books44 Chapter 191: Going home
Chapter 191: Going home
Chapter 191: Returning Home
She went inside, and it was as magnificent as the palace she had seen before. There were countless exquisite little things, each of which could instantly make an ordinary family rich.
"You've come." Xunhua walked over from behind, still as strange as ever.
Ji Meiqing turned and bowed to her. Xun Hua glanced at her and sat down on the chair above. "You came all this way just to see me, didn't you?"
"The county master..."
"What is it about?" she asked directly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
Ji Meiqing hesitated for a moment, then recounted everything. Fearing that she might not agree, he knelt down and repeated himself.
The blanket was placed on the table with a "thud." Xun Hua's expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, "I can't help you with this."
She looked up in surprise at Xunhua and said, "Princess..."
"I'm already overwhelmed with the affairs of the princes' residences, so I can't help you with yours. The Empress Dowager's birthday is coming up soon; if you can win her favor, it might not be impossible..."
"No way." She refused outright. "I've been here for half a month already. If I stay any longer, Lu Yu..."
"What does that have to do with me?" Xun Hua looked at her calmly. "There's only one way. If you're not willing, there's nothing I can do..."
Ji Meiqing gritted her teeth and asked again, "Then may I ask if the princess has any other methods?"
Xunhua stood up, slowly walked to her, and squatted down. Her delicate face looked somewhat unreal. "Yes, you and Lu Yu can get a divorce. This matter can probably be resolved."
"I……"
"Just kidding..." She suddenly laughed, sitting back in her chair. "It's the Empress Dowager's birthday, and my cousin Shangguan Yuzhe will be back. He's most passionate about wine; try contacting him, maybe there's still a way." She added, "He'll be passing through Rongcheng. If you can get back in time, perhaps..."
Ji Meiqing was startled. She knew this was the last resort. If she could pique his interest, perhaps Lu Yu could be saved.
"By the way, remember to be careful when you leave later. If you fall into the jaws of wolves and tigers, I can't save you."
Ji Meiqing was slightly pleased, quickly thanked him a couple of times, and then hurriedly left.
He left through the back door, found his horse, and hurriedly left. There's much gossip in the capital, and even more in the Prince's mansion.
She didn't want to leave and never return. Lu Yu was still waiting for her, so she didn't dare to delay any longer and traveled day and night to get back to Rongcheng.
As soon as she dismounted, she rushed to see Lu Yu. In just over half a month, he seemed like a completely different person. He was disheveled and covered in wounds. She didn't know what to say when she saw this.
"Lu Yu..." she called softly twice. The person sitting cross-legged on the ground slightly opened his eyes and then saw Ji Meiqing. It had been more than half a month since she last saw him. Ji Meiqing looked a little haggard from all the running around, but that couldn't hide her bright eyes.
He stood up and looked at Ji Meiqing, somewhat puzzled, "Where have you been? Why do you look so haggard?"
She didn't give him a direct answer, but kept saying, "I'll get you out of here right away, you'll be out of here right away."
"What's wrong with you?" Lu Yu was a little worried about her state. Ji Meiqing was excited just now and couldn't care less about what she was thinking.
His wounds were rather gruesome and unpleasant to look at. Lu Yu trembled slightly when his fingers touched the wounds, but didn't pull away.
"It must hurt a lot, right? It's all my fault for dragging you into this." She lowered her head, trying hard to hold back her tears. Lu Yu's current state was all her doing. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be like this, he wouldn't have been bullied like this.
Lu Yu gently cupped her face in his hands, completely disregarding the heavy shackles on her wrists, holding them as if they were precious gold.
She withdrew her hand, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
"The Ji family is really pushing their luck. I won't be able to swallow this insult if I don't destroy the Ji family!"
"Alright, alright." He pulled her back to her senses, trying to soothe her temper. But Ji Meiqing was only thinking about how to bring down the Ji family.
"After all, the Ji family is your own family, and they're doing this for your own good. Don't be angry. I'm fine... hmm?"
"They are not from my family." She suddenly turned cold. "The Ji family can never have offspring."
Lu Yu was stunned, staring blankly at Ji Meiqing, not quite understanding what she was saying.
"Only children born to daughters of the Ji family are eligible to inherit the Ji family line; men are not." This is a secret. If outsiders were to know that the Ji family line is carried on by daughters rather than men, it would only make them a laughingstock.
Lu Yu seemed to understand something as well, but he didn't say much.
She patted his shoulder, "The Ji family has no obligation to raise me, so I don't need to endure it anymore. As for the rest, I have been tolerant, but I didn't expect you to still get hurt. Don't worry, in a few days I will have them respectfully invite you out."
Lu Yu frowned, feeling that Ji Meiqing at that time was somewhat difficult to understand. He thought to himself, the hatred in her eyes was unfathomable.
She rubbed her head, her face turning pale instantly. Lu Yu immediately reached out and put his arm around her waist, preventing her from falling.
"Are you alright? Where have you been these past few days...?"
He questioned her nervously, his eyes constantly scanning her up and down, but Ji Meiqing kept her mouth shut and refused to say a word.
"I'll go back and prepare now. I'll have Granny Mei bring the medicine later. You get some rest." She didn't want to say anything more, so she let go of his hand and walked away.
Lu Yu watched her retreating figure, feeling inexplicably sad.
Instead of leaving, she went to the place where the jailers were resting and found the jailer she had bribed.
He remembered Ji Meiqing, and after only a slight pause, he quickly moved on.
"Hey, girl, let's talk over here."
Once they reached a more secluded spot, Ji Meiqing began to question him, "What's going on with Lu Yu? Didn't I tell you to protect him?"
He chuckled ingratiatingly, then said awkwardly, "This... I didn't want this to happen either. After all, he offended someone he shouldn't have. The orders from above were for a light beating every three days and a caning every five days. I've already tried my best to be lenient and asked my brothers to take care of him. Otherwise, if you came here now, you'd only see a physical body."
"..." She didn't know what to say. After fumbling in her hand for a while, she finally pulled out a few silver notes, which added up to less than fifty taels. She put them directly into his hand. "You'd better treat him well for the next few days. Once this is over, come to the Mandarin Duck Pavilion to find me. I'll give you the benefits then."