Chapter 1352: Side Story: Having the Whole World in View (29)
Chapter 1352: Side Story: Having the Whole World in View (29)
Editor: Atlas Studios
Although Lu Jingshu was from the side branch of the Lu family, she had a lot of say in the Lu family. Not only was she married into the Hua family, but her father and brother also occupied a very high position in the Lu family.
The main branch of the Lu family had declined. Although they still occupied the position of clan head, their control over the various branches of the Lu family had weakened considerably.
Lu Jingshu’s family was only an outstanding branch out of many and enjoyed a relatively good relationship with the main branch. Under such circumstances, the main branch of the Lu family would not offend her. Therefore, although Eldest Madam Lu was unwilling, she still brought Lu Deyin and her brother along.
Speaking of which, Lu Jingshu was Lu Deyin’s matchmaker. Back then, she was the one who represented Queen Consort Rong to come to the Lu family to propose marriage. Plus, considering the Hua family was considered King Rong’s subordinate, it was understandable for her to want to build a good relationship with Lu Deyin.
However, Eldest Madam Lu didn’t expect to see Queen Consort Rong at the birthday banquet.
Everyone in the capital knew that Mu Yangling did not like to attend banquets. Furthermore, she had a noble status and high seniority. With King Rong backing her, she could do whatever she wanted; if she so wished, she could choose to not grace any event with her presence.
Because she simply chose not to attend all events, no one had ever felt that anything was wrong. Now that they saw her attending the Hua family’s birthday banquet, they could not help but be astonished.
However, when they saw Lu Deyin standing behind Eldest Madam Lu, the ladies all smiled tacitly. It seemed that Queen Consort Rong was here to see her daughter-in-law.
It was said that the future Princess Consort was personally chosen by the Prince himself. As such, everyone was secretly curious about Queen Consort Rong’s attitude towards Lu Deyin.
Although they would let their children see the other party when they arranged marriages, it was the parents’ opinion that counted at the end of the day. Unlike King Rong’s estate, where the heir personally chose his bride before letting the Queen Consort send the betrothal gifts over.
If their son was like this, they would definitely not be too pleased about it even if they ultimately agreed to this marriage. Besides, the Lu family’s status was still too low compared to King Rong’s estate.
Everyone was secretly paying attention to Mu Yangling’s attitude. Even Eldest Madam Lu was afraid that Mu Yangling would make things difficult for them, so she hesitated for a moment before going forward to greet her.
Oblivious to what the others were thinking, Mu Yangling was here at her son’s invitation to support her future daughter-in-law.
Although she could not hold a banquet at home to invite them over to express her attitude, she could go out to attend a banquet.
Coincidentally, Lu Jingshu’s mother-in-law was holding a birthday celebration, so Mu Yangling came to attend.
This was not the first time she had seen someone from the Lu family. Hence, after greeting Eldest Madam Lu, Mu Yangling skillfully waved at Lu Deyin and asked with a smile, "How have you been recently?"
When the madams present saw how well Mu Yangling treated Lu Deyin, they were all a little surprised. However, Mu Yangling seemed to not know that everyone was surprised. Throughout the entire banquet, she took Lu Deyin by her side to meet all the madams she knew, clearly giving her the treatment of a daughter-in-law.
When the banquet was about to end, Mu Yangling even took off the pair of jade bracelets she was wearing and gave them to Lu Deyin. Beaming, she said, "I’ve been wearing these since a long time ago. Now, I’m giving them to you."
Everyone could tell that Mu Yangling was satisfied with Lu Deyin.
Everyone knew that Queen Consort Rong was not someone who was adept at concealing her emotions.
Even Eldest Madam Lu had to reevaluate Lu Deyin’s role and discuss it with her husband when she returned.
Eldest Master Lu felt a little uneasy. After a long time, he asked, "What do you think Deyin’s attitude towards our eldest branch is?"
