“She made a lot of clothes for me by hand, and every time she looked at me, she smiled so happily, as if she were looking at something else.”
"She was probably wondering what you would look like wearing clothes she had sewn herself."
Lu Xingjian kissed her cheek, his voice tinged with a hint of teasing.
"She probably never imagined that raising a daughter-in-law herself would be a worthwhile investment."
Su Wanwan was amused, but her smile hid a hint of bitterness.
She had little memory of her own mother, and most of her memories of maternal love came from Granny Zheng.
However, as she grew older and became more sensible, she became more and more able to discern that Zheng Mama's love and care for her were mostly superficial.
If she could use Su Wanwan to get close to her biological son, she wouldn't hesitate to make Su Wanwan sick or injured.
No amount of nurturing can compare to the love of blood relatives.
Moreover, it's quite possible that Crown Prince Lu Xingjian could make her the Empress Dowager, a figure of great influence, and that she could control the government from behind the scenes, just like Empress Dowager Xiaosu.
It was also Zheng Mama who made her realize the reality: in the strictly hierarchical palace, in the cracks of power, warmth was pitifully scarce.
Su Wanwan yawned, got up and walked to the bedside. "It's getting late, let's sleep."
Lu Xingjian followed silently behind her, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "Do you know where she is?"
It goes without saying who the "she" he was referring to was.
Su Wanwan's body stiffened for a moment, but her expression remained natural. Without turning her head, she bent down and pulled back the blanket on the bed.
"have no idea."
Her peach-colored undergarment accentuated her slender waist and perfect hip shape.
From Lu Xingjian's perspective, it was incredibly alluring.
Wanwan is very thin, but her body fat is very well-behaved, growing in all the right places and in just the right amount of size. Not a bit more or less would be perfect.
Lu Xingjian pushed her down onto the bed, his palm against the back of her hand, his fingers slipping between hers, their ten fingers intertwined.
The warm breath brushed against the back of her neck, causing her to lean back slightly and shrink her neck.
"How do you know the laundry department one is fake?"
After the fire at Qingning Palace, Zheng Yulian disappeared without a trace in the palace.
It's as if they never existed.
Later, after Empress Dowager Xiaosu passed away, the Zhang family worried that the Zhou family would support Zheng Yulian to cause trouble. They even searched and confiscated the Zhou family's estate in the suburbs of Beijing, which triggered a large-scale armed conflict in order to find Zheng Yulian's whereabouts.
This matter caused quite a stir, and it was only after the late emperor personally intervened that it was calmed down.
“She raised me for many years, how could I not tell the difference between the real and the fake?” Su Wanwan thought his question was rather silly.
"Stop fooling around, go to sleep early." At this moment when his missing mother was mentioned, Su Wanwan didn't think he was in the mood for romance.
Lu Xingjian loosened his grip slightly, and Su Wanwan was able to turn over smoothly.
Lu Xingjian pinched her chin, stared into her eyes, and asked sincerely:
"Give me a definite answer, okay?"
He almost mistook Zheng Yulian, that woman from the laundry department, for his own son.
How could she be so sure it was fake?
After all, it's been ten years since we last met.
Unless... she knows where the real Zheng Yulian is, and has even seen her.
Su Wanwan raised her hand and touched his angular face, lost in thought, but her heart softened.
"She's fine, you don't need to worry."
Lu Xingjian's gaze froze, and his voice became hoarse.
"So, when you married and moved to Jinling, you took her with you?"
Su Wanwan was silent for a while, then admitted:
"Yes, they just didn't come with me, which saved them from disaster."
Lu Xingjian was stunned, his mind in turmoil, and he couldn't say a word.
She took everyone he cared about with her and went to Jiangnan.
Therefore, he had no hindrance and dominated the capital.
"Do you want to bring her back?" Su Wanwan asked tentatively.
Lu Xingjian snapped out of his daze and shook his head.
“In the eyes of the world, Zheng Yulian is dead, and there is no need to drag her into this vortex.”
His voice grew increasingly hoarse as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"Wanwan, what would I do without you?"
He even tried not to love her.
In reality, it was always him who couldn't live without her.
Even when she left him and married someone else, she still took his mother with her and secretly gave birth to his son, thus continuing his lineage.
If he were to die in the power struggle, his mother and son would not be affected and could live out their remaining years in peace.
Su Wanwan's neck was wet.
It feels a bit strange.
Such a big man, clinging to me and crying like a puppy seeking comfort.
This was so contrary to his usual aloof demeanor.
She wrapped her arms around his broad back and patted him gently.
He whispered, "Take off your clothes."
Lu Xingjian looked up, his dark, moist eyes meeting hers. "Does my wife want it...?"
The next moment, he took off his shirt.
Su Wanwan quickly pressed down on his hand as he unzipped his pants and pulled the blanket over him.
"I just wanted to see your back."
She felt so good when she hugged him earlier, and she wasn't used to this slightly sad mood, so she deliberately changed the subject.
The man rolled over, turning his back to her: "Does it look good?"
Su Wanwan gently stroked his strong, broad back with her slender fingers, "Mmm."
Between the levels of a teenager and an adult male, his back muscles are firm and beautifully sculpted, reminiscent of a powerful lion or cheetah, exuding masculine charm and wild strength.
There is only a noticeable scar on his shoulder blade.
"Where did this scar come from?" I had seen this scar before, but the two of us were either busy with business or catching up on sleep, so we never had a chance to ask.
When she had the chance to ask later, she didn't want to.
Lu Xingjian turned around and pinned her down, kissing the tip of her nose:
"Worried about me?"
"Um."
The man paused, the darkness in his pupils churning, and finally murmured.
"Wanwan, I love you so much."
...
The next day, after breakfast, Lu Xingjian lingered, reluctant to leave, looking down at the person in his arms.
"Come with me to the Imperial Study."
Su Wanwan found his clinginess a little strange.
He's been acting strange since last night, clinging to her for a very long time, being incredibly gentle, and even sleeping with her tightly wrapped around him like an octopus.
It made her very tired after sleeping, and she woke up with a sore back and aching waist.
This clinginess is even stronger than when they first got married.
"I still need to go to the Empress Dowager's place, you go and do your work." She politely declined.
Lu Xingjian, however, was not giving up: "I'll accompany you to see the Empress Dowager first, and then we'll go to the Imperial Study together later."
“I won’t go. If you want to summon the ministers, what would it look like if I were there?”
The man lowered his head and gently rubbed his forehead against hers.
"I just want to be with you. When you're meeting with the ministers, you can rest in the next room, okay?"
He paused, then complained with a hint of grievance, "It's Laba Festival today, and you're not even spending time with me?"
Seeing that it was getting late, Su Wanwan had no choice but to agree, "Okay."
When Empress Dowager Zhang saw Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan approaching side by side, a flash of sharpness and ruthlessness crossed her eyes.
They were truly in love.
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