"Not entirely wise, but certainly not foolish."
Feng Xiwu's finger traced Lu Qingwan's cheek. "If they were truly foolish, why would they choose to cooperate with this king and the Princess Consort?"
"So self-absorbed!"
Lu Qingwan swatted his hand away with annoyance. "So your standard for judging someone's intelligence is whether they cooperate with you?"
Feng Xiwu chuckled. "That's not entirely true. But then again, Xiao Jing'an, Xie Shiluan, they are all outsiders. You don't need to go to any trouble for them. It's not worth it."
"Who's going to trouble myself for her?"
Lu Qingwan muttered. "If I recall correctly, the main culprit who caused you to be injured and end up like this is Xiao Jing'an, isn't it?"
She had never seen Feng Xiwu before his leg was injured, but she imagined he was a dashing young man, accustomed to riding horses and enjoying the company of beautiful women, with an unrestrained life. Now confined to this four-wheeled carriage, his talents were not diminished, but how could he not harbor resentment?
The moment Feng Xiwu heard Lu Qingwan's words, he almost couldn't conceal the surge of violence within him. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the armrests of the carriage, his veins bulging. Only then did he refrain from lashing out at her as he usually would.
"Why bring this up now?"
His voice, however, involuntarily deepened, as if he were on the verge of unleashing an attack. Lu Qingwan lowered her eyelids slightly and took Feng Xiwu's hand, prying his fingers, which were tightly gripping the armrest, open one by one.
"It's only been eight days since our wedding. Dare I ask, does Your Highness trust me?"
Feng Xiwu looked at her with a questioning gaze, remaining silent. Lu Qingwan met his gaze squarely. "Since I've agreed to help, I'll see it through to the end. I told you, I can heal Your Highness's leg. As a physician, I am confident in this. And Xiao Jing'an is Your Highness's heart's affliction. Since I've decided to treat Your Highness's illness, I must eradicate all of Your Highness's ailments. Therefore, I wish to make a bet with Xie Shiluan. What does Your Highness think?"
"Then let's make a bet." Feng Xiwu averted his gaze. "It's on my territory, after all. Even if Xie Shiluan has other intentions, she won't be able to cause much trouble."
Is this merely a physician's duty? If his leg remained untreated for a long time, would she not leave? He looked down at his leg and, for the first time, found himself harboring a desire not to be healed.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the trade agreement has arrived."
The agreement, which concerned the diplomatic relations between the two countries for the next few decades, took even someone as influential as Feng Xiwu a day to receive. As soon as it arrived, Lu Qingwan's attention was immediately drawn. "Quick, let me see it."
Upon opening it, she found it filled with official pleasantries. Lu Qingwan's impatient face contorted, but she patiently read through each clause. Her gaze paused when she reached the specific terms of the trade agreement. A moment later, her brows furrowed slightly.
Feng Xiwu had been watching her face and noticed the change in her expression almost immediately. "What is it? Is there a problem with this trade agreement?"
"Look at the content and pricing of these trade goods." Feng Xiwu took the agreement and looked. It was the same content he had reviewed before. "I've seen this agreement before, and there have been no changes. The trade goods are ordinary silk, cloth, tea, and porcelain. There's no problem!"
"No problem?"
"Look at what Bei Wei is selling us: gold, silver, jade, furs, cattle, and sheep. The ironware and horses we want are not listed at all. But look at what we are selling them: silk, cloth, tea, and porcelain are included, but shouldn't the most important item be grain?"
Lu Qingwan pulled her chair closer and leaned over Feng Xiwu's arm, pointing at the clauses. "And the price of grain is set so high. One or two years might be manageable, but five or six years, or even longer, and all of Da Qian's grain will end up in Bei Wei's granaries. If there's a major disaster, or if the two countries fall out and go to war, what will happen?"
As Feng Xiwu was the Regent and had once been a commander of the army, he understood everything Lu Qingwan was saying. "I will go to the palace tomorrow to discuss this with my Imperial Brother and redraft the trade agreement."
Lu Qingwan smiled upon hearing this. "That's no longer my concern!"
Feng Xiwu: ...
You are truly too modest!
The next day.
As Feng Xiwu had promised, he went to the palace to see Emperor Jing You. Lu Qingwan and her father, Lu Zhenting, kept vigil at the mourning hall. They had thought that all the expected visitors had already come, and there would be no more guests to offer condolences. However, as lunch approached, Li Jin reported, "Princess Consort, the Prince of Ning, the Prince of Chen, and the Prince of Jing have come to offer condolences. Additionally, Prince Nie Mingyang of Bei Wei and Prince Huyang Zheng and his elder brother Huyang Che of Yun Qiang have also arrived."
Lu Qingwan's brows immediately knitted together. "Do they have anything to do with my mother's death? What are they here for?"
Li Jin remained silent, while Lu Zhenting calmly said, "Guests are guests. Please invite them in. Thank you for your protection, Li Jin!" Li Jin quickly replied, "You are too kind, Marquis!" and turned to usher them in.
A group of irrelevant people squeezed in, making the once spacious mourning hall feel cramped. Fortunately, due to the solemn occasion, the group behaved themselves. After offering incense to Princess Anyang, they approached Lu Zhenting and Lu Qingwan for conversation.
The Prince of Ning was refined and did not put on airs. He bowed slightly to Lu Zhenting. "The deceased has passed. Marquis and Imperial Aunt, please accept my condolences." The Prince of Jing, though young, followed the Prince of Ning's example. "Please accept my condolences." Lu Qingwan and Lu Zhenting both bowed to thank them.
When it was Feng Qingheng's turn, he also said, "Please accept my condolences." Technically, there was nothing wrong with that. However, Nie Mingyang, with his sharp tongue, suddenly interjected, "I heard the Regent's Consort almost became the Prince of Chen's Consort. Why doesn't the Prince of Chen even call you Imperial Aunt? Is he still not over you?"
Feng Qingheng's expression instantly changed. He looked nervously at Lu Zhenting. He hadn't expected Lu Zhenting, who was rumored to be dead, to be alive. With the incident of the bride swap, followed by Lady Lan's death and Lu Siwan's serious injury, he didn't know how much Lu Zhenting knew. He cursed Nie Mingyang for his tactlessness, bringing up such a sensitive topic. Seeing that Lu Zhenting showed no unusual reaction, he sternly said, "Third Prince, you should mind your own business! I heard your elder brother is quite lucky. After all these years, you haven't even seen a shadow of him. Who knows when he might attack the Wei capital? You don't need to worry about my affairs."
Nie Mingyang's face paled slightly. Before he could speak, there was a clang from the side, followed by a barrage of scolding. "So clumsy! You can't even handle such a small matter. Why don't you just die..." Looking over, they saw the Prince of Yun Qiang kicking the small leg of someone viciously. Behind them, a candlestick had rolled onto the ground, extinguishing the everlasting lamp.