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

Chapter 271 Love Letter
Su Qingwan hadn't expected Lu Jing to be so decisive, announcing the marriage so early. She had thought Lu Jing would at least wait until the New Year to announce it, to avoid trouble. Now that he'd announced it, she'd be surrounded by rumors and gossip if she went out with that face on her face.

To avoid suspicion, Lu Jing didn't visit the Lu family villa. Su Qingwan was also very busy after arriving in the capital, handling the Xie family's business and visiting the old faction of the Prince of Huainan. Some officials from the Prince of Huainan's old faction would proactively send her visiting cards, which Su Qingwan accepted without hesitation. Whether they were sincere or not, it wouldn't do her any harm. To gain a foothold in the capital, she needed to cultivate these connections. Some of these connections were ones she had been building while pretending to be Xie Zhaolan, and now she was picking them up again. After learning that she was going to marry Lu Jing, their first thought was of an affair between uncle and sister-in-law, but no one dared to say it to her face. Su Qingwan could see it all in their eyes.

If the officials in Huainan's inner circle think this way, then others will be even more likely to misunderstand.

Su Qingwan was prepared to find out sooner or later.

Lu Jing was summoned back to the Lu family. Lu Shaoqing asked him about his marriage, why he had made such a hasty and arbitrary decision. He felt that the Princess of the Southwest was much safer than the Princess of Huainan, with little risk. The Huainan region was too prone to trouble, and he was also afraid that Huainan would become too powerful and overshadow the emperor. In particular, Huainan had kept it a secret from the capital for so many years, keeping its direct bloodline hidden and biding its time. Now it was directly leading troops, which was simply terrifying.

Lu Jing respected Lu Shaoqing very much and patiently explained the reasons to him, blaming the annulment on the Prince of the Southwest. He said that the princess had fallen ill after returning to the southwest and was in poor health. The Prince of Huainan was reluctant to let his daughter marry far away, and after discussing it with him, he planned to annul the engagement and have the princess of Huainan marry him, which would better stabilize the border.

Although Lu Shaoqing had many complaints, he couldn't control Lu Jing anymore. Then he asked, "Now that the engagement is complete and the princess has been brought to the capital, she has no relatives or friends there. Why don't we invite her to our home for the Mid-Autumn Festival so we can get to know each other beforehand?"

Lu Jing remained silent.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a day of mourning in Huainan, so she never celebrates it. He will not invite Su Qingwan to his home, but he can only hide for a while, not forever, and they will eventually meet again.

“Mid-Autumn Festival is the anniversary of the death of the Huainan clan, so it may be inconvenient. There is also something else, Princess… looks a lot like my elder sister-in-law.”

Lu Shaoqing, “…?”

What does that mean? People can be similar. The Huainan clan is known for its beauties, and the Xie family was also famous for its beauties. Perhaps they have some similarities, but there's no need to make a special mention of it.

Lu Jing didn't explain further. When he left Lu Shaoqing's study, he met Lu Feng in the front yard. The two brothers' relationship was not as harmonious as before. Lu Jing rarely stayed at the Lu family home, so he only maintained basic decorum. Lu Feng was also engaged to the Ding family's daughter.

"Brother!"

Lu Feng nodded and returned the greeting, "A rare guest indeed. Since becoming the regent, you've put on airs and always stay at the palace. I've never seen you go home."

Lu Jing didn't care about his sarcasm. "The affairs of the court are complicated, and I have been away from home for several months. Fortunately, my elder brother is at home and has taken care of my filial duties on my behalf."

Lu Feng was so angry he choked, unable to speak. He had been dismissed from his post and was counting on Lu Jing's help to reinstate him, but Lu Jing had never mentioned it, as if he had forgotten. He had brought it up with Lu Shaoqing several times, but Lu Shaoqing felt that the mourning period for the emperor was not over, and Lu Jing's official position was preserved by the late emperor. If Lu Jing were to reinstate him, it would not only damage his prestige but also incur the scorn of the censors. Since Lu Jing's position was now stable and he wanted to return to officialdom, Lu Feng could only endure it.

Lu Feng was furious with Lu Shaoqing, but he knew he couldn't rush things. He hadn't left the house for the past few months, and when he did, he was ridiculed by his former colleagues. Lu Shaoqing and Madam Lin also hoped to wait until the storm had passed before going out.

Lu Jing is the regent, so Lu Feng has no worries about his official position.

Lu Jing didn't exchange many pleasantries with Lu Feng. After leaving Lu Jing, he went to the villa. Su Qingwan had just seen off a group of officials and was enjoying the cool air. Early August in the capital was still scorching hot, and there was no cool breeze inside. Su Qingwan was looking at the account books in the pavilion. On the table were fruits prepared by Qingyun, which had been cooled in the well before being cut for her. They were refreshing and cooling.

"You're living a really comfortable life."

"Finished with work? I thought you wouldn't come before the New Year to avoid suspicion."

"Then what was the point of forcing you to come to the capital? Wouldn't it have been better to let you spend the New Year in Huainan before coming? Now that you're here, of course we should see each other often." Seeing someone he likes brings him joy every time. The past few days have been busy with official business, so he made sure to give her some time to meet with officials in Huainan. Otherwise, he would have come to see her long ago.

Su Qingwan was not a person who liked to go out. She would look at the account book and time would pass by. She never felt that the days were too hard to endure, nor did she really think about anyone.

She was still a little surprised to hear Lu Jing's blunt words.

He's changed a bit; he speaks without any restraint anymore.

"You're not afraid of rumors, but I am. I still have some reservations, since there haven't been any rumors circulating yet."

Lu Jing picked out a fruit and ate it. It was sweet and sour, perfect for early autumn.

"So you don't want to go out during this period of time?"

"I don't want to," Su Qingwan said calmly. "There's nothing to do when I go out. If anything happens at the trading company, Qingyun can handle it for me, and the managers will come to me anyway."

"Don't you get bored staying in this one place all the time?"

“I’m not bored. I have a lot to do. Just looking at the account books takes me several hours, and I also have to entertain guests. You, on the other hand, were so straightforward and talked about marriage without any scruples. But that has caused me a lot of trouble. Several uncles have come to my door hoping that I will think it over carefully, saying that the Regent is not a good match and that I should think twice before I act.”

"Who said that?"

"What? You want to make things difficult for them?"

"I'd rather destroy a temple than break up a marriage. These people have nothing better to do than ruin my marriage, so I'll naturally teach them a lesson."

Su Qingwan scoffed, "Then you'll be busy."

Lu Jing really didn't understand. "Actually, I didn't do anything that would anger the heavens and the people when I was in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Those officials who were arrested and killed were all corrupt, either embezzling, cheating in the imperial examinations, or forming cliques. Our Embroidered Uniform Guard was responsible for collecting intelligence. Once the intelligence was collected, it had to be handed over to the emperor. If the emperor found out and was furious, he would order us to kill them. That's not our fault, right? I'm not as bloodthirsty and cold-blooded as the rumors say."

Su Qingwan really didn't understand why he would say such things out of the blue. He wasn't a bloodthirsty person; in fact, one could say he was a very fair person.

She never thought he was cold-blooded or heartless.

"so what?"

Lu Jing was a little helpless. He had made it so obvious, yet Su Qingwan still didn't understand. Was she pretending, or did she really not know? Lu Jing missed the Southwest Princess when she first came to the capital. At least then, she was willing to use her beauty to take advantage of him, often asking him out and deliberately being ambiguous with him.

Now, nothing is left.

What I mean is, don't believe what outsiders say, just believe me!