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Lu Man pretended to be surprised, “My brother is not only skilled in medicine but also a talented poet, winning an award!”
He Cheng blushed even more, chuckling, “It’s a coincidence, I didn’t expect it either. Hehe, surely the Princess has a soft spot for me.”
Jiang Zhankui chuckled, “Several judges mentioned that not only do talented men and women need skills, but appearance and demeanor are also crucial. Brother He’s appearance and demeanor added points to his score, as did his poetry.” He didn’t mention the Princess’s favoritism.
Proudly, Lu Man smiled, “The judges said my brother is both talented and handsome.”
Jiang Jiu added, “I heard some sisters privately discussing that Brother He is as handsome as a Prince, the most dashing young man they’ve seen. Some even said their eyes couldn’t help but linger on Brother He…”
Lu Man laughed heartily, while He Cheng blushed even more. Jiang Zhankui sternly scolded Jiang Jiu, “Sister, you’re a young lady, mind your words.”
Jiang Jiu stopped talking, muttering softly, “It’s true, I didn’t lie.”
After some more banter, He Cheng hurried back to Yuling Courtyard to share the good news with He Mingzhu.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jiu presented a beautiful handkerchief, saying, “Sister-in-law, this is a handkerchief from the sister Shu. She mentioned that she personally embroidered the flowers on it as a keepsake. I didn’t want it, but couldn’t refuse.” Pouting, she added, “Later, sister Ping mentioned that the Shu girl was previously engaged to Third Brother. I regret accepting this handkerchief even more now.”
Frowning, Jiang Zhankui suggested, “If you don’t like it, just discard it. Third Sister-in-law shouldn’t be burdened with unnecessary matters.”
Feeling indignant, Lu Man found the Shu girl’s behavior distasteful, acting weak in front of the elderly and manipulative in front of the young. Since Jiang Zhanwei hadn’t returned to divorce his wife, this situation couldn’t wait.
Seeing Lu Man’s expression darken, Jiang Jiu grew anxious and quickly threw the handkerchief on the ground, even stomping on it, saying, “Sister-in-law, I don’t want her things anymore.”
Lu Man hastily explained with a smile, “Little Jiu, don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. It’s just that some people have ill intentions…”
Unable to continue, she diverted the conversation and eventually sent the siblings away. Seeing the handkerchief on the ground, Lu Man angrily instructed Xing to burn it.
Taking a day off on April 26th, Lu Man celebrated her sixteenth birthday.
She didn’t wish to have a grand celebration, as it involved both guests and gifts, and she was already occupied. However, several days in advance, the Princess instructed that Donghui Courtyard must prepare several banquet tables.
The banquet was held, with attendees including the Princess Changting’s household members, the He mother and son, Physician Gu and his grandson, along with officials and scholars who came for dinner.
Before lunch, both old Lady Lu and eldest Miss Lu, now married, surprisingly arrived with gifts.
Lu Man felt a headache coming on. She couldn’t possibly turn away her maternal family elder who had come to celebrate her birthday in front of so many people. She had to welcome them with a smile, seating old lady Lu beside the Princess.
He Mingzhu already seated inside, she quickly excused herself upon old lady Lu’s arrival.
The residents of the Princess Changting’s residence were aware of old lady Lu’s harshness, their disdain towards the Lu family is due to their lower status. However, she was Lu Man’s maternal grandmother, and not showing respect to her would reflect poorly on Lu Man. Therefore, they treated her with courtesy.
Overjoyed to be seated beside the esteemed Princess Changting, old lady Lu was visibly moved. Sensing that Lu Man dared not show any disrespect towards her in front of the Princess, she expressed her aged and neglected state, blaming her past misfortunes on being deceived by Xiao Chen. She then emotionally mentioned He Cheng’s unfortunate circumstances due to his mother’s selfishness, shortsightedness, and lack of filial piety, resulting in his misguided decisions…
Initially patient, Princess Changting became displeased upon hearing old lady Lu criticize the He family. She had previously heard about the Lu family mistreating He Mingzhu and taking advantage of her dowry. However, upon meeting He Mingzhu, she found her to be gentle, kind-hearted, and lacking in ambition. While the Princess didn’t have strong feelings towards He Mingzhu, she held a special fondness for He Cheng. She admired his appearance, intelligence, integrity, and principles, believing he wouldn’t compromise his values for personal gain.
Witnessing old lady Lu’s deceitful behavior, the Princess’s expression turned stern. She remarked, “In my view, Cheng is anything but foolish, on the contrary, he’s intelligent and discerning. His mother was divorced and raised him through hardships, it’s only natural for him to stand by her and not seek higher status. Besides, you agreed from the beginning that the first male child born to lady He belonged to the He family.”
Shocked by the Princess’s unexpected support for He Mingzhu, old lady Lu was left speechless.
Seeing the Princess’s displeasure, Mama Qian and the steward hurriedly approached old lady Lu, saying, “Old Madam Lu, the Princess is feeling tired. Please join her in the side room for a rest.”
Old Lady Lu’s face turned red with embarrassment as she reluctantly stood up and was led by Liu Ya to a side room, with eldest Young Miss Lu and Lu Ying following suit. Not even allowing them into the adjacent room showed a clear lack of regard. Despite their frustration, they had no choice but to endure.
Internally amused, Lu Man chuckled to herself. The old lady still wanted to manipulate He Mingzhu to pave the way for He Cheng’s return. Assuming others were as selfish as herself, she believed He Cheng should abandon his mother for the sake of his future. Now, not only the Princess but even several gentlemen praised He Cheng, acknowledging his filial piety, integrity, and independence, unaffected by fame and fortune.
In the future, old lady Lu would certainly find it challenging to get close to the Princess, especially since the servants would likely prevent her from doing so.
During lunch, Mama Qian requested that Lu Man arrange for the Lu family members to be seated in a separate room. Instead of mentioning the Princess’s aversion, it was framed as a matter of not wanting to inconvenience their in-laws.
This arrangement suited Lu Man perfectly.
Later in the afternoon, as the Lu family prepared to leave, Lu Man added more to the gifts they had brought, offering them as a token of appreciation. Additionally, she instructed Liu Xin to personally escort them back to the Lu family’s residence.
She specifically told Liu Xin to inform Mrs. Ding that if Mr. Lu Fangming had any interest, there was a vacancy for a seventh-grade magistrate in Shannan Province. Knowing Mr. Lu had previously felt the seventh-grade official position was too lowly, this opportunity might be of interest to him.
Lu Man believed that this message would deter old lady Lu from harassing her and He Mingzhu in the future. If not for Jiang Zhanwei’s warning about not provoking old lady Lu for the sake of Lu Fangrong, she wouldn’t have tolerated the situation for so long.