Chapter 12: Apology
Jiangyun Tower, elegant room on the third floor.
In the Boshan furnace, tribute frankincense was burning.
In contrast to the hustle and bustle downstairs, the private room was very quiet.
The prince read the secret letter word by word, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with resentment and humiliation.
He pounded the table hard and said through gritted teeth, "Master, is there no other way?"
Lu Weiqing tapped his fingertips, "He will be found sooner or later. Rather than letting others find him, it is better to let the Gusu Lu family send him to Chang'an."
The prince stood up anxiously and paced back and forth.
He understood the logic, but he couldn't accept this reality emotionally.
It is known throughout the country that the Emperor and the Empress are deeply in love and have a son and a daughter, who are now the Crown Prince and Princess Le'an.
The selection of concubines, which was supposed to take place every three years, had been suspended for ten years. There were only five or six concubines in the harem, all childless. His Majesty had said himself that only the Empress was worthy of bearing his children.
But a few years ago, they discovered that the emperor had secretly sent people to search the Gusu area for a teenage boy.
Now tell him that his father is looking for an illegitimate son born to a Gusu woman, or even a prince who has been living abroad, and there may be more than one. How can he accept it?
Looking at the somewhat impatient boy in front of him, Lu Weiqing handed him a cup of tea.
"Youzhi, do you remember why I came to see you?"
Every head of the Lu family must be the emperor's teacher.
The prince calmed down after hearing this.
He had seen Lu Weiqing's methods before. With the Lu family's help, the illegitimate child could not threaten his position for the time being.
The two discussed the follow-up plan, and the prince left through the secret passage.
The eleventh secret guard appeared and reported, "Master, the third son of the Jiang family is looking for you."
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"Hold out your hand!"
Xu Roujia knelt straight, and the ruler hit her palm hard. After a few hits, her palm turned red.
Jiang Ran felt very uncomfortable sitting next to her. In the past, when there were outsiders around, Mrs. Xu would give her some face.
This time he hit her in front of her, this is a serious problem.
"Do you realize your mistake?"
"My daughter knows she's wrong."
"The girl has grown up and her heart has become wild. You can't control her anymore, right? Why are you so short-sighted? I've taught you for so many years in vain. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can kidnap you."
Even someone as slow as Jiang Ran understood it.
Fortunately, she was smart and drove Jiang Chuan away halfway, otherwise he would have added fuel to the fire.
"What's wrong? Tell me, I'll listen."
Xu Roujia's stubborn temper suddenly came up and she bit her lip without saying a word.
Seeing that the beating was getting more and more severe and his palms were swollen, Jiang Ran couldn't help but plead for mercy.
"Mrs. Xu, I was wrong."
"Xu Roujia didn't want to go out, I begged her to go play with me. Madam Xu, if you are really angry, hit me."
Mrs. Xu was tired from fighting and gasped with her hands on her hips.
She also felt sorry for her daughter and hadn't been so angry for a long time. But the girl from the Jiang family was really unruly. No one at home took care of her. She had been wild since she was a child and had also led Xu Roujia astray.
Mrs. Xu gave birth to this only daughter, and she suffered so much humiliation and was ridiculed by many people for having no descendants.
She spent so much effort to raise this daughter, and she is the best in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
She held her breath, hoping that her daughter would one day become the most noble woman in the world, so that she could be proud and prove that the girl she gave birth to was no worse than the boy and could enjoy a more comfortable life.
Now, that kid from the Jiang family is stupid. She can tell what her own daughter is thinking just by looking at her.
The Jiang family is not as good as the Xu family. She will never allow this!
Madam Xu handed the ruler to the servant, walked up to Jiang Ran, and said condescendingly:
"Miss Jiang, I have no right to hit you. If it gets out, people will laugh at me."
Jiang Ran looked down at his toes awkwardly, regretting his rashness this time.
She had agreed three times and wanted to fulfill the promise quickly, but she didn't expect to be caught the second time.
