Chapter 310: Envy Her Good Fortune, Not a Word About Her
In the same room, Ji Qingwu felt the floor tremble beneath her feet.
Ji Qingwu propped an elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her hand. ’This girl has quite the temper,’ she mused.
Wei Tongyou said fiercely, "You need to remember your place! If something like that happens again, you are not to go."
Ji Qingwu asked, "And what place is that?"
Wei Tongyou turned her head away. "Don’t think I’m acknowledging you. I’m just... saying it."
’Even if this Ji Wu is starting to grow on me a little, she’s still not worthy of my brother.’
Ji Qingwu tapped her fingertips together in a mock-applause and said cheerfully, "Oh, that’s wonderful."
’It’s rare to find someone who disapproves of my marriage to Wei Ting. This is a person I need to get on my side.’
Wei Tongyou was speechless. "You... How can you be like this...?"
Ji Qingwu said calmly, "The woman who will earn your approval as a sister-in-law... I think that’s someone else. It will never be me."
’She and Wei Ting just needed the right moment to clear things up, that’s all.’
’They hadn’t performed the formal bowing ceremony, nor had she served the bridal tea to his family. Most importantly, Wei Ting had been called away on their wedding night, and they hadn’t even consummated the marriage.’
Wei Tongyou said in a panic, "What do you mean? You don’t want to be my sister-in-law?"
Her hands clenched into fists. "My brother defied immense pressure from our entire clan just to bring you home as his wife!"
In the eyes of the Wei Family elders, this was an act of unfilial rebellion. But in the hearts of the family’s younger generation, especially the girls whose romantic feelings were just blooming, they felt more than a little envious of Wei Ting’s determination to overcome all obstacles to marry Ji Qingwu.
Who wouldn’t want a dashingly handsome man to fall for them, defy his family’s opposition, and remain steadfast in his desire to marry her?
Many people, both openly and secretly, envied Ji Qingwu’s good fortune, and Wei Tongyou was one of them.
Wei Tongyou said, "You can’t be so disheartened. And... I don’t really dislike you. I’ve realized you’re not at all like the rumors say."
Earlier that afternoon, seeing Ji Qingwu handle that bloody deer placenta had greatly changed Wei Tongyou’s opinion of her. Ji Qingwu just happened to be born with a delicate, bewitching face.
You couldn’t blame Ji Qingwu for the way she looked; she was born with it.
Wei Tongyou continued, "In a few days, Grandmother and the rest of the Wei Family will come around, too."
She tried to persuade her earnestly, "You should be trying to win everyone’s approval. Then, when my brother returns victorious, our whole family can have a happy reunion. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"
Ji Qingwu lifted her gaze to meet hers, her eyes filled with a gentle light. Wei Tongyou watched her with anticipation.
Ji Qingwu parted her lips and said, "Xuemei, show our guest out."
Pouting indignantly, Wei Tongyou was escorted from the room.
Once the door was shut again, Ji Qingwu untied the gauze canopy of the inner chamber and sat on the edge of the daybed. From a pocket in her sleeve, she took out the object that had been thrown from the carriage.
She opened her palm. On it lay a crescent-shaped bronze object. Judging by its polished sheen, it was a treasured possession, frequently handled by its owner.
Ji Qingwu held it up to the light and saw that the inner curve was lined with uneven, jagged teeth. She ran her fingers carefully over the rough surface.
’If I’m not mistaken, this is a key.’
’The random National Fortune bonus released by the system... it was this key!’
’The carriage with the purple and gold curtains belonged to the Su family. That means this National Fortune bonus is related to Su Fengyue... What could this key possibly open?’
Ji Qingwu abruptly stood up, spun in a circle, and sat back down, forcing herself to calm down.
’The Su family has far too many secrets.’
But she was certain of one thing: the "big fish" Emperor Wu Su had mentioned to her back at Handan Hall was Su Fengyue.
Ji Qingwu placed the key back into her sleeve pocket.
