An imperial carriage stopped beside them.
Lu Chen took her by the hand and turned around: “Let’s go, have you eaten lunch yet?”
“A little.” Luo Ran said frankly. In Ci Ning palace, she accompanied the Empress Dowager, and only ate a bit.
“Accompany me to eat some more.”
At this point it was already past noon, Luo Ran pouted and felt a little distressed: “Your majesty hasn’t eaten yet?”
Lu Chen found out he liked to hear her care for him, it seemed that all she thought about was him.
“Yeah…”
Luo Ran sat with Lu Chen in the imperial carriage. Suddenly, she thought of something. Her cheeks became a little red. Her eyes looked enthusiastically at Lu Chen, hiding a trace of shyness: “Is it because Your Majesty is worried about me that you didn’t eat lunch?”
Lu Chen was dazed. Did he not eat lunch because he was worried about her? It seemed that this was indeed the case. Even when he knew his mother wanted to see her in the morning, he was not himself when he went to court.
She was weak and innocent. He was worried that his mother would be cold to her, and make her feel wronged, that she might think too much into it, and would feel uncomfortable because of his mother’s attitude. Therefore, he arrived at Ci Ning Palace early to see her after finishing morning court.
She tenderly looked at him, her eyes looking eager. Lu Chen wanted to indulge her, so he nodded and her eyes instantly beamed, smiling, and bright colors burned in them. Lu Chen’s lips also overflowed with a smile, his mind calm, with soft eyes.
Luo Ran smiled, her face shimmered like a peach, and she softly leaned on Lu Chen’s side. Lu Chen looked at her like this, but suddenly thought of what happened in Ci Ning palace today and frowned almost imperceptibly.
He knew why Lu Yu would often run to the palace during this time, but he didn’t think he was bold enough to actually call Luo Ran directly, with the aid of the Empress Dowager. In the past, Lu Chen felt that his love for beauty was harmless. Now, it seemed that some things had to change.
In the royal study, Lu Yu stood below and took a look at Lu Chen. He was dealing with government affairs and did not lift his head. Lu Yu touched his nose and winked at the eunuch. He wanted him to put in a good word for himself, but the eunuch, however, lowered his head as if he hadn’t seen his suggestion.
Lu Yu’s mouth twitched and in the end, he had to ask himself, “Brother, are you still angry?”
Lu Chen ignored him, but he had already started talking so it was easy to continue. Lu Yu spoke wryly: “Brother, I don’t have any other thoughts towards her. I just thought Concubine Luo was very beautiful and I wanted to appreciate her some more.”
This sentence finally made Lu Chen raise his head. His eyes were condescending as he looked at Lu Yu darkly. He didn’t speak for some time.
Lu Yu’s smile paused and faded away. He realized Lu Chen was really angry this time. Lu Chen always pressured him, but he had never been so cold. Lu Yu knew that he should admit his mistake and give up any ideas he had. However, Lu Chen’s attitude made him even more interested in Luo Ran.
Lu Yu gathered his eyebrows, his eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled cheekily: “Emperor Brother, you know your faithful brother’s shortcomings. This time it’s really my fault, and I will never dare to do it again.”
(TNote: As a biological brother of the Emperor, siblings would call themselves “臣/Chen” that means faithful/minister/ subject, then add family status. That means they consider themselves as subject first before family member. Personally; I translate this as faithful because “subject brother” just sounds contradictory.)
“Ah Yu, do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”
Lu Chen’s face was expressionless, his voice was cold, and he was a little disappointed.
Lu Yu looked a little stiff, but he still said, “Imperial Brother, you don’t believe me?”
Lu Chen leaned back, clasped his hands tightly on the handle of the chair, and looked at him with a leer: “I never doubted you.”
Lu Yu showed a sigh of relief, but heard Lu Chen add:
“Don’t touch her.”
Lu Yu hung his head and his eyes were dark. The more he was denied something, the more he wanted it: “Faithful brother will follow your order!”
Lu Chen frowned. He knew Lu Yu and he knew that the words he said just now would arouse his rebellious attitude, but he still wanted to warn him.
Lu Chen watched Lu Yu head out and looked calmly at the documents in front of him. He did not move for a long time. A drop of ink dropped on the white paper. Then, he wrote down ‘permit’ one by one.
Half a month later, Lu Yu ran into Luo Ran in the royal garden.
She stood in the middle of the flowers, like a fairy, holding a peony burning brilliant red in her hand, she was as bright as the white moon. She smiled at her maid and Lu Yu’s eyes were reflected in the corner of her smiling lips, like a peach blossom in spring.
When he approached closer, she seemed to notice him. The wide smile on her face lightened and she nodded at him gently. She leaned against her maid and then stopped looking at him.
Lu Yu approached her with two steps and smiled: “Imperial Concubine Luo.”
