Chapter 141: Marriage Proposal

The old marquis was half-heartedly engaging in rehabilitation exercises, while Sweet Pea was hanging on the bar, flipping forward and backward in a cute manner, amusing the children and the princess, who couldn’t stop laughing.

As soon as Lu Man appeared, Sweet Pea immediately jumped off the bar, dashed and leaped into Lu Man’s arms.

However, the old Marquis remained unresponsive. When Lu Man left, his mouth curled up, he turned his head to the side, and even let out a dissatisfied “hmph.” Looking like a sulking child.

Princess Changting whispered, “The old man searched for you all day yesterday, couldn’t sleep well, he’s mad at you.”

Lu Man understood, walked up to him with a smile, and said, “Grandfather, guess who’s here?” Her voice was clear and crisp, like tinkling wind chimes.

The old Marquis, in a huff, turned his head to the other side, even his beard quivering, and said with a pout, “I’m mad, someone offended me.” Anger seemed to have sparked his wit, as he spoke smoothly.

Seeing his demeanor, Lu Man couldn’t bear it. She moved in front of him again, saying, “Grandfather, who upset you? Tell your granddaughter, I’ll help you vent.” She then jokingly glared at Sweet Pea in her arms, saying, “It must be Sweet Pea bothering grandfather, alright, I’ll take it away now.”

The old Marquis hurriedly responded, “Pea… alright, stay with me. Granddaughter-in-law… didn’t accompany me, didn’t come all day… look at me.” He looked extremely aggrieved.

“Oh, so grandfather is mad at me.” Lu Man chuckled, placed Sweet Pea back in the old Marquis’s arms, helped the tired man sit on a special chair, secured him with a strap, and began massaging him. She continued, “Grandfather, don’t be angry. I had important matters to attend to yesterday. I didn’t forget you, I specifically sent Little Jiu and Sweet Pea to pay respects on my behalf…”

Lu Man spoke a stream of kind words, and finally, the old Marquis’s pout softened, a smile appearing on his face.

The old Marquis then coaxed, “Granddaughter-in-law, don’t ignore me.” His playful demeanor was irresistibly charming.

Though his words were jumbled, Lu Man understood and quickly reassured him, “I won’t, how could I ever ignore you…”

The old man was comforted and relaxed by the pampering, letting out a chuckle.

Jiang Deyu, not understanding the old Marquis’s words, ran over and asked, “Third Aunt, what did Great-Grandfather say? What does ‘don’t ignore me’ mean? Deyu doesn’t understand.”

Young Madam Han’s face turned red with embarrassment, unable to contain her laughter. The Princess was laughing uncontrollably, wiping tears with a handkerchief, saying, “Oh, it’s still Zhanwei’s wife who has the knack, just a few words, and she managed to coax the old man.”

Lu Man smiled and said, “Grandfather has become much smarter and now has a sense of time, quite impressive.”

But deep down, she silently criticized, the more dependent the old man became on her, the harder it was for her to leave this family. She couldn’t immediately distance herself from him, as he wasn’t used to it, and she felt reluctant, knowing it would upset the princess.

To make the old man happy, everyone even had lunch at the Crane Hall.

Listening to the conversation between the princess and Young Madam Han, Fourth Young Master Jiang Zhankun’s marriage had been settled, the same one mentioned before, delayed due to the old Marquis’s situation. The bride-to-be was Jiang Yi, the niece of the Marquis Wei Jinhou, with a distinguished family background and exceptional qualities in talent and appearance. Princess Changting, Third Master, and his wife were all pleased, and the wedding was set for April of the following year after the bride’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Princess Changting commented, “Zhankun’s matter is settled, next is Zhanyu. That child is good in appearance and smart, but a bit frail in health, ah… if we find a girl that is slightly lacking, it feels unfair to him. If we find a girl too much, what if she’s unwilling…”

As the topic shifted, the princess’s expression turned troubled.

Young Madam Han advised, “Good things will happen in their own time. If grandfather’s severe illness was cured, Fifth Brother-in-law will also recover.”

Princess Changting nodded and then asked Lu Man, “Good child, does your He family’s ancestral home have any secret remedies for heart ailments?”

Lu Man responded, “I’ve been looking as well, but haven’t found any so far.” Seeing the disappointment on the princess’s face, she added, “There are still some books and notes I haven’t gone through, perhaps there might be something in there.”

She was also trying to comfort the princess. In her past life, many heart diseases required surgery, but in this era, apart from some injuries that needed surgical intervention, treatments mainly involved medication and acupuncture. Even if Sun Wa were alive, they wouldn’t have the technology or resources for heart surgery.

She also hoped to find a good way to treat heart disease and save the young man as precious as jade. Unfortunately, even after searching through Sun Wa’s “Records of Revival” she found nothing.

Two days later in the morning, after having breakfast with the two children, a messenger from the Lu Mansion arrived, informing Lu Man that Second Madam Lu had fallen seriously ill and passed away the previous night.

Despite being the stepdaughter of Mrs. Xiao Chen, Lu Man hurriedly changed into mourning attire and returned to offer condolences. Prompted by Liu Ya, she tied a white rope around her waist as a sign of mourning.

Lu Man felt uneasy, Mrs. Xiao Chen’s death was karma for her crimes, but in ancient times, filial piety outweighed all else, so she had to wear mourning attire when visiting the Lu family.

Jiang Zhankui politely suggested, “Sister-in-law, my sister and I should also pay our respects at your mother’s house.”

Lu Man declined, saying, “You go to school, that stepmother is beyond redemption, there’s no point in me going back.”

Jiang Zhankui mimicked his brother, twitched his mouth, and quietly warned, “Sister-in-law, don’t say those words outside.”

Lu Man pinched his chubby face and said, “Alright, I’ll remember.”

She sent little Jiu, Qichang, and Sweet Pea to the Crane Hall, exchanged a few words with the old Marquis, then proceeded to the Lu family. Along with her, the strict commandant from the Princess’s residence accompanied her.

Although the Lu family was related to the Princess’s household, Princess Changting, after hearing about Mrs. Xiao Chen’s behavior, despised her so much that she did not send the head of the family or the lady of the house to pay respects. Instead, the strict commandant represented the Princess’s household.

Lu Fangrong also returned, dressed in mourning attire, looking weary, receiving visitors in the front yard. Lu Man paid her respects to him and then took Lu Ying and Xing to the backyard. She didn’t go to the mourning hall but straight to the small courtyard where she lived before her marriage.

Lu Fangrong followed closely. Disappointed that only the commandant was sent to offer condolences from the Princess’s household, he expressed his disappointment.

Once in the small courtyard, he whispered to Lu Man, “Manman, Xiao Chen deserves death, Father has already punished her. But you must go to the mourning hall, kowtow, burn incense, shed a few tears, even if it’s just for show. You must do this. Otherwise, our Lu family and your reputation as a daughter of the Lu family will be tarnished. Father is pleading with you.”