Today's court meeting is dealing with a thorny issue, and the atmosphere in the court is particularly heavy.
Several ministers were arguing over the Star Moon Sect, and Lu Jingze had to mediate.
By the time the meeting ended, the sun was high in the sky, more than an hour later than usual.
Lu Jingze hurriedly returned to his residence. When he stepped into Lanyue Pavilion, Wang Xiuxiu was leisurely enjoying her snacks.
She wore a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today, with a white jade hairpin in her hair, making her look exceptionally charming and lovely.
Seeing that Lu Jingze was only returning now, Wang Xiuxiu was slightly taken aback, put down the pastries in her hand and asked, "Why are you back so late? Have you eaten yet?"
Lu Jingze shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with weariness: "Today, court affairs were numerous and complicated, which caused some delays."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu pondered for a moment and cautiously suggested, "It's almost 9 AM now. If we prepare breakfast now, it might be a bit rushed. How about we wait a little while and have lunch earlier?"
Lu Jingze's lips curled up slightly, and he readily nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
With his permission, Wang Xiuxiu beamed with joy and immediately summoned her personal maid, Xiaoying, to enthusiastically order food.
She parted her lips slightly, and a string of dish names flowed out like flowing water: "I want glutinous rice chicken meatballs, crystal pork jelly, braised arrowhead, braised mutton, pheasant soup, crab roe pastry, steamed taro, and braised sea bass!"
She ordered food as she pleased, while Lu Jingze sat to the side, smiling and watching with great interest as she "borrowed the tiger's power" to order whatever she wanted under his name.
Wang Xiuxiu was clearly unaware of his thoughts. After listing the dishes, she turned around, blinked her bright eyes, and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Lu Jingze shook his head, his gaze remaining fixed on her delicate face, which was slightly flushed with excitement, his heart filled with joy and doting affection.
"What you ordered is already very good; I don't have anything in particular that I want to eat."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu turned to Xiaoying and added, "Then let's have two more desserts, one cherry nectar dessert and one almond milk tea... No, no, no, the milk tea is too sweet, let's change it to pickled hawthorn instead."
After speaking, she looked at Lu Jingze with a questioning look in her eyes.
Lu Jingze, like an obedient follower, nodded without hesitation and replied, "Let's prepare it the way you said."
Wang Xiuxiu was even more delighted to see him so cooperative.
She usually gets to eat a lot of good food at Princess Su Yingxue's place, but she's too embarrassed to order food so freely like this.
Today, thanks to Lu Jingze's name, we can enjoy a truly delicious meal.
The thought of being able to eat so many delicious foods at once made Wang Xiuxiu overjoyed. She happily pushed the rice cake in front of Lu Jingze and said with a smile, "These rice cakes were just delivered from the kitchen. They're so chewy and delicious. Have some to tide you over."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingze picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.
However, after taking only one bite, he put down his chopsticks, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He has never liked sweets, and this pastry was too sweet for him.
Seeing this, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but purse her lips, muttering to herself, "This guy really doesn't know what he's talking about!"
She pulled the plate back in front of her, took a big bite, and ate with relish, not forgetting to give Lu Jingze a smug look, as if to say, "If you don't eat, I won't be polite!"
Looking at her childlike appearance, Lu Jingze couldn't help but smile, and took a sip of tea.
When Lu Jingze was at Lanyue Pavilion, he never liked having servants to serve him. So the maids who were serving him in the room had already tactfully left when he entered, leaving only him and Wang Xiuxiu.
The room was quiet, with only the occasional birdsong coming from outside the window, making the time seem even more peaceful.
Lu Jingze suffered a lot of humiliation at the morning court session today, and his heart was filled with unresolved frustration.
He was usually a man who rarely showed his emotions, but today's events made him feel powerless and indignant.
At this moment, I just want to talk to someone.
So he spoke softly, "Xiuxiu, I have something I want to tell you."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu paused what she was doing, looked up at Lu Jingze, and mumbled a reply, "Yeah, go ahead and say it."
A crumb of pastry still clung to the corner of her mouth, but her eyes were exceptionally focused, as if to tell him, "I'm listening."
Lu Jingze frowned slightly and asked thoughtfully, "Do you know anything about the Star Moon Sect?"
“I know, isn’t that a cult that bewitches the people?” Wang Xiuxiu swallowed the food in her mouth. “The government notices are posted everywhere, why are you bringing this up?”
