Li Wenxun didn't say anything more to Li Shouye. He just said sinisterly, "You've grown up now," and then took the concubines back.
After they left, Lu Hanyi's eyes were filled with relief as if he had gotten rid of a lot of anger.
"Mom, are you okay?" Li Shouye asked.
"As long as I have you, nothing can happen to me!" Lu Hanyi said excitedly.
At this time, Xu Yinyin said, "But after what happened today, won't the father-in-law be angry?"
"Why do you care about him! Let him be angry if he wants to, it would be best if he were angry to death!" Lu Hanyi's eyes were shining, and she wished that Li Wenxun would die as soon as possible.
If he died, the first thing she would do was sell off all the concubines in his house!
Drive all his illegitimate sons out of the house, and pair his illegitimate daughters with servants!
When she thought of this, her life became more lively.
Xu Yinyin looked at Lu Hanyi like this, she blinked her eyes and said, "Then are we still going to the old house to pay our respects today?"
Li Shouye paused when he heard this, but Lu Hanyi couldn't wait to say, "Go! Why not go!"
She had previously stayed indoors because she had not thought of how to deal with Li Wenxun's large group of people.
Now that they have come to provoke her, she has realized their weakness.
As long as she throws a tantrum, these people will be helpless!
If that's the case, why is she still afraid of them!
go!
Not only do I have to go today, I also have to give Li Wenxun another lesson!
Give this old bastard a lesson!
After they packed up their things, they took a horse-drawn carriage to the Li family's old house.
Evening banquet.
Dozens of people from the Li family gathered together to welcome Li Wenxun back to Beijing.
After Li Wenxun came back, he cleaned himself up, changed his clothes, and applied some medicine. Unfortunately, the scratches on his face could not be covered up, and he attended the banquet with a face that looked obviously beaten.
When he took his seat, Lu Hanyi, her son and daughter-in-law were already waiting at the table.
"Second brother, what's wrong with you?" asked the eldest brother of the Li family.
Li Wenxun was embarrassed for a moment, "I was accidentally scratched by a stray cat on the side of the road today."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a sneer from the side, "Ha, was it scratched by a wild cat? Then you better be careful, don't let that wild cat break your neck tonight!"
Li Wenxun: "…"
When he was gloomy and didn't know how to speak, his eldest sister-in-law Wei smiled and said, "Hanyi, how can you talk like that? Second brother is your husband. If he is hurt, you, as his wife, should be caring and considerate."
"I care about him? I hope he lets that wild cat dig out his heart and liver!"
"Lu Hanyi!" Old Madam Li said angrily, "This is your husband, your heaven! What nonsense are you talking about! Do you believe me or not, I will call your mother and let her hear what nonsense you are saying!
After Mrs. Li finished speaking, Lu Hanyi shut up.
She was good at throwing tantrums and using a few tricks to deal with Li Wenxun, but it was useless against Old Lady Li and Mrs. Wei.
That damn old woman really dared to complain to her parents. She relied on the fact that she was the mother-in-law, old age and high status to go to her parents' home to complain. Then no matter how capable she was, it would be useless.
She would just bear with her for a while.
Wei couldn't help but feel happy when she saw Lu Hanyi being humiliated. She looked at Lu Hanyi and Li Wenxun and his wife and couldn't help but provoke, "Second brother, it's good that you're back. Hanyi has suffered a lot these years. When you were not around, she acted as both a father and a mother, and her temper became much stronger. Now that you're back, she will definitely teach you to be gentle and virtuous!"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.
Everyone in this room has dealt with Lu Hanyi.
Everyone knows her weird and bad temper.
She offended everyone at the table and no one liked her.
Lu Hanyi was extremely angry when she heard these people's hypocritical words directed at her. She didn't need to find anyone to complain to for all this anger, she wanted to find Li Wenxun to settle it all!
Li Wenxun listened to what everyone said with an expression of shame and embarrassment on his face.
He couldn't help but complain in his heart, why did he marry a woman like Lu Hanyi!
Not only did it not help him at all, it also brought him a lot of shame!
He has lost all face in front of his original family that taught him to stand out and be looked up to by everyone!
He smiled awkwardly and said nothing.
At this time, Old Lady Li asked, "Wen Xun, now that you are back, where do you plan to settle down?"
Li Wenxun is already this old, and his eldest child is married, so it's time to separate the family.
"Mother is not chasing you away, but you have brought your family back with you, as well as several aunts and children. Your previous yard can't accommodate so many people, right?"
Old Mrs. Li said shrewdly.
Their big house can no longer accommodate any more people.
The eldest grandson of her eldest son's family was also going to get married, so he needed a proper independent courtyard. She thought Li Wenxun's courtyard was good.
Anyway, her second son has made no progress and is only an eighth-rank treasurer at this age. Her eldest son has already become a seventh-rank assistant at the Imperial Academy and has frequent contacts with the princes. He has a very bright future ahead of him, which her useless second son will never be able to catch up with in his entire life!
She should kick him out as soon as possible and make room for her eldest grandson.
Li Wenxun heard what his mother said. He was such a smart man that he could tell that his mother was looking down on him by sending him away. He had always had a high self-esteem in this family and had always wanted to prove something. Now that he heard what his mother said, he said, "Mom, you don't have to worry too much. I've already gone to see where to live today. Shouye's house is quite big. We can move in and live with Shouye."
He went to Li Shouye's house today for a purpose.
I just want to see Li Shouye's house so I can move in with my family!
Land is expensive in the capital, so how could he have so much money to buy a house in the capital, not to mention that he had basically spent all his money during his years in Jiangnan.
Jiangnan Lao and Jiangnan Hua, I want to take them home as soon as we say goodbye.
On his way back to Beijing, he had already thought about where he would live.
The yard of the Li family's old house might not be able to accommodate everyone, and he wanted to save face by not living with those people. However, he didn't have much money in his pocket, so after thinking it over, he immediately decided to move to Li Shouye!
He had heard that his son had married the daughter of the magistrate of Jing County and brought a lot of things as a dowry, including a house.
He is going to look at houses today!
After hearing what Li Shouye said, Lu Hanyi's eyes widened, "You useless bastard, you want to rob my son's house!"
Lu Hanyi caused a big scene at the banquet.
All of Li Wenxun's men were wiped out.
Wei watched the two people fighting with a gloating look on her face, while Old Lady Li and Old Master Li were so angry when they saw this scene that their faces turned green.
Old Madam Li covered her chest and pointed at Lu Hanyi and cursed, "You are a shrew!"
"I am a shrew, so what? I am a shrew!" Lu Hanyi threw down her chopsticks. "I am here today, let's see who dares to rob my son's house!"
Lu Hanyi looked at the huge table of food and felt extremely furious.
In front of everyone, she overturned the food with a loud bang.
"You, you, you!" Old Madam Li pointed at her with a trembling hand, "Divorce her! Wen Xun, divorce this crazy woman!"
"You dare to divorce me?" Lu Hanyi put her hands on her hips, confident and confident. "If you dare to divorce me, I will ask my elder sister to ask my younger brother to come and see if there is such a thing in the world! A father doesn't buy a house for his son, but he wants to steal his house! You, the Li family, are really embarrassed to have this person!"
After Lu Hanyi finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent, especially Old Madam Li and Old Master Li, who all shut up obediently.
There is no other reason, it's just that Lu Hanyi has a powerful family!
