The joy and excitement when leaving Beijing disappeared, replaced by a heavy and tense atmosphere.
As soon as Lu Qing returned home, he went straight to Jinyiyuan. Aunt Zhong had already sent Brother Yu and Brother Jiu back.
They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and the two brothers were very upset about their mother and brother's abandonment of them. When they met, they howled at the top of their lungs, with loud thunder and soft rain, mainly to accuse them.
Lu Qing and Brother Lan each coaxed each other, and it was not easy to coax these two little guys.
"Woo..." Brother Jiu leaned in Brother Lan's arms, rubbing his eyes with his little hands, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Brother Yu rubbed himself against Lu Qing's body and hummed softly, expressing his longing for his mother.
Lu Qing coaxed: "I'm back, I'm back, I won't leave you guys out for the time being."
In fact, after this experience, Lu Qing has become more determined to go out and gain knowledge when the opportunity arises. In the past, she felt nothing when she was in the house all day long. But now that she thinks about it, she does the same thing every day, and while she is being plotted, she has no choice but to do it. Regardless of the situation, everyone needs a moment of respite and escape.
On the premise of ensuring the safety of the children, Lu Qing wanted to be kind to herself.
She hugged Brother Yu, and Brother Jiu stretched out his two small hands to hug him. But Lu Qing's arms were suddenly filled with her two fat sons.
Aunt Zhong is indeed trustworthy. The two little guys are a bit more mellow than they were half a month ago. Except for crying when they miss their mother, they are growing up healthily and robustly at other times.
The milky meat dumplings were held in her arms, and Lu Qing gave them a kiss. Now Brother Yu and Brother Jiu were completely coaxed, and they nestled obediently on Lu Qing's body without crying or fussing.
Lan Geer breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, took out the gifts he had prepared for his brothers, took off his shoes and climbed onto the soft couch to play with them.
Mandong did not go to Lintu. She was left to take care of Brother Yu and Brother Jiu in Hemingyuan. After dinner, she reported to Lu Qing the recent situation in the house.
"After you and the prince left, Manager He pestered Dr. Jiang several times. Grandma Zhong took the initiative and called Dr. Jiang to Hemingyuan together, saying it was convenient for taking care of the two young masters..."
Hezhou actually still doesn’t give up? How many benefits did Ning Huayue promise to him?
Lu Qing held his chin and thought carefully, then told Mandong: "Keep an eye on the dining room. Whenever he makes a mistake, take the opportunity to get him out of the house."
There was no telling what a dark person like He Zhou would do to Dr. Jiang. It was best to get him away and completely cut off his thoughts.
"Yes, this slave knows." Mandong observed Lu Qing's expression and hesitated to speak, "Master, there is one more thing..."
Lu Qing was a little tired and asked softly: "What?"
"It's just...the two concubines have entered the mansion two days ago..." Man Dong spoke softer and softer.
In fact, this is not a big deal. Lu Qing had known for a long time that new people would enter the mansion, but why did these two people enter the mansion when most of the masters were gone? Or is there something fishy about it?
"Do you know something?"
Mandong stamped his feet angrily: "One of the concubines is named Xu!" This is why they couldn't wait to come in before Yan Fuguang returned to the house.
The news of the deposed crown prince came back to the capital. The concubine of the Xu family, a distant relative of Queen Xu, was afraid of being implicated, so she shamelessly entered the house in advance, fearing that the duck would fly away.
Hearing this, Lu Qing indeed accepted a series of arrangements made by Queen Xu.
Not counting Ning Huayue, she also wanted the concubine of the Xu family to cling to Yan Fuguang, suppressing him while guarding against Yan Fuguang.
"How is Concubine Xu's temperament?"
Mandong looked down upon her, but she had to admit that the newly arrived Xu was not a high-minded person like Ning Huayue and Queen Xu. On the contrary, she kept her attitude very low and did not make mistakes with ordinary etiquette. Mandong curled her lips and said, "I like Grandma Zhong very much, and the servants also say that she has a good temper."
If nothing else, this Xu Shufei was very self-aware and knew that his identity was unusual. He did not rush to look for presence in front of Yan Fuguang. When he just returned home, Lu Qing did not even look at this strange face in the crowd. come out.
"That's all, let her go for the time being. As long as she doesn't cause trouble for us, don't worry about it." I don't offend others unless they offend me. Lu Qing is not a soft-hearted person, but she is not someone who takes the initiative to attract suspicion.
＊＊
The next day at Yihongyuan, Lu Qing met the two concubines who had just entered the house.
One is named Xu, named Xu Miaoyan; the other is named Guo, named Guo Shulan.
Both of them have ordinary backgrounds, and it’s unclear what their personalities are yet.
Ning Huayue was not very interested, especially her attitude towards Xu Miaoyan was a little complicated. On the one hand, she looked down on her origin, but on the other hand, she cared about her surname Xu.
She reluctantly raised the corners of her lips and said what she had said hundreds of times in a calm tone: "Concubine Xu and Concubine Guo have gotten to know each other. From now on, we will get along well with each other and work together to help the prince."
The two newlyweds replied slightly uneasily: "Yes, I will follow the teachings of the princess."
They were not afraid of Ning Huayue, but what she said. Who wouldn’t want to help the prince, but the problem is, judging from the current situation in the palace, no one can compete with Concubine Wei. Will they have a chance to have children? Will it be easy to live in the palace without favor, children, or support?
At the end of the greetings, Xu Miaoyan and Guo Shulan rushed forward to appear in front of Lu Qing.
Lu Qing didn't know how the external rumors shaped her image. She could tell that Xu Miaoyan and Guo Shulan seemed to be a little afraid of her, so they tried their best to flatter and please, as if they didn't ask for her help, but only asked her not to embarrass them.
"I've met Concubine Wei..." Both of them spoke very quietly, and they didn't even dare to look up at Lu Qing's face.
Lu Qing curled her lips in a funny way: "Two concubines, please rise. No need to be polite."
After a brief greeting, Lu Qing left first.
Xu Miaoyan stared at her back, thinking of her father's instructions to her before she left home.
"It is your blessing that the Queen has given our family this opportunity. My father has no other expectations for you. He only hopes that you can fully cooperate with the Queen. The prince has fallen temporarily, but the honor of our Xu family cannot be lost."
The glory of the Xu family. What impressed Xu Miaoyan the most was the scene when she saw Queen Xu when she was a child. Her elders all praised Queen Xu for bringing supreme glory to the Xu family. From that time on, the women of the Xu family regarded her as Queen Xu is an example.
She met Princess Jin and the most favored concubine Wei. The legendary Concubine Wei, a woman who had endless favor from the King of Jin, just glanced at her, completely treating her as an insignificant person, with not even a trace of curiosity in her eyes, that kind of nonchalant indifference, Her popularity is better reflected than the three sons under her knees.
Many people said that Wei's concubine was more valuable than her mother, but Xu Miaoyan suddenly felt that this might not be the case.
