At that instant, three people had already begun moving.
Those three were Long Yang, Lu Hetian, and Lu Tingchen.
Right as Lu Liangwei was about to use Zhao Qian’s arm for support to get down from the carriage, the three men had already moved simultaneously.
All the officials from the Ministry of Rites saw a quick blur pass before their eyes. Before they could even clearly make out what was going on, they saw their straight-backed, stern, and majestic Emperor—who had hitherto been standing in front of them—already at the carriage.
He even moved twice as fast as Lu Hetian and Lu Tingchen.
Long Yang stood in front of the carriage; very naturally, his hand reached to grasp Lu Liangwei’s hand that had yet to land on Zhao Qian’s arm.
His palm closed over her soft fingers, squeezing them gently. Then, under the wide-eyed gaze of the crowd, he lifted Lu Liangwei down from the carriage with ease.
When Lu Liangwei saw the dumbfounded looks on the faces of her father, her brother, and all the other onlookers, her initial calm façade began to crack slightly.
However, a certain emperor was painfully unaware that he should put her down immediately.
She rested against his shoulder; as a last resort, she secretly pinched the inside of his arm. In a voice as soft as the hum of a mosquito, she murmured, “Put me down.”
The color of Long Yang’s already dark eyes deepened until they seemed almost black when he felt the slight numbness on his arm. He gave her an inscrutable glance.
“Mm,” he replied in a low voice and finally set her down on the ground.
Lu Liangwei heaved a secret sigh of relief, but she still felt slightly displeased.
How was she supposed to face her father and brother after Long Yang had done something like this?
Long Yang saw her standing there pretending to be mature and composed, but he still managed to catch the flash of annoyance that crossed her brow.
He did not feel guilty, much less embarrassed. He had wanted to do that for a long time.
Being able to hold her in his arms and hug her in public gave him a feeling of delight that he had never experienced before.
From now on, she would be his fiancée. Soon, she would become his empress and his wife.
The Emperor was in an excellent mood, and even the coldness that always clouded his brow seemed to dissipate without a trace.
The faint smile in his eyes was several degrees warmer than even the winter sun.
All the officials present had served the Emperor for many years, but they had never seen him smile before.
At this moment, watching the Emperor and Second Miss Lu standing together, they felt that the two were a perfect match.
Second Miss Lu’s beauty could launch a thousand ships, while the Emperor was aristocratic and dignified—a man of peerless elegance.
At this very instant, everyone had forgotten that Second Miss Lu had almost become the Emperor’s niece-in-law, as well as the fact that the Emperor was more than twelve years older than her.
Right as everyone was enjoying this visually pleasing scene, Lu Hetian, on the other hand, was finding it extremely unsightly.
His eyes were even a little red-rimmed, and he glared at the Emperor with extreme displeasure.
He truly had not expected the Emperor to be such a flippant person.
Just by looking at how intimately Long Yang had been holding Weiwei in his arms earlier, it was not difficult for Lu Hetian to imagine how this fellow must have taken advantage of Weiwei behind his back.
As he thought about this, he felt even more rage and animosity.
If the man in question were not the Emperor, Lu Hetian would already have given him a violent beating.
However, despite being constrained by the other’s position as Emperor, Lu Hetian was still unable to conceal his displeasure.
His usual poise and discretion had completely crumbled at this point.
That was his daughter, whom he had treated like a precious jewel in the palm of his hand since she was a child. Now that she was being embraced and coveted by another man, how could he not feel animosity?
Under the shocked gazes of all the officials, Lu Hetian suddenly strode over and pulled Lu Liangwei behind him.
“Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Please, you should return to the Palace!”
His voice was cold and utterly devoid of respect. If one listened carefully, it was not difficult to tell that he was suppressing his immense fury.