Chapter 3 Chapter 3 This man is really strong

Chapter 3 Chapter 3 This man is really strong

Duke Lu's Mansion is located in Xiaoshiyongfang, where the powerful and wealthy gather in Dajin. Xiaoshiyongfang is narrow and densely populated, and it is close to the imperial city, where every inch of land is valuable. The houses are priceless, and many of the mansions were given by the emperor and are not sold by the municipal government, so ordinary families cannot buy them even if they have money.

However, the Lu family owned a residential plot as large as half a hutong in such an area, which was extremely wealthy.

The Lu family has three branches. The old man died early, leaving three sons. The eldest grandfather, Lu Jing, was the Minister of Works and was in charge of palace construction. The second grandfather, Lu Chang, was Lu Xusheng's father. Three and a half years ago, Lu Chang died in the war with Northern Qi, leaving Lu Xusheng with an orphan and a widow. The third grandfather, Lu Ming, was a bastard's son. He was not liked by the old lady and was usually very low-key.

The glory of the Lu family was established by the second elder Lu Chang. As the crown prince, Lu Xusheng lived in the most unique Ningji Hall.

The couple came out of Ningji Hall, walked along the stone path up a winding corridor, and followed the corridor to the upper room.

Along the way, there are lush green trees, bright autumn chrysanthemums, and dotted with strange rocks and plants everywhere. It can be described as magnificent, exquisite and luxurious.

Since all the families had to be present for the tea ceremony today, we chose Rongzheng Hall where the old lady lived.

Cheng Yian had been married to Lu Xusheng in her previous life, so she was not unfamiliar with the Lu family. Lu Xusheng did not need to lead the way, and the two of them arrived at Rongzheng Hall in silence.

Five or six maids had been waiting at the stage. When they saw the newlyweds coming in, one or two of them hurried in to report the news, and the rest of the servants came forward happily to pay their respects. They carried Cheng Yian into the hall, walked around a five-foot-high rosewood screen with emerald cloud patterns, and in front of them was a main hall with 15 rooms. Servants stood outside the corridor. It was lively but not noisy. Compared with the solemn and solemn atmosphere of the Cheng family, the atmosphere of the Lu family seemed more lively.

The couple walked into the hall together. There were two people sitting at the top of the main room. One was a silver-haired old lady wearing a dark blue silk jacket with a longevity pattern and gold thread embroidery. She was Lu Xusheng's biological grandmother. On her right was a slightly smaller armchair sitting a dignified and beautiful woman. She was wearing a red double-breasted jacket with the word "Fu" on it and a phoenix hairpin in her hair. She had a fair face and long, thin eyebrows. She looked a bit like Lu Xusheng, and had an aura of majesty without even getting angry. She was Lu Xusheng's widowed mother, Wang.

The rest of the old men, wives, sisters-in-law, and young masters from each family took their seats according to their seniority. At first glance, they were all dressed in silk and satin, with emerald hairpins all over their heads, like pearls and jade glittering together.

The newlyweds came in. The groom was extremely handsome, and the bride was bright and dignified. They were both wearing wedding dresses, which was very eye-catching.

The first person to smile was the third wife of the third room.

"Look, what a perfect couple." She said festively.

The eldest lady smiled but said nothing, the old lady also squinted her eyes and looked at her, nodding slowly, but the serious mother-in-law Wang had a serious expression and never smiled.

Cheng Yian knew the reason very well.

When the current emperor ascended the throne, the Jin court was in danger. Twenty years ago, the previous emperor was deceived by the eunuch Gu and led an army to the north to attack Qi, which resulted in the annihilation of 200,000 soldiers. The previous emperor was trapped in Jinshan Fort and committed suicide. The court and the public were shocked. The country could not be without a ruler for a day. The prince was still an infant at the time, and the court officials headed by Lu Chang immediately supported the previous emperor's younger brother, the current emperor, to ascend the throne.

In exchange, the Empress Dowager demanded that the son of the previous emperor be made the Crown Prince, who is now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Emperor agreed.

Twenty years later, the emperor had his own son, Prince Ning, so naturally he wanted to make Prince Ning the crown prince.

As the emperor grew older, a replacement of the crown prince became imminent, and the two parties were already at loggerheads.

The Cheng family happened to be the most prominent family of the time. No matter how dynasties changed or how turbulent the times were, the Cheng family always stood firm. Its students and former officials were all over the world, and they had many followers, forming a powerful force in the court.

As a result, the Cheng family became the target of the emperor and the empress dowager.

After Lu Xusheng's mourning period was over, the emperor quickly ordered the Cheng family to marry the Lu family, intending to pull the Cheng family into his camp through his confidant Lu Xusheng.

Unfortunately, the Cheng family's ancestral teachings were not to participate in party struggles. They would be loyal to whoever sat on the throne and were truly loyal subjects.

On the one hand, there was the marriage granted by the emperor, and on the other hand, there were hundreds of years of ancestral teachings.

