-
Lu Huai returned to the Minister's residence, pacing angrily in front of Minister Lu.
"Stop, stop, stop," Minister Lu raised his hand and shook his head, "What are you doing loitering around here?"
"Qin Xi... she refuses to break off the engagement!" Lu Huai stamped his foot anxiously. The wedding was in two months, and he had to find a way to win her over.
Upon hearing this, Minister Lu immediately beamed with joy, "That's a good thing! It means they think highly of you. This is a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. You mustn't cause trouble at their residence again next time."
"What blessing? I don't want this blessing! I don't want to get married!" Lu Huai said angrily.
"Sigh—," Minister Lu looked at him for a long time, then sighed deeply, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He walked to Lu Huai's side, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, "Changjue, do you know why your father arranged this marriage for you?"
Lu Huai remained silent.
Minister Lu continued, “Your mother passed away early, and your father is getting old. I don’t want to find a companion anymore; I just want to hold a grandson. Your eldest brother is currently in the army. If war breaks out one day, I might only have you left. Now that Miss Qin hasn’t looked down on you because of your usual behavior, it’s clear she’s a good person.”
Lu Huai looked at the white hair at his father's temples, hesitated for a moment, and then remained silent. The father and son looked at each other in awkward silence.
After a long pause, Lu Huai said as if he were giving in, "Then it's not that I can't marry Miss Qin. It's just that I don't like those rules. Father, you know that. I don't want her to interfere in my affairs."
Minister Lu patted him on the shoulder with great satisfaction and said "good" several times in a row, as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Lu Huai pouted and turned to leave.
Seeing him leave, Minister Lu immediately straightened his back, showing no trace of grief. The steward gave Minister Lu a thumbs up, and the two old foxes exchanged a glance. Minister Lu stroked his beard, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. Indeed, experience counts.
-
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.
Princess Zhaoyang kept a straight face, twisting the silk handkerchief in her hand and muttering something under her breath.
Seeing this, the palace maid beside her comforted her, "Princess, don't be angry. Young Master Lu doesn't like that woman at all."
"That's exactly why I'm angry! If Brother Changjue were to marry a woman he truly loves, I could be at ease and wish him well. But Qin Xi, whom I've never even met, is marrying Brother Changjue. I'm so unwilling to accept this!" Princess Zhaoyang threw her handkerchief on the ground and said indignantly.
The palace maid picked up the handkerchief. "Then the princess doesn't need to worry about Young Master Lu falling for her. Who would like something forced upon them? Besides, I heard that Young Master Lu went to the Prime Minister's residence to break off the engagement, but was rejected by Miss Qin. I suppose in Young Master Lu's eyes, she's just a shameless woman."
Princess Zhaoyang snorted coldly, her eyes filled with ruthlessness, "If she is truly a shackle on Brother Changjue, this princess does not mind severing it!"
-
After that day, Lu Huai never mentioned breaking off the engagement again. He continued to go out eating, drinking, and having fun with Shu Zhan every day, and he remained completely indifferent to the betrothal gifts. Qin Xi, on the other hand, simply stayed at home, meticulously embroidering her wedding dress. Shu Hua would occasionally come to talk to her.
Two months later, Qin Xi and Lu Huai's wedding day arrived as scheduled.
On this day, the Prime Minister's residence and the Minister's residence were decorated with festive red lanterns inside and out, and as far as the eye could see, there was only a sea of red.
Inside the Minister's residence, Minister Lu and Lu Huai greeted the guests with smiles, and everyone offered their congratulations. Looking at the smiles, some genuine, some feigned, on the faces of the people coming and going, Lu Huai felt no joy whatsoever.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
