Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Sister-in-law, you can’t get rid of Lu...
When Jiang Shu returned to the Xinyang Marquis Mansion, it was already getting dark. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, and was too lazy to even have dinner. She went straight to her bedroom and lay down.
Less than an hour later, Fang Yu pushed the door open and walked in, saying softly, "Second Madam, Master sent Mr. Cheng to pass on a message, asking you to come to Canaan Courtyard."
Lu Changyi, who was dozing off nearby, opened his eyes, looked at Jiang Shu, and asked, "Brother, what do you want?"
Lu Changyi was frail, so Jiang Shu always reported good news but not bad news to avoid worrying him. Now that the words were on her lips, she no longer needed to hide them: "Today, when I was passing through Tongque Lane, I was held hostage by an assassin at knifepoint. Fortunately, my eldest brother came to my aid and saved me from danger. I think he came to me about this matter."
Upon learning that Jiang Shu had been through something terrible, Lu Changyi hurriedly sat up from the couch. He looked Jiang Shu up and down and said anxiously, "Assassins are desperate men who act without scruples. Are you hurt?"
Jiang Shu shook her head. "Mr. Cheng is a skilled archer. He shot the assassin straight in the heart. Thanks to him, I was unharmed."
Lu Changyi felt relieved, leaned back on the chaise longue, and waved his hand to let Jiang Shu leave.
Jiang Shu followed Cheng Yong to the Canaan Courtyard and entered the flower hall, only to see Lu Changji sitting in front of a desk reading a book. He was wearing a navy blue round-necked robe and his hair was half tied up. He was clearly dressed in an elegant manner, but his elegance concealed a sharp edge.
Jiang Shu cheered up and said "Uncle" in a gentle voice.
Lu Changji put down the book in his hand, pointed to the armchair on the side, and whispered, "Sit down and talk!"
Jiang Shu sat on the armchair as she was told, folded her hands together, and rubbed her fingers unconsciously. She thought she was acting very calm, but Lu Changji could see through her fear and panic.
He asked himself if he had ever done anything to let her down, yet she was so afraid of him.
Lu Changji's displeasure grew even stronger, but he couldn't get angry. He whispered to Jiang Shu, "Are you and Minister Lin old acquaintances?"
Lu Changji is aloof by nature and not the type to meddle in other people's affairs. Jiang Shu didn't know why he asked about her relationship with Lin Yunzhi.
No matter what his purpose was, she answered truthfully. She didn't dare to play smart in front of him: "Today I went to Mrs. Wen's house for tea. When I was about to leave, I met Minister Lin. I heard that Tongque Lane was not peaceful, so I went with Minister Lin."
She knew Lu Changji's methods, so she told him everything when she spoke, not daring to hide anything.
Lu Changji said "Oh" meaningfully, "Today I saw that you were very concerned about Minister Lin. I thought you already knew each other, but it turns out you just met."
Jiang Shu shu was startled, thinking that Lu Changji was protecting Lu Changyi and was scolding her on behalf of his brother. Since her family and reputation were at stake, she dared not hide her thoughts any longer and explained, "I specifically offered to bandage Minister Lin's wound today in order to bring him and my sister together."
The Jiang family is of low status, and my mother is short-sighted. I was afraid she would use my younger sister's marriage as an excuse, so I personally found a husband for her. It's my fault for not being thorough enough, causing my uncle to misunderstand me.
Lu Changji had a good memory. He recalled that when he was bandaging Lin Yunzhi's wound, a pretty girl took the lead, applying medicine and wrapping gauze, and was very attentive. The girl turned out to be Jiang Shu's younger sister, so everything made sense.
The depression in his heart dissipated, and Lu Changji felt his mind was much clearer.
He was a man of few means and seldom argued with others, but when he thought about how Jiang Shu often made him angry but she remained calm, he felt a little indignant.
He turned around, staring at Jiang Shu with his deep eyes, and asked, "Do you know who sent the assassin today?"
