Chapter 152 A husband is not as good as a servant, and a servant is not as good as a stolen affair
Chi Li's face flushed. He glanced at the sky outside. "Why don't you stay here tonight? It's only noon. Don't you have some state affairs to attend to?"
Lu Jinlan replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I'll stay here tonight, but I need to take a nap after a long day of state affairs, so I'll stay here for a while."
Chi Li lowered his dark eyes, a blush creeping onto his otherwise hard face, and whispered, "Okay."
*
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and long separation makes it even better. There's also a saying: a husband is not as good as a servant, and a servant is not as good as a stolen affair.
In Lu Jinlan's mind, Chi Li was practically a fully buffed being.
Lu Jinlan felt sorry for Chi Li, who was raising the child alone and was very hard-working. Chi Li was also sensible, virtuous, gentle and considerate, and always managed to make Lu Jinlan feel very comfortable.
Since Lu Jinlan returned to the palace, she has spent more time at Chi Li's place and has chosen her consorts less often. The other consorts have all stepped aside.
That day, Lu Jinlan was holding Helian Yang while he wrote, when a palace servant came in to deliver a message, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
Chi Li's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, "Could it be because you've been staying with me so much lately..."
Lu Jinlan said calmly, "When has my mother ever interfered in my affairs? Maybe it's something else entirely. Don't overthink it."
Lu Jinlan grasped his hand, and Chi Li felt slightly relieved. He then instructed, "It's cold outside, and it will take you quite a while to catch up in the sedan chair. Remember to bring your hand warmer."
"Hmm." Lu Jinlan let him tie on the cloak, then took the hand warmer and boarded the sedan chair.
When they arrived at Lu Jinzhao's place, palace men were already guarding the door.
The young and handsome palace servant was quick and agile; in the blink of an eye, he removed her cloak, took the hand warmer, and used it to add charcoal.
Someone lifted the curtain, and Lu Jinlan entered with a smile, "Greetings to Mother."
Lu Jinzhao laughed and said, "Get up quickly, it's freezing cold, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the mother and daughter got down to business.
"Mother specifically asked me to come over, is there something you need?"
Lu Jinzhao said, "It's still about your brother's marriage."
Lu Jinlan leaned casually against the soft pillows and said listlessly, "Lu Xian has been by my side all these years and has seen many heroes and heroines. He grew up around strong and upright women like Mother and me, so his standards are naturally higher. He really looks down on ordinary people."
“I introduced him to a few women before, but he didn’t like any of them. I think you don’t need to force him to get married quickly. Just keep him by your side to keep you company.”
Lu Jinzhao said, "Who forced him? He has someone he likes and wants you, his older sister, to play matchmaker for him."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback. "Who has he taken a fancy to?"
“Uh…” Lu Jinzhao hesitated for a moment, “Don’t you have some kind of relationship with that Chi Li?”
"Ah," Lu Jinlan said, puzzled, "Mother, we were talking about Lu Xian's marriage, how did we get onto the topic of Chi Li?"
Lu Jinzhao smiled and said, "Lu Xian has his eye on Chi Li's younger sister, the young general who escorted Chi Cheng to the capital last time."
Lu Jinlan suddenly realized, "Oh, Chi Moyao!"
Lu Jinzhao said, "I think it would be good to strengthen family ties through marriage. With your connection, even though it's a long marriage for Xian'er, I'm sure she won't be mistreated."
Lu Jinlan nodded with a smile, thinking that this was good, as Chi Li could bring Lu Xian back to visit relatives in the future, giving them another reason to come here.
When he returned and told Chi Li, Chi Li naturally agreed without hesitation and immediately wrote a letter home.
Upon receiving the letter, Chi Moyao immediately recalled the scene of his near-collision with Lu Xian in the Imperial Garden. Thinking that he had been single for many years and it was time for him to get married, and that the other party was Lu Jinlan's younger brother and a relative, it couldn't be better, so he immediately agreed.
While the groom came to fetch the bride, the palace prepared a generous dowry, and Lu Xian was married off to the Jiang Kingdom before the new year.
Chi Li stayed in the palace until the new year and the beginning of spring. He originally planned to stay a few more days, but then an urgent message came from the Jiang Kingdom, saying that there was internal strife in the palace, the emperor was seriously injured, and all the royal relatives were urgently summoned back to the palace.
Chi Li had to prepare to leave. The palace men were packing their things, and Helian Yang was saying goodbye to his friends.
Lu Jinlan and Chi Li basked in the warm winter sun in the Imperial Garden, enjoying their tender moments before parting.
She rested her head on Chi Li's lap, closing her eyes to relax. Chi Li, however, seemed unable to get enough of looking at her, gently stroking her ears and kissing her face repeatedly.
