Chapter 73 Quietly Watching the Show

Lu Jinlan coughed, "Huaixing, I've arranged a marriage for you."

Huai Xing was taken aback and looked thoughtfully at Yan Wuxin, but Yan Wuxin was drinking tea with his head down.

Lu Jinlan said, "There's no reason to force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to. So, I'd like to ask what you think."

Huai Xing knelt on the ground, her face flushed, and whispered, "Huai Xing is a servant in this manor, and will obey all orders from the young master."

Lu Jinlan smiled, "I'm afraid you won't be willing. The other party is quite good, a top student from the Royal Academy, with first-class talent and looks, but if you marry him, you can only be the lowest-ranking servant."

Huai Xing glanced at Yan Wuxin and said in a low voice, "I don't care about titles or status. Ying Ziye... is fine too."

Lu Jinlan said to Xiang Ruzhen, "He agreed. I will send someone to deliver it to you after your wedding."

"What?" Huai Xing was startled. "Young Master, you...you want to marry me off to Young Madam Xiang?"

His gaze darted anxiously between the three of them. Yan Wuxin's expression was inscrutable. Lu Jinlan countered, "Isn't Young Madam Xiang good enough?"

Xiang Ruzhen smiled and looked at him. "Yes, am I not good enough?"

Huai Xing shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, no, you are very kind, Miss Xiang. It is Huai Xing who knows he is not worthy of you and has no honor to serve you. Besides, you are about to get married. Someone like me would only be an eyesore to you and your husband. Huai Xing would never dare to."

Lu Jinlan pursed her lips. "What you said makes some sense. Sigh, once Ruzhen gets married, even if you're included, there will only be two men around you. I imagine you'll find it hard to be comfortable. Why not find you a young mistress with a more charming and lively personality? She'll have many men around her, making it more lively, and you won't stand out too much when you marry into that family."

Huai Xing nodded silently and said softly, "Young Master is right. I am just a servant, and I know I don't have the ability to gain special favor. I don't ask for any titles or status. I just want to get married, eat, and wear clothes. As long as I have food to eat and clothes to wear, that's enough."

He glanced at Yan Wuxin again, then mustered his courage and said, "I think that some people may have many men around them, but not all of them may understand them. If I could be by her side all the time, I could talk to her often. That's all, I don't ask for anything else."

Lu Jinlan looked at Yan Wuxin and said, "I was touched by what you said. What do you think?"

Yan Wuxin glared at her. "You're the one arranging his marriage, why are you asking me?"

Lu Jinlan suppressed a laugh, "Aren't you his master? Of course I have to ask for your opinion. But if you don't mind, I'll make the decision."

"Huaixing, your character and conduct are among the best in our household. How about this, let's keep the good stuff in the family, you can serve me from now on."

"Huh?" Huai Xing was dumbfounded.

Xiang Ruzhen almost spat out her hangover tea. She and Yan Wuxin knew, of course, that it was a lie, but Huaixing didn't.

He was so frightened that he stood there for a long time before finally saying, "Huai Xing wishes to be a servant in the manor for the rest of his life. I beg the young master to grant my request."

Yan Wuxin suddenly stood up. "Alright, stop scaring him."

She pulled Huai Xing up. "Your young master just said it offhand, don't take it seriously. Come on, I'll take you to practice your swordsmanship."

Huai Xing was taken away by Yan Wuxin, while Lu Jinlan and Xiang Ruzhen laughed wildly, leaning on the table.

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "See, what do you mean by being innocent? I tested them and they both got anxious."

Xiang Ruzhen shook her head. "Wuxin may seem precocious, but when it comes to matters between men and women, she's still a child. I think she mistakes lust for love. She seems to have gathered a bunch of men, but she's just keeping them as playthings. When she actually meets someone she likes, she doesn't know how to make a move. Don't pressure her, just let things take their course."

*

The sweltering summer heat made the holiday seem exceptionally long. Yan Wuxin visited Zhongyong Garden even more frequently in preparation for Xiang Ruzhen's wedding.

That day, Lu Jinlan was in his study when Yan Wuxin came in from outside, sweating profusely. He said repeatedly, "It's so hot! These things seem like small matters, but they're really exhausting to do."

Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "I told you long ago that you don't need to worry about it. Leave it to Lin Cheng. He has inherited his father's talents and is very good at handling these trivial matters."