’I can’t risk alerting them. The right thing to do is to get this into the palace.’
A PITTER-PATTER sound came from outside.
Ji Qingwu turned to look. Slanting rain was already streaking down the windowpane.
The downpour suddenly intensified, and the horizon, which had still held a faint light, was now a pitch-black curtain.
Lu Juan, having received news from the palace, slipped quietly inside as night began to fall.
By the time he entered Zhaoyang Hall, he was soaked to the bone. His dark blue civilian clothes clung to his frame, and water was still dripping from his hair.
Emperor Wu Su was meditating with his eyes closed. Li Yuzong ordered a Palace Attendant to bring a cloth for Lu Juan to wipe the rain from his face.
Lu Juan shot Li Yuzong a glare.
Li Yuzong had never seen Prince Lu look so disheveled and miserable. He had to struggle to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
He ordered a nearby Palace Attendant to present a teacup from a tray. "Mr. Lu, this is ginger tea. Please, have a bowl."
Lu Juan said, "If Eunuch Li knew to prepare ginger tea in advance, why didn’t he think to send an umbrella for me?"
Li Yuzong said, "Now you’re wrongly accusing this old servant, my lord. The last time you came for an audience in the rain, you wore a rain cloak and carried an oil-paper umbrella. Not a single drop of rain touched you, save for the tops of your shoes."
Li Yuzong flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand and said with feigned regret, "This old servant never expected Mr. Lu to leave home this time with absolutely nothing."
At the mention of this, Lu Juan ground his back teeth, his expression turning as dark as the sky outside.
If Duan Mingfeng hadn’t shoved him out the door to go contend with Prime Minister Su at the Central Secretariat, he wouldn’t have been unable to return home for days on end.
Su Fengyue could pull all-nighters. Despite his advanced age, he had boundless energy. Lu Juan felt like he was in an endurance match, staying up with him for several nights in a row.
On the rare occasions Lu Juan managed to slip back to Duke Zhongyong’s Mansion, it was always in the dead of night. Afraid of waking Ji Qingrong, he would sleep in his study.
Before, Ji Qingrong had always taken care of everything for him, making sure all was in order.
Thinking of his wife, Lu Juan sighed. He glanced at the still-seated Emperor, wondering when this man planned to "awaken."
But Lu Juan knew they had been plotting for a very long time. Now, more than ever, was the time to hold their nerve.
The Emperor had placed himself in a desperate situation, counting on a rebirth from the ashes—a final, life-or-death struggle with Xijin.
The storm outside showed no signs of abating.
Amid a flash of lightning that cut through the dark like a razor’s edge, Emperor Wu Su slowly opened his eyes.
"I hear you’ve been too busy to even return to the Marquis Mansion, yet you somehow found the time to visit the Song family during the day."
Amidst a roll of thunder, it suddenly dawned on Lu Juan.
So, Li Yuzong had deliberately ordered the attendants not to send him an umbrella. He had to get thoroughly drenched to finally understand the reason for this "rain shower."
Lu Juan bowed his head. "Your Majesty, it is my duty to keep a close watch on Prime Minister Su’s movements. I only went to the Song family because I heard he had appeared there."
He made no mention of Ji Qingwu.
The smirk on Li Yuzong’s face fell. ’This Mr. Lu is too sharp,’ he thought. ’He sensed something was wrong after just a few words. It took me half the day to guess the Holy Emperor’s true intentions.’
Zhao Mingyan asked coolly, "But I heard you never showed your face at the Song family’s home. That you merely hid by the gate and watched."
Lu Juan’s soaked official boots shifted slightly. ’The Emperor even knows that?’ he wondered. ’Is he having Su Fengyue watched, or Ji Qingwu?’
"Your Majesty, from what I could gather, it was merely a minor dispute between the Wei Family and the Song family. It has already been resolved," Lu Juan answered.
"The Wei Family?"
The Emperor rose from his throne. A dazzling bolt of lightning illuminated the entire hall.