Lu Nianfu felt as if she had watched a play, completely detached from it, just short of holding a melon to snack on. Out of Situ Jue's sight, she couldn't help but tug his sleeve: "What's wrong with you? Like you've swallowed gunpowder."
"That scoundrel actually tried to flirt with you on my turf. It's lucky for him I didn't draw my sword." Situ Yan was almost fuming like a pufferfish. He looked at Lu Nianfu, becoming even more vexed. "Really, why are you dressed so beautifully?"
Lu Nianfu smiled: "Then next time there's a banquet, should I wear a sack?"
"Hmph, you're deliberately trying to anger me." His wife, even in a sack, would be a fairy descending to earth. Situ Yan couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
Good, she'd put on some weight recently.
Lu Nianfu slapped his hand away: "Stop messing around. Are you really okay with offending Situ Jue so publicly just now?"
Even though she quite enjoyed watching it.
Situ Yan raised an eyebrow: "He peed on my head, and you expect me to save him face? It's already generous of me not to strip him naked."
Lu Nianfu: ......
Situ Yan was soon called away.
Lu Nianfu diligently played the role of the hostess, and for a while, things were harmonious. The Crown Princess was the most distinguished female guest of the day, and the goodwill she extended to Lu Nianfu served as a barometer. Even if others still looked down on Lu Nianfu's background, they dared not be as presumptuous as before.
There were also quite a few who came to curry favor.
A thought crossed Lu Nianfu's mind; perhaps she could find a suitable husband among these people for Cheng Jiaojiao.
It was a pity, though, that she hadn't come today.
Although Cheng Jiaojiao didn't come, Song Ming had already found information about her fiancé. Qingya tugged at her hand and pulled her to a corner of the garden: "Miss, I told you not to be angry."
"Don't worry, the Cheng family never had good intentions. I didn't expect them to find a good husband for Jiaojiao anyway. Is the other party physically ill or too old?"
"That's not the case. The Cheng family has betrothed Miss Cheng to Prince Ning as a favored concubine, and the date is set for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
At most, there were only seven days left.
Lu Nianfu was shocked: "Such a big matter, how could there have been no hint of it before?"
Qingya shook her head: "I don't know. Should I go find Song Ming again?"
Lu Nianfu had already figured it out and waved her hand: "No need."
Cheng Jinghao was a subordinate of Prince Ning. How would others know about their private dealings? A little thought revealed that Cheng Jinghao was eager to send Cheng Jiaojiao to Prince Ning's manor to thoroughly tie Cheng Beizheng onto Prince Ning's ship.
Cheng Beizheng's current visible wealth alone was enough to make people's eyes water.
Much less Situ Jue, who had suffered several setbacks in recent years.
Three years ago, he had managed to snatch the position of commander from Situ Yan by sacrificing his reputation. Not only did he fail to achieve remarkable military achievements, but it also became a stain on his record. For this, he lost a brother and caused his other followers to have doubts.
Crucially, he had an additional troublesome brother.
The thought of Situ Yan pained Situ Jue's heart. If Situ Yan hadn't been fighting in Jiangnan, perhaps he would have been killed by pirates one day, and wouldn't have had the chance to return to the capital and be recognized by the Emperor.
Emperor Changwu's favoritism towards Situ Yan was obvious. Although he didn't pay much attention to a brother with no foundation, whose maternal and marital families were unremarkable, he had to guard against Situ Yan defecting to the Crown Prince and bolstering his cause.
He could only intensify his efforts to win people over; otherwise, he would be suppressed by the Crown Prince.
But winning people over was impossible without money.
Lu Nianfu tutted. Cheng Beizheng today was like a walking bank. If she were Situ Jue, she wouldn't let go of the opportunity presented by the Cheng family. But it was troublesome for her; a distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire. Cheng Beizheng was still in Shanxi, and by the time he returned, it would be too late.
Her head ached. It seemed this matter could only be handled by her. She wondered if Cheng Jiaojiao still had her personal freedom.
Cheng Jinghao was quite something. Knowing how much Cheng Beizheng cherished his sister, he dared to give her away. Wasn't he afraid of a complete fallout when he returned?
Assistant Minister of Personnel sounded quite impressive.
But he still had the Minister of Personnel above him, so he didn't have much real power. His ability to gain favor with Prince Ning was clearly thanks to money. Could it be that Cheng Beizheng had been too rebellious in recent years, so Cheng Jinghao decided to teach him a lesson?
Lu Nianfu couldn't figure it out, but she soon got her answer.