As Lu Jinlan spoke, she handed her a cup of hot tea, but Yan Wuxin quickly declined, saying, "I don't want it hot. Your iced porridge looks pretty good. I'll eat this."

She picked up the half-bowl of iced porridge from the table and said while eating, "I was thinking that Ruzhen only has one big wedding in her life, so I felt at ease contributing. But I'm begging for forgiveness now. Pots and pans and trivial matters are really not our women's forte. Let my husband take care of them."

She pulled out a stack of silver notes and two waist tokens from her bosom. "I'll pay for it. I don't care if it's more or less. You can make up the difference if it's not enough. These two waist tokens belong to my private residence and villa. I've already informed them. If my husband needs something or someone, just send someone with the waist tokens. As soon as they hear that it's for the Lu family's husband, they'll know what's going on."

Lu Jinlan glanced at the stack of silver notes and laughed, "We don't need that many. Our two families have already prepared most of what we needed these past few days. The rest is readily available and won't cost much."

Yan Wuxin said, "Then buy her a house. She's married now, she can't exactly live in the academy dormitory with her husband, can she? I don't know how to tell her this, you go and talk to her."

Lu Jinlan said, "Don't I have an old house next to the dean's house? I've already had it cleaned up and prepared for Ruzhen to use as her new home. It's close to the academy and not far from the Jin residence, so she can go home to visit from time to time, and it's also convenient for Young Master Jin to visit his parents' home."

Yan Wuxin hurriedly asked, "Will she accept it?"

Lu Jinlan smiled, "Of course she refused, but she couldn't refuse the reason I gave her. I said it was a betrothal gift that my daughter had given to her son in advance, and she was helping to accept it."

Yan Wuxin laughed heartily, "Are you so sure Ruzhen will have a son?"

Lu Jinlan said, "What does it mean that the Jin family has so many sons? It means that the Jin family is good at having boys. I'm worried that Ruzhen's husband won't be able to have a daughter anytime soon."

After chatting and laughing for a while, Yan Wuxin said, "Speaking of children, I haven't seen my goddaughter for several days. Quickly have someone bring little Andong over so I can play with her for a while."

In this gender-swapped world, childcare is also simplified for women. Lu Jinlan doesn't have to do anything normally; Yu Mian and two or three "nanny dads" take care of all her needs, from eating and drinking to toileting.

The child is surrounded by a bunch of people all day long. Lu Jinlan will pick her up and play with her when she wants to, and if she cries or fusses, she will hand her over to her father.

She knew that some modern men, in order to avoid childcare, would rather lie and play games at work than go home, and some even applied for overseas assignments and simply hid in other places.

Lu Jinlan didn't need to. As soon as she frowned slightly, Yu Mian would immediately take the child away, coaxing her, "You women don't know how to take care of children. I'll take the child away so as not to delay you from doing your work."

Whether it was because of the pills or the natural bond between mother and daughter, the child always reached out her little hand, reluctant to part with her.

Yu Mian would only advise the child: "Dong'er, let's go out and play, don't disturb your mother's studies."

My God! She could accept living such wonderful days every single day.

Since Yan Wuxin needed to look after the child, Lu Jinlan had someone bring Dong'er over. Yan Wuxin didn't leave until almost dark. Lu Jinlan saw her off, and as she turned around, she saw Lu Jinzhao standing in the shadows of the trees, silently watching her.

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

"I'm going back to Yunzhou tomorrow, so I'm coming to tell you."

Lu Jinlan said reluctantly, "Why are you leaving so soon? I still have so much to say to you."

Lu Jinzhao smiled. "If I don't leave, you'll be running around like a mad rabbit all day. Only when I'm about to leave do you say you have something to say. What is it? Now that we have some free time, let's have a good chat."

The mother and daughter sat down in the study. Lu Jinlan poured her a cup of tea and then started talking about how the three of them had caused a scene during the school year exams last month and almost set fire to the grading building.

Aside from those in the know, Lu Jinlan hadn't told anyone about this.

After all, it's a matter of great importance, and it's inconvenient to talk to people who aren't close to her. Aside from Ruzhen and Wuxin, everyone close to her is a man. Telling them about something this complicated probably wouldn't make them understand.

If Lin Cheng weren't pregnant, perhaps she could talk to him, but now that he's pregnant, Lu Jinlan doesn't want him to be worried and to hinder his pregnancy.

Now that Lu Jinzhao asked, she told him everything in one go.

