Yan Ruoxu stared at the faint candlelight emanating from the main hall in the distance, then lifted her skirt and hurried towards the main hall.
The distant and already blurred memories became vivid again. In the summer of Songyuan Year 16, the military commander of the border city, Xiao Xu, urgently reported that the border city's military commander, Feng Shouyi, colluded with the enemy and planned to defect to the enemy on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month.
Those guards had definitely come for this matter.
Gritting her teeth, Yan Ruoxu didn't care about palace etiquette as she hurried along. When she reached the outside of the main hall, the anxious soldiers were still waiting by the railing outside the hall, wearing somber expressions filled with concern.
Inside the hall, the Emperor had taken out the secret letter from the brocade box and was inspecting it under the candlelight.
Yan Ruoxu didn't dare to make a sound and stood silently outside the hall until the Emperor finished reading the secret letter, waved for everyone else to leave, and then she slowly approached.
She could see clearly that when the King of Jin threw the secret letter into the brazier, his wrist was trembling slightly. Yan Ruoxu empathized with the pain of betrayal felt when someone you trusted turned against you. General Feng Shouyi was once the King's reading companion, and the two had a deep friendship. The King must be deeply distressed at this moment.
But General Feng had been wronged by a traitor. This case was only exposed when the Crown Prince ascended the throne. How should Yan Ruoxu explain to the King at this moment?
"Ruoxu?" The Emperor heard the movement and turned back, "Why are you back?"
Yan Ruoxu was at a loss for how to respond for a moment. She was just a princess who knew nothing about politics in the deep palace, and she had no position or real evidence to advise the Emperor, and even if she spoke out regardless, she would lack credibility.
"I want to stay with Father Emperor and Mother Queen." Yan Ruoxu put aside the chaotic thoughts in her mind, walked into the hall, knelt on the cushion, and leaned on the side of the Emperor.
In the case of the old story, all the evidence was complete. Xiaoxu had both testimony and physical evidence. Everyone believed it without any doubt, except for one person who found this matter suspicious.
He was Lu Yuanzhe, the eldest son of the God-Wielding General, and the elder brother of Yan Ruoxu in her previous life.
Just thinking of that surname made Yan Ruoxu's heart ache as if it were being squeezed, making it hard for her to breathe.
She steadied herself and admonished herself in her heart that since she had been reborn, she should not dwell on the past. She should not repeat the mistake of being deeply attached to Lu Yuanzhe from the previous life in this life.
After taking a deep breath, she forced herself to recall the various things about this matter.
In her memory, Lu Yuanzhe had always secretly collected evidence in the Feng case, and over the years had covertly protected the witnesses from that year, preserving a large amount of evidence for later retrial. Why not go to him to discuss it now?
Yan Ruoxu frowned, quickly dispelling this passing thought.
Lu Yuanzhe's reputation in Dayan was even louder than that of his brother, Lu Yuanhan.
Everyone knew that the powerful Lu Ruqing had two sons. One was the legitimate son of Lady Song, named Lu Yuanhan, a famous young general who was neither arrogant nor impetuous, and possessed his father's political acumen and intelligence.
The other was the son of Lu Ruqing's former wife, who had a son and a daughter with her. After divorcing Lu Ruqing, she raised the children alone. She passed away last year, and Lu Yuanzhe came to the capital to look for his father. However, the Lu family only recognized him as the eldest, not the legitimate son.
But the source of his loud reputation had another story.
There were rumors that the eldest son of the Lu family had a predilection for men and liked a masculine style.
Whether it was because of this reason, or because the Lu family could not tolerate him, he rarely stayed in the capital. Instead, he was tasked with guarding the Yaoji Mountain Range on the border, a desolate and harsh place with vast stretches of barren yellow sand.
Yan Ruoxu had been married to the general's family for nearly ten years, but had only met this notorious elder brother once.
In the third year of Tianxu, Lu Yuanzhe, who had not returned to the capital for a long time, finally came home.
The Grand General Lu Ruqing and Lu Yuanhan had both gone to the military camp to train the soldiers and horses, leaving the task of welcoming the elder brother naturally falling to Yan Ruoxu.
She had been waiting outside the city gate early in the morning, gazing at the straight and wide official road.
Before long, she saw a man and a horse galloping towards her, the sound of the horse's hooves creating a whirl of dust on the road.
The man was dressed in military attire, with boots and sleeves covered in the dust from the long journey. His face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of clear eyes.
As he passed by Yan Ruoxu, he did not stop, but after riding several meters away, he halted the horse and turned to blow a clear and bright whistle, with a hint of surprise in his tone, "Princess, it is my great honor to have you personally come to greet me."
