Chapter 22 "I only want you, I only have you"
Seeing Lu Juan standing to the side, his eyes were fixed on his elder sister.
Ji Qingwu asked, "Brother-in-law, what are your thoughts on the concubines and maids in your room?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Juan looked at Ji Qingwu.
Her eyes were bright, the aggressive aura from before was gone, and her expression returned to a gentle one, as clear and bright as the new moon in the sky.
Moreover, she's now willing to call him "brother-in-law" in a soft and gentle voice.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Lu Juan's eyes. It seemed that his feigning deafness and dumbness earlier had not been in vain.
He had truly experienced his fifth sister's temper today.
He spoke directly without the slightest hesitation, saying, "Just as Fifth Sister said, what does it matter if we don't have any children? I have Qingrong, so I have no regrets."
These words resonate deeply.
Cui seemed to be about to explode with anger. She put down her pen listlessly and pounded her chest.
Ji Qingwu acted like a supervisor, not allowing her to slack off, reminding her: "Madam, hurry up and write, it's getting dark."
The veins on Cui's hands were bulging; the document was written with such force that it seemed to penetrate the paper, each word like a knife.
Lu Juan's calm and affectionate voice reached Ji Qingrong's ears, making her shudder and completely snap back to reality.
The young master was good at seizing opportunities. Seeing her expression soften, he strode over and, without letting her dodge, directly took her hand.
“Ah Rong.”
Ji Qingrong tried to shake him off, but his large hand gripped her even tighter.
Lu Juan originally intended to wait for Ji Qingrong to figure things out on her own, and he had been waiting for three long years.
But when he saw his wife's red-rimmed eyes, he completely lost his composure.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he explained in a low voice, "Arong, I spoke without thinking. I misled my mother because I wanted to marry you as soon as possible, which caused this misunderstanding. I'm sorry to make you suffer all of this."
Such a straightforward explanation and apology.
Ji Qingwu's family member immediately felt relieved.
I wonder how the person involved feels.
Ji Qingrong was unsure whether to believe him or not, and just stared blankly at his lips.
Seeing her dazed and confused expression, Lu Juan took her hand and pressed it to his chest, saying with deep affection, "Arong, do you still remember that snowy day three years ago?"
Three years ago, on a snowy day.
Ji Qingrong's pupils trembled.
That day was the day Luo Chi, the second son of the Vice Minister of Rites, was to come to the Ji residence to discuss marriage with her, but things didn't go as planned, because of heavy snow, the carriage broke down on the road.
She had planned to meet Luo Chi the next day, when the weather cleared up, and if both parties were satisfied, the marriage would be settled.
But the next day...
The man in Ji Qingrong's memory overlapped with Lu Juan in front of her.
Early in the morning, the young heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, accompanied by a matchmaker and betrothal gifts, knocked on the door of the Ji family, saying he had come to propose marriage, which surprised everyone in the mansion.
Lu Juan gently rubbed her hand. "Arong, I was rash and scared you back then, but you still agreed because I said—"
He looked at Ji Qingrong with deep emotion.
He said it again: "I only want you, I only have you."
It was because of this promise that Ji Qingrong was moved.
Having been pampered by her mother since childhood, she married into the Marquis's mansion and became the wife of the Lu family. All the grievances and hardships she had endured over the years were vividly recalled before her eyes.
The two looked at each other without saying a word. In this atmosphere, Ji Qingwu wished she had flower petals on hand, otherwise she would have liked to scatter them.
She smiled and said to Madam Cui, "Madam, if you haven't finished writing yet, we'll move to the study next door to write so as not to disturb them."
Cui's face turned ashen, clearly heartbroken after hearing her son's confession.
She snorted, tossed the document in her hand to Ji Qingwu, and then got up and left Ninghua Hall.
Ji Qingwu thought of something and called Xin'er to go out with him.
The couple remained inside.
Lu Juan lowered his head and stroked her black hair.
“Ah Rong.”
Such a gentle sigh instantly brought tears to Ji Qingrong's eyes.
She was like a child who had suffered a great injustice; she threw herself into Lu Juan's arms and cried uncontrollably, leaving water stains on the front of his brocade robe.
She cried and complained, "You said you only had me, but you didn't do it! You had concubines and maids, you lied to me!"
This was the first time Lu Juan had ever seen Ji Qingrong act so aggressively.
“Those were all forced upon me by my mother,” he said innocently. “I didn’t touch them with a single finger.”
Lu Juan cupped her face and asked earnestly, "Arong, if you're dissatisfied, you should speak up. When Mother sent people over, you insisted on pretending to be magnanimous and agreed to it first. Do you know how I felt when I heard this news when I got home?"
His face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He was frustrated for a long time because she broke the promise he made to her so easily.
After Ji Qingrong finished crying, she belatedly felt a little ashamed. She replied in a low voice, "How can I say this? I have never been pregnant, and the whole mansion is watching me. You can't imagine how much pressure I am under."
"Ah Rong, what do you take me for?"
Lu Juan pinched her smooth cheek and said what he had kept buried in his heart for a long time.
“I am your husband. When things happen, I hope you can rely on me and trust me, but you have never asked.”
Lu Juan's people would report to him every day what happened in Ninghua Hall. He knew about the difficulties Ji Qingrong encountered in the mansion and had even prepared solutions for her.
But she was very stubborn and never mentioned anything to Lu Juan.
Ji Qingrong gradually understood why Lu Juan was sometimes so unpredictable.
So it was because she didn't confide in him? He cares that much about her every word and action?
Her heart felt like a honey pot had been overturned.
But she still stubbornly said, "This is the first time you've ever lost your temper with me. It took you a long time to calm down. I was just afraid that if I said too much, I would make you angry and affect our relationship."
Hearing this twisted accusation, Lu Juan remembered why he had been angry that time.
Lu Yun and Ji Qingrong got into a fight over a hairpin. Lu Yun was young but had a big temper. She was spoiled too much by the Grand Madam and insisted on getting what she wanted.
But that hairpin was part of Ji Qingrong's dowry and had special meaning, so she was unwilling to give it away.
Lu Yun pushed her and went to the old lady to complain, distorting the truth and making up a bunch of nonsense, which caused Ji Qingrong to be scolded.
Before Lu Juan even reached his doorstep, someone reported the whole story to him. He went home and went to Lu Yun's courtyard first, where he gave his sister a good scolding. He told her that if she continued to disrespect her sister-in-law, he would send her to a nunnery to practice Buddhism for a few years.
When he returned to Ninghua Hall, Ji Qingrong greeted him with a smile as always. If it weren't for her still red and swollen eyes, no one would have noticed anything amiss.
Lu Juan's carefully prepared words of comfort were completely useless.
The closest of relatives are husband and wife.
This is because they never considered themselves someone they could rely on.
From then on, Lu Juan and Ji Qingrong became rivals, each determined to wait for her to back down, and so three years passed in this awkward manner.
“Ah Rong.”
"I regret it."
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