Normally, if you ask her to rely on her parents' family and ask for help, it would be impossible and she wouldn't get any advantage at all. But at this time, her powerful parents' family gave her enough support!
Even if Lu Hanyi is hated by everyone, they dare not divorce her!
If they really asked her family members to come over, it would be their fault.
Wei smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, how can I divorce you? I think my second brother is not thoughtful enough. The house is the dowry of Yinyin's family, so it is unreasonable for your father-in-law to live there!"
"I did think of something. I saw a small courtyard for rent at a real estate agency some time ago. Why don't you and your family rent it first and buy a house later."
Wei tried to smooth things over, and Li Wenxun responded in a muffled voice, "Sister-in-law, you are right."
At this moment, he lost all his face.
All he wanted in his life was to be proud in front of everyone in the Li family. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 20 and was so young and promising. If he had a virtuous wife and mother to help him, he would surely have a bright future!
But in the end, he ended up like this. He was almost forty years old, but he was just a small treasurer of the eighth rank, and he didn't even have the money to buy a house in the capital.
What's more, he married such a crazy woman, which brought shame to him!
The looks his father, mother and older brother gave him one by one shattered all his self-esteem to the ground, piece by piece, revealing his humiliation and incompetence!
Why did he marry a woman like Lu Hanyi!
Lu Hanyi returned victoriously. Looking at the disgusting faces of those people at the table, she took Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin home.
When leaving Old Li's house, Li Shouye looked at his mother worriedly, "Mom, why did you have to be so upset with father?"
"He is the one who is seeking his own death and has come to me on his own initiative!" Lu Hanyi said viciously, "How can I let this group of people who have come to my territory get away with it! I have to settle our past grudges!"
Shouye, starting tomorrow, mother will move to their new courtyard!" She sneered, "You still want to divorce me? You want to dump me so that he can hang out with his concubines? You're dreaming. Just wait and see how I deal with them!"
She could actually choose to divorce Li Wenxun. Now her family was powerful, and she could go out alone if they divorced. She wouldn't have to be as helpless as before. Besides, her son was grown up and still very filial, so what would be wrong with her living with him!
But Lu Hanyi would never divorce. If she divorced, wouldn't that allow Li Wenxun and the others to live a good life?
She wanted to ruin his life and would be entangled with him for the rest of his life. She would never let them go!
A raging fire of fighting spirit burned in her eyes, and she was determined to tear Li Wenxun and his concubines to pieces!
Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin looked at each other when they heard this.
I have to say, their aunt's guess was correct.
Now that Li Wenxun is back, Lu Hanyi no longer has time to mess with the two of them.
She had to save all her fighting power for Li Wenxun!
At night, Ningyang Marquis Mansion.
Lu Lingjun heard from Xu Yinyin about what Lu Hanyi had done today.
She smiled faintly.
"You can rest assured now. Your mother-in-law will not bother you two anymore."
Hearing this, Xu Yinyin nodded gratefully.
Lu Lingjun then added, "If your mother-in-law plans to move to the yard rented by your father-in-law tomorrow, you should give her more personal servants and ask you to prepare her three meals a day, and not eat with them."
Xu Yinyin was puzzled at this time, "Why?"
A gleam of light flashed in Lu Lingjun's eyes, "Just do as I say."
Li Wenxun is a dark person. Lu Hanyi made him lose all his self-esteem in front of everyone. People like him are very vengeful.
Moreover, he would not use an open trick to deal with Lu Hanyi, he would definitely use a shady trick behind the scenes.
For example, poison her and kill her directly.
In her previous life, she had done so much for him, but in the end he just changed her medicine and wanted her to die.
In this life, it is their turn to torture each other. Not only does she ask Lu Hanyi to torture him, but she also has to help Lu Hanyi a little.
Li Wenxun was completely ruined.
The next day, Lu Hanyi moved out of Li Shouye's house.
Xu Yinyin prepared three maids, four servants, and two capable housekeepers for her.
Seeing how Xu Yinyin treated her, Lu Hanyi finally developed a favorable impression of her.
"You are so stupid... You should live well with my son from now on, and you must do your best to assist him, don't quarrel with him, and ask your parents to help you more and help keep the business going. I will come back to see you."
Xu Yinyin: "…"
Li Shouye: "…"
I didn't see Lu Hanyi helping her man like this at the beginning. Now that she's a mother-in-law, she's so hypocritical that people have no way to complain about her.
This person is always thinking about her own interests. When she was a daughter-in-law, she hated her mother-in-law's standards. Now that she is a mother-in-law, she uses the same standards to demand her own daughter-in-law!
How can such a person be liked by the younger generations!
Xu Yinyin responded meekly and asked the servants to help Lu Hanyi move all the things upstairs.
After seeing Lu Hanyi leave, everyone in their house breathed a sigh of relief.
It's like sending away the god of plague!
Lu Lingjun didn't have time to watch the excitement of Lu Hanyi moving to Li Wenxun's house because these days, Tong Nanyuan was about to give birth to a child.
Early the next morning, an urgent report came from Lu Kuan's family from a servant, saying that Tong Nanyuan's water had broken!
When Lu Lingjun heard this, she became extremely anxious. She called for someone and rushed to Lu Kuan's house.
On the way, she asked Shuanghong, "Did Captain Qian and the others send any news?"
"Yes, yes," Shuanghong hurried to get it, "I heard that there was a letter from Jiangnan this morning, but I haven't gone to get it yet!"
"Go get it quickly. I'll go to Kuan'er's house first."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lu Lingjun arrived at Tong's house.
The Tong family is in chaos now.
Today, Lu Kuan even pleaded with His Majesty, asking for leave to come back and watch Tong Nanyuan give birth to a child.
Tong Nanyuan is pregnant with twins!
"Big sister, you're finally here!" Lu Kuan, who used to be calm and wise, now looked flustered. "Nan Yuan's belly is so big, and she's pregnant with twins. What should we do?"
The probability of women in their tribe giving birth to twins is still very high.
But the terrible thing is having twins.
If she was pregnant with a single baby, she could be luckier than Lu Lingyun in her previous life and save her life.
In cases of twin pregnancy, most of the time the mother dies while the other two remain.
Seeing him like this, Lu Lingjun asked, "Did you invite the imperial physician?"
"I've invited him in! His Majesty pointed him out to me!" Lu Kuan is now highly valued by His Majesty. When the emperor heard that his wife was about to give birth, he waved his hand and summoned the best midwife in the Imperial Hospital to go with him to deliver the baby.
"ah-"
Tong Nanyuan's screams were heard from the room.
"Nan Yuan!" Lu Kuan rushed inside anxiously, while the servants in his yard tried to stop him.
"Master, men should not go in when a woman is giving birth! They might bump into her!"
"Get lost," Lu Kuan became anxious and started to curse, "I want your wife to be alive! Doctor Lin! Save her! I want to save her!"
Seeing Lu Kuan so anxious, Lu Lingjun also became anxious. At this time, Shuanghong hurriedly brought a booklet.
"Madam, this is the birth record of several hundred women related to your maternal family that Lao Qian checked in Jiangnan."
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he quickly opened the booklet.
At this time, Lu Kuan rushed to her side and looked at the records in the booklet.
Lin Xiuniang died of childbirth complications at the age of fourteen, leaving behind a son.
Lin Lijiao, fifteen years old, died during childbirth, leaving behind twins, a boy and a girl.
Wei Keqing died at the age of sixteen due to complications during childbirth, leaving behind twin girls.
...
