However, Lan Shuang was in no mood to listen to his quibbling. The ambiguity and restlessness she had just felt disappeared completely. She stood beside Jiang Lusheng and spoke in a low voice. When Jiang Lusheng turned to her, his expression was unusually gentle.
"Our wedding should be in early July. I've had craftsmen renovate the palace and the backyard lately. You should like it."
Lan Shuang enthusiastically told Jiang Lusheng about her renovation plan, and Jiang Lusheng listened with a smile, "It's really good."
Jiang Luqing knelt on the ground and listened, jealousy growing like weeds.
"Your Majesty—"
The Duke of England hurried over, bowed and apologized to Lan Shuang, then glared fiercely at his careless son, "Evil son! It seems that I have spoiled you too much, and you have become so ignorant! Come here--"
She paused after shouting, observing Lan Shuang's reaction from the corner of her eye. Seeing that she didn't say anything to stop him, the Duke of England knew that this was a way for him to back down. She felt relieved and said sternly, "Lock this evil boy back to his yard. Without my order, he is not allowed to step out of the yard! His monthly salary this month will be confiscated, and everyone in his yard will have their monthly salary reduced by half!"
Jiang Luqing's face froze as he finished speaking. He suddenly raised his eyes and looked at the Duke of Ying. "Mother——"
"Shut up!" the Duke of England shouted. "Why don't you take him away now?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The guards who came with the Duke of England immediately stepped forward, lifted Jiang Luqing from the ground and took her away.
Jiang Luqing opened her mouth to shout, but was covered by the guards who were on guard.
Jiang Luqing: "Mmmmm--"
His voice gradually faded away. The Duke of England wiped his sweat imperceptibly. Lan Shuang looked at him with a half-smile, "The Third Young Master really needs to be disciplined. It's fine that he's so unruly in front of me, but I'll let it go for Lu Sheng's sake. We're family after all. But if he's still so ignorant in front of other nobles..."
Lan Shuang said meaningfully, "I wonder how many times the Duke can clean up this mess for him?"
The Duke of England had just breathed a sigh of relief, but he held it up again.
He apologized repeatedly, saying, "Your Highness is right. When I get back, I will teach him a lesson and make sure he learns respect and order."
Lan Shuang nodded in satisfaction. "Don't be so nervous, Duke. I'm just making a suggestion. Okay, the food has been delivered. I don't need to drink this cup of tea. Farewell."
"Meng Yu! Let's go."
Meng Yu immediately stepped forward and said, "Yes!"
"Your Majesty, take care."
Jiang Lusheng saluted with neither arrogance nor servility, and saw Lan Shuang looking back at him, smiling and waving her hand.
The Duke of England was watching from the side and suddenly said with emotion, "I was wrong at the beginning."
Jiang Lusheng glanced at her and asked, "Why do you say that, mother?"
The Duke of England saw his expression was scrutinizing and annoyed. She sighed, sat down at the table, and acted as if she was talking to him from the heart.
Jiang Lusheng had nothing to do anyway, so he sat down opposite her.
Looking at his green eyes, the Duke of England was in a trance, as if he could see through him the handsome young man who was as beautiful as jade.
Jiang Lusheng raised his eyebrows. "Is Mother missing Father through me?"
The Duke of England coughed awkwardly. The servant brought tea and left. She picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, whispering, "You and your father do look a lot alike, especially these eyes. They look like they were cast from the same mold."
Jiang Lusheng smiled, "I have never seen my biological father, but when I look at myself in the mirror occasionally, I don't bear much resemblance to the Duke. I think my appearance is more like my father's."
The Duke of England felt even more embarrassed and took another sip of tea.
"It was my fault for sending you away. I really owe you a lot over the years."
Jiang Lusheng didn't say anything, just looked at her.
The Duke of England muttered to himself, "You were born with a difficult labor, and your father died of excessive blood loss. That's why I took my anger out on you. Plus, you opened your eyes and had heterochromia, so I suspected your father..."
She didn't say it directly, but her dark expression said it all.
Jiang Lusheng chuckled. "So, you later sent someone to investigate and confirmed this?"
"Your father is half alien, so you were born with heterochromia from your grandfather."
Duke Yingguo said sullenly, "When I found out about this, I asked a Taoist priest to tell your fortune. He said your fate was unlucky and would have an impact on Duke Yingguo's mansion, so I sent you to the manor early on."
But no one expected that the ominous child would become the supporter of the Duke of England's mansion.
However, after hearing this, Jiang Lusheng's expression did not fluctuate at all.
The Duke of England was somewhat bewildered, but then he added, "If you hate us, you're entitled to it. It was indeed my fault at the beginning. Fortunately, you were strong-willed and have grown up on the wrong path. I'm very pleased."
Jiang Lusheng picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said calmly, "Why should I blame you? If it weren't for you and father, I wouldn't be alive. The suffering I've endured over the years is actually nothing big. Haven't I lived well until now?"
"You..." The more he said this, the more panicked the Duke of England became.
"Actually, you don't need to feel guilty. I don't blame you, nor do I hate you. I gave birth to you but didn't raise you, so I don't have to hold onto any hope for you based on that little bit of blood relationship. Letting go early on will allow you to live a more carefree life, right?"
Jiang Lusheng finished his tea, put down the teacup, stood up and bowed to the Duke of England, "The scenery here is just right, Duke, please enjoy it. Lusheng will take his leave."
After saying that, he stood up and left without any reluctance.
The Duke of England stared at his tall and slender back in a daze.
It turned out that she had never had this son from the beginning.
…
The rebellion of Prince An was resolved quickly, but it took a lot of time to deal with the subsequent series of issues.
Lan Ling's drastic reforms meant that people in the court were dismissed every day, and new people had to be selected to fill the vacancies. The interpersonal relationships and interests behind this needed to be carefully considered.
Therefore, Lan Ling was very busy during this period and had lost a lot of weight visibly.
Lan Shuang felt sorry for her and would go to the palace to talk to her whenever she had time. She would also casually offer a few suggestions, finding the right measure so as not to arouse Lan Ling's suspicion while helping her solve her current urgent needs.
Lan Ling would occasionally sigh, "If you had studied more and entered the court earlier, you could have become my right-hand man."
Lan Shuang leaned back on the couch, stuffed some snacks into her mouth, and said half-deadly, "Please let me go. I just want to be a rich and idle person. I don't want to lose my hair over these trivial matters. Besides, my sister, you think too highly of me. I was just saying it casually."
Seeing her like this, Lan Ling did not force her and continued to review his memorials.
In the blink of an eye, it was July, the hottest time of the year in Kun Country.
The second day of July is an auspicious day for getting married.
Lan Shuang and Jiang Lusheng’s wedding took place on this day.
(End of this chapter)
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