Madam Chen, the maternal grandmother, rushed into the palace to see Su Wanwan, her face full of worry.
"Wanxiu has actually taken a liking to Xu Pengju, the heir of the Duke of Wei. The two families are exchanging betrothal gifts, and the marriage is about to be finalized. Your maternal grandfather is furious and even quarreled with your great-grandfather, threatening to sever ties!"
Su Wanwan hadn't expected this situation either: "Is it your great-grandfather's idea, or Wanxiu's idea?"
"That's what they all mean; they're aiming for the position of Lady of Wei." Madam Chen felt that Zhou Wanxiu and her group had gone too far.
Su Wanwan suffered countless losses and grievances at the Duke of Wei's mansion before finally escaping.
They're jumping into this fire pit; it's a real slap in the face for Wanwan.
Isn't this sending a message to the outside world that Su Wanwan wasn't entirely innocent behind the adultery rumors and divorce news back then?
It would be fine if it were any other company.
They are Su Wanwan's maternal grandparents' family; this is incredibly damaging.
After all, she is his own granddaughter, so he will definitely stand firmly in defense of Su Wanwan.
Su Wanwan felt a little disheartened: "After all, it is the first Duke's mansion of the Great Liang Dynasty, which is hereditary and has no succession. It is not surprising that they would take a fancy to it."
Madam Chen's purpose in coming was not merely to complain, but also to offer advice: "You can't entirely blame your eldest uncle. Since you became Empress, several of our Changning Marquis's children have enjoyed successful official careers."
"On the contrary, the Qingyun Marquis's mansion has seen some people demoted and others put on idle posts. Wanxiu even had a finger cut off. It's understandable that they are angry and don't care about your face."
"If Your Majesty wishes to stop this, you might as well speak a few kind words to the Emperor and do some favor for the Marquis of Qingyun's family, so as to avoid turning against each other."
Madam Chen sighed sadly, "We have limited abilities and can't help much, but we must never hold Her Majesty back. Her Majesty's life has already been hard enough."
Su Wanwan was stunned for a while, and finally just wiped her eyes and rested her head on Madam Chen's shoulder.
Su Wanwan invited Madam Chen to stay for lunch. The grandmother and granddaughter chatted for a while, and Su Wanwan personally escorted Madam Chen to the entrance of Shenwu Gate.
Watching Madam Chen's departing figure, He Ying smiled and said:
“Grandmother is different; she’s willing to think of things for the Empress.”
Su Wanwan tapped He Ying's forehead and teased:
"The same goes for personal maids."
She had seen her maternal grandmother's family more often since childhood, and was actually closer to them than to the Su family.
When I was little, every time my maternal grandmother went to the palace, she would hold me and comfort me for a long time, kissing me for a while.
He Ying came to help Su Wanwan with a smile, but then noticed Marquis Guo Xun of Wuding who was on guard duty.
The smile on her face froze for a moment.
Marquis Wuding came over to pay his respects: "This humble general greets Your Majesty the Empress."
His gaze swept over the crane's shadow.
He Ying simply lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Su Wanwan smiled and said, "You are too kind, Lord Marquis. It must be very hard to guard and patrol in the dead of winter."
Marquis Wuding's eyes flickered, but he swallowed his words back.
He recently asked the Emperor to let him marry Miss Heying.
The emperor said he would ask the empress for her opinion, and soon after promoted him, but there was no further news about his marriage proposal.
Seeing He Ying's aloof attitude, Su Wanwan didn't say much, but simply sent some silks and satins, seasonal flowers and fruits unique to the palace to the Marquis of Wuding's residence.
It was dark and Lu Xingjian still hadn't returned, so Su Wanwan took the stewed pear soup to the Imperial Study.
The wind was biting cold outside, but as soon as the door was opened, warm air rushed in.
Lu Xingjian shouted angrily, "You have utterly disgraced me!"