"I know your family's situation is special. Your mother is gone, and your father has been stationed at the border. There's no one to teach you."
"But how can we survive without an elder at home? When you get married, you still have a lot to learn. You should also persuade your father to remarry as soon as possible. It will be a good thing for you..."
"Mother! Stop it!"
Xu Roujia became anxious and didn't care that she was still being punished. She stood up in front of Jiang Ran and shouted to stop Mrs. Xu.
"Did I say something wrong?" Mrs. Xu was so angry that she reached for the ruler when she saw that she dared to talk back.
Jiang Ran's face was pale. He patted Xu Roujia's shoulder, signaling her that it was okay.
"Mrs. Xu, I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll take my leave now."
Jiang Ran bent down, lowered his head, took a few quick steps forward, and bowed properly.
Mrs. Xu felt a little relieved, but she also felt that her words just now were indeed a bit harsh, so she nodded slightly to her.
"Originally, if something like this happened, your elders would have to come and pick you up."
"Considering that your family doesn't have any elders in Chang'an, I'll let it go this time. But if it happens again, I won't care how far away your father is. I'll make him come to my house in person to apologize."
Jiang Ran bit her lip and responded, then turned around and tried to leave.
"Madam, Madam, Prime Minister Lu is here. The master asked you to take Miss Jiang to the main hall immediately." A little maid came running over in a hurry to announce the news.
Prime Minister Lu, came here specifically to see Jiang Ran?
After hearing the news, the three of them were stunned.
After all, it was Madam Xu who reacted the fastest. She put on a smile again in the blink of an eye, took Jiang Ran's hand affectionately, and said softly: "Aran, Prime Minister Lu is here to pick you up, don't keep him waiting for too long."
Jiang Ran didn't understand what was going on, so she let Mrs. Xu pull her towards the front yard.
After walking for a while, seeing that she remained silent, Madam Xu couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Aran, you and that kid from the Lu family, are you going to have a good time soon?"
Madam Xu was quite apprehensive. If this was true, then Prime Minister Lu would treat Jiang Ran differently, and she would finally have a backer in Chang'an.
Fortunately, what she said just now did not leave room for maneuver.
Jiang Ran took a while to react and realized that Madam Xu thought that it was Lu Yu who went to ask Prime Minister Lu to come and pick her up as an elder.
She knew it was impossible, but she didn't want to say more and just dealt with it vaguely.
Seeing Jiang Ran walking towards him dejectedly, Lu Weiqing was really worried.
He guessed that the Xu family would not dare to do anything to her, and he felt relieved when he saw that she had no external injuries except being depressed.
"Why did you come so late? You made Prime Minister Lu wait for so long." Lord Xu's face was frozen with laughter. He quickly spoke up and pretended to blame him.
Lord Xu is also a shrewd person in the officialdom. When it comes to the emperor's favor, Lu Weiqing is unique and no one can surpass him.
But Lu Weiqing is notoriously difficult to deal with. He never forms cliques for personal gain and handles cases with ruthless methods. He is the sharpest knife in the emperor's hand.
This is his first visit, just to take Jiang Ran back personally?
Mr. Xu was already sweating profusely and began to doubt himself, fearing that when he woke up tomorrow, his official position would be in jeopardy.
Mrs. Xu understood, pretended to apologize, and began to exchange pleasantries.
Lu Weiqing didn't respond. After confirming that Jiang Ran was not hurt, he spoke again, "I'm sorry that this young person was naughty and ignorant and caused trouble for Lord Xu and Madam Xu. I apologize to you two on her behalf."
Lu Weiqing hadn't said a word since he sat down, but now he started to apologize.
Lord Xu had never seen him so polite before. He was so frightened that he kept saying "I dare not, I dare not" and wished he could give Jiang Ran something to apologize.
In the end, Jiang Ran was escorted out of the door like a star, and Mrs. Xu even stuffed a box of Chonghuafang cakes into her hand.
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