Chapter 94: Men still understand men

Ji Qingrong returned home and mentioned the matter to her husband in the evening.

Lu Juan has been very busy these days and only returned home late at night when he heard what his wife said.

He was surprised and asked, "Arong, you and your fifth sister went to Hanshan Temple and met the emperor?"

Emperor Wu Su has been even busier than Lu Juan recently. Eunuch Li said that he doesn't even get enough sleep at night, so why would he go to the temple?

Ji Qingrong leaned on the bed and pulled the brocade quilt upwards.

"Not only did he meet her, but the Emperor stood beside the carriage to accompany my fifth sister, and he also talked to my fifth sister's daughter, Jiujiu, for a long time, explaining a lot of truths."

Ji Qingrong lowered her voice and leaned close to his ear in a mysterious voice.

"In my opinion, the emperor is more patient with you than with the young prince Yuan Heng in the palace."

Lu Juan paused, thinking deeply, "Your Majesty is not the type to chat, there must be something about Fifth Sister that Your Majesty is interested in."

What interest could a man have in a woman?

After being enlightened by Lu Juan, Ji Qingrong immediately realized why there was a light in Emperor Wu Su's eyes.

It turns out that men understand men!

Ji Qingrong and Lu Juan looked at each other, waiting for him to give them a thorough analysis. Their husbands always had a clear view of officialdom affairs.

Lu Juan touched his wife's belly and said with a smile, "Jiujiu is a clever and adorable little girl. His Majesty has only one son, so he must be envious of families with girls."

Ji Qingrong was not familiar with the emperor, but she knew that his expression today was unusually gentle. Was he envious?

But she always felt something was wrong.

"Could it be..." She didn't finish her sentence.

Lu Juan sat down beside the bed, lifted a corner of the quilt, and reached out to massage her legs.

But when he returned home, he focused all his attention on Ji Qingrong and didn't want to think about foreign affairs anymore, even if that person was the emperor.

"Are your legs sore from walking?"

She put aside her doubts, quickly retracted her legs, and said softly: "I heard that edema will only occur in the third trimester. I am not feeling unwell now, so there is no need to do this."

He was worried about how hard it was for her to be pregnant, and she felt bad for him having to go out early and come back late and be busy all the time.

Lu Juan pulled her calf onto his knees and suddenly said with a smile, "Arong, let's give birth to a sweet and soft daughter too."

Didn’t you say before that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as she gives birth to them, she’ll like them?

Ji Qingrong shook her head and said, "I actually hope to give birth to a son."

"What's the good of giving birth to a brat?" Lu Juan said dissatisfiedly.

"You don't know the pressure I'm under. It's better to have a boy in one go, so I don't have to have more children in the future."

Ji Qingrong became very sensitive after she became pregnant, and she continued with worry, "What if I can't give birth to a son? Wouldn't the title of the Marquisate be lost? I would be guilty of a great sin."

Lu Juan, however, did not take the birth of a son seriously, and said, "My second brother already has a son, so at worst we can just adopt one."

The second elder brother Lu Wei is a bastard, so it is not his turn to inherit the title, but if Ji Qingrong cannot give birth, he will have to be adopted.

Ji Qingrong always felt that it was too cruel to take someone else's child away. Besides, her second sister-in-law Feng Shuang regarded Song Ge'er as if he were the apple of her eye, so she could not agree to it.

Seeing Ji Qingrong's face wrinkled, Lu Juan said, "Arong, do you feel bad? It doesn't matter. I have other ways."

There is no other way to have a son.

Ji Qingrong frowned and said angrily, "Lu Ziyou! You are not planning to find a concubine to help you have a baby, are you?"

Lu Juan stopped kneading and reached his big hand into her loose pants, found the soft flesh and pinched it.

"You are so brave to call your husband by his first name."

Ji Qingrong's heart tightened. He just called him without caring about anything and now he felt very regretful. However, he could see that there was no anger in his eyes. His pupils were shining.

"You said there was another way..."

Lu Juan untied his belt with one hand and said casually, "The solution I mentioned is to give the position of the crown prince to my second brother, not your bad idea of ​​pushing me to the concubine."

He made the matter of giving up the title sound as simple as giving up a piece of cake.

Ji Qingrong sat up, stared into his eyes and asked, "Husband, do you really think so?"

At this moment, Lu Juan had already taken off his outer robe and was only wearing his inner garment.

He said leisurely, "Arong, do you think that I am favored by the emperor only because of my status as a prince? Without the help of the Marquis' Mansion, your husband will not be able to establish himself?"

Hearing his confident words, Ji Qingrong suddenly felt relieved.

Then he heard Lu Juan say indifferently: "It doesn't matter. This is not the important thing right now."

Ji Qingrong felt that nothing was more important than this right now. If her mother-in-law Cui heard this, she would probably be furious.

But the next moment, Lu Juan took her hand and put it somewhere. The arrogant emperor's favorite minister in the court whispered in her ear: "Help me, Arong."

It was because the solution Lu Juan proposed was so satisfying to her that Ji Qingrong had no choice but to follow his wishes.

After taking another bath, Ji Qingrong leaned sleepily in Lu Juan's arms.

Lu Juan stroked her back and lowered his eyes in deep thought.

Now he is a relative of the Marquis' Mansion, but one day he might become a whetstone. Emperor Wu Su is not an emperor who is willing to work together with the aristocratic families.

Your Majesty comes from a noble family and has long seen through this complex network of clan relationships.

The major families may appear glamorous and powerful, but in fact they are filled with filth and are rotten to the core.

Emperor Wu Su wanted to clean up the mess, but he had not yet found a suitable opportunity to do so, and it was also unknown where to start.

*

A week later.

White lanterns were hung at the gate of the Ji Mansion.

Ji Changyan, the third son of the Ji family, endured some time in the imperial prison and finally passed away.

Ever since returning from the Cining Palace, Madam Ji has been bedridden, overly worried and her health has not improved. When she learned of her grandson's death, her illness became even worse.

Mrs. Wu fainted several times while holding the tablet, so the funeral ceremony was entirely supported by the first wife, Mrs. Qiao.

The whole hall was filled with white, not many people came to pay their respects, and the mourning hall was deserted.

Because Ji Changyan was a criminal during his lifetime, none of his good friends showed up, even Prince Yong did not show up, he just sent someone to deliver the sacrificial gifts.

The sacrifice ceremony was managed by Princess Yong, and she also took this opportunity to convey a message to Ji Qingwu.

Tao Wanyin took the first prescription she was given and her health has improved a lot. Now she just has to wait and see when the second prescription will take effect.

Ji Qingwu was sitting in front of the window of Wutong Garden.

She was wearing a plain white dress and no head ornaments, as pure as a lotus in clear water. In her hand, she held a wick soaked in vinegar and added water to the outer layer of the lampshade to make an ever-burning lamp.

Originally she didn't plan to go to the funeral home, but no matter how many grudges there were, they should all be resolved with the death of the person.

Ji Qingwu placed the eternal lamp in a corner of the mourning hall, lit a stick of incense, and left.

She had just walked out of the main gate and towards Wutong Garden when she heard a sharp shout behind her.

"You can't leave!"

Ji Qingyuan, who was so thin that her face looked much more pointed, was standing behind her.