After the Princess left, the Empress snatched the vase by the window and smashed it to the ground. The shattering sound scared the palace maid who had just entered, and she didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The nanny waved her hand, signaling the maid to come and clean up later. Then she walked up to the Empress and said gently, "Your Majesty, why get so worked up? Prince Chen is already in a difficult situation. Making enemies at this time is not good for him."
The Empress was furious. "Nanny, you didn't see her overbearing look. So what if she's my elder sister? I'm the Empress! What I'm doing will only be beneficial for her daughter's future. For the Prince's Mansion, as long as Yi is there, the mansion will be safe and sound. There's no need to be on tenterhooks. Why doesn't she just go along with it? She clearly wants to oppose me!"
The nanny advised softly, "Your Majesty, you know that it's not the Prince's Mansion relying on Prince Chen now, but Prince Chen who has an unstable foundation. The Prince and Princess have soft temperaments. They must have been bewitched by Prince Yu at this moment."
"Exactly!" The Empress placed her hand on her chest. "Exactly! You're right. My elder sister loves me the most. Ever since we were kids, whatever I wanted, she would give it to me. How could she embarrass me in front of so many people? That Sheng Jinyu is a strange one. It was the Empress Dowager and the Emperor who protected him before. Now he even makes Lu Hongxi and my sister look at him differently. He must have done something... Didn't they say before that Ning was infatuated with Sheng Jinyu? I spent so much effort making Ning fall in love with Fu Rongxuan. How could she suddenly change? Sheng Jinyu must have interfered in the middle!"
The nanny nodded and said, "That's right. So Your Majesty mustn't get angry, and definitely don't oppose the Princess. You're the Princess's younger sister. Who else would the Princess side with if not you? Have a good talk with the Princess later and persuade her."
The Empress then asked, "But what about Yi's marriage?"
The nanny whispered, "There's still more than half a year. Prince Yu won't be back overnight. Your Majesty, didn't you always say that we shouldn't be hasty in everything?"
The Empress took a deep breath and stroked her chest. "I was wrong. The closer we get to the moment, the less hasty we should be. Moreover, there's still plenty of time. Lu Wanning, whether you marry or not is not up to you. With your flirtatious nature, it would even be a pity for Yi to make you the Crown Princess for a few years..."
After the Princess left Kuanju Palace, she felt as if her legs were made of cotton. She followed the palace maid out, feeling extremely sad. How could her younger sister, who was innocent and sometimes a bit sly in childhood, turn into this?
She was so stupid. How could she think that while everyone in the palace had lost their humanity, her sister would still remember that she was her elder sister?
Only now did she truly understand why her sister had always been distant from her before. It wasn't because of their different statuses, but because the Prince's Mansion was in a precarious position at that time. Her sister never intended to speak up for them. She was just afraid of getting involved with them and causing trouble for herself.
Now, since Hongxi voluntarily surrendered his military power and made the Emperor less wary, her sister had other ideas.
However, she had already cut off contact with the He family. She was a member of the Lu family, with children and grandchildren. She should consider her children more.
When she returned to the mansion, the Princess was still in a heavy mood. She discussed today's events with Lu Hongxi.
"The Empress summoned me later. She wanted you to go to the Emperor and ask him to betroth Prince Chen to Ning, but I refused. However, I'm still worried. The Empress doesn't seem like someone who will give up easily after being scolded by me. I really can't figure out why she insists on Ning."
Lu Hongxi looked solemn. "Prince Chen didn't seem to be interested in Ning before. Now, he probably noticed that the Emperor dotes on Ning and that Prince Yu also has feelings for her. Our Ning had a bad reputation before, but now she has become a sought-after girl."
The Princess quickly asked, "Then... how should we deal with this? Our Ning is so innocent. How could she be a match for those people?"
Lu Hongxi pondered for a moment and then said, "Tomorrow, I'll go and plead my case to the Emperor."
The Princess was shocked. "You... don't act rashly. Not to mention that Ning doesn't like Prince Chen. Just that Prince Chen, who was so close to Fu Rongxuan before and regarded Shi Aohan as his younger sister, makes me feel sick. Our Ning must never marry Prince Chen."
Lu Hongxi smiled. "I'm not stupid. Don't worry. I used to come back rarely, so I couldn't see the situation in the court clearly. But now can't I? Han Chi's wife is a smart one. She analyzed it thoroughly for me the other day. I won't be muddle - headed and let others lead me around anymore."
The Princess gave him a reproachful look and asked, "Then what do you plan to do?"
Lu Hongxi said, "I'll go and plead my case shamelessly. Based on the promise between Prince Yu and Ning that day, I'll ask the Emperor not to betroth Ning to anyone."
The Princess hesitated and still couldn't help saying, "It may be a rebellious thought, but... if something happens to Prince Yu, what will happen to our Ning in the future?"
Lu Hongxi explained, "So, it's not asking the Emperor to betroth them, but asking the Emperor not to betroth Ning to anyone. The Emperor dotes on Prince Yu and remembers that he went to war for the country. No matter what his previous thoughts were, he surely won't be willing to betroth Ning at this time. I won't talk nonsense tomorrow. I'll first talk about Prince Yu's departure for war and then mention Ning's marriage. If the Emperor has the intention, he will surely postpone Ning's marriage."
The Princess felt a bit relieved but also a bit melancholy. "Our Ning was so muddle - headed before. She got herself involved in the turmoil. Now that she has seen the light, why do so many things still not let her go?"
Lu Hongxi patted her hand and comforted her, "We were blind before, but now we can see clearly. We can surely protect Ning."
Lu Wanning had never worried about her marriage. Lying in bed, she held the jade pendant in the shape of a jade rabbit that Sheng Jinyu had given her. The first half was given to her because of Lady Lu San. The second half, however, was not given for someone else's sake.
At that time, she thought that he gave her both halves because he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. Now she understood.
He didn't want to break off contact with her. Instead, he was telling her that he was willing.
The jade pendant was extremely smooth and slightly cool in her palm. Lu Wanning didn't know why she couldn't fall asleep without holding it these days.
Since Sheng Jinyu left, Lu Wanning seemed to have not had a dream for a long time. In the past, his tenderness always seemed to be in her dreams. It was vague and unclear, but she could always feel it.
Now that he was gone, the dreams were gone too.
"You're such a bad guy. Won't you even leave a bit of your tenderness in my dreams?"
Lu Wanning whispered to the jade pendant, being careful not to let Jiyue outside hear.