Is Chapter 156 correct?
Lu Jinlan gave an awkward smile. "Si Bao and my father are completely different in appearance and temperament. If we have to say they are similar, then there is only one thing they have in common."
The two asked curiously, "What do you have in common?"
Lu Jinlan sighed, "They're all men."
Yan Wuxin and Xiang Ruzhen barely managed to suppress their laughter when they heard footsteps nearby. The three of them immediately moved to another spot, laughing as they went back to drink tea.
About half an hour later, Lu Jinzhao returned with a happy expression and said to Lu Jinlan, "Go ahead, I've already negotiated for you. Go and talk to them again."
Lu Jinlan asked in surprise, "Didn't you want it yourself after you'd already negotiated it for me?"
Lu Jinzhao smiled without saying a word, while Lu Jinlan followed the guide in a daze.
Upon entering, I saw Si Bao wiping away tears. Her eyes were red, and teardrops clung to her eyelashes. With that appearance, she was truly pitiful, like a pear blossom in the rain.
Lu Jinlan hurriedly asked, "Why are you shedding tears, young master?"
Si Bao said shyly, "I was just feeling sentimental and made a fool of myself in front of you, Lu Erxia. Please sit down. Lu Erxia, she...she told you, didn't she?"
Lu Jinlan nodded, "I told you, my mother said she's helped me talk to her, and she wants me to talk to you again."
Si Bao nodded repeatedly and said gently, "Yes, your mother... loves you very much. She said that since you don't have a man to take care of you, she, as your mother, is always worried that she can't take good enough care of you. It makes my heart ache. It's really not easy for you two, mother and daughter, to depend on each other."
"Ah," Lu Jinlan paused, holding her teacup, thinking: Are they talking about us, mother and daughter?
My daughter and I were taken care of by a large group of people in the palace. The only difficulty was that it was not easy to endure any hardship.
To say we're all relying on each other right now is an understatement; it's only been a few days, and there were seven of us on this trip. We've been taken care of; Xu Lin even washed our clothes.
Lu Jinlan had to confirm, "You know that both my mother's and my families have husbands, right?"
Si Bao smiled and nodded, "I know. But those husbands are too irresponsible. They know you and your daughter are going out, but they don't follow along to serve you or do their duty."
Lu Jinlan asked again, "Then do you know that it was my mother who forbade me to come along?"
Si Bao said, "I don't know, but I can understand it if I do. If the people around me aren't the ones I like, it's better not to let them follow me."
Lu Jinlan was stunned for a moment. She suddenly realized that this seemingly precious young master had his own logic and was already immersed in his own fantasy story, unable to extricate himself.
Si Bao said, “Your mother was very frank and told me a lot about your family. Women often have multiple husbands and servants. When they are young and naive, they find everyone new and exciting. But after marrying into a family and living together for a long time, they realize that ‘a true confidante’ is the most important thing.”
“Your mother says that you’re just like she used to be, falling in love with every man you meet and always feeling like you don’t have enough men around you. Actually, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. You’re still young. Women usually don’t settle down until they’re thirty. Right now, you’re just looking for something new, probably because you haven’t met the person who will make you settle down yet.”
Lu Jinlan tilted her head to listen, her mind filled with more and more questions. She was really curious about what Lu Jinzhao had said to her.
Si Bao continued, "Actually, your mother suffered a great blow after your father passed away. She almost saw through the world and nearly thought she would never fall in love with anyone again. Sometimes she would wake up suddenly in the night, feeling lost and dejected. But in front of others, she had to pretend that nothing was wrong, but in reality, she was suffering terribly inside."
Lu Jinlan frowned. "Did she say that herself, or is that what you think?"
Si Bao said, "Of course she told me. She's a strong-willed person. She probably never told you these things, so you didn't know, did you?"
Lu Jinlan shook her head repeatedly, "I don't know."
Lu Jinlan couldn't see her mother's suffering, nor did she believe that her mother had seen through the illusions of the world.
