Lu Baozhu was shocked when she heard this and said, "Another monk? Wouldn't Qi Yuning destroy my Lu family?"
Lu Ze said to Madam Lu, "Grandma, I cannot do as you wish. Even if there is no imperial decree today, I have already decided to marry the princess."
Madam Lu pointed at Lu Baohua, Lu Baoxue, and several other brothers and sisters and said, "Ze'er, you are the eldest grandson of the Lu family and their eldest brother. Now, are you going to ignore your brothers and sisters for a woman?"
Lu Ze looked up at Duke Lu and said, "If Second and Third Uncles are worried about their nephew being implicated, they can split the family..."
Duke Lu angrily scolded, "What division of the family? Your grandmother is still alive, and you're talking about dividing the family. How much infamy are you asking me to bear?"
Princess Pingrou glared at Duke Lu and said, "This princess thinks Ze'er's suggestion is very good. Since the old lady has also said that she is afraid that the children of my second and third brothers will be implicated by Ze'er, we should just separate the family and end the matter."
Madam Lu was so angry that she gasped and said, "Ze'er, you grew up by Grandmother's side. Grandmother worked hard to raise you. Now you are well-known in Shengjing City and a high-ranking official in the court, but you treat Grandmother like this? You want to divide the family before I die?"
Lu Baozhu said, "It's fine if the family doesn't split up. Brother, you should marry into the Qi family. The Qi family is short of people anyway. If you are willing to marry into the Qi family, I'm sure both Prince Qi and Qi Yuning will applaud you!"
Old Madam Lu's comments on Lu Baozhu became more and more outrageous, and she was so angry that she had a headache.
"Your Highness, Princess Qi is outside requesting to see you."
When Mrs. Lu heard that Qi Yuning came to ask for a meeting that night, she was so angry that her heart ached. Mrs. Lu Er and Mrs. Lu San served tea and medicine respectively.
Princess Pingrou saw her two sisters-in-law coming forward to take care of her, so she stood up and said, "It's late, Baozhu, Ze'er, we should go home."
Duke Lu bowed to Madam Lu and said, "I will take my leave now."
When Princess Pingrou saw Duke Lu following her, she said angrily, "Aren't you supposed to be a filial son? Why are you following me? Your mother is still sick, and you have to stay by her side and take care of her day and night."
Duke Lu had always respected Princess Pingrou, but after hearing what Princess Pingrou said today, he became angry. "Zer's statement about wanting to divide the family was unreasonable. If word gets out, how will he survive in the court in the future?"
Princess Pingrou said in a slightly higher voice, "I asked for Yuning on behalf of Ze'er! My father has already agreed, so why would you, the Lu family, say anything?"
After I married you, I never acted like a princess. Did I make your Lu family forget the difference between the monarch and the subjects?
Ze'er is right, it's time to split up the family. My dear Prince Consort, please remember this: you are only the Prince Consort. You are not allowed to come to the Princess's residence without an imperial decree!"
Duke Lu frowned slightly and said, "Mother is ultimately doing this for the good of the entire Lu family."
"Is she doing this for the Lu family, or to embarrass me?" Princess Pingrou said unhappily, "You should be a filial son, and go ahead."
As soon as he arrived at the gate of Lu Mansion, Lu Ze heard Lingling crying.
Qi Yuning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the lantern light coming. "Little ancestor, your father is here, don't cry!"
Lingling saw Lu Ze and cried out in grievance, "Daddy."
Lu Ze strode forward and hugged the tearful Lingling in his arms, "Don't cry, Daddy is here."
"Oh, poor Lingling." Lu Baozhu went forward and wiped Lingling's tears. "Why are you crying so hard? Qi Yuning, what did you do to my little niece?"
Qi Yuning ignored Lu Baozhu. Seeing the princess and her husband arguing in the back, she whispered to Lu Ze, "Are your parents arguing?"
Lu Ze said, "Don't worry about them."
Lu Baozhu nodded and said, "At most, they would quarrel tonight and make up tomorrow. It has been like this since they were young."
Lingling snuggled in Lu Ze's arms and asked, "Why doesn't Daddy come back?"
Lu Ze touched Lingling's little head and said, "Grandmother is sick. Daddy was just accompanying her."
Lingling pouted and said, "Lingling wants daddy to accompany her too."
"Lingling, why are you crying so aggrieved?" Princess Pingrou stepped forward and saw Lingling in Lu Ze's arms. "But what do you want to eat?"
Qi Yuning said: "Lingling just misses her father. It would be great if she could see him."
Princess Pingrou said, "Indeed, it's already so dark. Ze'er, take Lingling back and get some rest."
When Qi Yuning and Lu Ze walked back to the palace, she looked up at Lu Ze and asked, "Is Madam Lu really sick this time or is she faking it?"
Lu Ze sighed and said, "When you get old, it's inevitable to get sick. I have real illnesses, but today I'm seriously ill because my grandmother doesn't want me to marry you."
Qi Yuning chuckled and said, "I thought you would cover up your grandmother's dislike for me."
Lu Ze said, "My grandmother doesn't like my mother very much either, but my mother never pays any attention to my grandmother. You will marry into the princess's mansion in the future, and I will take care of your filial piety to your grandmother. You just need to keep up appearances."
Qi Yuning chuckled and said, "Master Lu has always had a good reputation. I thought you would tell me not to bother with your grandmother and to be filial to her."
Lu Ze said, "Grandmother doesn't like you, so I won't let you suffer in front of her."
Qi Yuning smiled faintly, "There are only a handful of people in Shengjing City who can make this princess feel wronged."
Lu Ze held Lingling in one hand and Qi Yuning's waist with the other, and returned to the palace under the soft moonlight of the full moon.
Lingling had been unwilling to sleep, and even though Lu Ze told her story after story today, she was still full of energy.
Qi Yuning could hardly bear it any longer, "Lingling, go to sleep!"
Lingling pouted and said, "Even when Lingling is asleep, it's always Mommy crying. Lingling doesn't want to see Mommy crying. If Mommy cries, Lingling will be sad too."
Qi Yuning hugged Lingling and said, "You are such a good baby. Don't cry if mommy kisses you."
Lingling listened to story after story and finally fell asleep at the hour of Hai. Her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she must have been unhappy in her dream.
Qi Yuning reached out and smoothed Lingling's eyebrows, and Lingling gradually fell asleep.
The little hand still tightly grasped Lu Ze's fingers.
Lu Ze looked at Qi Yuning and said, "After we get married, let's go find Taoist He and ask Lingling how to get back."
"Is this the Taoist He who predicted the Great Sheng General Star for my grandfather? Taoist He was already over eighty when he predicted my grandfather's fortune. It's been forty years, and he's still alive?"
Lu Ze said, "Well, the Taoist priest is still alive and hasn't passed away. It's just that his whereabouts are unknown, and I don't know if we can find him."
Qi Yuning said, "He's over 120 years old. Can a person live so long?"
"I heard that Taoist He has made a longevity elixir that can make anyone who takes it live a thousand years."
Qi Yuning didn't believe in such elixirs. "How many emperors in ancient times sought this elixir of longevity, hoping to rule for thousands of years. But in the end, even the mighty Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi could only accept the cycle of birth, aging, sickness and death. Living to a hundred years old is a blessing."
Lu Ze said, "Living a thousand years is indeed not easy. Taoist He is the leader of the Xuanmen sect and has extensive experience. He might know how Lingling can return to the Xinwei Year."
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