Lu Ze said, "You should have calmed down and practiced calligraphy a long time ago, and cultivated your temperament."
Lu Baozhu snorted softly and said, "You guys come to my courtyard to swim in the lake, I want to join you."
Lu Ze asked, "Do you think it's appropriate?"
Lu Baozhu took Qi Yuning's hand, and with a sisterly gesture, she reached out and gently touched Qi Yuning's bulging belly: "What's inappropriate? I miss Lingling so much, I want to be with Lingling."
"Lingling, can you hear your aunt?"
Lu Baozhu gently stroked Qi Yuning's belly and said, "Time passes so slowly. It will take another four months before I can see Lingling."
Qi Yuning also gently stroked her belly. Her belly was getting bigger day by day, and her expectations for Lingling were getting deeper and deeper. She didn't know if Lingling really looked like Yuan Ge'er when she was a baby.
While on the boat, Qi Yuning recalled the time when she was rowing with Lingling. She didn't know why she had dreamed of aborting Lingling just now.
No matter what she does in this life, she will never give up Lingling.
After May, the weather gets hotter day by day.
There is always ice in the princess's mansion. Qi Yuning rarely goes out of her room during the day because the weather is very hot. At most, she stays in the study to deal with business accounting matters.
It's been a year of national mourning, and there haven't been any banquets recently, so Qi Yuning hasn't gone out for a long time.
It all depended on Xiaoman to gather information about the city and report it to her every day.
"Princess, Princess, I heard that a great beauty has recently arrived in Shengjing City. I saw her from afar and she is truly stunningly beautiful. Apart from you, I have never seen such a beautiful woman!"
Qi Yuning smiled faintly and said, "There are so many beauties in Shengjing City. How stunning must one be to be called a great beauty?"
There have always been many beauties in Shengjing. Even the maids around her are all top beauties. The one who can be called a great beauty by Xiaoman must be a rare beauty in the world.
Xiao Man said, "You'll be able to see her soon. She's the Empress Dowager's niece, and her father has been appointed Minister of Rites. After the state mourning period is over, I'm sure Miss Zhou will attend the palace banquet."
Qi Yuning suddenly remembered the dream he had a few days ago. The dream was so real that it seemed as if it had really happened.
Thinking back on it now, the dream was very clear. In it, I heard the maid talking about Empress Dowager Zhou’s niece.
However, Qi Yuning had never inquired about Empress Dowager Zhou's family, nor had he ever known whether Empress Dowager Zhou had a niece.
When the dream and reality overlapped, Qi Yuning couldn't help but shudder.
Qi Yuning calmed down and thought about it. Maybe she was worrying too much. At Empress Dowager Zhou's age, what was so strange about having a niece at home?
She should not think too much about it. It was just a dream. The daughter of the Zhou family was now the cousin of the young emperor. She had all the young and talented men she wanted. How could she fall in love with Lu Ze as in the dream?
Qi Yuning put aside all the disturbing thoughts in his mind and focused on the account book in front of him.
Lu Ze has been coming back earlier and earlier lately. Even if he has official business to attend to, he will bring the matter back to the princess's residence to deal with it.
A study was arranged in the front yard of the princess's mansion, and many officials came in and out of the princess's mansion.
At dusk, Qi Yuning went to the front yard to look for Lu Ze. He just saw an unfamiliar official coming out of the yard with a rather ugly expression on his face.
The official saw Qi Yuning and stepped forward to salute, saying, "Greetings, Princess."
Qi Yuning was quite surprised to hear this title. People in Shengjing City were still used to calling her Princess, and Qi Yuning also preferred the title of Princess. Except in her dreams, this was the first time she heard someone call her Princess to her face.
Almost half of the court officials had been replaced compared to before. Qi Yuning did not ask who the official in front of him was. He just nodded lightly and went into the study.
In the study, Lu Ze saw Qi Yuning coming and chuckled, "Is the sun out?"
Qi Yuning nodded and said, "Well, it's not exposed to the sun anymore."
Lu Ze pulled Qi Yuning to sit on the small couch beside him, lowered his head and put it on Qi Yuning's bulging belly, "Lingling is more than six months old."
Qi Yuning said with anticipation, "There's still a hundred days before Lingling comes out."
Lu Ze was standing up, looking at Qi Yuning and said, "I hope Lingling can come out soon, so you won't be bored at home all the time."
Qi Yuning said, "The national mourning period has not yet ended, so there's nothing fun to do outside. The weather is hot, so it's not too hot to stay home. But I heard from Xiaoman that a stunning beauty has arrived in the capital, but I haven't been able to see her in person."
Lu Ze said, "The one from the Zhou family? It's just a rumor. She doesn't look as pretty as Baozhu."
Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "You're not the type to talk about a girl's appearance behind her back."
Qi Yuning understood Lu Ze. No matter how much he disliked a woman, he would never comment on her appearance.
Lu Ze said helplessly, "Even before the national mourning period ended, Uncle Zhou has repeatedly hinted at marrying his daughter to me. I've politely declined several times, but they haven't said it outright. It's not easy for me to refuse outright. After all, he's little Zhao Jie's uncle, so I have to give him some face."
When Qi Yuning heard Lu Ze's words, she looked at him deeply.
Seeing Qi Yuning's eyes full of something wrong, Lu Ze said, "I really refused. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lin Jiang. If you don't trust Lin Jiang, you can also ask Qin Feng."
After Qi Yuning had the maids leave, she leaned into Lu Ze's arms and said, "Do you still remember the nightmare I had during my lunch break on Dragon Boat Festival?"
Lu Ze chuckled and said, "How could I forget? It's a rare opportunity to get slapped in the face in my lifetime."
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