Chapter 100 Two male servants arrived.
Lu Jinlan couldn't think of a reason to refuse for a moment. She felt that this was a good thing, but it came so suddenly that she felt a little strange.
Lu Jinlan knew that Xiao Chengying had taken a liking to her genes.
Lu Jinlan offered her a city, and Xiao Chengying was so excited that she lost her head and thought Lu Jinlan was an incredibly good person.
She firmly believed that the child born to Lu Jinlan and her Xiao family would inherit Lu Jinlan's many virtues and would surely become a great ruler in the future.
But when it comes to heredity, even Lu Jinlan herself isn't sure.
Genetics is a mysterious thing. Qin Shi Huang was a man of great talent and ambition who unified the six kingdoms and laid such a huge foundation, but Qin Er Shi squandered it all when he took over.
We don't have a child yet, so who can guarantee what she will look like?
However, Lu Jinlan thought again that the opportunity to become emperor was truly rare. Throughout history, countless people have raised armies and rebelled, slaughtering their own siblings, fighting and dying for the throne.
If my daughter had this opportunity from birth, wouldn't she have become true royalty? Being born in Rome might be easier than me working my way up in a system.
She neither agreed nor disagreed. Xiao Chengying tacitly accepted her agreement and immediately gave orders to prepare for the wedding.
When Xiao Heng returned from the Prison Dragon Pass and learned of this good news, he was overjoyed.
He excitedly planned the wedding, working tirelessly all night without sleeping a wink. The next morning, he sat on the edge of the bed with his musical instrument, and as soon as Lu Jinlan opened her eyes, he began to play music, sing loudly, and dance.
Xiao Heng played ancient musical instruments and sang cheerful folk songs. He danced nimbly, spinning and leaping around the room, his clothes fluttering as he danced with abandon.
Lu Jinlan had never seen him so happy before, and she was both amused and exasperated. "You're really that happy?"
Xiao Heng said happily, "Of course I'm happy to marry you."
Lu Jinlan frowned. "When did I say I wanted to marry you?"
The music stopped abruptly. Xiao Heng staggered before he could stand up, staring blankly at her, heartbroken.
"My elder sister said you agreed. Could it be that my elder sister is lying to me?"
He murmured in confusion, his mind in turmoil. He caught a glimpse of the smile in Lu Jinlan's eyes and immediately gritted his teeth and lunged at her, "Fine, you lied to me?"
Lu Jinlan chuckled and pinched his ear. "I almost forgot, I said last night that I wanted to marry you. But marrying a concubine is not the same as taking a younger brother as a concubine, so I have to tell my mother. Your status is special, so I also have to report to the Emperor."
Xiao Heng leaned against her and said gently, "It's only right. My elder sister also sent someone to Shangdu today to inform Mother. The wedding is tentatively scheduled for ten days from now, which is enough time for us to inform our relatives and friends. I was just thinking that most of the generals at Qiulong Pass have personal relationships with you, and I know them all too. We should invite General Yan and the others to the wedding banquet."
Lu Jinlan smiled slightly, "Invite so many generals? Won't your imperial sister be uneasy?"
Xiao Heng said, "No, my elder sister said she will sign a peace treaty with the Hua Kingdom delegation in the next two days. Our two countries are on good terms and are also related by marriage, wouldn't it be better for us to visit each other more often? Besides..."
"Besides, my elder sister has already decided to give you Chizhou City. A few days earlier or later won't make a difference."
He whispered in Lu Jinlan's ear, "Both I and the city are yours."
A warm breeze lingered around his ear, and Lu Jinlan chuckled softly, "Mmm."
*
Xiang Ruzhen was unconscious for three days. When she woke up, Lu Jinlan smiled and said to her, "My daughter might become the emperor. I'm getting married again. You'd better get up and drink the wedding wine."
Xiang Ruzhen quickly closed her eyes; she felt it was a bizarre dream. In the dream, Lu Jinlan was teetering on the edge of the sky and on the ground, and she couldn't understand what he was saying.
Later she found out it was true; Lu Jinlan had survived a great calamity and was now experiencing wonderful things.
According to the customs of the Qu Kingdom, the husband and wife cannot meet the day before their wedding.
Xiao Heng felt inexplicably uneasy and couldn't help but call over his trusted servant, "Go and secretly take a look at Marquis Lu's side and see what she's doing."
The servant hurriedly asked, "If Lord Lu asks me what I want, how should I answer?"
Xiao Heng said, "If she asks, just say it... I'm worried about her. Tell her to get some rest tonight, she'll be very tired tomorrow."
The servant hurried off and returned shortly to report, "Lord Lu was practicing swordsmanship with General Xiang in the garden. I only caught a glimpse of him from afar before returning. On the way, I ran into the steward, who said that two male servants had come to Lord Lu's house and were waiting outside the mansion, saying they were there to deliver something to Lord Lu on behalf of the old lady of the Lu family."
"Male servants?" Xiao Hengjun frowned slightly. "Bring them here first."
A short while later, the servants brought two handsome young men to Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng looked the two up and down. Both were exceptionally good-looking, but one had strong features and the other had a melancholy look and a gentler temperament.
Xiao Heng asked suspiciously, "Are you male servants of the Lu family?"
The two replied in unison, "Yes."
Xiao Heng was somewhat skeptical. "I visited the Lu residence during Marquis Lu's wedding, and I don't recall having such handsome male servants as you?"
The gentle-looking woman quickly replied, "I am Yan Shi, a maidservant of the master. I served in the bridal chamber on the wedding day and did not go outside, so the young master should not have seen me that day."
The other person hurriedly said, "My name is Qing'er. I was at the Lu family's old residence in Yunzhou when Marquis Lu got married. The young master probably hasn't seen me before."
