Censor Lin was a man who could tolerate no impurities, and he certainly did not fear those in power. Whether it was a prince, a princess, an old prince, or an esteemed dowager, if any family committed a breach of morality or etiquette, he would dive into the fray as if high on adrenaline, unleashing a verbal onslaught in the Imperial Court.
Today, however, his somewhat sycophantic behavior was a first in many years.
To be honest, he was a bit out of practice. When he looked at Prince Jin, his eyes twitched slightly, as if he weren't quite sure how to toggle the switch between fawning and being upright.
The corner of Prince Jin's mouth quirked. "What is Censor Lin talking about? This Prince does not understand."
A sudden breeze blew past, and Censor Lin snapped back to his senses.
Indeed, even if this were Prince Jin's intention, how could he say it so directly? Besides, he was also following his own heart. That young lady of the He family had truly been out of line!
A mere daughter of a minister dared to demand that a future Princess Consort kneel to her? The nerve of the girl to even speak such words! He was doing this for Master He's own good; if this girl wasn't properly disciplined, she would bring disaster upon the He family in the future.
"This official simply feels that as a subject of the Emperor, one should remain constantly vigilant, fulfill one's duties to the best of one's ability, and adhere strictly to one's station! Whether inside or outside the capital, or within the Imperial Court, if anything is amiss, I must raise my voice and speak the truth."
Censor Lin spoke with righteous indignation, sounding both passionate and loyal.
Prince Jin, who had been away from the capital for many years, truly hadn't realized that Censor Lin had developed such a temperament.
"Mhm. This Prince has high expectations of you."
After dropping that line, Prince Jin turned and walked away.
The events of the court session quickly spread. After all, among so many officials, there were always those who loved a good bit of gossip. Wouldn't they have to share it with their parents or wives upon returning home?
Aside from the gossip-mongers, there were also the cautious ones who habitually dissected every occurrence in the court to analyze the Emperor's intentions, hoping to determine their own future path.
For instance, this time.
The Emperor had rebuked Master He and had been quite unceremonious toward He Lianxin.
Did this mean the Emperor was becoming dissatisfied with the Vice Minister of War? If so, they shouldn't be frequenting the He manor for a while.
Consequently, the Emperor's displeasure with He Lianxin, along with Prince Jin's mockery of Lu Zhaoyun, spread far and wide.
When He Lianxin and Lu Zhaoyun heard of this, both were utterly mortified.
"How can I face anyone!"
He Lianxin had never imagined that this matter would escalate all the way to the Emperor!
Being censured by the Emperor meant her reputation was completely ruined. From now on, many eyes would be fixed on her, and any further mistakes would be scrutinized by everyone.
Master He strode into the room. Upon hearing her words, he swept a vase off her table with a sharp wave of his hand.
With a loud crash, the vase shattered into pieces, shards flying everywhere. He Lianxin turned pale with fright.
"You still want to face people? My face has been completely dragged through the mud by you!"
Master He was bursting with rage. He had plotted for so long to finally climb high enough to connect with Marquis Zhenyuan and become in-laws.
He had planned to take it step by step, thinking that in a year or so, the position of Minister of War would be his.
Instead, because of He Lianxin, the Emperor had scolded him!
With He Lianxin losing so much face, the Marquis Zhenyuan's Estate was bound to be angry as well.
"Husband, you can't put all the blame on Lianxin," Madam He rushed over, fearing her husband might strike their daughter. "It was that little slut from the Lu family who provoked her!"
"Do you even hear what you're saying?" Master He snapped, exasperated. "You are the wife of an official, yet you speak like a common shrew. Where is your dignity? It's exactly because she has a mother like you that she turned into such an arrogant daughter!"
Madam He was indignant and curled her lip.
"She's a shameless little slut to begin with. She had the gall to hug Prince Jin in the middle of the street; is she above being cursed at?"
"You!" Master He's eyes burned with fury. "You actually dare to speak ill of Prince Jin?"
Today, the entire civil and military assembly had seen Prince Jin.
Having not seen him for years, Prince Jin had grown into a cold, stern young man with an aura that was impossible to ignore. Moreover, he had managed to get the Emperor to grant him a marriage decree immediately upon his return he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Now it seemed that the second Miss Lu wasn't simple either. To dare to use Prince Jin's name as a shield at any moment required no ordinary courage!
"How am I speaking ill of him? I had people look into it. That day, the Lu girl was about to be snatched by Zhu Shizi to be his concubine. She blocked Prince Jin's carriage and slipped inside in a flash!"
Madam He had indeed investigated the matter thoroughly, so she had been quite shocked by Lu Zhaoling's resourcefulness that day.
"Husband, let me tell you, that girl must have some unusual, seductive tricks! Otherwise, how could she have enchanted Prince Jin so quickly after getting into the carriage? He even backed her up!"
Madam He curled her lip again. "Our Lianxin simply suffered because she is straightforward and simple, without any schemes. She's already been made ill from anger, yet you're still scolding her for the sake of an outsider."
"You are simply unreasonable! Is it I who wants to scold her? It was the Emperor who scolded her during the morning court! And he ordered us to prepare a gift to apologize to that Lu girl!"
"What?" He Lianxin's eyes widened as she shrieked. "I'm absolutely not going! Why should I? She made me faint from anger, and now I have to go and apologize to her? What does she think she is!"
Slap!
Master He raised his hand and delivered a stinging slap, sending He Lianxin's head snapping to the side.
Madam He screamed and lunged forward, clawing at Master He's face.
"Why are you hitting our daughter! You're only capable of bullying your own family!"
Her daughter was her heart and soul!
Caught off guard, Master He's face was scratched, leaving a bloody mark instantly. The sting sent his temper through the roof.
"You crazy woman!" Master He shoved Madam He away.
"Mother!" Seeing her mother being pushed against a table, He Lianxin rushed to support her.
"She was already rebuked by the Emperor for making Lu Zhaoling kneel, and now she wants to commit the same mistake again? That is the betrothed Princess Consort Jin! You two had best carve that into your minds!"
Truly ignorant!
"Your father me! I am merely the Vice Minister of War. He is a Prince, the Emperor's own brother! Have you no sense of your own station?"
Master He winced as the movement pulled at the scratches on his face. The stinging pain made him lose all desire to look at the mother and daughter. He flung his sleeves and stormed out.
Once outside, he ordered the butler to prepare a gift and send it to the Lu manor.
This was the Emperor's command; how could he dare to disobey?
However, as for Lu Zhaoling...
The road ahead was long. Whether she could truly marry into Prince Jin's Manor remained to be seen! Master He's eyes turned dark and somber.
Meanwhile, at the Lu manor, Lu Ming had also smashed a teacup.
Lu Zhaoyun had fainted from the blow of knowing that her humiliation was common knowledge.
When the apology gift from the He family arrived, Lu Ming was too ashamed to go out and receive it. He simply sent word for someone to lead the messengers to Tingnuan Tower.
Lu Zhaohua, upon hearing of this, couldn't sit still and followed them to Tingnuan Tower in a hurry.
Was the gift from the He family valuable?
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