"The Wu family was and still is the highest-ranked among all the 'General' families so she didn't worry about her family's disapproval but was merely too shy to let everyone know about it." Xiao Zhu continued.
"Although she may not have shared this relationship with her parents, her siblings were all aware and teased her endlessly." Xiao Zhu shared a sad smile - the same one she had worn when her mother told her the same story.
"Her two older sisters loved her dearly, never sparing any effort to spoil her, while her twin brother was stuck by her side, protecting her everywhere she went. The connection between them was so strong that they once joked about how they could feel each others' emotions as if they were their own."
Yingyue felt a jealous pang hit her... She herself had always wished for a sibling, especially to feel such a connection with one.
It appeared that the young Yingyue was unaware of many details in her mother's life as a thorough search of the memories was not telling her much about their family history...
"Her brother was also in love with a young lady from the Xiang family. Although they could not compare to the Lu family, they got their wealth from their flourishing mining businesses."
"Concubine Lu, her brother, Xiang Nuo and Wu Zhong were the famous four best friends in the capital city. While known for their kindness and virtue, they were still a formidable force for anyone who dared to cross them." Yingyue could almost imagine the four of them, striding shoulder to shoulder, bonded together for life.
"For many years, the Wu family moved away to protect the outer borders of our lands. They did not return for a long time but the love between the two of them remained strong."
"Although the memories of that particular day are not clear in my mind, my mother's story will hopefully be able to make up for what I do not remember... I was playing around in the Lu family residence that night, too young at the time to be serving anyone yet." Xiao Zhu took a deep breath as she began to dig up the memories that she had buried all these years...
"That night, my mother had told me it was very important that I stay out of sight, but I got curious and started wondering towards where the banquet was being held."
"Every now and then strange guards I had never seen before would walk by and I would have to throw myself behind a bush. I didn't know then, what I know now..."
"Eventually, I made it to the grand hall where thousands of lanterns lit up every tile and flower. Crouching behind one of the statues in a corner, I could make out all the officials who were seated in the banquet, eventually leading up to the seats at the top..."
"The couple was seated on magnificent chairs of gold so radiant that the fire blazing from the mouth of the dragon and covering the feathers of the phoenix almost seemed to come alive before me. It was the emperor and empress themselves..."
"While the glorious chairs behind seemed to be intimidating, their aura was noble and pure. Upon their faces were soft smiles that made people want to approach them and laugh with them."
"My mother said that the Emperor was honouring the Lu family that night by allowing us to arrange the Emperor's birthday banquet at the Lu residence instead of in the palace."
"I remember being in awe at the sights... In the middle of the dance floor were beautiful girls with ribbons in their hands. They moved rhythmically, weaving in and out of each other like needles in a piece of embroidery, each move eventually forming a beautiful cloth."
"I was too innocent to know that it was all just the calm before a storm - not just any storm, but a devastating hurricane that swept through the city and ended up at the Lu family house..." Yingyue tensed up as Xiao Zhu continued her story.
"One moment, I was gazing, mesmerised by the throwing of ribbons and swaying of bodies. Officials were raising glasses and laughing gleefully, but just a moment later, everything erupted into chaos..."
"The Emperor was lying on his back, his lips slowly turning blue... Everything there had been organised by the Lu family so there were no words that could save them from the inevitable."
"Not only that, but soon after the imperial physicians had just been summoned, soldiers marched in through the doors - the same ones I had seen in the outer gardens earlier that night - and accompanying them was Duke Su, the Emperor's uncle..."
"At his command, they lugged in trunks after trunks of weapons that had been buried in grains and leaves as if someone was trying to conceal evidence... With his tongue, he laid on accusation after accusation..."
"It was damning evidence and without the Emperor conscious to help him, Left Prime Minister Lu was immediately put under house arrest by Duke Su and we were guarded on every side of the house. He was just a man awaiting death..."
"Treason was no small crime... Not only had he been framed for a crime against the Emperor's life but also a crime against the throne at the same time?"
"Even after spending his whole life as an upstanding official, he knew that there was no easy way he could escape punishment after seeing all the evidence..."
"What little carefree life we knew before was never the same from then on. The only thing that prolonged Prime Minister Lu's death sentence from being carried out was the Empress's insistence that they wait for the Emperor to wake up and allow him to make the decisions."