Chapter 2: Breaking off the Engagement
The study is very large, dominated by dull brown. The four rows of bookshelves are filled with ancient books, and the bergamot on the desk is the only bright color.
The servant who had led the way withdrew at the door, and Jiang Ran, now alone, did not dare to look around. The room was cold and deserted, lacking any human touch, just like its owner.
“Squeak—”
Lu Weiqing opened the door, bringing in the smell of wet grass after the rain. The cloak he took off was still dripping with water. He was obviously in a hurry to come back.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" The cold voice revealed a bit of stiffness when speaking words of concern.
"Just arrived."
Jiang Ran forced a typical smile. She wasn't someone who didn't know how to be considerate. If an important figure was willing to take the time to meet her, it was only natural for her to wait a little longer.
"I have something I would like to trouble you with, Lord Lu."
She skipped the small talk and directly took out a sandalwood box, which contained a mutton-fat jade bracelet.
She and Lu Yu said they had made an engagement, but it was just a verbal promise and they couldn't produce any physical proof.
In addition to this bracelet, it was given by Mrs. Lu at a family dinner. At that time, she jokingly said it was a gift for her daughter-in-law.
Jiang Ran treasured it for a long time and always wore it on his hand. It took him some effort to take it off.
Just like this marriage, it is easy to decide on it, but it takes a lot of effort to cancel it.
"Lord Lu is also considered Lu Yu's elder."
"I want to break off my engagement with Lu Yu. Could you please pass this token on to me, Lord Lu?"
Lu Weiqing obviously didn't expect that she came to discuss this matter. Her hand that was fiddling with the silver charcoal paused, making a harsh sound.
The servants waiting outside the door were all stunned. Lord Lu had never lost his composure like this before.
Jiang Ran was very satisfied with the result. "If it's difficult..."
"I agreed."
Lu Weiqing took the box naturally as if he was agreeing to a trivial matter.
"No, then..." Jiang Ran didn't stop and blurted out a few words.
"Sure. I'm going to the Lu Mansion today, so I can deliver the token for you. No problem."
Eh???
Jiang Ran's eyes widened. The bitterness and girlish thoughts she had felt just now suddenly vanished.
Did you agree so easily?
This is different from what she expected!
She originally thought of throwing out a difficult matter first, waiting for Lu Weiqing to refuse, and then taking a step back and just redeeming her brother.
Plans had changed, so she had no choice but to continue.
Even Jiang Ran, who was always thick-skinned, felt his face flush when he made two requests to someone he was not even familiar with.
She twisted her handkerchief, and a rare embarrassed expression appeared on her face.
"One more thing."
"Is my good-for-nothing brother at Lord Lu's residence? I've been bothering you for a while now, so I've prepared some small gifts..."
Jiang Ran did not forget that he came here to redeem someone.
She didn't know what Lu Weiqing liked, so she packed several large boxes with gold leaves, night pearls, and antique calligraphy and paintings and carried them all the way to Lu's house.
Some people on the street were talking about it, wondering which wealthy family had made the proposal, but she sneered and ignored them.
Now when the box is opened, the whole room is shining with gold.
The vulgar gold and silver items, placed next to the handsome and elegant Lu Weiqing, made her look like a female bandit who wanted to forcefully marry a scholar.
Jiang Ran shook his head, getting rid of these ridiculous thoughts.
"Please accept it, Lord Lu."
Lu Weiqing frowned and pondered for a moment before speaking: "Jiang Chuan is indeed hardworking in his studies, but he lacks talent, so forcing him is useless."
"I have a good friend who is quite accomplished in martial arts. If he is willing to become my disciple, I can introduce him to you..."
Jiang Ran was confused.
"If you don't have the talent, there's no point in forcing it." It echoed in her mind.
No, it was just a fight, why did it become a personal attack?
"Yes, our Jiang family is full of warriors, we can't compare to your Lu family, everyone can read!"
"When we were in school, I was ranked last and Jiang Chuan was ranked second to last."
"Later, I improved, but I was always second to last. Jiang Chuan was last, and he was called a fool for half a year. It was only a long time later that I realized that he was afraid that I would lose face, so he deliberately ranked last."