"If you don't do something to salvage your reputation, you might as well go to Nanjing and guard the imperial tombs!"
Liu Jin was drenched in sweat and knelt on the ground, stammering, "This old servant knows his crime. Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing this old servant to atone for his sins through meritorious service!"
Su Wanwan felt that now was not a good time to go in, so she took a step back and was about to close the door.
Lu Xingjian happened to be looking over, and his cold and fierce expression froze for a moment.
"Kneel down and leave."
He then walked towards the entrance of the Imperial Study, saying, "My lady."
Liu Jin, who was about to get up, stiffened when he heard the word "wife" and lowered his head to hide the sinister look in his eyes.
Lu Xingjian took Su Wanwan's hand and led her to the next rest room:
"It's dark and the roads are slippery, what brings you here?"
He said that, but the corners of his lips involuntarily turned up, and he pulled Su Wanwan to sit on his lap.
A half-smile played on his lips: "Missed me?"
“Hmm,” Su Wanwan said generously, placing the food box on the small table. “I heard you cough twice this morning, so I made you some pear soup to soothe your throat.”
"Just send a servant to make the trip. Be careful not to catch a cold wind and warm your body. You're so weak, if you get sick, where will I go to cry?"
His words carried a hint of complaint, yet he helped Su Wanwan remove her cloak and warmed her icy little hands in his own.
Su Wanwan pulled her hand away and opened the food box. "Drink the pear soup while it's hot. I made it myself."
Lu Xingjian pulled her into his arms, buried his face in her neck and inhaled her fragrance, his voice becoming low and somber.
"My wife is so good to me, what am I going to do if I get used to it?"
Su Wanwan paused slightly.
Did I treat him badly before?
Instead of dwelling on the issue, she changed the subject and casually took out the pear soup and poured it into a bowl.
"Liu Jin is so arrogant now, he has angered the public. Don't you plan to deal with him?"
Lu Xingjian was silent for a moment, then frowned: "It's not time yet."
"This kind of person has created a chaotic atmosphere in the court, with bribery becoming rampant. If he is not dealt with, it will only make people feel disheartened."
Lu Xingjian didn't want to say much. He put one arm around her shoulder and took a small sip of soup with the other.
"Why bring him up? Just focus on taking care of your health and manage the inner palace when you have time. I'll handle the affairs of the court."
Su Wanwan felt a slight tightness in her chest.
Behind every treacherous official, there is a lenient emperor.
Lu Xingjian originally intended to indulge Liu Jin.
It turned out that all the things she asked Yang Zhen to do were a waste of time.
Seeing that she was in a low mood, Lu Xingjian gently ruffled her hair and asked, "What's wrong?"
Su Wanwan didn't want to bring up Liu Jin anymore, so she brought up Zhou Wanxiu's marriage.
"Grandmother still spoke well of the Qingyun Marquis's family, hoping to give their sons an official position."
Lu Xingjian's expression turned slightly cold: "Why should I care what they do? Zhou Wanxiu can marry whoever she wants."
"You don't know this, do you? The money you gave them to redeem your cousin was all embezzled by them."
Su Wanwan was slightly surprised.
Three hundred thousand taels of silver.
As a result, not only was the person not rescued, but they were also drugged and beaten until they were covered in bruises.
How did you know?
“Ma Yongcheng found out right away, but he didn’t tell you because he was afraid you would be upset. He had someone break Zhou Shuyan’s leg.”
Su Wanwan felt a tightness in her chest.
It's so difficult to build trust between people.
She was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's leave it at that."
Xu Pengju is no good person, and he also has a vicious mother-in-law, Han Xiufen. If Zhou Wanxiu marries into that family, she'll be jumping into a fire pit.
After finishing the pear soup, Lu Xingjian lost interest in continuing his official duties and returned to Kunning Palace with Su Wanwan.
However, just two days later, devastating news arrived: Su Wanwan's maternal grandfather was critically ill.
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