Jiang Shu quickly shook her head. She was a prudent person, well aware that the more you know, the faster you die. She didn't want to get involved in Lu Changji's political affairs.
Lu Changji didn't want to let Jiang Shu go. He narrowed his eyes, stared at Jiang Shu, and whispered, "Cheng Yong failed to assassinate Lu Zhun, and Lu Zhun escaped. Lu Zhun couldn't swallow this anger, so he sent people to kill me.
There's no room for two tigers in one mountain. Lu Zhunzheng and I, once we've agreed to go our separate ways, can't possibly shake hands and make peace. Court intrigues aren't like the simmering inner-house struggles, where life and death are at stake. Only one of us, Lu Zhun, can survive."
He talked about matters of life and death as if he were having a casual conversation.
How could Jiang Shu hear such a secret? She wished she could become deaf. She was anxious to distance herself from the truth and said vaguely, "I am a woman, living in the inner chambers every day. I don't understand the affairs of the officialdom. Even if I heard it, it would go in one ear and out the other. I would never take it to heart."
She was a clear-headed person, but unfortunately, having entered the Xinyang Marquis's Mansion and his Canaan Courtyard, there was no way she could escape unscathed.
Lu Changji said, "My sister-in-law is a member of the Lu family. Even if she wants to stay out of trouble, she can't get rid of Lu's mark."
Jiang Shu had long known the principle of sharing weal and woe, but she still felt unwilling to accept it. She felt like a silkworm, firmly bound by silk.
Seeing Jiang Shu's fearful and unwilling look, Lu Changji felt very happy.
He said no more, and turned to Jiang Shu, "I have many political enemies. I don't know how many of them want to threaten me by holding the family members of the Xinyang Marquisate hostage. When you go out in the future, you must bring more guards with you to avoid suffering a disaster like today."
Jiang Shu replied "yes" in a daze and walked out of Canaan Courtyard.
After returning to Xinchun Garden, Fang Yu went into the house to report. Jiang Shu learned that the date for Lu Lin's banquet had been set, which was three days later.
Zhao now doesn't allow Jiang Shu to help her with household chores, and Jiang Shu can't even find the invitation.
Jiang Shu got up and went to Yanxi Hall to ask Zhao for invitations. Zhao was aloof and didn't like Jiang Shu, but she didn't deliberately make things difficult for her. She didn't even bother to ask who Jiang Shu wanted to invite, and asked Nanny Zhou to get three invitations for her.
When Jiang Shu returned to the Jiang family, Yang was overjoyed to see the invitation. She became even more enthusiastic towards Jiang Shu, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were squeezed into two chrysanthemums.
"I originally said that you were ambitious, and sure enough, when it comes to taking care of the family, if you admit to being second, no one would dare to be first.
You will have lunch at home this afternoon. Although our food cannot be compared with that of the Marquis' Mansion, it is at least carefully prepared. Please try it. If there is anything that does not suit your taste, just tell me and mother will ensure that the kitchen will make improvements."
This is Yang. She is very quick-witted and has no bottom line in doing things. When she needs you, you are good in every way, even if you are not good. If you are useless, she can kick you to Goryeo.
Jiang Shu despised Yang in her heart, but her smile was very kind: "Mother, you are embarrassing your daughter. I grew up at home, so how could I not be accustomed to the food at home? When I come back from now on, mother, just ask the kitchen to prepare home-cooked meals, and don't spend money to accommodate me."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Jiang Shu picked up her chopsticks to eat. After the meal, she asked Zhu'er to move the silks, pearls and jades that had been prepared in advance to the flower hall.
The materials are of various varieties and very delicate colors. There are emerald green Hangzhou silk, water-red Shu brocade, and thin silk with round flowers, all of which are rare treasures.
There are also several boxes of spices placed in the middle of the ingredients, among which the agar-agar fragrance is the most fragrant and sweet, which can penetrate into people's hearts.
