Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 160 The Truth
Outside the Jinluan Palace, the wind was cold and snowflakes were falling sporadically. Lu Nianqing stood in the corridor, his posture was upright, and his face was still wearing the exquisite fox mask. He looked through the mask and quietly stared at the palace door, waiting for the eldest princess to appear.

Soon, the eldest princess and several ministers filed out. Lu Nianqing stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Mother."

The princess nodded slightly, said goodbye to the ministers beside her, and then turned to look at Lu Nianqing. Her eyes were gentle, but with a hint of imperceptible complex emotions.

"Nianqing." The princess spoke softly, with a tentative tone in her voice, "Mother always asks you to wear a mask in front of outsiders. Do you have any doubts in your heart?"

Lu Nianqing lowered his head, his voice calm and obedient: "Mother won't harm me, I will just be obedient."

The princess' eyes flashed with relief when she heard this. She reached out and gently patted his shoulder, "Good boy, mother is doing this for your own good."

Lu Nianqing nodded slightly, but countless questions were surging in his mind.

The older he got, the more his mother was afraid of him showing his true face in front of others. In front of the female relatives, his mother didn't mind him taking off the mask, but once it came to military commanders or older officials, his mother was always particularly nervous. At the last birthday banquet, his mother invited only the female relatives and young officials, and none of the older court officials were invited. In fact, his mother even specifically told him to try not to appear in public.

He was puzzled and asked his mother why, but she always evaded the question by saying that she was "weak and sickly, and should not be exposed to the wind." Although he was puzzled, he never investigated further. Until last night, when General Mu saw his face on the Lantern Street, his face changed drastically, and he left in a hurry and then disappeared.

Could all this be related to his appearance?
Lu Nianqing raised his hand and gently stroked the edge of the mask, feeling slightly uneasy. Why was General Mu shocked by his face? Who did he look like? He was the son of the eldest princess and her husband, who else could he look like?

A terrible thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he clenched his fists, his fingertips digging deep into his palms. No, it's impossible... He didn't dare to think any further.

The Yangxin Palace was magnificent, with a blazing charcoal fire in the stove, driving away the winter chill. The princess led Lu Nianqing into the palace. Lu Nianqing was still wearing the delicate fox mask, and she walked calmly, but she could not hide a trace of uneasiness in her heart.

The eunuch bowed and stepped aside, reporting in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the eldest princess and Young Master Lu have arrived."

The emperor was sitting at his desk reviewing memorials. Hearing this, he raised his head with a loving smile on his face, "Come in, come in!"

Lu Nianqing took a step forward and knelt down to salute: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Majesty."

The emperor smiled and stood up, personally helped him up, and said in a friendly tone: "Nianqing, why are you so distant with your uncle? Take off your mask quickly and let your uncle take a good look at you."

Lu Nianqing was slightly startled, and subconsciously looked at the princess. The princess looked normal and nodded gently. Lu Nianqing then raised his hand and slowly took off the mask, revealing a handsome face.

The emperor looked at him carefully, his eyes full of admiration, "Good, good! Nianqing is indeed born with a good appearance, even better than your father."

The eldest princess smiled slightly and said gently: "It is common sense that children have their own looks and are more outstanding than us elders."

The emperor laughed and patted Lu Nianqing on the shoulder, "Nianqing is not only outstanding in appearance, but also talented in both literature and martial arts. She is worthy of being the bloodline of our Li family."

Lu Nianqing felt uncomfortable being praised.

"Come, today I specially asked someone to prepare your favorite dishes, let's have a good meal together as a family."

The palace maids filed in and placed exquisite dishes on the table. The emperor personally served the eldest princess and Lu Nianqing, and his tone was full of love: "Nianqing, try this steamed fish, it was your sister's favorite when she was a child."

Lu Nianqing took it respectfully and lowered his head to taste it. It tasted delicious, but he could not hide his doubts. He looked up at the emperor and found that the emperor was looking at him thoughtfully with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"Nianqing," the emperor suddenly spoke, his tone casual but meaningful, "You don't look like the prince consort, nor like the imperial sister. It's really strange." The eldest princess paused for a moment with her chopsticks, then smiled and said, "It doesn't matter who the child looks like, as long as he is healthy and intelligent."

The emperor nodded, but did not stop there. Instead, he asked with interest: "Royal sister, Nianqing is so good-looking, why does he always wear a mask? I remember that he didn't show up often when he was a child. Why is that?"

The atmosphere in the palace froze instantly. The eldest princess looked normal, but a hint of subtle nervousness flashed across her eyes. Lu Nianqing clenched the chopsticks in her hand, and her heartbeat quickened slightly.

The princess put down her chopsticks and said calmly, "Nian Qing is too good-looking and easily attracts trouble. He is introverted and doesn't like to show off, so let him be."

The emperor nodded thoughtfully, and the eldest princess knew that her reasons were too far-fetched.

Lu Jing stood outside the palace, his posture was straight and his eyes were sharp. Although he couldn't hear the conversation inside the palace, he could feel the subtle atmosphere. His eyes fell on the palace door, and he felt uneasy.

After lunch, the emperor stood up and said with a smile: "Nianqing, come to the palace often and talk with your uncle."

Lu Nianqing bowed respectfully: "Yes."

The princess also stood up and left, taking Lu Nianqing out of the Yangxin Palace. When walking out of the palace, Lu Nianqing couldn't help but look back, only to find that the emperor was standing in the palace, looking at him deeply.

That look made his heart inexplicably tighten.

"Lu Jing!" the emperor shouted coldly, "Come in!"

Lu Jing walked in quickly from outside the hall, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, "I am here."

The emperor stared at him with a sharp gaze, "Is General Mu dead?"

Lu Jing lowered his head and said in a steady tone: "Your Majesty, General Mu has not been seen alive or dead, so I dare not speculate."

"Don't dare to speculate?" The emperor sneered, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "General Mu is a filial son. When he was in the capital, he would go to pay respects to his mother every day. Now he has been missing for a day and a night. If nothing unexpected happened, how could there be no news?"

Lu Jing was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Your Majesty, I have sent more people to search, and we will find out the truth as soon as possible."

The emperor slammed the table so hard that the water in the teacup splashed out. "Marquis Ningyuan and General Chen, relying on the power of the King of Southwest, simply don't take the law seriously! General Mu's disappearance must be related to them! If I don't teach them a lesson, they really think they have the final say in this world!"

Lu Jing's heart trembled, and he quickly advised: "Your Majesty, the Princess of Southwest was assassinated in the capital, and the relationship between the military and civil officials is already tense. Now that General Mu is missing, the conflict has intensified. It is New Year's Eve soon, and it would be unlucky if blood is seen at this time. Please think twice."

The emperor snorted coldly and looked at Lu Jing fiercely, "Unlucky? My important ministers are missing, their lives or deaths are unknown, and you are talking to me about good or bad luck? Lu Jing, you are responsible for the safety of the imperial city. Now that a first-rank military marquis is missing, if you fail to investigate and deal with it properly, I will hold you responsible!"

Lu Jing lowered his head and said firmly, "I will do my best to find out the truth and give an explanation to the emperor."

The emperor took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and spoke in a slower tone: "Lu Jing, I know you are loyal, but this matter is of great importance and cannot be sloppy. I will give you three days. If you cannot find General Mu or find out the truth within three days, you will no longer have to sit in the position of deputy commander of the Jinyiwei."

Lu Jing's heart sank, but he still responded respectfully: "I obey your order."

The emperor waved his hand and said in a tired tone: "Go down, I will wait for your news."