"Jiang Chuan isn't very talented, yes, but so what? He's my brother, and he's on my side in everything. He's a thousand times better than a hypocritical villain like Lu Yu!"
"Give me back my brother!"
Jiang Ran was so angry that he didn't care about being afraid and started to talk back.
Before he could finish his words, a man with an ink-stained face rushed in, kowtowed loudly, and shouted that Lu Weiqing should accept him as his disciple.
Jiang Ran looked closely and saw that it was her good-for-nothing third brother.
"Jiang Chuan, are you crazy?" Jiang Ran raised his hand and slapped him.
"Sister, you are finally here." Jiang Chuan threw the article in his hand and excitedly left two black handprints on her sleeves.
"Have you brought the apprenticeship gift?" He looked around and chattered on and on, saying a lot.
Jiang Ran finally figured out what was going on. It turned out that when he went to look for trouble, he was mocked, "The Jiang family is full of reckless men, none of them can read, but they have some dirty money."
Jiang Chuan had a fight with Lu Yu, and then went to Lu Weiqing's house. He didn't even want to go home, and insisted on becoming his disciple.
His idea was very simple. Since Lu Yu looked down on him, he would find the best student in the Lu family to teach him.
"My letter said ten boxes, how come there are fewer?"
Jiang Ran wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. What letter was it? He didn’t receive it at all.
She even thought that Lu Weiqing was narrow-minded and wanted to interfere in the conflicts between the younger generations. He put her brother under house arrest and scolded him.
It turned out that Jiang Chuan was just crazy and insisted on staying in someone else's house and becoming their disciple.
Is he good at studying?! He even wants to be taught by Lu Weiqing.
Last time, the dean of Qingshan Academy came to invite him in person, but Lu Weiqing declined on the grounds of being busy with government affairs. What does Jiang Chuan think he is?
Jiang Ran looked up at the sky speechlessly, feeling so embarrassed.
She knocked Jiang Chuan down in a few moves, said goodbye in a hurry, and went back to "clean up the house."
Lu Weiqing couldn't remember how long it had been since he had felt this kind of pleasure. He didn't even realize that the curve of his mouth had gradually changed from being almost imperceptible to an undisguised smile.
"Prepare the car and go to Lu Mansion."
"Sir, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still waiting."
"Let him wait first."
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"Break off the engagement?! Our Yu'er is more than qualified to be the princess, and Jiang Ran actually wants to break off the engagement?" Madam Lu's brows were constantly furrowed, and her sharpness was accompanied by weariness.
In her heart, she actually never liked Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran was born into a humble family. The family's honor and disgrace depended on her father's military achievements. Her mother also passed away early, and she had no one to educate her, which led to her developing such an arrogant and domineering personality.
Although she is beautiful, if you say it's good, she has exotic customs, but if you say it's bad, she has barbarian blood. She is also difficult to control and tends to be jealous. How can I manage the harem well in the future?
But Mr. Lu liked her and tried his best to promote the marriage. Before leaving, he was still complaining about not having a grandson.
Lu Yu had to observe mourning for a year, so the marriage was naturally not on the agenda.
"Is there some misunderstanding here? The two children have always been fine."
Lord Lu looked at Lu Weiqing, whose face was becoming increasingly gloomy. He tried to smooth things over while winking at his wife, but it backfired.
"What's good about that? Fortunately, I didn't get hired."
"She looks like a restless woman. She used to be so shameless as to cling to our Yu'er. Now I don't know which high branch she has climbed up. Could it be that she wants to be the queen?"
Lu Weiqing raised his eyes, his murderous intent unconcealed.
Lord Lu's face turned pale instantly, with a flash of panic in his eyes. He slammed the table and smashed a teacup.
"Nonsense! How can you, a concubine of the inner palace, say such nonsense? There's no formal engagement, so just withdraw it."
Mrs. Lu was also frightened by this scene. She was so scared that she almost knelt down and dared not open her mouth again. She thought that arranging a marriage with another family was a serious matter.
Xu Qingwan, the second daughter of Prime Minister Xu, was a very good person. She came from a high-class family and was well-mannered. Madam Lu decided to go and find out more about her.
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