Rebirth of the Cannon Fodder in the Entertainment Circle
Chapter 529: Cannon Fodder Princess Consort (Complete)

Chapter 529: Cannon Fodder Princess Consort (Complete)

Luo Ning looked at Lu Xiao’s heartbroken expression with both satisfaction and speechlessness.

"What were you doing earlier? Is there a point in saying all this now?"

She added, "Besides, I don’t hate you anymore."

Lu Xiao brightened up, "You don’t hate me anymore? Then, would you not marry Lu Xun, please? Give me another chance."

Luo Ning decisively shook her head, "No, I said I don’t hate you, but that doesn’t mean I have feelings for you; it’s because I no longer love you, so I don’t hate you."

"I have completely let go of you. Without feelings, without love, where would hate come from?"

"Now to me, you are just a stranger."

This time, Lu Xiao was truly stricken. Was not being hated the most hurtful thing?

He asked painfully, "Can’t we really turn back the time?"

Luo Ning’s face was cold, "No."

While Lu Xiao found this hard to accept, it also stirred up some resentment in him, "Do you really have to treat me this way?"

Luo Ning stated resolutely, "From now on, please don’t come to bother or harass me. After all, I will soon be married. If you have any shame, don’t tarnish my reputation."

Lu Xiao gritted his teeth, "Fine, you really are commendable."

After saying that, he turned and left, filled with pain and hatred toward Lu Xun, who was taking the woman he loved.

Seeing the hatred Lu Xiao harbored, Luo Ning decided to warn Lu Xun to be wary of him.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor wanted Lu Xun to marry soon and had the Astronomical Observatory select an auspicious date.

The Astronomical Observatory found that three months and six months later were both auspicious days, so their wedding was set for two months later.

Lu Xiao returned to the Capital City without the Emperor’s order and was scolded by the Emperor at the court meeting, who then sent him back to attend to his duties.

Meanwhile, Luo Ning and Lu Xun both kept a close watch on Lu Xiao.

Discovering that Lu Xiao was secretly in close contact with Duke Dingguo, Luo Ning knew they might be planning to tread the same path as in her previous life.

But this time, Luo Ning was determined not to let them succeed.

With her warning, Lu Xun had people keep an eye on Lu Xiao, naturally uncovering these plots and reporting them to the Emperor.

Soon, Luo Ning and Lu Xun’s grand wedding day arrived.

Lu Xiao did not attend; he feared he couldn’t restrain himself from causing a scene at Prince Chen’s Mansion and doing something irrational.

He couldn’t bear to watch the woman he loved marry his half-brother.

After Luo Ning and Lu Xun completed their wedding rituals and entered the bridal chamber, Lu Xiao sat in the courtyard of Prince Rui’s Mansion, drinking away his sorrows.

As he drank, he cried, his mind filled with memories of how kind Luo Ning had been to him from their engagement to their marriage, and her eyes filled only with him.

At that moment, he felt both pain and regret; he wished he could go back to that year at the Guardian Temple. He certainly would not have trusted Luo Chun again or loved the wrong person.

If he had married her, he would never deceive or manipulate her again, ensuring he truly loved and cherished her for life.

But it was too late; everything was too late. He could not return to that year at the Guardian Temple; she was thoroughly heartbroken by him and wanted nothing more to do with him.

Lu Xiao eventually passed out drunk in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Prince Chen’s Mansion was filled with spring brightness.

In the palace, Luo Chun also knew that today was the grand wedding day for Luo Ning and Prince Chen.

She sat in the courtyard, daydreaming, her heart feeling as if it was being gnawed by jealousy and discomfort.

Why could Luo Ning, even after being divorced, marry Prince Chen, who held more power, while she ended up alone and neglected by the Emperor in the palace?

She was resentful and unwilling!

Since the Emperor had failed her, she would no longer hold back her ruthlessness.

Unable to resist, she secretly wrote a letter and had her maid find a way to send it back to her family’s home.

Three months after Luo Ning and Lu Xun’s wedding, the border faced an urgent crisis with an invasion from the steppe tribes.

Lu Xun was ordered to lead troops to the border to confront the invaders; the Princely Heir of Duke Dingguo went as the Vice General.

On the day of the departure, the Emperor personally led the court officials to see off Prince Chen.

Luo Ning was also there.

She personally tied a cloak around Lu Xun, her eyes resolute as she told him, "I’ll wait for your return, be careful on your way."

With her prior warning, the traitors among Lu Xun and his elder brother’s confidants had been identified.

Believing in their capabilities and now prepared, they wouldn’t let the tragedy of her previous life happen again.

Lu Xun clasped Luo Ning’s hand, nodding confidently, "Wait for my return!"

This scene made Lu Xiao want to rush forward and pull the two apart. He clenched his teeth, his hands tightly gripped till the veins bulged.

