Empress Dowager Zhang's smile froze.
This means they disagree with the arranged marriage.
Lu Xingjian simply lowered his eyes and stared at the ground, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Xia Xueyi glanced at Lu Xingjian, her eyes slightly red.
Since Lu Xingjian entered the main hall, his gaze has never fallen on the Empress.
Does she see herself as just a decoration?
I am your lawfully wedded wife, the Empress who holds the rightful place in the palace.
"Your Majesty, I need to go and preside over a palace banquet. Would you please accompany me?"
"Hmm," Lu Xingjian replied absentmindedly.
Xia Xueyi immediately became excited.
With the emperor backing her up, she felt much more confident.
After all, Xia Xueyi is still young and comes from a humble background. This is the first time she has hosted such a high-profile banquet, and she is likely to feel stage fright in front of those older ladies of noble birth.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked up at Lu Xingjian, deeply moved.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. Let's go now."
Lu Xingjian finally looked at Xia Xueyi slowly, and gave her a gentle smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty."
Xia Xueyi said tenderly, "It is my duty, and I do not feel tired."
The Empress Dowager smiled and joked with Empress Zhang, "I think it won't be long before a prince is added to the harem."
Xia Xueyi blushed even more and left with Lu Xingjian.
As the two reached the threshold of the main hall, Lu Xingjian turned around and considerately took her arm, afraid that she might fall.
Su Wanwan watched the emperor and empress's tender moment quietly, her heart unmoved.
See, once you have a new love, cutting ties with the old one isn't so difficult.
Even though we were so intimately entangled last night.
That didn't stop him from being gentle with Xia Xueyi today.
Before long, Empress Dowager Zhang and the Grand Empress Dowager left one after the other to attend the birthday banquet.
Su Wanwan, with her injured leg, was able to relax and dine alone at Ning Shou Palace.
After finishing her meal, she rested for a while, and the female doctor came to change the dressing on her leg.
As darkness fell, the Empress Dowager had still not returned.
Su Wanwan requested to leave the palace.
The palace maid who remained at Ning Shou Palace said:
"Today is a rare occasion for such a lively event. All the civil and military officials are holding a banquet at the Meridian Gate, and all the ladies of the court and the nobility are present. There will also be fireworks tonight, so Madam Su, please don't be in a hurry."
Su Wanwan had no choice but to patiently continue waiting.
She is no longer afraid that Lu Xingjian will force her to stay in the palace.
He's such a proud person; now that he's clearly heard me agree to marry Gu Ziyu, he definitely won't talk to me anymore.
As dusk approached, two robust female servants pushed Su Wanwan's wheelchair to the vicinity of the Meridian Gate.
The best spot to watch the fireworks tonight is from the Meridian Gate tower. After watching the fireworks, you can head home from the palace.
On the Meridian Gate tower, Chief Eunuch Li approached Lu Xingjian and whispered, "Madam Su wishes to leave the palace. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Lu Xingjian remained calm and said in a low voice, "Let her be."
When Su Wanwan heard that she could leave the palace, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and went out through the right side gate.
A carriage was waiting outside the palace gate. Gu Ziyu stood idly beside the carriage, not knowing how long he had been waiting.
Seeing the wheelchair emerge, he quickly and nimbly ran over, his eyes brimming with barely suppressed joy and excitement.
When he saw the splint peeking out from under Su Wanwan's skirt, his heart ached with pity and guilt.
"Sister Wanwan, I shouldn't have left you alone that day. I never imagined you would be so badly injured."
Gu Ziyu took the wheelchair and pushed it, her tone somewhat solemn: "I will never let you fall into such a dangerous situation again."
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then smiled gently and hummed in agreement.
"How is your father? Is he alright?"
"It's nothing," Gu Ziyu said casually, laughing heartily.
“The chief clerk of the Prince Rong’s mansion happened to meet him and insisted on having a few drinks with him. My father was a cautious man, so he took the opportunity to fall off his horse and asked for leave to recuperate at home to avoid trouble.”
These words carry a rather profound meaning.
With the Duke of Anguo's mansion wielding military power, and the Rong Prince's chief secretary secretly befriending the Duke of Anguo's heir, it was indeed easy to feel tense.
The Anguo Duke's Mansion's prominence over the decades was inseparable from their cautious family tradition.
At this moment, fireworks burst across the sky, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.
Everyone looked up at the fireworks in the sky.
Lu Xingjian looked down at the person in the wheelchair in front of the city gate.
Against the backdrop of the fireworks, his handsome face appeared unusually cold.
Su Wanwan seemed to sense something and looked back at the city tower, but because she was too far away, she couldn't see anything.
Gu Ziyu escorted her to the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion, his eyes somewhat dim: "Sister Wan, are you still going back to the Xu family?"
"I am still the daughter-in-law of the Xu family, so I can only go back here."
She paused for a moment and then said, "I plan to open a few silk and jade shops in the capital, and I may need to trouble you in some ways."
The Duke of Anguo's family holds a superior position among noble families. With their support and guidance, her shop's business should be quite successful.
Gu Ziyu looked at her with bright, expectant eyes, "I couldn't ask for more, I'd do anything for you."
He lowered his voice and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sister Wanwan, I will come to propose marriage as soon as possible. You should take good care of your injuries."
Su Wanwan guessed that he probably already knew about Ning Shou Palace, and couldn't help but marvel at the Gu family's excellent information network. She blushed and hummed in agreement.
Yan Rong and He Ying were still at Xiaoyuan and hadn't returned yet, so Su Wanwan asked two strong women to escort her back to her courtyard.
A heated argument could be heard right outside the courtyard gate.
Su Wanying's childish voice was easily recognizable: "This is my sister's dowry, Aunt Luo, do you still want to seize the mistress's dowry?"
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