Therefore, her demands for monogamy, gender equality, and mutual respect were not only unreasonable and incomprehensible to him, but also...
Even the women here think she's spoiled, arrogant, delusional, overestimating herself, and asking for trouble!
Therefore, he was not wrong, she was not wrong, the fault lies with the world.
Even two loving couples from different countries can eventually separate due to cultural differences, religious beliefs, and different social customs.
Moreover, they are from two different eras, separated by a gap of thousands of years, so it's normal that they can't bridge that gap.
Lu Ziqian noticed that she was staring at him without saying a word, as if her thoughts had already drifted far away.
"Jiaojiao, I know I shouldn't have kept it from you because of my pride."
“I didn’t think that much about it at the time; I thought I could handle it.”
Su Yujiao immediately rolled over and lay down: "You can go out now, the child is asleep."
Only when he mentioned the child did Lu Ziqian glance at the baby in her arms.
Although this was the first time he had met the two children, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to them.
Can I hold the baby?
Su Yujiao turned her back to him and ignored him.
Zhou called softly from outside, "Seventh Brother, come out and let Jiaojiao rest."
"Go wash up first before you hold the baby, you're filthy."
She had just stood outside and heard the whole story, and felt that the two children were really unlucky. Even if good things are hard to come by, it should come to an end eventually.
She had originally decided not to stop Su Yujiao from getting a divorce, but after listening to her son's explanation...
She also felt that there might still be hope for the two of them. The two children had feelings for each other, and it would be a pity if they were separated because of that wicked woman's wicked scheme.
After Lu Ziqian left, Zhou went inside and talked with Su Yujiao for a while.
Not wanting to cause any further trouble, Su Yujiao accepted the excuse her mother-in-law offered.
To avoid arousing his suspicion!
That night, she didn't let Lu Ziqian into the house, but the next morning she softened her attitude towards him.
Seeing that she was finally willing to talk to him, the man became even more attentive and ingratiating.
In the blink of an eye, the Crown Prince led his army to the city gate.
Lu Ziqian could no longer stay at home, so he secretly left the city to meet with the Crown Prince, pretending that he had just returned to the capital in triumph.
The Emperor personally led all the officials to welcome him, and a grand welcoming banquet was held that evening. He also appointed Lu Ziqian as the General Who Protects the Country and the Prince of Pingxi.
This is the first non-royal king since the founding of the Great Ming Kingdom. The Emperor's bestowal of such an honor upon Lu Ziqian is considered the highest honor.
However, Lu Ziqian refused, instead exchanging his title of prince for an imperial decree to grant him marriage.
The Emperor was already prepared, and a marriage alliance with the Southern Frontier Kingdom would only benefit the Great Ming Kingdom, so he had no reason to refuse.
The Emperor granted their marriage and ordered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to select an auspicious day, which was set for the eighth day of next month.
Although the time was a bit tight and the wedding preparations might be a little rushed, the royal family would naturally help with the arrangements because it was a marriage between two countries and because of the empress's connections.
Lu Ziqian didn't care at all; this marriage wasn't something he had willingly agreed to in the first place.
After discussing Lu Ziqian's marriage, the Emperor suddenly summoned the Third Prince and bestowed upon him the title of Prince.
Consort Jing gave the Empress a defiant look. Her son was the only one among all the princes to be granted the title of king, which showed how much the Emperor doted on him.
The Empress was so angry that her head ached. The Crown Prince had risked his life twice to control the plague, but he hadn't received any reward or even a word of praise.
The Third Prince was granted the title of King upon his return after merely escorting a marriage alliance.
The Emperor's mind is completely misguided!
However, as the empress, although she was angry, she could not show it in public, otherwise she would lose the demeanor of a mother of the nation.
The palace banquet was still ongoing, and the General's Mansion had already received the imperial decree bestowing marriage and titles.
Holding the imperial edict, Madam Zhou looked worried. Marriage should have been a joyous occasion, but she couldn't feel happy at all.
She didn't even dare to look at Su Yujiao's expression, but the gloating faces of the second branch of the family couldn't be hidden, which made her furious.
After seeing off Eunuch Wei, Madam Zhou sent the two families back to the West Courtyard and instructed the guards in the courtyard not to allow the two families to set foot in the main house for the next few days.
If anything truly serious happens, send someone to report it first!
Bai and Li hurriedly helped Su Yujiao up. They looked at her with sympathy, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to say.
How could my sister-in-law be so unlucky?
The Lu family clearly had a rule against taking concubines. She thought that as long as she married into the Lu family, she would never have to face a life with many wives and concubines, and open and covert struggles.
Unexpectedly, the seventh brother's playful antics resulted in him bringing home a concubine!
"Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
Su Yujiao shook her head, her tone calm: "I'm fine, it was expected."
“He had already obtained my consent before entering the palace. What’s meant to happen will happen. Since we can’t change it, let’s face it bravely.”
Madam Zhou looked guilty: "Jiaojiao, I only recognize you as my daughter-in-law. If Chen Yunniang comes into the family, I will definitely not give her a good look."
Bai and Li echoed, "Yes, we only recognize you as our brother's wife."
"We don't even bother with those low-class women outside."
Su Yujiao was a little tired and really didn't want to deal with them. Anyway, she was going to get a divorce soon, so she wasn't sad at all. She just hoped that the imperial decree for the divorce would arrive soon.
I wonder when the Emperor will issue her an imperial edict?
It should be soon, after all, the imperial decree for the marriage has already been issued.
For the next two weeks, the General's Mansion and the Imperial Palace were preparing for the wedding. After all, it was a marriage alliance between two countries, so it couldn't be too shabby; it had to be presentable.
Su Yujiao grew more and more anxious each day. Tomorrow was their wedding day, but they still hadn't received the imperial decree for divorce.
The Emperor wouldn't want to wait until they've gone through their wedding ceremony before issuing her a divorce decree, would he?
Actually, she didn't care whether she was married or not. Unlike the emperor, she didn't have many concerns. All she wanted was a divorce.
However, the longer she waited, the more uncertain she became. Could it be that the Emperor wanted to back out?
Should we go to the palace and ask the Empress?
It's too late today, let's do it tomorrow.
Tomorrow doesn't seem feasible either. Tomorrow is Lu Ziqian's wedding day, a marriage alliance with the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier Kingdom. The Emperor and Empress will both be present, so they probably won't have time to concern themselves with such a trivial matter.
Feeling upset, Su Yujiao decided to go for a walk.
After all, people's joys and sorrows are not shared, and the joy of the general's mansion is not suitable for her sorrow.
Lu Ziqian was afraid she would do something foolish, so he wanted to go with her to clear her head, but she refused. He knew that going with her would only make him more upset.
Lu Ziqian knew she was unhappy and didn't want to see her, so he had Mo Shu and Mo Hua secretly follow her.
Su Yujiao wandered around the streets, stopping and starting, only to find she had nowhere to go.
When Lu Ziqian's family learned that he was going to take a concubine, his brother was so angry that he had hit Lu Ziqian several times.
But this was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, so no matter how angry the brother was, there was nothing he could do but accept reality.
Her parents advised her to take it easy and accept it as her fate.
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