Chapter 76: Taking a Concubine
Xu Qingwan was ignorant and fearless, and she beat the master to death with a random punch.
Even Concubine Ru, who was used to being patient, was almost broken down by her few words.
Concubine Ru raised her round fan and fanned herself a few times artificially before she managed to hold back her outburst.
She glanced at Xu Qingwan a few times. The idiot thought she had flattered her well and smiled at her with a playful smile.
Ru Fei had a headache and didn't want to talk to such a stupid person anymore.
"Prime Minister Lu must have worked really hard on this trip to Qingzhou." She turned to Jiang Ran and said.
"I share the emperor's worries and do my best for the people. I dare not say it is hard work."
Jiang Ran stood up and bowed, not knowing what Ru Fei was up to, so he answered very cautiously.
Xu Qingwan doesn't care about that.
In her mind, Lu Yu had defected to the Third Prince, and they were now on the side of Concubine Ru. Could Concubine Ru harm her?
But she heard that Concubine Ru was trying to win over Lu Weiqing, and Lu Yu's contribution would be overshadowed. This was not acceptable!
Before Concubine Ru could say anything, Xu Qingwan rushed in and said, "This trip to Qingzhou is fraught with danger. Lu Lang has been worrying about the people day and night and has lost a lot of weight. I finally got to see him yesterday, and it pained me to see him."
Xu Qingwan wiped her tears as she spoke, fearing that Concubine Ru didn't know that Lu Yu had worked hard, and it wasn't easy for her either.
At this moment, the nanny beside her couldn't help but want to scold her. How could she interrupt the Empress Rufei and the Prime Minister's wife when they were talking?
Concubine Ru winked, signaling her to bring the things over.
She really felt disgusted when she saw Xu Qingwan, this girl.
Originally, the two gifts were prepared for Jiang Ran today, but she came up to him without knowing the consequences. If I don’t teach her a lesson, it would be a waste of her kindness.
After a while, two palace maids brought up a beeswax Buddha's hand bonsai, which was dazzling and luxurious, and exuded a faint fragrance.
"My Lady, is this given to me?"
Xu Qingwan looked at the bonsai placed next to her and was flattered.
"Exactly."
"Master Lu is young and promising. You've only been married for less than half a year, and you've already been separated for several months. He's worked hard, and it's not easy for you to stay in the mansion and take care of the household affairs."
Xu Qingwan thanked him profusely and took a closer look. She found that the bonsai had branches made of agarwood, golden-stamen white jade flowers, and was covered with beeswax Buddha's hand fruits.
"Buddha's hand" is homophonic to "blessings and longevity", which means adding blessings and longevity, and is very auspicious and festive.
Concubine Ru smiled lightly and then said, "This treasure was consecrated at the Guanyin Temple. It will surely bless you two to have a son soon."
These words hit Xu Qingwan's heart, and she immediately said that she would definitely offer the Queen's reward in the main house for protection.
Jiang Ran and Lu Zhaoyang looked at each other and both realized that there was something wrong with this thing.
But Xu Qingwan couldn't let it go and looked at them provocatively, thinking that they were jealous because only she was rewarded by Concubine Ru.
No matter how stupid a person is, it is effortless to deal with him.
Ru Fei's smile deepened, and she waved to Jiang Ran, asking her to sit next to her.
He took her hand again and asked with concern, "I remember that you and Prime Minister Lu got married even earlier, right? Why is there no good news yet?"
As soon as these words came out, Jiang Ran keenly realized that she had bad intentions.
"The Prime Minister loves me very much and often says that I am still young and giving birth later will not cause so much harm to my body." Jiang Ran pretended to be shy and wanted to avoid this topic.
Hearing her say this, Xu Qingwan rolled her eyes to the sky.
Cherish? She just didn't believe it. With Lu Shoufu's cold and emotionless face, could he possibly care for Jiang Ran?
"You're not young anymore, are you?! And Prime Minister Lu is already 25 or 26 years old, and he still has no children."
"You don't want to expand the Lu family as soon as possible, but you still use this excuse. Aren't you ashamed?"