Almost 80% of the women in their family died in childbirth.
They were all at the tender age of fourteen or fifteen years old. The more Lu Lingjun looked at them, the more frightened he became. Lu Kuan's eyes also turned red at this time.
"Blame me, blame me, it's all my fault!" He regretted so much that tears were about to fall, "How could I let Nan Yuan give birth to a child! I could just adopt one, why did I let her go to the gates of hell!"
As Lu Lingjun listened to the sound of Lu Kuan collapsing beside her, her eyes became increasingly calm.
She looked down without being disturbed and finally saw a few survivors.
Cao Tianer, eighteen years old, lost her child in childbirth. Her mother survived but never got pregnant again!
Li Xiang, at the age of seventeen, had a child who died during childbirth. His mother survived but never became pregnant again.
Lu Lingjun saw three women giving birth at the age of seventeen or eighteen in a row. At this age, the mothers have a high probability of surviving the birth!
She couldn't help but think of her past life. She was seventeen years old when she gave birth to a son for Li Wenxun.
At this age...
"Madam! Look at this!" Shuanghong pointed to several marked pages in the booklet. "Captain Qian said in his letter that you should pay special attention to the marked pages!"
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he turned directly to a marked page.
Li Herong gave birth to a son at the age of 29, and both mother and child are safe.
"What!"
"Madam, there's an introduction here. It seems that this woman married a soldier. Her husband left right after they got married. When he came back, she was already 29 years old, but she gave birth to a child safely!"
When Lu Kuan heard this, he hurried forward to see what was happening.
"What did she eat on a normal day? How did she deliver the baby?"
"Master, it seems nothing special!"
Lu Lingjun turned another page and saw what was written on it.
Bai Gui Niang gave birth to twins on the 30th of the year, both mother and children are safe!
this...
Lu Lingjun's eyes widened. She flipped through the pages again and saw the last one.
Zhao Ping'er gave birth to twins at the age of 25, both mother and children are safe!
When Lu Lingjun turned the page again, she found that both mother and child were no longer safe.
Among hundreds of examples, only these three have both mother and child being safe.
She looked through the three examples again and found a common point: they all gave birth at an advanced age! They were all delayed by other things, and the youngest one was 25 years old when giving birth.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
In Jiangnan, the age of marrying off girls is generally younger. Those who gave birth at the age of 14 or 15 almost all did not survive childbirth, but when they were 17 or 18, many mothers managed to survive...
Could it be that their mother's family's difficulty in fertility is due to their age?
"Sister, what happened? Only three of them, both mother and child, survived... there were nearly a hundred people!" Lu Kuan completely lost the ability to think at this time. He flipped through the booklet over and over again, hoping to find a few more survivors.
At this time, Lu Lingjun patted his wrist.
She held Lu Kuan's hand with great strength, "Kuan'er, maybe you guys have hit the jackpot, Nan Yuan will be fine!"
Lu Kuan was stunned when he heard this. At this moment, Tong Nanyuan's scream was heard from the room again.
"ah-"
"Nan Yuan!"
Before Lu Kuan could rush in, two babies crying sounds were heard from inside.
Born, born...
Lu Kuan was really anxious this time. He pushed everyone aside and rushed into the delivery room. As soon as he entered, he saw all the midwives in the room looking at him with smiles.
"Congratulations, Master. Congratulations, Master. It's twins, a boy and a girl! The young lady and the young master are both safe!"
"Where's Nan Yuan?"
He didn't want to know this. He rushed forward. At this time, he heard Tong Nanyuan's dissatisfied voice from inside the house, "What are you doing? Why are you coming in here?"
"Nanyuan..." Lu Kuan hugged Tong Nanyuan as if they were parting forever.
"What's wrong with you... It's just a woman giving birth. I'm not afraid, so why should you be afraid?" Tong Nanyuan said this with a hint of sweetness in her tone.
At this time, Doctor Lin came over and congratulated Lu Kuan, "Congratulations, Lord Lu. Madam's delivery was the smoothest I've seen in recent years. The twins are both safe and sound. There is nothing wrong at all! And judging from Madam's physical condition, she will recover quickly."
Lu Kuan was stunned when he heard this. Lu Lingjun walked in and said, "Ah Kuan, I just said that you hit the jackpot. It turns out that the women of our mother's clan give birth as late as possible! Nan Yuan is thirty years old this year, and her body can handle having twins!"
His heart really rose to his throat. After such a shock, Lu Lingjun finally understood everything.
It turns out that it is better for women not to have children too early! Especially in this era, giving birth to a skinny and weak little girl of thirteen or fourteen is simply hell!
She couldn't help but call Shuanghong over, "Go back and tell Captain Qian to inform the women of our mother's clan that the last childbearing age is after the age of 25, the later the better!"
Lu Lingjun had to make all the women in their clan free themselves from this fertility curse!
After a while, Tong Nanxia also hurried over.
When she learned that Tong Nanyuan had given birth, she was shocked, but then she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that both mother and child were safe. After learning about Lu Lingjun's new inference, she quietly had an idea in her mind.
The next year, Tong Nanxia also gave birth to a son.
The couple was born with twins, both mother and children were safe, giving Duke Zhao's mansion two legitimate grandchildren.
Mrs. Zhao was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling, and asked the nanny to give Tong Nanxia a lot of rewards.
A year later, Tong Nanxia gave birth to another pair of twins, a boy and a girl.
The Duke's Mansion suddenly had three legitimate sons and one legitimate daughter, which made Old Madam Zhao no longer have any complaints about her, and she no longer even said a word about giving her son a concubine or someone else.
Whenever she goes to a party and chats, she always praises her good daughter-in-law who is so blessed to be here.
After seeing that Tong Nanxia had given birth to these biological children for him, Zhao Yanshu felt so distressed for her. She seemed to be planning to have a few more. It really made Zhao Yanshu heartbroken that she had given birth to children for him.
He thought that it was because his mother pushed her too hard for the sake of having an heir, so he even invited Lu Lingjun to comfort her.
After Lu Lingjun arrived, she asked Tong Nanxia why she was so happy to have so many children at once.
If it was the curse on childbearing in her family, it wouldn't have been broken to cause her to give birth to children one after another.
She gave birth to two sons after her first child, and she had already explained everything to everyone in the Duke's Mansion, so why would she give birth to more children one after another?
After listening to her question, Tong Nanxia stroked her bulging belly, looked towards the northwest, then quickly turned back and looked at her belly.
She has been married to Zhao Yanshu for more than ten years. In the first ten years, she was afraid of having children, but the biggest reason she didn't want to have children was because she had someone in her heart who was as bright and warm as the white moonlight.
Because of that man, she secretly used contraception in the name of the fertility curse, but more than ten years later, after seeing Tong Nanyuan resolutely give birth to a child for Lu Kuan and giving birth to the child without any danger, she suddenly felt that she should have moved on long ago.
When she thought about it again, she discovered that the brief and green excitement of her youth had faded away long ago.
She turned around and saw her husband who loved and cared for her every day.
"Because I don't want him to always be stressed out by the child." Tong Nanxia touched her belly and smiled at Lu Lingjun.
Her answer made Zhao Yanshu, who was in his thirties, so happy that he was at a loss for words. He thought to himself that although his wife was cold, she had him in her heart!
The relationship between the two became better because of the birth of children.
Time flies.
Three years passed in a flash.
