Court Lady

Although this was what happened, as soon as Fu Rou walked out of Lizheng Palace, she felt like she was not standing on solid ground. All of a sudden, she saw a group of imperial guards bringing about a group of internal attendants. Yang Bo was amongst them. She hurried to catch up and asked one of the imperial guards to accommodate her. She wanted to speak to Yang Bo.

Fu Rou’s name had spread throughout the entire palace and everyone knew how highly the Emperor regarded her. They had to give her face.

Fu Rou walked up to Yang Bo. “When Concubine Yan used my family to threaten me, you gave me the pill to fake my death. No matter how I think of it, it is too coincidental.”

Yang Bo spoke truthfully, “Those were Concubine Yan’s intentions. She did not want to hurt the woman that Prince Zhou loved. She hoped that you would take the pill and get out of it.”

Fu Rou found it strange and asked, “What about the mistake with the poison?”

Yang Bo nodded. “I did that by myself. Although I wanted to take revenge for Yang Hou, I never wanted to hurt you.”

Fu Rou’s eyes flashed. “I will report whatever you did to the Emperor. I hope that it will help your circumstance.”

Yang Bo chuckled bitterly, “So helping others is helping myself.”

“That’s right. A moment of kindness is a chance at life. Take care.”

Yang Bo turned and left. 

 

On the fifteenth day of March, happiness was booming. Two palanquins with eight carriers left the palace, heading towards the marriage ceremony. There were so many people sending them off that there was no end in sight. 

Prince Zhou, who was about to set off as well, stared in a daze at one of the carriage until it disappeared at the end of the street.

His mother was dead. His Imperial Father had announced that she had been killed by Yu He and Cao Yangde. He said that she did not play a part in the conspiracy to seize the throne and protected his and his mother’s reputation. His Imperial Father allowed him to return to his feudal land to become a free and rich noble. However, he was no longer allowed to return to Chang’an.

His Imperial Father forgave him but he could never forgive himself. Leaving was the best choice. The only person he could not let go off was about to become someone else’s bride today. Now, he had no choice but to let her go.

He held the jade pendant in his hand, wanting to throw it away but could not do it. He kept it once more. Who knows? Perhaps after his new start, he could fall in love again and receive the love of someone else.

Prince Zhou smiled and lightly kicked his horse, galloping in the opposite direction. 

 

The palanquin entered the Duke Lu Residence and the two new couples completed the marriage ceremony and entered their bridal rooms. 

When the surroundings had gone completely silent, Fu Rou pulled open the veil around her head and opened the window in the back of the room. She gazed up at the stars in the sky. Her heart had finally settled.

Outside the window, she could no longer see the high palace walls. Only a plain lantern shone silently in the simple courtyard and corridor. 

“What are you looking at?” Sheng Chumu’s smiling face appeared outside the window. 

“The stars.” Fu Rou was dazzled by Sheng Chumu in his marriage outfit. He was such a handsome groom.

Sheng Chumu waved at her and walked to the railing. He patted the railing, “Come, this is the best spot.”

Fu Rou looked at the wine that they were supposed to exchange on the table. “This...is against the rules.”

Sheng Chumu broke into a smile. “We don’t have so many rules in the Duke Lu Residence. We will do whatever is comfortable. Rou’er, come here!”

Fu Rou breathed out a long breath. That’s right, this was no longer the Royal Palace. It was her home. 

She walked out and sat beside him, allowing him to hold her hand.

“Yan Zifang has gone back to being a pirate. He double-crosses so much. One moment he is with the Crown Prince and the next moment he is with Prince Zhou. Although he managed to turn back onto the right path when it was critical, the Emperor was done with him. Initially, he wanted to teach him a lesson but ended up accepting it. Yan Zifang disappeared very quickly and even took that picture of the ocean.” He and Yan Zifang would probably never be friends. They were on too different paths.

“Lu Yingying has disappeared as well. Father said that she went to her father’s grave but did not return even after half a day. Initially, she said that she wanted to see me marry off. Chumu, I am a little worried about her. She is all by herself…”

“She will be fine.” He was confident.

“Eh? You know something?” She pressed him. “Tell me!”

“She was probably grabbed by Yan Zifang onto the ship. If not, why do you think Yan Zifang would allow me to offer him amnesty? I know the location of his future wife.” Hehe, his predictions were amazing. 

“Yan Zifang is finally enlightened.” She quite enjoyed the two of them together.

“Destiny will cause enemies to meet.” He moved closer to her.

“Speaking of enemies, guess what. Before I left, Brother Tao told me that Sister Yin took Shan’er with her to accompany Lu Qi around the country. She said that they both took revenge and it should end here. She was going to go through thick and thin with Lu Qi from now on. Maybe I will never see her again in this lifetime.” Fu Rou was suddenly upset as she sighed.

“Aiya, aiya, my good Rou’er, it is such a joyous day, you should not sigh. I promise you. If there is a chance, I will talk to Lu Qi. If he has truly changed, perhaps he could return to Chang’an. It is not possible for him to become an official again but he could become a rich landowner. When the time comes, Sister Yin will not have to suffer.” He turned to stare foolishly at her beautiful and elegant features.

“But I am still worried. She doesn’t have any money…” Her sentence was eaten by her new groom. 

She did not avoid him but placed both her arms around his neck and responded shyly. Sheng Chumu carried Fu Rou up and brought her into their bridal room.

The room door closed. The character of happiness [1] was bright red and the candlelight was suddenly extinguished. 

A beautiful moon with shining stars smiled down on every couple. 

--End--

1. https://www.houzz.com/products/chinese-character-oil-painting-happiness-prvw-vr~10151655 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZSs0_SbV-Q