When Lu Jinzhao heard about the three of them acting so boldly, stirring up trouble with a mix of truth and lies, he couldn't help but feel his heart leap into his throat with nervousness.

But when she heard that things had been exposed beforehand and the three of them were vying to take the blame, she couldn't help but smile and praised them repeatedly, "Good, good, good, as expected of my daughter, you have quite the chivalrous spirit. Expelling is fine, what's the point of reading such a lousy book? I won't feel ashamed, I'll only be happy for you."

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "Please let me finish. She was almost expelled, but luckily, she got help in time. She brought her mother. Coincidentally, you should know her mother. She is none other than the current Prime Minister, Yan Weijin."

Lu Jinzhao was taken aback, took a sip of tea, and nodded slightly. "I know you. We met a few times many years ago."

Lu Jinlan couldn't help but praise, "You have no idea how amazing the Prime Minister is! The Dean said we had gotten into a huge mess and no one could protect us. But as soon as the Prime Minister arrived, she solved everything. In a moment of crisis, she turned the tide. She's practically Nuwa; she can mend the sky."

Lu Jinzhao stroked the teacup in his hand without saying a word.

Lu Jinlan continued, "Later, she even invited us to her residence and cooked for us herself. Mother, do you know? When Xiangzun was young, her family was very poor. I always thought she rose through the ranks because of her family's protection, but I never expected her to be so inspiring."

"Mother, do you know? She also studied at the Royal Academy back then, and she was always the top scholar in every exam. She rose from poverty to become the most important minister in the court. Isn't that amazing?"

Lu Jinzhao smiled slightly, "Mother knows all of this. Mother knows more about her affairs than you do."

"When she saw me that day, she told me that it was all thanks to your generosity that you saved them back then. Otherwise, those girls would not only have had to drop out of school, but they would have also gone to jail. She told us a lot about her past, and she even praised you, saying that you are a man of great righteousness and a kind heart."

Lu Jinzhao chuckled softly, lowered his eyes, and slowly spoke, "Did she mention that the first thing she did after climbing to a high position was to find the informant from back then, find a fault, and wipe out the informant's entire family?"

Lu Jinlan was stunned. Lu Jinzhao sighed, "Back then, we were all just young students, so it's understandable that we were weak in the face of trouble. The person who betrayed us was wrong, and it's understandable that she wanted revenge. But to only find fault with one person and wipe out their entire family, don't you think that's too cruel?"

Lu Jinlan blinked, unsure of what to say, and whispered, "Perhaps...perhaps there's something else."

Lu Jinzhao shook his head. "Lan'er, you are very smart, but compared to someone like Yan Weijin, you are as obedient as a little white rabbit. She is an old fox, cunning and ruthless, and not on our side."

Lu Jinlan's mind was a little confused. "Then everything she told us was false?"

"No, what she said is true."

Lu Jinzhao smiled dismissively, "How could it be fake? Back then, everyone knew that the Yan family produced a literary genius. Yan Weijin was always at the top of her class from childhood to adulthood. She studied while running a stall on the street, and every page of her textbooks was stained with oil."

"She is very capable and talented. She was originally just a girl from a humble family who was not valued by her family, but she managed to become the only choice that the Yan family would wholeheartedly support. Since she became the prime minister and the person in charge of the Yan family, the Yan family has grown and prospered under her leadership over the past ten years or so. Isn't that all thanks to her?"

"But Lan'er, you must remember one thing: people are complex."

"None of those who rise to high positions are virtuous. Even the current emperor fought his way into the palace through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. As they climb up the ladder, they gain many things but lose many others, including family, friendship, love, and even their humanity."

Lu Jinlan was deeply shaken. She could sense that Lu Jinzhao had a lot to say but didn't intend to.

She had to press further: "Do you think the Prime Minister is inhumane?"

Lu Jinzhao sighed deeply, remained silent for a moment, his eyes churning with emotions that gradually subsided.

"I can only tell you that the people who burned down the school supervisor's house with her back then were all her friends at the time, just like you, Ruzhen, and Wuxin. But later, she not only wiped out the entire family of the informant, but also the entire family of another of her friends."

Lu Jinlan's eyes widened in surprise. "For what?"

"Profits, enormous profits."

Lu Jinzhao didn't want to say anything more. She pressed down on Lu Jinlan's shoulder and said earnestly, "Lan'er, I know you and Wuxin are good friends. I won't interfere with you. I hope you will always be this good. As long as you have close friends, you will not be alone in this world."

