A gust of wind blew by. Lu Wanning lost her balance and almost fell. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Sheng Jinyu's arm.
Sheng Jinyu's eyes showed a look of impatience. He simply pointed and said, "That branch over there."
Lu Wanning reluctantly let go of her hand. She turned to the other side and hugged the branch tightly, fearing that another gust of wind would blow her off. She pouted and thought to herself that this Prince Yu was really so unromantic. After all, she was a great beauty. When she took the initiative to get close to him, he still seemed impatient.
Well, Prince Yu was already nineteen years old. There were neither a principal nor a secondary concubine in his mansion. It seemed that in the book, he never had a woman until his death. Either he was impotent or had an unusual sexual orientation.
Lu Wanning curled her lips and thought about Sheng Jinyu's ending in the book. Actually, Sheng Jinyu was the greatest enemy of the Crown Prince. Although his maternal clan was not powerful, he was extremely capable and ruthless in his actions, and was deeply trusted by the emperor. As the emperor got older, he became more and more suspicious. He always suspected that someone was trying to harm him. He even suspected his own son, the Crown Prince. Only Sheng Jinyu was the one he never doubted.
Therefore, the emperor wanted to depose the Crown Prince several times and establish Prince Yu as the new Crown Prince.
It was a pity that this man had an untimely death. After the emperor passed away, he was so grief - stricken that he lost his mind. On the day of the emperor's funeral, he killed several court officials and then died of spitting blood.
If he had survived, it would still be a question whether the Crown Prince could ascend the throne smoothly.
Lu Wanning rolled her eyes. The book didn't mention what disease Prince Yu had. It only said that he suffered from some heart disease. Now, seeing that he was so healthy without any sign of illness, maybe, just like Lu Hongxi's rebellion, he was framed by someone?
What if she could find a way to keep Prince Yu alive?
Anyway, she was determined to cling to this powerful backer and would never let go.
Thinking like this, Lu Wanning turned her head and gave Sheng Jinyu a sweet smile. She asked, "Prince Yu, don't you feel cold staying here?"
Sheng Jinyu glanced at her slowly and didn't answer. Instead, he pointed downward and said, "Your father has left. You can leave too."
Lu Wanning looked down and indeed saw that there was no one in the warm pavilion. But the tree was so tall. How could she get down? Well, she still needed his help. With his repeated help, the two of them would surely get familiar with each other.
But when she looked up, Lu Wanning found that Sheng Jinyu had somehow moved to another branch and was lying there with his eyes closed, obviously not planning to pay any attention to her.
What was going on? How could she get down without his help?
She called out a few times but didn't dare to shout too loudly. Sheng Jinyu still ignored her. Lu Wanning was so angry that she decided to rely on herself. She climbed down the tree bit by bit. Not only her outer cloak but also the inner skirt was torn in several places. Her hands were also rubbed red and swollen.
Finally, Lu Wanning managed to climb down the tree. She was so angry that she even wanted to pick up a stone and throw it at Sheng Jinyu. This man was really crazy! She never wanted to cling to a powerful backer again.
On the way home, Lu Wanning was listless and followed her second sister - in - law angrily.
Shao turned around and stroked her little face. She asked in surprise, "Where did you go playing wildly? How did you end up like this?"
Hearing this, Lu Hannian also turned around and laughed, "Did you fall or climb a tree?"
Lu Wanning pouted and said, "There was a bird's nest in the tree. There was also a fierce eagle bullying the baby birds. So I climbed up to drive the eagle away. That eagle was really hateful. I'll beat it every time I see it."
Lu Hannian scratched his head. "Is there a bird's nest at this time of the year? Is there an eagle in the palace?"
...
Lu Wanning kept the Queen Mother's words in mind. After taking a bath at home, she rushed to the main courtyard and ran into the princess's room all the way. The nanny was so frightened that she quickly stopped her.
"It's so late. Why isn't the princess resting yet? The prince and the princess have already gone to bed."
People should stay up late on New Year's Eve. Lu Wanning didn't believe that they had gone to bed. She just shouted, "I'm looking for my father."
The nanny waved her hand. "Be good, princess. Let the maid take you back."
Fortunately, Lu Hongxi's voice came from the room. "Let Ning'er come in."
Lu Wanning walked in and saw that the princess was sitting at the table. There were account books on the table. Presumably, she was talking to Lu Hongxi about the accounts of the mansion this year.
Lu Hongxi waved. "It's so late. What do you want from your father, Ning'er?"
Lu Wanning walked to the table, picked up a cup and drank a big mouthful of water. Then she asked the princess, "Mother, did you visit the Queen Mother later? What did the Queen Mother say to you?"
The princess looked at her in confusion and smiled. "She didn't say anything special. When we went in, the Queen Mother was already in good spirits. When she heard that your second sister - in - law was pregnant, she was very happy and gave a reward."
"Just that?"
The princess nodded. After thinking for a while, she added, "She was also worried about you. She said that after the New Year, she would send a nanny and a maid for you. I didn't want them at first, but the Queen Mother insisted, so I agreed."
Lu Wanning hung her head. It seemed that the Queen Mother only said those words when she was in a daze.
She got up and pulled Lu Hongxi's sleeve. "Father, father. Daughter has something to tell you. Come on, let's go to the study."
The princess laughed. "My child, is there anything you can't let your mother hear?"
Lu Wanning stuck out her tongue. "I won't let mother hear. It's a secret between me and father."
Lu Hongxi laughed heartily and reached out to stroke Lu Wanning's hair. "Since it's Ning'er's secret, father will surely listen."
In the study, Lu Wanning became serious. She told Lu Hongxi what had happened when she met the Queen Mother in the Shoukang Palace today, especially emphasizing the ramblings of the Queen Mother when she was in a coma.
After listening, Lu Hongxi just shook his head and sighed. "The Queen Mother is in poor health and always worries about all sorts of things. She doesn't understand the affairs in the court. Why does she want to interfere? Ning'er, when you enter the palace to accompany the Queen Mother in the future, you should comfort her from time to time and tell her that everything at home is fine. Father is a military general. His duty is to hold the tiger tally and military power to defend the country. Even if I have the military power, I can't move it casually. I have to wait for the emperor's order. The Queen Mother is over - worrying."
Lu Wanning didn't think the Queen Mother was over - worrying. Although one couldn't move the military power casually, it would be very easy for the Crown Prince's faction to frame them.
"Father, daughter thinks that one should be cautious to ensure long - term safety. The Queen Mother said so for a reason. Moreover, father also saw the situation in the main hall today. There are always some people who think that your position as a prince is in their way. They want to deal with you and our mansion."
Lu Hongxi laughed again. "You're so childish. It's not that serious. Those civil officials don't know the hardships of us military generals. Why should I care so much about them? In a few months, I'll set off for Luocheng again. I won't see them many times. It doesn't matter."
"But what about the emperor?" Lu Wanning asked anxiously. "What if the emperor also suspects you?"
Lu Hongxi's face darkened. "What do you mean?"
Lu Wanning said, "Father, do you know why I insisted on asking the emperor for a reward in the main hall today regardless of anything?"