“My Dearest, it doesn’t matter whether I go or not, but Xuan’er and Rong’er must go.”
“Especially Rong’er. Our Rong’er is bright and sensible. If she can make a good impression on the Crown Princess, it will make her official career path smoother in the future.”
“No matter what, Rong’er and Xuan’er are both Qiu Ci’s younger siblings. Whether he fares well at the Crown Princess’s residence or not, he’ll still have to rely on our family in the future.”
“The more successful Rong’er becomes, the more support he’ll have, won’t he?”
“Otherwise, if he’s mistreated, there’ll be no one to stand up for him.”
Lu Huan felt her concubine had a point.
If Sun Wendan had wanted to go on her own, Lu Huan would have found it difficult to agree—after all, the summons Lu Qiuci had sent back explicitly requested a meeting with his father; what business did he have bringing any concubine along?
Not to mention that the relationship between the primary consort and the concubine was far from harmonious.
She knew Sun Wendan, relying on her favor, had often bullied Wei Hanjun in the past. But since Sun Wendan had already relinquished her position as primary consort and allowed the two children to become concubine-born children, couldn’t she make up for it in other ways?
Lu Huan had never considered this a big deal, but now the situation had changed somewhat.
Lu Qiuci’s status had changed; a son would naturally stand up for his father, so it was best for her not to provoke trouble at a time like this.
But bringing the two younger ones along was a different matter.
As the saying goes, no matter what, Lu Qiuci was their older brother; they shared the same bloodline, a fact he couldn’t deny even if he wanted to.
“Then let’s do as you say. I’ll bring Xuan’er and Rong’er along tomorrow.”
“Make sure they’re dressed up nicely.”
Sun Wendan immediately lit up with delight and agreed wholeheartedly.
Neither of them gave Wei Hanjun’s opinion a second thought; the head of the household had made the decision, and Wei Hanjun, as a man, had no right to refuse.
Lu Huan casually summoned a servant and sent him to Wei Hanjun’s courtyard to relay the news.
In the western wing of the Lu residence lay a modest, shabby courtyard where Wei Hanjun and Lu Qiuci had lived before his marriage.
The entire courtyard consisted of only two rooms—the eastern and western side rooms—with Wei Hanjun and his son each occupying one.
Wei Hanjun’s health had indeed suffered from years of hard work, but to claim he was too ill to manage household affairs? Hmph, that was nothing but a laughable excuse.
Without such a pretext, how could Lu Huan possibly strip him of his authority—the very power that symbolized his status as the head of the household—and hand it over to Sun Wendan?
Wei Hanjun had long seen through it all; he simply felt sorry for his son, who had been saddled with such a mother.
All these years, he had held on, refusing to let that pair of scoundrels—Sun Wendan and Lu Huan—succeed, all to ensure his son would not lose even his status as the legitimate heir.
Wei Hanjun sat in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky, his vitality and spirit seemingly drained from his body.
All those years of fiercely guarding his son’s status as the legitimate heir—only to have him marry into the Crown Princess’s household as the price. Was it really worth it?
If his son, Qiu Ci, were not the legitimate heir, no matter how hard the imperial family searched, they would never have found him.
Wei Hanjun was no fool. He knew that as the son of a minor Fifth-Rank official, Lu Qiuci would face unimaginable humiliation after his marriage—likely more hardship and suffering than he himself had endured during his decades in the Lu household.
Every time this thought crossed his mind, Wei Hanjun felt as though his very spirit was being shattered.
One day, two days, three days—in the blink of an eye, three days had passed since Lu Qiuci had been married from the Lu residence to the Eastern Palace. Every moment, Wei Hanjun wondered if his son was all right.
Every image that flashed through his mind was far from pleasant; with every new possibility of his son being mistreated, it felt as though his heart was being sliced open once more. Yixing Nü
Just then, a servant delivered a summons from Lu Qiuci. “My Lord, the Master has sent me to deliver this decree.
“This comes from the Crown Princess’s residence. The Consort of the Crown Princess summons you and the Master to pay your respects at the Crown Princess’s residence tomorrow.”
