Chu Luoxun felt uneasy after leaving the palace.
Frustrated, he told the coachman to stop the carriage and walked on the road by himself.
Gu Nanjiao led Lu Xiaomei on a run all morning, leaving her breathless. In contrast, Lu Xiaomei, without batting an eye, carried large and small bags in her hands, and said with a hint of disdain, "Sister-in-law, you need to exercise more. You get so tired after just a few steps. You're probably a bit weak."
Gu Nanjiao rubbed her lower back: "Since I got pregnant, I haven't exercised much. After giving birth to my two children, apart from doing some regular exercise, I rarely walk that far."
Since becoming rich and powerful, he has become spoiled. He used to be able to walk for two hours when he was in Toad Village, but now he goes out by horse-drawn carriage or sedan chair. It is normal that he is not as strong as before.
Gu Nanjiao handed all the bags in her hands to Cui'er and Guo'er behind her, and beckoned to Lu Xiaomei: "Come on, I'll take you to Jiaoniang Pavilion!"
"Alright!" Lu Xiaomei's eyes lit up, and she casually tossed the large and small bags in her hands to the maid: "You two take these things back to the manor, and don't follow us."
"Let's go, sister-in-law."
Lu Xiaomei, arm in arm with Gu Nanjiao, skipped and hopped as they walked towards Jiaoniang Pavilion, chatting and laughing.
Chu Luoxun narrowed his eyes and looked closely. Who was the woman next to Gu Nanjiao? Was it Lu Wanning?
Has she grown this tall?
Chu Luoxun shook his head, still somewhat incredulous that a 12-year-old girl could be as tall as Gu Nanjiao.
But that face looks a lot like Lu Wanning's! Chu Luoxun didn't stop, but curled her lips and stepped forward to block their way.
Who is it? How dare they block their way? Lu Xiaomei was about to get angry when she saw the person in front of her and paused, "Master Chu?"
Chu Luoxun smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lu Xiaomei with an ambiguous light: "Lu Wanning, how have you been!"
Gu Nanjiao subconsciously pushed Lu Xiaomei behind her, looked directly at Chu Luoxun, and curtsied: "Your Highness, what brings you to the streets alone today? Where are your attendants?"
Chu Luoxun completely ignored Gu Nanjiao and did not answer her question. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at Lu Xiaomei behind her, a smile on his lips: "Why do you hide when you see Master? It's been two years, and you've become even more timid."
Lu Xiaomei was unaware of the discord between Chu Luoxun and Lu Yanzhao; she was simply somewhat uncomfortable knowing that her former master had become the high and mighty Crown Prince.
She awkwardly bowed to Chu Luoxun: "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince. Your Highness is of noble status, and this humble woman dares not presume to be your disciple."
Gu Nanjiao's face turned slightly awkward. She was afraid that the simple-minded Lu Xiaomei would be fooled by Chu Luoxun's few words.
Then she said to Chu Luoxun, "Your Highness, my sister-in-law and I have urgent business to attend to today, so we will not keep you company. Farewell!"
After saying that, he took Lu Xiaomei's arm and was about to leave, but Chu Luoxun stopped him again: "If Nan Jiao has something urgent, you should go back first. Wan Ning and I are, after all, master and disciple, and we need to catch up."
Lu Xiaomei paused for a moment, then looked up at Gu Nanjiao, as if seeking her opinion.
“Although Your Highness is of noble status, my younger sister is still a young lady who has not yet reached marriageable age. Although you two have a teacher-student relationship, in the strictly regulated capital, men and women should still be mindful of their conduct.” Gu Nanjiao took a few deep breaths to suppress her unease and said, “Please, Your Highness, consider the reputation of a young lady.”
Chu Luoxun's lips drooped, and the smile on his face faded.
"It was my oversight that led to this."
Gu Nanjiao pulled the stunned Lu Xiaomei away: "Hurry back, your brother will be worried if he doesn't see you after court."