When has Mother ever been unmoved? Mother even took two young men as concubines last month.
She thought to herself: My mother sleeps better than I do. The last time she woke up in the middle of the night was when Jinqi was being naughty and let the big field mouse out, which stepped on her mother's face, thus waking her up.
Lu Jinlan looked unconvinced, but Si Bao insisted, "You can't sense it because she hides it very well in front of you. She doesn't want you to worry. I think if I didn't resemble your father somewhat, she wouldn't have opened up to me."
Si Bao smiled as she said this, "I've been the one talking all along, so you should say something too. Do you have any opinions or requests about me in the future... Now that we're all family, we should get along harmoniously."
Lu Jinlan said, "Of course, I have no complaints about you. My only requirement is that you know how to take care of people. Among us women living away from home, not many know how to do housework. By the way, are you able to endure hardship?"
Si Bao smiled and said, "Of course, although my brother and I were born into a wealthy family, we both understand the principle of following one's wife after marriage. We are not the kind of men who covet wealth. After getting married and becoming husbands, we naturally have to be diligent and thrifty in managing the household, and be able to grace the hall and cook in the kitchen."
"Laundry, cooking, three meals a day. Being a good wife, raising daughters, and caring for the elderly and young are all my duties, and I will take good care of everything. By the way, do you have children?"
Lu Jinlan said, "Yes, there are ten children."
Si Bao thought for a moment and said, "Although it's a lot, we can afford it. After we get married, my mother will help support the Lu family. Please rest assured, I will take good care of your mother, the children, and the grandchildren."
Grandchildren like Lu Jinlan quickly stopped them, "Wait a minute! Who are these children you're talking about?"
Si Bao asked in surprise, "Of course it's you and your sister."
Lu Jinlan suddenly realized, "You're going to marry my mother?"
Si Bao said strangely, "Yes, otherwise, after all we've talked about, who do you think I want to marry?"
"Didn't my mother already arrange it for me?"
"Yes, your mother helped you arrange for my younger brother to marry you."
Lu Jinlan was immediately startled, "You marry my mother and your brother marries me, is this appropriate? Is this fair?"
Si Baoqi said, “What’s wrong with that? Since you’re so satisfied with me, you should also like my brother, since we look exactly alike. Besides, your mother said that you’re a very sentimental person and don’t care about worldly opinions.”
Lu Jinlan sighed, "I don't care about worldly opinions, but even I find this strange. Especially since you two look exactly alike, it feels even stranger. What if we accidentally mistake one for the other while living together?"
Si Bao replied blankly, "Then be careful, and you won't mistake it."
Lu Jinlan scratched his head. "I mean, is the local culture in your area really that open-minded? You don't mind, your brother doesn't mind, and your mother doesn't mind?"
Si Bao smiled and shook her head. "My brother and I have been very close since we were little. We've always dreamed of marrying into the same family so we can take care of each other. We originally thought the two brothers would marry the two sisters, but you two are a mother and daughter, so it's about the same."
Lu Jinlan waved her hand, "Much worse."
Si Bao added, "Your mother and I hit it off immediately. I'm certain she's my true love. Even though there's a few years between us..."
Lu Jinlan corrected, "It's not a difference of a few years, it's several decades."
Si Bao said calmly, "Those are all trivial matters. In fact, as long as you find your soulmate, why care about the opinions of the world? Your mother is both scholarly and martial, talented, loyal, mature, steady, experienced, and has a broad mind that has seen it all. She fulfills all my fantasies about mature women."
Lu Jinlan muttered, "That is indeed your fantasy."
Si Bao was completely consumed by love and paid no attention to Lu Jinlan's words, only saying, "To be honest, my mother and my father are also an older woman and a younger man, with a significant age difference."
"You just asked me if my mother would mind. Of course she doesn't mind. She's a modern woman and she admires older wives and younger husbands. She said that as long as my wife is younger than her, she can accept it."
