Chapter 50: Better to Die Singing Than Live in Silence

"Yes, Your Lordship, this is a personal letter addressed to you from our Young Miss."

Tingzheng felt her throat tighten, forcing every single word past the barrier with immense difficulty.

Lu Lan instinctively reached out to take it, but realizing his palms were covered in dirt, stopped out of courtesy.

He gestured for Tongyan to take it instead.

However, Tingzheng suddenly drew back her hand, not daring to forget her young miss's strict instructions:

"Your Lordship, our Young Miss said that only you may read this personally."

Tongyan looked slightly embarrassed.

Lu Lan smiled to smooth things over for Tingzheng, saying, "People from the Gu family certainly know their manners, unlike these maids of mine who barely regard me as their master."

Tongyan gave him a reproachful look.

"Well, you hardly ever act like a master in your daily life!"

"Look, talking back again."

"It's the truth!"

Seeing master and servant bantering and tearing each other down like friends, Tingzheng was utterly astonished.

Could relationships really be like this?

A maid daring to talk back to her master?

The natural order of things had been completely inverted!

Back at the Gu estate, they would have beaten you until your mouth was smashed to pieces!

Rumors outside had it that the Heir of Lu was naturally cruel, volatile, and prone to throwing violent tantrums that mistreated everyone. From courtesans in brothels to the maids in his manor, none were spared, earning him the moniker of a "beast."

A beast—someone utterly devoid of human nature.

Shouldn't the maids in his estate be terrified of him?

Yet Tongyan looked entirely relaxed and at ease, without a shred of pressure.

After washing his hands by the well and drying them, Lu Lan broke the red wax seal of the envelope and unfolded the letter. A spark of wild joy instantly ignited in his eyes.

"This is..."

After scanning it roughly, he hurriedly tucked the letter into his tunic.

He gave Tongyan a subtle look, and she retrieved a silver tael from her sleeve pocket, handing it to Tingzheng.

"You've had a hard journey, Sister Tingzheng. This is a reward from His Lordship."

"Th-Thank you, Your Lordship!"

Tingzheng took it timidly, raising her eyes to steal a glance at Lu Lan.

The Heir of Lu was truly nothing like the dreadful rumors portrayed him.

She had expected a wicked, wild, and unrestrained libertine.

Who could have imagined...

He was courteous, gentle as jade, and deeply considerate of his servants.

Most importantly, he possessed starry brows, bright eyes, a dashing and handsome appearance, and an air of supreme elegance.

At a glance, he was even more captivating than the widely adored "Peerless Talent" Mei Xianghan.

Mei Xianghan possessed a delicate, sickly scholar's refinement that was undeniably intoxicating at first sight, but after a while, it inevitably felt gloomy and oppressive.

Yet the Heir of Lu radiated boundless vitality, glowing from head to toe with a warmth that felt like a spring breeze.

If she were to choose again now, she felt the Heir of Lu surpassed Mei Xianghan by a wide margin.

Her young miss had truly excellent taste.

In an instant, a rosy blush bloomed on Tingzheng's cheeks as she murmured shyly, "Your Lordship, Tingzheng will take her leave!"

"Very well!"

On the way back, Tingzheng specifically asked the guiding page, "Big Brother, is that Tongyan girl His Lordship's personal maid?"

The page smiled and replied, "Yes, Tongyan and Yourong are both first-class senior maids in the manor. They've been serving His Lordship since they were children."

"Oh! So they grew up together."

Their bond must be extraordinarily deep. Could she be a bedchamber maid?

For a young master of a prominent household, a bedchamber maid was already considered half a concubine. As long as she didn't court death herself, she would invariably be elevated to the status of a concubine once the young master officially married.

However, asking such a question would be far too presumptuous, so she kept it to herself.

A heavy sense of crisis brewed within Tingzheng's eyes.

With so many beauties surrounding Lu Lan, her young miss would inevitably face immense pressure in the future.

Noticing that Lu Lan's entire focus remained fixed on the letter, Tongyan prepared to take her leave tactfully.

"Do you still have business?"

Tongyan turned around, her clear eyes bright as she said, "Prince Yan has returned to the capital."

Mo Yuan?

Lu Lan furrowed his brow slightly. "Are there hostilities on the border?"

"Indeed. The army of the Xiling Kingdom is pressing hard on our borders, and the Southern Chu forces are suffering defeat after defeat. I hear they have already reached Youmen Pass."

"Who is the enemy commander?"

"Jin Gongchan. This man excels in military strategy and employs unpredictable, bizarre tactics. Youmen Pass is likely to fall. Summoning Prince Yan back to the capital at a time like this, Your Majesty probably intends to have him lead the troops against Xiling."

Lu Lan let out a soft sigh. His cousin was essentially disposable toilet paper—brought out whenever Southern Chu ran into trouble, and tossed right back to Yanzhou once he served his purpose.

"You may withdraw."

"Yes!"

Only Lu Lan remained in the Waterside Pavilion.

He took out Gu Xingwan's letter to read it once more, gazing at her delicate handwriting with a sudden, inexplicable sense of intimacy.

After a long moment, ripples danced within the depths of Lu Lan's eyes, and sudden enlightenment struck him.

So that was it. He finally understood how Pang Shiyuan had managed to purge the foul stench from the black stone.

He fetched the black stone, preparing to test Gu Xingwan's method right away.

...

Lu Lan's upcoming marriage was the talk of the town, completely overshadowing all else.

So much that most people had forgotten that Lu's concubine-born son, Lu Zhongwang, was also on the verge of being married.

From receiving lavish praises across the city to falling into complete obscurity, his own son's wedding had turned the Peace-Seeking Pavilion into a chaotic mess.

Qi Xuefu had hung a three-foot length of white silk from the crossbeam, resting her feet on a chair with her swan-like neck already slipped through the noose.

Mama Jiang cried out in sheer terror as she clutched Qi Xuefu's legs, while a crowd of maids knelt on the floor, wailing aloud.

Upon receiving the news from a servant, Lu Yanbei hurried over to the Peace-Seeking Pavilion in a fury.

Originally, he had been in high spirits today. His most hopeless and mediocre son, Lu Lan, had always caused him endless white hairs over his marriage prospects, with every well-born family in the capital avoiding him like the plague.

It had left him, the father, entirely stripped of any prestige.

Yet now, under the meticulous arrangements of his wife, Yan Shiyue, the wedding was generating immense buzz. Many old acquaintances with whom he had lost touch were proactively paying visits, hoping to secure a cup of wedding wine when Lu Lan tied the knot.

Upon arriving at the Peace-Seeking Pavilion and witnessing the scene before him, a nameless fire ignited in his chest.

Qi Xuefu wailed even louder, her feet suddenly kicking off into empty space.

"Don't any of you stop me! I'm an incompetent mother who has driven my own dear son to suffer, I refuse to live any longer!"

Her tearful howling looked nothing like a household preparing for a grand wedding; it was far more desolate than a funeral procession.