During these three years, in addition to Tong Nanxia giving birth to children one after another, which made her position in the Duke's Mansion more stable, Lu Kuan and Tong Nanyuan no longer had to worry about having children, and their lives became better and better. Good news also frequently came from Lu Lingjun's own house.
The construction of Cheng Binghao's Changsheng Marquis Mansion was completed, and a plaque with six large characters "Changsheng Marquis Mansion" was hung high. The Cheng family officially had two marquisate mansions.
During this period, Cheng Binghao returned to Jiangnan and quelled a local banditry. After returning to Beijing, the emperor asked him what reward he wanted. Cheng Binghao wanted nothing and only asked for an imperial decree to confer a title on Lu Lingyun.
He petitioned His Majesty about his mother's dedication to the Ningyang Marquisate for more than a decade and how she had done her best to raise them after misfortune struck their family. Without their mother, they wouldn't be where they are today.
The emperor then remembered that after the old marquis died in battle, the prince of Ningyang became a monk to observe mourning and their family had indeed been supported by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. In the hall, he directly praised Lu Lingjun's virtues, praising her for her good housekeeping, good parenting, and virtue, and calling her a contemporary role model.
Every word is worth a thousand gold.
He summoned Lu Lingyun to the palace and conferred upon her the title of Lady Fengguo.
Since ancient times, titles above the rank of Duke have not been easily awarded. These were usually for great contributions to the establishment of a dynasty. Moreover, it was extremely difficult to grant such awards during the founding period of a country or after the dynasty had stabilized.
Except for dead people and women, of course.
The dead will not threaten anyone, nor will they take up anyone's resources. The emperor is very happy to do this kind of posthumous honoring. It brings dignity to the emperor and the minister's family.
As for women, it is because giving them such a super-high title as "Lady Abroad" will not threaten anyone, and they can be awarded the title while they are still alive.
But even so, there are not many wives of the emperor in this dynasty so far.
This Lady Fengguo is the highest-ranking lady among all the ladies with imperial decrees!
In her previous life, Lu Lingjun was a first-rank imperial concubine, and in this life, she is a super-rank imperial concubine!
After receiving the reward, Lu Lingjun kowtowed in the main hall to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace. After returning, the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion and the Changsheng Marquis' Mansion were decorated with lights and red silks and a grand banquet was held.
At the same time, the news that Lu Lingjun was awarded the title of Lady Fengguo quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys.
Her life was going well, but some people were not.
In the south of the city, is Li Wenxun's home.
Three years have passed, and Li Wenxun still hasn't bought a house.
I have been renting a yard.
During this period, he was forced to move from the east to the south of the city because the rent of his first house was too high.
Being an official in the capital, he could not accept bribes and make money like he did in the south of the Yangtze River. He had to rely only on his salary and a little extra income occasionally. His life became increasingly poor. The setbacks in his career were secondary. The mental torture at home was what made him collapse.
He and Lu Hanyi had been entangled for three years. His hair had turned white and his face was covered with wrinkles. His once handsome and elegant face was now filled with resentment and anger.
One can tell from looking at this person that he is having a very unhappy life.
During these three years, he had wanted to kill Lu Hanyi several times, but he did not expect that the people around Lu Hanyi were all shrewd and cautious. He wanted to bribe one or two of them to be his confidants, and then take his time. The next day, he would let Lu Hanyi know what he had done secretly, and then take advantage of the situation to severely punish him.
He was just driven crazy by Lu Hanyi's torture.
But Lu Hanyi wasn't much better.
She had suffered a lot in the three years of fighting with Li Wenxun. She had to fight everyone in the house by herself, and was shot at by sneak attacks from time to time, causing her to fall many times.
Fortunately, she had a helpful family and a filial son, so she was not defeated by them.
She looked at these people whom she hated day and night, and fought with them day and night, until everyone else felt tired, but Lu Hanyi was like there was a thorn in her heart that could not be removed, a hurdle that she could not get over, and she could not let herself let them go.
Until she heard that Lu Lingjun was conferred the title of Lady Fengguo.
"What?! Her son asked for an imperial decree for her, and she was named Lady Fengguo!"
"Yes, old lady, the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion invites us to a banquet. Here is the invitation."
After hearing that Lu Lingjun was awarded the title of Lady Fengguo, Lu Hanyi sat down on the chair.
Her eyes were blank and she stared ahead in a daze.
In the previous life, he was awarded the first-rank imperial decree.
In this life, she was awarded the supreme title of Lady of the State.
At this moment, the unknown obsession in her heart suddenly broke.
She came back to life and snatched her marriage just to snatch her life.
But how come she lives better and better every life!
At this moment, she no longer had the slightest resentment or expectation for Lu Lingjun to wait and see.
She completely realized that she had lost.
Just then, Li Wenxun came back.
As soon as Li Wenxun came back and saw Lu Hanyi sitting in the main room, he turned around and left. The servant then informed him.
"Sir, Madam Cheng of the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion has been personally named Madam Fengguo by His Majesty! The Ningyang Marquis' Mansion invites you to a banquet!"
When Li Wenxun heard that Lu Lingjun was conferred the title of Lady of the State, he was also stunned.
At this moment, some fragments and pictures flashed through his mind. In the picture, after being appointed as prime minister, he was in high spirits and asked for an imperial decree for his wife in the Golden Palace.
It's a first-rank imperial decree.
What shocked him was that his wife in the picture was...
Just then, a roar suddenly came to his ears.
"You bastard! My imperial edict, my imperial edict!"
"You must pay for my life!"
"That's my decree! It's obviously my turn!"
"What are you crazy about again!" Li Wenxun, who was interrupted, saw Lu Hanyi with a ferocious face in front of him and pushed her away.
He no longer cares about his self-cultivation and forbearance. When Lu Hanyi goes crazy at home, he also follows suit.
Anyway, he had already ruined her reputation.
Lu Hanyi, who was pushed away by him, fell to the ground with a thud. After falling to the ground, she let out a desperate cry.
"That's not the case, that's not the case!"
"It's obviously my turn."
"I clearly stole her marriage and her husband who would become the prime minister, but how come she was still awarded the imperial title in the end! It's my turn to be the imperial wife!"
Li Wenxun, who was standing in place, looked at Lu Hanyi in shock when she said this.
As she spoke, more images continued to appear in his mind.
Twenty years ago, he got married.
His wife perfectly shielded him from the sarcasm at home.
His wife used connections to help him with the imperial examination and predicted the test questions.
He won the first place in the imperial examination and was sent to Jiangnan to be an official. His wife helped him handle official affairs, deal with various difficult problems, and ran around for his promotion...
He rose rapidly to the position of prime minister, and he asked for an imperial decree for her in front of the palace...
And his wife is... Lu Lingjun!
"What did you say!" Li Wenxun's eyes suddenly turned red. He rushed to Lu Hanyi, grabbed her and roared, "Whose marriage did you steal?"
Lu Hanyi, who was in a state of collapse, looked at the man in front of her, as if she had found someone who could make her as desperate as she was. She provoked him madly, "I stole Lu Lingyun's marriage! Don't you know that she was the one you were supposed to marry!"
"I have lived a second life. I snatched her marriage away because I knew you would be appointed Prime Minister in the future and you would ask for a first-class imperial decree for her!"
"But why are you so useless in your life!"
"Where is my imperial edict?"
Lu Hanyi's words were like thunderclaps exploding in his ears.
At that moment, he completely understood why she had been pestering him about some imperial decree as soon as she entered the room.
It turned out that she was the one who ruined her wonderful life!