What to do?

The head of the Cheng family, Cheng Mingyu, the eldest son of the first branch of the Censorate, came up with an idea. He abandoned his unmarried little daughter and picked Cheng Yian from a side branch to marry Lu Xusheng.

It was this move that maintained the balance of the dynasty.

The Cheng family is undoubtedly the most prestigious family in the world, but the family is also prosperous and each branch is divided into different levels.

The fourth room where Cheng Yian was located was actually a concubine of the Cheng family. In the eyes of the Fan family, she was a lady from a noble family, but in the eyes of the second wife Wang, she was not good enough. With Lu Xusheng's status and position, he was more than qualified to marry a princess. The Cheng family wanted to marry the eldest daughter of the family, but Cheng Yian happened to be the one.

The second wife was unhappy, and since she had always favored Wang's niece as her daughter-in-law, she disliked Cheng Yian even more.

Cheng Yian turned a blind eye to her mother-in-law's cold attitude.

A maid had already put down the cushion and asked the two men to kneel and kowtow.

Cheng Yian first served tea to the old lady, and then it was the second lady's turn. Although the second lady did not like Cheng Yian, she did not make things difficult for her in front of everyone. After the tea was served, the relationship began.

The Lu family has many descendants, but not too few either.

The eldest master in the first house has two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter is married, the eldest son has also married and has a son, and the third daughter is still unmarried. In the second house, the second wife, in addition to Lu Xusheng, also has a second daughter who is married, as well as the third son and the fifth daughter.

Three years ago, Lu Xusheng and Lu Chang were ordered to go to war. The battle was fierce. The old lady was afraid that her children and grandchildren would get into trouble, so she decided to let the third young master Lu Jisheng get married first. Therefore, Cheng Yian also had a sister-in-law who married first. Besides, the third house also had two daughters and one son. The whole family gathered together happily and neatly.

Logically, the second wife should instruct her daughter-in-law to recognize people. The second wife obviously didn't want to speak. She glanced at the third daughter-in-law beside her. The third young lady understood and immediately stepped out, "Sister-in-law, I will take you to recognize people."

When Cheng Yian recognized her relatives, the Second Lady observed with a cold eye. Seeing that she handled it appropriately, the elders and sisters-in-law of each family also understood and their expressions eased a little.

Afterwards, Cheng Yian and Lu Xusheng stepped aside and stood below the Second Madam.

The eldest master usually didn't like to hang out with women. When the ceremony was over, he immediately stood up and apologized to the old lady, and asked the third master to leave together. Seeing this, the old lady said to her grandsons,

"You guys should go too, so that we can have a chat."

Next it was the women's battlefield, and the young masters all knew to retreat.

But Lu Xusheng did not leave.

"Xu'er, do you have anything else to do?" the old lady asked in surprise.

The eldest lady laughed and said, "Are you afraid that your aunts and aunts will bully your wife?"

How could the First and Third Madams bully Cheng Yian? Naturally, the Second Madam, as a proper mother-in-law, wanted to set rules for her daughter-in-law.

The second wife snorted softly.

The third wife immediately tried to smooth things over, "No, newlyweds are naturally inseparable, and Xu Ge'er just can't bear to part with his wife."

Everyone laughed.

Cheng Yian blushed after hearing this and silently lowered his eyes, which made him look shy in the eyes of others.

Lu Xusheng bowed to the old lady.

"Grandma, I have to go out this afternoon, so I thought it would be better to take my wife to the ancestral temple to pay homage."

This is to take Cheng Yian away.

Cheng Yian understood Lu Xusheng's purpose. Since they had agreed to be a fake couple, there was no need for her to worry about the social relationships of the Lu family, and there was no need for her to suffer in front of Wang. This way, they could part ways in peace.

The second lady spoke at this time.

"You can go to submit the family tree in the afternoon. There is no need to rush."

After the tea ceremony, it is the mother-in-law's turn to set rules for her daughter-in-law. This has been the case since ancient times, and all the daughters-in-law of the Lu family have lived this way. But Cheng Yian wants to make an exception. If she lets Lu Xusheng take him away today, Cheng Yian will no longer have her mother-in-law in her eyes in the future.

The eldest lady was happy to drink tea and watch the show.

The third lady wisely kept silent at this time.

The third young lady, Mrs. Bai, who was caught in the middle, spoke again. She knelt down towards Lu Xusheng as if to make a joke.

"Don't worry, brother. My sister-in-law will take good care of me."

The elders above give the order, and the younger brother's wife steps down

, Lu Xusheng argued that it was time to let go.

But he is not one who lets others influence his temper. Once he makes a decision, even a hundred oxen cannot change it.

"If mother has anything to say, just tell me in front of me. After that, I will take her to the ancestral hall to pay respect to father."

Lu Xusheng was also very smart and moved his father out.

The second wife choked.

Cheng Yian silently watched the mother and son fight, and looked at Lu Xusheng with a new respect.

