The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 574: Chapter 577: I Am Unconvinced

Mrs. Xie knelt by the bed with her younger daughter, Lu Wanqing.

The mother and daughter both had red-rimmed eyes, their expressions filled with grief.

Prince Yu, holding on by a thread, laboriously raised his right hand and pointed to the low cabinet by the bed.

The loyal old servant guarding the bedside immediately stepped forward, unlocked the cabinet with a key, and took out a wooden box.

Prince Yu opened his bloodless lips, his voice raspy and weak.

"After I die, take this box and leave Longdong County."

After he fell gravely ill, all power in the mansion had fallen into Lu Kai’s hands.

Lu Kai knew Prince Yu would not live much longer, and he also knew that as soon as the prince died, the court would reclaim their royal title and fiefdom.

They would be left with nothing.

Lu Kai could not allow that to happen.

He was preparing to risk everything and lead his troops in a rebellion.

The land in Longdong County was fertile and rich in resources, and the troops under Prince Yu’s command were well-fed and robust.

Combined with their familiarity with the terrain, victory was not entirely out of reach.

Prince Yu could not stop his second son, nor did he want to.

After all, besides rebellion, they had no better options.

The only thing Prince Yu could do now was send Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing away.

The relationship between the first and second branches of the family had always been poor.

Lu Kai was a petty and narrow-minded man. If he truly succeeded, he would certainly not let Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing live peacefully.

But if his rebellion failed, Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing, as his relatives, would surely suffer the consequences as well.

So, regardless of the outcome, it was not suitable for Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing to remain in the Prince Mansion.

He wanted them to go far away from here, find a secluded place, and live a good life.

Even if Lu Kai’s efforts were to end in failure and the entire Yu Royal Mansion was destroyed, at least some of the Lu Family’s bloodline would survive. The family line would not be completely extinguished.

The old servant handed the wooden box to Mrs. Xie.

Mrs. Xie could not help but cry again, choking out her words.

"Don’t say such things. We won’t abandon you and leave.

Please, just hold on a little longer. I’ve already sent a message to Amang. I’m sure she’ll be back soon."

But Prince Yu said, "She won’t be coming back."

’I saw long ago that girl was not one to settle down peacefully.’

’I had originally planned to slowly smooth out her rough edges, or perhaps use her status as the Princely Heir to produce another little successor for the Yu Royal Mansion.’

’But now, none of those plans would work.’

’Because my time was running out.’

Mrs. Xie, however, did not understand the reason why.

She still believed her elder daughter was alive and quickly said,

"That’s not possible. Although Amang always threw tantrums with you, she has always been very filial. If she knew you were gravely ill, she would definitely rush back, no matter the cost."

Hearing her say this, Prince Yu felt an even greater sense of bitterness.

’My eldest granddaughter is already gone.’

Prince Yu said in a hoarse voice, "Go, quickly. The farther the better. And never come back."

Without waiting for Mrs. Xie to argue, the old servant forcefully pushed the box into her hands and shouted to the trusted aides guarding the door, "Attend me!"

The trusted aides pushed open the door and entered.

Following Prince Yu’s orders, they escorted Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing out of the Prince Mansion.

When Lu Kai learned that Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing had fled, he feared that news of his rebellion would leak and immediately dispatched men to pursue them.

The mother and daughter fled, escorted by the trusted aides.

They were relentlessly attacked along the way, and the trusted aides died one after another.

In the end, they could only hide deep in the old mountain forests, using the cover of the terrain to barely hold off their enemies.

「In the dead of night.」

Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing were hiding in a cave.

To avoid being discovered, they dared not light a fire. They ate wild fruits picked by the trusted aides and drank the cold spring water from the mountain.

The wild fruits were sour and astringent, not at all pleasant to eat.

Mrs. Xie could not stomach more than one.

She gazed at the pitch-black night outside the cave, as if seeing the future that awaited her and her daughter. A sense of sorrow welled up inside her, and tears fell once more.

Lu Wanqing silently gnawed on a wild fruit, neither crying nor showing any fear.

For ease of escape, she was now dressed in coarse cloth garments. Her hair was tied up completely, and her sleeves and trouser legs were bound tightly. With her sun-darkened skin and small, thin frame, she looked like a young boy at first glance.

After finishing the last wild fruit, she suddenly spoke.

"We can’t keep running."

Mrs. Xie was startled.

She turned to look at her younger daughter sitting beside her, her voice still laced with tears.

"What did you say?"

Lu Wanqing stood up, her eyes incredibly dark and bright. "The more we run, the harder they’ll chase. We have to fight back!"

Mrs. Xie thought she had misheard.

"Are you mad? Do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

Lu Wanqing replied, "They all think we’re helpless, so they won’t take us seriously. This is our chance. We can set a trap ahead of time, lure them into it, and then turn the tables on them."

Mrs. Xie was genuinely frightened now, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"Don’t be ridiculous. You’re just a little girl, what do you know about military strategy and warfare? That’s men’s business..."

Lu Wanqing cut her off angrily.

"I don’t want to hear that anymore!"

Mrs. Xie was stunned.

Lu Wanqing clenched her fists, her teeth gritted.

"Whether it’s you or Grandfather, all you ever see is my brother.

Just because he is a man and I am a girl, you placed all your hopes on him.

You expected him to inherit the family estate, but you never once considered me.

But why?

I don’t think I’m any worse than him, so why does he get to have anything he wants?

While I’m forced to be a clinging vine, living by depending on others?

I won’t accept it!"

These words had been building up inside her for many years.

Now, she had blurted them all out at once.

Ever since they were children, Lu Wanqing had always been jealous of her brother.

She was jealous that he was born a man, jealous that he could get everything so easily.

Especially when she learned that her brother had actually run away from home to escape his responsibilities, only to get injured falling down a hill, Lu Wanqing’s jealousy and resentment nearly burst from her skull.

’She had wanted so badly to rush before her grandfather and tell him loudly,’

’That the family estate her brother refused to inherit, she was willing to inherit!’

’The responsibilities her brother refused to bear, she was willing to bear!’

’She would give everything for the Yu Royal Mansion, if only her grandfather would give her the chance!’

However, her reason held her back.

She knew her grandfather would never agree.

If she had really dared to say those words, she would only have been met with her grandfather’s rebukes and the ridicule of others.

If nothing had happened to the Yu Royal Mansion, if everything had continued to proceed as usual,

then Lu Wanqing would have taken these thoughts to her grave.

But now, things were different.

The Yu Royal Mansion was in chaos, and soon the entire Longdong County would fall into chaos as well.

In a time of chaos, everyone would be too busy fending for themselves. No one would care if she was a man or a woman.

She could finally do whatever she wanted.

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