Jiang Shu specifically asked Fang Yu to inquire about it. She found out that the Kaiyang Marquis's mansion often went to the perfume shop to purchase agar-agar incense. The Kaiyang Marquis was a pure man with only one wife and one concubine. He did not need so many spices in his room. It must be that Prince Zheng liked agar-agar incense, so the beauties in his room bought it to please him.
Jiang Shu pursed her lips and smiled. Since Jiang Ran wanted to marry into a wealthy family, she would help her. As for her life after marriage, she had no control over it.
As soon as Jiang Shu left, Yang called Jiang Ran back into the house. She placed the invitation in front of Jiang Ran and said with a smile, "That bitch Jiang Shu isn't completely useless after all. Look, she personally brought us the invitation from the Marquis' Mansion."
Jiang Ran picked up the invitation and took a look at it, then his attention was attracted by the colorful cloths and spices on the table.
She walked forward and tumbled over the cloth. Finally, the aroma of agar attracted her attention and she asked, "Were these all sent by Jiang Shu?"
Yang nodded.
Jiang Shu often delivered materials to Jiang's house, and Jiang Ran didn't think much about it. She took the agar spices in her hands, lazily walked out of the flower hall, and went back to the bedroom.
Since his reputation was ruined, Jiang Ran's temperament became unpredictable, and he showed no respect at all even to Yang.
Yang looked at Jiang Ran's back and sighed helplessly. After all, he was her flesh and blood. Even if he was a little domineering, she had to tolerate him. Once Jiang Ran found a good family to marry into, everything would be fine.
As night fell, the bright moon shone brightly, and larks perched on the branches, chirping crisply. The scenery was beautiful, but Jiang Shu was distracted and had no desire to sleep.
She stood at the head of the bed and looked at Lu Changyi's sleeping face, without any trace of excitement.
She wanted to go to the outer room to sleep, but was afraid of being criticized, so she asked Zhu'er to put a small couch in the bedroom. As soon as she lay down on it, she heard Zhu'er whisper, "Miss, did you have a quarrel with your son-in-law?"
Some things cannot be spoken out loud. Jiang Shu shook her head and said no.
Zhu Er has never been a person who follows the crowd. She has her own opinions. After a long silence, she lowered her voice and said to Jiang Shu, "The small couch is a bit hard and uncomfortable to sleep on. If you really don't want to sleep on the same bed with your uncle, I will carry your uncle to the small couch and you can go to sleep on the bed."
Zhu'er was reckless, but Jiang Shu couldn't ignore the consequences. She couldn't help but smile bitterly, but a warm feeling surged in her heart.
She smiled at Zhu'er, yawned, and made a sleepy expression. Zhu'er knew that she was tired and wisely withdrew.
Jiang Shu lay down on the small couch, counting the stars in the sky through the window, and fell asleep while counting.
Lu Changyi was a light sleeper and was awakened by the birdsong outside the yard. He subconsciously tried to touch Jiang Shu, but there was no one beside him, not even the shadow of Jiang Shu, only a cool breeze.
At first, he didn't think it was a big deal. Since they got married, Lu Changyi has been accustomed to sleeping in the same bed with Jiang Shu. Even though they each cover themselves with their own quilts, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, the warmth coming from his side is real.
Jiang Shu is like the bright sun in the sky, a completely different existence from Lu Changyi. She is bright and tenacious, and has brought him so much vitality and hope.
Now that he couldn't find anyone, Lu Changyi felt a huge sense of emptiness in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked around, only to see Jiang Shu sleeping soundly on the small couch.
She slept soundly, but he felt a lump in his throat. How could a couple, married for over half a year, only sleep together once? She must have despised his inability to succeed, and couldn't even bear to share a bed with him.
The emptiness in his heart gradually turned into bitterness, and then into helpless anger. Lu Changyi stared at Jiang Shu blankly, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
The sky gradually brightened. Jiang Shu vaguely heard the sound of metal colliding. She looked at the bed and found that it was Lu Changyi who was solving the Nine Rings game.
