Chapter 150 The One I Love
Unexpectedly, the Duke said, "Madam, you are too harsh. You are torturing Miss Lu like this, and she just complained a few times, which is not a mistake."
The Duke's wife's face turned green. Before she could object, the Duke had already seen Hu Xin'er's portrait and praised it repeatedly: "It's much more beautiful than my daughter herself!"
This made the Duke's wife and the second young lady very embarrassed.
The Duke became more and more delighted as he looked at it: "Come here, take this portrait to Lord Zhao. His son is just the right one!"
Xuanyuan Huili tried various excuses to stop him, but to no avail. In desperation, she blurted out, "No, I already have a crush on someone!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Duke's wife asked happily, "Really? Li'er, who is that person?"
At this point, Xuanyuan Huili's eyes seemed to light up with fire: "It's my study partner, mother, you have seen him!"
When the Duke heard this, his face changed.
Hu Xiner cried out "Ouch" and hugged her legs. She had accidentally knocked over the inkstone and hit her foot.
She smiled bitterly in her heart. This time she really shot herself in the foot. She brought her husband in to work, but he ended up being noticed by someone else!
"How can a study companion be worthy of your status?" The Duke's wife said with disdain, "Li'er, please stop making such a fuss."
"No matter who he is, I will marry him!" Xuanyuan Huili raised her head high.
"You rebellious girl!" Unexpectedly, the next moment, the Duke's wife raised her hand.
"Hit me, hit me like you hit Jing'an!" Xuanyuan Huili's frail body trembled slightly, not knowing whether it was out of excitement or fear. "Do you know who he is? He's the most handsome man in the capital, Lu Yunjue of the Lu family!"
"What?" The Duke's wife raised her hands in the air, her face full of astonishment.
"Stop arguing." At the critical moment, the Duke said, "Go and invite Master Lu over."
This statement was a disguised acknowledgement of Lu Yunjue's identity, but Madam Guoguo still couldn't believe it: "How is this possible? Master, you must not marry Li'er to him!"
As she spoke, tears began to fall and she wiped her face with her calloused hands.
General Xuanyuan looked at his first wife, his expression softened a little, but the aura around him still made everyone feel uneasy.
No one spoke, like the calm before the storm.
Mu Qing appeared at the door and felt everyone's eyes on him as soon as he entered.
General Xuanyuan's suppressed anger, the Duke's wife's undisguised hatred, Hu Xin'er's guilty conscience and evasiveness... What made him most uncomfortable was the fiery and straightforward admiration in Xuanyuan Huili's eyes.
"Lu Lang..." Xuanyuan Huili choked out, full of affection.
She stood there, her eyes moist, like apricot buds after rain.
"Second Miss, please respect yourself." Mu Qing said before bowing and saying, "Greetings, Duke and Madam."
Xuanyuan Huili was deeply hurt by his indifferent rejection and couldn't help crying.
"How could I give birth to such a useless daughter like you!" The Duke's wife was angry and hateful, her face flushed red.
He didn't care about aristocratic etiquette anymore, he just rolled up his sleeves that were in the way and was about to punch Mu Qing.
Mu Qing was secretly on guard, but the Duke stopped his wife and said calmly, "Madam, wait a minute!"
"What do you know? This thief from the Lu family obviously already has a family, but he is greedy and deliberately comes to seduce Li'er. He is a bastard, not your illegitimate child, why are you protecting him!" The Duke's wife cried and her fists rained down on the Duke.
"I know he's married." The Duke said helplessly, "Don't worry, I'll find out."
The wedding invitation was delivered to him at that time, but he didn't go because he was not free.
The Duchess's wife had followed General Xuanyuan in his campaigns, so how could she be someone easy to get along with?
She can usually act like a lady, but when it comes to her beloved daughter, her true nature is completely exposed.
He scolded the Duke at the top of his voice for a full quarter of an hour before he sat back down to have some tea because he was thirsty.
The Duke's ears were pulled red, but his expression was still so dignified and serious: "Li'er, are you sure you love this person?"
This is actually nonsense.
Because Xuanyuan Huili kept flirting with Mu Qing, everyone in the room could see how much she liked Mu Qing.
But when the words came to her lips, Xuanyuan Huili became shy and said, "Yes, father."
"Did you know that he already has a family and that he and his wife are very loving?" General Xuanyuan confirmed again.
Xuanyuan Huili's eyes revealed sadness and unwillingness: "I...I know!"
The Duke's face remained expressionless, but the corner of the table in his hand had already shattered into powder.
"Knowing this, you're still going to marry Lu Yunjue?" Anger was already evident on his face. "Everyone in the capital knows that Duke Xuanyuan has lived an upright life, yet you're trying to steal someone else's husband. Is this how a daughter of a wealthy family in our country should behave?!"
"Father! I'm usually very careful with my words and actions, and have never brought disgrace upon the Duke's Mansion. This is the only extraordinary wish I have!"
Xuanyuan Huili suddenly fell to her knees and burst into tears.
"Ever since I was little, I knew that as the daughter of Duke Xuanyuan, I was destined to sacrifice everything for the family, even my own marriage. But I'm afraid I'll be unfilial. I already have someone I love, and there's no way I'll give birth to someone else's children for the sake of the family's interests!"
"That's all your mother's nonsense. How could you take it so seriously?" General Xuanyuan was shocked and distressed. "You are my daughter. Even if you remain single for life, who would dare to criticize you? Father only hopes that you will become an upright person!"
But he didn't realize that his daughter, whom he thought was well-behaved and sensible, actually had the idea of destroying someone else's family.
Xuanyuan Huili couldn't help but burst into tears after listening to her father's words: "Father, you love your daughter the most. I really like Lu Yunjue. As long as I can marry him, I am willing to do so even if it means being his concubine."
Unexpectedly, the Duke, who had originally felt a little sorry for her, flew into a rage upon hearing this: "That's just crazy talk! You've been spoiled to the point of being lawless. How can a daughter of a dignified Duke be a concubine?"
What is a concubine?
I may be okay in the eyes of the servants, but in the eyes of the mistress, I am just an object that can be abused and sold at will!
As long as the mistress wants, the concubine has to get up early every morning to set rules and prepare water for the mistress to wash her feet in the evening.
If Xuanyuan Huili really became Hu Xiner's foot-washing maid, the entire Duke's Mansion would be nailed to the pillar of shame!
No wonder Duke Xuanyuan was so angry.
The Duke's wife suddenly asked, "Who is Lu Yunjue's wife?"
Mu Qing - that is, Lu Yunjue looked at Hu Xiner, and Hu Xiner shook her head frantically, signaling him not to tell the truth.
But Lu Yunjue smiled slightly and said in front of everyone: "My wife is the talented and beautiful Hu Xin'er standing by the painting table."
With everyone's shocked eyes, Hu Xin'er thought, it's over...
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