bayedsolid Chapter 129 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (33)
Chapter 129 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (33)
Lu Yushi's face flushed red and then turned pale as she was told this, but she didn't know how to refute it.
Lu Liruan did not try to help her out, but sat there and looked at her coldly.
She had always been like this since she was a child, always showing off. Lu Liruan thought it was probably because she didn't get much and was jealous of others, so she would show off whenever she got something.
Little did they know, in other people's eyes, they didn't care at all.
"Yes, now you should call her Crown Princess." She forced a smile, but her words were sarcastic, and anyone could tell she was mocking Lu Liruan.
I wonder how much longer she can hold onto her position as Crown Princess!
"You!" Lu Wanyun was furious. Today was supposed to be a good time for their family to reunite since her sister was returning home for the first time.
As a result, all sorts of chaotic and unpleasant things came along, making it impossible to have a proper conversation.
"Sister Yu Shi is truly a talented woman. She is very knowledgeable about court affairs and palace matters. His Highness the Second Prince has excellent taste in choosing you as his concubine," Lu Liruan said unhurriedly.
She hasn't even entered the palace yet, and she already thinks she's a future imperial concubine? Lu Liruan's words immediately revealed her ulterior motives.
"I..." Lu Yushi was suddenly panicked. She didn't know why the Second Prince wanted to take her as a concubine, but it was a great thing for her family and for herself.
Lu Yushi is ambitious and competitive, always wanting to be superior to others and ideally wanting everyone to look up to her. Becoming the second prince's concubine is her best way out!
Given the Crown Prince's current situation, she had, of course, fantasized about what would happen if the Second Prince became the Crown Prince and later the Emperor... then she wouldn't just be a concubine; she could be an Imperial Concubine, an Imperial Noble Consort!
This thought made her feel lightheaded, and she had just been annoyed by the three sisters in front of her, and blurted out that sentence...
"I don't understand what Sister Li Ruan is saying." She had no choice but to pretend to be confused.
"Let me give you a piece of advice: don't think you can rely on your cleverness. If you want to survive long in the palace, you'd better learn to keep your mouth shut," Lu Liruan said quietly.
Her advice was sincere, but Lu Yushi interpreted it as mockery and a threat. She looked down and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Sister Li Ruan. I am not as tactful as you."
Hey, I can't understand good or bad words.
Lu Wanyun rolled her eyes and thought to herself: With your brain, you can't even be tactful enough. Just wait to offend people!
The second and third wives, who considered themselves a noble family, put on an air of not conforming to worldly ways. When educating their children, they also raised them to be self-righteous and aloof, and they thought they were quite good at it.
Even the good-tempered Marquis of He'an once spat, "Do they really think everyone else is a fool? Can't they see through their sycophancy and greed for power beneath their aloof exterior? They deserve to be laughed at behind their backs!"
Lu Yushi was rebuffed by Lu Liruan and left dejectedly. She secretly vowed that after entering the palace, everyone would rely on their own abilities. Lu Liruan was currently ahead of her, but she would definitely get her revenge later!
Before noon, the people from the second and third wives left one after another. Madam Gao gently waved a satin embroidered fan, a smile on her lips but her eyes were lazy as she leaned back in her chaise longue, watching them scheme against each other.
They didn't leave any food for the last one.
"Can't afford to eat? They all come to the Marquis's mansion like beggars..." Madam Gao covered her face behind her fan impatiently.
The weather has warmed up recently, and the newly bought koi are playing in the lotus pond by the roadside, their red tails forming a continuous line.
The slender willow branches brushed against Lu Liruan's sleeves. Lu Liruan took a deep breath, and the pent-up frustration in her heart instantly dissipated.
Madam Gao had the kitchen prepare a table full of Lu Liruan's favorite dishes, and then, holding Lu Liruan's hand, asked, "Have you lost weight?"
“Mother, my sister has only been in the palace for three days. There are no monsters in the palace that would steal her flesh,” Lu Wanqing said truthfully.
"Hey! You child, why are you interrupting!" Madam Gao scolded, looking Lu Liruan up and down: "Oh my, your face has gotten so small."
Lu Liruan touched her face and felt deeply that... she might really have lost weight.
After all, being with someone like Ji Shumin, who finds eating more difficult than taking medicine, would make even the best appetite go to waste.
I wonder if he's had lunch yet. He didn't feel well yesterday, and his stomach started hurting this afternoon...
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that she had inexplicably started to worry about Ji Shumin.
Oh no, I've really turned into an old woman.
Lu Liruan sighed inwardly.
"Li Ruan?" Madam Gao noticed that she had suddenly started to space out.
"Ah! Mother, what did you say?" Lu Liruan came back to her senses.
"How does His Highness the Crown Prince treat you?" Madam Gao asked worriedly. The Crown Prince had suffered such a major setback, and it was possible that he was taking his anger out on those around him.
"Hmm... His Highness the Crown Prince is very approachable." That was a lie; he was being sarcastic and cynical.
"I'll put my heart into it." Ha, he thoughtfully dug several dog holes.
"We get along well." It's fine. He always tries to hide something from me when he says something, but it's okay. I'm naive, I can't tell the difference, so we get along quite well.
Lu Liruan put on a fake, bright smile, mixed with a hint of shyness.
Mrs. Gao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Lu Liruan was pampered in the Marquis of He'an's mansion. When she went to the palace, she didn't ask for anything else but to live a peaceful life and not suffer. Peace and stability were more important than anything else.
Marquis He'an didn't want to ask his daughter too many questions about these things. While Madam Gao was speaking, he listened intently, afraid of hearing that his daughter was unhappy.
Seeing Lu Liruan's innocent look that she was really doing well, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Do we still have enough money?" Marquis He'an asked hesitantly.
"Dad, this is enough, really enough!" It feels like we'll never run out of it in this lifetime.
Lu Liruan didn't expect that she was saying this a little too soon.
Time flew by with her family, and when Lu Liruan realized it was time to leave, a pang of bittersweet sadness swept through her heart.
If she had a choice, she would rather stay in the Marquis of He'an's residence forever...
Reluctantly, he put his daughter into the sedan chair, and Marquis He'an stood there for a long time in a daze.
"What are you looking at, Lord Marquis?" Madam Gao tugged at his sleeve and saw that Marquis He'an looked very serious, so she thought something serious had happened.
Before she could even ask, Marquis He'an spoke up himself: "Madam, you said I'm currently in the court..."
"My lord, please don't! If you behave yourself, you'll save Li Ruan a lot of trouble! Don't cause her any unnecessary problems!" Madam Gao saw through his intentions and interrupted him directly and without mercy.
Just as Marquis He'an was beginning to consider whether he should try to influence the court and make some moves to give his daughter more confidence in the palace, his wife ruthlessly interrupted him.
Madam Gao was cold and ruthless: "My lord, don't even think about it. You're not young anymore. Just behave yourself."
As Lu Wanqing and Lu Wanyun watched the departing figure of Marquis He'an, they both hunched over and lowered their heads, saying, "Mother, Father meant well."
"And you two, you must be careful with your words and actions lately, so as not to give anyone any leverage over you, do you understand?" Madam Gao rarely spoke so seriously.