Lu Yunjian rode forward to pay his respects, still holding Awu in his arms, not letting her show her face.
The empress’s voice came from the carriage, “Yunjian, I accompanied the crown prince to Nanqiongzi. I happened to hear that last night, Yan Yang Temple caught fire, and Nie San abducted a runaway novice. Have you seen anything?”
Lu Yunjian smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, I have not seen anything.”
The empress said, “Oh, is that so? Then what are you holding in your arms?”
Lu Yunjian affectionately rested his chin on Awu’s head. “This is my concubine.”
The empress said, “Bring her up. I wish to inspect her personally.”
Lu Yunjian hesitated slightly.
The empress’s voice turned cold. “What? Yunjian, is your concubine not fit to be seen?”
Lu Yunjian replied, “Yes.”
With that, Lu Yunjian dismounted and, still wrapped in the cloak, carried Awu as he followed the eunuch’s lead and boarded the carriage.
This was no ordinary carriage.
Inside, it was spacious and luxurious, resembling a living quarters.
After Lu Yunjian stepped onto the carriage, a maid approached, laid down a carpet, and then silently retreated behind the curtain.
Lu Yunjian, however, was unbothered.
He held a luxurious fur cloak in his arms and paid his respects to the Empress.
The Empress’s gaze immediately fell upon the cloak.
It was a dark-patterned Jiang silk cloak lined with black fox fur, crafted from the finest materials with intricate and elegant designs that exuded a sense of solemn wealth.
Yet, from the edges of this magnificent cloak, a strand of jet-black hair spilled out.
The glossy, black hair swayed gently between the man’s slender fingers, adding a touch of ambiguous allure.
The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke in a soft voice, “A concubine?”
Lu Yunjian chuckled lightly, “Yes, but Your Majesty, this concubine is naive and ignorant of etiquette. I fear she might offend you.”
The Empress slowly raised her gaze and fixed it on Lu Yunjian’s face, “Yunjian, we are family. There’s no need for formalities.”
Awu, hearing these words, felt her heart tighten.
She had always known that Lu Yunjian was shameless, but she never imagined he could be this despicable!
Now, with her clothes in disarray, he intended to humiliate her, to display her before others, allowing them to freely admire her disgrace.
Awu clenched the fox fur of the cloak tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Lu Yunjian lowered his eyes, observing the trembling hair and the tightly gripped cloak.
He naturally took in her tension and fear, as if she were a fragile leaf being mercilessly trampled by the wind in the setting sun.
Yet, he felt no pity.
His strong, slender hand grasped the cloak and pulled it open.
Awu, nestled within the cloak, felt the force and tried to resist, but she quickly gave up.
What was about to strip away her last shred of dignity was the supreme authority of the imperial family, an irresistible masculine power.
She was merely a plaything they had groomed, a carefully cultivated tribute.
Thus, her tightly clenched fingers suddenly relaxed, and her trembling body stilled.
As the cloak fell open, the woman within was revealed to everyone.
Her damp, disheveled hair spread out, her outer robe torn, and the white silk undergarment tightly wrapped around her, revealing two peaks of snow that trembled slightly with her erratic breathing.
Her jade-like skin bore shocking red marks, as if she had endured severe abuse, appearing broken, pitiful, and yet strangely alluring.
Only two maids and Lady Su were present.
Lady Su kept her eyes downcast, not daring to look closely.
The Empress stared fixedly at this seductive and fragrant scene, her noble face showing a slight crack.
Lu Yunjian chuckled intimately, “Your Majesty, you see, this is my beloved concubine.”
The Empress looked at Awu for a long moment, then finally turned to Lu Yunjian.
“You’re insane,” she said, her voice cold.
Lu Yunjian raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
The Empress, adorned in her phoenix crown and resplendent robes, lifted her skirt slightly and stepped forward.
Awu, lying in Lu Yunjian’s arms, caught the scent of the Empress a noble, composed fragrance.
The Empress parted her crimson lips and spoke in a soft voice, “Yunjian, today I received news that the nun Miaozhen from Yan Yang Temple has broken her vows and eloped with Nie San. The matter has reached Fengtian Hall, and now Nie San has set fires, committed robberies, and abducted Miaozhen.”
