Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Bestowed Marriage

Lu Zhan glanced down, his brow furrowing. "It’s nothing," he said reassuringly.

Zhi Wan came back to her senses, a little vexed. "What do you mean, it’s nothing? You’re bleeding." As she spoke, she pulled up his sleeve and saw that the wound that had already scabbed over had split open again. "How could you be so careless?"

She scrambled to get out of bed to clean his wound, but he stopped her. "You’re so weak right now. Don’t move. I can take care of it myself."

How could Zhi Wan possibly rest easy? While he went to the washroom to clean his wound, she went out and called for Nanny Chen.

Nanny Chen hurried to the washroom to help Lu Zhan bandage his wound.

After she finished, Nanny Chen withdrew.

Zhi Wan took out the clothes her cousin had left there before and had him change into them.

Lu Zhan changed his clothes and returned to the inner chamber.

Seeing him come out, Zhi Wan quickly shifted over to the inner side of the bed.

Seeing her well-behaved and natural gesture, Lu Zhan paused, a hint of a smile flashing in his dark eyes. "Does my cousin want me to stay?"

Zhi Wan froze for a moment, only then realizing she had been too forward.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she stammered, "Th-that’s up to you, cousin."

Lu Zhan chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. He wanted to reach out and touch her face but was afraid the freshly bandaged wound would start bleeding again, so he restrained himself.

He explained in a gentle voice, "I have to attend Court tomorrow morning. If I stay here, I’m afraid I’ll disturb you. I should head back in a little while."

Hearing this, Zhi Wan felt a faint trace of disappointment.

They hadn’t seen each other for so many days; she had thought her cousin missed her too and would stay the night.

Zhi Wan had wanted to ask him about his uncle’s situation, but seeing the unconcealable exhaustion between his brows, she decided to drop it for now.

Thinking about how her cousin had to wake up early for Court tomorrow, she said, "It’s getting late. You should go back now."

"It’s fine. I’ll leave after you fall asleep," Lu Zhan said gently. He then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I’ll come see you again tomorrow after Court."

Looking at his handsome face drawing near, Zhi Wan paused, then couldn’t resist planting a kiss on his cheek. "Mm."

The soft touch on his cheek made Lu Zhan freeze.

By the time he processed it and looked at the girl, he saw that she had already closed her eyes, but her trembling eyelashes gave her away.

Lu Zhan’s eyes softened.

Only after Zhi Wan fell asleep did he get up and leave.

In the alley behind the Zhi Mansion, an inconspicuous carriage was parked. A man was lying on its roof—it was none other than Chen Jiu.

His hands were pillowed behind his head as he leisurely watched the stars in the distant sky.

’The Princely Heir rushed back to the Capital City without stopping, then entered the Imperial Palace to report without a moment’s rest, all just to see the Miss as soon as possible.’

’Now that he’s seen her, the Princely Heir probably won’t be out so soon.’

With that thought, he closed his eyes, preparing to take a short nap.

Suddenly, the carriage trembled slightly.

He immediately opened his eyes and saw that the Princely Heir had actually come out.

"Princely Heir?"

Lu Zhan didn’t speak and got into the carriage.

Chen Jiu saw his foul expression and knew something was wrong, so he immediately followed him inside.

Sure enough, just as he entered, he heard the Princely Heir give a grim command, "Secretly gather all evidence of the Crown Prince’s crimes!"

Chen Jiu’s heart skipped a beat, and he stared at him in astonishment. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’The Princely Heir never gets involved in factional struggles. Why would he suddenly want to gather evidence of the Crown Prince’s crimes?’

’Is the Princely Heir preparing to move against the Crown Prince?’

Chen Jiu grew a little excited and quickly assented, "This subordinate understands."

"Let’s return to the mansion first," Lu Zhan said wearily, raising a hand to rub the bridge of his nose.

"Yes." Chen Jiu immediately went out, took the reins, and drove the carriage toward the Duke Dingguo Mansion.

Halfway there, the carriage suddenly changed course and headed toward the Imperial Palace.

「The next day, outside the palace gates.」

As the court officials waited to enter the palace, Ouyang Lei walked over to Lu Zhan’s side and said in a low voice, "Old Lu, you’ve heard about what happened at the Wei Mansion the day before yesterday, right?"

