Father and daughter talked for a long time in the study.

Lu Lin usually didn’t have a sticky temper, so today he pulled his daughter and talked endlessly. All the unspoken fatherly love was quietly revealed in this gesture.

Lu Mingyu felt amused, but also a little sour.

She said softly: “Dad, you are in your prime, so you should remarry!”

Lu Lin asked with a surprised smile: “Why did you suddenly mention this matter? Didn’t I tell you a long time ago that I have no plans to remarry?”

Lu Mingyu said in a low voice: “Children may be close, but they cannot compare to the person by your side, accompanying you through every moment, comforting you in times of cold and warmth. I know that in my Father’s heart, there’s only my mother. But she passed away for several years, and I have grown up and married. In a few more years, my fifth sister and sixth brother will also start their own families. By then, my Father will be all alone.”

“When I think of this, I feel bad.”

Lu Lin said: “I am used to leading soldiers in wars. When there is no battle to fight, I spend most of my time in the military camp. There are so many bachelor soldiers in the military camp, and they all come here.”

Lu Mingyu wanted to persuade him again, but Lu Lin suddenly said: “Hey, I suddenly have a headache. I’m dizzy. I must have drank too much at noon. I’m going to take a rest now.”

He pretended to hold his forehead and left.

No wonder Lu Xuan pretended to have a headache whenever he cheated. He learned his feelings from Lu Lin.

Lu Mingyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she had to give up.

…

Lu Mingyu left the study and returned to her yard. However, she had no time to rest. Lu Mingfang, Shen Lan, and Lu Minghua were waiting for her with smiles!

Lu Mingyue and Lu Xuan were both too young to attend, so they were kicked out.

Lu Mingfang smiled and stepped forward, held Lu Mingyu’s hand, and asked quietly: “There were so many people just now, and I didn’t have time to ask you carefully. Are you and His Highness the Second Prince still in harmony in the room?”

Lu Mingyu: “…”

Three pairs of concerned eyes made Lu Mingyu feel hot behind her ears. For the first time in her life, she felt embarrassed.

It just so happened that these were the people closest to her who cared about her. She could neither fall out nor refuse to answer.

Lu Mingyu cleared her throat and squeezed out two words: “It’s okay.”

Lu Mingfang saw Lu Mingyu’s rare shy look and couldn’t help but smile: “There’s no one else here, so there’s no need to be so shy.”

“Yeah, nobody has ever seen Lu Mingyu like this,” Shen Lan chuckled, “Xiaoyu, with this look of yours, I think I can laugh for half a year.”

Lu Minghua also covered her mouth and laughed.

Even though Lu Mingyu’s martial arts skills were astonishing, there was nothing she could do against these three women who were bent over with laughter. She could only touch her nose and let them tease her.

Fortunately, they laughed for a moment and then stopped.

Lu Minghua asked softly about the tea ceremony.

In front of Lu Lin, Lu Mingyu spoke openly, but in front of Lu Minghua and others, she didn’t go into too much detail. She lightly smiled and said, “The day of serving tea went smoothly. The Emperor and the Empress were kind to me, but the Empress Dowager, not so much.”

Lu Mingyu didn’t say anything about what happened in the palace, and the three of them didn’t want to know either.

After hearing these words, Lu Minghua comforted her earnestly, saying, “The Empress Dowager’s favoritism towards the Fourth Prince, Qín fēi, and the Zhao family is well known throughout the capital. Whether the elders like it or not, it’s best to show respect. Anyway, what matters most is you and His Highness living your lives together, being united as a couple, which is more important than anything else.”

Lu Mingyu nodded solemnly and agreed: “The third sister is right.”

Lu Mingfang said, “His Highness is drunk and resting in your room. You should go back to your room and rest too!”

Shen Lan blinked and smiled playfully and meaningfully: “Take good care of His Highness and don’t bully others when they are drunk.”

Lu Mingyu: “…”

The three gūsǎo ^[1]a woman and her brother’s wife/sisters-in-law left with a smile.

Lu Mingyu touched the hot ears and blamed Li Jing’s head for this.

…

Lu Mingyu pushed open the door of the boudoir and walked in quietly.

Three days after her wedding, she still had no sense of belonging to the Second Prince’s Mansion. Entering her boudoir, she felt familiar and at ease. However, the boudoir three days before was still different.

An extra man was sleeping on her bed, and he broke into her world so unscrupulously.

Lu Mingyu walked to the bed and sat down, staring at the red-faced newlywed husband who was sleeping soundly, feeling an unspeakable subtle feeling in her heart.

By the time she noticed her movements, her fingers had already landed on Li Jing’s face.

She reacted as if scalded by boiling water, then like a thief caught in the act, quickly withdrew her hand. Upon further thought, this was her husband. Not only was it okay to touch his face lightly, but even more intimate actions would be acceptable.

Thinking of this, Lu Mingyu confidently stretched out her hand and pinched Li Jing’s face.

Li Jing was drunk and fell asleep, feeling nothing about this touch.

Lu Mingyu pinched a few times, feeling the texture was good. Then, she pressed, rubbed, and kneaded. In short, she messed up the handsome face, feeling suddenly refreshed. Unable to contain himself, she laughed again.

She didn’t sleep well these two nights, so she was sleepy.

This time, she didn’t shrink back on the chair but stretched out her hand to push Li Jing. Li Jingdong didn’t move, so she simply pushed him to the inside, then got on the bed, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

She didn’t know how long she slept. In a daze, a hand reached out and hugged her.

She turned over on her side and fell asleep again in his arms.

When she opened her eyes again, a handsome face came into view.

Lu Mingyu was startled and subconsciously clenched her fist to punch him. Li Jing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly held Lu Mingyu’s hand: “Xiaoyu, it’s me.”

That’s right!

This was Li Jing, her new husband.

She quickly returned to her senses.

Lu Mingyu calmed down and asked, “What time is it now?” As she spoke, she quickly glanced out the window. It was almost dark.

When a woman returned home on the third day after her wedding, according to the custom, she should go back before dark. Looking at the current time of day, even if they set off immediately, it would still be a bit late.

Of course, Lu Mingyu herself didn’t mind these customs and rules, but she had to worry about Li Jing’s mood. She quickly said: “Let’s get up and go back home immediately so that Royal Mother doesn’t know about it and become unhappy.”

Li Jing said, “It’s too late, so we will just go back after dinner.”

Lu Mingyu raised her eyes and looked at him: “Is that okay?”

“What can’t we do?” Li Jing raised an eyebrow and smiled, “There are only you and me in the mansion. How we choose to live our lives as a couple is up to us. As for my mother, you don’t need to worry. I’ll handle it.”

“Xiaoyu, My mother has been bullied and feels suffocated, and sometimes her words are not so pleasant to listen to. Don’t argue with her.”

“Xiaoyu, you are strong and capable. My mother is the weakest and often sheds tears. Just give in, okay?”

“Xiaoyu, I have always been looking forward to marrying my sweetheart and being filial with her to my mother.”

Xiaoyu…

all kinds of past events passed through her mind. ^[2]T/N Oh the contrast is so vast

Lu Mingyu felt strangely sour in her heart.

She looked at her newlywed husband and whispered, “Okay.”

(End of chapter)