Steward Li approached Su Wanwan tremblingly and advised, "Miss Zhou has not served the Emperor well and has offended him. Miss Su, why don't you go and persuade her?"
Su Wanwan was unwilling to agree.
"Wanxiu is not a person without sense of propriety; she can handle it."
Zhou Wanxiu was only one year younger than her, and back then, the Empress Dowager Zhou also vigorously cultivated her.
However, since her parents were still alive and she was the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, she could simply leave the palace and return to the Qingyun Marquis's residence when she felt wronged or didn't want to be restrained.
Enjoy her privileged life as a pampered young lady.
Compared to Su Wanwan, who couldn't even go home, she was much more willful and carefree.
But in front of Lu Xingjian, she would automatically put away all her willfulness and sharpness, and fawn over him without any scruples.
Su Wanwan sighed softly.
When Zhou Wanxiu returned, she looked like a wilted eggplant and almost burst into tears.
"Aunt Wan, why won't he accept me?"
Su Wanwan could understand Zhou Wanxiu's persistence and obsession.
Even setting aside his extremely prestigious status, Lu Xingjian's personal appearance is also top-notch.
Whether it's his natural appearance, his demeanor, or the physique he developed through martial arts training, he is outstanding and unmatched.
He was enough to make women fall head over heels for him.
Logically speaking, Zhou Wanxiu is a beautiful woman with both good looks and figure, and her personal qualities are also quite good, so she shouldn't have been repeatedly rejected by Lu Xingjian.
There's probably only one possibility—it's just not challenging enough.
Men are born conquerors.
A woman's vulnerability and pitiful demeanor can evoke their pity, boost their self-esteem, and give them a sense of inner satisfaction.
However, being too proactive and enthusiastic in pursuing someone can actually make them feel disgusted and annoyed.
Zhou Wanxiu seems to be too fixated on this issue, which prevents her from realizing it.
Su Wanwan still couldn't bear to see her stuck in the mud.
"What we can't get and what we've lost are the most beautiful things. Things that are too easily obtained are not cherished."
Zhou Wanxiu looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded: "I understand."
Since it was already late at night, Su Wanwan didn't say much and quickly went to sleep.
I tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep.
Zhou Wanxiu, who was sleeping in the next room, also seemed to be tossing and turning.
In the following days, Su Wanwan continued to leave early and return late.
Zhou Wanxiu followed closely behind her, never leaving her side.
In order to carry out disaster relief work, Su Wanwan had to visit many wealthy and powerful families.
Fortunately, these people were quite warm towards her and readily donated money and goods.
Some even went so far as to introduce her to other families.
Among the maternal relatives, Lady Sun Qingyu, wife of the Marquis of Ruian, naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to establish herself.
Not only did he obtain several precious palace artifacts from the Empress Dowager, but he also planned to auction them off at the Minister of War's banquet.
He also took Su Wanwan to visit several other relatives of his mother.
On the noble side, the wife of the heir of the Duke of Anguo took the lead without hesitation, contacting many heads of noble families to raise funds for disaster relief.
Before the banquet even started, some disaster relief funds had already been deposited into the account.
Most families voluntarily set up soup kitchens, providing their own rice and manpower, which is the most convenient and time-saving method.
Disaster relief porridge pots were set up outside each city gate, and rice porridge mixed with sand was made available around the clock. Special channels were even opened for the elderly and children.
Madam Yu and Su Wanwan went to the porridge distribution site outside the city to check on it, and sighed:
"Although it's not kind to add sand and gravel to the porridge, it can still prevent people who want to take advantage from looting it."
Su Wanwan frowned: "I'm afraid some people will use this to their advantage and try to discredit me as much as possible."
Mrs. Yu, who is usually adept at navigating social situations and always has a smiling face, was unusually resolute:
"If anyone wants to slander us, let them fund their own soup kitchen setup. Don't just stand there and talk without understanding the situation!"
She displayed the demeanor of a high-ranking official's wife.
Su Wanwan was deeply moved and stepped back a few paces to give a bow: "Madam is truly a heroine among women, I admire her greatly."
The person who advocated adding sand to the porridge was Madam Yu, making her an easy target.
But she still insisted on advocating this approach.
Madam Yu took her hand and said with a smile, "Good sister, you mustn't make fun of me. It's already very kind of you to support me."
Zhou Wanxiu couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Su Wanwan is very popular; she gets along with everyone wherever she goes.
On the contrary, she was like a nobody following behind Su Wanwan, and no one paid any attention to her.
Su Wanwan quickly realized this, so she assigned some specific tasks to her.
Zhou Wanxiu was tasked with handling some contacts with noble families and relatives of the emperor on her own, which gradually restored some balance to her heart.
The day before the banquet at the Minister of War's house, Su Wanwan rushed home after finishing her work late at night.
As she entered, Zhou Wanxiu couldn't hide her excitement: "Should I wear that scarlet dress or the pink dress tomorrow?"
Su Wanwan smiled and said, "You're young, you look good in anything."
Zhou Wanxiu skipped a few steps forward, then looked back at her: "Aunt Wan is still young."
Looking at her youthful appearance, Su Wanwan felt a little envious and smiled, saying, "I can't, I'm too old."
After a woman gets married and becomes pregnant, she goes through many things and takes on many responsibilities, so she inevitably ages a lot.
She wouldn't have the same temperament as Zhou Wanxiu.
Even though she had a few drinks tonight, she was much more emotional than usual.
The door to the east wing suddenly opened.
As Zhou Wanxiu turned around, she met Lu Xingjian's gaze as he stood at the door.
Instead of greeting her warmly as before, she bowed and returned to the west wing with a stern face.
Su Wanwan stopped; she still had something to discuss with Lu Xingjian.
Mrs. Yu had complained to her several times in recent days.
It is said that Yang Ting wanted to meet with the emperor to offer his advice, but he was unable to see him.
The matter concerning the emperor's birth mother is escalating rapidly. If this matter is not resolved soon, it will inevitably evolve into a political event no less significant than the "Great Rites Controversy."
Su Wanwan understood the importance of this matter.
The "Great Rites Controversy" occurred during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, before the previous emperor was even born.
At that time, Empress Zhou was still the Empress Dowager. Because she did not want her mortal enemy, Empress Dowager Qian, to be buried with Emperor Yingzong, she had a very tense relationship with the court officials.
Emperor Xianzong, caught in the middle, acted as a peacemaker, making no statement whatsoever.
The officials knelt outside the Wenhua Gate for an entire day, wailing and crying in the sweltering summer heat, almost as if they were forcing the emperor to abdicate.
The matter ultimately ended with Zhou's compromise.
If the ministers are allowed to taste the benefits, such coups will likely become more frequent in the future.
We absolutely must not set this precedent.
Lu Xingjian realized that she had something to say, so he turned slightly to the side, as if inviting her to come in and talk.
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then lifted her skirt and stepped across the threshold.
The door was slammed shut, and she was pressed against it.
The man's hot breath tickled his ear: "Avoiding me?"
"No..." Su Wanwan's words were cut off before she could finish them.
His kiss was too passionate, and carried a hint of revenge, a vicious one.
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