“Yan Yang Temple is currently hunting down this adulterous pair. Early this morning, the Crown Prince arrived at Yan Yang Temple and, upon learning of Nie San’s abduction of Miaozhen, was furious. He is determined to find Miaozhen and get to the bottom of this.”
She paused, looking at Lu Yunjian: “The Emperor is concerned about the Crown Prince, fearing that he might act rashly and lose his composure. That is why I have been personally sent to Nanqiong to instruct the Crown Prince. Now, I will take full responsibility for this matter.”
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Lu Yunjian.
Her voice was low and quick, concise and to the point, clearly outlining her current predicament.
She had to resolve this matter swiftly, and she could not let it escalate, or she would fail in her duty as the Empress Dowager.
Lowering her long lashes, she looked at Lu Yunjian: “Yunjian, what do you think we should do? The captured Miaozhen has escaped. How should I explain this to the Emperor?”
She chuckled lightly: “Or are you planning to act recklessly and harbor a runaway woman?”
Lu Yunjian’s slender fingers brushed through A Wu’s disheveled hair: “Your Majesty, I have already said, she is my concubine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice interjected: “I am not.”
The voice was not loud, soft and weak, but impossible to ignore.
Lu Yunjian’s expression shifted slightly as he glanced down at A Wu.
The Empress also turned her gaze to A Wu.
Under the scrutiny of both, A Wu resolutely pushed Lu Yunjian away with her delicate hand and slowly stood up.
Her hair was loose, her clothes disheveled, and she was in the most unseemly state.
But she no longer cared.
Though her clothes barely covered her, she showed no shame.
She stood up, her slender figure poised gracefully between the two.
The Empress frowned slightly as she looked at the woman before her.
She was like a pearl, her curves alluring, her figure delicate yet striking.
Even as a woman, the Empress felt her heart race at the sight.
No wonder she had stirred the Crown Prince’s heart, made Nie San and Lu Yunjian risk their lives to save her on the same night, and even caused the Emperor to worry.
She was a natural-born siren, a femme fatale who could bring down a kingdom.
It was hard to decide whether to kill her and eliminate the threat once and for all, or to control her and use her for one’s own purposes.
A Wu scrutinized the Empress before her.
As she looked, she realized that the Empress knew everything about her past.
Perhaps the Empress was the mastermind behind it all.
So she smiled and said, “Your Majesty, my secular surname is Ning, and my given name is Wu. I once served in the Crown Prince’s chambers, but by the Emperor’s decree, I entered the monastic life at Yan Yang Temple, under the guidance of Abbot Song Lingguan, and was given the Buddhist name Miaozhen.”
Lu Yunjian said irritably, “You’re insane.”
The Empress remained silent, her expression unreadable as she observed her.
A Wu continued, “Later, I broke the monastic rules, seduced men, and ran away. Yan Yang Temple caught me and intended to punish me. I have done wrong and am willing to accept my punishment.”
Lu Yunjian stared intently at A Wu.
A Wu raised her delicate chin, her thin, red lips uttering cruel words: “As for Lord Lu, I do not know him. He intercepted me on the way and insisted that I be his concubine”
The Empress: “ohhh”
A-Wu’s eyes faintly glanced at Lu Yunjian, and she sighed, “He’s hideously ugly, and his… thing is smaller than a bug. I wouldn’t want him even if he begged me!”
“Hideously ugly, and his thing is smaller than a bug…”
Lu Yunjian’s jaw tightened abruptly, and a vein twitched at his temple.
Born into a wealthy and noble family, with a strikingly handsome appearance, everyone praised him as a jewel among men.
By the age of sixteen or seventeen, countless noblewomen in the capital admired him.
Every time he attended the Flower Banquet, he would receive numerous elegant love letters!
And now, she called him hideously ugly!
And that line about his thing being smaller than a bug…
The Empress looked at A-Wu, her gaze subtly drifting over her alluring curves, and then she chuckled softly,
“Yunjian, you see, she is indeed the promiscuous little Taoist nun from Yan Yang Temple, not your concubine. Our Zhen’an Marquisate, with its century-old reputation, cannot afford to be associated with such a woman of ill repute.”
