Chapter 580

Chapter 580 – He’s So Scary

As Lu Lingzhi looked at Ye Zhen’s departing figure, the anxiety in his heart became more and more obvious. He knew that she didn’t like him very much from the beginning. However, he still felt that this was because they had not interacted much and hence were unfamiliar with each other. However, he didn’t expect her to hate him so much.

No, she definitely doesn’t hate me. It is just that I suddenly said I want to marry her, so I scared her. If anyone else were to hear this, that their eldest cousin suddenly said that he wanted to marry her, that person would certainly be frightened too. So I should give her time, and let her know that what I feel for her is not love for a sibling.

“Marquis.” Leng Mei walked over. Seeing the red mark on Lu Lingzhi’s face, a hint of indignation flashed through her eyes. Lu Yaoyao had gone too far. She even dared to hit the marquis.

Lu Lingzhi comforted himself as he thought about the matter and looked at his retainer indifferently. “Don’t make her unhappy in the future.”

Leng Mei’s heart ached, but she lowered her head in agreement.

“Let’s go back to the capital,” Lu Lingzhi said.

He did tell Ye Zhen that he could disregard the Lu family for her, but in reality, he couldn’t do that. He had already sacrificed too much for his family. He had even walked down a path of no return, and as such, he could only continue walking.

Leng Mei walked behind her master in silence. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking. Why was he so good to Lu Yaoyao? Apart from having a pretty face, she couldn’t see any other merits in Third Miss that was worth the Marquis lowering himself for.

As Lu Lingzhi was rushing back into the capital, someone had already reported to Mo Rongzhan about the scene of him arguing with Ye Zhen.

Mo Rongzhan’s eyes were dark as he looked at Xue Lin, who was kneeling in front of him, and said coldly, “Repeat what Lu Lingzhi said.”

Xue Lin could feel the terrifying anger emanating from the emperor who was seated on his dragon throne. He lowered his head even more as he did his master’s bidding. “Lu Lingzhi said he wants to take Her Highness as his wife.”

If the emperor hadn’t asked him to stay behind last night to protect the princess in secret, he wouldn’t have seen such a terrifying scene today. Marquis Anyang actually said he wanted to marry his cousin? This was simply against all morals. Was he really not afraid of death? How dare he snatch the emperor’s woman?

Lu Lingzhi wants to take Yaoyao as his wife?

A cold smile crept on the corners of Mo Rongzhan’s mouth. Now that Lu Lingzhi knows Yaoyao isn’t his cousin, he actually has such thoughts. No wonder Yaoyao is afraid of him. It seems that he has already been acting strangely, else Yaoyao wouldn’t have detested him so much.

“Did he hurt the princess?” Mo Rongzhan demanded in a deep voice.

The emperor still looked calm and indifferent, but the Xue Lin kneeling below felt that his master’s tone was getting more and more terrifying.

“Your Majesty,” he replied, “Lu Lingzhi didn’t dare to hurt the princess, but… Her Highness slapped him in the face with a whip and even beat his subordinate up.”

Mo Rongzhan’s murderous and frosty expression softened somewhat. That young lass really didn’t suffer a loss at all!

“Continue to protect the princess,” he instructed, “and don’t give Lu Lingzhi any chance to get close to her again.”

Originally, he was suspicious of Lu Lingzhi because of what happened to Lu Wushuang, but he did not plan to pursue the matter on the account that the man was willing to risk his life for him, and because he was poisoned when he was returning from the victorious battle. However, now, it appeared that he still didn’t know the said man well enough.

Xue Lin acknowledged the order and left, while Mo Rongzhan summoned Tang Zhen and Shen Yi into the palace.

He wanted them to investigate the real cause of Ye Zhen’s death back then, as well as what Lu Lingzhi did during those years.

Indeed, Mo Rongzhan suspected that the person Lu Lingzhi liked was Ye Zhen. He didn’t believe that he would really fall in love with his cousin. After all, Yaoyao’s identity had never been revealed, so Lu Lingzhi must have treated her as a substitute.

Tang Zhen looked up in shock upon hearing the emperor’s orders. Why does he suddenly want to investigate the cause of Ye Zhen’s death? And why investigate about what Lu Lingzhi did in the capital back then… Are these two matters related?

“Just do as I say.” Mo Rongzhan didn’t explain further. He didn’t want to show mercy to Lu Lingzhi anymore.

♚

“Yaoyao, was that person we met just now your brother? He looks so fierce.” Ye Yaoyao rode her horse slowly next to Ye Zhen. As she recalled how Lu Lingzhi pulled the princess away without any explanation, just then she still felt a lingering fear.

Ye Zhen was still thinking about what Lu Lingzhi said. The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt. How could he have the cheek to say that he likes me? When he bribed Hong Yan* to make me drink the poisoned wine back then, he didn’t show any mercy at all. How dare a ruthless person like him say that I am the woman he loved now? He must be crazy!

[*her traitor maid]

Now she was even more eager to exact revenge.

“Yaoyao?” Ye Yaoyao called, pulling the other from her thoughts.

Ye Zhen turned to look at her companion and forced a smile. “He’s my eldest cousin. Have you seen him before?”

“Why would I have seen him? He’s such a scary person.” Ye Yaoyao rubbed her arms in fear. “You have to stay away from him in the future too. I’m afraid just at the sight of him.”

“Okay.”

Ye Yaoyao didn’t look like she was pretending at all; she had really lost her memory. If that were the case, it would probably be difficult for her to regain her memory in a short time, and to prove that she was imprisoned by Lu Lingzhi.

Ye Yaoyao gripped the reins tightly and suddenly thought of the woman who stopped Hong Ying. “Yaoyao, for some reason… That woman’s voice sounds very familiar. It’s as if I’ve heard it somewhere, but I can’t remember.”

“Which woman?” Ye Zhen immediately pulled the reins of the horse and looked at the other.

“That woman who was with your cousin just now. Then again, I might have remembered it wrongly. I’ve been remembering things wrongly recently,” Ye Yaoyao said with a smile.

Leng Mei? Ye Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. She remembered that Ye Yaoyao said that apart from a woman taking care of her, she had also seen a woman in black. Could that woman be Leng Mei? No, this can’t be right. How could Leng Mei teach her* the four arts?

[*Ye Yaoyao]

Ye Zhen suppressed the doubts in her mind and trotted slowly on the plains with her companion. She tried to ask a few probing questions, but the latter didn’t seem to know anything.

Just before lunch, they returned to the villa, and the empress dowager asked someone to call Ye Zhen over. “Aijia has to return to the palace. Yao’er and you can stay in Chengde Mountain Villa for the time being.”

“Imperial Mother, did something happen in the palace?”

Ye Zhen was taken aback. Ever since she arrived at the villa, she had been adding lingquan* into the medicinal bags that the empress dowager used to soak her feet every day. Even though the soreness in the empress dowager’s body had been relieved, the root of her illness hadn’t been cured yet. But if it weren’t an emergency, she would not return to the palace on such short notice.

[*the spirit qi in a liquid state that oozes from the eye of the phoenix tattoo on her palm]

The empress dowager nodded gently, but she didn’t look worried. Instead, there was a faint twinkle in her eyes. “It’s nothing bad, but I need to deal with the matter personally.”

“Imperial Mother, I’ll go back with you,” Ye Zhen offered.

The empress dowager touched the girl’s face and said gently, “No, you should stay in the villa for now. When I need you to return, I will naturally send someone to pick you up.”

Ye Zhen had a sudden realization.

It seems Empress Dowager’s return to the palace is still related to me!

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