Lady He was greatly startled. She didn't like this willful younger sister-in-law and knew that her husband didn't want her to get too close to the Lu family. However, the Lu family was now at the height of its power, and the He family was inferior in every aspect. It was not a good time to fall out with them now.
She didn't care about her daughter's grievance. In a hurry, she walked up to the princess and shook her head. "Princess, you've misunderstood. I..."
"Lady He, you'd better deal with the matter here first. The truth is not clear yet, but all of you are eager to pin the blame on my son. I can't tolerate this. Ning'er, let's go."
Lu Wanning stared coldly at Shi Aohan but said nothing in the end. She thought she could outwit her this time, but unexpectedly, Shi Aohan was more scheming than she thought. When did Shi Aohan discover... No, if Shi Aohan had discovered her actions, she wouldn't have been in such a passive state. It was only possible that Shi Aohan had always been cautious, and even the handkerchief she carried with her was something of He Chan's.
Even if the embroidered handkerchief wasn't He Chan's now, it was likely that He Chan's own embroidered handkerchief was gone at the moment the incident happened.
Lu Wanning didn't stay any longer. Now it was just a matter of villains bickering. If they tried to drag her into it, it would only sully He Chan. So the only solution was to sacrifice Fu Rongli.
She was so disappointed. In this way, He Chan's reputation would be damaged, and only Fu Rongli would be in trouble. They couldn't touch Shi Aohan at all.
After returning to the mansion, Lu Wanning was listless. Lu Hannian tried all kinds of ways to amuse her but couldn't make her happy.
Scratching his head, Lu Hannian thought that his sister must be unhappy about what happened at the banquet. So he dragged his elder brother over and asked him to persuade his sister properly.
Lu Hanchi was very straightforward. "Ning'er, in a family like ours, it's inevitable to be envied. Moreover, our Ning'er is so excellent. It's their business to envy you. It has nothing to do with you. And don't worry. We won't let this matter go easily. We will surely make that villain Fu Rongli pay the price."
Lady He was a decisive person. Since this matter involved her daughter, she couldn't be careless. Immediately, she resorted to coercion and inducement to force Lady Fu to make a decision.
The final result was that Fu Rongli had been in love with Lu Wanning for a long time. In the past, he didn't dare to act because she was his elder brother's fiancée. Now that he had returned to the capital, he had a wicked thought. Originally, seeing the purse on Lu Wanning's body and knowing that she had thrown it away, he saw a similar one beside He Chan and took the opportunity to steal it. Then he deliberately said it was Lu Wanning's.
Although the reason was far-fetched, it managed to round up the matter. By the way, it also implied something about He Nanfeng and Jiang Shishi.
However, Lu Wanning's contemptuous words at the banquet, "He doesn't deserve it," made people dare not pour the words about attracting bees and butterflies on Lu Wanning.
As for He Chan, many people suspected that this matter was a conspiracy between He Chan and Fu Rongli. After all, the feud between He Chan and Lu Wanning had been going on for a long time.
Lu Hanchi stroked his sister's hair. "Ning'er, don't worry. In the future, with your elder brothers around, these dirty things will definitely not happen again."
Although Lu Wanning thought that no one in the Lu family was good at scheming, she still felt warm-hearted when she heard her elder brother say this. So she nodded vigorously to reassure her two elder brothers.
After her elder brothers left, Jiyue said indignantly, "Your Highness has planned for so long, but only got such a result. It's really hateful."
Lu Wanning had already recovered her mood by now. She waved her hand and said, "It doesn't matter. If we can't get rid of the rotten meat, driving away the flies is not a bad thing. That Fu Rongli is always a disaster. It's good to drive him away."
After being in a low mood for two days, Lu Hannian insisted on dragging Lu Wanning out to play. He said that they could go to the racecourse the next day. There would be horse racing, cuju, and hunting.
Spring was generally the breeding season for animals, and even the nobles didn't hunt easily. The hunting Lu Hannian mentioned was a game for girls. There were special people raising some small animals, and a fence was built beside the racecourse. All the noble ladies hunted inside this fence.
Lu Wanning was originally reluctant, but suddenly remembered that Princess Qin had said that she was going to go out of the palace to ride a horse. So she asked, "Second brother, do you know if Princess Qin is going to come?"
Scratching his head, Lu Hannian said, "Although I don't know, several young princes are going. The princess should be going too, right?"
"Then I'll go."
Lu Hannian looked at Lu Wanning in surprise. "Ning'er, you used to say that Princess Qin was a dull wooden block. Why don't you think so now?"
Lu Wanning grinned. "She's not a wooden block at all. Maybe she's the big boss behind the scenes."
Lu Hannian didn't understand what she meant, but seeing that his sister was willing to go out, he didn't care about other things.
Early the next morning, Lu Wanning put on her riding suit and went out with her second brother and second sister-in-law.
Lady Wei was worried. She pulled Lady Shao and said again and again, "Ning'er is a careless girl. Don't think she's not young, but her mind is still too simple. She has attracted others' attention recently. You must take good care of her and don't let her be bullied."
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. With me and Hannian here, nothing will happen."
Lady Wei's eyelids twitched. She thought that with her and her second brother around, it seemed even less reassuring. She quickly advised again, "There will be a lot of people today. Horse riding and hunting are too dangerous. You're pregnant. Don't do anything reckless. Horse racing is absolutely out of the question, and don't go hunting either. Just ride a horse for a while. Do you understand?"
Lady Shao said carelessly, "Sister-in-law, really don't worry. Instead, you should have a good rest at home and don't worry so much. I'm used to it in Luocheng. In our place, women are still riding horses on the back of a horse until the moment they're about to give birth."
Lady Wei wanted to cry but had no tears. She felt that after persuading her younger sister-in-law, her heart became even heavier.
After Lady Shao came to the capital, she could only exercise in her own martial arts field and always had to abide by the etiquette when going out. Today, she could finally have a good time. She was so happy that she pulled Lu Wanning and asked what the horse racing was like.
Following the original owner's memory, Lu Wanning explained, "In horse racing, you either compete in speed or in tricks. Tricks mean dancing on the horseback. There are also rules for this dancing. Dancing while riding a horse requires both speed and skill. There are very few people in our capital who can dance well."
Lady Shao quickly asked, "Ning'er, I heard from them that you're good at riding a horse. Are you the best dancer?"
Lu Wanning smiled awkwardly. The original owner's horsemanship was really excellent, but she wasn't the original owner after all. She was okay at riding a horse, but she was afraid of dancing on the horseback. How could she dance well?
"I was okay before, but now... As I've grown up, I've become more timid."
Lady Shao laughed. "I'll try it today."
Lu Wanning quickly waved her hand. "Second sister-in-law, please spare me. If you try it, mother and sister-in-law will scold me for a long time. Let's not try it. Just ride a horse."
Lady Shao nodded and said, "Okay. Then I'll have a horse race with you later and see who is faster."