"Mm," Lu Zhan grunted in acknowledgment.

Hearing this, Ouyang Lei knew that Lu Zhan was already aware of the situation and said no more.

When the time came, the assembly of officials entered the palace gates one after another.

After entering the Council Hall, the officials formed two lines and waited quietly for the Emperor’s arrival.

At that moment, the Crown Prince, Xuanyuan Hongjun, walked in.

As he passed by Lu Zhan, he paused and suddenly turned his head to look at him.

Lu Zhan lifted his gaze and looked at him coolly. "How may I be of service to the Crown Prince?"

Xuanyuan Hongjun rubbed his nose and gave a meaningful smile. Then he leaned in closer and said in a low voice, "Lu Siqing, that cousin of yours is charming and lovely. She has quite captured my heart. Why don’t you, Lu Siqing, give her to me?"

The fist under Lu Zhan’s sleeve clenched tightly, a flash of icy killing intent flickering between his brows.

He suddenly took a step closer and said icily in Xuanyuan Hongjun’s ear, "If you think you’ve lived long enough, I can certainly grant your wish!"

Xuanyuan Hongjun’s expression changed. "You..."

Lu Zhan’s lips curved into a smile. He took a step back and bowed slightly. "Your Highness, the court session is about to begin. Please take your place in the ranks."

Xuanyuan Hongjun’s face was terrifyingly grim. He was certain he hadn’t misheard just now.

’The audacity of Lu Zhan! How dare he threaten me?’

The other officials naturally sensed the tense atmosphere between the two. Shocked, they were also curious about what had been said.

Lu Zhenbei, as well as Duan Ling and Ouyang Lei, all had looks of worry flash through their eyes.

Xuanyuan Hongjun stared daggers at Lu Zhan for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Lu Siqing, you’ve accumulated considerable merit in Jiangnan this time. In a moment, I will certainly help you request a decree from my Imperial Father to have Princess Chang Le betrothed to you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd of officials looked at Lu Zhan with peculiar expressions.

’Lu Siqing has a great future ahead of him. If he marries a princess, his career will likely come to a halt here.’

Lu Zhenbei’s brows knitted together, and he was about to speak, but he heard his son say in an unhurried tone, "Since when has the Crown Prince been so idle as to snatch the livelihood of matchmakers? This humble official’s marriage has long been settled. There is no need for Your Highness to trouble yourself."

"As for the matter of an imperial betrothal, this official already requested a decree from the Emperor in person yesterday."

"The wedding is set for the twenty-third of this month. When the time comes, I hope Your Highness will do me the honor of attending and sharing a cup of celebratory wine."

Xuanyuan Hongjun’s dark eyes narrowed. "You’ve already requested a marriage decree from my Imperial Father? Then the bride is..."

Lu Zhan’s dark eyes were fixed on the throne atop the jade steps ahead as he spoke in a low, slow voice, "The daughter of Zhi Yu, who placed third in the imperial examination in the fifteenth year of the Qingli era—Zhi Wan. During his tenure as the County Magistrate of Jurong, Zhi Yu was diligent and incorruptible, governing Jurong with exemplary order. He was deeply loved by the local people. To expose corrupt officials, he risked his life to gather evidence. It is a pity that Heaven is jealous of talent, and Lord Zi ultimately died at the hands of those corrupt officials."

"The Emperor, mindful of his contributions to the Court, has specially granted his daughter, Zhi Wan, the title of County Princess, and has betrothed her to this official!"

Hearing this, everyone revealed looks of astonishment.

Even Lu Zhenbei, Duan Ling, and Ouyang Lei were completely surprised.

’When did Jinzhi ask for the decree?’

Xuanyuan Hongjun snapped back to reality, staring at Lu Zhan with a grim expression. "When did this happen?"

"The Emperor arrives!" At that moment, a eunuch’s high-pitched announcement rang out.

Hearing the voice, Xuanyuan Hongjun forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart and turned toward the entrance of the hall.

The next moment, the Emperor entered the Council Hall.

After the Emperor was seated on the throne, all the ministers bowed in unison and called out in a great voice, "We pay our respects to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! May you live for ten thousand years!"

"You may all rise," the Emperor said, making a slight lifting gesture with his hand.