Concubine Ru was happy to see the two of them arguing. Not only did she not say anything to ease the situation, she also looked at Jiang Ran with interest.
Jiang Ran wasn't affected at all by Xu Qingwan's accusations. Instead, she looked surprised. "So I should feel ashamed for not getting pregnant right away?"
"Did Lu Yu scold you or hit you? He put you under so much psychological pressure."
"If you've suffered any injustice, just tell your aunt. Your uncle and I will go and teach him a lesson."
Xu Qingwan looked at her sincere expression and was speechless for a moment.
She said it so lightly. Everyone knew that Prime Minister Lu was not interested in women and didn't even have concubines. Of course, Jiang Ran was not in a hurry.
Lin Buqiu was about to give birth, she wasn't even pregnant yet, and Lu Yu's illegitimate child was about to be born. How could she not be anxious?!
Jiang Ran was really talking without any pain in his waist, he was just making fun of her on purpose.
Seeing that Xu Qingwan was useless, Concubine Ru quickly took over the conversation.
"Oh, it's just a casual chat about family matters. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"But then again, there are three types of unfilial behavior, and having no descendants is the worst. You don't have to shoulder such a heavy responsibility alone. Taking in a few concubines for your husband to share the burden is exactly what the mistress of the house should do."
Concubine Ru waved her hand, and three girls came out side by side from the outside. They were all plump and slender, each with her own unique charm, and all were rare beauties.
"These three are good family men carefully selected by this palace. They all abide by the rules and know when to advance and retreat. The Prime Minister's wife will take them back today to strengthen the backyard."
"You have been able to help the Prime Minister expand his family and resolve his wife's problems. How about this reward from me?"
Jiang Ran understood immediately. This might be the reason why Concubine Ru summoned them into the palace today.
This move not only provoked the relationship between the couple, but also naturally planted spies in the Lu Mansion.
Xu Qingwan rarely saw Jiang Ran being humiliated, and she couldn't stop laughing.
"Why don't you thank me?" she said sarcastically.
"Empress Rufei has found so many beautiful sisters to accompany you. You don't have to worry about being lonely anymore."
Jiang Ran ignored her and said to Concubine Ru in a serious tone, "Reporting to Concubine Ru, do you know why I returned to my parents' home just a few days after my wedding?"
Concubine Ru had indeed heard the rumor. It was said that the Prime Minister and his wife had a bad relationship, and right after their marriage, his wife ran back to her parents' home in tears.
She didn't know what Jiang Ran meant by saying this, but since the person involved brought it up, she was really curious.
"Why?" In the end, the gossipy heart prevailed.
"Because I'm jealous. My husband proposed to take a concubine the next day, and I went back to my parents' home in anger." Jiang Ran said it calmly, but it stirred up a storm in everyone's hearts.
Jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce. She married into the Prime Minister's family, but she is still so stubborn. Isn't she afraid of being divorced?
"Later, my husband came to take me back home. I didn't want to go back at first, and I told him clearly that if he wanted to take a concubine, he would have to divorce me and marry someone else."
"Unexpectedly, my husband swore to heaven that he would be with me forever. I had no choice but to go back with him."
Xu Qingwan was so jealous that she went crazy and couldn't help it.
Who did Jiang Ran think she was? She had hooked up with the Prime Minister, yet she actually threatened him, forbidding him from taking a concubine, and even went so far as to do something as outrageous as returning to her parents' home.
"You are so ungrateful! As the mistress of the Lu family, not only did you not arrange for your husband to take a concubine, you even dared to refuse the one gifted by the Concubine Ru. You are really bringing shame to our Lu family."
Ru Fei pretended to be magnanimous and stopped Xu Qingwan, saying awkwardly: "Refusing my reward and offending my reputation is a small matter."
"But these three are all from good families. I have already issued this order and cannot send them back."
"To preserve their reputations, they must either be hanged with a white silk thread or have their hair chopped off and become nuns. I simply cannot bear to see the lives of three young ladies ruined."
Okay, okay, this is moral kidnapping, right?
You kidnap me, I kidnap her, I'm not afraid.
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