He chuckled at himself, a happy look on his face, and said, "It's probably due to my family environment, but I've always felt that mature women are the most attractive. I'm just being honest, and I hope you don't mind."
"I think women in their twenties are still immature and like children."
"Women don't become truly charming until they're at least in their thirties or forties. They become mature, wise, elegant, charismatic, have a story to tell, and possess femininity—they're incredibly alluring. This charm only fully shines when a woman is fifty. That's why I really couldn't resist your mother; I fell for her in an instant."
Lu Jinlan nodded vigorously, "I could tell even if you didn't say it."
Si Bao blushed and said, "Although you were born before I was, I was born before you grew old. Isn't that wonderful? My father married my mother as her second wife, and she doted on him his whole life. He lived a peaceful and happy life. And when I met your mother, I married her as her second wife too. Don't you think that means I will be as happy as my father?"
Lu Jinlan was almost stunned. Didn't this just mean that he and his father were both love-struck? Why were they acting so proud?
Lu Jinlan sighed, "Fine, if that's how you think, there's nothing I can do. Anyway, my mother is a kind and gentle woman, and you'll enjoy endless wealth and luxury after you marry her."
Si Bao quickly retorted, "I'm not the kind of man you think I am. I don't covet anything material, nor do I seek a better life."
"I just want to stay by your mother's side, to talk to her when she's sad, to play music and sing for her when she's disappointed, and to give her a warm hug when she's lonely."
Si Bao said somewhat embarrassedly, touching his burning cheeks, "Anyway, I will make her happy."
Lu Jinlan nodded in agreement, “Okay, anyway, my mother is still young. Although she is fifty years old, she is in excellent health. She is hard of hearing and has good eyesight, and she is also very strong. Most people in their thirties or forties are not as strong as her. You are young, so if you marry her, she will spoil you.”
Si Bao's eyes lit up. "You've finally agreed to this marriage?"
Lu Jinlan: "I agree, I agree. Whatever makes you happy. I support whatever decision my mother makes. I'm leaving."
Lu Jinlan was about to get up when Si Bao quickly stopped her, "Wait a minute, you haven't met my brother yet. You have to meet him first before you decide whether you like him or not."
Lu Jinlan thought about it and agreed. This Si Bao spoke as if he were singing. He was gentle, but when he opened his mouth, it was as if he had his own background music, a kind of lyrical zither tune. She felt that he was a little dazed.
Let her mother enjoy this kind of man; she doesn't want him. But speaking of his younger brother, Lu Jinlan thought, "Why not? What if my brother isn't like me?"
So she sat down again.
Si Bao turned and went out, and a little while later a boy who looked exactly like Si Bao came in.
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Young Master Siyu, I..."
The man smiled and said, "I am Si Bao, and Si Yu is coming right away. I was afraid you would be getting impatient, so I came to let you know."
Lu Jinlan rubbed her temples wearily, not wanting to speak.
A moment later, another young man came in. He had the same face and clothes as before. The only difference was that his eyes were more lively and less infatuated, unlike Si Bao, whose mouth sounded like he was talking in his sleep.
She couldn't help but wonder: Why do twins like to wear the same clothes? This should be listed as one of the unsolved mysteries of all time.
Just to be on the safe side, Lu Jinlan confirmed again, "Are you more like a treasure or more like jade?"
The man nodded and said, "I am Siyu."
Lu Jinlan asked curiously, "Why are you wearing the same clothes as your brother?"
Siyu smiled and said, "Because we are twins, we look exactly alike, so naturally we like the same things."
"Oh." Lu Jinlan's lips curled into a smile. "So you also want to marry my mother?"
Siyu hesitated for a moment, feeling somewhat aggrieved, "Actually, I also like mature women. My father always tells us that older wives are more caring. I originally wanted to marry your mother along with my brother, but my brother said that your mother was worried that you would have no one to take care of you, so she wanted me to marry you. I think it's okay to marry you too."
Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth, "Fine."
