His handsome face, though possessing an aggressive air, was as cold as ice. His dark, deep eyes stared at Su Wanwan's departing figure, heavy and oppressive like distant mountains shrouded in mist.
Steward Li shivered inexplicably and tentatively asked:
"It seems that Madam Su's old leg injury has flared up again. Should this old servant go and fetch her back?"
Lu Xingjian's expression was icy. "Mind your own business."
Chief Steward Li struggled to suppress his laughter: "Then let someone go and report back to Her Majesty the Empress?"
Lu Xingjian pursed his thin lips, his tone icy, "What's your hurry?"
Chief Steward Li clapped his hands, trying hard to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth: "That's right, back then the Emperor could wait for three days and three nights, but she can't wait for an hour?"
He thought to himself, "This is truly a case of 'the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is.'"
You weren't in a hurry, but why did you open the door as soon as they left?
Unfortunately, Su didn't even turn her head, so now that someone wanted to flirt with her, no one would pay attention.
...
Kunning Palace.
Empress Xia Xueyi, seated on the soft couch at the head of the table, calmly looked at Su Wanwan kneeling below in greeting.
A hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.
The old woman beside her, Granny Cao, introduced with a sneer:
"Miss Xueting, this is Su Wanwan, a noble lady who has been raised by Empress Dowager Xiaosu for many years."
"But how did you end up so destitute, like a stray dog?"
The young girl sitting below the Empress was dressed in a bright red silk robe, adorned with jewels and pearls, and threw away the lychee shell in her hand with wide eyes.
"Is she the famous Su Wanwan?"
The girl in red is Xia Xueyi's half-sister, Xia Xueting, and I've heard the name "Su Wanwan" for many years.
At that time, my older sister Xia Xueyi was just an ordinary scholar's daughter.
Compared to Su Wanwan, it's like comparing heaven and earth.
I wonder how jealous he was behind my back.
Now, the situation has completely reversed.
Su Wanwan knelt on the ground and humbly performed a grand salute to her sister. She didn't dare to get up until her sister told her to rise.
She could imagine how happy her sister must be right now.
Su Wanwan was dressed in simple clothes, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful.
The moon shines brightly, like a light cloud veiling it.
Like drifting wind and swirling snow.
Moving like a willow swaying in the breeze.
Stillness surpasses even the most beautiful flower reflected in water.
Her skin was like solidified cream, as white as snow, tender and glowing.
She possessed an indescribable gentleness and purity, agile and graceful, peerless and untouched by worldly dust.
Xia Xueyi, dressed in a magnificent empress's crown and robes, seemed unable to quite suppress her imposing aura.
The crown and robes seemed to overshadow her, making her appear rather unremarkable.
Xia Xueyi smiled smugly, with a sense of satisfaction at having avenged herself. "So what if I come from a humble background?"
"With the Emperor's favor, one can still sit high on the throne and receive the worship of others."
Back then, Su Wanwan came from a good family and was exceptionally beautiful. Almost all the men were amazed by her and treated her with kindness.
In contrast, when they looked at her, there was no sense of amazement in their eyes.
This comparison once made her feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat, filled with envy and jealousy.
Looking back now, being good-looking isn't everything.
The emperor still didn't want her and wouldn't even bother to see her.
Granny Cao glanced at Su Wanwan with disdain.
A barrage of sarcastic remarks, dripping with sarcasm:
"That's right, everyone's fortune and status are predetermined by fate."
"So what if she's the granddaughter of the prime minister? She's nothing special."
"Now that Chief Minister Su has been forced to retire, the Su family's power has been wiped out by the Emperor, and the whole capital is full of people who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak."
"It's only because our Empress is kind-hearted that she's still willing to see Madam Su, who is about to lose her title."
Su Wanwan pressed her forehead against the cold floor tiles.
My knees are aching from kneeling.
I listened quietly to their mockery and disdain.
It is said that a woman's marriage is like being reincarnated a second time.
She and Xia Xueyi are two of the most striking examples.
Xia Xueyi came from an ordinary family, but because of Lu Xingjian's favor, she eventually rose through the ranks to become the Empress.
As for Su Wanwan, her husband died early, her family fell from power, and she had no one to rely on.
Nowadays, people have to endure cold looks and ridicule when asking others for favors.
She understood what Lu Xingjian meant.
He deliberately used Xia Xueyi to torment her.
They were showing off their current harmony and unity as emperor and empress, and taking revenge for her disobedience on the canal years ago.
Well then, seeing the attitude of the Qing court this time, she can finally give up completely.
When her mother-in-law saw that she had returned home covered in injuries, she would no longer force her to go to the palace to request an imperial decree.
Her dowry was generous enough that even without a title, it would be enough for her and her son to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Returning to Nanjing, that auspicious place, to live a life of leisure and wealth is certainly much more comfortable than spending one's entire life holed up in the cold city of Beijing.
With this thought in mind, she suddenly felt completely refreshed, and all her depression and unhappiness vanished.
I just hope the days will pass quickly so I can set off back to Jinling soon.
Before Xia Xueyi and the others could finish their banter, a young eunuch came to deliver a message:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor enjoyed the chilled fruit tea you sent and has sent me to return the favor."
The emperor's return gift was a flawless white mutton-fat jade ruyi, warm to the touch, and clearly very valuable.
The Empress was overjoyed.
Nearly a year after their wedding, the Emperor was finally moved and responded to the gifts she had sent.
She had to strike while the iron was hot and quickly go to the Emperor herself to curry favor!
The Empress Dowager kept urging her to win over the Emperor and that giving birth to a prince as soon as possible was the most important thing.
Xia Xueyi was about to get up to do her makeup when she noticed that Su Wanwan was still kneeling in the hall, getting in her way.
"Madam Su, please rise. Do you have something important to discuss with me today?" she said impatiently.
Su Wanwan replied calmly, "Your Majesty, I would like to humbly request the Empress's mercy and allow my son, Xu Bangrui, to inherit the title of Duke of Wei and the title in the future."
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