Zhou Wanxiu was a little embarrassed and asked cautiously:
"Your Majesty, is it not to your liking?"
Lu Xingjian glanced in her direction, his brows furrowing slightly:
"No."
Zhou Wanxiu gave an awkward laugh and said to Su Wanwan:
"Auntie, this plate of shrimp dumplings in front of you should suit His Majesty's taste. Could you please set it aside?"
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, without even lifting her eyelids, and picked up the plate of shrimp dumplings to place it in front of Lu Xingjian.
Her wrist was held in mid-air, preventing the plate of shrimp dumplings in her hand from moving forward even an inch.
Lu Xingjian's refusal was so stern it was almost inhuman:
"No need."
Everyone at the table was stunned.
Su Wanwan looked up and met his gaze in surprise.
His expression remained indifferent, and nothing could be seen in his dark, deep eyes.
After a while, he finally released her wrist, and the plate of shrimp dumplings returned to its original position.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was stifling and tense.
No one had any appetite.
When Su Wanwan put down her chopsticks, Lu Xingjian also loosened his grip, and the spoon he was holding fell into the porridge bowl.
The porcelain pieces made a crisp, clinking sound when they touched.
The other three paused slightly.
"Pack your things, get ready to go back to the city."
Lu Xingjian's tone was somewhat stiff.
Su Wanwan's gaze darted away, avoiding his eyes.
He wasn't talking to himself, was he?
really.
Zhou Wanxiu obediently replied, "Yes."
Lu Xingjian stood up and left without saying anything. Su Wanwan couldn't wait for him and Zhou Wanxiu to leave.
She had just stepped out of the dining hall when she heard that a palace eunuch had come looking for her.
The person who came was He Xi, the head eunuch of Ning Shou Palace, who was carrying out an imperial decree from the current Empress Dowager Wang to invite Su Wanwan to the palace for an audience.
Su Wanwan was completely confused.
Wang and she were not particularly close, and had no relation whatsoever, so why would she invite her to the palace?
He Xi smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday. She misses you and specially sent this old servant to deliver a message to invite you to the palace to keep her company."
Su Wanwan frowned and pondered for a moment, then finally said:
"Please reply, Steward He. I have just recovered from a serious illness, and I am afraid that if I go to the palace, I will pass on my illness to her. How about I go to the palace tomorrow and kowtow to her from afar?"
If she were to live in the capital, receiving the Empress Dowager's patronage would not be a bad thing for her.
He Xi was easy to talk to, "Then this old servant will arrange for someone to bring Madam Su to the palace tomorrow."
Su Wanwan politely saw He Xi off, then had to have someone pack their luggage to prepare to return to the city.
To celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday, one would have to get up very early to enter the palace; staying at the farm was clearly impractical.
A servant from the Gu family rushed over to report:
"The young master has fallen off his horse! Madam, please have the second young master return home immediately!"
Gu Ziyu immediately became anxious. He had taken several days off, intending to stay with Su Wanwan for a few more days, but he never expected his father to suddenly have an accident.
Su Wanwan urged him to go back and see his father as soon as possible.
After thinking it over carefully, Gu Ziyu finally said, "I'll go back and take a look first. Wait for me to come back and pick you up."
Su Wanwan refused outright:
"No need to make a fuss. The journey has been peaceful. Filial piety is the most important thing. You should go about your own business first."
Gu Ziyu ultimately rode off first, leaving half of his guards for Su Wanwan to command.
His mother knew that he had been spending the last few days with Su Wanwan, so she specially sent someone to look for him, probably because something urgent had happened.
Su Wanwan told people to pack their luggage slowly.
After noon, if she didn't set off soon, she would miss the city gates closing and she would have to enter the city before they closed. Su Wanwan finally set off.
Unexpectedly, they set off even earlier than Lu Xingjian and the others.
About an hour after leaving the manor, the carriage suddenly went out of control. Su Wanwan, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, was accidentally thrown out.
The coachman reported in a panic:
"I deserve to die! The axle suddenly broke, causing your wife great distress!"
Fortunately, the driver was experienced and noticed the situation was not right, so he reined in the horse and slowed down in time. Otherwise, the carriage would have rushed off the mountain road and rolled down the hillside, and the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Su Wanwan was so dizzy from the fall that it took her a while to recover.
My left leg is in excruciating pain.
It's probably a bone injury, and there's a long cut.
Blood soaked the trouser legs and stained the hem of the skirt red.
The two maids were in slightly better condition than her, but they also suffered head injuries from banging their heads.
This place is in the middle of nowhere, a mountain road that few people travel on, which is really troublesome.
She had no choice but to have her guards ride back to the estate and fetch another carriage.
Before long, a large and imposing group of people came from behind.
Lu Xingjian and the others set off after her.
Su Wanwan restrained her people and did not intend to ask them for help.
I just waited quietly by the roadside for them to pass by.
Lu Xingjian saw the crane standing by the roadside through the car window, and his expression froze.
He ordered the carriage to stop and summoned Heying to give him a reply.
"What happened?"
He Ying's eyes reddened with anxiety:
"The carriage broke down halfway there, and our girl was injured..."
Where is she?
"Still on the carriage, waiting to go to the estate to get a new carriage."
Lu Xingjian glanced at the sky, his face darkening: "Nonsense."
This is a desolate wilderness; by the time the new horse-drawn carriage arrives, it will be almost dark.
What if you encounter bandits?
He lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, walking to Su Wanwan's broken carriage.
Lifting the carriage curtain, all that could be seen was Su Wanwan's pale face covered with fine beads of sweat.
Because of the pain in his leg, his body trembled slightly.
Lu Xingjian's face was cold, his eyes sharp. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but he stopped in mid-air and asked in a cold voice:
Where are you injured?
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