Lu Xiaoyun said, "It is said that because she had stretch marks when she was pregnant with Zhu Yu, she lost the emperor's favor and transferred all her resentment to Zhu Yu."
At this point, Lu Xiaoyun shook her head: "However, I always feel that it can't be that simple, it's too far-fetched. So many years have passed, it's impossible for Consort Duan not to understand, is it necessary to blame this on an infant, and hold a grudge for more than twenty years?"
Lu Yuyan also thought it made sense.
She continued, "The imperial family is the most ruthless. There are three thousand beauties in this palace. They are either favored or they are out of favor. Only offspring are the best support for women in the harem. Consort Duan must know this. But I have been here for so long and have met Consort Duan many times, but I still can't figure out why."
"Now that she's moved into the Prince An's residence, it's even more inexplicable that she still treats Zhu Yu this way."
Lu Yuyan said, "Perhaps Zhu Yu knows the reason, why don't we ask him?"
Lu Xiaoyun smiled faintly and shook her head: "Everyone has their own secrets. We switched bodies, and during this time he told me almost everything about himself. But this is the only thing he would have told me if he wanted to."
After getting dressed, Lu Xiaoyun asked, "So? Are you confident you can concoct a scar-removing ointment?"
Lu Yuyan laughed: "You underestimate your brother. You have to be confident. However, there are too many scars, some of which are very deep and quite old. It will take at least half a year to completely remove them."
"Okay, that's how it's been for the past ten years anyway."
Lu Yuyan laughed: "Your Prince An's mansion is too rich, the medicine storehouse is full of good stuff. Hey, wait a minute, sister, isn't Zhu Yu always fighting wars outside? Where did he get so many properties? Did the old emperor bestow them upon him? Didn't the old emperor dislike him? Why would he bestow so many properties upon him? Isn't he afraid that Zhu Yu will use this money to support his private army?"
Lu Xiaoyun said, "It belongs to Consort Duan. She was born into a merchant family. I heard from Zhu Yu that five years ago, when he was made a prince, Consort Duan secretly had all her businesses handed over to him. She said some rather unpleasant things when she gave them to him. Zhu Yu didn't go into details, and I didn't ask either."
"Perhaps Zhu Yu inherited Consort Duan's business acumen. In just five years, these businesses have grown bigger and bigger in his hands, spreading almost throughout the entire Great Zhou, especially in Shengjing City, where more than half of the businesses are openly or secretly owned by Zhu Yu."
"But it seems the old emperor didn't know Zhu Yu had these things. Apart from his few confidants and the steward Yuan Xiu, not many people in the mansion knew about them. I guess Consort Duan must have done something to avoid arousing suspicion."
Lu Yuyan chuckled. It seemed that Zhu Yu disliked both of his parents.
But considering Consort Duan's current actions, it's a bit hard to figure her out.
Lu Xiaoyun raised an eyebrow at him: "You find it unbelievable too, don't you?"
Lu Yuyan nodded.
"You say Consort Duan likes this son, but since he was less than three months old, she has handed him over to the palace servants to raise. For the past twenty-three years, she has ignored him completely. Now that he has come to Prince An's mansion, he has turned the entire mansion into chaos."
"You say Consort Duan doesn't like her son, yet she handed over all her assets to him without reservation. Consort Duan is a very contradictory person, and I can't figure her out either."
Lu Yuyan muttered to himself, "Could she have some hidden difficulties?"
Lu Xiaoyun shook her head. She had been observing Consort Duan for a long time, and she seemed to be a mother-in-law who only knew how to sow discord between her son and daughter-in-law. She couldn't figure out what her reasons were.
Just then, a sound came from outside the courtyard. It seemed that Yuan Xiu and Xi Yi were talking about something. They were about ten meters away from the courtyard gate, so they couldn't hear it very clearly.
Lu Xiaoyun opened the door and came out with Lu Yuyan.
Upon seeing this, Yuan Xiu hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Princess Ruoling has arrived, bringing gifts from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Yes, they are for Mr. Lu. This old servant has already led him to the front hall to wait."
Xi Yi, who was guarding the gate, secretly raised his head and saw that his master and Mr. Lu had been dressed neatly for only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
As expected, regardless of gender, the master's time was still so short.
Sigh, being a bodyguard means having to worry about everything.
I'm mentally exhausted.
He glanced silently at "Prince An," then his gaze swept over Lu Yuyan.
Every now and then, his gaze would drift downwards.
Lu Xiaoyun was walking ahead and didn't notice.
But Lu Yuyan saw Xi Yi's resentful look: "Little Xi Xi, what's wrong?"
"Mr. Lu, you are a doctor, could you, could you treat my master, my master's..." He stammered, his face turning red.
"What about your master?"
Seeing that "Prince An" and Steward Yuan had already walked far away, Xi Yi finally mustered up the courage to finish speaking in one breath.
"My master has a hidden ailment. Mr. Lu, you've been with my master for a few days now, so you should know about it, right? Jiang Chuan mentioned it once before, but I didn't take it seriously. Today, it seems it's true. Mr. Lu, your medical skills are superb, you must have a solution, right?"
Lu Yuyan froze, and it took her a while to understand what he was saying. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe: "Little Xixi, you, you, hahahaha, you're so funny, hahahaha..."
Xi Yi's face turned bright red.
Hearing the loud laughter, Lu Xiaoyun turned around and looked at Lu Yuyan, who was about to burst out laughing, with a puzzled expression: "Yuyan, what are you laughing at?"
And Ah Yan, calling him so affectionately!
snort!
Xi Yi secretly glanced at his mighty and valiant "master".
While holding onto the pillar to avoid laughing so hard he fell over, Lu Yuyan wiped away the tears that came out of his eyes and waved to Lu Xiaoyun, saying, "It's alright, Your Highness, you go ahead first, I'll be there in a bit."
Seeing that he was indeed alright, Lu Xiaoyun left first.
Xi Yi gripped the sword at his side tightly: "Are you going to help or not?"
Lu Yuyan: "Okay, okay, okay, I will definitely do my best, I will definitely do my best, hahahaha..."
Xi Yi nodded, his face darkening as he muttered under his breath, "It's also for your own happiness."
Lu Yuyan, who was laughing so hard she almost choked, didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"
Xi Yi looked completely embarrassed; this grown man's ears were bright red: "No, it's nothing."
Upon arriving at the front hall, Princess Ruoling was drinking tea. There were more than ten boxes of gifts displayed in the hall, including gold, silver and jewels, silks and satins, as well as Lu Yuyan's official robes, hat and seal.
Outside were twenty or thirty Imperial Guards standing on either side.
"Fourth Brother." Upon seeing Lu Xiaoyun, Princess Ruoling immediately put down the pastries in her hand and ran towards Zhu Yu with a beaming smile.
Lu Xiaoyun nodded, knowing that Princess Ruoling seemed to be closer to Zhu Yu than to his other brothers and sisters. However, Zhu Yu didn't spend much time in Shengjing, so their closeness was limited to exchanging a few more words.
"Why are you here?" Lu Xiaoyun smiled faintly.
Ruoling winked mischievously: "I haven't been to the Prince An's Mansion since it was completed, Fourth Brother. I just wanted to come and see it."
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