"The imperial court has sent troops to suppress them many times, but each time the soldiers arrive, the main members of the Star Moon Sect have already disappeared without a trace, and even their wealth has been transferred. As for the followers who have been misled, there are too many of them, and they are all ordinary people who do not know the truth. The government can't do anything to them. At most, they can just lock them up for a few days to scare them." Lu Jingze's tone was filled with resentment.
As Wang Xiuxiu listened, her hand unconsciously reached for the plate on the table, tore off a piece of rice cake, stuffed it into her mouth, and nodded as she ate.
"The imperial court has repeatedly tried to suppress the Star Moon Cult, but to no avail. Instead of working hard, the people insist on believing in this evil cult. Not only have they been swindled out of all their wealth, but some have even sold their children to pay for their membership fees! They are utterly foolish!" Lu Jingze said, his voice rising several decibels as he spoke with great emotion.
Wang Xiuxiu nodded in agreement.
She kept making subtle movements with her hands, how could Lu Jingze, who was sitting next to her, not see them?
But this little guy kept chewing and chewing, and he was so cute that Lu Jingze's original emotions, which he wanted to vent, dissipated by more than half.
Finally, unable to resist, he reached out and pinched her chubby cheeks with a look of exasperation.
"Xiuxiu, I'm telling you something important! Can you stop eating for a moment?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu quickly swallowed the last bite of food in her mouth and replied indistinctly, "Okay, okay, I won't eat anymore, alright?"
After speaking, she quickly wiped her mouth with her hand, sat up straight, and pretended to listen attentively.
Seeing her suddenly become obedient, Lu Jingze was taken aback at first, and then couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "You, there's just no way to deal with you."
At this moment, Wang Xiuxiu became serious, contrary to her usual self. She put down the pastries in her hand, placed her hands on her knees, and looked focused and serious.
"The reasons for believing in cults are complex. If I may venture a guess, the hardships and helplessness of life make them desperately want to find a spiritual sustenance. The so-called Star and Crescent Cult takes advantage of this mentality and attracts people who are already desperate about real life to its ranks through false promises and various tempting conditions."
Her voice was clear and strong, with a hint of worldly wisdom in her tone.
Lu Jingze nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, signaling her to continue.
Seeing that he was listening attentively, Wang Xiuxiu felt more confident and completely let down her guard, speaking freely: "They exploit people's deepest fears and ignorance, carefully fabricating all sorts of sensational panic events and rumors to bewitch people, claiming that only by joining their sect can they be saved and solve all their troubles and pains. It is this fear that drives people to flock to the Star Moon Sect."
This dissection was extremely thorough and insightful, even Lu Jingze couldn't help but take notice.
If Lu Jingze didn't know Wang Xiuxiu's character, he might mistakenly think that she was a core member of the Star Moon Cult.
Wang Xiuxiu is right. It is this kind of blind faith that has plunged countless poor people into an endless abyss of suffering from which they cannot extricate themselves.
"As you said, the Star Moon Sect has firmly controlled the hearts and minds of the people, and this cycle continues endlessly. Isn't that an unsolvable problem?" As he said this, Lu Jingze frowned, his tone revealing his disappointment.
Wang Xiuxiu shook her head. "The reason why the Star Moon Sect can not be eradicated is ultimately due to the issue of people's livelihood. If people can eat their fill and stay warm, who would want to believe in these illusory things? Instead of constantly suppressing them, the imperial court should find ways to improve people's livelihood and let them live a good life. In this way, the Star Moon Sect will naturally lose its breeding ground."
“You’re right. The court should indeed address the root cause, instead of simply suppressing the people.” Lu Jingze nodded thoughtfully, but then sighed deeply, “But improving people’s livelihoods is easier said than done…”
Wang Xiuxiu could hear the disappointment in his words and knew that he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. She gently comforted him, "Don't worry too much. It is indeed difficult to completely reverse the current situation in a short period of time. However, the situation is urgent. Why not think of a way to keep the people busy? As long as they are busy making a living, they will naturally have no time to worry about other things."
Lu Jingze suddenly raised his head, a flash of enlightenment in his eyes, as if he had instantly grasped something.
He disregarded everything else and hurriedly got up and left the palace.
"Why is this person so energetic? He's even skipping his meal..."
Seeing the prince leave in such a hurry, Xiaoying was a little surprised and quickly ran into the house to ask Wang Xiuxiu for instructions.
"Your Highness, the Prince just left the manor in a hurry. Shall we prepare lunch as you instructed before?"
After much deliberation, Wang Xiuxiu tearfully removed many of her cherished items.
It wasn't that the kitchen staff wouldn't allow her to eat so much food, but as a model young woman, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't stand any waste!
Without Lu Jingze, that glutton, she really couldn't finish all that food by herself!
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