Chapter 396 A bridge is a bridge, a road is a road
Lu Juan said, "There are still matters to attend to in the palace. I will trouble my father-in-law and mother-in-law to take Qingrong back with them."
Mrs. Qiao was stunned, unsure of her son-in-law's meaning. Did he truly dislike her eldest daughter because of this matter...?
"Not enough!"
A clear, melodious sound rang out.
Why should I listen to you?
Ji Qingwu now held a scroll in his hand.
She walked up to Lu Juan, twisted her three slender white fingers, and twirled the scroll between them.
Lu Juan's expression changed several times as he gradually made out what she was holding.
From the bright red background of the silk and the carved dragons and phoenixes, he knew what it was.
This was the first time Lu Juan had ever been stunned for so long.
Ji Qingwu curled his lips and said, "Lord Lu, can I make the decision on this matter?"
Lu Juan stood up and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.
"......able."
Cui glared at him and said, "Ziyou, what are you saying?!"
Lu Juan's gaze shifted from the scroll to Ji Qingwu's face, and he said, "Could we speak privately about how to handle this matter?"
Ji Qingwu also felt that Cui Shi and Feng Shuang were arguing. Whenever she wanted to say something to Lu Juan, they would always chime in with several sentences.
She nodded and said, "Of course, as long as the solution satisfies me."
The Cui family members were unaware of what Ji Qingwu was holding.
Feng Shuang scoffed and said, "Don't tell me you're the kind of person who makes a big deal out of nothing."
Do the Qiao family and Ji Bolian know what that scroll is? It once terrified the entire Ji family.
Qiao retorted, "You're the kind of person who wouldn't even dare to dream of something with your head full of chicken feathers."
Her fifth child is destined for greatness.
Ji Qingwu and Lu Juan moved outside.
The moon has climbed to its highest point in the sky.
Ji Qingwu looked at the yellow sun overhead and suddenly thought of another bright yellow. She stroked the imperial edict in her hand.
A bittersweet feeling welled up inside me, and I couldn't help but wonder what that person was doing at that moment—was he galloping on horseback, or was he dozing in his carriage?
Seeing that she remained silent, Lu Juan said in a low voice, "Your subject pays his respects..."
Ji Qingwu snapped out of his daze and quickly stopped him, saying, "We haven't announced it to the world yet, Lord Lu, there's no need to be so polite. Let's get straight to the point."
Lu Juan stared at the scroll in her hand, his expression complicated.
The matter of choosing an empress had caused a huge uproar among the court officials, who brought it up almost every few days.
But Emperor Wusu clearly already had someone in mind, yet he revealed nothing about it.
His eyes flickered slightly. No wonder the emperor had brought his fifth sister's youngest daughter to the Hall of Diligent Governance to summon his ministers those few days.
He had long planned to become someone's stepfather.
Lu Juan said, "If that's the case, I'll still call you Fifth Sister."
Ji Qingwu said, "You may address me as you wish. My eldest sister nearly died during childbirth, but Lord Lu is indecisive and unable to resolve family matters."
In the darkness, Lu Juan could not hide his exhaustion as he said, "The Emperor trusts Fifth Sister and is willing to offer her the Empress's position. I won't hide it from you, but all the important matters in the palace have now fallen on my shoulders. I am overwhelmed, but since I have taken on this great responsibility..."
Ji Qingwu sensed the seriousness in his words and guessed what he was going to say.
Lu Juan sighed: "We should prioritize national affairs."
"I can only feel at ease if you bring Qingrong home. I can't stay by Qingrong's side forever."
Lu Juan originally wanted the Ji family to propose bringing Ji Qingrong home so that he could act freely.
"Once I finish dealing with what I'm doing, I will sever ties with the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. From now on, the mansion will remain the mansion, and Qingrong and I will have our own home. I will never let her suffer like this again."
Ji Qingwu stared at him, seemingly trying to determine whether what he said was credible.
Lu Juan severed ties with the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, and from then on, they went their separate ways.
That's a good idea.
Lu Juan said, "After the family is divided, I will request to remove the ancestral hall. The Marquis's mansion will be left to its own devices and I will no longer interfere. Qingrong will no longer see my mother. Today's farewell will be the last time we see each other."
For the Cui family, it would be a great disgrace if their own son gave up his position as heir apparent and was to be removed from the family genealogy.
"As for Feng Shuang, this matter is easier to handle. There's no need to bring it out into the open. My second brother, Lu Wei, has a favored mistress. We can find an excuse to bring her back. He's very powerful, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to demote his wife to a concubine."
Whether it's difficult or not... it all depends on Lu Juan's planning.
Ji Qingwu's expression finally returned to normal.
"Words are no proof. If you can't handle the family affairs properly, my eldest sister will stay at home every day."
Her eyes gleamed as she threatened, "If you don't handle this properly, I might take action."
Lu Juan said, "Alright, please take good care of Qingrong during this time, Fifth Sister."
Ji Qingwu's eyes flickered as he asked, "Does Lord Lu mean that I should take care of your wife and children for free?"
Lu Juan was a smart man, and said, "If you ever need my help in the future, please feel free to come to me. I will definitely repay Fifth Sister's kindness today."
Ji Qingwu nodded: "But I can't take care of her for too long, at most..."
She pondered what would happen next and said, "At most, until my eldest sister finishes her postpartum confinement. But as long as she stays at the Ji family's house, nothing will happen to her."
Lu Juan said, "That's fine. I'll be able to find some time to visit Qingrong after a while."
Ji Qingwu said, "Let's settle on this for now."
Fifth Sister.
Ji Qingwu didn't turn around: "No need to thank me, she's also my elder sister."
Lu Juan paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Fifth Sister, I have something else to ask you."
Ji Qingwu turned his head: "What is it?"
Lu Juan: "...Is it a son or a daughter?"
Ji Qingwu: ......
It turns out that Lord Lu doesn't even know whether his own child is a boy or a girl.
She said with a heavy heart, "You and your older sister stayed in the room for almost half an hour without asking whether it was a boy or a girl?"
Lu Juan said, "I forgot."
I really forgot.
His mind was unusually muddled; he was only concerned with checking if Arong was alright and comforting her with soft, sweet words.
He didn't see the baby beside him and had already forgotten that his child had been born.
Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow and said, "I won't tell you. If you want to know, come to the clinic yourself."
Lu Juan felt as if claws were scratching at his heart.
This fifth sister is really something...
But when he thought of how Emperor Wusu had handed the empress's position to Ji Qingwu, he shook his head helplessly.
Even the emperor was "held" in her grasp; what good could he possibly do?
Having figured this out, Lu Juan breathed a sigh of relief.
The moonlight was very bright at night, as bright as Ji Qingwu's eyes, making people feel hopeful about the future.
If we can just hold on for this period of time, everything will be alright once the emperor returns.
*
Ji Qingwu returned to the main hall, and everyone's eyes once again focused on her.
The scroll in her hand attracted the attention of Cui and Feng Shuang.
From the moment Ji Qingwu entered the room, Cui's gaze was fixed on the scroll, and she also noticed that something was wrong.
As if afraid that she wouldn't notice, Ji Qingwu kindly approached and let Cui see clearly.
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