She squeezed out his wife who had led him to success!
"I'm going to kill you!"
Li Wenxun stimulated her to the point that she lost her mind and strangled her neck tightly.
The servants around saw this scene and rushed over hurriedly.
Before Lu Hanyi was about to be strangled to death by Li Wenxun, he pulled him away like a mad bull and saved Lu Hanyi.
Li Wenxun had completely lost his soul at this time. He took a few steps back in confusion and ran out of the house.
After Lu Hanyi, who was nearly strangled to death, escaped death once again, she looked at everything around her in a daze.
All those concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters in the mansion who she hated came, and they looked at her as if she were a joke.
Those looks gradually calmed down Lu Hanyi, who was in despair.
She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. She had never accepted defeat in her life, but suddenly she lost her courage.
She realized it at this time.
It turns out that it wasn't that her man was not as good as Lu Lingjun, but that she herself was not as good as Lu Lingjun...
Even if she snatched her marriage away and pushed that top-notch man Cheng Yunshuo to her, she could still live a prosperous life, and even more gloriously than in her previous life!
She lost!
She lost completely!
Ningyang Marquis Mansion is extremely bustling.
In addition to most of the officials and nobles in the capital who came to congratulate, many old friends also came to the banquet.
Cheng Hui returned to Beijing.
Ten years ago, Lu Lingyun arranged for her to marry a Jiedushi who had a good family background and good character. After the marriage, she followed her husband to garrison in other places. Now she returned to Beijing to report on her work and happened to encounter Lu Lingyun's imperial edict banquet.
She came early and brought a piece of news to Lu Lingjun.
"Sister-in-law, my brother has divorced that woman."
"What?"
"He divorced Qin Shaojing!"
"No way!"
"When did it happen?"
Sisters Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang, Tong Nanyuan and Tong Nanxia were all present, and they gathered together to gossip again.
When Cheng Hui saw everyone, she explained the cause and effect to them.
It turned out that after Cheng Qi brought Qin Shaojing back to his hometown at the border, she soon couldn't stand the bitter cold there anymore and kept asking Cheng Qi to go back to the capital.
But Cheng Qi didn't have the face to return to Beijing, so he could only let her torment him.
During those days when she tormented him, he gradually saw through Qin Shaojing's true face.
Some people the more you get to know each other the more you like them, while some others are the stunning white moonlight at first sight, but every moment of getting along afterwards is a minus point.
He became more and more annoyed by Qin Shaojing's extreme selfishness, who only cared about power and money, and took advantage of his love for her to keep asking for more.
Finally, when he discovered that she was having an affair with his subordinates behind his back, he completely believed that she was a complete slut with no bottom line.
At this moment, he thought back to those people who had advised him at the beginning, and the words they had said to him at that time. He couldn't stop feeling regretful.
He was really bewitched in the beginning and insisted on marrying such a bad woman!
What's even more infuriating is that he still knew what she had done at that time, and was still making up for her in his heart. Finally, after feeding himself a lot of bitter fruit and shit, he finally came to his senses.
He divorced Qin Shaojing.
But the funny thing is that after he divorced Qin Shaojing, Qin Shaojing actually regretted it.
Qin Shaojing relied on Cheng Qi's love for her, and made demands and threats again and again. When she couldn't get what she wanted, she became resentful. She had an affair with his subordinate to take revenge on him.
She thought Cheng Qi could tolerate her affair with her father-in-law before, and he could endure it even if she did something excessive again. After all, he had done so much for her and endured so much, so what couldn't he endure. But she didn't expect that this time, Cheng Qi couldn't endure it. He divorced her and made her and his subordinate happy.
At Cheng Hui's request, he remarried a good wife and lived a new life. Qin Shaojing saw that Cheng Qi divorced her and married another woman, and she regretted it so much that she ran back to Cheng Qi every day to apologize to him, seduce him, and try to make him change his mind, divorce that woman and marry again, but Cheng Qi was indifferent and didn't see her at all. But Cheng Qi's subordinates didn't dare to marry her.
They were caught on the spot and felt guilty towards Cheng Qi, so they took the initiative to resign from their official positions and returned to the countryside to guard the border and farm. Qin Shaojing naturally couldn't be with such a man. She had no relatives at the border, and no one wanted her. She lingered there for a year or two, and finally returned to her own family, the impoverished Qin Guogong Mansion. It was said that she was finally married to the largest local family by her own brother for the third time, and became the second wife of their nearly seventy-year-old father.
Cheng Hui didn't know what happened next. When everyone heard about Qin Shaojing's fate, they all sighed. The old sisters continued to talk about each other's daily lives, and on the other side, Lu Lingjun had another friend. It was Wang Qiluo and Liu Shuhui! It was a prosperous time, and all nations came to congratulate. Officials from all over the country also came to Beijing to report on their duties, including Liu Shuhui, the governor of the grain transport in Jiangnan.
The two of them came with gifts. "Lingjun!" Wang Qiluo, who hadn't seen Lu Lingjun for almost 20 years, saw her tears and fell. Seeing Wang Qiluo, who already looked like a middle-aged woman, Lu Lingjun was also filled with emotion. She shook hands and hugged Wang Qiluo tightly. The two of them looked at each other for a long time in front of Liu Shuhui, and coughed several times before they separated. He reminded them but they didn't notice him. Lu Lingjun just pulled Wang Qiluo to his yard, "You must live with me these days."
"Is there any need to say that? I've thought about it a long time ago. By then, we will sleep on the same couch like when we were kids, and we will have to whisper to each other for seven days in a row! I have too many things to tell you!" "Okay, I've cleaned up the room and am waiting for you to come back."
Liu Shuhui, who followed behind them, said: "If they sleep on the same couch, what about him?" Liu Shuhui looked at his wife, who was originally full of him, and now she didn't remember him at all. He smiled helplessly and said nothing. Soon it was evening and the banquet started. All the wives of officials from all walks of life have come. There are so many people today that the two marquisates are set up at the same time.
Cheng Bing'an and Cheng Binghao are entertaining male guests at Ningyang Marquisate, and Lu Lingyun is entertaining female guests at Changsheng Marquisate. The small door that was left open today is full of people coming and going, all of them are guests. The two marquisates are very lively, and at this time, the moon is on the branches, and a short and fat man with patches on his body is walking by with a woman with a haggard head and ragged clothes.
In addition to being the day when Lu Lingyun received the imperial decree and the banquet was set up, it was also the day when Li Bixi was released from prison. Her son went to pick her up. Li Bi'e looked at the bustling and bustling Marquis' Mansion. After three years in prison, her tired eyes, which had long been tortured by the suffering of prison, burst into disdain and hatred, "Son, this world is really unfair, and it specifically bullies us poor people! But fortunately, I still have you. For you, no matter how much suffering I have suffered, I will never regret it."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly felt dizzy and was pushed to the ground. "What are you regretting? I regret it!" Cheng Bingzhi, who had completely changed his appearance and no longer had any similarities with his two brothers, looked at his mother viciously, "It was all your fault at the beginning. I could have followed the mistress! If I had followed her, the Marquis' Mansion would definitely have another Marquis! It's all you! You ruined my life!"
Li Bi'e looked at her son who said this in astonishment. Obviously, when he was young, he was extremely dependent on her, and he didn't want anything but him as his mother. But why did he dislike his mother when he grew up? She had planned for him her whole life. "Cheng Bingzhi! How can you be so heartless? Isn't your mother good to you?" "Don't come on! Don't think I don't know that you are selfish! You tied me to you just for your own good! How can you be so cheap!" Li Bixi heard Cheng Bingzhi scold her like this, she felt heartbroken and guilty.