What happened to this guy in his previous life? He believed in men working outside and women working inside, and he didn't care about the affairs of the house. In the past, he hated noisy women the most, and he would probably run away faster than the old man.

Seeing that the Second Madam looked unhappy, Cheng Yian glanced at Lu Xusheng lightly and indicated that he could do it.

Lu Xusheng responded with a soothing look.

The Second Madam couldn't bear to watch it anymore. She turned her eyes to Cheng Yian and simply set the rules.

"Xu Ge's daughter-in-law, now that you have become a member of the Lu family, you must always put the honor of your family first and your husband first..."

First, she gave a long speech, telling Cheng Yian how to be a good wife and mother, and then she began to assign tasks to Cheng Yian.

"From today on, you will follow your sister-in-law to learn the household chores, and the kitchen affairs will be handed over to you."

When a newly married daughter-in-law gets married, she has to serve her parents-in-law with food and drink. This is the first lesson in establishing rules.

Every daughter-in-law of the Lu family works in the kitchen for a while after getting married, which may last for half a year or even a year.

There is another deeper meaning behind the Second Lady's instructions.

Although Lu Xusheng is the prince, the power of the Duke's Mansion is still in the hands of the eldest son's family, and the internal support is also in the hands of the eldest lady.

After Cheng Yian got married, he should have taken over the financial support of the Duke's Mansion. Why not let Cheng Yian take charge of the household affairs while taking care of the kitchen?

Of course the first lady knew the second lady's plan. It was a gentleman's conspiracy and she couldn't stop it.

Before coming here, Cheng Yian had already anticipated this kind of scene. After all, this was how he experienced it in his previous life.

But she was the only one who was going to leave with her dowry, so why would she bother to fight with this god?

Cheng Yian had even thought about his resignation and was about to open his mouth when a slightly magnetic voice echoed in his ears.

"Mother..." Lu Xusheng bowed first. The man had a slender figure, and the calmness and coldness between his brows suppressed the gorgeousness of the auspicious clothes, making him look even more eye-catching.

"It is natural for a mother to set rules for her daughter-in-law. She should also learn how to take care of her husband and children. As for the kitchen chores..." Lu Xusheng paused, "My son, it seems that you don't need to do it for the time being."

The second wife almost couldn't hold back her anger, "Why?" She stared at her son closely, her eyes full of oppression.

Lu Xusheng remained calm and replied, "She is weak and soft-tempered. She is just about to enter the mansion. If we let her take charge of the kitchen, it might cause trouble. My son wants to take it slow and let her learn from mother and sister-in-law first. We can talk about it later."

Lu Xusheng did not sleep last night, thinking back to the two marriages in his previous life that both ended in failure, he felt a strange feeling in his heart.

Is it because Cheng Yian is not a good husband that he refuses to live with him?

In his previous life, he never cared about the rear house, so Cheng Yian suffered a lot at the hands of his mother. His mother disliked her and used her to fight against the first lady. What was the result? Cheng Yian had a miscarriage.

After the miscarriage, Cheng Yian became depressed and the couple did not have sex for half a year. When she recovered, that incident happened again, which led to their divorce. Cheng Yian resolutely left that year. Wasn't it because she had been wronged in the Lu family?

Regardless of whether Cheng Yian is willing to stay or not, he has to reflect on himself. How can he clean up the world if he can't even clean up his own house? He cannot sit idly by and watch the house go bad in this life.

As for the title and reward of the Duke's Mansion, he had his own way to get them back, and it was not at the cost of Cheng Yian's hardship.

He gave his mother a reassuring look and then stepped back.

The second wife did not understand her son's intention at all and was so angry that she was shaking all over.

"Xu'er, this is the rule of the Lu family. Do you want to break the rules of our ancestors?"

Lu Xusheng also thought of a countermeasure. He replied slowly,

"The son thought that having a child was the most important thing, and he would take charge of the household affairs after the child was born."

This sentence completely shut up the second wife.

It turned out that the son did not trust Cheng and wanted to wait until Cheng gave birth to a child before taking over the family business.

This kind of thinking is also sound.

After all, it will take a long time for the reward to be in the hands of the lady, so there is no need to rush.

After the second grandfather passed away, the second branch declined and was in urgent need of reproducing offspring to help boost its influence.

The second wife was convinced. Besides, she knew her son's temper very well. If she continued to argue, she would be the one who would suffer. So she nodded and said, "Okay."

The eldest lady breathed a sigh of relief, and the old lady did not raise any objections.

Everyone is happy.

Lu Xusheng took Cheng Yian to say goodbye.

Cheng Yian stepped out of the threshold calmly and glanced at the man in front of him.

Tsk, what a stiff back.

What does she need that crappy gift for? Wasn’t the housekeeper’s management in her previous life enough?

It's a thankless job.

Although Lu Xusheng was supporting her in order to distance himself from her, Cheng Yian couldn't help but sigh,

Look, her husband is a good man, so she has nothing to worry about.