GBP Chapter 161: The Young Lady Who Married to Another Family VS the Disabled Prince
Chapter 161: The Young Lady Who Married to Another Family VS the Disabled Prince
Everyone admired Ye Zhenzhen's acting ability. Now she looked like a little bird, and just now she wanted to step on them all and refused to give in.
The couple sang in unison, and soon, Ziyang came in with a pile of cakes. Lu Zhiyan helped Ye Zhenzhen sit down and handed her chopsticks. The clan members didn't want to look at the couple, so they turned their eyes to Duke Lu, with a hint of accusation, "Duke, we have brought the child here. Now, it seems that the prince doesn't want to adopt the child. Are you asking us to take the child back again?"
Duke Lu's face was as black as coal. He also understood that it was easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away. The current situation was a dilemma.
Concubine Ning calmed down and smiled insincerely, "My Lord, you've been away fighting for so many years, I'm afraid you don't understand the difficulties at home. It's unacceptable for us to have such a large mansion without a child. Moreover, our family title deserves an heir, so that there won't be no one to carry on the family line."
She observed Lu Zhiyan carefully, only to see that his complete attention was focused on Ye Zhenzhen. Concubine Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy. Lu Zhiyan looked very much like Duke Lu in his youth, handsome and refined, but his features were more delicate than Duke Lu's in his youth, and he was taller. She envied Ye Zhenzhen for being able to enjoy Lu Zhiyan's love openly, unlike her and Duke Lu. Although they were concubines, they could be considered married, but they were not wives after all.
Lu Zhiyan picked up a piece of date cake for Ye Zhenzhen and said, "Whether the throne of the Crown Prince falls to someone else or not doesn't seem to be something that Concubine Ning should worry about. Besides, these so-called titles of nobility are only given because of my mother. Since they are given because of my mother, what does this have to do with the Lu family?" Duke Lu's face changed, and someone from the clan spoke first, "Brother Yan, this is your fault. Since your mother has married into our Lu family, this title should naturally be related to our Lu family. How can you say it has no connection?"
Lu Zhiyan glanced at the clan member and said calmly, "Since ancient times, when a woman married, even after her death, her dowry had to be returned to her family. How come the title became the private property of the Lu family as soon as my mother married into the Lu family? Even if the title is to be inherited, it should be given to her legitimate grandson."
Ye Zhenzhen secretly applauded in her heart. What Lu Zhiyan said was very good.
Unexpectedly, this usually taciturn person could be so powerful when speaking. Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but look at him with admiration.
Just as she was thinking, Lu Zhiyan gave her another piece of cake and whispered, "Eat quickly, and put aside other things for now."
Duke Lu's eyes suddenly turned guilty. He knew that this title was indeed closely related to Lu Zhiyan's mother. He softened his tone, "Yan'er, father is thinking this way so that you will have someone to rely on when you are old. If you don't have any children in the future, I'm afraid your life will be difficult. You should understand father's painstaking efforts."
Lu Zhiyan said softly, "Thank you, father, for your careful planning. When I grow old and die, you won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll have my own place to go when the time comes."
Aunt Ning gave a stiff smile. "It's our fault for not discussing this with you beforehand that we got into this situation. You weren't prepared for it. Why don't you think about it carefully for a few days? These two children can stay and play with Xixi in your yard. If you think it through one day, we can talk about it again."
Lu Zhiyan shook his head. "Xixi doesn't need any playmates. She'll be going to school soon. I'm sure there are more suitable friends for her out there."
Duke Lu became increasingly displeased. He patted the armrest and said, "You can even adopt a child who is not related to you by blood. Why can't you adopt a child who is related to us by blood?"
Lu Zhiyan looked up and said, "Father, if you still want me as your son, let's stop here." Duke Lu was choked for a moment when he met his son's cold eyes.
"My mother passed away only a month ago, and you took Ning back. Lu Zhiang said he was my brother, but he's actually older than me. As for my leg, do you really not know the inside story? If I were to investigate, do you think I wouldn't find some clues? In the past, I didn't make a fuss about it out of respect for our father-son relationship. But now, if you still want to preserve this little bit of father-son love, please don't say anything more."
Duke Lu's face flushed as he spoke with difficulty, "Many things, by the time I learned about them, it was already too late. I certainly have let your mother down, but I have never done anything to let you down."
"Then stop making trouble." Lu Zhiyan looked at him coldly: "Please ask all the elders of the clan to go back. If Aunt Ning wants to adopt a child, then raise him in my second brother's courtyard. In my courtyard, only my wife and Xixi are enough."
Duke Lu said gravely, "Now that you've said this, let's do what you say."
As he spoke, he stood up and bowed respectfully to all the clan members, smiling.
"Everyone, please go back first. Today's incident is due to our palace's poor hospitality. I will find an opportunity to come and apologize to you all in person another day."
Seeing that the matter was settled, the clan elders left in anger, uttering a few words and showing sneers on their faces before leaving.
"There's no need for a visit. We can't afford such a generous gift from your Duke's Mansion. Your Majesty, there's no need to visit us. But if something like this happens again in the future, please don't notify us."
These words made Duke Lu's face turn pale and blue.
After everyone left, the woman who had been standing at the door came in. She came before the Duke and bowed respectfully.
"I've met the Duke."
Then, he came to Ye Zhenzhen, took a quick look at her, and then said with a smile, "Greetings, Crown Prince's Consort."
The Duke took one look at the woman in front of him and realized that she was of noble status. The jade pendant around her waist seemed to be an item of the royal family.
Lu Zhiyan said slowly, "This is the Lady of HA City. She's been in the army all year round, and this time she's here to train the new recruits with us. She didn't come to our wedding, but she said she wanted to visit us today."
He paused, then added, "The county lady and we are like brothers in the army, so you don't have to be restrained."
The Huai'an County Lady's heart sank. She knew Lu Zhiyan's character well; once he made up his mind, it was impossible to change it. In her confusion, she subconsciously said, "Lu Zhiyan, you didn't say that before. Haha, you really changed after marrying a beautiful bride."
Lu Zhiyan's tone turned cold. Not only was he displeased, he asked, "Princess Huaian, please be careful with your words. I don't want my wife to misunderstand."
After a few interactions, the little fox could clearly see what had probably happened between the two of them.
However, she was a person who was afraid of trouble and planned to find an opportunity to ask Lu Zhiyan directly.