She, the dignified Empress of the Great Hua Kingdom, was in the prime of her life. Compared to her fifty-year-old mother, she suddenly became "okay."
With innocent eyes, Siyu said, "Yes, I think you are your mother's biological daughter, so naturally you will be like her. When you get old, you will definitely..."
Lu Jinlan waved her hands repeatedly, "Alright, stop thinking that. I'm not my mother's biological son, so stop with the 'can't' nonsense. Hurry up and marry my mother with your brother, and get the wedding done as soon as possible!"
*
When Lu Jinlan returned outside, she found that Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin had already accepted the gifts.
Looking at the gold, jade, and silk items on the table, Lu Jinlan hurriedly asked, "What's going on here?"
Yan Wuxin laughed and said, "Don't mention it. The steward just came to tell us that the two young masters have already chosen their sweethearts, so we don't need to go see them. Master Liu sent all these things to express his apology. Congratulations on getting two more handsome men."
Lu Jinlan was speechless. "It's a misunderstanding. The person she's interested in isn't me, it's my mother."
"Ah!" The two of them stared in surprise.
Yan Wuxin asked in surprise, "No, how could it be your mother? Although they haven't seen me and Ruzhen, they should have taken a liking to you after they saw you."
Lu Jinlan spread her hands and said, "There's nothing we can do. This family's aesthetic is obsessed with mature women. They say that women become more charming as they get older. We, who are in our twenties, are still children. We haven't settled down yet, and we have no experience or stories."
Xiang Ruzhen asked in surprise, "We've governed the country, don't we have experience? Stories from the academy, stories from the battlefield, stories from the court—we have so many stories, how can we have no more stories?"
Lu Jinlan chuckled twice, "Don't be unconvinced. There's a kind of story that would make a man's heart ache, but we really don't have one."
The two hurriedly asked, "What story?"
"The story of my deceased husband."
Lu Jinlan sighed as she spoke, "Sigh, my mother is truly a master at flirting. With just a few words, she had those two brothers completely mesmerized."
"They believed that my mother was the kind of woman who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She looked dignified and upright, but in reality, when no one was around, she would feel lonely and sad, and she would just wait for young boys like them to care for her and comfort her with gentle words."
"They see themselves as the most special man in a redemption story. Tell me about this world, I just participated in a marriage contest and didn't even get a husband!"
Yan Wuxin said, "Your mother is really unfair. She should at least give you one. What does she need two identical men for?"
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "My mother really wanted to give me one, but I didn't want it. I'm really afraid that one day I'll mistake someone for someone else and go into the wrong room."
Xiang Ruzhen laughed and said, "What a coincidence! That would turn into a folktale or legend."
Lu Jinlan looked up at the sky and sighed, "You have no idea! My life is the most bizarre and legendary story, I have to be careful."
*
The Liu family had already made all the necessary preparations, and the wedding banquet was held that very day.
During the wedding ceremony, Lu Jinzhao wore red clothes and a big red flower, making him look even more energetic.
Two young and handsome husbands, their heads covered with red veils, were happily bowed to heaven and earth as Lu Jinzhao, beaming with joy, led them by the hand on each side.
Lu Jinlan and the other two stood aside to watch the ceremony, clapping and whispering among themselves.
Yan Wuxin: "You didn't expect to be able to attend your mother's wedding banquet, did you?"
Lu Jinlan: "I'm going to drink a few more glasses of my mother's wedding wine later."
She turned to Xiang Ruzhen and said, "Ruzhen, let's have another drinking contest today and see who gets drunk first."
Xiang Ruzhen remained silent, staring blankly. The two nudged her, asking, "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh." Xiang Ruzhen came back to her senses and said seriously, "I was just thinking that since young men like mature women, when we are fifty years old, it would be quite interesting to find such innocent and pure young men."
Yan Wuxin tugged at Lu Jinlan's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "People really misunderstand us. They always say we're philanderers. In my opinion, our upright, dignified, and honest Prime Minister is more playful and extravagant than we are in the bedroom."