She yawned, stood up slowly, and said to Lu Changyi, "Your Highness woke up very early today."
Lu Changyi put down the Nine Links, curled up the corners of his lips and smiled, saying softly: "Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and we need to eat in the main hall, so we naturally have to get up early."
Jiang Shu said "hmm" and looked up at Lu Changyi. Lu Changyi's eyes were unusually red, and his eyeballs were covered with bloodshot.
She said to Lu Changyi in a gentle voice, "Your eyes are red, but you didn't sleep well?"
Lu Changyi said, "I slept too much during the day yesterday, so I couldn't sleep at night."
He seemed not to want to continue this topic. He sat up while talking and called Fang Yu to help him wash up.
After the couple finished dressing up, they went to the main hall together. They arrived early and no one else was there yet, so they sat at a small table and ate melon seeds to kill time.
About half a minute later, there was a rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other from inside the gauze cupboard, followed by Hu Lingshuang's soft, dripping voice, "Third Master, I'm still pregnant, you can't do anything rash."
"The doctor said that you can do it after the first three months. Although you are pregnant, you are not as pregnant as those beautiful girls. I like you for that." Lu Changfeng spoke a little quickly, his voice a little hoarse.
"Hmm~" As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Lingshuang's rising and falling voice sounded. Although Hu Lingshuang tried her best to suppress it, the voice still made people blush.
Lu Changfeng has a bad reputation. Jiang Shu knows that he is reckless, but she did not expect that he would be so absurd as to have sex with a pregnant woman in the compartment of the main hall.
Jiang Shu felt embarrassed to overhear other people talking, so she stood up and motioned Lu Changyi to leave together.
The two walked to the door and bumped into a maid carrying cold dishes. Jiang Shu raised her index finger to her lips to signal the maid to be quiet, but the maid was a fool and had no sense at all. She shouted crisply, "Prince!"
The movement in the compartment suddenly stopped. Hu Lingshuang was more free and easy than ordinary women. After all, she still had her dignity to save, so she pulled the thin blanket beside her and covered her head with it.
Lu Changfeng chuckled softly, sat up lazily, reached into the thin quilt and pinched Hu's face. While tying his belt, he said, "Food and sex are human nature. What are you shy about? This is also a good opportunity to let the person outside know what it means to be a harmonious couple."
Although Aunt Hu was favored, she was not the main wife after all. Lu Changfeng and his mother had to be suppressed by the Zhao family over the years. Now, even if Lu Changfeng is the prince, if he is not good in that aspect, he can never raise his head again.
Lu Changfeng walked out slowly, raised his eyebrows and looked at Lu Changyi, and said quite complacently: "I'm sorry to make you laugh, second brother, but as a man, it's understandable that you can't help yourself when the time comes. Not everyone is as pure-hearted as second brother."
Lu Changyi was very sensitive. Although Lu Changfeng didn't say it explicitly, he was sure that the other party was making fun of him. He picked up the vase beside him and was about to throw it at Lu Changfeng.
It was almost time for breakfast. If Lu Changyi slandered Lu Changfeng again, he would be punished by the Marquis of Xinyang. As husband and wife were one, Jiang Shu would not allow others to scheme against and humiliate Lu Changyi.
She grabbed Lu Changyi's arm and snatched the vase from his hand.
Jiang Shu raised her eyes to look at Lu Changfeng and said gently, "A man without manners cannot stand. Although food and sex are human nature, we should at least consider our reputation. Private matters between husband and wife should be resolved privately. If we act recklessly without considering the occasion, what difference is there between us and uneducated barbarians?"
Jiang Shu had a calm demeanor. Although her words were harsh, her expression was gentle, and she even managed a smile. "Third brother, don't think my words are harsh. I'm your sister-in-law, and I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart for the sake of you and your sister-in-law. If someone else did something rebellious like this, I would definitely ignore it."
