Su Wanwan gave a wry smile:

"I don't know if you've heard, but my ex-mother-in-law is difficult to deal with. I can only come here to find some peace and quiet. I'll go back to the city when she's calmer."

Sun Qingyu paused for a moment, then quickly made a decision:

“I’ll help you get rid of that person, and also let the temple put in more effort so that no irrelevant people keep coming to disturb your peace.”

After saying this, Sun Qingyu walked to the vicinity of the ginkgo tree and gave Lu Xingjian a curtsy:

"Young master, there are ladies practicing meditation here. Please find another place to enjoy the scenery so as not to disturb others."

Lu Xingjian glanced at her, his eyes cold.

Sun Qingyu couldn't help but shudder.

She had assumed he was a gentle and refined young nobleman, but she never expected him to have such an intimidating aura that made her feel intimidated.

It was far more imposing than the Marquis of Ruian's.

She suddenly regretted doing this.

If she had known this person was so formidable, she should have been more cautious and protected herself.

But having already taken this step, she still had to grit her teeth and make her meaning clear.

“I am the wife of the Marquis of Ruian. Even if you don’t care about my reputation, you should at least consider the Marquis of Ruian’s family.”

"The person living in that mansion is my close friend, who is under the protection of the Marquis of Ruian's mansion."

The Marquis of Ruian's family was renowned for its virtue and was highly respected among the imperial relatives.

If others want to cause trouble, they have to weigh their own weight.

Li, the steward behind Lu Xingjian, said amicably, "Madam Ruian, our young master is just going to enjoy the autumn scenery and then he will be leaving. Thank you for reminding him. Please take care."

Sun Qingyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glanced back in Su Wanwan's direction, bowed, and left.

Su Wanwan watched helplessly as Sun Qingyu left in a huff, and then watched Lu Xingjian walk towards her.

She didn't want to see him, so she turned around and closed the courtyard gate.

The door was half closed, but it wouldn't close properly.

It felt like someone was forcefully pushing against it from the outside.

Through the narrow crack in the door, the man's extremely aggressive and handsome face was right in front of me.

"Don't you recognize me?"

Su Wanwan: "..."

His tone was cold: "Eavesdropping on other people's conversations is not the behavior of a gentleman."

The two men faced each other through the mottled paint of the courtyard gate, the atmosphere tense.

She just couldn't understand why he would come looking for her again.

"Aren't you going to invite me in for a chat?" Lu Xingjian's voice was calm.

Su Wanwan refused directly: "It's not appropriate."

But it didn't explain why it was inappropriate.

Some things should never be said aloud.

The man remained silent for a few moments.

I kept pondering the words "inappropriate" in my mind.

He probably knew the crux of the problem, but he didn't intend to solve it.

He came in person only to resolve her issue of returning to Beijing.

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable tone: "Come back to the capital with me."

"I'm going to stay here for a few more days." Su Wanwan frowned and looked up at him.

The man met her gaze coldly. "It's not safe here."

His eyes were calm and aloof, his thin lips slightly pursed.

Su Wanwan's heart tightened.

She remained silent for a few moments, then finally relented: "I understand."

Since there's no peace and quiet here anyway, I might as well go back to Beijing.

With a loosening of his grip, the man pushed open the courtyard gate.

Su Wanwan instinctively took a few steps back.

With her eyes lowered, she saw the man's dark cloud-patterned robe getting closer and closer to her.

So much so that it almost touched the hem of her jasmine-white waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

The interplay of ink and white creates a striking visual impact.

If the man took just one more step forward, the hem of his dark cloud-patterned robe would be right up against the white skirt.

Su Wanwan lowered her head, feeling agitated by the excessively close proximity.

Sunlight streamed down, casting the shadows of the two people on the ground, overlapping and intertwining in a rather ambiguous way.

The man raised his hand, wanting to pull her into his arms.

"Your Majesty, please have some self-respect!"

Her voice carried a hint of reproach and rejection.

Lu Xingjian's hand froze in mid-air.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

After a long silence, he simply withdrew his hand: "Pack your things, let's set off together."

Su Wanwan didn't say anything, took a few steps back, and turned to walk towards the house.

We only stayed one night, so packing wasn't too difficult, and we were ready to leave quickly.

As Su Wanwan walked out of the courtyard gate, Steward Li went to greet her and said:

"His Majesty is waiting for you in the carriage."

Su Wanwan glanced at the much more spacious and understated carriage and said calmly:

"I ride in my own carriage."

Steward Li looked on with a troubled expression as Su Wanwan got into her carriage and went to Lu Xingjian's carriage. He didn't know what to say.

"Your Majesty, look..."

Lu Xingjian released the carriage curtain from his long, slender fingers, his expression indifferent:

"Whatever she wants."

Chief Steward Li understood perfectly well; he simply ordered the caravan to set off.

Women, they're all a little petty.

The Emperor refused to give Miss Su a proper title, yet he also got the Empress pregnant.

Last time at the Su family's house, Miss Su's expression was quite off.

Even an old servant like him felt heartbroken watching this.

The emperor, however, acted as if nothing had happened, offering not even a warm word of comfort.

Now that you're coming to see Miss Su again, aren't you just asking to be bullied?

This trip was a complete waste of time.

Miss Su is really something.

Throughout history, which emperor didn't have a multitude of concubines?

Now that you've fallen for the Emperor, just enjoy your life peacefully for a few years, earn a title, and you can enjoy your old age in peace.

Why bother with this kind of competition?

Now look what's happened. The dowry has been donated, and her identity is still unclear. Isn't she just making things difficult for herself?

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