In all honesty, Chen Xuping’s eagerness to dispose of Lu Liangwei was not solely because of Lu Yunshuang.
This was because Chen Xuping had always hated Lu Liangwei; he could not wait to have her killed.
The reason for this was due to something that had happened when they were young.
Once during a palace banquet, a sudden storm arose, and everyone was forced to wait in the Jade Dew Hall.
Coincidentally, Lu Yunshuang needed to use the lavatory, so she left the Jade Dew Hall and headed toward the hut in the bamboo forest.
When she returned, she was startled by a kitten that suddenly leaped out in front of her.
She had always detested small animals such as cats. The kitten’s actions angered her, so she picked up a nearby rock and smashed its head in on the spot.
The kitten was tiny and its body was covered in perfect white fur. It was unusually pretty, but after it had been struck by the rock, it toppled into a pool of its own blood and its fur became stained a vivid scarlet. It struggled and whimpered but did not die immediately.
After Lu Yunshuang calmed down, she realized the kitten was not of a common breed. She heard footsteps approaching and immediately hid in the darkness.
Just then, a figure appeared within her field of vision. It was Lu Liangwei.
Unlike Lu Yunshuang, Lu Liangwei loved cats.
When she spotted the little white kitten lying in a pool of blood on the side of the path, she stopped and picked the little creature up in her arms. It seemed as if she wanted to take it to the imperial physician. Unfortunately, Chen Xuping came running toward her anxiously right at this inopportune moment.
He seemed to be searching for the kitten. When he spotted Lu Liangwei holding onto the dying little creature in her arms, he immediately shoved at her angrily.
“Lu Liangwei, you’re cruel and evil!”
To this day, Lu Yunshuang still remembered the heartbroken voice of that young boy.
What she had remembered even more clearly was the murderous look that surged up in Chen Xuping’s eyes that moment, but he had suppressed it firmly, as if wary of something.
Lu Liangwei had been shocked at the time as well. By the time she managed to collect her thoughts and attempt an explanation, Chen Xuping had run off with the little white kitten in his arms.
Lu Yunshuang witnessed the entire scene while hiding in the dark. She was secretly glad that Lu Liangwei had taken the rap for her.
She was just a daughter of a secondary wife. If Chen Xuping found out it was Lu Yunshuang who had killed his kitten, he would probably have disposed of her on the spot without hesitation.
He had not taken action against Lu Liangwei because he was wary of her status as the daughter of the Grand Duke’s principal wife—the apple of Lu Hetian’s eye.
Lu Yunshuang counted herself as extremely fortunate. Something occurred to her, however, and she quickly followed Chen Xuping, catching up with him.
Chen Xuping was the only son of Duke Chen. Even though the Duke Chen Family was not as prominent as the Grand Duke Family, Duke Chen still held quite an important position in the imperial court.
Lu Yunshuang made up her mind, then ran straight in Chen Xuping’s direction, pretending to bump into him.
When she saw the dead kitten in his arms, she did her best to suppress the disgust she felt for it and looked at the little animal with a heart-broken expression.
“This kitten is so adorable. Who could have been cruel enough to harm it in such a manner?” She displayed a sorrowful countenance as if the kitten had belonged to her, even managing to shed tears on the spot.
Chen Xuping had initially intended to ignore her, but he was touched by her kindness. In the end, both of them had buried the kitten together.
She had even contributed her handkerchief, which she had used to cover the cat.
It was then that Chen Xuping began to notice her.
After that, they stayed in touch quite frequently.
As time passed, Chen Xuping began to fall for her.
If not for the fact that she had set her eyes on the Crown Prince, Lu Yunshuang would have considered marrying Chen Xuping. After all, he was the Heir Presumptive of the Duke Chen Family. If she married him, she would be the wife of the Heir Presumptive. As the mere daughter of a secondary wife, this would be considered marrying up in the world.
Compared to Long Chi, however, the title of Heir Presumptive of the Duke Chen Family was quite insignificant.
That was why when Long Chi became the Crown Prince, Lu Yunshuang had immediately set her sights on him. Using some underhanded tactics to push Lu Liangwei out of the picture, she had successfully married Long Chi in the end.