In an instant, a dark shadow appeared beside Chu Xuan like a ghost.
This man was Heiyun, Chu Xuan's personal guard.
As a personal guard, he naturally knew everything about Chu Xuan.
He knew even better that Chu Xuan had long decided to tell Lu Xueqing everything once she returned from the border.
He wanted to let her know how outstanding her man was, and that she was the only woman who accompanied this man to the summit of the world to share in all its glory.
Yet now, for the sake of some damned Young Master Wushuang, she wanted to call off the engagement with such an outstanding man, slapping him across the face again and again. This was undoubtedly casting away the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.
Heiyun could almost foresee the remorse, defeat, and utter humiliation that would appear on Lu Xueqing's face on the day Chu Xuan shook the world with his name.
But right now, Heiyun said with an icy expression, "General Lu, please leave."
Lu Xueqing of course knew Heiyun. In the past, she could act as willfully as she pleased in this Langya Prince's Estate, and no one would dare show her any disrespect.
Now, a mere guard, a servant, dared to show her the door. This stark contrast left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Yet since matters had already been laid out in the open, and Chu Xuan had agreed to annul the engagement without seeming to dare make trouble at her Grand General's Estate, Lu Xueqing was certainly not foolish enough to blow the matter out of proportion.
"Tomorrow I will have people return the betrothal gifts in full. Lin Rong, let's go."
……
Outside the Grand General's Estate, visitors came in a continuous stream, all of them here to deliver gifts and curry favor.After all, apart from being bestowed the title of All-Swaying Nation Grand General by the sovereign, Lu Xueqing had now also betrothed her life to Young Master Wushuang.
And the background of this Young Master Wushuang was no simple matter either: he was the only son of the reigning chancellor, Wushuang Kuangye.
With such status, compared to the fallen Heir of Langya Prince, he was naturally far more noble.
Blessed by these two layers of status, across the entire younger generation of the Dayuan State, there were very few who could compare to him.
Yet the moment Lu Xueqing returned to the estate, she chased everyone away, because she had a very important matter to attend to.
Furthermore, this matter could not be made public.
"Xueqing, that good-for-nothing Chu Xuan has pestered you for so many years. Did he really agree to call off the engagement this time?"
Inside the parlor, Lu Xueqing's father, Lu Youwei, asked.
Although he had once committed a grave crime, thanks to Chu Xuan's secret assistance over the past few years, the sovereign had not only pardoned his crimes but also restored him to official service, appointing him as the Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture.
Compared to his standing back then, a position like this was nothing less.
Yet of all that Chu Xuan had done, Lu Youwei knew nothing, assuming instead that it was the chancellor's son, Wushuang Muqing, who was helping him.
"Father, although Chu Xuan is good for nothing, it doesn't mean he's a fool. Given our Lu Family's current influence, if he were to keep pestering me, the one he would offend wouldn't just be our Lu Family, but also Lord Chancellor."
Pausing for a moment, Lu Xueqing continued, "However, our Lu Family won't take advantage of him over petty things. The betrothal gifts that should be returned will be returned; I promised him as much."
Petty things?
Hearing this, Lu Youwei could not help frowning.
Lu Xueqing had spent the past three years guarding the border, so she knew nothing of what went on at home.
Yet Lu Youwei knew very well that those were no petty things. If they really had to be returned in full, their Lu Family would be reduced to having nothing left in an instant.Naturally, Lu Youwei would never tell Lu Xueqing about such matters, and instead put on an indifferent expression, saying, "That's right, you are now a dignified Country-Toppling Nation Grand General and the prospective daughter-in-law of Lord Chancellor. How could you take advantage of their Langya Prince's Estate over such trifles?"
"Father, I must still enter the palace to have an audience with the sovereign, after which His Majesty will personally host a victory banquet for me. So I must trouble you to handle the return of the betrothal gifts."
"Then hurry off to the palace. You needn't worry about this matter; Father will handle it and will never give Chu Xuan any reason to smear our family's name."
The moment Lu Xueqing left, Lu Youwei summoned his eldest son, Lu Tao.
