Chapter 94 Men Understand Men Best
Ji Qingrong returned home and mentioned the matter to her husband that evening.
Lu Juan had been busy with work lately and didn't get home until late at night when he heard his wife's words.
He asked in surprise, "Arong, you and Fifth Sister went to Hanshan Temple and ran into the Emperor?"
Emperor Wusu has been even busier than Lu Juan lately. According to Eunuch Li, he doesn't even get enough sleep at night, so how did he manage to go to the temple?
Ji Qingrong leaned against the bed and pulled the brocade quilt up a little.
"Not only did we run into him, but the Emperor stood by the carriage with Fifth Sister and talked to Fifth Sister's daughter, Qiuqiu, for quite a while, giving her a lot of advice."
Ji Qingrong lowered her voice and leaned close to his ear mysteriously.
"In my opinion, the Emperor is more patient with him than with the young Prince Yuan Heng in the palace."
Lu Juan paused, pondered, and said, "His Majesty is not one to gossip. There must be something about Fifth Sister that His Majesty is interested in."
What kind of interest can a man have in a woman?
After Lu Juan's prompting, Ji Qingrong immediately realized the reason for the light in Emperor Wu Su's eyes.
Men really do understand men best!
Ji Qingrong and Lu Juan exchanged a glance, waiting for him to continue his thorough analysis. Her husband had always had a clear understanding of matters in officialdom.
Lu Juan touched his wife's belly and said with a smile, "That little girl, Qiuqiu, is clever and lovable. His Majesty only has one son, so he must envy families with daughters."
Ji Qingrong was not familiar with the emperor, but she knew that his expression was unusually gentle today. Was it because he was envious?
But something still felt off to her.
"Could it be..." she began, but didn't finish her sentence.
Lu Juan sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted a corner of the blanket, and reached out to massage her legs.
But once he returned home, he focused all his attention on Ji Qingrong and didn't want to think about anything else, even if that person was the emperor.
"Are your legs sore from walking?"
She put aside her doubts, quickly withdrew her leg, and said softly, "I heard that edema usually occurs in the late stages of pregnancy. I don't feel any discomfort now, so there's no need for this."
He worried about the hardships she was going through during her pregnancy, and she felt the same way about him, working long hours and never stopping.
Lu Juan pulled her calf onto his knee and suddenly laughed, "Arong, let's have a sweet and soft daughter too."
Didn't she say before that she didn't care about gender, and that she would like any child she gave birth to?
Ji Qingrong shook her head and said, "I do hope to have a son."
"What's so good about having a brat?" Lu Juan said with dissatisfaction.
"You have no idea of the pressure I'm under. It's better to have a son this time, so we won't have to have any more children later."
Ji Qingrong, who was pregnant, was very sensitive and continued with great concern: "What if I can't give birth to a son? The title of Marquis will be lost, and I will be guilty of a great sin."
Lu Juan didn't take having a son seriously, saying, "Second Brother already has a son, we can just adopt one."
The second brother, Lu Wei, is a son born out of wedlock, so he is not entitled to inherit the title. However, if Ji Qingrong cannot give birth, she will have to be adopted.
Ji Qingrong felt that it was too cruel to take someone else's son away, and besides, her second sister-in-law Feng Shuang regarded Song Ge'er as her own, so she could not possibly agree to it.
Seeing Ji Qingrong's face scrunched up, Lu Juan said, "Does Arong not feel good? It's alright, I have other ways."
There's no other way to have a son.
Ji Qingrong's face darkened, and she said angrily, "Lu Ziyou! You wouldn't be thinking of finding a mistress to have your child, would you?"
Lu Juan stopped massaging her, then reached his large hand inside her trousers and pinched the soft flesh.
"You've really got some nerve, daring to call your husband by his name."
Ji Qingrong's heart tightened. She regretted calling out to him so recklessly, but she could see that there was no anger in his eyes, and they were shining.
"You said there was another way..."
Lu Juan casually unbuckled his belt with one hand and said, "The solution I'm talking about is to give the position of heir to my second brother, not your bad idea of pushing me to a mistress."
He described the matter of relinquishing the title as as simple as giving away a piece of cake.
Ji Qingrong sat up, stared into his eyes, and asked, "Husband, do you really think so?"
In the short time that followed, Lu Juan had already taken off his outer robe, leaving him only in his inner garment.
He said leisurely, "Does Arong think that I only have the Emperor's favor because of my status as the heir apparent, and that your husband can't stand up without the Marquis's mansion?"
Hearing his confident words, Ji Qingrong immediately felt at ease.
Then Lu Juan said nonchalantly, "This is not important. What's important right now is not this."
Ji Qingrong felt that nothing was more important than this right now. If her mother-in-law, Cui, heard this, she would probably be furious.
But the next moment, Lu Juan pulled her hand and placed it somewhere. The emperor's favorite minister, who was once arrogant and domineering in the court, whispered in her ear, "Help me, Arong."
It was just that Lu Juan's solution was so satisfactory that Ji Qingrong had no choice but to comply with his wishes.
After taking another bath, Ji Qingrong leaned wearily against Lu Juan's chest.
Lu Juan stroked her back, his eyes lowered in deep thought.
Now they are relatives of the Marquis's family, but who knows, they might become whetstones one day. Emperor Wusu is not an emperor who is willing to share weal and woe with powerful clans.
His Majesty comes from a prominent family and has long seen through this intricate network of clan relationships.
The various powerful families may appear glamorous and prestigious, but in reality, they are rotten to the core, harboring filth beneath the surface.
Emperor Wusu was determined to rectify the situation, but he had not yet found a suitable opportunity to act, and it was unknown which sector to target.
*
One week later.
White lanterns were hung at the gate of the Ji residence.
Ji Changyan, the third son of the Ji family, spent some time in the imperial prison before finally passing away.
Since returning from Cining Palace, Madam Ji had been bedridden with illness, burdened by excessive worry, and her health had not improved. Upon learning of her grandson's death, her illness worsened.
Wu fainted several times from crying while holding the memorial tablet, so the funeral arrangements were entirely supported by the First Madam, Qiao.
The entire hall was white, and there were few people who came to pay their respects; the mourning hall was cold and deserted.
Because Ji Changyan was a criminal in his previous life, none of his close friends showed up, not even Prince Yong. He only sent someone to deliver the sacrificial offerings.
The sacrificial ceremony was handled by Princess Yong, who also took the opportunity to send a message to Ji Qingwu.
Tao Wanyin has recovered greatly after taking the first prescription she received. Now she is just waiting to see when the second prescription will take effect.
Ji Qingwu sat by the window in Wutong Garden.
She wore a simple white dress and no headdress, as pure as a lotus flower emerging from clear water. In her hand, she held a wick that had been soaked in vinegar, added water to the outside of the lampshade, and thus made an ever-burning lamp.
She hadn't originally planned to go to the funeral hall, but all grudges should dissipate and end with the passing of a person.
Ji Qingwu placed the eternal lamp in a corner of the mourning hall, lit an incense stick, and then left.
She had just stepped out of the main gate and was walking towards Wutong Garden when a sharp shout came from behind her.
"You're not allowed to leave!"
Ji Qingyuan, whose face had become noticeably thinner, stood behind her.
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