readx(); What Lu Song wants to say is something he has been thinking about for a long time and has already put into action. He said to Lu Ping: "You are not young anymore. In the past, because you had a hidden illness, your family did not have much hope for your marriage. Later, your face was damaged, and your father had no better way to deal with you. But now your face is healed, although the hidden illness is still there, but... Sigh! Let me put it this way! Now the Lu family has only you as a child, so even if you have a hidden illness, you have to consider the family. Your father has chosen a marriage for you, but it is just a choice. As for whether it can succeed, it still depends on your own efforts."
Lu Ping knew which marriage Lu Song was talking about. She said calmly, "Father, you are joking. We shouldn't have the initiative in this matter, right? I have a hidden illness. Even if she is the daughter of the Left Prime Minister, I am afraid I can't have the final say in marriage. What can I do no matter how hard I try?"
Lu Song waved his hand, "No, the young master of the Ren family is different from other men. Your father has been observing him for quite some time. General Ren is upright and not a womanizer. If you can develop feelings for each other, he will certainly not mind your hidden illness. General Pingnan's Mansion is the solid force behind the Ninth Prince, and the eldest daughter of that family is on good terms with Princess Ji'an. Ping'er, if you and General Ren can succeed, and live in harmony after marriage, then our Lu family will no longer have to worry about not being accepted by the Ninth Prince."
Lu Ping looked at her father, then at her calculating stepmother, and finally asked the question that had been in her mind for years, "Does the Lu family raise daughters just to send them out one by one to help the family get connections? Then what are we? Commodities?"
Mrs. Ge snorted coldly and asked, "Then tell me, which daughter is not like this? Including the current Princess Wuyang, why has the emperor not married her off even though she is already past the age of marriage? Let me tell you, don't think that the emperor really loves her, that's just polite talk, in fact, he is just waiting for a good price. Just watch, the man that Princess Wuyang will marry in the end must be useful to the fortune of Dashun, and it can't be an ordinary gentleman."
These words made Lu Ping speechless. Because what Ge said was right. In Dashun, all daughters were like this. No matter if they were legitimate or illegitimate, as long as they were daughters, they were tools used by the family to gain power and status. The lucky ones could be loved by their husbands, while the unlucky ones had to endure the bullying of concubines after they got married. She didn't know what kind of person Ren Xitao was, but she was very resistant to the Lu family's behavior from the bottom of her heart. What she didn't want most in her life was to be controlled by the family, but after hiding and hiding until now, could she still not escape her fate?
Lu Ping stopped talking, nor nodded or shook her head, as if she had not heard Lu Song's suggestion. She just sat there silently, not knowing what she was thinking.
Lu Song glanced at her and said, "Think about it carefully. Your father will try his best to create opportunities for you two. Those spices that cost one penny per 100 taels of silver should be put to use soon."
As the New Year was approaching, at General Pingnan's mansion, the servants beside Ren Xitao went out to buy things one after another. The things they bought were directly moved to Ren Xitao's yard, most of which were medicinal herbs.
Ren Xifeng came to talk to her brother about something. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled a strong smell of medicine. She looked again and saw a table full of packaged medicinal materials, including many exquisite things. She had seen them before. They were pills sold exclusively by Baicaotang. She was puzzled, "What is my brother doing? Reselling medicinal materials? Is my brother short of money?"
Ren Xitao waved his hands, "Don't say we're not short of them. Even if we are short of them, we can't make much money by selling these. My dear sister, you've come at the right time. I have something to ask you." He pushed Ren Xifeng to sit on the chair, and sat down opposite her. Then he said, "These medicinal herbs are prepared for Prime Minister Lu. Although I, a military officer, don't have much contact with him in the court, but after all, I met him on the street last time, so it can be regarded as fate. He is not in good health, and the New Year is coming soon, and I have always wanted to go see him. What do you think I should send besides these medicinal herbs? It's not a good idea to just send medicine to someone's home when the New Year is almost coming." Ren Xitao looked serious and was very cautious about the matter.
But Ren Xifeng was furious when she heard this. She pointed at her brother and glared at him, "Are you crazy? Why are you sending gifts to the Lu family for no reason? Even if we met last time, he owed us a favor. If he wants to send a gift, he should send it to the General Pingnan's Mansion. What do you mean by rushing us?"
"Prime Minister Lu came to see me off last time, so this time... I'm just returning the favor!" He made an excuse for himself.
But Ren Xifeng also had something to say to him: "The gift is for father, and it should be returned by father, so you should stay out of it."
"No, no, I have everything ready."
"Then give it to father and ask him to take it over for you." The more Ren Xifeng looked at the table of medicine, the angrier she became. She rolled her eyes at Ren Xitao fiercely and said, "Brother, don't think I don't know what's on your mind. Seeing Lu Song? That's an excuse, right? Seeing Lu Ping is the real reason."
