Chapter 8: Must Find a Gentle and Beautiful Consort for Lu Ze

Hearing this, the mouthful of wine Qi Yu'an had just taken went down the wrong pipe. "Cough, cough! Sister, what did you say?"

Qi Yuning said, "Lingling is my biological daughter. I didn't tell you the truth just now because I was afraid you would be angry knowing I have a child out of wedlock."

Qi Yu'an's coughing subsided slightly as he said, "Sister! How can you be so muddled? You've already had a daughter with Lu Ze, so why are you still engaged to his younger brother, Lu Yun?"

Qi Yuning explained, "The marriage was bestowed upon me by His Majesty at Lu Baozhu's request. By the time I learned of it, the imperial decree had already been issued. How would I dare defy it?"

Qi Yu'an frowned deeply. "Then what about Lu Ze? He has a child with you, so why hasn't he come to offer betrothal gifts and marry you? Instead, he's engaged to the daughter of the Guan family? That bastard! I should have made him kneel until he couldn't get up just now!"

To cover one lie, countless more are needed. Qi Yuning was well-prepared and said, "At that time, Lu Ze and I were young and ignorant, acting recklessly. It was only after we separated due to incompatible personalities that I learned of Lingling's existence. Lu Ze and I have long had nothing to do with each other; marriage and courtship are separate matters for us now."

Qi Yu'an slammed the table in anger. "No wonder when you told Lu Ze to kneel just now, he actually did it. After the bastard thing he did to you, he deserved to kneel!"

Qi Yuning said, "Brother, don't frighten Lingling. What's done is done."

Qi Yu'an said, "Qin Feng and Lin Jiang are close friends with Lu Ze; it wouldn't be appropriate for you to marry them either. Your brother will find you another fine husband. I will surely find you one even more outstanding than Lu Ze!"

Qi Yuning said, "Brother, I was just broken off from my engagement. I have no desire to marry right now. Is there no room for me and Lingling in the Prince's Mansion?"

Qi Yu'an said repeatedly, "No, this is your home too. You can stay in the Prince's Mansion as long as you wish. It's just that people outside are saying you can't marry anyone off. Today, I even heard something about 'when choosing a wife, do not choose the Qi County Princess.' Don't they even consider if they are worthy of marrying you?"

Qi Yuning said, "Brother, why must you get angry over such rumors? That saying, 'when choosing a wife, do not choose the Qi County Princess,' was spread by the Guan family."

"Three years ago, when the Guan family first arrived in Shengjing City, they deliberately spread rumors to make their family name known and find good husbands for their three unmarried daughters. They said, 'when choosing a wife, do not choose the Qi County Princess; when choosing a wife, choose a daughter of the Guan family.' This way, all the high officials and nobles in Shengjing would come to know the Guan daughters."

Qi Yu'an frowned. "There was actually such a thing? That Guan family dares to bully you like this! What kind of people are the Guans, daring to use your reputation to gild their own names? I wasn't in Shengjing—have you just been letting people bully you like this?"

Qi Yuning chuckled softly. "Great wisdom is idle, small wisdom is busy. The Guan family will surely face retribution for using such disgusting methods. There is no need for me to bother with them; it would only dirty my hands!"

Qi Yu'an said, "Three years ago, wasn't that just when you had just reached your coming-of-age age? To make their own daughters famous, did they even consider that your marriage prospects were being ruined? You might be willing to let the Guan family off easily, but I won't."

"Brother, it's not that I'm letting them off."

Qi Yuning said coldly, "It's just that the Guan daughters don't even have the qualification to appear before my eyes. The best marriage the Guan family has secured is only for their eldest daughter to be the wife of a Count's heir. Those husbands they obtained by stepping on my reputation are not even worthy of appearing in my sight. For a dignified County Princess like me to bicker with such families would be far too beneath me."

Qi Yuning had her own pride. In her eyes, the Guan family was like a small mantis blocking a carriage.

If she bickered with such a small mantis and Lu Baozhu found out, she would be mocked!

Qi Yu'an said, "But isn't the Guan family's sixth daughter engaged to Lu Ze? They used your reputation to get engaged to Lu Ze, and you still won't settle the score?"

"If the sixth daughter of the Guan family truly dares to show up before me, I will certainly not let her off!"

The reason Qi Yuning didn't settle the score was that the Guan family's status was too low; they weren't even worth her notice. They weren't even worthy of standing before her, so why bother bowing her head to deal with them?

Qi Yu'an sighed. "Sigh, I thought Lu Yun was bad enough, but I didn't expect both brothers of the Lu family to be such bastards!"

Qi Yu'an was fair-skinned with the appearance of a scholar, but having grown up in the military, he couldn't help occasionally letting out a few curses.

Qi Yuning covered little Lingling's ears.

...

Inside Xianglin Temple.

The bald Lu Yun sneezed several times in a row. Looking at the table full of green leafy vegetables in front of him, his face turned green.

"Abbot, besides eating these grass leaves, can't you eat anything else? Even tofu with green onions would be better!"

