Lock and secure

The little dumpling looked puzzled.

"Maybe." Luo Yao picked up Luo Xinchen. "There's a lantern festival tonight. The streets are very lively. Do you want to go?"

"Mother..." Chenchen thought of his mother and said it casually but suddenly stopped talking. Mother was dead. Although his brother said that father and mother had just gone to a very far place, Luo Xinchen knew that they would never come back.

"I want to go! I want to release river lanterns with my brother!"

Luo Yao felt sad. He was 19 years old and Chenchen was not even 4 years old, but Chenchen was already so sensible...

Thinking of the bright red, festive betrothal gifts in the courtyard, Luo Yao clenched his fists. Less than six months had passed since his parents' death, and the three-year mourning period hadn't even ended, and yet Bei Zhenting had actually sent him a betrothal gift! And the Emperor hadn't even approved the marriage yet! He was trying to let everyone in the capital know that the Duke's son was destined to be his wife!

That night, the Spring Lantern Festival, the capital's seasonal lantern festival, became even more prosperous and lively because of the joy of winning.

"You heard, right? Today, Prince Yong'an's Mansion is offering marriage proposals to the Duke's Mansion. Dozens of large red boxes have been sent all the way around several main streets in the capital. It's quite a grand event!"

"What do you know? Prince Yong'an wants the entire capital to know that the Duke's son is willing to submit to a man..."

A man stood up and laughed loudly. "It's really a case of karma. Thinking back to the arrogance of the Duke's Mansion back then..."

"The prince actually accepted the betrothal gift..."

Luo Yao carried Luo Xinchen through the crowd, listening to every word they said. His grip on Chenchen tightened as they weaved through the crowd, heading towards their destination, the mouth of the Xihe River.

Fangong Bridge was bustling with activity. Young men, dressed in finery, presented elegant demeanors; young ladies, meticulously made up, presented graceful and elegant figures. The three-story building was completely occupied by the young ladies and gentlemen of the capital.

On the bridge, poetry, books, rituals, and music were all over the place, and people were chatting and laughing. Downstairs, people were also coming and going, bustling with activity. Young men and women sat elegantly by the railings, holding folding fans and chatting and laughing. Some whispered softly, discussing the acrobatic performances below, while others looked intently at the beautiful scenery of Xihe River.

I don't know whose young man was confessing his love to the girl upstairs, but the noise was deafening.

"Someone fell into the water!"

A cry for help was heard amid the commotion, but the noise drowned out the cry and no one paid attention to the thin figure struggling in the water.

Luo Yaogang had just released river lanterns at the mouth of the Xihe River for his deceased parents. He then carried Luo Xinchen to Fangong Bridge.

"Brother, there is someone in the water." Luo Xinchen's chubby hand pointed to the river surface.

Luo Yao saw it.

He put down the dumpling in his arms.

"Wait here, brother."

Luo Xinchen nodded obediently.

Luo Yao jumped into the water

The people around him only knew that he jumped into the water and didn't know that he was going to save someone, so they all screamed.

"Someone committed suicide by jumping into the water!"

Fangong Bridge fell into chaos. People who saw it stood at the bridge head and looked around. Soon Luo Yao swam towards the shore holding a dirty beggar.

My legs feel so heavy...

Luo Yao held the child who fell into the water and swam slower and slower...

Some people on the shore noticed them and helped pull the beggar up.

"elder brother!"

After pulling the beggar up, when they went to pull Luoyao up, the lake had returned to calm, and the kind-hearted young man who saved people was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother hasn't come up yet!" Luo Xinchen cried loudly. The child's voice was quite shrill, and everyone around noticed this.

"A young man jumped into the river and hasn't been rescued yet..."

"Is there anyone who can swim? Hurry up and save him!"

An old man shouted that he couldn't swim, but everyone around him shook their heads. The old man rubbed his hands and feet, ready to jump into the water to save someone...

A black shadow leaped down from the building and dove into the water with a somersault.

Everyone stared at the lake intently, and soon a dark figure came ashore holding a person.

The fact that Bei Zhenting sent the betrothal gift to the Duke's Mansion made the emperor furious.

At this moment, Bei Zhenting was kneeling in the temple.

"Back then, the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion was only 9 years old. Why are you doing this?"

"Your Majesty, please grant me the marriage."

After Bei Zhenting entered the temple, no matter how Bei Zhenming reasoned with him or scolded him, he just kept saying this, which made Bei Zhenming very angry.

"You! The bodies of the Zhenbei couple are still warm, and you've done this, which is really offensive. I never thought that you, the dignified Prince of Yong'an, would do such an unjust thing. Now everyone knows about this. Are you trying to make things difficult for me?"

"That's not right."

Bei Zhenting refused to listen.

The two men were in a stalemate. A eunuch came forward, whispered a few words to the emperor, and then quietly retreated.

The emperor slammed the table and stood up.

Bei Zhenting had been feeling inexplicably anxious and chest tight since just now. He didn't know what had happened to make the emperor so angry and lose all his composure.

Just as he was about to ask a question, Bei Zhenming stepped forward and kicked him in the chest.

"You forced people to death!"

"what?!"

Bei Zhenting walked out of the temple in a daze. The inexplicable feeling of emptiness in his heart disappeared again, and suddenly he felt a sense of pleasure, which made him laugh uncontrollably.

"It would be better to die." He sighed.

A wet dark figure fell beside him.

"Your Majesty."

"what happened?"

"Suicide by diving." The black shadow was a little uncertain.

Bei Zhenting frowned.

"He also saved a beggar..."

"I happened to come across him and rescued him. He vomited the water, but he's not conscious. He's been sent to the Duke's Mansion, and the imperial physician has examined him..."

"You saved him?" Bei Zhenting's voice was cold.

"I...I didn't know who it was...I only realized it was the prince after I rescued him...Please punish me, Your Highness."

"Go back and lead the military law yourself."

The shadow disappeared.

Bei Zhenting felt a tightness in his chest, so he flicked his sleeves and left.

The river water poured into his lungs, and Luo Yao, 21 years old in the 23st century, died in a stinking river.

Luo Yao, 23 years old, suffered from depression and committed suicide by jumping into a river. According to police reports, Luo Yao had multiple scars on his body, suspected of self-harm and sexual abuse.

My head hurts, so many emotions flood into my mind, and my body feels like it's splitting apart.

Many images flooded into her mind, the ferocious face of the man riding on her, and her brother crying heart-wrenchingly while watching all this in the corner.

The younger brother cried loudly, saying "my brother hasn't come up yet", the mourning hall hung with white curtains, two dark coffins, flickering candlelight, a huge red box, a bustling crowd, and laughter in his ears...

"Grandpa, it's been three days, brother... brother why hasn't he woken up yet?" The child choked with sobs, his little eyes swollen from crying.

Luo Lin's face was haggard, completely lacking the iron-blooded look of the old general.

The imperial physician came several times and said that the patient had been saved and was fine.

Although his breath was weak, he was fine. No one knew why he hadn't woken up yet.

The old man took his little grandson into his arms. The old general, who had always been strong and iron-blooded, began to believe in ghosts and gods, muttering "Please bless me, Yaoyao, to be safe."

"Brother is crying..." The child noticed the tears in his brother's eyes, struggled to get down, ran over with his short legs, lay on the edge of the bed, and stretched out his little hands to wipe his brother's tears. Luo Yao had not woken up for these three days, but there were always tears in the corners of his eyes.

Several servants in the room covered their faces and wiped away their tears.

The old man looked at this scene, made up his mind, and walked out of the room.