Jiang Shu is usually silent, and Lu Changfeng only thinks she is a pretty face, but he didn't expect that she is also a beautiful and charming girl.
Lu Changyi licked his lips. He had already angered Lu Changyi, so there was no need to confront Jiang Shu again. He smiled and bowed to Jiang Shu, with an ambiguous light in his eyes. "Second sister-in-law taught me a lesson. I will be more careful with my words and actions in the future, and be self-disciplined and polite."
Lu Changfeng gave in, and Jiang Shu couldn't push him any further. They exchanged a few pleasantries before heading inside to wait for dinner. Lu Changyi's face remained sullen, clearly furious, too angry to even bother with the superficiality of it.
The maid placed the dishes on the table. At this time, Zhao was escorted into the house. Soon, Marquis Xinyang and Aunt Hu also came.
Jiang Shu secretly glanced at the Marquis of Xinyang. It turned out that even when he was in the mansion, he spent most of his time at Aunt Hu's place. No wonder Zhao was so angry and wanted to suppress Aunt Hu in everything.
Lu Changji was very busy with official duties and seldom went to the main hall to eat even on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. It was considered very rude of the younger generation not to serve the elders. However, Lu Changji was in a high position and had great power. Even the Marquis of Xinyang would not say anything to him, let alone others.
Apart from Lu Changji, the only person missing from the room was Hu Lingshuang. After all the dishes were served, Hu Lingshuang slowly walked out from the compartment.
She was born gentle and charming, and after what she had just experienced, she looked even more charming. Even with a big belly, she still had a unique charm.
She curled her lips into a smile and said softly, "I'm heavy, so I just leaned in the cubicle for a while. I'm sure my parents won't blame me!"
Pregnant women are always more delicate than ordinary people. Even though Zhao looked down on Hu Lingshuang, she couldn't say anything. Unexpectedly, the Xinyang Marquis, who always didn't care about anything, spoke up instead.
He placed his chopsticks on the table with neither heavy nor light pressure, and lectured Hu Lingshuang in a stern voice: "There is an order of seniority. It is not right for the elders to wait on the younger ones. Even if you are pregnant, you should not break the rules."
Hu Lingshuang's face changed slightly, and she stood up and admitted her mistake. In this way, the matter was finally over.
After beating Hu Lingshuang, Marquis Xinyang glanced at Zhao Shi vaguely. Zhao Shi knew what he meant, but pretended not to see it. She was his wife who was married in a formal ceremony, and she was not a cat or dog who could only flatter him. She had her own dignity and opinions.
After finishing breakfast, Zhao watched the Marquis of Xinyang and Aunt Hu leave together, and then she summoned Jiang Shu and Lu Changyi to the Yanxi Hall.
Even though she felt bad for her only son, she had to bring the matter to light. Zhao said to Lu Changyi, "Your father has told me many times in private that he hopes you can grow up soon."
"You are the heir of a marquisate, and your family has a title to inherit. Only by having children as soon as possible can you consolidate your position and prevent others from coveting your title."
Lu Changji holds real power and is unmarried, so the title of marquis is of no benefit to him. The "other person" that Zhao mentioned is naturally Lu Changfeng.
Thinking of Lu Changfeng's insult to him, Lu Changyi was so angry that his teeth were itching. Even if he passed the title to someone else, he didn't want Lu Changfeng to take advantage of it.
He even considered adopting a son, but unfortunately, if Lu Changfeng had a son, there would be no way he would adopt a son from a distant family. The title would have to go to Lu Changfeng's lineage.
How could he give his things to Lu Changfeng? Even if he threw them away, Lu Changfeng would not get any benefit.
There was an ambiguous light in Lu Changyi's eyes. He couldn't have children, but Jiang Shu could. As long as the child was born by Jiang Shu, the title would never fall into Lu Changfeng's hands.
Thinking of this, a bold and absurd idea emerged in Lu Changyi's mind...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
