nycdaug Chapter 135 Lu Jiayan leaves without saying goodbye
Chapter 135 Lu Jiayan leaves without saying goodbye
The marriage between the Chen family and the Shou family did not take place, and even the marriage arranged by Prince Jin was rejected.
This news inevitably spread throughout the banquet, and even the women at the banquet where Xiao Yueshan was seated knew about it. The Duke of Dingguo and the Duke of Xinguo's wives at the banquet immediately changed their expressions. Even the daughter of the Chen family of the Duke of Xinguo, Chen Yaxian, who was very well-mannered, had an expression that made her want to cry but couldn't.
The women around were all whispering to each other. Some ladies who knew the inside story had already looked at Lu Jiayan, thinking that it must be the Zhou family's distant cousin who had used some seductive tactics.
I only heard the wife of Duke Dingguo force a smile and say, "A son is no longer under the control of his mother. This child has been spoiled by us and has a bit of a fierce temper."
Lady Xin Guogong gnashed her teeth and agreed, "Yes, such a beautiful girl will definitely find a perfect match in the future."
However, it was unknown what they were thinking. This was a banquet hosted by the Prince of Jin, and the Xin family could not just walk away and lose their manners. A good banquet ended in such a bad mood.
Xiao Yueshan turned to Lu Jiayan and said softly, "Jiayan, even if today's matter is a little troublesome, it's over now that it's made clear. I'm here, and I won't let others bully you."
Lu Jiayan looked at her gratefully and said, "Thank you, Yueshan. Although Mr. Shou is a good man, I know the gap between us and I have no intention of being with him. I just hope not to cause any trouble to you."
Xiao Yueshan's eyes flashed with admiration. Lu Jiayan had indeed been very clear-headed. "Sister is indeed a person with strong opinions. However, most of the powerful families in the capital pay attention to matching up with each other, so don't take it too seriously."
Lu Jiayan nodded. The banquet was coming to an end, and everyone stood up and said goodbye and left.
Just as I was thinking about it, I saw a maid hurried over, bowed and said, "Madam Zhou, the Princess of Jin wants to see you."
Xiao Yueshan's eyes flashed, and she instructed: "Go back to the carriage and rest first, don't think too much, I'll be back soon." After that, she followed the maid to the Princess of Jin's place.
The Princess of Jin had dismissed her attendants and said to Xiao Yueshan with a smile, "I wonder if today's event has satisfied Madam Xiao's wishes? I didn't know Shou Junwu was so ungrateful that he even dared to refuse the marriage arranged by the prince in court."
Xiao Yueshan bowed slightly and said, "I have no interest in Lord Shou, and this matter has nothing to do with our Zhou Mansion."
"You are quite clear-headed, but I'm afraid that everyone in the capital will think that your Miss Lu is just being coquettish." She picked up the teacup, "Well, Duke Ding and Duke Xin are both important officials in the court. They will not turn against each other because of this failed marriage. I will mediate. Then you can say that Miss Lu is seriously ill and send her back to her hometown in Chengzhou."
"Thank you, Princess." Xiao Yueshan bowed again.
"These are not important. Last time I told you about opening a foundry, I chose a location near Pingcui Mountain in the western suburbs." She raised her hand to signal Xiao Yueshan to stand up. "Not far from Pingcui Mountain is Yufeng Manor, which was my mother's dowry. Yuyan is my trusted maid. She will cooperate with you to prepare all the tools and manpower needed for the foundry. I have sent the ore to Yufeng Manor. You must start casting weapons within March."
"It is not difficult to forge weapons. I dare to ask, what is the purpose of forging so many weapons, Princess?" She personally admired the Princess of Jin. As a virtuous wife of the regent prince, she was not at all sentimental.
The Princess of Jin has always behaved like a female politician. Many times, she even performed the duties of the Queen, acting as the mother of the country, maneuvering and connecting with the inner court, and showing favor to the upper and lower classes. She has a good reputation among officials' wives and noble ladies.
