Chapter 23
Chapter 23
For the remainder of the journey to the Capital City, Li Jiuniang no longer traveled with us.
She was invited into the carriage of the Prince of Qi and his consort, and they sped ahead to the palace to seek an audience with the Emperor.
A few days later, news arrived: the Emperor had granted the Prince of Qi permission to take her as his adopted sister, bestowing upon her the title of Lady of Jia’an County.
She was safe.
But we were not.
The day after Li Jiuniang received her title, we also arrived at the Capital City.
Outside the Palace City, a small sedan chair waited. Standing beside it was a woman who looked like a Palace Maid.
“Lord Lu, you have worked hard,” she said, bowing. “The Imperial Consort says that Lord Lu’s escort ends here. From this point on, I shall take the young ladies into the palace.”
Lu Jin’an stood his ground, not moving for a moment.
The Palace Maid seemed to have expected this and gave a faint smile.
“Her Ladyship says that throughout this journey, Lord Lu seemed to have paid extra attention to a certain young lady.”
Lu Jin’an’s expression remained unchanged.
However, I saw his fingers curl slightly within his sleeve.
“The Imperial Consort told me to inform Lord Lu that for tonight’s Palace Banquet, having two girls to accompany her for wine is enough. Lord Lu may take one back for himself. Consider it a reward for your hard work on this journey.”
Sunlight spilled over the vermillion palace walls. The Palace Maid stepped back to the side of the sedan chair and waited quietly.
Lu Jin’an looked at me.
In the sunlight, his eyes were lighter than most, the color of amber.
He asked me, “Do you want to live?”
I nodded. “I do.”
I grabbed Xie Rushu’s hand and pushed her toward Lu Jin’an.
“I will definitely make it out of the palace alive. Until I do, I must trouble Lord Lu to take good care of her.”
Xie Rushu was startled and tried to pull her hand away.
But she immediately began to cough, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
The night the wolves appeared, she had taken a claw to the back, an injury that had reached her lungs.
But she had remained quiet, enduring it all this time without telling anyone.
Xie Rushu was always like this.
She came from a noble family; her father was a capable official in water conservancy.
But her mother was merely an unfavored concubine. To survive in that grand household, she had learned from a young age never to trouble others.
“She can’t wait any longer,” I said. “If she enters the palace tonight, she will surely die.”
Lu Jin’an studied me for a long time.
Finally, he gestured for two young eunuchs to help Xie Rushu into his carriage.
“Go and fetch Imperial Physician Liu.”
After saying this, Lu Jin’an remained where he stood.
I had rejected him time and again; he was not a man without a temper.
Without looking back at me, Lu Jin’an’s tone turned cold under the bright sun.
“Song Fei, if you really do die, I will come to collect your corpse.”