She held her maid back for two steps before she slowly bowed down. Her voice was delicate and soft, but she was showing no charm in front of this brother-in-law.
“His Royal Highness Xian Wang.”
Lu Yu did not know what he felt in his heart, but he was somewhat puzzled. Was Imperial Concubine Luo really so fond of his brother? He glanced around and knew that the maidservant beside her was her confidant and that she did not need to act in front of her.
“Imperial Concubine Luo has great skill, even getting Imperial Brother to marry Benwang off.”
Lu Yu looked at her with a slight feeling of sadness. Since his brother ascended the throne, he had never mentioned his marriage. Half a month ago he got a marriage decree. He did not believe it had nothing to do with Imperial Concubine Luo.
Luo Ran was slightly surprised. Lu Yu in the original plot was not married off. Luo Ran’s lips showed a touch of tenderness, which made people feel joy when they looked at her: “There is no one in the Prince’s backyard. The Emperor is worried that no one can understand the Prince’s feelings. His Majesty is kind, please don’t blame him.”
Lu Yu laughed scornfully. He listened to the words she said but believed none of them. He waved the folding fan in his hand, approached her and smiled gently: “Why is Concubine Luo beating around the bush with such words? Benwang’s backyard is not lacking women.”
Having said that, he stepped forward again, very close to Luo Ran. Qing Ru’s face changed, and she wanted to stop him, but the smile on his face didn’t quite reach his cold eyes, and Qing Ru shuddered. She almost forgot, this person was also an inhuman master.
He leaned down, close to Luo Ran’s ear, intimately. Looking at her small pink earlobes, with slightly deep eyes, he said one word at a time: “I just don’t have a beauty like you.”
Luo Ran felt the warm breath on her ear, the smile on her face remained unchanged, and she held out a finger gently against his chest and little strength, she pushed. Lu Yu followed her push.
Luo Ran looked at him with her face upturned. Her eyes were soft, pleasant, coquettish, and astringent, as if with some regret: “It’s a pity, you’re too late.”
Lu Yu’s hand moved, he looked at her with anxiety and dismay, his heart fluctuated. Late? What did she mean? If he had returned to the capital earlier, he wouldn’t have been too late?
Lu Yu suddenly remembered how she was found. Luo Ran had recommended herself as a pillow for the Emperor. The fluctuation in his heart grew bigger. So, she only wanted to find someone to take refuge? At that time, the only person there was his brother, so she had chosen him.
……If he had returned to the capital earlier, maybe…
“Your Majesty!”
Her joyful voice interrupted Lu Yu’s thoughts. Lu Yu watched her jubilantly jump into his brother’s arms like a bird. His brother held her waist, and her arms hooked his brother’s neck. Her sleeves slipped down, revealing her white and delicate jade wrist.
With a soft smile on her face, she looked at his brother warmly as if she could see nothing else.
Lu Yu twisted the tassel around his waist and looked at them with a cynical smile on his face, but his eyes were dim. At some point, he looked just like Lu Chen.
Lu Yu knew very well that she was just pretending.
“Why are you here?”
Lu Chen held Luo Ran in his arms, but his sight was tightly locked on Lu Yu. As soon as he arrived at the imperial garden, he saw Lu Yu and Luo Ran standing very close together. He did not know what they were talking about.
Lu Yu did not feel guilty, and stepped forward: “Is this not because of Imperial Brother giving me a marriage? Your faithful brother took advantage of this period of time before marriage to accompany Mother in the palace.”
Lu Yu looked up at Lu Chen when he said this as if he was dissatisfied.
Lu Chen gave him a rare frown but said nothing more. He gave him a warning look and turned to leave with Luo Ran.
As she turned around, Lu Yu looked at Luo Ran and met her eyes, and she seemed to smile in irony.
With his sudden change of heart, Lu Yu stood still for a long time until a sound came from behind:
“Xian Wang, are you reluctant to give up?”
Hearing this, Lu Yu licked his lips. The feeling in his heart disappeared. Like he would normally, he turned around and looked at the beauty in front of him. He felt a little bored.
In the early years, Zhou Xi still had the mannerisms of a fairy. Although she had a scheming mind, she was still quite different from others. He was willing to help her and protect her, but now, she was impatient and much more vulgar.
Lu Yu did not express what he was thinking. He smiled softly, “So it’s Concubine Zhou.”
Zhou Xi did not have her ceremonial entourage. She was standing at a distance and saw very clearly what went on. Lu Yu approached Luo Ran step by step. She naturally understood that Lu Yu’s heart and mind were still attracted to Luo Ran.
Zhou Xi bit her lip and felt more bitterness and anger in her heart. It was just a face, but she hooked the two most honorable men in the world! Damn fox!
While thinking that, she looked at Lu Yu with some bitterness.