Lu Jinlan chuckled, and Xiang Ruzhen curiously leaned closer, "What's so funny?"
The two quickly shook their heads, "It's nothing, we were just talking about a drinking contest later, two against one."
Xiang Ruzhen laughed and said, "With your drinking capacity, you two couldn't beat me even if you fought me two against one."
That's true; that night, Xiang Ruzhen carried the two of them back to their room.
Just as Xiang Ruzhen placed the two of them on the bed, she heard Yan Wuxin mumble with his eyes closed, "Ruzhen, don't leave. Sleep here with me."
Xiang Ruzhen smiled, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two drunkards. Suddenly she recalled the first time she met them. The three of them were also drunk and fell onto a bed.
In the blink of an eye, their children are all running around.
Fortunately, despite the unpredictable changes in the world, they remained together, inseparable.
Xiang Ruzhen was overwhelmed with emotion, and for some reason her nose felt a little sore. Suddenly, she heard Yan Wuxin mutter, "Ruzhen, don't go. Otherwise, no one will be there to pour us water in the middle of the night."
Xiang Ruzhen shook her head with a smile, gritting her teeth as she helped the two change their clothes and take off their boots, all the while complaining.
“You two wretches, you can’t outdrink me, so I have to serve you, bring you tea and water, and help you take off your clothes.”
She untied Lu Jinlan's outer robe, when suddenly Lu Jinlan grabbed her wrist.
With blurry, drunken eyes, Lu Jinlan asked cautiously, "Are you more like a treasure or a jade?"
Xiang Ruzhen retorted angrily, "I am Ruzhen! You've been bewitched by the twins. Neither of them has anything to do with you anymore. I'm taking care of your mother right now."
Lu Jinlan hummed in agreement, as if she understood, then rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
Xiang Ruzhen wiped their faces and was about to go outside to get some water when Lu Jinlan suddenly sat up. "I heard someone outside looking for me."
Xiang Ruzhen clicked her tongue. "Nobody's looking for you. I'll handle anything, no matter how big the problem is. Stop acting crazy and go to sleep."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jinlan lay down with a thud, sitting bolt upright, which startled Yan Wuxin. "Was there an earthquake?"
Xiang Ruzhen quickly pressed her down, "No, go to sleep. I'll hold up the sky if the sky falls or the earth collapses, you two better go to sleep."
After finally getting some peace and quiet, Xiang Ruzhen finished washing up and was about to squeeze into bed when there were two light knocks on the door.
Xiang Ruzhen: "Who is it?"
"It's me." It was Guan Shanyue's voice.
Guan Shanyue was a very sensible person; unless something unexpected happened, he certainly wouldn't bother her so late at night. Besides, Guan Shanyue knew that Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin were both drunk tonight; perhaps something urgent had occurred.
Xiang Ruzhen quickly got up, put on her clothes, and opened the door, only to find that there was another person beside Guan Shanyue. The person addressed her as "Lord Xiangzun," and the voice sounded somewhat familiar. She felt like she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place him.
Before Xiang Ruzhen could ask, Guan Shanyue cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "Your Excellency, is the Emperor in?"
Xiang Ruzhen said, "The Emperor is already asleep. Tell me what's on your mind."
Everyone knows how close the relationship is between the Grand Chancellor, the Grand Commandant, and the Emperor. So the messenger didn't hesitate and quickly presented the secret document.
Xiang Ruzhen opened the package and her brows furrowed. She truly didn't know how to handle this situation.
Although she was the head of all officials and held the position of prime minister, handling national affairs in an orderly manner, she was essentially a pragmatist rather than a strategist.
Xiang Ruzhen was inherently incapable of having cunning ideas; when it came to matters of strategy, she had to let Lu Jinlan make the decisions.
Xiang Ruzhen was hesitating whether to forcefully wake the person when Lu Jinlan's voice suddenly came from inside: "What's going on outside?"
Guan Shanyue hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Jiang Kingdom."
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