that everyone was present and began to loudly recite the imperial decree.
“Imperial Decree of the Empress: The son of the Pingxi Marshal of the West, Qin Yue, who currently serves as the Cloud Cavalry Captain, Qin Sheng, is upright and talented, young and promising, exceptionally skilled in martial arts, filial and virtuous, and still unmarried. Lu’s second daughter, Songli, a talented and virtuous woman of outstanding appearance, is of marriageable age. The union of these two is divinely ordained, and hence, an imperial decree of marriage is granted! It is hoped that the two of you will choose an auspicious day for the wedding, be of one heart and one mind, serve the country with respect, and not disappoint the Empress’s intentions. This is decreed!”
Lu Songli: “Your servant daughter accepts the decree and thanks the Empress for her grace!”
Lu Desheng led the others in bowing, “We thank the Empress for her grace!”
After receiving the decree, Lu Songli stood aside. To be honest, this decree of marriage caught her completely off guard. She thought that by revealing the truth last night, the Empress Dowager would have some reservations and change her mind.
Little did she know that the next morning, the Empress Dowager issued the decree of marriage without any hesitation, completely disregarding public opinion. It seemed that her father’s pardon token hit the Empress Dowager’s weak spot.
After the eunuch announced the decree, he looked down at the Lu family of three and said, “Master Lu, have you understood the Empress Dowager’s decree?”
Isn’t it just a marriage decree? Is there anything else? Lu Desheng suppressed his anger and said, “Please make it clear, Hai Gonggong.”
“The meaning of the Empress Dowager is for Miss Li and the sixth son of the Qin family to marry as soon as possible.” Hai Gonggong emphasized the words “as soon as possible.”
“As soon as possible? What does that mean?” Lu Desheng felt a sudden shock in his heart.
“How soon is as soon as possible?” Lu Songli asked calmly.
Hai Gonggong looked at her with pity, “The Empress Dowager requires Miss Lu and the sixth son of the Qin family to get married within two months.”
Lu Songli asked again, “May I ask, Hai Gonggong, did the Empress Dowager also arrange marriages for Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan?”
When Lu Desheng and the others thought that Hai Gonggong would arrogantly refuse to answer this question, he replied, “Yes.”
Hai Gonggong thought to himself that before leaving the palace, the Empress Dowager told him that if anyone from the Lu family asked about this matter, he should answer directly. It seems that the Lu family has seriously offended the Empress Dowager.
“They were not required to marry as soon as possible, were they?” Lu Songli asked with certainty.
“Yes, Miss Lu is very clever.” Hai Gonggong emphasized.
This was a blatant provocation. With each question and answer, Lu Desheng and Madam Jiang felt the underlying message.
“Thank you for clarifying, Hai Gonggong. It’s getting late, you should return and report as soon as possible.” Lu Songli began to see him off.
Not to mention the feelings of the Lu family of three at this moment, Madam Jiang suppressed her emotions, handed the decree to the eunuch, and after Lu Desheng saw him off, Madam Jiang dismissed the servants.
With the Lu family clearing the scene, only the three of them were left in the entire hall, creating a heavy atmosphere.
“Revenge, this is blatant revenge.” Lu Desheng was truly furious, “They are going too far!”
Madam Jiang also couldn’t understand, “How could the Empress Dowager do this?”
Lu Desheng and Madam Jiang looked worriedly at their daughter, who remained silent.
Lu Songli quietly pondered over the imperial decree: forcibly breaking her engagement with Xie Zhan, then forcefully pairing her with Qin Sheng, and finally mandating their marriage within two months.
This was truly a feudal era where the ruler’s word was law, and now, after all this time, she truly felt what it meant to have no control over her own life.
Lu Songli sighed softly, it was all fate.
Now, the Lu family and the Qin family were truly bound together. Her marriage with Qin Sheng was arranged by the Empress Dowager, and such a marriage contract was usually difficult to dissolve unless one party died. But who would willingly choose death while still alive?
Empress Dowager, under the heavens, is there no justice left on this vast land? If even you are unreasonable, where else in the world can one find reason? So, Empress Dowager, don’t blame me.
She thought, it’s time to prepare for some things.
“Daughter, are you okay?”
Lu Songli smiled, “Mother, I’m fine.”
At this moment, Lu Songli was exceptionally calm, feeling better than ever before. She had never been the kind of person to simply accept her fate.
“I’m going to the study!” Seeing his daughter in such a state, Lu Desheng felt deeply troubled.
“Father, let’s stay calm for now.” Lu Songli held him back, knowing full well that he was likely thinking of grabbing his sword again. But this time, they couldn’t act rashly; they had to endure.
“Father, could we ask the Emperor for help? Maybe the Empress Dowager could withdraw the edict?” Madam Jiang asked.
Lu Desheng remainder silent, as if he was contemplating this possibility.
Lu Songli answered for him, “That’s not possible, Father. You mustn’t go to the Emperor for this.” If he had gone to the Emperor before the edict was issued, there might have been a chance, but once the imperial edict is issued, the Emperor won’t defy the Empress Dowager over such a small matter. Besides, she didn’t want her father, with his small stature, to clash head-on with the Empress Dowager. She believed that the Empress Dowager would be more than happy to see her father create a scene and beg, and if it meant she could seize the opportunity to revoke the immunity token given to her father last night, it would be even better.
“Father, Mother, setting aside the fact that the Empress Dowager has forced this marriage upon us against our will, isn’t a marriage alliance with the Qin family still a good thing? Mother, didn’t you say you quite liked Qin Sheng?”
Lu Desheng and Madam Jiang both nodded. Indeed, their daughter was right. There was nothing wrong with an arranged marriage to Qin Sheng, but it was humiliating that the Lu family was forced to accept it.
Madam Jiang forced a smile. “That’s true in principle, but as your mother, I just can’t help but feel uneasy…”
Lu Songli understood. Her mother was simply upset. In short, her mother had placed the imperial family on too high a pedestal, had unrealistic expectations of them, which allowed them to dictate her happiness.
She thought that when the Empress Dowager learned of the great sacrifice she had made to save Xie Zhan, she might feel sympathy and abandon her original plans, standing instead for fairness and justice. But the Empress Dowager didn’t do that, and so her mother’s idealized view of the imperial family was shattered, causing her distress.
Actually, it wasn’t just her mother who thought this way—Lu Songli herself had also overestimated the moral character of the imperial family. She realized that, after transmigrating, she wasn’t as unaffected by her surroundings as she had believed.