She opened her mouth and shouted, "Bingzhi, but I am your mother after all! How can you do this to your mother!" "My mother is the wife of the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion! She is not a lowly concubine like you! It's you who ruined my life, you have to be responsible for me!" In an empty corner, Cheng Bingzhi punched and kicked his mother.
—
After three rounds of wine, the two marquis' mansions gradually dispersed. Lu Lingjun arranged the servants to send the guests away in an orderly manner, and those who wanted to stay were arranged to stay in the guest rooms.
When the moon was in the middle of the sky, she walked towards her own yard. Wang Qiluo had just gotten drunk, so Lu Lingjun asked all the maids around her to escort her back first. She was walking alone in the courtyard of the Marquis' Mansion in a rare quiet moment.
The cool autumn breeze made her feel lazy and tipsy. She sat down in her own pavilion, and at this moment, a long black shadow was cast in front of her. She raised her head and met a pair of scarlet, drunken eyes.
When Lu Lingjun saw him, she smiled politely and distantly, "It's my brother-in-law." After she finished speaking, she stood up and looked around to see if there were any servants. "Where did this person go? I'll find someone to take you back." At this moment, a voice came to her ears.
"Yun'er!" Lu Lingjun was startled when she heard Li Wenxun call her like this. The next moment, Li Wenxun, who was full of alcohol, pounced on her. Fortunately, Lu Lingjun had already opened up two steps away. She was already alert and had a sense of distance, so she dodged Li Wenxun's pounce with a flash, and Li Wenxun fell headfirst on the stone table of the pavilion.
Seeing Li Wenxun like this, Lu Lingyun frowned, "Brother-in-law is drunk, I'll call someone." "Yun'er, don't go! I'm Wenxun!"
At this time, Li Wenxun raised his old and haggard face from the table and looked at her in great pain, "I know, I know everything, the wife I should have married was you! It was you who my mother arranged for me back then, but it was your sister who snatched your marriage away from me!"
When Lu Lingyun heard what he said, "Brother-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"Yun'er! You were supposed to be my wife! My mother told me so herself! She was also deceived by Lu Hanyi and Liu and was replaced with you!"
Li Wenxun looked at her with red eyes. "Brother-in-law is really drunk, talking nonsense. Even if there were some discrepancies when discussing the marriage, Hanyi and I were finally married with three matchmakers and six engagements, included in the family tree, and married in a formal and solemn manner. Don't say such nonsense."
Lu Lingyun smiled faintly. "But I remember it all! In the last life, I married you!" Li Wenxun stood up at this time, looking at Lu Lingyun with burning eyes. When Lu Lingyun heard this, the shock in her heart suddenly became concrete. She was very surprised. Li Wenxun also remembered it?
"Yun'er, we are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman. You assisted me and helped me pass the imperial examinations and become the top scholar. I was appointed by His Majesty to be an official in Jiangnan, and you assisted me wholeheartedly, taking care of the harem, making me feel at ease, allowing me to show my talents in Jiangnan and make outstanding achievements. I was promoted all the way to the prime minister of the dynasty, and I even asked for an imperial decree for you!" After hearing Li Wenxun's words of beautification, Lu Lingyun sneered in her heart. She just helped him take care of the harem, making him feel at ease, showing his talents, and letting him make outstanding achievements.
She couldn't help but sneered and asked, "What happened next?" "Later," Li Wenxun's eyes dodged, "later you got a serious illness, didn't survive, and died." Lu Lingjun sneered again, "Then did we have children?" "You once carried a child for me, but unfortunately, you had a difficult delivery at that time. I gave up on him to protect you!"
Li Wenxun's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "You could never have children again, but I didn't despise you. I still respected and loved you. I sent all my illegitimate sons and daughters to your knees to raise them for you!"
Lu Lingjun listened to the man who glorified herself infinitely, and the cold smile on her lips became more and more intense. She was looking forward to Li Wenxun's extremely high expectations. In her eyes, she said to him, "Brother-in-law, you are such a joker." "Yun'er" Li Wenxun saw that she didn't believe him, and hurriedly explained, "You have to believe me! Really! Everything I said is true."
Lu Lingyun sneered, "Brother-in-law, if you really have such talent and character, why would you become like this in this life? You could be a first-rank prime minister in your last life, but you can only be an eighth-rank treasurer in this life? You loved me deeply in your last life, but you are so unfaithful to my sister in this life? The concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters in your courtyard all bully her! People outside say that you favor concubines over your wife!"
Li Wenxun felt as if a knife was stabbed in the heart, and he didn't know how to defend himself for a while. He couldn't admit that it was Lu Lingyun's help in his last life that made him so successful, and he couldn't admit that Lu Lingyun took concubines for him in his last life because she saw his eyes and liked him.
After all, no one took the initiative to take concubines for him in this life, but he took them anyway! He favors his concubine over his wife, and allows his concubine to bully his mistress. How can he still have a reputation for being loyal? It turns out that he is nothing. Seeing him speechless, Lu Lingyun found his selfish, hypocritical, and unfeeling face ridiculous.
She no longer spoke to this creature that was like a maggot crawling in feces, and turned away. Li Wenxun rushed up at this time. "Yun'er!" "Yun'er!" "Let's get back together!" "It's just right. You are a widow now. I will divorce Lu Hanyi when I go back! Let's renew our relationship! With you, I will definitely be able to become a high-ranking official again, and let everyone look up to me! Envy me!"
Li Wenxun stepped forward and pulled Lu Lingyun, hugged her in his arms, and tore her clothes vigorously. He now knew that everything he had was given by Lu Lingyun. Without him, Lu Lingyun could still be the wife of Fengguo, but without Lu Lingyun, he was nothing! He wanted to take her back!
Lu Lingjun was caught off guard and was pulled into his arms. Just as she was about to be torn of her clothes by Li Wenxun, a madman who was forced into a desperate situation, a figure fell from the sky. "You bold thief, dare to touch our mistress!" A graceful figure passed over Lu Lingjun's head, and a silver light flashed.
In the dancing sword light, a person wearing a bamboo hat and short clothes appeared in front of Lu Lingjun. The sword in her hand picked up Li Wenxun's hand that was holding Lu Lingjun in two or three strokes. In a bloody mess, Li Wenxun screamed and he let go.
The next moment, Lu Lingjun was pulled in front of the woman wearing a bamboo hat. She lifted the bamboo hat, and in the bright moonlight, a face with rough skin but high spirits appeared.
"Aruo!" Lu Lingjun was surprised to see Du Ruo. Du Ruo looked Lu Lingjun up and down, "Madam, I'm back to rest, are you welcome?"
"Of course you're welcome." Lu Lingjun smiled. At this time, she heard a cry of pain from her feet. Li Wenxun's hands were covered in blood, and he rolled on the ground in pain. Du Ruo looked at the man in front of her and said to Lu Lingjun, "How can we deal with this ignorant guy?" Lu Lingjun looked at Li Wenxun, who was drunk.
Her past life flashed through her mind and finally landed on the bowl of medicine he gave her. He looked at her, waiting for her to die, with eyes full of expectation and excitement. Her eyes became colder and her lips moved slightly. "Li's brother-in-law, after drinking, slipped and drowned in the pond of Ningyang Marquis' Mansion."