Although the words were respectful, his actions did not reflect it; he only gave a slight bow while still on horseback, then untied the black cloth covering his face.
He had a strong resemblance to Lu Yuanhan between his brows and eyes, but his features were sharper. One could tell that this person was fierce and not of a gentle nature.
The two brothers looked similar, but their temperaments were entirely different.
"Big brother is teasing," Yan Ruoxu smiled slightly, climbed into the carriage beside her, and said through the curtain, "A welcoming banquet has been arranged at home. Let's go back together."
She never expected that Lu Yuanzhe, a city guard, would return to the capital alone, on horseback and unaccompanied.
"Princess knows how to ride. Why are you sitting in a carriage now? It feels stifling," Lu Yuanzhe's voice came through the carriage.
"I haven't ridden for a long time," Yan Ruoxu said, pausing. She couldn't directly say that Lu Yuanhan didn't like it, but rather that she always appeared in public without the demeanor of a lady. With a change of tone, she said, "The Grand General and the Young General both care about the eldest brother, but in the military today…"
Before she could finish, Lu Yuanzhe outside the carriage let out a disdainful laugh, seemingly full of contempt.
"I naturally don't doubt Father's busyness with military affairs, but as for the second son, I'm afraid he's gone to do something in the southern alley," he said.
Yan Ruoxu was stunned. When Lu Yuanhan had just gotten married, the Grand General did not allow him to bring his new wife into the house, and because Lu Yuanhan feared reprisal, he bought another house in the southern alley to hide his wife.
At that time, it had been a sore spot for Yan Ruoxu. She was taken aback that her first encounter with her elder brother had indirectly exposed her feelings and anxieties, so she remained silent.
Looking back now, it was quite perplexing. When Lu Yuanhan had the matter of the extra house, it had not been widely publicized, and few people knew about it. Lu Yuanzhe had long been stationed at the border, so how could he know about such a small matter so clearly?
Unless, he had been secretly inquiring about the news in the capital.
What was his purpose in doing so?
Yan Ruoxu looked at the flickering candlelight in front of her and furrowed her brow in silence.
If she didn't want Dayan to fall into the same situation as before, she had no choice but to find what secret plans her elder brother had.
"Sister, why did you run so fast?" After a while, Yan Yushan also caught up, holding a plate of pastry in her hand.
"Since sister refuses to rest, please eat something, or your body won't be able to take it," Yan Yushan said, reaching out and picking up a piece and bringing it to Yan Ruoxu's lips with a sincere smile on her face.
I originally intended to let you go, Ah Yuanyu.
Yan Ruoxu's eyes were like torches as she watched Yan Yushan's somewhat clumsy performance, feeling somewhat irritated. In her previous life, she still vividly remembered this pastry, which was filled with "love." In this life, Yan Yushan was still the same. Well then, don't blame me for being impolite.
"I'll give it to you to eat," Yan Ruoxu smiled slightly, grasped Yan Yushan's delicate hand, and pushed the piece of pastry that she was holding towards her mouth.
"No need," Yan Yushan's pupils slightly widened, and her smile became extremely stiff. She leaned back, unwilling to open her mouth. It wasn't until the pastry fell to the ground with a clatter that she did not anticipate Yan Ruoxu's reaction. Shaking and trying to stand up, she said, "Since sister doesn't want to eat, I, I'll put it back first."
"Hold on," Yan Ruoxu raised her voice, reaching out and pressing Yan Yushan's shoulder, and looked into her eyes, saying word by word, "I already gave it to you. Eat it."
"Sister…" Yan Yusuan widened her eyes in disbelief.
Emperor Ganjing and Empress Xu, who were next to her, also noticed their movements and turned back, with Empress Xu asking in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Yusuan has been working hard these days. I rewarded her with a plate of pastries, but she seems reluctant to accept it." Yan Ruoxu made a helpless expression, sighing as she said, "If our sisterly bond is true, you shouldn't refuse. Just go ahead and eat it."
With that, under the eyes of the Emperor and Empress, Yan Yusuan dared not to disobey anymore and reluctantly picked up a piece of pastry from the plate, seemingly unwillingly put it into her mouth.
Yan Ruoxu remained silent, waiting for the upcoming "show".
The author has something to say: Today, catching bugs~
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Yan Yusuan: Sister, you don't love me anymore, I am so sad, whine whine
Yan Ruoxu coldly smiles: Keep acting, this year's best actress in a villain role award goes to you
Applause: Clap clap clap
Lu Yuanzhe: Madam is mighty, I'll call for you, Madam
...
Yan Ruoxu: Why are you everywhere?
Lu Yuanzhe: I am wronged, Madam scolded me, sob sob
Yan Ruoxu: ... I want to annul the marriage