Chapter 249 Face Change

The Empress had originally placed high hopes on this child, but now, seeing his ignorant behavior, she felt only disappointment.

Previously, the Empress had repeatedly warned that Xie Qingran should not be provoked.

But Lu Jinzhi just wouldn't listen. First, he got involved in the affair, and before the damage was done, he started getting involved in these useless things. Now his future is completely ruined. It's already a miracle that he hasn't dragged the Lu family down with him yet.

"Lu Jinzhi, I have reminded you of many things long ago, but you did not take them to heart at all. Since that is the case, then you deserve everything you have now. You don't need to ask me why anymore. This wedding is the last bit of dignity I will give you. As for the rest, you can take care of yourself."

The Empress waved her hand, and the eunuchs stepped forward and pulled Lu Jinzhi out.

"No, no!"

"Xie Qingran, you bitch, how could you be so vicious, you bitch Xie Qingran!"

At this moment, Lu Jinzhi finally realized that the emperor was truly angry, and the empress would not plead for him at all. His future was now in Lingnan.

The eunuch covered Lu Jinzhi's mouth and forcibly took him back.

Suddenly, the once bustling Changchun Palace was left with only the Empress and Xie Qingran.

The Empress watched silently as Xie Qingran's brows furrowed tightly. After a long while, she sighed and said, "You...you did this on purpose, didn't you? From the very beginning, you've been targeting Lu Jinzhi and Xie Hanyue. Why?"

"They were in the wrong first. I was only doing this for the sake of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the child in my womb."

"Your Majesty, keeping these two in the capital will only bring harm to His Highness the Crown Prince. Besides, His Majesty only dealt with two children and did not implicate their families, did he?"

Xie Qingran had already prepared her explanation. She knew that the Empress loved Lu Jinzhi very much and would absolutely not bear to see Lu Jinzhi suffer.

However, she also knew that no matter how much the Empress loved Lu Jinzhi, she could not surpass her own son, so she immediately grasped the key point.

Seeing Xie Qingran like this, the Empress couldn't help but laugh: "I thought you were a child, but now it seems I misjudged you."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

Xie Qingran stood up and bowed respectfully to the Empress.

Then, she smiled at the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave!"

Watching Xie Qingran's departing figure, the Empress rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Go and appease the Lu family. Tell them this is only temporary. Once His Majesty has calmed down, I will naturally find a way to bring Lu Jinzhi back."

Seeing the Empress like this, Granny Feng felt a pang of heartache and hurriedly nodded before turning to leave.

The entrance to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Xie Qingran was quite surprised to see Lu Jinzhi, who was furious, as soon as she got out of the car. She had thought he would be punished at home, but she never expected that he would have time to come here to cause trouble for her.

She stepped forward and looked at Lu Jinzhi with a half-smile: "Young Master Lu is about to get married and be sent to a post outside the capital. How come you still have time to come here?"

"You!" Lu Jinzhi's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Xie Qingran. "It was just a few idle words, why did you have to make such a fuss? Xie Qingran, you vicious woman, you're going to ruin me, you're going to ruin Yue'er, aren't you!"

"You're wasting your time talking to me about this now, Lu Jinzhi. Lingnan is a long and arduous journey. You should think carefully about how to get there safely."

"As for the rest, it's all your own fault. You should know that rumors can kill. I am the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, yet you slander the child in my womb as having impure blood. You also wanted to kill me, didn't you? It's just that I was one step ahead. Since that's the case, what right do you have to nag and question me?"

Xie Qingran had long known that Lu Jinzhi would come to find her, and seeing his aggrieved look, Xie Qingran found it somewhat amusing.

Seeing Xie Qingran like this, Lu Jinzhi took a step back in disbelief. He could clearly see that Xie Qingran's eyes no longer held any infatuation with him, as if she had completely changed into a different person, as if she had completely forgotten him.

For some reason, Lu Jinzhi originally hated Xie Qingran's pursuit of him the most, but now that Xie Qingran's gaze no longer lingered on him, Lu Jinzhi felt that his heart was breaking!

He took a deep breath and looked at Xie Qingran: "Why, Xie Qingran, why are you doing this to me? You clearly liked me and wanted to marry me, so why has everything changed?"

"You know, I used to like you, and I wanted to marry you?"

"Lu Jinzhi, you are truly disgusting."

Xie Qingran suddenly smiled.

She initially thought it was because she was too rigid and hadn't expressed her feelings for Lu Jinzhi that he was completely unaware of her affections.

But now, Xie Qingran understands that Lu Jinzhi actually knew all along, but he still chose to hurt Xie Qingran and ruin her feelings.

Thinking of this, Xie Qingran's face also darkened: "Hongshan, send the person back."

After speaking, Xie Qingran walked past Lu Jinzhi and was about to go inside, but Lu Jinzhi suddenly grabbed Xie Qingran's arm, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her: "Xie Qingran, can you really bear to send me to Lingnan?"

"You should really think about who sent you to Lingnan. You should also think about why you ended up like this and who the culprit is."

Xie Qingran shook off Lu Jinzhi's hand and strode inside.

She made a huge scene during the day, and the whole capital knew that something had happened. Zhou Shi, who had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the family, had been sent to the ancestral temple and would never be able to return. The emperor issued two imperial edicts in succession, punishing Lu Jinzhi and Xie Hanyue, suppressing all the rumors outside, and also appeasing the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

After this series of actions, all the rumors and gossip disappeared instantly, and the few that did surface were all negative comments about Xie Hanyue and Lu Jinzhi.

This matter has finally been completely resolved, and there will be no future troubles.

Looking at the courtyard piled high with gifts from the Emperor, Xie Qingran smiled gratefully at Eunuch Bao, saying, "His Majesty's kindness is immense; the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is deeply grateful!"

She was all cold and murderous this morning, but now she's all smiles and saying thank you. In all his years in the palace, Eunuch Bao has never seen a woman change her expression so quickly.