As she finished speaking, Li Wenxun was pushed into the pond of Ningyang Marquis' Mansion. He looked at Lu Lingyun standing above him in horror. He wanted to ask her for help. "Yun'er" he opened his mouth and a mouthful of water poured into his mouth. "Yun'er, I am really your husband!" "Save, really save!" "Trust me"
At this time, he suddenly saw Lu Lingyun's eyes and her intimate mouth shape behind the water light, and uttered three words. "I believe you." In an instant, all his drunkenness was sober. Lu Lingyun believed him. No! She must have recovered her past life memories! But her recovery of past life memories made him feel cold all over. "No!" "I was wrong! Yun'er!" "I was wrong! Save me!"
Li Wenxun struggled desperately in the pool, but he was so drunk that he couldn't struggle at all. His hands were still bloody and blurred by Du Ruo. He grabbed the gravel next to him, and the more he grabbed, the more blurred it became. He desperately confessed to Lu Lingyun. Unfortunately, Lu Lingyun was standing there and kicked him in person when he was about to get up.
Just like the last bowl of medicine he fed her. She is not a good person. She is soft-hearted. She will spare someone's life if she can. Everyone is trying to make a living, and it is not easy for anyone.
But she will never let go of those who want her dead. If you owe money, pay it back. If you owe a life, pay it back!
The next day, the news that Li Wenxun had fallen and drowned in the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion after drinking spread.
The banquet at the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion ended late last night, and all the servants were busy, so no one noticed that the Lady Fengguo's brother-in-law had drowned.
After being salvaged, it was found that the body had indeed drowned, but the hands were rotten and looked like they had been struggling in the pond.
The news was passed back to the Li family.
After the people in the Li family's old house found out, the two elders were silent for a moment, cried out in grief twice, and then asked their eldest son to go and get the second son's body back.
What else could they do? They didn't even have the courage to go to the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion to ask for an explanation.
First, the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion is now at its peak, and they are busy trying to curry favor with it, so how could they possibly offend it?
Secondly, there was not much hope for the second son. He had lived such a miserable life that he couldn't even afford his own house. It was just shameful for the two old folks.
As for how Li Wenxun died, whether he was murdered instead of drowning, no one cared at all, and no one tried to investigate.
They were just glad that it was their second son who died, not the eldest!
They would even secretly blame Li Wenxun for not choosing a good place to die, dying in Lady Fengguo's home and at a banquet after she was awarded a title. What would they do if they brought bad luck upon her and she took her anger out on them in the future?
As for Li Wenxun's own family, after learning that Li Wenxun had fallen and died after drinking, Lu Hanyi laughed so hard for three days that she became stupid.
When his aunts and concubines learned that he had died in Ningyang Marquis' Mansion after falling down while drunk yesterday, they all felt as if the sky had fallen. For the past three years in the capital, they had been living under the protection and instructions of Li Wenxun and secretly fighting with Lu Hanyi. Now that Li Wenxun is dead and Lu Hanyi is in charge, they will all be doomed!
While Lu Hanyi was just laughing foolishly at home, those who could pack up their bedding all packed up and ran away!
Fortunately, their children are not young. Each of them takes their own children. Those who have sons stay with their sons, and those who have daughters stay with their sons-in-law. Let's run away from the Li family first!
By the time Lu Hanyi reacted, everyone in the house had already run away.
She was taken back to live by Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin. To their surprise, this big Buddha in their family seemed to have become cheerful after her husband's death.
She is no longer so weird and cunning, picking on her family members. She grows flowers and raises fish in the yard on weekdays. By the way, she has also converted to Buddhism and often goes to the temple to burn incense and listen to lectures by masters. She always talks about accumulating more virtues, and that everything has cause and effect. She is told not to meet any bad men in her next life.
She started her own new life.
Du Ruo only stayed in the Marquis's Mansion for a few days, told Lu Lingjun some of his experiences, and then went out to travel again.
She found the direction of her life. She was like a free and happy eagle outside. She persuaded Lu Lingjun to go out with her and not be trapped in this house anymore.
After hearing this, Lu Lingjun smiled and said to her, everyone has their own aspirations.
Some people think that this square box is a cage and they want to escape from it, while others think that this square box is a city wall.
Inside the city walls is her kingdom battlefield.
This marquisate is Lu Lingjun's kingdom, and she is the king here.
How could a king flee from his own kingdom?
Lu Lingjun is very busy this year.
Not long after she was conferred the title of Lady Fengguo, the three-year mourning period for Qin was over. Coincidentally, Wang Qiluo and Liu Shuhui were both there, so their two families worked together to organize the wedding for Cheng Binghao and Liu Xianxian.
After their wedding, Lu Lingjun was asked by Wang Qiluo to accompany her back to Jiangnan.
A king cannot abandon his country, but he can travel abroad for a while. Lu Lingjun went to Jiangnan for a short trip. While in Jiangnan, she unexpectedly met Cheng Lanying and a strange man who were selling pork on the street.
When Cheng Lanying saw her, she was so scared that she hid behind Wei Dahai, and Wei Dahai also realized where the woman in gorgeous clothes opposite her was from.
People from the Marquis' Mansion.
He picked up the kitchen knife at hand, took a defensive stance, and looked at Lu Lingjun with hostility.
Lu Lingjun laughed when he saw him like this.
At this moment, a babbling child ran out from the yard behind them. Wei Dahai hurriedly grabbed the child and protected him behind him.
But the child seemed to be attracted by the beautiful gems and gorgeous silks on Lu Lingjun's body, and ran straight towards her.
"Zhenzhen! Don't go over there!"
It was too late. The little girl ran to Lu Lingjun and asked Shuanghong to pick her up.
Seeing this, Cheng Lanying stood out from behind Wei Dahai and knelt down in front of Lu Lingjun. When Wei Dahai saw his wife and daughter like this, he threw away the kitchen knife in his hand, knelt down in front of Lu Lingjun, and kowtowed.
"It's all my fault. Madam, please let Lanying and Zhenzhen go. I am willing to be cut into pieces to atone for my sins!"
Lu Lingjun looked at this honest and simple man, and then at their plain clothes. Cheng Lanying and the child's clothes were almost new and had no patches, but Wei Dahai's clothes were patched.
She waved her hand, asking them to get up, and went into their residence to take a look. In the small courtyard they rented, she called Cheng Lanying to talk to her alone. When she came out of the house, she saw the groom, like an ant on hot pan, pacing nervously outside with the child in his arms.
Lu Lingjun walked up to him and looked at the little girl in his arms. "Is her name Zhenzhen?"
"Yes." Wei Dahai replied to Lu Lingyun carefully, "I am not well-educated. Lan Ying gave me the name. It means Zhen, which means treasure. I like this name too. Zhenzhen is much better than Erya Zhaodi. Girls should be named like this."
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun touched the little girl's head. She felt that when she reached out her hand, Wei Dahai was trying hard to hold the child back, fearing that she would hurt the child. She smiled faintly, left them only one word, asking him to take good care of Lanying and her child, and left.
Wei Dahai was shocked to see Lu Lingjun leave so simply. He held the child in his arms and watched Cheng Lanying coming out of the house, then hurried forward.
"Lan Ying!"
"The sea!"
The family of three hugged each other. Wei Dahai was still in disbelief. He looked at the noble lady outside who was surrounded by a group of people and asked, "She just let us go like this?"
"What else?"
