After returning home, Lu Wanning kept ruminating on things and felt something was amiss. So she went to look for the princess again, planning to ask her to take her to the He family to have a good talk with He Nanfeng.
However, she couldn't find the princess, nor her eldest sister - in - law. Only her second sister - in - law was teaching Lu Cheng martial arts.
Although Lu Cheng was still a young boy, he showed quite a good stance, which made Mrs. Shao praise him again and again, saying that he would be more outstanding than his father and uncle in the future.
Lu Wanning asked curiously, "Second sister - in - law, are you and Chengcheng the only ones at home? Where have mother and eldest sister - in - law gone?"
Mrs. Shao looked up and explained, "The He family sent someone this morning, saying that there was a change in the marriage of the third young master of the He family. The Jiang family complained that the betrothal gifts from the He family were too few and made a fuss. Tsk tsk, even the prominent families in the capital would make a big deal out of such trifles. It's really laughable. I don't think the Jiang family is a good one. If the He family marries a woman from that family, they'll be in trouble."
Lu Cheng immediately looked up and said, "Aunt Jiang is a very nice person. Second aunt, you're not allowed to say that about Aunt Jiang."
Mrs. Shao liked Lu Cheng very much. She squatted down and stroked his face. "Do you think Miss Jiang is very beautiful? Second aunt tells you, the more beautiful a girl is, the more ruthless she might be. Don't be deceived by her appearance."
Hearing this, Lu Wanning felt delighted. It was she who instigated Jiang Shishi to make trouble in the Jiang family, and she didn't expect it to happen so soon. Of course, it was understandable. The He family had prepared the betrothal gifts for He Wenbo before, and this time they just needed to carry them over again. It didn't take much effort, so they could do it quickly.
As for He Nanfeng, he was really a stubborn one. She couldn't persuade him, so she simply gave up. Anyway, she knew that he actually didn't like the He family, but was just restricted by the etiquette. Now that he saw the woman he loved being wronged, how would he choose?
Not long after, the princess and Mrs. Wei came back.
The princess was fuming. She ignored everyone and went straight into her room. Mrs. Wei looked a bit pale. After all, she was pregnant and not as strong as usual. It took her a long time to recover. Then she sat down on the chair with a gloomy face and said nothing.
Mrs. Shao didn't understand the affairs in the capital. She just wanted to hear the gossips about the He and Jiang families. She first told Mrs. Wei some interesting things about Lu Cheng's martial - arts practice today. When she saw that Mrs. Wei's complexion had improved, she asked, "Mother and you both look like this. Could it be that the Jiang family is so shameless that they keep pestering about the betrothal gifts?"
Mrs. Wei sighed helplessly. "If it were the Jiang family being unreasonable, mother wouldn't be so worried. This matter is clearly the fault of the He family. No family would do such a thing."
Mrs. Shao and Lu Wanning glanced at each other. They didn't quite understand what Mrs. Wei meant.
Mrs. Wei continued, "The Jiang family is also a prominent family. They won't treat their daughter badly. They won't embezzle the betrothal gifts. Their daughter will surely take them back when she gets married. But the He family has really gone too far this time."
Lu Wanning nodded. "I know this. I was there when the He family sent the betrothal gifts to the Jiang family last time. Hehe, you two sisters - in - law don't know. Those betrothal gifts were obviously shoddy. There were dozens of carriages of things, but they were all big items. There were very few really good things. Eldest sister - in - law, did you see the list of betrothal gifts today? Is it the same as I said?"
Mrs. Wei glanced at her. "If it were as you described, the Jiang family might not be so angry. It is said that there are many fewer items in the betrothal gifts, and their quality has also deteriorated a lot. If calculated, there is at least half less than before."
Lu Wanning was stunned. She thought they would just carry over the same shabby betrothal gifts as last time. She didn't expect the He family to be so shameless. Mrs. He might do such a thing, but Duke He was the head of the family. How could he let Mrs. He act recklessly?
Mrs. Wei continued, "Do you know why mother was so angry? After the third young master of the He family heard the news, he knelt down and asked the clan elder that since it was time for him to get married, he could be separated from the family. When Duke He heard this, he immediately ordered the family punishment and whipped the third young master more than twenty times with his own hands, saying that he was deliberately disgracing the He family."
Lu Wanning gasped. Usually, the family punishment only meant a few symbolic blows, which could still make one's skin split. More than twenty blows would be too much. Even a person with good martial arts skills and a strong body would have a hard time bearing it, let alone He Nanfeng, a frail scholar.
"More than twenty blows? How could he be so cruel? And isn't it them who are disgracing themselves? They're so greedy and leave no room at all. How dare they shift the blame?"
Mrs. Wei nodded. "Yes, several clan elders of the He family also said the same thing. But unfortunately, they had no say in this matter. So they quickly sent someone to the princess mansion, asking mother to go and help mediate."
The princess had always felt sorry for He Nanfeng since he lost his parents when he was young. Now seeing that his elder brother had beaten him so severely, and being a person who couldn't hide her emotions, she naturally showed her displeasure on her face.
Mrs. Wei continued, "When mother saw the third young master of the He family beaten like that, her tone was inevitably unpleasant. But Duke He actually said that she had always been partial and only favored... Anyway, mother was very angry and forced Duke He to separate the family. Finally..."
She hesitated in her words. Lu Wanning was anxious. "Finally, what happened? Did they separate the family?"
Mrs. Wei shook her head and said helplessly, "Duke He didn't agree. He said that He Nanfeng had disgraced the He family. He could be separated from the family only if he died."
Lu Wanning's heart sank. She was a bit confused. Duke He had always been a moderate person, taking an almost indifferent attitude towards everything. He never stood out, but neither did he make mistakes. Occasionally, when others said that he was not as good as the old duke or the former heir, he would just smile it off, saying that he was far inferior to his father and elder brother.
Such a cautious person, why would he suddenly rather bear the reputation of mistreating his nephew than separate the family?
Mrs. Shao asked, "What about the third young master of the He family?"
Mrs. Wei looked even more worried. "Duke He had said his words. After all, mother was a married - out daughter and couldn't interfere too much. She just wanted to comfort the third young master well. But unexpectedly, although the third young master didn't show it on his face, he was actually very stubborn. Even though he was seriously injured, he still asked his servant to carry him out of the Duke He's mansion, saying that if he couldn't be separated from the family, he would never go back home."
Mrs. Shao was also worried. "This is the third young master's fault. Duke He is after all an elder. How could he be so disobedient? It seems that when everyone has calmed down, we should ask mother, elder brother and Hanian to persuade the uncle and nephew."
Mrs. Wei also had this intention.
However, Lu Wanning felt something strange. He Nanfeng, that stubborn guy, would surely be angry because Miss Jiang was wronged. But since he couldn't be separated from the family, with his character, he should have tried to compensate the Jiang family. Why did he really confront Duke He?
Did the characters of this uncle and nephew change so drastically in one day?
She always felt that something was wrong.
When Lu Wanning returned to her courtyard, she still felt uneasy. After thinking for a long time, her eyes suddenly lit up. There had been too many strange things recently, such as Sheng Jinyu suddenly closing the Linglong Pavilion, his fainting, and his hinting to her early on to involve Lu Hongxi.
Everything had been pre - planned. And if she guessed correctly, Sheng Jinyu and He Nanfeng might have more than just the friendship of being schoolmates in childhood.