"Really?" Xiao Heng still had doubts. Such handsome male servants, how come Lu Jinlan never made a move on them?
Is Lu Jinlan's husband really so virtuous that he allows such a beautiful woman to flaunt herself in front of Lu Jinlan every day?
Xiao Heng asked bluntly, "Have you ever slept with Marquis Lu?"
The two exchanged a flustered glance, and the one who identified herself as Qing'er hurriedly said, "Young Master, Qing'er has served Lord Lu since childhood. Her duties include changing clothes, making beds, and tidying the room; she does nothing else. As for others..."
He glanced at Yanshi. "As for whether others have it, I don't know."
Yan Shi's face darkened, and he silently gritted his teeth. "To tell you the truth, my husband did have this intention when he chose me as his dowry. However, such things depend on whether the master gives the opportunity. In short, I have never served Lord Lu."
Xiao Heng nodded. "It seems that the doctor isn't as kind as the legends say."
Qing'er said, "The doctor treats everyone in the household very well; he is both kind and benevolent."
Yan Shi smiled slightly, "Kindness and compassion are fine, but men are bound to have some jealousy. Lu Hou spends so little time at home, and he'll secretly remember who he spends more time with. He's a jealous man."
Qing'er rolled her eyes at him and scoffed, "Jealousy is common, is it really worth mentioning in front of the young master? If we're talking about jealousy, young master Yu Mian is the most scheming. Every now and then he pretends to be sick and acts cute, trying to seduce Marquis Lu into his room. Everyone in the Lu household is tired of these tricks."
Xiao Heng chuckled upon hearing this and said to his trusted aide, "It seems there's plenty of infighting in the inner quarters of the Marquis's mansion. No wonder Marquis Lu isn't in a hurry to go home. She's in the most peaceful place here."
The servant chimed in, "Of course, the young master has served you so well and attentively, it's no wonder that Marquis Lu is so fond of you."
Xiao Heng found these words pleasing and said to the two of them, "Alright, you two go and see Marquis Lu. You can leave after the ceremony tomorrow, so you can tell your husbands back home that our Qu Kingdom's weddings are full of singing and dancing and have many different styles, much more lively than your Hua Kingdom's weddings."
Both of them forced smiles and responded in hushed tones. The servants led them to see Lu Jinlan.
*
Lu Jinlan had just finished practicing his martial arts and was sweating when he returned to his room to take a bath and change his clothes. Then someone outside said, "Lord Lu, two male servants have come to your house to deliver some things."
When Lu Jinlan opened the door, the two men quickly raised the boxes they were holding high above their heads and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Lord Lu."
Lu Jinlan's lips twitched, but she pretended to be calm. "Oh, it's you. Come in and talk."
Xiao Heng's servant said, "Lord Lu, my young master told you to rest early."
Lu Jinlan nodded. "I understand. You can go back now and let him get some rest."
As soon as the door closed, Lu Jinlan couldn't help but exclaim, "Why are you all here?"
The people who came were not Yanshi and Qing'er, but Lincheng and Yumian.
Although Xiao Heng had attended Lu Jinlan and Lin Cheng's wedding, Lin Cheng was wearing a veil that day, so he didn't see what Lin Cheng looked like.
At that time, Yu Mian was in Yunzhou recuperating from pregnancy, so Xiao Heng had never seen her. Therefore, the two of them were able to get away with it.
Lin Cheng quickly hugged Lu Jinlan, "I was worried about you. I heard you were poisoned and injured. It scared me to death."
Lu Jinlan patted his back with a smile, "It's okay, didn't I tell you? I'll be fine. You just finished your postpartum confinement, and you came all this way. Can your body handle it?"
"I can handle it. Seeing you makes everything better."
Seeing that Lin Cheng was holding onto Lu Jinlan tightly, Yu Mian secretly glared at him. Lu Jinlan noticed this, smiled, and freed one hand to touch his face.
Yu Mian deliberately laughed out loud, "Your hands are getting heavier and heavier, it hurts my face."
Lin Cheng turned around and glared at him, adopting the demeanor of a principal wife, and scolded, "You still dare to say that? You just made fun of me in front of the young master, you have some nerve."
Yu Mian smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Oh, how could I be making fun of you? If we don't say something bad about you, how can the young master be happy? If he's unhappy, he might interrogate you for a long time. Maybe we won't even see the wife right now."
Lu Jinlan quickly said, "Alright, alright, you came all this way just to argue in front of me, didn't you? When are you leaving?"
Yu Mian said, "That young master told us to stay until the ceremony was over. He was so arrogant, thinking we were country bumpkins who had never seen the world. He said he wanted us to see how lively the wedding in Qu Kingdom was so we could tell our families about it when we got home."
Lin Cheng also said with dissatisfaction, "Although we are consorts, I was the one who entered the family first and had the child. You go back and tell him not to think he's so great. What's wrong with the young master of Qu Kingdom? Qu Kingdom has already ceded its cities, what is he still so arrogant about? He's just your defeated opponent. Once he enters our Lu family, he has to abide by the Lu family's rules."
The two of them started by attacking each other, then united against a common enemy. After talking for a while, Lu Jinlan yawned, "I can't take it anymore, I'm sleepy, I need to take a nap."
She lay down on the bed, and the two men exchanged a glance before rushing over to massage her legs and feet.
Lin Cheng whispered in her ear, "What are we going to do now that you're asleep? We don't know anyone here. Where are you going to put us tonight?"
Lu Jinlan chuckled lightly, "Of course you'll be settled in my room. Where else would you like to go?"
With her eyes closed, she felt a peck on her face, one on each side. "Thank you, my lady."
Lu Jinlan dozed off for a while, and then Xiao Heng's servant knocked on the door again.
"Is this never going to end?" Lu Jinlan frowned. "What is it?"
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