"I thought she would catch us like your mother did and make us die miserably."
Cheng Lanying smiled. She looked at the carved camphorwood carriage pulled by the tall horses. The carriage bells were all made of rich hollow sterling silver. The cloud veil was lifted, and the richly dressed lady inside smiled at her indifferently and waved goodbye.
"That's my wife." She looked in the direction where Lu Lingjun left.
"The nicest person I've ever met."
When she was a child, she only thought she was hypocritical. When she was a teenager, she thought she was very skillful and unpredictable. Now, she really admires her as a person.
She tightened her sleeves, inside which lay the five hundred taels of silver that Lu Lingjun had given her.
She gave her dowry.
After Lu Lingjun traveled to the south of the Yangtze River to relax, he decided to return to Beijing.
On the eve of their departure, Wang Qiluo held her for a long time and could not let her fall asleep, and the two talked until dawn.
Everyone knows that after this separation, they may never see each other again in this life. The mountains are high and the roads are long from Jiangnan to Beijing. We both have families, so it is unlikely that we will meet again.
The next day, Lu Lingjun got up to catch the bus. Wang Qiluo didn't wake up. Lu Lingjun didn't disturb her. He got up alone and met Liu Shuhui when he went out.
Liu Shuhui saw her off on behalf of Wang Qiluo.
"Madam Fengguo."
"Your Excellency the Governor."
When they heard each other calling each other like this, they both smiled.
Liu Shuhui then stepped forward and said, "I still remember when I first met you, I was just a poor student."
"Brother-in-law, you are too modest. With your talent and ability, you are a rare talent and will surely rise to the top."
When Lu Lingjun said this, Liu Shuhui turned around and asked, "How do you know I'm a dragon and a phoenix, not a snake or a rat?"
"I am still surprised that you were so determined to match me and Qiluo up."
Lu Lingjun smiled, "But I made the right bet, didn't I?"
Lu Lingjun's words left Liu Shuhui silent for a moment, but he admired her more as he saw how calm she was and how she seemed to have everything planned out.
"I accidentally saw the letter you sent to Binghao. The handwriting on it is exactly the same as the one Qiluo gave me that year."
Liu Shuhui said, looking at her back.
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he turned around and met Liu Shuhui's admiring eyes.
"Lu Lingjun, you are truly a genius. If you were a man, you would definitely be a legend in this world!"
When Lu Lingjun heard Liu Shuhui's exaggeration, she was startled at first, then she smiled, "Then you really saw it wrong. If I were a man, I would probably be that rotten old thing in the Golden Palace who looks at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and whose silence is worse than his words."
Lu Lingjun is not a person who is good at governing the world. Rather than making achievements, she likes the game of power. If she were a man, she would definitely become the smoothest old fox in the court who always acts harmless and does no harm to anyone.
She narrowed her eyes and kept everything to herself. If anyone plotted against her or tried to hinder her, she would use the most insidious means to deal with it and would not let anyone doubt her.
The battlefield of power is the most interesting journey. Only the reckless and young people will shout for war and killing, filled with so much pure passion.
When Liu Shuhui heard her say this, he was completely speechless.
After a long while, he managed to say, "It's a good thing you're a woman."
Lu Lingjun shook her head and smiled, "Also, I never regret being a woman. I never think that women are inferior to men."
"But you men, you better be careful. Maybe sometime in the future, our women's battlefield will no longer be in the backyard, and we will be able to fight with you men on the same battlefield fairly. By then, we might kill you without leaving a single piece of armor!"
His words were sharp, like swords or spears. Beneath Lu Lingjun's gentle and calm appearance, there was a background as hard as a steel knife.
When Liu Shuhui saw her like this, he was stunned for a long time, and then he smiled with infinite admiration and respect again, "I am indeed not as good as you."
"The mountains are high and the waters are long, so we have to say goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Lu Lingjun returned to Beijing.
It was winter, and she returned to the Marquis' Mansion before the New Year.
This was also the last time Lu Lingjun received news from Cheng Yunshuo.
It was a letter sent back by Du Ruo.
Cheng Yunshuo is dead.
Died in the snowy plains of the Western Regions.
Let the wild wolves share the food.
When he died, there was not a single piece of healthy flesh left on his body, and even his bones were not put together.
He was the one who risked his life to feed the wolf pack in the snowfield in order to save a pair of orphans and a widow.
His behavior was spread among the people there. The Tibetans there collected his bones and built a simple pagoda to enshrine his bones.
He became a truly enlightened monk.
After reading the letter, Lu Lingjun couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
It's funny that he never saved his own wife and children, but he died trying to save other people's wives and children.
It is somewhat ironic that in their eyes, Cheng Yunshuo, who was unfaithful, unfilial, unkind and unjust, actually became a high monk worshipped and admired by many people.
Things in this world are really hard to guess.
In the caravan that returned this year, she informed Captain Qian and asked him to go to the northwest outside the Great Wall to do business next year and add a few prayer flags and erect a monument to Cheng Yunshuo's stupa on the snowy plain.
As for his bones, forget it. I guess his parents don't want to see him.
Just stay where he wants to pursue dedication.
The spring snow melts, year after year.
It's another lively spring banquet.
Lu Lingjun held a spring banquet in her own mansion. She invited most of the wives in the capital who had daughters of marriageable age to attend the banquet with their daughters.
Who doesn't know the purpose of this banquet?
The Spring Banquet was held in great excitement, with young girls showing off their talents in playing the musical instrument, chess, calligraphy and painting.
This attracted all the ladies' praise, saying that the girl from this family was good and the girl from that family was pretty.
At the banquet, Lu Lingyun fell in love with a quiet girl.
She saw that when everyone was showing off, the girl was quietly observing everyone with a calm look. When she saw those most beautiful girls and the other girls looked lonely, she was not anxious at all.
She found out that it was the second daughter of the Minister of Works, Shen Anran.
Lu Lingjun called the person over again and asked a few questions, including his name, his preferences, and why he was named that way.
The girl answered in an orderly manner.
After the banquet, she found Cheng Bingan and told him that she planned to marry him and asked him what he thought.
Cheng Bing'an didn't have any requirements, he just said that whoever his mother liked must be the best.
Lu Lingjun held several poetry gatherings and invited several young ladies. He called Qiu Ling to come and see her several times. However, Qiu Ling was not very satisfied with the girl.
But after she came back, she said to Lu Lingyun, "Madam, you have good taste. You must have chosen something that Bing'an likes."
"Why?"
"Because among all those girls, she was the only one I disliked at first glance."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
"But I think that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have always disliked each other. I don't like her, but my son will definitely like her. Besides, I asked Bing'an about his preferences, and that girl is really his type."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
After much consideration, Lu Lingjun arranged this marriage for Cheng Bing'an.
After Cheng Bing'an officially came of age and successfully inherited the title of Marquis of Ningyang, she held a wedding for him.
The Ningyang Marquis' Mansion was decorated with lights and colors to celebrate the arrival of the new mistress.
On the second day after Shen Anran came into the house, Lu Lingjun drank the tea offered by his daughter-in-law and then, following Qin's example, handed the key to the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion to Shen Anran.
Life passes from generation to generation.
Lu Lingjun retired behind the scenes, and made appointments with old friends to drink tea, play cards, and go on outings. A few years later, he had grandchildren all over his knees and enjoyed playing with them.
The era of Lu Lingjun as the mistress is gradually coming to an end, but a brand new daily life of the mistress is unfolding.