Xiao Yueshan felt that with such careful assistance from Prince Jin, there was indeed some hope for him to ascend to the throne. Since they wanted to win over her family, they had to really give her some original shares.
"When things are not fair, they will complain. Madam Xiao is so smart, wouldn't she know what the prince and I want?" Princess Jin asked with a smile, "Master Zhou and Madam Xiao are so useful. If Your Majesty were in his prime, he would also win them over like I did."
She extended her hand and asked Xiao Yueshan to sit on the chair below. "Please sit down and try this tea. It is new tea from Yunyuan. This is the only tea from the first batch to be brought to Beijing. It is all here with me."
Yunyuan, Yunyuan Zhao, could it be that the Minister of Personnel Zhao Lingji has also sided with Chu Yuanming? Xiao Yueshan didn't dare to ask, so he just picked up the teacup and sipped it carefully.
Seeing that she did not ask any questions, the Princess of Jin continued, "What a pity. It is fate and time. Your Majesty is no longer in his prime and is not favored by heaven. Now you are entrusted with such an important task and are asked to carry out the celebrations. It is really difficult for you to do so. Your Majesty has inherited the great tradition and has been working hard day and night. Isn't he more favored by heaven?"
The words of the Princess of Jin were too straightforward. Xiao Yueshan was secretly shocked, but she didn't show it on her face. If even Zhao Lingji stood on the side of the Prince of Jin, and with the addition of the Shou and Chen families, the change of dynasty was just around the corner. "I understand."
Since the Prince of Jin and his wife have such ambitions and are showing goodwill to her, she can only cling to this thigh tightly.
"Do you know why I chose you to handle this matter?" The Princess of Jin suddenly changed the subject.
Xiao Yueshan shook her head, "I don't know."
"Although your father and brother are in the court, your father is only a fourth-rank official. Without my help, when will he be promoted to the third-rank?" The Princess of Jin chuckled. "You are a woman, and you have the talent of thinking and managing the household. If you do it, it won't attract too much attention."
Xiao Yueshan stood up and knelt, "Thank you for your trust, Princess. Yueshan will definitely live up to your trust."
"Get up." The Princess of Jin nodded with satisfaction. "As long as you work faithfully, you will get all the benefits in the future."
Xiao Yueshan thanked him again. He already had a plan in mind. He was determined to get the Prince of Jin and his wife. He would definitely contact more ministers in the court and go back to ask Xiao's father when he had the chance.
After leaving Prince Jin's Mansion, Xiao Yueshan hurried back to the carriage.
Lu Jiayan hurried forward and asked what was going on.
Xiao Yueshan did not tell her about the foundry. She only said that the Princess of Jin suggested that she claim to be sick and live in the Zhou family's old house in Chengzhou for a while until the storm died down.
Lu Jiayan nodded in agreement.
Seeing that she had no objection, Xiao Yueshan explained, "At that time, I thought Zhou Yao would not be able to come back, so I asked Deng Xiao to decorate the courtyard in the ancestral hall of the Zhou family's old house, and all the necessary items were ready. Deng Xiao has been to Chengzhou's hometown to check out the place, and he is quite familiar with you. He also cooperated well with you in Zuihuayin. This time, I asked him to bring his family servants to accompany you to Chengzhou, which is also safer."
She carefully planned for Lu Jiayan. Lu Jiayan was grateful for her consideration. She knew that the capital was a place of trouble and it was not suitable for her to stay for a long time, but she had made up her mind not to cause trouble for Xiao Yueshan anymore.
After returning home, Lu Jiayan went back to Fuyun Courtyard to rest in silence. Xiao Yueshan found Zhou Yao to discuss the matter of the Princess of Jin planning to open a new foundry, and wanted to learn from him about the drawings and construction experience.
After listening to Xiao Yueshan's story, Zhou Yao felt that the matter was of great importance. He decided to take advantage of the day off to go to Yufeng Manor with Xiao Yueshan to discuss the details with Yuyan.
When the couple woke up, they heard Yun Zhou, the maid from Fuyun Courtyard, come to report: "My lord, Madam, it's bad, Miss Lu is missing!"