Ren Xitao blushed at what she said, but he was a real man, and an honest man. Since his sister had exposed him, he did not deny it. Instead, he nodded happily and continued, "Indeed, I am somewhat curious about the eldest daughter of the Lu family, including what your sister said last time that her face was ruined. I have never asked about the affairs of the capital, and I don't have much impression of these ladies, but later I thought about it, it seems that this is indeed the case. Miss Lu Ping fell into the water to save the doctor of the Yao family, and her face was bitten by water bugs. But when I saw her last time, her face was indeed intact, which also aroused my interest."
Ren Xifeng's face looked particularly bad. Whenever her brother mentioned Lu Ping, she could always detect a strange look in his eyes. She was familiar with that look. When Feng Yuheng mentioned the Ninth Prince, there seemed to be such a flash. Ren Xifeng was a little panicked. She grabbed her brother and said seriously, "Put away your curiosity. No matter whether the young lady of the Lu family is good or bad, it is impossible for you to be with her. Although the current Lu family seems to be different from before, there is no very upright family style in the Left Prime Minister's Mansion. Didn't you hear what father said? The reason why Lu Song changed in the court was entirely to find a good way out for his family. He changed his limelight for a clear purpose, not like us, who have been of one mind from beginning to end. If you don't believe it, just watch. The Lu family is doing this now. Once they get on this boat, once there are good benefits in the future, the Lu family will definitely not be just the current Lu family. There will always be a day when the true colors will be revealed."
"Sister, aren't you being too conspiratorial?" Ren Xitao frowned. "Why do you make things so complicated when it comes to you? Besides, Lu Song is Lu Song, and Lu Ping is Lu Ping. They are different."
"They are father and daughter! How is that different?"
"Sister, you haven't met the eldest daughter of the Lu family, right?" Ren Xitao went straight to the point, "You are just judging based on what the Lu family did in the past. I think that is unfair and arbitrary." Ren Xitao tried to persuade his sister, "Brother has never asked you for anything, just this one thing, can you help me, at least don't stop me, let me get to know the eldest daughter of the Lu family, okay?"
"Brother, are you really in love with me?" Ren Xifeng didn't understand. "You two have only met once."
Ren Xitao waved his hands, "You can't say it's love, it's too early to say, I'm just curious, really just curious." He was telling the truth, "I'm not a reckless person, even my father said I'm cautious, but I also admit that I've never been so curious about a woman. If you say it's because of her outstanding appearance, then I admit it, but more importantly, I feel that there are many things in that lady's heart that are unknown to outsiders, including the face you mentioned, and the strange fragrance on her body. I just can't understand why the daughter of the Left Prime Minister's Mansion would use such inferior spices? And use them so strongly?"
The more Ren Xitao talked, the more he felt that he was too curious about Lu Ping. Ren Xifeng saw that this brother might never be pulled back. She was shocked and thought of the purpose of coming here today. She raised the corner of her lips and said with a smile: "I can't say too much about my brother's private affairs. The New Year is coming soon. I plan to go to Ji'an County and spend the New Year there. First, I want to see Furong, and second, I want to appreciate the new Ji'an County under the governance of Ah Heng. I have already told my father, and my father has nodded, but he is afraid that I will be in danger on the way, so he asked my brother to take me all the way. We might as well spend the New Year there together."
Ren Xitao had no objection to this. He had always been very protective of his sister. He was worried about letting Ren Xifeng go alone in such a far place like Ji'an County. So he nodded quickly and said, "Okay, I'll go with you. When are we going? It's almost the New Year, so we should go early. Why don't I go to the Zuo Xiangfu tomorrow and leave the day after tomorrow!"
"The date has been set." Ren Xifeng stood up. "We will set off together tomorrow. My father has agreed. Brother, you should also get ready. Bring some extra clothes and pick an attendant to follow you!" After saying that, he turned around and left without staying any longer.
Ren Xitao was stunned when he heard this. Leaving early tomorrow morning? But he had to go to the Zuo Xiangfu tomorrow? How about going today? But there were still some things he hadn't bought today. Besides, it was getting late, so it would definitely not be appropriate to go there at this time. He couldn't help but feel conflicted again...
Ren Xifeng was indeed going to Ji'an County, for no other reason than to go out for a walk. The atmosphere in the capital made her feel depressed, and thinking of her good sister Bai Furong who was living well there, she also planned to go and see her. It was said that General Pingnan was reluctant to let his children spend the New Year outside, but when Ren Xifeng talked about this with General Pingnan, he actually agreed. Ren Xifeng thought about it later and realized that the reason why her father agreed so readily was probably because of the situation in the court. Under such a situation, there was no telling when chaos would break out in the capital again. The New Year was always a special day, and if there was chaos at this time, it would be best for them to hide away, so they reluctantly agreed.
She didn't care about her father's considerations at the moment. She had to take her brother away as soon as possible. She couldn't let Ren Xitao lose his mind because of the young lady of the Lu family. Lu Ping looked like that, which always made people feel uneasy.
At that time, in the palace, Emperor Tianwu summoned Concubine Yuan Shu for several days in a row in his old age, which frightened Zhang Yuan so much that he arranged for the imperial physician to wait outside Zhaohe Hall every night...
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