Lu Mingyu had never been a gentle person, and these words were also very direct.

Qiao Wan raised her eyes and looked at Lu Mingyu.

This was really an unexpected scene.

Her sadness and loneliness couldn’t be resolved. It was Lu Mingyu who untied the mess and soothed her pain.

“Sister Lu, Fourth Sister, you are so magnanimous and generous, which really makes me ashamed.” Qiao Wan’s eyes flashed again: “In the past, I used the heart of a villain to judge the belly of a gentleman.”

“I thought you would hold a grudge against me and don’t want to see me.”

Lu Mingyu smiled nonchalantly: “I am the one Li Jing wants to marry, so what should I hold a grudge about.”

Qiao Wan: “…”

Qiao Wan bit her lip, feeling both pain and bitterness in her heart, along with an indescribable sense of relief.

Yes, she had always been the one who held a grudge against her.

Li Jing liked Lu Mingyu, and the person he wanted to marry was also Lu Mingyu. As for whether Lu Mingyu wanted to marry Li Jing, in her opinion, there was nothing to think about.

How could there be a girl in this world who didn’t want to marry Li Jing!

Lu Mingyu seemed to have seen through Qiao Wan’s thoughts, and twitched her lips with self-mockery: “Are you thinking that Li Jing has a noble status and is so handsome that all girls are willing to marry him?”

Qiao Wan nodded naturally: “Isn’t it?”

Lu Mingyu did not compete with the infatuated biǎomèi Qiao and said calmly: “One person’s honey may be another person’s poison. In this world, no one can win everyone’s affection.”

Qiao Wan finally noticed something was wrong: ” Could it be that you are reluctant about this marriage?”

Lu Mingyu thought for a moment and sighed: “I can’t pay back the debt I owed in my previous life, so I have no choice but to marry him.”

Qiao Wan was so sad that she wanted to cry again.

Lu Mingyu didn’t explain anymore and said softly: “I hope Sister Qiao will marry a good man and be happy in this life.”

Don’t be trapped by love and die in depression, like in her previous life.

Qiao Wan took a deep breath: “Okay, I also hope it will be as you said. There are many interruptions today, so I will say goodbye and leave. I will come back to congratulate you on the day you get married.”

Lu Mingyu smiled slightly: “There is no rush. Your eyes are so red, you look like you’ve been crying. If you go out like this, you won’t be able to talk. I’ll ask someone to bring you cold water, put it on your eyes, and then dress up again.”

Qiao Wan nodded shyly.

They say that love rivals’ meetings can lead to extreme jealousy. Yet, she and Lu Mingyu were undoubtedly an exceptional exception. She treated her with kindness and compassion, and this warmth and tolerance quietly melted away her inner gloom.

…

An hour later, Qiao Wan left the Lu family and returned to Qiao Mansion.

When Old Lady Qiao heard that her granddaughter was back, she immediately called Qiao Wan to her. After looking at it carefully, she frowned slightly: “Wan’er, did you cry?”

Seeing that she couldn’t hide it, Qiao Wan had to admit: “Yes. I had a long talk with Fourth Sister Lu and couldn’t help myself. I cried a lot. Later, I specially applied ice water on it and reapplied makeup.”

Even so, if you look closely, there were still traces of crying.

Eldest Master Qiao was sent to serve as an official, and Eldest Qiao Furen went with him to his place of posting. Qiao Wan has been living with her zǔfù and zǔmǔ^[1]paternal grandparents i.e. father’s parents. Old Lady Qiao had always loved her sūnnǚ^[2]daughter of the son.

For over half a year, Qiao Wan had been in a gloomy mood and intermittently ill. Old Lady Qiao didn’t know how much she had worried about. Hearing Qiao Wan say this, Old Lady Qiao blurted out: “Did Miss Lu bully you?”

Qiao Wan shook her head repeatedly: “Zǔmǔ misunderstood. Sister Lu is broad-minded and did not bully me.”

Then, she talked about what she said to Lu Mingyu today.

After hearing this, Old Lady Qiao also sighed a little: “In this way, Miss Lu is quite generous and upright, and she is really worthy of the Second Prince.”

Qiao Wan also nodded in agreement: “Zǔmǔ is right. If there is anyone in this world who is worthy of my cousin, it is only Sister Lu.”

Her tone was neither sad nor sad, but very calm.

Old Lady Qiao was surprised and happy. She reached out and touched Qiao Wan’s head: “Wan’er, you finally figured it out.”

“When it comes to marriage, it is the man who takes the initiative to propose marriage, and there is no reason for the woman to take the initiative. His Highness, the Second Prince, took the initiative to marry Mingyu which shows that he is very fond of her.”

“You and His Highness are not destined to be husband and wife, so you should end your inappropriate thoughts as soon as possible. This will also avoid any troubles in the future.”

“Your Highness wants to marry a wife, and you must marry into the Fang family. Second Young Master Fang is also a young and handsome man and comes from a scholarly family. Your zǔfù arranged this marriage for you after careful consideration.”

“If you marry reluctantly, Second Young Master Fang is not a fool. Once he senses that you have other thoughts, he will undoubtedly be unhappy. With a weak marital bond, how can you live together?”

“Zǔmǔ always hopes for the best for you. Don’t think too much about anything, just wait for your marriage in peace and contentment!”

Qiao Wan whispered. Responded: “Sūnnǚ listens to her Zǔmǔ in everything.”

Whether a person had figured it out, you can tell by looking at her face.

Old Lady Qiao was extremely pleased and patted Qiao Wan’s hand.

No matter how many times she tried to persuade her, she still couldn’t persuade her sūnnǚ. Unexpectedly, after going to Lu Mansion today, Qiao Wan’s depressed thoughts would be relieved. It can be seen that it is all Lu Mingyu’s credit.

…

Two days later, Old Lady Qiao entered the palace to meet Empress Qiao.

Old Lady Qiao felt quite resentful because of the engagement between Li Jing and Lu Mingyu. In the past, she would visit the palace two or three times every month. In the past six months or so, she had visited the palace once a month at most. And Lu Mingyu was rarely mentioned.

Today, Old Lady Qiao smiled brightly and praised Lu Mingyu.

Empress Qiao was quite surprised and asked with a smile: “Why did Mother suddenly praise Fourth Miss Lu?”

There was nothing that could not be said between mother and daughter.

Old Lady Qiao smiled and sighed: “To be honest with the Empress, Wan’er was depressed all day long. She went to add makeup to Miss Lu’s place two days ago. After she came back, her mood improved a lot. I only found out what happened when I asked.”

As she spoke, she recounted Qiao Wan’s trip to the Lu Mansion: “… Fourth Miss Lu is so upright and honest that she never took this matter to her heart. Those words took away most of Wan’er’s worries.”

“His Highness’s taste is really first-class.”

“Only a girl like this can be worthy of being the Second Prince’s consort!”

Empress Qiao frowned and raised the corners of her mouth: “My mother praises her like this, and I don’t want to hide something from my mother. In fact, I was not happy about this marriage at first. But Ah Jing was willing, but I couldn’t resist him, so I had to make plans for him.”

“Since the engagement, Ah Jing’s mood has been getting better day by day. When he has free time, he goes to the Lu Mansion to see his fiancée.”

“I understand it now. How he chooses to live with his wife is his own business. His happiness is more important than anything else. It’s better than marrying under parental orders and then leaving each other like strangers, cold and distant.”

This last sentence revealed a deep sense of desolation and helplessness.

^[3]T/N And this is where she wins over Concubine Su. She keeps the happiness of her son over anything else while the other keeps her happiness. The contrast between two mother-son relationships shows … Continue reading

(End of chapter)