"Miss, Young Master Lu has arrived."
Qingying wasn't surprised at all. "Let him in."
Yu Yue opened the door, and Lu Jingyan walked in.
It was quite unexpected that the inside was warm and cozy, despite the frost and snow outside.
She clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking, "No wonder it's the General's Mansion, they're really rich. Even a concubine's daughter lives so well..."
Qingying got up and poured him a cup of tea, greeting him with a smile: "Long time no see, how are you, Young Master Lu?"
It has indeed been a long time since we last met. They haven't seen each other since Lu Xingli's accident, which is more than a year ago.
When Lu Jingyan saw her, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes. No matter how many times he had seen her, he could never help but be captivated by her beauty.
"That's all right. Where's Miss Liu?"
"Obviously, it's not good." Qingying said without hesitation, "The whole capital is laughing at me. My dream of becoming the Crown Princess is shattered, and I can no longer be the legitimate daughter. Isn't that making me a laughing stock?"
She knew that Lu Jingyan still had feelings for her, otherwise he wouldn't have been afraid to appear in front of her for so long. He probably still felt guilty towards her, thinking that his sister had almost caused her death, and therefore he was ashamed to face her.
Moreover, she had heard that the women he visited in brothels all resembled her in some way, either in their eyes, noses, or even just their voices.
Just thinking about him having sex with those women and treating them as her made her feel a little uncomfortable.
But at this moment, this became precisely the point that she could exploit.
Sure enough, Lu Jingyan's expression clearly showed his sympathy, and his voice softened: "Miss Liu, if there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
Qingying gazed at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, "Young Master Lu, you don't mind what happened in the past? After all, Miss Lu did it because of me..."
She didn't continue, and Lu Jingyan understood what she meant. He immediately said, "Third Sister was indeed wrong in those matters. I am a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, so I apologize to Miss Liu on her behalf."
Clear distinction between gratitude and resentment?
His indifferent demeanor surprised Qingying. She had prepared herself to be scolded, after all, Lu Xingli was his own sister. She didn't expect him to speak up for her, but she couldn't be accused of trying to please the girl she liked even after she died.
Even though the girl is herself.
She thought that if she were Lu Xingli, she would probably be so angry that she would have come back to life by now.
Qingying swallowed back the words of apology that were on the tip of her tongue, and awkwardly changed the subject: "Forget it, let's not talk about those sad things. I wonder what brings Young Master Lu here so suddenly?"
Lu Jingyan seemed to only remember this now, and said, "Oh, Miss Liu, it's like this, I just ran into a Miss Feng on my way back to my room. I saw her with you in the main hall today. I wonder what your relationship is?"
"You mean Aunt Feng? Is she with you right now?"
"Aunt Feng?"
"Yes, she is my mother's sister-in-law's sister-in-law."
Lu Jingyan sorted it out before he understood and asked, "Is there a grudge between you?"
"It's not so much animosity, just some disagreements..." She choked slightly, shook her head, sighed, and said no more.
What else could Lu Jingyan not understand? He had also heard a little about what was going on at the General's Mansion. Since Liu Shushu returned, outsiders might not know, but he knew very well that Liu Qingying's situation in the mansion was quite difficult.
After all, he had been keeping a close eye on things. He was secretly pleased after the Crown Prince broke off the engagement and even planned to propose marriage in person. However, he was worried that his family's reputation was declining and that the General's Mansion would look down on him. So, he secretly helped spread rumors about Qingying, waiting for the right opportunity to rescue her from her predicament like a hero. But in the end, it was all for naught, and the Prince Yu's heir beat him to it.
He still feels remorseful whenever he thinks about it.
"Miss Liu, my feelings for you..."
Qingying immediately interrupted him, "Young Master Lu, please stop. Qingying is already engaged. If these words fall into other people's ears, the Duke of Lu's mansion will suffer."
Lu Jingyan's expression froze, and he immediately shut up.
This "other person" naturally refers to her current fiancé.
Who is Wei Dongchen, the heir apparent of Prince Yu? He was once a notorious playboy in Pandu City, and a second-generation rich kid who was not to be trifled with. With the Emperor's indulgence and the Empress Dowager's favor, who in the capital didn't give him some face?
Moreover, when this person gets angry, he doesn't give face to anyone, and even His Highness the Crown Prince can't get anything good from him.
Qingying glanced at him, finding it all rather amusing.
She already knew about 80-90% of Lu Jingyan's character. He said he liked her a lot, and he was willing to do anything to get her, but he could also easily give her up later.
Wei Huaixu could issue him a warning or make a few threats, and he wouldn't dare show his face in front of her for a whole year. He could only resort to hiring a few low-class prostitutes to demonstrate his deep affection. If he really liked her that much, why didn't he do it sooner?
However, at this moment, Qingying could not openly show her disgust; she still had to smile and feign compliance.
"I suppose Young Master Lu understood what Aunt Feng meant when he spoke to her. Qingying considers you a friend, which is why she spoke so frankly. Please don't take offense."
"Miss Liu, please speak freely."
"Actually... even if you hadn't come today, I would have gone to find you anyway."
Lu Jingyan understood: "Is it about Miss Feng?"
“Yes.” Qingying said with a worried look, “Aunt Feng is also pitiful. She was betrothed by her elder sister-in-law to Minister Wen’s eldest son as his second wife.”
"That eldest son of the Wen family, whose two wives died?"
"yes."
"Tsk tsk, that's definitely not someone you can entrust with anything. For her to marry him would be like a lamb being led into the tiger's den."
"That's right, so in a moment of desperation, Auntie thought of finding a better marriage to settle the matter before the wedding date was set."
Lu Jingyan looked at her and smiled. "Miss Liu, do you mean you want me to help you with this?"
Qingying nodded, then quickly added, "It's not like we helped for nothing; consider it as us owing you a favor."
Her use of "we" instead of "I" makes the statement somewhat ambiguous.
However, Lu Jingyan did not notice these details and simply said politely, "If Miss Liu asks, I will definitely do my best to help, without asking for anything in return."
"That won't do. There's no reason to take advantage of someone for nothing." Qingying gave Yu Yue a look.
Yu Yue immediately took out a stack of silver notes.
She smiled and pushed it over, saying, "Here is two thousand taels. Consider it part of the thank-you gift. After the matter is settled, Aunt Feng's share will be given to you."
Lu Jingyan stared wide-eyed at the silver note.
In the past, he might not have cared so much about money, but times have changed. The Duke of Lu's mansion has long been in debt and is now just an empty shell, barely maintaining a semblance of prosperity.
If it weren't for the fact that he didn't have enough money to afford a decent dowry, why wouldn't he be married by now? His so-called deep affection is nothing but an excuse to save face.
Looking at his expression, Qingying understood everything.
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