An imperial carriage stopped beside them.
Lu Chen took her by the hand and turned around: “Let’s go, have you eaten lunch yet?”
“A little.” Luo Ran said frankly. In Ci Ning palace, she accompanied the Empress Dowager, and only ate a bit.
“Accompany me to eat some more.”
At this point it was already past noon, Luo Ran pouted and felt a little distressed: “Your majesty hasn’t eaten yet?”
Lu Chen found out he liked to hear her care for him, it seemed that all she thought about was him.
“Yeah…”
Luo Ran sat with Lu Chen in the imperial carriage. Suddenly, she thought of something. Her cheeks became a little red. Her eyes looked enthusiastically at Lu Chen, hiding a trace of shyness: “Is it because Your Majesty is worried about me that you didn’t eat lunch?”
Lu Chen was dazed. Did he not eat lunch because he was worried about her? It seemed that this was indeed the case. Even when he knew his mother wanted to see her in the morning, he was not himself when he went to court.
She was weak and innocent. He was worried that his mother would be cold to her, and make her feel wronged, that she might think too much into it, and would feel uncomfortable because of his mother’s attitude. Therefore, he arrived at Ci Ning Palace early to see her after finishing morning court.
She tenderly looked at him, her eyes looking eager. Lu Chen wanted to indulge her, so he nodded and her eyes instantly beamed, smiling, and bright colors burned in them. Lu Chen’s lips also overflowed with a smile, his mind calm, with soft eyes.
Luo Ran smiled, her face shimmered like a peach, and she softly leaned on Lu Chen’s side. Lu Chen looked at her like this, but suddenly thought of what happened in Ci Ning palace today and frowned almost imperceptibly.
He knew why Lu Yu would often run to the palace during this time, but he didn’t think he was bold enough to actually call Luo Ran directly, with the aid of the Empress Dowager. In the past, Lu Chen felt that his love for beauty was harmless. Now, it seemed that some things had to change.
In the royal study, Lu Yu stood below and took a look at Lu Chen. He was dealing with government affairs and did not lift his head. Lu Yu touched his nose and winked at the eunuch. He wanted him to put in a good word for himself, but the eunuch, however, lowered his head as if he hadn’t seen his suggestion.
Lu Yu’s mouth twitched and in the end, he had to ask himself, “Brother, are you still angry?”
Lu Chen ignored him, but he had already started talking so it was easy to continue. Lu Yu spoke wryly: “Brother, I don’t have any other thoughts towards her. I just thought Concubine Luo was very beautiful and I wanted to appreciate her some more.”
This sentence finally made Lu Chen raise his head. His eyes were condescending as he looked at Lu Yu darkly. He didn’t speak for some time.
Lu Yu’s smile paused and faded away. He realized Lu Chen was really angry this time. Lu Chen always pressured him, but he had never been so cold. Lu Yu knew that he should admit his mistake and give up any ideas he had. However, Lu Chen’s attitude made him even more interested in Luo Ran.
Lu Yu gathered his eyebrows, his eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled cheekily: “Emperor Brother, you know your faithful brother’s shortcomings. This time it’s really my fault, and I will never dare to do it again.”
(TNote: As a biological brother of the Emperor, siblings would call themselves “臣/Chen” that means faithful/minister/ subject, then add family status. That means they consider themselves as subject first before family member. Personally; I translate this as faithful because “subject brother” just sounds contradictory.)
“Ah Yu, do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”
Lu Chen’s face was expressionless, his voice was cold, and he was a little disappointed.
Lu Yu looked a little stiff, but he still said, “Imperial Brother, you don’t believe me?”
Lu Chen leaned back, clasped his hands tightly on the handle of the chair, and looked at him with a leer: “I never doubted you.”
Lu Yu showed a sigh of relief, but heard Lu Chen add:
“Don’t touch her.”
Lu Yu hung his head and his eyes were dark. The more he was denied something, the more he wanted it: “Faithful brother will follow your order!”
Lu Chen frowned. He knew Lu Yu and he knew that the words he said just now would arouse his rebellious attitude, but he still wanted to warn him.
Lu Chen watched Lu Yu head out and looked calmly at the documents in front of him. He did not move for a long time. A drop of ink dropped on the white paper. Then, he wrote down ‘permit’ one by one.
Half a month later, Lu Yu ran into Luo Ran in the royal garden.
She stood in the middle of the flowers, like a fairy, holding a peony burning brilliant red in her hand, she was as bright as the white moon. She smiled at her maid and Lu Yu’s eyes were reflected in the corner of her smiling lips, like a peach blossom in spring.
When he approached closer, she seemed to notice him. The wide smile on her face lightened and she nodded at him gently. She leaned against her maid and then stopped looking at him.
Lu Yu approached her with two steps and smiled: “Imperial Concubine Luo.”
