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

Chapter 291 Settlement
Su Qingwan chuckled, her gaze sweeping over the Lu family members. She was familiar with them all, even greeting the elders before, having interacted with them during the sacrificial rites. In truth, aside from Lin Shi and Lu Feng, her impression of the Lu family was alright, not as bad as she'd imagined. Not wanting to generalize, she maintained her politeness, "Lin Shi, please watch your words. I am not your elder sister-in-law whom you can insult at will. I am a princess of the Huainan fiefdom, my rank is much higher than Lu Shaoqing's. Insulting me without cause, you cannot bear the consequences."

Her tone was very harsh and her presence very intimidating. Lin felt a sense of fear and dared not provoke her, let alone challenge her verbally. She looked at Lu Shaoqing for help, hoping that he could uphold justice. She believed that the evidence was irrefutable and that no one would want Lu Jing to bear the infamy.

Lu Shaoqing took a deep breath, suppressing the doubts in his heart, "You...you are really the Princess of Huainan?"

“Absolutely the real deal!” Su Qingwan said calmly. “The late emperor saw me before he passed away and confirmed my identity. The Eldest Princess can also confirm my identity. If I am not the Princess of Huainan, then who am I? I just didn’t expect to be mistaken for someone else when I came to the capital. Do Xie Zhaolan and I really look alike? You should take a closer look.”

Her voice was gentle, but her imposing presence was not to be underestimated. She clearly did not admit that she was Xie Zhaolan, and she had already visited the Lu family. If they believed she was Xie Zhaolan, they would have to provide evidence. If she was the Princess of Huainan, they could no longer use Xie Zhaolan's identity as a pretext. This matter should have been resolved by Lu Jing, but Su Qingwan did not want Lu Jing to be truly abandoned by everyone, so she had no choice but to visit them. She also did not want to be entangled in these trivial matters. As Lu Jing said, they would not live together in the future, and they would each go their own way.

The Lu family looked her over from the left and right, and they all thought she was Xie Zhaolan, but no one dared to say it.

Lu Feng knew what Lu Shaoqing was thinking. Even if there was concrete evidence that Su Qingwan was Xie Zhaolan, he might not listen. He was more concerned about whether Lu Jing would be affected.

“She’s lying, Father, Mother, Uncles, I have been married to Xie Zhaolan for many years and I would never mistake her for someone else. She is Xie Zhaolan.”

"Young Master, you have been married to Xie Zhaolan for several years, but later fell in love with someone else and allowed your new love to kill your old love. This matter has caused a great uproar in the city. How well do you really know your wife? My identity was recognized by the late Emperor and the Eldest Princess. It is not something you can just assert with a few words. Do people believe you or the late Emperor and the Eldest Princess?"

"you……"

“Oh, and also…” Su Qingwan’s eyes turned extremely cold, “If I were Xie Zhaolan, I would never marry a heartless, unrighteous, and unrealistic person like you. You probably think too highly of yourself!”

Lu Feng, "..."

The Lu family, "..."

Zhang knew the inside story and that Su Qingwan hated Lu Feng and Lin Shi. She remained silent, her feelings complicated. In fact, she and Su Qingwan weren't very close, but they had a good relationship, and she admired Su Qingwan to some extent. She believed that Su Qingwan and Lu Feng were definitely innocent and that Su Qingwan had come for revenge.

No wonder her personality is so different from Zhaolan's.

If Zhaolan had even a fraction of her strength, she wouldn't have been forced to her death.

Lu Shaoqing said in a deep voice, "Princess, it was my son who was rude first. Please don't take it to heart. People can look alike. You and Xie Shi just look similar. We were rash. Please don't take offense." Su Qingwan thought to herself, "He's sensible. He knows when to advance and retreat and has a sense of propriety. Otherwise, I really wouldn't want to argue with them any further."

"Since that's the case, I also hope that your Lu family will not have any scandals involving incest between uncle and sister-in-law in the future. If you damage my reputation, you will offend the entire Huainan fiefdom." Su Qingwan's voice was cold. "You Lu family should think twice."

Su Qingwan turned and left in a hurry, not even willing to have a cup of tea. It was clear how much she despised the Lu family. Fortunately, the wedding was held at the Prince's Mansion.

Lu Feng's face turned pale and then red, and he lost all his strength. He knew he was isolated and helpless. His father dared not provoke him because of the Lu family's power and also because he cared about the family's honor. He would never expose the truth, and no one would say anything even if the princess was Xie Zhaolan.

He became a person who was abandoned by everyone.

"Hahahaha..." Lu Feng laughed maniacally, even painfully. He was once the most proud eldest son of the Lu family, with excellent knowledge and manners. He was proficient in all six arts of a gentleman and was the heir carefully cultivated by the Lu family. He lived up to expectations, passed the imperial examination, and entered the Hanlin Academy. He was originally able to rise to prominence, but who knew that he would make a mistake along the way, one mistake after another, and was expelled from the court by the late emperor. He was just short of being told that he would never be employed again. He was completely ruined.

His younger brother, however, rose to prominence and became the regent, second only to the emperor. He was genuinely happy for his brother and felt that his ascension to the position of regent was an honor for the whole family.

But why would Lu Jing covet his first wife, who is clearly Xie Zhaolan?

why?
Lu Jing had everything: power, status, wealth—he had it all. He could choose any woman in the world. Why did it have to be Xie Zhaolan? It was an insult to him.

"Feng'er..." Madam Lin looked at her frantic son with worry; he was driving her son mad.

Lu Feng said, "Father, in your heart, Ziyu is your biological son, and I am just a good-for-nothing. You abandoned me long ago, didn't you? You didn't want to offend Ziyu, and you wanted Ziyu to bring glory to the family, so I became a discarded pawn. Who cares about my feelings? My younger brother is going to marry my first wife, and no one cares whether I am humiliated. You all know in your hearts that she is Xie Zhaolan, and that Ziyu is just coveting his elder sister-in-law, but none of you dare to say it! It's absurd, utterly absurd!"

Lu Shaoqing shouted, "Enough! The princess has already said that she is Su Qingwan. What else do you want? Without any evidence, how can you be so sure that she is Zhaolan?"

“I’ll send people to Jiangnan to find Xie Zhaolan, but they’ll definitely come up empty-handed. Do you dare to bet with me? Father, if she really is Xie Zhaolan, what will you do? Actually, who she is doesn’t matter to you, does it? As long as Lu Jing can be his regent peacefully, it doesn’t matter who he marries or whether I’m humiliated, does it?”

Lu Shaoqing remained silent. This was exactly what he was thinking. If Lu Jing were the kind of person who was easy to manipulate, he might have tried to persuade him. But Lu Jing and he were not father and son, so he didn't have the confidence to do so. He also knew Lu Jing's personality very well. If he pushed him too hard, he would only rebel. Whether the Princess of Huainan was Xie Zhaolan or not, it didn't matter!
The important thing is that Lu Jing is the most successful descendant of the Lu family, and the glory of the Lu family depends on Lu Jing, not Lu Feng.

He knew perfectly well that the prosperity of the family was far more important than personal honor and disgrace. Besides, Lu Feng would need Lu Jing's support in the future, so what good would it do to offend Lu Jing and the princess?
“Feng’er, it’s time for you to grow up. Don’t get entangled in love and romance. Those things are not important. Your future is more important, understand?” Lu Shaoqing said to him earnestly.