"But you must promise your mother that you will not get involved in the intrigues of the court. After you graduate, you should go to the army and stay away from the troubles of the capital."

“You have me, friends, a husband and children. Our Lu family has endless gold and silver. You have hundreds of thousands of Song family soldiers in your hands, so you can live a worry-free life.”

Lu Jinlan didn't say anything, but nodded slightly.

As Lu Jinzhao was about to get up and leave, Lu Jinlan suddenly asked, "Mother, do you know someone named Fei Qing?"

Lu Jinzhao paused, "Who is Fei Qing?"

"I don't know, it was in my dream. I dreamt that when I was a baby, I was being chased. A person named Fei Qing held me and handed me over to you before he died. Mother, is there... is there anything you want to tell me?"

Lu Jinzhao was silent for a moment, then told her firmly, "It was just a dream, don't overthink it."

*

Song Lincheng has been particularly happy lately. Lu Jinlan is on summer vacation at home, and the family has a child, making every day lively and bustling.

It was the height of summer, and the lotus flowers in Zhongyong Garden were in full bloom. Not content with arranging Xiang Ruzhen's wedding, he also hosted a small lotus-viewing banquet, inviting Jin Xueqing and all the servants from Yan Wuxin's household to be guests.

When Lu Jinlan heard him mention this, she was quite surprised. "I remember you didn't get along with Wu Xin and those bastards. Why would you send them invitations?"

Song Lincheng laughed and said, "These are the thoughts of men. If I don't tell you, no matter how many top scholars you pass the imperial examinations, you still won't be able to guess them."

Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, "It's not hard to guess. Of course, it's because of Wuxin and me. You invited Ruzhen's fiancé. If you didn't invite Wuxin's son, it would seem like you're favoring one over the other, and she might be unhappy."

Song Lincheng said, "This is just one aspect. The most important thing is that I want them to see the life I have now."

"How are you doing now?"

"Yes, they looked down on me so much back then, saying I was too old to lift a finger and wouldn't know what to do after I married into the main wife's family. I'm going to show them that I not only married the best wife in the world, but I also live in a royal villa where horses can gallop, and I'm pregnant. Do you think they'll be jealous of me?"

Lu Jinlan couldn't help but shake her head with a laugh, "You invited them here just to get into a fight?"

"I won't say it outright. I've already spoken to Yu Mian and asked him to say a few words to them for me. That will be enough for me to vent my anger."

Lu Jinlan nodded. "As long as you're happy."

On the day of the lotus banquet, Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin couldn't find Lu Jinlan anywhere. Finally, they found her standing under the eaves, looking into the house across the pond.

The two complained, "Why did you come here without saying a word? We've been looking for you everywhere."

Lu Jinlan shushed her, "Don't make a sound, let's quietly watch the show."

The two followed her gaze and, to their surprise, the room was full of men.

They say three men make a drama, and today's drama is going to be a big one.

Song Lincheng pulled Jin Xueqing to sit down at the table, while Yu Mian, holding her child, and Qi Lang accompanied them. Fang Qing and the others sat on the heated kang.

Various teas and snacks were prepared, and Huaixing presented two boxes of designs.

Song Lincheng smiled and said, "Everyone, please help us choose. This is the embroidery pattern to be embroidered on Xueqing's wedding dress. Although the wedding is in two months, we have enough time to prepare in advance to ensure that it is exquisite."

Xueqing quickly said, "It's already troubled enough for you to go to such lengths. There's no need to be so meticulous; neither she nor I care about these things."

Yu Mian laughed and teased, "So frugal before you're even married? You and her, you don't even call each other by name. Tell us, who are you with?"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter, and Xueqing blushed, speechless.

Lin Cheng laughed and said, "Let him go. I heard from my wife that Xue Qing first met Xiang Shao Niang at the academy. He only talked to Xiang Shao Niang at that time, and Yan Shao Niang almost thought he was mute."

Everyone burst into laughter, and even Xueqing herself couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Back then, I thought Yan Shaoniang wasn't a good person, and I was a little afraid of her."

Huai Xing said, "Young Madam Yan just likes to joke. Actually, she's a very nice person. She's also very kind to us servants. Every time she comes to the manor, she makes everyone very happy."