The Consort of the Crown Princess—that was his son!
Wei Hanjun’s eyes lit up instantly, and he snatched the decree from the servant’s hands.
Overcome with joy, he wept.
“It’s Qiuci’s handwriting. It’s definitely Qiuci’s handwriting.”
The weight on his heart finally lifted slightly.
It seemed his son had caught the Crown Princess’s eye; otherwise, he would never have received such a gracious invitation to visit the Eastern Palace.
Wei Hanjun cared not a whit for his wife, Lu Huan; the affection between them had long since faded. All his thoughts now were of his son.
Tomorrow—tomorrow he would finally see his child.
Heaven help him—he had no idea if the boy had grown thin or how much suffering he had endured.
The next day, Wei Hanjun woke early. After washing and dressing, he sat in the hall, waiting, eager to see his son as soon as possible.
Finally, when preparations at the main courtyard were complete and a servant came to summon him, Wei Hanjun set off for the main courtyard accompanied by a young attendant.
The carriage was already hitched outside the main gate, ready to depart as soon as they boarded.
But what Wei Hanjun never expected was that Lu Huan had actually brought the two younger children, Lu Xuan and Lu Rong, along in the carriage.
Sun Wendan stood nearby, helping her youngest daughter adjust her clothes while speaking to her in a soft, gentle voice.
“Xuan’er, Rong’er, today your mother is taking you to the Crown Princess’s residence. You must listen to your Mother and Lord father and not get into trouble, understand?”
Lu Xuan: “I understand, Father. I’ll take good care of my little sister.”
Lu Rong snorted. She was still upset that her father couldn’t come to the Crown Princess’s residence.
But she was too curious about the Crown Princess’s residence to want to miss it, and she didn’t want to stay behind with her father, so she could only give Wei Hanjun a sulky look.
Wei Hanjun ignored the two little brats and turned directly to Lu Huan.
“Lu Huan, what do you mean by this?”
“Where in the degree sent by Qiu Ci does it say you’re allowed to bring the two children along?”
Lu Huan’s face darkened instantly. “Why can’t I bring Xuan’er and Rong’er? They’re Qiu Ci’s younger siblings.”
Wei Hanjun retorted, “I only gave birth to Qiu Ci—I never bore these two illegitimate children!”
Lu Xuan, standing nearby, instantly felt tears welling up in his eyes. He was deeply sensitive about his status as an illegitimate child; though he usually managed to delude himself into pretending otherwise, now that Wei Hanjun had bluntly called him out, he was overcome with shame and anger, on the verge of tears.
He couldn’t help but complain to Lu Huan: “Mother—”
Lu Rong was even more spoiled and defiant; she clenched her fists, ready to strike Wei Hanjun, but was swiftly held back by Sun Wendan.
“Rong’er, stop! How dare you be disrespectful to the Lord!”
Lu Huan: “Wei Hanjun, don’t be so ungrateful.”
“I wasn’t obligated to visit the Crown Princess’s residence today. Even if Qiu Ci becomes the Crown Princess, she is still Lu Huan’s son. I could easily have sent a reply declining today’s visit.”
This struck right at Wei Hanjun’s Achilles’ heel.
Because he knew Lu Huan was absolutely capable of doing such a thing.
True, Lu Huan could use his status as an elder to find an excuse to decline the Crown Princess’s summons once, but she certainly couldn’t refuse a second or third time.
That would be tantamount to deceiving the Crown.
Yet he didn’t want to put Lu Qiuci in a difficult position, and he was eager to see his son immediately.
For this reason, Wei Hanjun had no choice but to swallow his pride. With a cold expression, he told the servant, “Ready another carriage. I will not be traveling with them.”
Wei Hanjun had already made a concession, and since Lu Huan was in the wrong to begin with, she could not press him too hard.
Two carriages finally set off from the Lu residence, heading toward the Princess’s Mansion.
