Chapter 181: Zhu Yunxiao’s Honesty
Young Lord Zhu’s address of her as Princess surprised Yang Luo somewhat.
But what surprised her was not that Young Lord Zhu knew.
Young Lord Zhu must know; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been such planning in the previous life.
What surprised her was that Young Lord Zhu directly revealed to her that he knew.
In the previous life, Young Lord Zhu hadn’t said it… not necessarily; she was a maidservant now, so perhaps in the previous life Young Lord Zhu had also told her maidservant.
“Young Lord Zhu.” Yang Luo sneered, “His Majesty has already personally come to the National Academy to vindicate my young lady.”
She looked at Young Lord Zhu.
“You teasing my young lady as Princess just because she resides in the temporary palace and rides royal carriage and horses is great disrespect to His Majesty.”
“Even if my young lady is magnanimous, His Majesty will not spare you.”
With that, she flicked her sleeve and walked past Young Lord Zhu.
Young Lord Zhu raised his hand and grabbed her.
“I am not joking with you.” He looked at her and said in a low voice, “Marquis Yichun told me Miss Yang’s background.”
Yang Luo was shocked again and forgot to scold him and shake him off.
So it was Marquis Yichun who told him.
“So it was him.” She said coldly, “Why did he only tell the Young Lord? He should tell more people and shout it so that everyone under heaven knows.”
With that, she shook off Young Lord Zhu’s hand.
Young Lord Zhu blocked her again.
“He only told me because he wants me to do one thing.” He said in a low voice, “That thing is to get married to Miss Yang.”
This time, Yang Luo was not just surprised; she was stunned.
In the previous life, would Young Lord Zhu really be so frank with her maidservant?
No, he wouldn’t.
In fact, in the previous life, she had no close maidservant at all; she had always been kept by Duke Ding’an’s Wife’s side, and her maidservants and servant women were all Duke Ding’an’s Wife’s.
There was no maidservant worth Young Lord Zhu bribing like this.
Moreover, Young Lord Zhu seemed to be telling this maidservant, but was actually directly telling Miss Yang.
Because in this life, everyone knew she was the young lady’s close maidservant, loyal and steadfast, impossible to be bribed or bought.
Young Lord Zhu was truly being honest and frank with Miss Yang.
In the previous life, he hadn’t been like this with her.
Why in this life?
Seeing the maidservant’s eyes finally fall on him, no longer ignoring him as before, Young Lord Zhu smiled faintly.
“Miss Asheng.” He said, “Can you listen to me properly now?”
……
……
“Young Lord Zhu seems very familiar with this Asheng… pulling and tugging…”
“Of course very familiar; from the beginning when this Asheng impersonated Liu Chan, she was not ordinary toward Young Lord Zhu.”
“That’s not familiarity; that’s quarreling in public…”
“That can also be love turned to hate…”
“Don’t talk nonsense; we all know Young Lord Zhu’s character…”
“Oh, look, Asheng is taking Young Lord Zhu away.”
The companion reader ladies who had not yet left outside the National Academy watched the maidservant and the young heir head into the National Academy and were instantly stunned.
“Probably just a coincidence.”
“Yes, Asheng now lives in the National Academy, and Young Lord Zhu is also going in to pick up homework for Jiang Rui, so they just happened to walk together.”
“Heh, and they can coincidentally go in to see Miss Yang.”
“You all, wake up; Young Lord Zhu’s relationship with Miss Yang is not ordinary.”
“Yes, after all, Young Lord Zhu fought with Marquis Yichun’s family for Miss Yang.”
Yang Luo knew there were countless gazes behind her and even knew that Young Lord Zhu had deliberately chosen this moment to come, stirring up misunderstandings, guesses, and discussions…
But she still took Young Lord Zhu inside.
Others’ misunderstandings and discussions were not important; what mattered most now was knowing exactly what Young Lord Zhu intended to do.
However, Yang Luo did not actually take Young Lord Zhu to see Mo Zheng.
“Our young lady is in class.” She said, arriving at a courtyard in the National Academy, “This is the residence arranged by His Majesty and the Libationer for our young lady.”
She looked at Young Lord Zhu, emphasizing each word.
“Speaking here is very safe; no one will spy.”
Young Lord Zhu did not insist on seeing Miss Yang; he sat directly on a stone bench in the courtyard: “It’s fine to tell Miss Asheng; in my eyes, telling you is the same as telling your young lady.”
Yang Luo sneered inwardly, no longer refuting him, and asked directly: “Why does he want you to get married to my young lady? How is he so certain you can get married to my young lady? And what then after marriage?”
Does he want you to kill Miss Yang in the name of her husband?
Of course, Yang Luo did not say this out loud.