"Amitabha. Green onions are considered meat and fish products. Since you have entered the Buddhist gate, you should eat these well. These dishes are already excellent. If it were according to the County Princess's orders, you would originally only be able to eat rice bran and rotten leaves for every meal."

Lu Yun: "..."

Lu Yun had eaten nothing but green leafy vegetables all day long without a single morsel of meat. He felt like his chin would turn pointy from just one day of this, and he felt a bit of regret in his heart.

Maybe... he should just marry Qi Yuning and be done with it?

"Have you heard? Today, when the Lu Heir went to the Qi family to apologize, that Qi County Princess actually made the Lu Heir kneel before her. The Lu Heir is a dignified man of seven feet and the Emperor's own grandson. For Qi Yuning to make him kneel... she is truly too arrogant!"

"Did the Lu Heir really kneel?"

"He did! The matter has spread everywhere. The Qi County Princess is so haughty; who would be willing to marry her in the future?"

"No wonder the young Prince Qi chose to become a monk instead of enjoying a good life. To marry such a Princess Consort, having a man kneel before her every day... who could endure that?"

Lu Yun's thought of regret vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of deep emotion. His eldest brother was truly good to him.

How had he not realized before that his eldest brother was so devoted to him? Once this commotion passed and he returned to secular life, he would definitely find a gentle and beautiful wife for his brother.

Inside the Princess's Manor.

Lu Baozhu entered Lu Ze's study aggressively. "Eldest Brother, you actually knelt to Qi Yuning? You've lost too much face for me! I've been competing with her for eighteen years; if you kneel to her, where will I have any face left in front of her in the future?"

Lu Baozhu said, "Only Lu Yun is your brother, yet you actually knelt to Qi Yuning for him? I am also your sister!"

Lu Ze put down his pen and said, "I did not kneel to Qi Yuning for Lu Yun's sake."

He knelt only to appease the anger of the Qi siblings so that he could see Lingling more often in the future.

Moreover, he knew that Qi Yu'an had always been loyal to the imperial family and would not have watched him truly drop to his knees.

Lu Baozhu asked again, "Brother, I heard your marriage with the Guan family daughter is off?"

"Mhm."

Lu Baozhu said, "That's good. I remember who that Guan family daughter is now!"

"Three years ago, there was a rumor in Shengjing saying 'when choosing a wife, do not choose the Qi County Princess; when choosing a wife, choose a daughter of the Guan family.' Qi Yuning thought I was the one who spread it, but we later found out the Guan family made it up to make their three unmarried daughters famous and find them good husbands. By using a bad reputation to step on Qi Yuning, they fulfilled the Guan daughters' good reputation among the noble families of Shengjing. The women of the Guan family are nothing good!"

The nine-linked rings in Lu Ze's hand moved slightly as he said, "The Qi County Princess knew the Guans insulted her, yet she let them off so easily?"

This seemed different from the Qi County Princess described in the rumors as someone who would seek revenge for every slight.

Lu Baozhu stood up and said, "Brother, what is our status compared to Qi Yuning? Even touching the Guan family would be disgusting. No matter how they jump around, they can't jump in front of us. The only people worthy of being Qi Yuning's rivals are me and our cousin. A Guan daughter is not worthy!"

Lu Ze said, "You actually feel honored to be Qi Yuning's rival?"

"Of course!" Lu Baozhu said.

Lu Ze gave a light laugh. No wonder Qi Yuning was unwilling to speak of her grievances with the Guan family in front of him. It was likely that in the eyes of the haughty Qi County Princess, the name "Guan daughter" was not even worthy of being uttered by her.

At night in the Qi Prince's Mansion.

After bathing, Lingling changed into pale yellow inner garments and lay in Qi Yuning's arms, saying, "Mother, where is Daddy? Daddy and Mother can't not want Lingling."

Qi Yuning felt heartache. Most likely, because she and Lu Ze had not acknowledged Lingling during the day, Lingling was still feeling fearful.

Qi Yuning held Lingling and said, "Daddy is busy."

Lingling blinked her eyes and said aggrievedly, "Does Daddy still not want Lingling? Daddy didn't even hold Lingling today."

A single tear fell from Lingling's aggrieved eyes. "Mother, Lingling misses Daddy."

Qi Yuning wiped away Lingling's tears and instructed Lichun, "Go to the neighboring Princess's Manor and send word. Tell the Lu Heir to meet me at the side gate of the east alley of the Princess's Manor."

"Yes."

Qi Yuning coaxed Lingling softly, "Mother will take you to see Daddy."

Lingling lifted her eyes and nodded her small head. "Mhm, mhm!"

Qi Yuning asked, "Lingling, how was Daddy to you before?"

Lingling said, "Daddy was very good to Lingling, it's just that when it was time for sleeping at night, he wasn't good. Daddy liked to hold Mother and kiss her while sleeping, and wouldn't let Lingling hold Mother. He even made Lingling go to the next room to sleep with the wet nurse."

(End of Chapter)