Lu Jinlan responded with her eyes closed until a gust of wind blew by, and the faint sound of crunching fallen leaves reached her ears. Lu Jinlan opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of a corner of clothing flashing in the shadows.
Lu Jinlan remained expressionless, sat up and whispered in Chi Li's ear, "Someone has seen us."
Chi Li nuzzled her cheek and said reproachfully, "So what if you saw it? Anyway, you're the emperor, no one dares to say anything."
Lu Jinlan smiled. "I am the Emperor of Hua Kingdom, but the people who came are from your Jiang Kingdom."
"What?" Chi Li was so flustered that he almost got up immediately.
Lu Jinlan pressed him down and laughed, "With me here, what are you afraid of? I will handle everything. You can go back and pack up in peace. Once things have calmed down, I will send someone to Jiang Kingdom to pick you up."
Looking into her determined gaze, Chi Li nodded obediently.
A woman's greatest charm lies in her problem-solving abilities. He believed every word Lu Jinlan said and quickly left.
Lu Jinlan stood up, straightened his clothes, and said loudly, "General Suo, we have been separated for many years. Why are you unwilling to see me when we are reunited?"
Two loud laughs came from the corner. Suo Hongzhu stepped out and said in an old and hoarse voice, "Your Majesty has good hearing. It has been several years since we last met, but Your Majesty is still as dashing as ever. Now that you hold the world in your hands, you have even more heroic spirit and imperial majesty. As for this old woman, she has grown so old that she can no longer even hide her footsteps."
Lu Jinlan smiled and pulled Suo Hongzhu to sit down, then quickly ordered someone to serve tea and snacks.
The two appeared to be affectionate, but they were both preoccupied with their own thoughts, and there were subtle undercurrents in their gazes.
Lu Jinlan spoke first, "I heard that the Jiang Kingdom sent someone to pick up the Crown Prince and the Nineteenth Princess, but I didn't expect it to be General Suo. You are the Protector General of the Nation and you are already old. It is really hard for you to make this trip."
"When you leave, please take some tonics with you; they're a gift from me to help you recover. I wonder when you plan to depart?"
Suo Hongzhu cupped her hands and said, "Thank you for the Emperor's gift. I'm just afraid that time is too short to prepare. We plan to set off today."
Lu Jinlan frowned slightly, "You left in such a hurry after just arriving?"
Suo Hongzhu chuckled, "We can't afford to be in a hurry!" She paused slightly, then added meaningfully, "If we're not in a hurry, I'm afraid the late emperor might have another princess."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback, pursed her lips slightly, and said seriously, "How could that be? I'm very careful. Your late emperor has been gone for so long, it would be difficult to explain if another child were to be born. Therefore, I will not allow her to become pregnant."
Their eyes met, and they burst into laughter together.
Suo Hongzhu said helplessly, "Your Majesty is as frank as ever. Actually, before today, although I had doubts about the Nineteenth Princess's bloodline, I never suspected you. I thought the rumors were just fabrications. I'm also curious, Your Majesty, you've only been to Jiang Kingdom a few times, how did you manage to make a move on your husband?"
Lu Jinlan said frankly, "Fate is always wonderful. At your age, General, you should be able to see things in a positive light."
Suo Hongzhu sighed helplessly, "I can accept it, but royal blood... sigh... right now..."
Seeing that Suo Hongzhu was hesitant and seemed to have something difficult to say.
Lu Jinlan smiled, took a sip of tea, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Has your emperor already passed away?"
Suo Hongzhu remained silent. Lu Jinlan was taken aback by her appearance. "Could it be that I guessed right? Just to clarify, I didn't plant many spies in your Jiang Kingdom. It was just a guess."
Suo Hongzhu frowned and said in a low voice, "To be honest, Your Majesty, the news of the late emperor's death is being kept secret in the palace. If the news gets out, the late emperor's daughters will surely fight each other for the throne."
"Therefore, we, the regents, pretended that nothing was wrong and suppressed the news. My purpose in coming out this time was ostensibly to bring the Crown Prince and the nineteenth princess back to the palace, but in reality, it was to mobilize the outer troops back to Shangdu to protect the palace."
Lu Jinlan clicked her tongue. "Don't take offense, but ever since your late emperor passed away, your Jiang Kingdom has been in turmoil for years and still hasn't stabilized."
Suo Hongzhu said helplessly, "I have served as a regent twice in the past five years. It's a pity that Heaven does not bless my Jiang Kingdom. Although I have the courage to fight on the battlefield, it is not my forte to quell internal strife within the royal family."
Seeing her frowning, Lu Jinlan's eyes lit up, and he said in a low voice, "I have a brilliant plan that can guarantee your Jiang Kingdom peace and prosperity once and for all. Would you like to hear it?"
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Author's Note: New content coming in the next chapter!
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