Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 265 Nianqing
As soon as Su Qingwan returned to the Prince's residence, she immediately sent someone to find Lu Nianqing. During this time, Lu Nianqing had been following General Xiao Ning around all day, focusing on learning how to manage an army.

Military campaigns are not just about wielding swords and spears; one must also be thoroughly familiar with the intricacies of supply transport and logistical support. Apart from returning home every morning to have breakfast with Su Qingwan, he spends the rest of his time busy and on the go.

Su Qingwan had taken Lu Nianqing to pay respects to the Huainan clan, but the two aunt and niece tacitly kept quiet about the important matter of recognizing their ancestors.

Lu Nianqing is thirteen years old this year, and he looks somewhat like the Prince of Huainan. He has been pampered since childhood, and as a descendant of Huainan, he is tall and slender. He was already taller than his peers, and this year he has grown even taller. Now he is half a head taller than Su Qingwan. From a distance, he looks exactly like an eighteen-year-old, spirited young man.

However, upon closer inspection, his face still appears somewhat youthful. Fortunately, he received strict upbringing from a young age, and his every move exudes an air of authority that softens his childishness.

Su Qingwan's memories of family seem to be stuck more than a decade ago. The seven-year-old girl, trapped in the past, would look at Lu Nianqing and, in a daze, it would be as if she saw her brother walking towards her, her heart filled with a complex mix of joy and sorrow.

That day, she took Nianqing for a leisurely stroll in the garden of the Prince's Mansion. Lu Nianqing knew that her aunt must have something important to say, so she quietly followed beside her and patiently waited for her to speak.

In fact, they were quite familiar with each other. Su Qingwan, as a confidante of the Eldest Princess, often visited Lu Nianqing on the mountain more often than the Eldest Princess and the Lu family. During the years Lu Nianqing practiced martial arts on the mountain, the exquisite double sword technique he wielded was personally taught by Su Qingwan; it was a unique skill passed down only within the Su family.

"Your aunt sent you a message, summoning you back to Huainan. It was quite sudden. Originally, I planned to discuss the affairs of Huainan with you properly after the mourning period for the emperor was over. I thought you could travel around and relax during this year. But now Lu Jing has come to Huainan and discussed with me the ownership of the Huainan fiefdom and its advantages and disadvantages. Now, only the two of us, aunt and niece, are left in the palace. I also want to hear what you really think." Su Qingwan broke the silence first and said softly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Nianqing fell into a long silence. Whether it was the Princess or Su Qingwan, they had both overlooked a crucial matter.

From a young age, Lu Nianqing believed he was descended from the Princess and the Lu family. No one ever told him his true lineage—that he was actually of Huainan descent. To prevent him from developing a deep emotional connection with the Lu family, the Princess cruelly sent him to the mountains to learn martial arts when he was three years old. This was far too cruel for young Lu Nianqing. He grew up almost entirely alone on the mountain, rarely seeing his family throughout the year, his heart filled with loneliness and confusion. For a long time, he felt abandoned by his mother and destined to fend for himself on this desolate mountain.

“Aunt, I’ve always wanted to travel the world because I’m so lost and don’t know where I should go. I often feel like I’m superfluous in this world, that I shouldn’t have been born, but was forcibly brought into this world by my mother and the current situation. Later, she banished me to the mountains to learn martial arts and rarely came to see me. When I was little, I missed her terribly, and I also wanted to…” Lu Nianqing paused slightly at this point. He knew that Huainan and the Lu family were sworn enemies, but he had been completely unaware of his origins since childhood, and the Lu family had actually treated him very well. The Grand Secretary and the Prince Consort had high hopes for him, and had argued with the Princess many times in order to get him back to the Lu family.

In Lu Nianqing's memory, the Lu family seemed to love him more than his mother, hoping that he could grow up by their side.

This was his belief throughout his childhood. "I really don't understand why my mother didn't want me to have much contact with the Lu family, and even disliked me being close to them. But emotionally, I couldn't let go of my attachment to her. So, I once suspected that I might not be of the Lu family bloodline, but I never dared to ask. I could only pretend that I didn't notice anything, since I only spent a few days in the capital each year, and there was no need to think too much about it. But in reality, deep down, I could never accept myself, and I didn't know who I really was or what I was. I had so many relatives around me, but I felt that none of them were close to me. The person my mother valued most was my uncle, and the prince consort had so many children, so what difference would it make if I were one more?" Not many, my absence wouldn't make a difference. One New Year's Eve, the snow on the mountain was too thick, and I couldn't return to the capital, so I had to spend the New Year alone on the mountain. Strangely, I felt unusually calm, even a sense of relief. That was the most carefree New Year's Eve I'd ever had. I didn't have to go to the Lu family to face a group of unfamiliar faces, nor did I have to force a smile in front of my mother. The Lu family was still harmonious without me; my mother would go to the palace to spend the New Year with my uncle. To everyone, I seemed insignificant. And so, I drifted through ten years in a daze, until later, I realized my true identity, my previous suspicions had come true, and I even secretly investigated my mother's and...father's past.

Su Qingwan listened, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back, her heart filled with heartache for Nianqing. Over the years, she and the Princess had indeed neglected Nianqing. He was so young, yet he had endured so much alone, with no family members by his side as he grew up.

“I heard from the old nanny in the manor that my mother had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to me. My uncle wanted to save her, but my mother insisted on giving birth to me. At least... I came into this world because my parents loved each other. I can understand my mother's helpless actions all these years. She sent me away to protect me. But, Aunt... who can understand the loneliness and hardship I have endured all these years living alone on the mountain?”

Lu Nianqing remained calm throughout. In Su Qingwan's eyes, he was always more mature and composed than his peers, rarely displaying the willful temper of ordinary children. A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy should be mischievous and annoying, but he was so sensible that it was heartbreaking. At such a young age, he was responsible and never acted recklessly.

“Nianqing, Aunt…” Su Qingwan wanted to say something comforting, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Over the years, she had been wandering around, focusing solely on clearing Huainan’s name, exhausting all her energy, and hadn’t really had time for Nianqing.

Lu Nianqing sighed softly and said in a low voice, "When my aunt sent me the message, I didn't really want to inherit Huainan. Although I am of Huainan blood, I am too unfamiliar with Huainan. Without any emotional foundation, I am afraid that I cannot bear the heavy burden of the past and responsibilities on my shoulders."