Fang Qing peeked over and walked to Huai Xing's side. "Oh, so you're the disciple my mistress took in at the manor, right? No wonder my mistress hasn't been home much lately and keeps coming here. It turns out there's a treasure at the Lu manor that's luring her here."

Upon hearing this, the other Yingzi gathered around, chattering, "Let me see, does this little brother have three heads and six arms? How come he outshines all of us?"

"Can you play the piano or sing? Or dance? You must have some talent, right?"

"Tell us how you became the wife's apprentice, and what she taught you on a daily basis?"

Surrounded and unsure how to speak, Huai Xing gave Yu Mian a wink.

Yu Mian handed the child to Qi Lang, stood up and laughed, "Alright, you were all so eager to defend Young Madam Yan just now, but now you're all talking a lot. In my opinion, you lost because you don't know how to speak. What did you say about my husband back then?"

"They said he couldn't cook, and they complained that he couldn't grill fish. Our wife said back then that he was supposed to enjoy life after getting married, and didn't have to do everything himself. Look, hasn't that come true now?"

"Now, my husband manages the affairs of the household in an orderly manner, and he is extremely kind to us young men and children. Not to mention the capital, or the whole of Hua Kingdom, even if you include the neighboring countries, who doesn't envy my husband for marrying such a good wife?"

"I see that you haven't learned a thing of Yan Shao Niang's keen observation skills. How could you possibly judge people? You should eat more and talk less."

He berated the servants until they all fell silent. Song Lincheng waited until he finished speaking before saying, "Yumian, why are you bringing this up? These things happened before we got married. I had forgotten about them if you hadn't mentioned them."

Fang Qing's eyes darted around, and she smiled, "Speaking of which, when we first met, Young Master Song and Yu Mian almost got into a fight. Now you two share a wife, and your relationship is so good that it's enviable."

Jin Xueqing exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so?"

Song Lincheng gave an awkward smile: "That's all in the past."

Yu Mian hurriedly said, "No fight, no friendship. Not to mention us, even when Yan Shao Niang and Xiang Shao Niang first met, they had a fight, but now they're like sisters. My husband is broad-minded and naturally doesn't hold grudges. He treats me and Qi Lang very well, right, Qi Lang?"

Qilang had been watching the battle for a long time, but his mind and mouth couldn't keep up, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. Now that he finally had a chance to speak, he nodded blankly and said, "Yes."

Song Lincheng chuckled, "The banquet should be ready. Let's go have our meal."

Seeing that they had finally moved on, Yan Wuxin breathed a sigh of relief. "Good heavens, they're finally done talking. Everyone was trying to speak at once, it was so noisy my ears were about to fall off. Jinlan, why are your three men ganging up on me?"

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "That's not right. Qilang only said two words. Does he look like he's in cahoots? As for Lincheng and Yumian, they were indeed a bit unreasonable. I apologize on their behalf. However, they only have two mouths. How could eight people from your family be bullied by two mouths?"

Yan Wuxin retorted, "They're usually so eloquent when they're vying for favor. I don't know what sticky pastries they ate today, but they've all become tongue-tied. Only Fang Qing can manage a few words. Humph, next time I'll only bring Fang Qing."

Xiang Ruzhen laughed and said, "Why do you take it to heart when men are teasing each other? Let them argue."

Lu Jinlan: "That's right, if they start their feast, we'll start ours too. Let's go eat."

Yan Wuxin initially thought it made sense, but upon closer inspection, he realized something was amiss!

"Hey Ruzhen, you're the one talking about me. If it were Xueqing who was being teased, you would have gotten angry by now."

Xiang Ruzhen said, "Why are they making trouble for Xueqing? Xueqing has no old grudges against them."

Yan Wuxin thought for a moment, "That's true. I told you they talk too much and are always causing trouble. Forget it, I have to call Huaixing over here to serve us, otherwise my bunch of Yingzi will definitely bully him."

Yan Wuxin went over to call for someone, and Lu Jinlan shook her head with a smile, "Ah, these days are really interesting. Sometimes I can't help but think that it would be nice to live like this day after day."

Xiang Ruzhen asked curiously, "Who stopped you from living like this?"

Lu Jinlan looked up at the sky, "Fate, fate may not have arranged it this way."

As she spoke, she pulled a letter from her sleeve. "This is a letter my mother-in-law just sent from the border."

Xiang Ruzhen hurriedly asked, "What happened?"