He told himself in his heart, it would be soon, very soon Luo Ning would return to his embrace.

After Lu Xun departed for the campaign, due to the border conflicts, Duke Dingguo, whose ban was lifted a month ago, became active again.

He even made the decision to promote his beloved concubine to his official wife.

Just as he announced the promotion of Lady Qingyan to his wife, Luo Ning went to the Imperial Capital to accuse Duke Dingguo and his beloved concubine.

It was time for closure concerning the past poisoning incident involving the Marchioness.

Lu Xun was in charge of investigating this matter, not only to take revenge for Luo Ning, but also because the Emperor was already planning to deal with Duke Dingguo. The evidence had long been collected.

Thus, when Luo Ning made her accusation, the Emperor began to take action.

Duke Dingguo had not expected that after so much time, the Emperor and Luo Ning would dig up old scores, clearly well-prepared.

With irrefutable evidence, Duke Dingguo could not even think about promoting his concubine, much less trying to protect her.

As a result, the concubine of Duke Dingguo was sentenced to twenty years of prison.

What surprised him even more was that the Emperor also punished him alongside her, using this incident to further strip him of his powers.

This inevitably caused him to harbor resentments towards his concubine.

It was all because she kept urging him to promote her. If it hadn’t been for the promotion, Luo Ning would not have accused them, nor would the Emperor have settled old scores.

However, since he had cherished her for so many years, Duke Dingguo bribed the prison guards to take care of his concubine.

Encouraged by Princess Consort Chun in the palace, he secretly reached an agreement with Prince Rui, making a desperate move.

He realized the Emperor intended to punish the Marquis Mansion, and since the Emperor showed no mercy, they had no reason to be righteous.

If successful, he would become the grandfather to the New Emperor, a thrilling prospect.

Three months later, when Lu Xun triumphantly returned from the border with a great victory, he also brought evidence of Duke Dingguo and Prince Rui conspiring with the tribal groups from the plains, attempting to kill him and Luo Zhen.

The Emperor had long been prepared, having his spies gather evidence of Duke Dingguo and Prince Rui’s treacherous conspiracy, which he presented as well.

At the same time, he also presented evidence of Princess Consort Chun’s attempt to poison the Emperor.

Following this, the Emperor conducted a major purge in the court, sentencing Prince Rui and Duke Dingguo along with their families to exile.

Unexpectedly, Princess Consort Chun was also included in the exile, and her son, the Prince, died of illness before the exile.

This was Luo Ning’s suggestion to the Emperor, to kill them would be too lenient.

Allowing them to "lovingly" suffer exile at the border, enduring a bleak and difficult latter part of their lives filled with regrets, wouldn’t that be much more satisfying?

Unbeknownst to the Emperor, he was cuckolded and betrayed by his ministers. Enraged and egged on by Lu Xun, he listened to Luo Ning’s suggestion and exiled the entire family.

Before the exile, Lu Xiao wanted to see Luo Ning one last time, and she went.

Outside the Capital City, Luo Ning descended from the carriage, adorned in splendid robes.

In the group of exiles, Luo Chun, Duke Dingguo, and his concubine found the sight unbearable.

Luo Chun, green with envy, wished she could pounce on Luo Ning and tear her apart, but she was powerless to act.

Lu Xiao, clad in worn clothes and disheveled, with a messy beard, hardly resembled the spirited Prince he once was.

He stared deeply at Luo Ning and after a long moment, managed to say only one phrase, "You got your wish!"

Luo Ning chuckled lightly, "Yes, seeing you all in such pathetic states makes me happy, I certainly got my wish."

Lu Xiao’s heart ached sharply, knowing that Luo Ning had played a part in their downfall, yet he couldn’t bring himself to despise her, often unable to resist reminiscing about the past.

He said, "If there is another life, I will definitely not fail you!"

Luo Ning shook her head, expressing the thought she had held, "No need, not in the next life, nor in any lifetime after. I never want to see you again."

Lu Xiao clutched his chest and staggered back two steps, "You are truly ruthless!"

With that, he turned and walked into the crowd of exiles, fearing Luo Ning might say more hurtful words.

The group, exiled to the border, engaged in the harshest labor, eating the worst food, wearing the worst clothes, utterly unable to cope.

Lu Xiao lived the rest of his life in pain and regret.

Duke Dingguo, blaming everything on Luo Chun and her daughter, alternated between beating and scolding them. The family, once loving, became embroiled in mutual accusations, hatred, and regret under the face of hardship.

Eventually, Lu Xu died at the border.

Luo Ning, on the other hand, opened Charity Halls throughout the country, helping many people, and her reputation among the people was extremely good.

She and Prince Chen, Lu Xun, loved each other for life, and their story was passed down as a beautiful legacy through the ages.