sbdcsierra Chapter 99 But what if things change?
Chapter 99 But what if things change?
But you are the Crown Prince!
"What if I am not?"
These two casual remarks made Lu Yangyang's heart skip a beat.
She forgot that in that "dream," the ultimate winner was not the crown prince. Three years later, he would be deposed and, supposedly, die during his exile.
no one knows.
The "she" in the dream didn't know either, because not long after, "she" also died.
In the dream, "she" completely lost herself in the daily jealousy after entering the Duke's mansion. She even tried to steal Sheng Yunzhu away, causing a lot of jokes. In the end, she became someone that everyone hated.
After enduring two years and finally reaching marriageable age, she faced great difficulty in finding a husband because of her face. In the end, she was hastily married off to a fierce and ruthless military household. She was beaten for several months and died during one of the beatings not long after the rumors of the deposed crown prince. Before her death, she vaguely heard that the final victor was the Third Prince, who was Sheng Yunzhu's husband.
Some time has passed since that dream, and many things in the dream are now blurry, let alone the details, which she knows nothing about.
But one thing is certain: if the situation doesn't change, the crown prince will be deposed and exiled in three years at most, where he will die on the way to exile.
A year later, Sheng Junyao, who had never returned to the capital, would also die on the battlefield.
But what if things change?
If things were changed, would they not have died?
Lu Yangyang suddenly looked up into the Crown Prince's eyes, only to find them completely calm, as if the matter of deposing the Crown Prince was just something he said casually.
“Your Highness,” Lu Yangyang suddenly said, “I will heal your leg, I definitely will.”
Even if it doesn't work now, there are still three years. And even if it doesn't work in three years, there's another three years.
She will heal him, regardless of whether he wins or not, or whether he can sit in that supreme position. A man like him should not die on the road to exile.
She believed what Lord Ling had once said: if the Crown Prince were alive, the Great Zhao Dynasty would enjoy a prosperous fifty-year reign.
He has to stay alive.
"Alright, I believe you." The Crown Prince looked into her incredibly firm and earnest gaze. His heart, which had gradually rotted and become festering since he was injured and crippled, and since he glimpsed certain truths, and could no longer be pieced back together, seemed to be stitched up a little by a vibrant force.
Seeing that he believed her so quickly, Lu Yangyang couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. Could he be deliberately trying to make her happy?
“Your Highness, I’m serious,” Lu Yangyang emphasized to him.
The Crown Prince chuckled: "Yes, I'm serious."
He even reached out his hand to her, teasing her, "How about we pinky swear?"
Lu Yangyang glared at him: "I'm not that childish!"
The crown prince laughed out loud.
Lu Yangyang was dazzled by his smile; she had never realized that a beautiful man could look so good when he smiled.
If only I could smile more in the future.
However, having made this clear, the Crown Prince simply told her about what had happened that day.
"Father is in his prime now. He won't rush to depose the Crown Prince just because my leg is crippled. But the court has already begun to stir. Some are watching and waiting, while others have started to take sides. Even those who haven't taken sides want to ensure that they have a chance to protect their families and make a clean getaway in the future. Before the storm begins, there will be a bloodbath."
"When you enter Taiming Academy in the future, you will inevitably come into contact with these things sooner or later. Whether you choose to do so or not, you will be a pawn in this game. You will either manipulate others or be manipulated by others. If you want to get out of the game, you need to have the ability to see through the situation in order to protect yourself."
"There are many families in the capital who are interested in marrying into the Feng family, including several princes of marriageable age who want the Feng family's support. However, the Feng family has no intention of taking sides for the time being, so they will carefully consider the marriage arrangements. The Su family has the Empress Dowager as their backer. Now that one of the Empress Dowager's distant nieces has a prince, using the Su family to win over the court officials will not be too obvious, and it will accurately tie their interests together. Moreover, if the Empress Dowager issues an imperial decree to bestow the marriage before the Feng family's engagement, the Feng family will not be able to refuse, unless they are willing to be ruthless and not marry off their daughter."
Although Lu Yangyang knew nothing about court affairs, she was quick-witted. "So if things go smoothly, Miss Feng's death in the Su family will not only thwart the Empress Dowager's plans but also turn the Su and Feng families into mortal enemies. If the Feng family wants to avenge their daughter, they will definitely try to kill the Su family. And if Su Fengqu dies unjustly, the Su family will not let it go either. Once the two families are in chaos, the people behind them will have more options to win over, no matter which side they want to win over!"
"Smart." The Crown Prince was somewhat surprised that she could come up with so much in such a short time.
“Sometimes, peace and tranquility are the most troublesome. What's needed is to stir up the waters first before you can fish in troubled waters. No matter how firmly the Feng family remains neutral, once they're proven wrong, things could get very difficult. Besides, this is just the beginning.” The Crown Prince chuckled. “You only need to know about this; there's no need to delve into it. They made a move today but failed to harm you, so they won't easily make another move in the short term to avoid giving themselves away. However, you still need to be wary. Some people will take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and cause you problems.”
“I understand,” Lu Yangyang said, her eyes shining. “It’s just that people who didn’t like me before and wanted to cause me trouble might take this opportunity to secretly attack me and trip me up.”
Seeing her excited expression, the Crown Prince couldn't help but gently tap her brow with his fingertip: "Now that you know, be careful. Should I arrange two guards for you?"
Lu Yangyang refused without hesitation: "No need, I will protect myself. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
She had already troubled His Highness so much; how could she possibly ask him to find someone to protect her again? Besides, she would have to rely on herself in the future. If she didn't have the ability to survive in the capital, how could she talk about changing her fate?
It's better to admit defeat and leave sooner rather than later.
Seeing that she refused, the crown prince did not insist and nodded.
Lu Yangyang got up and said goodbye to him.
By the time I got back into the courtyard, it was completely dark.
Lu Yangyang wasn't sleepy at all; on the contrary, she was very excited. She went back to her study, found the book that Grand Tutor Lan had used to lecture on history, read it for a while, and then went to sleep.
The next day, Lu Yangyang woke up feeling refreshed, only to learn that Sheng Yunjiao had a high fever the night before.
She visited Sheng Yunjiao, and after thinking about it, she went to Lan's place.
Perhaps because Sheng Junyao had returned, Lan was in a good mood, and her condition was surprisingly good today. When she saw Lu Yangyang, she happily waved to her, beckoned her over, and took her hand, her face full of tenderness and affection. "Your older brother said you were very capable yesterday. I was very worried, but he told me that we should respect your wishes. Yangyang, from now on, do whatever you want to do. With your older brother here, you have nothing to be afraid of."
"I've already spoken to your older brother. The day after tomorrow, we'll go to Huguo Temple together to offer incense and pray for a good luck charm, which will also help you pass your exams. What do you say?"