"Apart from the fact that she doesn’t get along well with Yihua, everything else is fine." Eldest Madam Lu thought for a moment and said seriously, "Perhaps she knows that Jiashu can only rely on our family in the future, so although she doesn’t get along with Yihua, she tolerates it."
Eldest Madam Lu said with a smile, "Don’t worry, Master. As long as Jiashu is still with the Lu family, she won’t be disloyal to us."
Eldest Master Lu thought of his silly nephew and nodded after a while. "Since Jiashu is not young anymore, arrange two handmaids for him."
Stunned, Eldest Madam Lu said after a while, "That child is only 12 years old. Considering his poor health, isn’t it too early?"
If his health became damaged because of this, how could they control Lu Deyin?
However, Eldest Master Lu said, "In another 20 years, our Lu family might not need to rely on her and the side branches."
Only then did Eldest Madam Lu not object anymore. She quickly chose four beautiful servant girls and sent them to the second branch. She asked Lu Deyin to keep two as dowry servants and leave the other two for Lu Jiashu.
Lu Deyin’s eyes darkened slightly, but she still accepted them with a smile. Then, she turned around and arranged for the four of them to be third-grade servant girls. Not only did she not let them get close, but they were also not allowed to touch her and her brother’s personal belongings.
All these years, if she couldn’t even control the second branch, she wouldn’t have been able to protect her brother until now after her father’s death.
Eldest Madam Lu was not in a hurry though. She felt that as long as the servant girls were sent over, there would definitely be a chance. After all, how many more days could Lu Deyin stay in the Lu Residence?
Lu Jiashu, on the other hand, was a fool and would be easily seduced. So, there was no need to be anxious.
But she did not expect that King Rong’s estate would value the siblings so much. For ten days in a row, several young masters from the King’s Residence often came to visit Lu Jiashu. Because of this, the two servant girls did not even manage to get a glimpse of Lu Jiashu.
What surprised the Lu family even more was that during the autumn enrollment of the capital’s various academies, the King’s Residence actually used their connections to send Lu Jiashu, this fool, into the Pine Mountain Academy. Furthermore, it was the strictest part of the academy where students were required to reside at the school and could only return home once a month.
Eldest Master Lu only found out when Lu Jiashu packed his things and was about to go to the academy. Livid, he glared at Eldest Madam Lu before personally going to the backyard to see Lu Deyin.
Lu Deyin was giving Lu Jiashu some reminders. When she saw her uncle, she happily pulled her brother out to greet him. "Uncle."
Eldest Master Lu arched his lips. After glancing at Lu Jiashu, he asked gently, "Why did I hear that you’re sending Jiashu to study at the academy? Furthermore, he’ll be staying there. Isn’t this nonsense? It’s not like our Lu family can’t afford to feed him."
"Uncle, don’t worry. Jiashu can take care of himself." Lu Deyin said gently but firmly, "I’ve taught him to take care of himself since he was young. Besides, he’s only going to the academy to study. They’re all children. He won’t be bullied."
Smiling, Lu Deyin added, "Moreover, this is the Prince’s intention. He said that the second branch only has one son and he will need to support our family branch in the future. Even if his intelligence can’t compare to ordinary people, when he studies in the academy and interacts more with others, he will be able to gain wisdom."
Since she put it this way, even the excuse of hiring a teacher to teach Lu Jiashu at their home had become invalid.
Eldest Master Lu narrowed his eyes. If he couldn’t control Lu Deyin, what was the use of letting her marry off?
Moreover, the deepest fear in his heart made him understand that if he could not control Lu Deyin, he mustn’t let her hold power. Otherwise...
Eldest Master Lu replied with a smile, "Since you’ve made up your mind, so be it."
When Lu Deyin saw Eldest Master Lu turn around and leave, her heart sank.
Having been secretly fighting with her uncle for so many years, how could she not understand his personality?
Lu Deyin couldn’t help but hold her brother’s hand tightly. An unprecedented sense of danger rose in her heart.