NFBE Chapter 440 Young Couple
Chapter 440 Young Couple
"Madam, someone from the capital has arrived!"
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, Sui Hong ran into the backyard, her voice filled with anxiety.
Lu Zhaoyue was resting with her eyes closed in her room when she heard this and slowly opened them.
Dai Lan put down her needlework and went to help Sui Hong lift the curtain of the door, raising her hand to pat the snowflakes off her body.
"Tell me slowly, who came? Has the master gone to see them?"
"It's two princesses. Master has already gone to the front hall to meet them. Tell Madam to go there quickly as well."
Lu Zhaoyue stood up abruptly:
"Who is coming?"
"Madam, the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess have arrived. The two princesses are currently in the front hall."
Sui Hong was Lu Zhaoyue's maidservant, whom she had raised since childhood. She had practiced martial arts since she was young and was bolder than the average maidservant. However, no matter how bold she was, she had never seen two princesses come to her door at the same time. At this moment, she spoke rapidly and seemed somewhat impatient.
"Don't panic," Dai Lan comforted Sui Hong, then turned to look at Lu Zhaoyue.
Lu Zhaoyue nodded to Dai Lan, and the woman immediately stepped forward, picked up Lu Zhaoyue's fur coat, and draped it over the man. The group hurried towards the front yard.
"Sui Hong." The old lady's tone rarely carried such authority: "Besides the two princes, is there anyone else?"
"There are still more than twenty guards; the steward has already made arrangements."
In the front hall of the Xing residence, Xue Tong picked up her teacup and took a sip of tea before looking at the old man sitting opposite her.
Lord Xing was sixty-seven years old at the time. He wore an elegant and dignified indigo robe and a square scarf on his head, clearly a learned scholar.
"Lord Xing," Xue Tong said softly.
"I have come here today through the snow, on the orders of my father, to invite you back to the capital."
Xing Lingchong looked at the girl in front of him, then at Yu Shu, who was drinking tea silently with her head down, and a rare doubt arose in his heart.
“Your Majesty’s command cannot be disobeyed. After bidding farewell to my family, I will immediately return to the capital with Your Highness.”
Xue Tong took another sip of tea, and her cold limbs began to warm up. The girl's voice was gentle and calm:
"Elder Xing, there is no need to be anxious. My carriage also needs to rest. We can set off in three days."
As the two were talking, soft footsteps sounded outside the hall. Xue Tong glanced sideways and saw an elderly woman in a dark green dress enter, supported by two maids. She immediately knelt and bowed to Xue Tong.
"This humble woman greets Your Highnesses."
Before Xue Tong could put down her teacup, Yu Shu had already gotten up to help the old lady.
"Madam Xing, please don't stand on ceremony. My sixth sister and I have come here specifically to invite Elder Xing back to the capital."
Even though she had anticipated this day and had advised her husband not to argue with the emperor, Lu Zhaoyue's heart still sank upon receiving the actual news.
The two princesses came to greet him personally; could it be that the man's health is failing?
Not daring to think any further, she sat down opposite Yu Shu with Dai Lan's help, without saying a word.
"Your Highness."
Hearing Xing Lingchong's old and powerful voice, Lu Zhaoyue looked at her father.
Xing Lingchong's eyes were bright and his spirit was high.
"My wife fell seriously ill a few years ago, and her journey to the capital is arduous. I have a request to make."
Xue Tong sighed softly, her tone full of difficulty:
"Old Master Xing has served as a physician for many years and should know my father's temperament."
Xing Lingchong certainly knew Emperor Linde's temperament. He and the current emperor had known each other since their youth, serving as ruler and subject for decades. How could he not know the man's character?
However, the safety of this trip is too uncertain, and it is not advisable to take my wife along on this risky journey.
"Your Highness!"
Xing Lingchong wanted to speak, but Xue Tong ruthlessly interrupted him:
"Old Master Xing, please don't make things difficult for me. Everything is His Majesty's decision."
Upon hearing this, Xing Lingchong fell silent, knowing that it was absolutely impossible to leave Lu Zhaoyue in Wuci Town.
He would ultimately have to brave the sword fights and intrigues within the imperial city with his wife.
He has spent half his life in the imperial court and is now nearing seventy.
He may not have a good end.
The conversation in the front hall ended unhappily due to Xue Tong's cold and hard attitude. Xue Tong and his companion went to the room prepared by Xing's residence to rest, while Xing Lingchong went to Lujia Kiln with his wife.
In front of Lu Family Kiln, Lu Zhaoyue slowly took her husband's hand, her tone gentle:
"Since there's no turning back, I'll accompany you on this journey."
Xing Lingchong sighed: "His Majesty's thoughts are becoming increasingly difficult to fathom."
Lu Zhaoyue pointed to the Lu Family Kiln in front of her, looking at Xing Lingchong with tender eyes:
"I have made a new scepter for you."
Xing Lingchong gripped his wife's hand tightly, his eyes filled with tears:
"But this journey..."
The road ahead is fraught with peril, and the princes' factional struggles are fierce. A moment's carelessness could lead to a gruesome death.
If possible, he hoped that Lu Zhaoyue would always remain the carefree and unrestrained head of the Lu family.
Like the ever-burning fire in the Lujia Kiln, it will never be extinguished.
Instead of following him through life's twists and turns, only to have his life extinguished in the temple.
"Madam!" The old man cried, tears streaming down his face.
"I'm starting to regret it!"
Lu Zhaoyue wiped away his tears:
"My lord, do not regret it. We have no children, and we have spent half our lives together through thick and thin."
"Zhaoyue has no regrets, and neither should you."
The old lady raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her husband's face.
She admired the young man who embroidered her mother's keepsake when she was young, and she also admired Lord Xing, who worked tirelessly for the sake of the nation for decades to come.
If Xing Lingchong doesn't regret it today, then he is not Xing Lingchong.
If she didn't stay with him, she wouldn't be Lu Zhaoyue.
The old woman's voice was hoarse:
"Young couples share the same bed in life and the same grave in death."
Xing Lingchong held his wife's hand, tears welling in his eyes as he smiled:
"it is good!"
Unbeknownst to the two, a dark figure was crouching under the courtyard wall not far away.
Xue Lan's voice was filled with speechlessness:
"I asked you to steal the little tiger I made before, and you're dressed like an assassin!"
"That's what I call professionalism."
"Is it appropriate for a royal princess to steal things from an old man's cave dwelling under the cover of night?"
Xue Lan retorted, "It wasn't stealing, I did it, I just took it!"
"I'm entrusting you to retrieve my own belongings, do you understand?"
"understand!"
"I'll..." Before Xue Tong could finish her sentence, a thin figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
The girl slowly raised her head and saw Yu Shu's beautiful face.
"What are you doing here?"
Finished!
"I'm here...I..."
The more I tried to write it, the more of a headache I got, so I just gave up!
Xue Tong pulled Yu Shu down to squat down and said with a smile:
"I'm here to steal!"
Xue Lan: "I'll say it again, that's taking!"