Chapter 1717: Chapter 1710: Lu Mian’s Ruthlessness

In the future, if he wishes to be an enlightened monarch, he must recognize that countless women under the heavens are exceptional.

He should pave the way for them.

Lu Mian’s words were disregarded by Chu Heng, leaving him humiliated.

Yet, even in front of the civil officials, Chu Heng merely maintained a cold façade without excessive expressions.

While everyone was cheering enthusiastically for Lin Yu, surrounding Chu Heng and Chu Jinling, Zhuo Junli approached Lu Mian with Leng Muling by his side.

Looking at Lu Mian’s stiff expression, Zhuo Junli couldn’t help but laugh, "Lord Lu, are you upset now?"

Lu Mian gave a cold flick of his sleeve and turned to leave.

"Lord Lu, in such a hurry? Why not give the young lady here a ride? After all, we’re already engaged as future spouses!"

Leng Muling, in her flowing green dress, gracefully twirled in front of Lu Mian. Her delicate features bloomed like a flower, with a voice clear and full of charm.

"Seems Miss Leng still hasn’t learned the meaning of the word ’modesty.’" Lu Mian curled his lips into a mocking smile.

Did she truly believe that clinging to him would make him marry her?

"Should modesty not first be learned by you, Lord Lu? Wasn’t it you who personally petitioned the Crown Prince to grant marriage with my niece? Now, the emperor’s decree has already reached the Crown Prince’s hands."

Zhuo Junli’s smile remained, though his eyes glimmered like an unfathomable abyss.

"The emperor’s decree? I have yet to receive it!" Lu Mian’s face stiffened as he squinted, studying Zhuo Junli.

This man truly intended to marry his niece to him?

He dared!

"Once the Crown Prince delivers the decree of marriage, you’ll know!" Zhuo Junli tipped his fan against Lu Mian’s shoulder, "Since we’ll soon be family, dear niece-in-law, I’ll act a little presumptuously toward you;

You’ve drawn my niece’s attention, so you’ll simply have to endure it!"

Zhuo Junli’s smile carried an unmistakable message: whether Lu Mian married Yun Sijin or Leng Muling, either way, Zhuo Junli was victorious.

Raging flames enveloped Lu Mian’s heart, his hatred for Zhuo Junli surged like the torrent of Jiang’s waters.

He hated him!

Zhuo Junli!

"Hate brings nothing to you, Lord Lu; you’ll never surpass my uncle." Leng Muling’s perceptive gaze caught the uncontainable hatred in Lu Mian’s eyes; she chuckled softly.

"That remains to be seen."

Lu Mian stepped closer to Leng Muling, pressing one hand firmly onto her shoulder, "Didn’t you wish to leave with me? I’ll take you on a ride, then."

Leng Muling felt the unbearable pressure on her shoulder as if her bones were about to shatter. She couldn’t even muster the strength to cry out, the pain making her shrink into herself.

Lu Mian dragged her away.

Though some passerby witnessed this, just when Leng Muling showed an expression of pleading for help, Lu Mian was quicker, announcing, "She’s my fiancée; no need to be surprised."

Hearing this, even if outsiders discerned her painful expression, they dared not interfere and silently walked away.

"Lu... Lu Mian!"

"Lu Mian! Let me go!"

Leng Muling ground her teeth through the pain, tears brimming in her eyes.

Lu Mian hauled her onto the carriage, violently throwing her inside, causing Leng Muling to slam against the tea table.

"Bang—"

Leng Muling felt dizzy, nearly losing consciousness.

She cradled her spinning head, her vision blurred with overlapping shadows, "Lu Mian, you dare... dare to kill me? I curse you to a miserable end."

"Try me."

Lu Mian’s tone resembled the icy summit of a hundred-zhang snow peak, carrying the cold of millennia, menacing and oppressive.

Leng Muling quivered all over, and only after the carriage jolted for a while did she gradually regain clarity.

She gritted her teeth silently, recalling her uncle’s warnings: once entangled with Lu Mian, besides enduring both physical and emotional torture, there was even the risk of losing her life!

For this man, though a civil official, possessed a ruthlessness exceeding that of martial generals!

If she planned to take revenge against him, she had to be prepared for the prospect of death!

Now she understood.

Leng Muling wiped the tears from her face and slowly pulled herself into a proper sitting position.

Though her eyes were red and swollen, they gleamed with an extraordinary brightness as she gazed at Lu Mian, a faint smile flickering across her lips, "My future husband really should learn how to cherish delicate beauty; otherwise, after marrying me, how will I bear your lineage?

Or do you intend to see the Lu Family’s legacy come to an end at your own hands?"

"Leng Muling, marry me—you dare?" Lu Mian, whose ice-cold exterior perpetually veiled his thoughts, now resembled a ravenous wolf, greedily eyeing his prey.

Leng Muling saw the bloodlust and fury in his gaze, a desire to strip her apart entirely, leaving her corpse untraceable.

Inside, fear gripped her; the urge to retreat was overwhelming!

Yet, retreat was no longer an option!

Her beloved was long gone; marriage bore no hope for her!

But she could not betray the Leng Family’s kindness in raising her. Nor could she let someone like Lu Mian, her dread nemesis, revel in unbridled joy!

Her gaze hardened; a sly smile curved her lips as she softly opened them, "Lord Lu, I dare."

Not only did she dare, but she would endure by his side, alive and well!

Chu Heng issued a decree to Lin Aotian, instructing him to handle the matter of Lin Yu and the other two joining the army. Once they recovered from their injuries, they were to enter the military formally and be granted ranks.

Moved to tears, Lin Aotian saluted deeply, "Thank you, Crown Prince! His Highness is magnanimous and kind; the Great Cheng Dynasty is bound to flourish!"

"Please rise, Great General Lin." Chu Heng offered a pure-hearted smile.

He instructed Lin Aotian and Ye Hongru to begin preparations.

There were some details he still needed to deliberate with his Ninth Brother.

Chu Jinling sat below Chu Heng’s imperial table, helping him sort through the memorials submitted by civil officials that day. Chu Heng sighed heavily, "Ninth Brother, though we’ve set a precedent for women joining the army, progress on women’s academies has still been slow.

Moreover, Lord Lu Mian now has developed a comprehensive plan specifically targeting this issue."

He could not completely oppose Lu Mian, as the man possessed genuine talent and wisdom, and many of his proposals were legitimate.

But as someone acting on behalf of the emperor, he could not prove Lu Mian wrong, nor could he push his father’s new policies forward.

"Lu Mian is farsighted and insightful, much like Prime Minister Zhuo; they are both pillars of the court. However, I think he’s currently blinded by personal grudges," Chu Jinling remarked, closing the memorial before offering his thoughts.

"I’ve interacted with Lu Mian before. I vaguely recall, some years ago, when neither he nor Prime Minister Zhuo had risen to high-ranking positions, Lu Mian’s animosity toward women was far less pronounced.

Why, in recent years, has he become so sharp and vehement?"

Lin Sisi was equally baffled.

Though she had yet to return to her official position, she was still a seasoned servant of the court and privy to some of its affairs.

She had encountered Lu Mian in the past, but these past few years... Jiang Du City had seen major transformations, and so had its people.

Chu Heng seemed aware of the answer but didn’t elaborate. His clear, rounded eyes simply fixed themselves on his Ninth Brother.

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