The term “thing” originally referred to a spindle on a loom, but in vulgar slang, it was used to describe male genitalia.
Such language was unheard of in the entire Zhen’an Marquisate.
Lu YunJian’s expression turned grim.
The Empress raised her hand and ordered, “Dress her and take her away.”
Immediately, a maid stepped forward, wrapped A-Wu in a large robe, and led her out of the carriage.
A-Wu left the carriage without looking back.
Lu Yunjian’s gaze followed her until the hem of her robe disappeared, then slowly retracted.
Now, only the Empress and Lu Yunjian remained in the carriage, and the atmosphere grew heavy with silence.
Emotionally, they had grown up together.
Logically, their interests were tightly intertwined, mutually dependent.
With such a relationship, couldn’t they discuss things amicably?
The Empress sighed softly, her voice tinged with melancholy, “No matter what happened in the past, she is now the former concubine of the Crown Prince, sent by the Emperor to Yan Yang Temple. Yunjian, once the arrow is shot, it cannot be taken back. Do you think she can still be yours?”
Lu Yunjian pursed his lips, his gaze falling vaguely to the side.
A copper cloisonné brazier burned the finest red charcoal, filling the carriage with a warm fragrance.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, “Elder Sister, since she has escaped, let the little Taoist nun of the past be considered dead. I have my reasons for keeping her by my side.”
Elder Sister.
A complex emotion flickered in the Empress’s eyes.
He rarely called her “Elder Sister.”
Now that he did, was he pleading for that woman’s sake?
The Empress raised an eyebrow, “Reasons?”
She said meaningfully, “What reasons could you have for wanting her? Such a stunning beauty-isn’t it more fitting to place her by the Crown Prince’s side?”
She always sought to control as many leverage points as possible, to secure more advantages for herself.
Hearing this, Lu Yunjian slightly pursed his lips, his expression complicated.
The Empress smiled faintly, “Don’t forget who trained her and personally sent her away.”
Her tone was soft, but her words were like a pebble tossed into a pond, causing a crack in Lu Yunjian’s composure.
He clenched his teeth lightly.
The Empress studied him closely, her breath as fragrant as orchids, “What is it, Yunjian? Do you regret it? Can’t bear to let her go?”
Lu Yunjian lowered his eyes and whispered, “I do regret it a little, but not too much.”
The Empress smiled and sighed, her laughter melodious, not like that of a queen but more akin to the charming girl next door.
She said with a smile, “Besides, if she stays by your side, in what capacity? Do you hope that one day Guanglan will find out—”
Lu Yunjian abruptly interrupted her, “Sister, you needn’t say more.”
The Empress understood, “If you can see reason, that’s for the best.”
She narrowed her eyes, “The East Sea is anchored with a thousand warships from my Zhen’an Marquisate. Over these years, the Emperor’s suspicions have grown. How have I endured the humiliation? If not for my cautious actions, those warships would have long changed their banners. Don’t you know this?”
Lu Yunjian’s jaw tightened.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally said, “What exactly do you want?”
The Empress smiled and said, “This is the Crown Prince’s person, naturally to be handed over to him. With Nie San as a cover, all your actions can be concealed. Blame everything on Nie San, and I will personally send her back.”
She spoke indifferently, “Kill all who should be killed, leave no survivors.”
Lu Yunjian raised his long lashes and looked at her.
The Empress continued, “As for her life and death, what does it matter? It’s all up to the Crown Prince’s will.”
She leisurely said, “She was trained by you, such a rare beauty. Didn’t you inspect her today? Do you think the Crown Prince would bear to see her perish?”
She lifted her splendid skirt, turned, and walked to the window, gazing at the autumn scenery outside.
She smiled and said, “These past few days, the Emperor has been in a foul mood, displeased with the Crown Prince. Do you think she can charm the Crown Prince, make him rage for her sake?”
Lu Yunjian’s thin lips moved with difficulty, “She can.”
After several months apart, she had shed her former naivety, blooming radiantly.
Even the lotus in it’s peak season could not match her exquisite beauty.