Lu Wanning looked at her elder brother and knew that he was also puzzled. Her father and second brother in the family were both reckless. The He family was her mother's natal family, and the queen was her mother's younger sister. Only her elder brother was quite intelligent, but his actions were restricted everywhere, which was indeed inconvenient.
She gave a faint smile and looked at Lu Hanchi. "Yesterday, I was so frightened. The He and Fu families were the instigators. Have Father and Mother taken any measures to support me?"
Lu Hanchi felt extremely guilty. Since Ning'er broke off the engagement with the Fu family last time, there had been no more exchanges between the two families. They didn't even nod to each other when they met in the court. With just a few words from Duke He, Mother had softened her heart.
"Ning'er is fine, so Father and Mother..."
Lu Wanning sneered. "So, they will only look into it after I'm really framed and get into trouble?"
Lu Hanchi shook his head repeatedly. "No, Ning'er. From now on, wherever you go, I'll send more people to protect you. I won't let..."
"Elder Brother might as well just keep me locked up at home all day and never let me go anywhere. It's the first time I've heard that one should always be on guard against thieves even in a familiar place. Elder Brother, you may leave."
Lu Hanchi was driven out of the yard by Lu Wanning. He stood outside for a long time without going back. His younger sister used to be innocent, simple, and a bit arrogant and domineering, which was just how she should be. But it turned out that these were not real. His younger sister had a longer - term vision than he thought.
He turned around and went to the martial arts field. Every day at this time, his father and younger brother would have a martial arts competition there, and his mother also liked to sit on the side and watch.
Seeing Lu Hanchi coming, Lu Hongxi gave a hearty laugh. "Hanchi, your younger brother is diligent, and his martial arts skills have improved a lot. Come and have a match with him."
Lu Hanchi bowed. "Father, I have something to report. Please allow me to speak to you and Mother."
Lu Hongxi didn't say much. He wiped the sweat from his head and face, told Lu Hannian to practice on his own, and then took his wife and eldest son to the wing - room of the martial arts field.
The princess ordered someone to serve tea. She handed a cup to Lu Hongxi and then asked, "Hanchi, what's the matter?"
Lu Hanchi hesitated for a moment. He didn't mention Ning'er's matter. He just said in a deep voice, "Mother, I heard something from Zhaozhao and want to confirm it with you. Ning'er... has been very wronged in the past two years. He Chan has become more and more arrogant and domineering, and often has disputes with her, right?"
The princess was stunned for a moment and then nodded. "Yes. That girl Chan'er is so naive. She always used to fight with Ning'er before. I thought Ning'er was a year older than her and as an elder sister, she should give in a bit. Ning'er used to care about it, but in the past two months, she has been much calmer and doesn't argue with her anymore."
Lu Hanchi frowned. "Ning'er was born noble. She was raised under the Empress Dowager's care since childhood and was named a county princess at birth. Even Princess Qin among all the girls in the world doesn't have such an honor. Why should Ning'er give in to He Chan?"
The princess was surprised. Her son didn't used to care about these things. Every word of his was blaming her for favoring He Chan. Could it be that her daughter - in - law didn't like it and said something to her son?
She shook her head and said, "Hanchi, you misunderstand. I never asked Ning'er to give in to He Chan. It was Ning'er herself..."
"You may not have said so, but isn't that what you did? Last time at the Qin family, He Chan bullied Ning'er so much. You just said it was all over and didn't pursue it. This time, Ning'er was so frightened. If it weren't for His Highness the Prince of Yu, wouldn't Ning'er have to marry that insidious and cunning illegitimate son of the Fu family? What did you do? You not only didn't pursue it but also renewed the old friendship with Duke He..."
The princess was shocked. She was sitting on the chair, but now she felt a bit uneasy.
Seeing this, Lu Hongxi was dissatisfied and scolded, "Hanchi, how can you talk to your mother like this?"
Lu Hanchi bowed. "Son doesn't mean to be disrespectful to Mother. But when I think of Ning'er's grievances, I can't bear it. She is the apple of our Lu family's eye. She suffered such humiliation but couldn't do anything. She even had to look for protection from others."
Lu Hongxi asked in surprise, "What? What do you mean by looking for protection from others?"
Lu Hanchi raised his head, looking at them with tears in his eyes. "Don't you know? Ning'er has been approaching His Highness the Prince of Yu for a long - planned purpose. Now she has been telling everyone that she has got the support of His Highness the Prince of Yu..."
The princess was in a complete mess. "This... this... What is Ning'er doing? Although the Prince of Yu is good, but..."
Lu Hanchi said firmly, "What else could it be? Since her family can't protect her and she has to be on guard every day but still can't prevent the harm, she has no choice but to do this. Since even her father and elder brother can't keep her safe, she has to look for help from outside. Maybe, in Ning'er's heart, even the Emperor and the Queen favor He Chan more. That's why she has become more and more panicked and can only seek help from outside."
Tears rolled down the princess's face. She covered her chest and sobbed. "Yes... yes... She used to complain to me that the Empress treated Chan'er better than her. I always comforted her at that time, saying it was because He Chan was younger. Later... later she stopped complaining. She must be disappointed in me. Hongxi, I'm her mother, but I'm such a failure as a mother..."
Lu Hongxi quickly held his wife's hand and comforted her. "It's not your fault. It's the He family that has gone too far. They bullied our daughter like this."
Lu Hanchi said in a low voice, "Mother, this is not the time to be sad. When Father and we sons are fighting on the battlefield, all we think about is that our family can live a better life. If my younger sister has to be on guard against others' persecution every day, what's the meaning of this life? What are Father and we fighting for? It's Ning'er now. But I don't know if my children will have to do the same when they grow up. No matter what His Highness the Prince of Yu's intention is in being nice to my sister, we can't always rely on others to support Ning'er, right?"
The princess wiped her tears and nodded. "Yes. I was so stupid yesterday. I was deceived by my elder brother's few words. Today..."
But what could she do today? Arrest He Chan and send her to the Ministry of Justice for punishment?
Lu Hanchi advised, "Mother, this matter is over, and it was our sister who pleaded for mercy. So we can only let it be. But I saw those gifts from the He family piled up in sister's yard. Sister didn't even look at them. I think it's better to send them back."
The princess thought it was a good idea.
Lu Hanchi added, "Mother, if you really have to have contacts with the He family, there's nothing we can do about it. But please don't force sister to have any connection with anyone from their family in the future."
The princess felt guilty. Even though her son's words were a bit impolite, she didn't mind at all. She just nodded and said, "From now on, our Lu family doesn't need to have any more contacts with the He family. No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. We were too lenient this time... By the way, the matter of Nanfeng leaving home hasn't been solved yet. Isn't this a perfect opportunity?"
She was a decisive person. Thinking of this, she immediately ordered someone to send back all the gifts sent by Duke He.
But they sent the gifts back without saying a word, which made the whole He family panic. They didn't know what the Lu family meant.
Early the next morning, Lady Liu, the wife of the He family's heir, had to come to the Lu family in person. Two old ladies from the He family's clan came with her.