C444 I can't believe it

"Xiao He pays his respects to Duke Jia Yu." Xiao He cupped his hands and said.

"Cousin, there is no need to be polite. I heard about your heroic deeds in Pingzhou and I really admire you. Today, indeed, it is as grandfather said. You truly are a genius." Lu Jingyao looked at Xiao He with admiration.

The vassal lords were all descendants. Without the emperor's decree, they were not allowed to leave the vassal state. Now that Lu Jingyao had suddenly appeared in the capital, what was going on?

"Master, my eldest brother sent Jingyao to the capital to see the emperor. The emperor has already agreed, so you don't have to worry." Madam Xiao saw the doubt in Xiao Zhenhai's heart and said.

"So that's how it is. May I know what matter the Crown Prince is sending the Crown Prince to the capital for?" Xiao Zhenhai asked.

"Uncle, grandfather and father both wish that I come to the emperor to ask to marry a woman from the capital. The princess is the best, and a woman from a well-known noble family would also be fine." Lu Jingyao explained his purpose in coming to the capital.

The marriage between the descendants of the vassal lords and the descendants of princes and ministers was also a strategy of mutual restraint. It had been going on since the establishment of the vassal lords.

Just like Mistress Xiao and Xiao Zhenhai's marriage, the empress dowager had also personally given her permission that year.

"So you came here for the marriage alliance. Does Your Highness have a suitable candidate in your heart?" Xiao Zhenhai asked.

"Not yet. Grandfather and Father asked me to ask Uncle and Aunt to look for me. I will then ask the Emperor to marry me." Lu Jingyao was already past the age of marriage, so he had been waiting for the right opportunity to ask the Emperor for a marriage alliance.

"Rest assured, your highness. I shall ensure that you handle this matter properly. How about I not stay at the relay station and stay at the Duke's Mansion these days?" Xiao Zhenhai asked as his mind raced. Which princess or important official's daughter would be the most suitable to recommend to Lu Jingyao? It was more beneficial to him.

"That's my intention as well. Jingyao, what do you think?" Madam Xiao asked.

"But at your aunt's behest." Lu Jingyao replied. He was extremely respectful towards his aunt, Madam Xiao.

Madam Xiao also smiled. A look that Xiao Zhenhai didn't notice flashed across her eyes. Actually, she was the one who had secretly sent a long letter to her brother on this trip to the capital, reminding her that the Emperor feared that the Emperor had the intention to flatten the throne and make him think of a plan. She had thought about it for a long time and finally came up with this idea; she had to make a long-term plan to protect the Lu family and the Xiao family, especially her sons.

"Eldest Miss, the investigation has been completed." "The person whom Eldest Miss met in the temple today was the eldest grandson of Prince Anping, Prince Lu Jingyao of Jiayu. He had just gone to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor, but as for the purpose of this trip, he has yet to inquire about it."

"Probably, to ask for the emperor's hand in marriage." "He is already eighteen years old. He has waited so many years for the emperor to grant him marriage, but the emperor has never granted it to him. Isn't he here himself? I just don't know who he is proposing to marry, and who Xiao Zhenhai is recommending to him."

In his previous life, Lu Jingyao had never come to the capital to ask for a marriage. If he couldn't get the emperor to grant him a marriage, he would have gotten married in Pingzhou. But now, he had come to the capital to ask for a marriage.

This person was related to the Xiao family, but it was unknown if it was Madam Xiao or Xiao Zhenhai's idea.

The cold brows slightly frowned. This eldest young miss had never stepped out of the door, but she knew everything.

"This is what the Ninth Prince told me to pass on to Eldest Miss. He said it's a gift." She handed a scroll to Lian Ruyue with both hands.

Lian Ruyue took the scroll and entered the inner room. When she opened it, she discovered that it was a portrait —

At that time, she was wearing a water-blue colored twirl dress with silver tassels. Her face was round, innocent, and bright, and her eyes were filled with a warm smile. At the bottom left corner, there was Feng Yunzheng's private badge.

He drew this with his own hands?

She looked at her young self in the painting, and raised her hand to caress this strange and distant face. If it wasn't for the portrait that Feng Yunzheng had painted for her, how could she remember when she was so innocent and romantic. But now that she looked at this painting, the past began to gradually become clear.

She smiled slightly and looked at the figure for a long time.

Prince Heng's manor.

Feng Yunzheng wantonly sprinkled it across the paper. A moment later, a picture of a beautiful woman with peach blossoms was left on the paper. In the rain of petals, a woman quietly stood. She had a kind of tranquil beauty.

He looked at the latest painting and couldn't help but smile.

"Your Highness, they've been captured." At this time, Ye Feng entered the study room. There was still a bloodstain on the back of his hand, which showed that the person he had captured this time should not be underestimated.

"This King will go and take a look." The smile on Feng Yunzheng's face faded. He stood up, and his entire body was already filled with a chilling killing intent.

Arriving at the dungeon, he saw a person who was forced to open his hands and tied to a metal pillar. His body already had traces of being whipped, and when he saw Feng Yunzheng, his eyes flickered for a moment.

Feng Yunzheng stood in front of him and said, "Lift your head."

These two simple words contained the strength of a thunderbolt, causing this man, who had a tough mouth, to be unable to pry it open, to involuntarily raise his head.

Feng Yunzheng looked at the person in front of him. His ice-cold gaze did not contain the slightest bit of warmth. At this moment, he was far from being able to compare to that Ninth Prince, who was as gentle as jade —

"The fourth prince wants you to steal the books from this king?"

"I'm not from His Highness the Fourth." The man immediately denied it, a resolute look in his eyes.

"It's fine if you don't want to admit it, but if you're disappointed, the account book that you stole from This King with half your life on the line is fake."

"Impossible!" This person was stunned and his heart suddenly trembled. The originally resolute expression on his face flickered as he looked at Feng Yunzheng with disbelief, and said.

"In fact, there are a total of forty-nine books. Only one of them is real. As for whether or not I can obtain it within a safe period, that will depend on luck." Feng Yunzheng said indifferently. The corner of his mouth was curled in a ruthless manner, and his eyes revealed a trace of a sinister expression that was not a smile.

"No wonder... "No wonder …" The man's eyes began to show panic.

"This King came to see how sincere you are for your master, so that you can die in peace." Feng Yunzheng coldly turned around and said, "Kill him."

"Yes sir!" Ye Feng's eyes slightly narrowed. The sharp blade in his hand streaked across like lightning, and with a muffled sound, half of that person's neck was broken. His head was lying to the side, dead.

Feng Yunzheng expressionlessly lifted his foot and left the dungeon.

"Your Highness, there's another matter. Prince Anping's eldest grandson, Prince Lu Jingyao, came to the capital yesterday, so he came to see the emperor. I heard that the emperor has already agreed to this matter, and these days the emperor will let all of his subjects choose from among the unmarried princesses. If they were to choose a daughter, the emperor will bestow upon them the marriage, and I heard that the candidate list has been handed over by the emperor."