Now the developments were vastly different from what she knew; she could not say more, lest she put herself at a disadvantage.
“The reason he chose me, you should be able to guess.” Young Lord Zhu said, “After all, I’ve had a few interactions with you all, especially blocking Chai Wan’er at the restaurant before; it’s known to the world, so it’s easy to make people misunderstand that my relationship with Miss Yang is not ordinary.”
These few interactions causing misunderstanding of a not ordinary relationship were deliberately caused by you yourself, Yang Luo thought, but she moved her lips without saying it, only quietly watching Young Lord Zhu.
Young Lord Zhu saw the change in her expression and guessed what she wanted to say but held back; he couldn’t help pursing his lips, finding her obediently listening without cold mockery and sarcasm even more interesting.
“As for how he’s so certain I can get married to your young lady.” He continued, “February eighteenth is Marquis Yichun’s birthday; His Majesty will hold a grand banquet in the palace. Your young lady and I will both attend. At that time, your young lady will drink the intoxicating wine arranged by Marquis Yichun and share a room with me. Then Duke Ding’an will request His Majesty to grant the marriage.”
Yang Luo listened in a daze; what a blunt and crude method: “How is he so certain my young lady will…”
“That’s the Imperial City; don’t think that with the Emperor there, all is safe.” Young Lord Zhu interrupted her, saying, “The Empress is also master of the Imperial City, Marquis Yichun has countless connections, not to mention Duke Ding’an, who obeys Marquis Yichun’s every word and plan.”
Marquis Yichun had also approached Duke Ding’an?
But the people arranged in the Capital City to watch had not discovered it.
This was not strange; besides surface interactions, there were many private means of interaction, and not everything could be monitored.
After all, that was Marquis Yichun with power reaching to the heavens.
Yang Luo’s hand clenched; Young Lord Zhu’s voice continued.
“Marquis Yichun is doing this to ruin Miss Yang’s reputation.”
“Although His Majesty has not announced Miss Yang’s princess identity, he made her a Libationer disciple and had her move into the temporary palace with great fanfare, drawing all eyes; Marquis Yichun is very unhappy.”
“Choosing me, first because I have old grudges with him, so no one will suspect it’s him instigating me.”
“Secondly, I have a childhood betrothal with Jiang Rui; her father died in battle, the Jiang Family is greatly respected. If Miss Yang steals me, abandoning Miss Jiang, one can imagine Miss Yang will inevitably be spat upon by the world.”
Far from just spat upon; she would be hacked to death by Jiang Rui’s younger sister. Yang Luo thought in a daze, then suddenly asked: “You agreed to Marquis Yichun?”
If he hadn’t agreed, Marquis Yichun wouldn’t have told him the full plan.
Young Lord Zhu nodded: “When I heard him say Miss Yang is a princess, to learn his purpose, I agreed; otherwise, he would find someone else, and then I wouldn’t know the details, and Miss Yang would still be in danger.”
Yang Luo looked at him: “Why?”
Young Lord Zhu looked at her, seemingly not understanding what she was asking.
“Why do you want to tell us? Why do you want to help my young lady?” Yang Luo asked.
Young Lord Zhu stood up, looking at her: “Perhaps because I am a hypocrite, full of false affections?”
Yang Luo was stunned; these were the words she had publicly scolded him with at the restaurant before…
This person was truly detestable.
Yang Luo immediately sneered: “Is the Young Lord trying to prove my words about you wrong, so you’re helping my young lady?”
Young Lord Zhu did not reply, lightly coughed: “After saying so much, can Miss Asheng give me a cup of tea to moisten my throat?”
Yang Luo’s hand clenched again; she glanced at him, turned and went into the room to pour a cup of tea, came back, and handed it to him.
“Do you dare drink the tea I poured?” She said.
Before she finished speaking, Young Lord Zhu took it and drank it all in one gulp.
“I am helping Miss Yang because Miss Yang is worth helping.” He continued, “Miss Yang escaped the assassination in White Horse Town, came to the Capital City to take the National Academy exam, took first place to become a Libationer disciple. In the hunting ground startled horse incident, whether hidden assassinations or overt power and pressure, nothing stopped her; she still made it before the Emperor.”
He looked at this maidservant.
“Such a formidable young lady—if I don’t help her but help others, wouldn’t I be blind?”
With that, he gently placed the teacup back in the maidservant’s hand.
“Many spying eyes; Miss Asheng, I will take my leave first.”
Yang Luo held the teacup, watching Young Lord Zhu’s back stride away.
The formidable Miss Yang was worth his help.
The foolish and clumsy Miss Yang only deserved to die by his hand.
She lowered her head and gently patted herself with her hand.