"Father, I heard the servants say that the good-for-nothing Chu Xuan agreed to annul the engagement. When will little sister marry Young Master Wushuang?"
"The marriage with the Chancellor's Estate is a separate matter. The most important thing right now is to completely sever ties with the Langya Prince's Estate first."
Lu Youwei explained the matter of returning the betrothal gifts. As soon as Lu Tao heard it, his fiery temper immediately flared up, and he shouted, "Is that Chu Xuan even a man? The betrothal gifts he sent over—on what grounds should our family return them!"
"Tao'er, your father is no more willing than you. But if we don't return them, that good-for-nothing Chu Xuan will certainly make a fuss over it, and by then, if it reaches His Majesty's ears, it won't end well."
Although Lu Tao was simple-minded, he understood this reasoning.
Right now, Lu Xueqing had just returned in triumph, and she could not afford to acquire a bad reputation.
"Are we really going to return them in full?"
"We are only responsible for returning them; as for how much we actually return, isn't that up to us to decide? But Xueqing just came back from the Langya Prince's Estate, and if you go right now, I'm afraid that good-for-nothing Chu Xuan will be on his guard. Let's wait a day; it won't be too late to go tomorrow."
……
The next day.
Langya Prince's Estate.
"Your Highness, the Lu Family has come to return the betrothal gifts."
Heiyun appeared behind Chu Xuan like a ghost once more to report.
"They've come quickly enough. I just wonder what percentage of them they actually intend to return."
"Does Your Highness mean the Lu Family will try to act shamelessly?"
"Over the years, what I've given the Lu Family hasn't merely been money; much of it cannot be measured by wealth. If they want to return it, I'm afraid it will cost them a layer of skin."
"Then subordinates will summon all our men from the Imperial Capital to see how they dare play the rogue."
Chu Xuan gave a bitter laugh and said, "A mere Lu Family is not worth the trouble. Just go prepare a few things. When the quantity doesn't match up, I will go to the Lu Family and collect it myself."
At that moment, Lu Tao had already entered the Langya Prince's Estate with several Lu Family servants.
"Chu Xuan, your Grandpa Lu is here! Don't hide, get your ass out here right now!"
His voice was resonant, echoing throughout the entire Langya Prince's Estate.
"Hey, what kind of people are you? How dare you come wild in our Langya Prince's Estate and address our Prince by his given name! Get out of here immediately."
Seeing that Lu Tao came with aggressive momentum, a little maid with her hair in buns immediately stepped forward to stop him.
Lu Tao's expression changed. Accustomed to bullying others by leaning on his connections, how could he tolerate being driven away by a little maid? He reached out and grabbed her by the throat, cursing fiercely, "Damn it, you little bitch, even Chu Xuan wouldn't dare speak to me like that. What kind of thing are you?"
Slap!
With those words, Lu Tao struck the little maid across the face, sending her crashing to the ground as one side of her face instantly swelled up.
"Wuuwuu! You, why are you hitting people? Is there no law in this place?!"
The little maid cried bitterly on the ground with a face full of grievance.
"The law? Haha, in this Langya Prince's Estate, your Grandpa Lu *is* the law! If you don't believe it, call Chu Xuan out and let's see if he dares raise his voice at your Grandpa Lu."
The commotion in the courtyard soon alerted the others in the Langya Prince's Estate.
Among them were guards as well as servants.
Yet when they saw that the one making trouble was Lu Tao, not a single one dared to speak up.
For they all knew that Lu Tao was Chu Xuan's brother-in-law, and he had frequently come to their Langya Prince's Estate in the past to demand money and throw drunken fits.
Out of consideration for Lu Xueqing, Chu Xuan had never bickered with him.
Although Lu Xueqing had come to call off the engagement yesterday and Chu Xuan had fallen out with her,
who throughout the entire Imperial Capital didn't know that Chu Xuan was a hopeless romantic? There was no telling when he might make up with Lu Xueqing again.
Therefore, even though Lu Tao had resorted to violence, the people of the Langya Prince's Estate did not dare do anything to him.
They could only feel pity and regret for the little maid; having offended Chu Xuan's brother-in-law so soon after arriving, she would likely be driven out of the Langya Prince's Estate immediately.