After receiving the news, the Dowager Duchess and Lu Tingchen hurried over, only to hear Lu Hetian’s somewhat sorrowful sigh the moment they entered the room.
“Why, what’s the Emperor’s edict?” asked the Dowager Duchess.
Lu Hetian handed the imperial edict to her. “His Majesty commanded me to lead troops to the frontier and attack Danjue three days later.”
Startled, the Dowager Duchess took the imperial edict, scanned it, and passed it to Lu Tingchen.
She sat down in a chair and asked in bewilderment, “Why does the Emperor suddenly want to conquer Danjue? I didn’t get any wind of it before this.”
Lu Hetian said, “His Majesty’s been thinking of conquering Danjue a long time ago, but because the Grand Princess was still in Danjue, he kept putting off the decision. But now that Danjue’s regime has changed and fallen into the hands of that warmongering Wanyan Jin, things are different. Besides, Danjue’s been frequently causing trouble at the frontier and deliberately provoking conflict, throwing the lives of the people there into unrest. Recently, the court officials have been arguing about this issue, but His Majesty still didn’t declare his stance. I thought that after the wedding, he…”
He did not continue, but the Dowager Duchess and Lu Tingchen understood what he meant.
The Emperor used to be as swift and violent as lightning in his decision-making, but after marrying Weiwei, he did not declare his stance on Danjue for a long time. Numerous court members had been secretly criticizing the Emperor for becoming lovestruck and losing all ambition after the wedding.
Now, however, it seemed that the Emperor had not changed after all—he had only made the decision late because he had his own concerns.
Lu Tingchen looked at Lu Hetian, his eyes burning with the will to fight, and said excitedly, “I’ll ask His Majesty to let me accompany you in this quest to conquer Danjue, Father.”
Hearing this, Lu Hetian frowned in disapproval. “If both you and I are not in the imperial capital, what will happen to Weiwei and your grandmother? Besides, your sister’s new to palace life, and it’s not good if there’s nobody around to take care of her. I won’t let you go; you stay here.”
Lu Tingchen was a little reluctant to obey, but Weiwei was alone in the palace, and it would indeed be inappropriate if both he and his father were not in the imperial capital. Furthermore, his grandmother was already old and needed care.
Thinking of this, he suppressed his yearning for the battlefield and did not press on.
No one knew a son better than his father!
Lu Hetian, of course, understood his thoughts. When he was young, he was also just like him — dreaming of charging onto the battlefield and putting his life on the line for the kingdom.
However, now that he had so many concerns, his determination to go into battle was no longer as pure as it used to be.
Especially now that Lihua had returned — he had not even received her forgiveness.
Unfortunately, he just had to go to the frontier at this time, of all times. It was hard to say how long it would take for him to come back; by then, Lihua would definitely have left, leaving him without a single trace to find her, just like all these years.
To be honest, he was a little unwilling to leave for the battlefield just like this.
However, he could not defy the Emperor’s orders, and as a court official, it was his duty to assist the Emperor and ward off the kingdom’s enemies.
“You’re still young. You’ll have plenty of chances in the future,” Lu Hetian said to his son.
Lu Tingchen nodded, though still feeling sorrowful inside.
He had been practicing martial arts and reading books on the art of war since young. However, no matter how skilled he was in martial arts and how well-read he was, what was the use if he had never been to a real battlefield?
The Dowager Duchess observed the father and son’s expressions quietly.
How would she not know what her son and grandson were thinking?
After a moment’s thought, she looked at the father and son with wise eyes. “I’m well aware of both of your concerns. I may be old, but not to the point where I need your care. As for Weiwei, I believe that she’s able to look after herself; she doesn’t need you to worry about her all the time. You have your own ambitions, and you shouldn’t hold yourselves back for our sakes.”