The Whole Dynasty Spoils the Tyrant's Beloved Youngest Daughter-Chapter 454 - 450: Until I Met a Good Girl

"It was after Ah Yu changed the horse mangers that the warhorses began to die one after another. It was Ah Yu, he spread the plague, I saw it..."

"Please, don’t hit me anymore, and don’t shoot arrows at me. I don’t want to die, I want to live."

Upon hearing these words, Jun Yu’s back stiffened, and the hand grasping Zhao Yu’s neck instantly lost its warmth, trembling a few times.

Regaining his senses, Jun Yu let go of Zhao Yu and was about to escape.

However, Zhao Yu suddenly grabbed his hand and refused to let go, saying, "I helped you catch him, quickly come and seize him. As long as you catch him, you will have achieved great merit."

Jun Yu: "........."

He had worked with Zhao Yu for over a year, and their relationship had always been good. They could chat about everyday life and console each other when feeling depressed.

He genuinely regarded Zhao Yu as a good brother.

He had even planned out that once their work was done, upon returning to the Eastern Chu Nation, he would find a way to bring Zhao Yu’s entire family over, use his connections to arrange a respectable and easy government position for Zhao Yu, allowing him to support his family.

But Zhao Yu treated him like this?

Along with the coldness, there was also a pang of heartache.

"Zhao Yu, you really disappoint me." Jun Yu said through gritted teeth, with a sense of resentment in his words for giving his heartfelt trust to Zhao Yu only to have it trampled underfoot.

Zhao Yu showed no remorse, "To survive, I had to betray you. Brother, in the next life, I will repay you as a beast of burden."

"Haha..." For something he couldn’t figure out in this lifetime, he dares to talk about the next life?

Is there even a next life? Who knows!

Why speak such vain words?

Jun Yu had no intention of discussing the next life.

Zhao Yu wanted to say something more, but several garrison soldiers stepped forward and tied both of them up.

Now, no one could escape.

Even after betraying Jun Yu, the garrison soldiers did not let Zhao Yu off. Instead, they used him as a bargaining chip for promotion, taking him everywhere to flatter their superiors and subjecting him to constant interrogation.

Zhao Yu ultimately died, killed by those with ulterior motives.

Everyone wanted a share of the credit for capturing the source of the plague, and Zhao Yu was no exception. But Zhao Yu was just a commoner; how could he compete with children of officials?

Not only could he not compete, but he ultimately lost his life due to his insatiable greed.

When he learned of Zhao Yu’s death, Jun Yu did not feel sad for him, only a bit rueful.

Later, during an interrogation, Jun Yu seized an opportunity. At the enormous cost of disfiguring half his face, he set a fire, burned down the prison, and escaped hidden in a cart of horse dung. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

However, the wounds on his face were too badly corroded by the horse dung. By the time he escaped and sought a doctor, it was too late. Despite enduring a lot of suffering and consuming many medicines, he could not heal.

Initially, he couldn’t accept his appearance and became somewhat self-destructive.

He stopped contacting Jun Ning. He stopped going out and spent his days crying and drinking, feeling like he had no face to see anyone, that there was no point in living and that he might as well be dead.

Until one day, a good girl brought a bowl of hot porridge to him...

...

At this point, Jun Yu stopped speaking. He seemed to be in a dilemma, unable to continue.

Jun Ning, heartbroken, kept shedding tears, unable to wipe them away. She choked up and asked, "What about that girl? Seeing the way you are, you must have fallen for her, right?"

"...That girl is now my good sister!" Jun Yu replied bitterly, then said, "Enough, let’s go to the banquet."

Xiao Lizi, pushing Emperor Yongning, also came over, naturally hearing Jun Yu’s account.

To avoid worrying Jun Ning, Jun Yu recounted the suffering and pain he had endured lightly and quickly.

But everyone knew the immense pain he endured behind those words.

Emperor Yongning, feeling heartache and regret for this son, extended his hand to Jun Yu, who hurriedly stepped forward to grasp it. "Father..."

Emperor Yongning patted the back of Jun Yu’s hand with his other hand, looking at Jun Yu’s face, half-covered by a silver-white mask. His lips moved several times, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word for a long while.

Finally, he managed to say, "Ah Yu, if you like that good girl, Father will immediately send someone to arrange a marriage for you. No matter the cost, Father will help you marry that good girl."

This was the only comfort he, as a father, could give his son!

Jun Yu’s eyes instantly lit up. Unable to hold back, he asked, "What if, Father, I just say what if, that girl is from Bei Xia? Would you... still allow me to marry her?"

"Even if that girl is from Bei Xia, Father will help you marry her." Emperor Yongning candidly stated, "Now that Bei Xia has been defeated, what’s wrong with us marrying one of their people? Even if they’re from the Imperial Family, as long as you like her, Father will act as the matchmaker..."

Jun Ning asked Jun Yu, "Brother, what does that girl’s family do for a living?"

"She’s... from a merchant family..." Jun Yu said with some embarrassment.

The status of being a merchant, among scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, was the lowest in society.

He wanted to marry a merchant’s daughter; would Father agree?

Emperor Yongning glanced at Jun Ning and then at Jun Yu, saying, "In this lifetime, aside from the responsibilities we bear, the most important thing is to follow our hearts. Nothing matters more than living true to one’s desires."

"So, Father, by saying this, you mean you don’t oppose?" Jun Ning was so excited that she gripped Emperor Yongning’s hand more tightly.

"Yes." Emperor Yongning nodded, "Let the Ministry of Rites prepare your marriage as well!" Once the marriages of his son and daughter were over, his journey would almost be at an end.

"That’s great, thank you, Father."

Jun Yu, immersed in joy, didn’t notice the sense of loneliness on Emperor Yongning’s face. But Jun Ning noticed and took the wheelchair from Xiao Lizi.

"Father, I will push you to the court." She turned to Jun Yu, "Brother, stop smiling foolishly; it’s time for court."

The group walked toward the court, each lost in thought, burdened with concerns.

Emperor Yongning sat on the dragon throne, with Jun Ning standing beside him. Just after the ceremonial bows of the officials, his body could no longer hold out and needed to rest.

After the distribution of rewards and titles, he felt even worse.

He closed his eyes for a moment, clenching the fist hidden in his sleeve a little tighter.

He signaled Xiao Lizi to bring out the Imperial Decree, which had long been drafted but had been collecting dust and had never been released, to be read aloud today.

What exactly was this Imperial Decree?

Why the sudden gravity and solemnity?

Speculations raced through the hearts of the ministers.

"His Majesty has been urging for the marriage of the Eighteenth Princess and the Seventeenth Prince; could it be a decree for marriage?"

"Surely not. Such a simple marriage decree doesn’t require such a big fuss."