She held her maid back for two steps before she slowly bowed down. Her voice was delicate and soft, but she was showing no charm in front of this brother-in-law.
“His Royal Highness Xian Wang.”
Lu Yu did not know what he felt in his heart, but he was somewhat puzzled. Was Imperial Concubine Luo really so fond of his brother? He glanced around and knew that the maidservant beside her was her confidant and that she did not need to act in front of her.
“Imperial Concubine Luo has great skill, even getting Imperial Brother to marry Benwang off.”
Lu Yu looked at her with a slight feeling of sadness. Since his brother ascended the throne, he had never mentioned his marriage. Half a month ago he got a marriage decree. He did not believe it had nothing to do with Imperial Concubine Luo.
Luo Ran was slightly surprised. Lu Yu in the original plot was not married off. Luo Ran’s lips showed a touch of tenderness, which made people feel joy when they looked at her: “There is no one in the Prince’s backyard. The Emperor is worried that no one can understand the Prince’s feelings. His Majesty is kind, please don’t blame him.”
Lu Yu laughed scornfully. He listened to the words she said but believed none of them. He waved the folding fan in his hand, approached her and smiled gently: “Why is Concubine Luo beating around the bush with such words? Benwang’s backyard is not lacking women.”
Having said that, he stepped forward again, very close to Luo Ran. Qing Ru’s face changed, and she wanted to stop him, but the smile on his face didn’t quite reach his cold eyes, and Qing Ru shuddered. She almost forgot, this person was also an inhuman master.
He leaned down, close to Luo Ran’s ear, intimately. Looking at her small pink earlobes, with slightly deep eyes, he said one word at a time: “I just don’t have a beauty like you.”
Luo Ran felt the warm breath on her ear, the smile on her face remained unchanged, and she held out a finger gently against his chest and little strength, she pushed. Lu Yu followed her push.
Luo Ran looked at him with her face upturned. Her eyes were soft, pleasant, coquettish, and astringent, as if with some regret: “It’s a pity, you’re too late.”
Lu Yu’s hand moved, he looked at her with anxiety and dismay, his heart fluctuated. Late? What did she mean? If he had returned to the capital earlier, he wouldn’t have been too late?
Lu Yu suddenly remembered how she was found. Luo Ran had recommended herself as a pillow for the Emperor. The fluctuation in his heart grew bigger. So, she only wanted to find someone to take refuge? At that time, the only person there was his brother, so she had chosen him.
……If he had returned to the capital earlier, maybe…
“Your Majesty!”
Her joyful voice interrupted Lu Yu’s thoughts. Lu Yu watched her jubilantly jump into his brother’s arms like a bird. His brother held her waist, and her arms hooked his brother’s neck. Her sleeves slipped down, revealing her white and delicate jade wrist.
With a soft smile on her face, she looked at his brother warmly as if she could see nothing else.
Lu Yu twisted the tassel around his waist and looked at them with a cynical smile on his face, but his eyes were dim. At some point, he looked just like Lu Chen.
Lu Yu knew very well that she was just pretending.
“Why are you here?”
Lu Chen held Luo Ran in his arms, but his sight was tightly locked on Lu Yu. As soon as he arrived at the imperial garden, he saw Lu Yu and Luo Ran standing very close together. He did not know what they were talking about.
Lu Yu did not feel guilty, and stepped forward: “Is this not because of Imperial Brother giving me a marriage? Your faithful brother took advantage of this period of time before marriage to accompany Mother in the palace.”
Lu Yu looked up at Lu Chen when he said this as if he was dissatisfied.
Lu Chen gave him a rare frown but said nothing more. He gave him a warning look and turned to leave with Luo Ran.
As she turned around, Lu Yu looked at Luo Ran and met her eyes, and she seemed to smile in irony.
With his sudden change of heart, Lu Yu stood still for a long time until a sound came from behind:
“Xian Wang, are you reluctant to give up?”
Hearing this, Lu Yu licked his lips. The feeling in his heart disappeared. Like he would normally, he turned around and looked at the beauty in front of him. He felt a little bored.
In the early years, Zhou Xi still had the mannerisms of a fairy. Although she had a scheming mind, she was still quite different from others. He was willing to help her and protect her, but now, she was impatient and much more vulgar.
Lu Yu did not express what he was thinking. He smiled softly, “So it’s Concubine Zhou.”
Zhou Xi did not have her ceremonial entourage. She was standing at a distance and saw very clearly what went on. Lu Yu approached Luo Ran step by step. She naturally understood that Lu Yu’s heart and mind were still attracted to Luo Ran.
Zhou Xi bit her lip and felt more bitterness and anger in her heart. It was just a face, but she hooked the two most honorable men in the world! Damn fox!
While thinking that, she looked at Lu Yu with some bitterness.