She specifically mentioned Lu Yanzhao, hoping to make Chu Luoxun behave himself!
Chu Luo Xun, with good temper, moved his feet to make way for Gu Nan Jiao to go first.
Watching their retreating backs, Chu Luoxun's lips curled into a cold smile.
During the few days he taught martial arts at the martial arts school, he had already figured out Lu Xiaomei's personality very well. This girl was simple and easy to fool, and she was a completely different type of person from her brother.
With the bond between master and disciple in mind, Chu Luoxun thought that Lu Xiaomei would definitely not refuse any of his requests. If Gu Nanjiao hadn't been with him today, he was confident that he could have tricked Lu Xiaomei away.
Along the way, Gu Nanjiao's face was gloomy as she pulled Lu Xiaomei directly back to the Lu residence.
"Sister-in-law, we're not going to Jiaoniang Pavilion!"
"I'm not going!"
"Oh!" Seeing that Gu Nanjiao's expression was not good, Lu Xiaomei did not dare to ask any more questions and followed closely behind.
After Lu Yanzhao returned, Gu Nanjiao quickly told him what had happened that day.
Lu Yanzhao frowned and pondered for a long time: "My little sister is not young anymore. There are many things that should be told to her. We can't let her continue to be so carefree, otherwise she won't even know how she died in the future."
Lu Yanzhao pulled Lu Xiaomei into the house and talked for a long time, telling her about the danger at Nanshan Temple and how Chu Luoxun had repeatedly framed him and Gu Nanjiao.
After hearing this, Lu Xiaomei's mouth dropped open in surprise: "Master Chu seems like a good person, how come he does such inhuman things! Even a drawing book wouldn't dare to write like this. Brother, don't worry, I'm not stupid. Even if he has the intention of teaching his younger sister, we still paid for it. My master now is the 'Extinction' nun at Nanshan Temple, not Chu Luoxun!"
Lu Yanzhao was very satisfied with Lu Xiaomei's performance. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "At first, I was worried, but I didn't expect you to be so clear-headed."
"That's right!" Lu Xiaomei said with pride. "This is all thanks to Abbess 'Extinction'." Realizing that she had said something wrong, Lu Xiaomei quickly corrected herself. "This is all thanks to the abbess of Nanshan Temple. She taught me well. She not only taught me martial arts, but also taught me not to trust a man's words or any empty promises he makes."
“I told my sister-in-law what I said, and she also thought what I said made sense.”
Lu Yanzhao's face suddenly turned cold: "Don't corrupt your sister-in-law. You may not believe in men, but you can't prevent your sister-in-law from believing in me."
“Yes, my sister-in-law said so too. She said you’re no ordinary man, and you’re the most trustworthy.” Lu Xiaomei’s words were quite eloquent. Lu Yanzhao’s expression softened, and he beckoned to Lu Xiaomei, “Come on, let’s spar a bit.”
"Okay, bro!"
Under the eaves, Gu Nanjiao held her eldest daughter, and Cui'er held her youngest daughter, watching the brother and sister spar.
Seeing the two fighting to a standstill, a truly spectacular sight, the two little ones excitedly babbled and clapped their chubby little hands, their big, round eyes following the figures of the two sparring partners.
...
In recent days, Chu Luoxun had Zhou Wan send out invitations to the young ladies of various households who had not yet reached marriageable age, saying that a spring banquet would be held. When the invitations reached the Lu residence, they were all intercepted by Gu Nanjiao, who claimed to be ill and unable to attend.
Zhou Wan knew the Crown Prince's thoughts, and when she received the news of his rejection, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Chu Luoxun, however, was furious.
The Lu family is so arrogant, daring to reject his kindness time and time again.
If he were to sit in that seat, if he were to sit in that seat…
He would not be unable to eat or sleep, and no one would refuse any of his requests.
When the time comes, he will definitely grind Lu Yanzhao and Gu Nanjiao to dust.
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