Su Wanwan, who once endured her cold looks and ridicule, is now someone she can only look up to but never reach.

Every year, they also send rice, flour, cooking oil, firewood, and other supplies as a sign of filial piety.

The amount of money was small, but the scale of the operation was enormous.

His image of forgiving past grievances and repaying evil with kindness is deeply ingrained in people's hearts.

But now the rumors are quite detailed, saying that Xu Peng'an is in Yansui, but he doesn't have the money to return to the capital.

Han Xiufen could no longer sit still, so she ordered her trusted maid to take money to Yansui to find the person.

...

Su Wanwan's complexion was not good.

"My grandfather was stripped of his jade belt and robes, and you didn't even let me know?"

Lu Xingjian paused for a moment, "It's just a small matter."

He then reached out and took her hand.

Su Wanwan pushed him away, her tone indifferent.

“You keep saying you love me and like me, but my grandfather almost went to jail. Even though he was old and had resigned from his official post, he was still labeled a traitor, had his jade belt confiscated, and suffered all kinds of humiliation.”

"On the contrary, the Ma family rose through the ranks, and Maggie's brother even became a general."

Lu Xingjian frowned slightly.

"My wife, don't overthink it. It wasn't my idea to do what happened to your grandfather. You were in critical condition at the time, how could I have time to worry about such trivial matters?"

"Besides, Maggie's matter is all in the past, can we please stop bringing her up?"

Now, he has an instinctive negative reaction whenever Maggie is mentioned.

The two of them argued about this far too many times.

Things have been peaceful lately, and he doesn't want these things to cause any more arguments between the two of them.

"I didn't do these things, you're blaming the wrong person."

Su Wanwan's expression paled even more.

Liu Jin is his person.

It was because of his repeated indulgence that Liu Jin targeted the Su family time and time again.

After all, when the Su family set fire to their house last time, he not only didn't punish Liu Jin, but also helped cover it up.

Even if he wasn't the main culprit, he was still an accomplice.

"You're the emperor, is it really that difficult to punish Liu Jin?"

"If you're being manipulated and your words don't carry weight, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Lu Xingjian's expression turned ugly for a moment.

Liu Jin is too good at forming cliques.

For the past six months, he has neglected state affairs, and many generals in the capital army have been infiltrated by him.

The Ministry of War is in dire need of reform.

It's not something that can be accomplished immediately just by saying we can win over Liu Jin.

"Fine, I'll do as you say. Get Liu Jin demoted as soon as possible, and I'll avenge you."

That's what I meant.

It seems she was trying to vent her anger by forcing him to deal with Liu Jin.

She didn't want to bear the infamy of "interfering in politics within the harem".

"Whether or not to demote Liu Jin is something you need to consider yourself."

"I just feel that the Su family has not benefited at all from my becoming empress; on the contrary, they have caused a lot of trouble."

"When Xia Xueyi became empress, her family was granted the title of earl and received a considerable amount of imperial estates."

"Since I became empress, my family has suffered endless persecution."

Lu Xingjian pursed his lips.

That is indeed the case.

However, the Su family's size is not on the same level as the Xia family's.

The Xia family was content with their silver, land, and titles.

And these are precisely the things the Su family despises the most.

"I'm sorry you suffered such injustice. After dealing with Liu Jin, I'll restore our grandfather's reputation and official rank, okay?"

Su Wanwan was speechless.

"what ever."

She suffered as a result of marrying him, and her children and her family also suffered because of it.

Seeing that she was in a low mood, Lu Xingjian squeezed her hand tightly and rubbed his own brow.

"My wife, please take care of me, I've been so tired these past few days."

Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then raised her hand to massage his temples.

During the past six months, her illness and his lack of indulgence have allowed Liu Jin to become deeply entrenched, with his cronies spreading throughout the court and beyond.

It's not something that can be done immediately just by degrading someone.

If not handled properly, it could lead to a major disaster.

Lu Xingjian lay down and rested his head on her lap, rubbing his face against her clothes, deeply inhaling her scent.

"The decree of general amnesty you spoke of has already been proclaimed to the world, and the date was specially chosen to be your birthday, so that the people of the world will remember your good deeds."

Su Wanwan remained unmoved, replying indifferently, "Oh."

Lu Xingjian softened his tone, "Am I being too inconsiderate?"

"It's alright." Su Wanwan couldn't bring herself to flatter him against her will.

Sometimes, he can be quite considerate.

For example, taking care of her when she's sick, occasionally saying some cheesy sweet nothings, and being considerate of her feelings in bed.

Even now, he hasn't taken any other women; she's the only one.

He looks a bit like the late emperor.

However, the grievances she suffered and the sadness she experienced were not fake.

Besides, the late emperor only had Empress Zhang as his only woman in name; in private, he still slept with Lu Xingjian's birth mother.

She still misses her mother dearly.

Because it was Su Wanwan's birthday, Yan Ge'er also came over for dinner that evening.

When Yan Ge'er saw Yan Ge'er sitting next to Su Wanwan, he tensed up and stood there stunned for a while.

Su Wanwan noticed Yan Ge'er's disappointment, so she reached out and beckoned him to come over and sit on her lap.

"Yan-ge'er, what characters have you been learning lately?"

Yan Ge'er's eyes reddened, and he snuggled into her arms, "I learned the Thousand Character Classic..."

"Sitting in court to inquire about the Way, governing with folded hands and impartial administration. Loving and nurturing the common people, and subduing the Rong and Qiang tribes..."

Yan Ge'er has been spending almost every day with Su Wanwan lately, and his anxiety has dissipated considerably. He doesn't feel anything when he sees his mother hugging him.

Anyway, his mother cuddles him to sleep at night, but Yan-ge doesn't.

He asked curiously, "What is 'Chuigong Pingzhang'?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!