Su Wanwan stopped arguing with him and walked straight out of the teahouse.
"No."
That's what he said, but his tone was stiff, clearly indicating he was unhappy.
Lu Xingjian's mood improved a bit, and he dismissed the Imperial Guards who were about to go upstairs.
He followed slowly behind Su Wanwan.
"It's just a lamp. If you want it, I can have someone make one for you."
"Is this about the lamp?" Su Wanwan asked back.
Knowing full well that she wanted it, he clearly went to buy the lamp for her, but then turned around and gave it to another woman.
Today it's a lamp, but what will it be that we give away tomorrow?
"Otherwise what?"
Lu Xingjian felt that what made her angry was completely inexplicable.
She refused hundreds of thousands of taels of silver before, but now she's throwing a tantrum over a lantern.
She and Yang Zhen had a heart-to-heart talk upstairs, and he didn't hold it against her, did he?
And her encounter with the Tatar spies was far more important than the broken lantern.
Su Wanwan didn't want to argue, so she didn't say anything more and walked onto the street on her own.
The once bustling streets were now deserted.
The carriage quickly arrived and stopped in front of them.
Su Wanwan didn't hesitate and got into the carriage.
Lu Xingjian followed behind her, got into the car, and sat down next to her.
It was as if the person who had just coldly questioned her was someone else.
"I want a rabbit lantern, hmm?"
He leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"I don't want it anymore," Su Wanwan said indifferently, turning her head away.
Leave him with the back of his head showing.
While she was worried about his safety, he was giving another woman the lantern she wanted.
She would no longer count on him.
Lu Xingjian was met with a rebuff. After a pause, he took her hand and played with it in his palm.
I didn't expect things to go wrong while I was visiting the lantern festival today; it caused an unpleasant incident.
"It's such a small matter, why make such a fuss?" His tone was somewhat displeased.
Su Wanwan pulled her hand away in annoyance.
"It's not that bad."
"I'll say it again: you can simply withdraw the imperial edict and appoint someone else as empress. That's no small matter, is it?"
Lu Xingjian's face turned completely cold. He remained silent for a long time, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"That's impossible."
After thinking for a moment, his tone turned somewhat cold, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:
"If you really don't want to get married, you might as well persuade your father to adopt another daughter and marry her in your place."
Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan turned around abruptly, looking at him in disbelief.
His eyes held a hint of hostility.
There's nothing wrong with that statement.
The imperial edict only stated that the daughter of Su Nan would be made empress, but did not name her.
Su Wanwan wondered if this was his real purpose.
He took a deep breath and said calmly:
“Alright, whichever one you fancy, I’ll persuade Father to adopt her as his goddaughter.”
A flash of anger crossed Lu Xingjian's eyes. After a long pause, he said in a nonchalant tone:
“That Maggie is quite nice, just like you, she likes rabbit lanterns.”
"Then it's settled." Su Wanwan turned her head away again, no longer looking at him.
Lu Xingjian pursed his thin lips and gave her a cold look.
"what ever."
The atmosphere inside the carriage was so quiet it was almost suffocating.
Do you think these are two people about to get married?
They were clearly enemies.
The most solemn and serious imperial wedding was decided by them to change the bride in just a few words.
It's like child's play.
The carriage stopped in front of the Su family's gate. Su Wanwan got off the carriage on her own and didn't say another word to him.
Before she could even stand still, the carriage suddenly shot off like an arrow.
The gust of wind made Su Wanwan stumble and almost fall.
When Lu Xingjian returned to the Qianqing Palace, his face was still ashen.
It was Meng Yue's turn to be on duty, and he came to report nervously:
"Your Majesty, there is a risk of mutiny among the border troops in Datong."
Lu Xingjian looked sharply at Meng Yue: "The reason?"
"Firstly, we fear being inspected like Xuanfu did regarding border reserves. Secondly, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan died a few days ago after being dragged along the streets of Chang'an by Gu Ziyu, which became the trigger."
Lu Xingjian tightened his jawline.
The cunning soldiers of Datong have all learned to be prepared for the worst.
The first Marquis of Zhenyuan was originally stationed in Datong and was a fierce general. After Emperor Yingzong's restoration, he was implicated in the "Cao Shi Rebellion" and his entire clan was executed for treason.
After Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he reinstated the title of Marquis of Zhenyuan to a young boy from a collateral branch of the family.
In recent years, the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion has been somewhat incompetent in the Datong border army, and the heir is a dissolute playboy who indulges in pleasure-seeking.
His death was not significant enough to cause a mutiny among the border troops.
There must be someone manipulating things behind the scenes, trying to profit from the situation.
It was Gu Ziyu who killed the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan.
The Gu family has deep roots in Xuanfu, and its members hold various official positions in the Xuanfu border army.
Gu Ziyu was an outstanding figure among the sons of noble families.
If he punishes Gu Ziyu, the Xuanfu border troops, who have just been appeased, may become unstable again.
It will also damage Wanwan's reputation and make her a subject of public discussion again.
Based on Gu Ziyu's willingness to risk a reputation for cruelty to protect Wanwan's reputation from rumors, he would also protect Gu Ziyu.
Therefore, no matter what, he could only protect Gu Ziyu and compromise with the Datong border army.
The Datong border army's move was truly an attempt to outmaneuver him.
He hesitated for a moment, then quickly gave the order:
"Summon Ma Ji to the palace."
Meng Yue's eyelids twitched violently.
"Now?"
It was late at night, and they went to great lengths to open the palace gates just to summon a woman into the palace.
Perhaps... the Emperor is itching to get back to work?
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