Phoenix Hairpin

Chapter 17: Transformation

The carriage moved forward steadily.

  Shen Lan looked at Lu Mingyu with thoughtful eyes.

   "Why is Sister Shen looking at me like this?" Lu Mingyu asked knowingly.

   Shen Lan said softly: "Xiaoyu, you are very different from before."

   The former Lu Mingyu was straightforward and bright, cheerful and smiling.

   Today's Lu Mingyu's words and deeds are unexpected. There was a startling coldness and determination in her eyes.

   We haven't seen each other for a few days, and Lu Mingyu seems to have gone through unknown hardships and transformations. As a boudoir friend, she also felt unfamiliar.

  Lu Mingyu didn't shy away from Shen Lan's inquiring gaze: "We are all growing up day by day, and we will soon reach the age of marriage. Sister Shen should be very clear about the purpose of what I did today."

  Shen Lan looked at Lu Mingyu: "I know. You don't want to be a princess consort."

  Lu Mingyu nodded slightly: "Yes, I don't want to."

  Shen Lan laughed dumbly: "When it comes to marriage, you are magnanimous and not at all embarrassed."

   Lu Mingyu is the only one who can speak of life events with such a calm expression.

Lu Mingyu's eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her voice: "Four years ago, my father took 60,000 Xingyang troops to surrender to the Great Wei. The emperor treated the Lu family favorably, and sealed the king of Xingyang, setting a precedent for a different surname. The Lu family is grateful to the Emperor."

   "There are five princes under the emperor's knees. The second prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince are all at the age of choosing a concubine. Once I marry into the imperial family as a daughter-in-law, I will be involved in the battle for the throne."

   "My father is a loyal minister and a good general, and he is good at leading troops to fight. He should not be involved in the battle of the imperial family."

   In her previous life, she was overwhelmed by love and insisted on marrying Li Hao. It made the Lu family involve themselves in this quagmire and could not extricate themselves.

   In this life, she wants revenge and to protect her family. The first thing to do is to completely cut off the relationship with Li Hao and cut off the possibility of becoming a princess consort.

  Shen Lan was born in a family of officials, so she is naturally clear about the turbulent battle for the throne. Shen Lan sighed lightly: "You are right. No matter who is named a prince the ministers should stay loyal to the throne."

   Stand up early, it’s fine if you stand right side, but it’s hard to say what will happen if you stand on the wrong side.

   After Shen Lan figured it out, her mind suddenly opened up: "Xiaoyu, you did the right thing today."

  Lu Mingyu stretched her brows and smiled at Shen Lan: "I knew you could support me if you knew my intentions. Don't mention what we said today to others."

   "Don't worry, I won't say these words to my father and mother." Shen Lan responded solemnly. Then she asked: "By the way, it has been almost half a year since your father led the troops to suppress the bandits. I don't know when he will be back."

  They claim they are out there to suppress bandits, but all they were doing was adding more land to Great Wei.

  The territory of the Great Wei expanded little by little. Four years later, the Central Plains will be unified.

   Speaking of her father, Lu Mingyu's heart filled with strong thoughts and longing: "He should be back soon."

  If she remembers correctly, the army will return to Beijing within ten days.

  Shen Lan pretended to ask casually: "Your second brother will be of the age of marriage this year. When he returns to Beijing this time, are you going to arrange a marriage for him?"

   Speaking of Lu Fei's marriage, Lu Mingyu frowned invisibly.

   In her previous life, Lu Fei never got married.

  Lu Mingyu tried to match Lu Fei several times, but Lu Fei stopped her. Later, Lu Fei lived directly in the military camp. A posture of going to the end as a bachelor.

  Lu Mingyu, as Queen, lived in the harem and had very few opportunities to leave the palace. Lu Fei hid in the barracks and refused to enter the palace to see her. She could never go to the barracks to find Lu Fei.

   "Yeah, it's time for the second brother to get married." Lu Mingyu seemed to be responding to her friend, and seemed to be talking to herself: "As a younger sister, I want to take care of the marriage for the second brother."

  Shen Lan bit her lip, not knowing what she was thinking, a light blush appeared on her delicate and clean face.

  …

  Lu Mingyu glanced over Shen Lan's blushing pretty face, and a vague thought quickly flashed in her heart.

   Before she could think about it, the carriage stopped.

They had reached Lu Mansion.

  Lu Mingyu got off the carriage, smiled, and waved goodbye to Shen Lan: "Thank you Sister Shen for sending me back to the house. We went to the palace for a banquet today, and Sister Shen must be tired. I will invite Sister Shen to our house another day."

   Shen Lan replied with a light smile, waved at Lu Mingyu, and lowered the bamboo curtain.

  Lu Minghua, Lu Mingyue, and Lu Xuan, three brothers, stood together outside the main entrance of Lu Mansion to greet each other.

   "Fourth Sister, is the palace banquet fun today?" Lu Mingyue was the first to rush over and asked excitedly.

  Lu Xuan also came over with a smile: "Why do you ask that! Seeing that Fourth Sister is in such a good mood, she must have shined brightly at the palace banquet today."

  She really shined today.

   Whether it was Su Zhaorong, Concubine Qin, or Empress Qiao, none of them dared to make her a daughter-in-law.

   Thinking of this, Lu Mingyu was in a good mood and laughed: "Well, that's it!"

  Lu Minghua was the most attentive, noticed a little abnormality, and asked tentatively, "Why did the palace banquet end so early?" It was just after the afternoon. At least you should go to the Imperial Garden to admire some flowers, write poems, paint or something!

  Lu Mingyu said with a frank face: "I don't know either. The Empress had left the palace banquet, so I can't talk too much."

  Lu Minghua was still a little uneasy, and asked quietly, "You didn't get into trouble today, did you?"

  Lu Mingyu said righteously: "Of course not."

Only then did Lu Minghua feel relieved, she smiled and took Lu Mingyu's hand into the house, while laughing: "Eldest sister sent a message back, saying that she wants to come back to the house for a short stay for two days, and Dabao and Xiobao will also be brought with her. Let's go in"

  Lu Mingfang got married at the age of eighteen and gave birth to a son the following year. A year later, another son was born. The children's names were Dabao and Xiaobao.

  Lu Mingyu replied without hesitation: "Then what are you waiting for. Give order and send someone to pick up the eldest sister and the children back to the house."

  The big butler Lu Jia responded with a smile, so he arranged for the carriage not to be mentioned.

  …

 Bang!

   A muffled sound came from the bedroom of Jiaofang Hall.

   Though a thick door, it was still clearly audible.

   The maids who were guarding the door quietly retreated a little further so as to not be affected by the Queen's anger.

   "It's really annoying!"

  In the bedroom, Queen Qiao's face was full of anger, and anger flashed in her phoenix eyes.

After holding back the anger for a long time, until this moment, she poured out all of it: "This Lu Mingyu didn't take Ben Gong in her eyes at all. In front of Ben Gong, when she offended Su Zhaorong, the third prince apologized, she didn't move, she was so calm and accepted the apology."

   "The good palace banquet was destroyed by her alone. How infuriating!"

   Princess Hui'an didn't mean to comfort her mother at all and pouted her lips disapprovingly: "Imperial mother is not happy, why did you endure it before? If you allow me to say, you should have punished that Lu Mingyu on the spot."

   "Relying on her being the daughter of King Xingyang, she showed no respect for Imperial mother in the Jiaofang Palace today. Why should the mother be polite to her?"