He wanted to use the position of female official to imprison her in the palace!
Su Wanwan felt like she was "crying out to heaven and earth in vain."
However, he could only focus on recovering from his injuries and look for an opportunity to leave the palace later.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, August 15th, has arrived in the blink of an eye.
A family banquet was held in the palace. Princess Rong, Liu Yixuan, came to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and took the opportunity to visit Su Wanwan in the back hall.
Her tone was somewhat sarcastic:
"The Duke of Wei's mansion finally did something decent. Xu Chengbi and Xu Pengju went to the Su family's door every day, baring their shirts and carrying thorns to apologize, which salvaged a lot of your reputation."
"Master Su was also tough; he took back the marriage certificate from the Wei family back then and returned all the betrothal gifts."
“Now, you are no longer Xu Peng'an's wife, but Su Wanwan who has divorced him from the Xu family.”
Liu Yixuan was quite surprised that she could get a divorce after her husband's death.
This is actually a good thing for Su Wanwan, as it shows that she has completely severed ties with the Duke of Wei's mansion.
If it weren't for the intervention of the palace, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for her to escape from the Duke of Wei's mansion smoothly.
Liu Yixuan looked Su Wanwan up and down with a complicated expression.
She originally felt that her marriage was quite unhappy.
Lu Youting married her and had children with her, but he was always very cold towards her.
But when she compared it to Su Wanwan, whom she had hated for several years, she felt that she had won.
Her family fell from power.
Her husband's family took advantage of her misfortune, seized her dowry, and tarnished her reputation.
Now she is confined to the palace as a lowly female official.
He would have to bow and scrape to her, the Princess Rong, for the rest of his life.
So what if Lu Youting likes her?
At most, the best we can give her is the title of concubine.
Although the title of "concubine" sounds nice, it is not actually a concubine.
What we call liking something is the least valuable thing when it comes to status and position.
She said, not without a hint of pride:
"Su Wanwan, if I had known you would end up like this, I wouldn't have thrown that bowl of soup at you in the first place."
Su Wanwan smiled apologetically:
"I was ignorant back then and caused the princess to burn her face. I don't know if she has any scars left."
Liu Yixuan's face flushed red and then turned pale as she left with a cold expression.
A young palace maid came over and whispered:
"Princess Rong is the most kind and warm-hearted. If you flatter her a bit, she will help you out if you need anything."
Su Wanwan paused slightly, recalling the words of help Rong Wangfei had given her at the Wei Guogong Mansion, and agreed:
"Yes, she helped me too."
The palace maid breathed a sigh of relief:
"Many people in Renshou Palace have benefited from her kindness, so there is no need to worry about what others say."
"Um."
Su Wanwan smiled.
Seven years have passed, and Princess Rong has transformed from a fiery and naive newlywed into a virtuous princess who keeps a low profile.
A princess who is about to be enfeoffed in her fiefdom is showing such kindness to the palace servants; she is quite enthusiastic.
...
Today's palace banquet is held at the Qianqing Gate.
Since there were only three male members—Lu Xingjian, Lu Youting, and Lu Xingce—there was no separate seating for men and women.
Lu Youting drank his wine in silence, his face expressionless, barely paying any attention to Liu Yixuan.
After several rounds of drinks, Empress Dowager Zhang spoke up: "Now that the mourning period for the late Emperor has ended, have the green plaques for the Imperial Household Department been hung up?"
Li Rong quickly replied, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, they have all been hung up."
"Have you arranged for him to spend the night with you these past few days?" Empress Dowager Zhang asked in detail.
Li Rong's smile froze, and he secretly glanced at Lu Xingjian, who was bowing respectfully, and said:
"His Majesty has been busy with state affairs lately and has not had time to attend to it yet."
Lu Xingjian's face was cold, and he ignored Empress Dowager Zhang.
He was very displeased that these private matters were being discussed in public, and he also resented Empress Zhang for interfering too much.
Seeing his expression, Empress Dowager Zhang's smile faded, and she spoke gently to Empress Xia Xueyi:
"Tonight is the fifteenth of August, and the Emperor and Empress should consummate their marriage. The Empress should serve them diligently."
Xia Xueyi responded, looking at Lu Xingjian with a shy expression.
Last month, the mourning period for the late emperor ended, marking the complete conclusion of the twenty-seven-month mourning period.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th of August, making it the perfect time for couples to consummate their marriage.
On the first and fifteenth of each month, the Emperor would normally give her face and allow her to rest at Kunning Palace.
Prince Rong, Lu Youting, who had been quietly drinking, finally spoke up:
"Mother, is Wanwan's leg injury any better?"
His voice was deep and magnetic, quickly attracting everyone's attention.
Lu Xingjian also looked up at him, his expression very calm, and he didn't say anything.
Xia Xueyi's smile froze, and her hand holding the chopsticks paused.
Su Wanwan is like a persistent ghost; despite her tarnished reputation, she was still recruited into the palace as a lady-in-waiting.
What if the Emperor takes a liking to her again, since they'll be seeing each other all the time?
Empress Dowager Wang was in a daze when a palace maid reminded her that Lu Youting was talking to her.
"Wanwan, she still can't be without a wheelchair."
Empress Dowager Zhang narrowed her eyes and smiled:
"Mother is really senile. She brought a patient with a broken leg into the palace to be a lady-in-waiting. She has been eating and drinking for free all these days, without doing anything, and you have to worry about her."
Empress Dowager Wang rubbed her temples and sighed:
"My energy is getting worse every day, and I'm getting sleepier and sleepier."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Empress Zhang's eyes, and her smile deepened:
"Then you should take good care of your health and worry less about other things."
Lu Xingjian keenly caught the glint in her eyes and looked coldly at Empress Dowager Zhang.
Empress Dowager Zhang noticed the warning in his eyes, but she met his gaze without backing down.
The exchange of glances between the two lasted for a few seconds.
The atmosphere became tense.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