That morning, Xu Chen had already left by carriage for the Ministry of War. After Xu Chen departed, Lin Yi immediately began making preparations for the visit of Lu Qiuci’s parents.
Consequently, as soon as the carriages from the Lu residence arrived, the side gate of the Princess’s residence swung open, and a maidservant stepped forward to guide the carriages into the compound.
Lin Yi, accompanied by his attendants, was waiting personally. Upon seeing that two carriages had arrived from the Lu Mansion, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly.
However, upon further reflection, he surmised that the second, somewhat more modest carriage likely contained gifts the Lu family had brought for Lu Qiuci. He dismissed his misgivings and stepped forward to greet Wei Hanjun and Lu Huan as they arrived.
“Mother, are we there yet?”
“I want to get out! I want to get out!”
Lin Yi never expected that when the door of the first carriage opened, Lu Qiuci’s father—Wei Hanjun, the rightful lord of the Lu estate—would not be inside.
Instead, a middle-aged woman and two children—a boy and a girl—stepped out.
The one chattering away was the younger girl; the boy looked to be about fifteen or sixteen and bore a slight resemblance to the Princess consort.
Lin Yi’s expression turned icy in an instant. His gaze swept over Lu Huan, who had disembarked first, then shifted to the carriage behind.
When he saw Wei Hanjun emerge from the carriage, all hope vanished. He never in a million years would have imagined Lu Huan to be so utterly without self-restraint.
Lu Qiuci had specifically sought the princess’s favor to invite his parents to visit the Crown Princess’s residence, and had even given Mo Xiao detailed instructions. From this, Lin Yi had surmised that the situation for Lu Qiuci and Wei Hanjun—father and son—at the Lu residence could not be very good.
But what Lin Yi hadn’t anticipated was that Lu Huan would dare to act so brazenly during their visit to the Crown Princess’s residence.
Lin Yi now fully understood the purpose behind Lu Qiuci’s arrangements for this gathering.
He resolved to help the Princess Consort play out this charade to the fullest.
Over there, Lu Huan, accompanied by her children, was preparing to greet him, but Lin Yi didn’t even glance at her; he strode straight toward Wei Hanjun.
“Lord Wei, Princess Consort has been thinking of you since this morning. Several times he asked when the Lu family’s carriage would arrive. Please, Lord Wei, come with me at once.”
Only after speaking to Lord Wei Han did Lin Yi turn her gaze to Lu Huan and say coldly, “Censor Lu, please come along as well.”
Lu Huan’s expression stiffened. A surge of anger welled up within her—she felt ignored and insulted. She was clearly standing right there, yet the people from the Princess’s residence had greeted Lord Wei Han first instead of her. It was as if they were trampling her dignity underfoot.
Yet she understood all too well why Lin Yi had suddenly turned on her. Her grip on her daughter’s hand tightened involuntarily, squeezing Lu Rong so hard it hurt.
The little girl pouted, on the verge of crying out, but the atmosphere at the Crown Princess’s residence was far too solemn and intimidating. Even the most spoiled child would grow timid in such an environment and dare not make a sound.
Lu Huan quickly realized she was hurting her youngest daughter’s hand and let go immediately. She turned to her second son and said, “Xuan’er, hold your sister’s hand tight. Don’t get into trouble.”
She then walked nonchalantly over to Wei Hanjun’s side.
Seeing her mother walk ahead, Lu Rong felt a surge of fear and shrieked, “Mother—”
Lu Huan’s eyelid twitched. “Xuan’er, take care of your little sister!”
“Rong’er, be a good girl. Your brother is holding your hand. Follow Mother; everything will be fine.”
Wei Hanjun watched her play the role of a loving mother with a cold gaze, not the slightest intention of offering a helping hand.
In the end, however, he did not make a move to reject her approach.
They were Lu Qiuci’s parents; they couldn’t bring shame upon their son at the Princess’s residence.
Watching the farce unfolding before him, Lin Yi couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, thinking to himself that it was no wonder the head of the Lu family had remained a mere Imperial Censor all these years.
Truly unable to distinguish between what was important and what was trivial.