After lingering with Jiang Rui like cowhide candy for a long time, Lu Xingzhou asked, “The minister heard that Niangniang has not stepped out of the palace gate all day today, but why is it, because of bad mood?”
“I haven’t gone out for a day, you know everything. Except for Hanyan, who else in this palace is not Lu Gonggong’s person?” Jiang Rui looked at him.
Lu Xingzhou chuckled, put his arm around her, and rubbed it, before saying: “Niangniang’s words are bad. Although those people are minister’s, the minister after all is Niangniang. In the final analysis, they are still Niangniang’s people.”
Jiang Rui sneered softly: “Gonggong’s mouth is getting more and more slippery.”
Lu Xingzhou laughed without saying a word and then asked, “The minister wonders why Niangniang doesn’t want to go out? After learning about it, the minister was really worried.”
“Don’t you remember anything good you’ve done? Gnawing and biting like a puppy. You are embarrassed to bite, but I don’t have a face to meet people with such marks.” Jiang Rui said unhappily.
Only then did Lu Xingzhou understand the reason. He looked at her carefully, and sure enough, he saw that there was a little skin exposed between her loose hair and there were little red marks on her skin.
Not only did he not feel ashamed when he saw the evidence he had committed, he was rather content and satisfied, as if this would prove that the person in his arms belonged to him.
“Okay.” Jiang Rui gave him a push. “First remind Gonggong, if you want to stay tonight, please be a little more restrained. If you make trouble again, don’t blame me for being ruthless and beating you out overnight.”
Lu Xingzhou laughed, “The minister will obey what Niangniang said.”
In this way, they lived peacefully for one night. For many days after that, Lu Xingzhou came every night and left in the early morning of the next day.
His whereabouts were secret. He came late and went early. Except for the people who served in Jiang Rui’s sleeping palace, he was not noticed by outsiders for the time being.
A few days later, one morning, Empress Dowager Xie’s sister-in-law, Li Shi, went to her palace again to see her.
When Jiang Rui saw her seeing herself again, her expression was obviously different from last time. She knew that the Xie family should have learned about her relationship with Lu Xingzhou. She did not show anything on her face, but she still met her as before.
Li Shi’s eyes dodged. She was already a little in awe of this sister-in-law who became the Empress Dowager. But now she knew what she had done for the Xie family, she had some sympathy. But the female virtue she received since she was a child told her that a woman should be the same end from the beginning. If the private relationship between Empress Dowager and Lu Xingzhou was exposed, she was afraid that the reputation of the women of the Xie family would be implicated. She was only afraid that her two daughters would be difficult to talk to because of this.
She thought so in her heart and she could not help showing a little bit on her face. She also brought the words of the Old Lady of the Xie family. Although she did not say it directly, she implicitly implied that Jiang Rui and Lu Xingzhou were able to deal with each other, so it was best to borrow his handle, combine inside and outside, and push him down in one fell swoop.
Jiang Rui coped with it with an unchanged expression and then Hanyan sent Li Shi out of the palace. But when she came back, she stomped his foot in anger.
“Niangniang, why are they, why are they like this?”
She originally thought that if she revealed the incident to the Xie Mansion, they would definitely feel sorry for Niangniang, and perhaps, they could think of ways to help Niangniang get out of the clutches of Lu Gonggong. But as a result, these people only care about whether the reputation of the mansion will be affected, but also they want Niangniang to cater to it and even act as a spy. Didn’t they think that if this matter was exposed, how would Lu Gonggong treat Niangniang?
Hanyan is really confused. The person she thought should be good to Niangniang did not take Niangniang to heart. And the one who looked horribly disgusting like Lu Gonggong, but sincerely treated Niangniang.
Jiang Rui is not very surprised. The fact that the Xie family can send Empress Dowager Xie to the palace, has already shown that blood and family are not as tempting as power and wealth. Moreover, in the past ten years of entering the palace, they have only met several times a year and each meeting is still far apart. How many feelings have been smoothed out?
Since it doesn’t talk about the appropriateness, then only benefits are left.
The reason why the Xie family was so anxious to deal with Lu Xingzhou, she could also guess a few points. First, it was for the so-called support of justice, and more importantly, the Little Emperor sitting on the dragon chair is his nominal grandson. If there was no Lu Xingzhou, the emperor was so young, and as the emperor’s grandfather, he could grab the power that the Xie family could not reach now. Maybe then, the Xie family would become the first-class rich and noble family in the capital.
The thoughts of the Xie family are also natural and Jiang Rui doesn’t feel the need to blame them for anything. But in the same way, she is not Empress Dowager Xie and she will not become the sword in their hands.
She promised Empress Dowager Xie that she would only save the life and throne of the Little Emperor. Based on her current familiarity with Lu Xingzhou, it was certain that he happened to have no interest in these two things.
Therefore, if the Xie family is safe, it will naturally be able to preserve wealth. If they had different thoughts, between the Xie family and Lu Xingzhou, Jiang Rui naturally chose the latter.
Of course, Li Shi’s request for a meeting could not escape Lu Xingzhou’s eyes and ears.
When he came at night, he did not mention the matter. He just hugged Jiang Rui and said some gossip. In the end, Jiang Rui pointed out the matter directly.
“For the Xie family, I don’t know what Gonggong’s plan is?”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152