The Flirtatious Prince and His Savage Concubine

Chapter 159 Going to the Border at the Same Time

Not long after Lu Lingxi returned to Changqiu Palace, Chunhong came back to report that, as expected, the rest of the bracelets used the same method to hide musk, including the smallest one, where a single bead was not much bigger than a grain of rice.

Lu Lingxi couldn't help but sigh to Chunhong and Liulu: "It's hard for her. She must have spent a lot of time and effort on this matter, right?"

Nan Wangyu happened to come back from court at this time, and asked as he entered the room, "Why are you worrying so much? If you don't want to worry about something, just let the people below do it. Don't worry about it."

Hearing the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess talking, Chunhong and Liulu tactfully stepped aside and didn't say anything else.

How could this person just casually talk to her without even hearing her words clearly? Lu Lingxi said unhappily, "Why should I bother? I just mentioned that Queen Gu had asked Nanny Li to deliver the bracelet this morning. I spent a lot of effort on it."

"Do you like it? If you like it, keep it. If you don't like it, throw it aside. Don't worry about whether she puts much effort into it or not."

Lu Lingxi stood up, and Nan Wangyu casually handed her the cloak he had taken off.

Lu Lingxi took it and handed it to Liu Lu without caring, saying, "When I say troublesome, I don't mean hesitating whether to take the bracelet, but Chunhong noticed that the coral beads of the bracelet had musk added in the middle. Even the smallest one, the size of a grain of rice, was not spared. It really took a lot of thought."

Nan Wangyu knew the harmful effects of musk on women, but he didn't know that Queen Gu was so bold. Not only did she use the same trick on her own mother, but now she used it on her own wife.

He was so angry that his teeth itched. He clenched his fingers and then loosened them. Then he pulled up Lu Lingxi's sleeves and took a look. When he didn't see anything, he asked, "You're not wearing it, are you?"

Lu Lingxi took his hand back and slowly sat back in his original position, saying, "Of course I didn't wear it. I'm not stupid. I won't wear anything given by anyone. And to be honest, that bracelet is pretty ugly."

Nan Wangyu sat down next to Lu Lingxi and said, "It's good that you don't wear it. Just lock it in the deepest part of the warehouse and don't touch it. She gave you such a big gift, how about I help you prepare a return gift for her?"

Lu Lingxi curled her lips, "Not so good, if there is a grudge, of course I should take revenge myself, it will be more satisfying! I will go to the palace to meet her in a few days. I can't do anything to her, but if I make her angry, I will feel better."

Nan Wangyu smiled dotingly and said, "Okay, but my return gift must not be small either. After all, Queen Gu didn't come just for you."

"How do you know I'm not the only one who received the bracelet? She gave musk bracelets to every concubine in your harem. She wanted you to have no descendants. What a vicious mind."

Hearing this, Nan Wangyu stopped his hand that was about to touch Lu Lingxi's head in mid-air and asked curiously, "Give it to everyone? That really took some thought."

Lu Lingxi echoed, "Yes, I thought it was strange before. If it was a return gift for the full moon banquet of the eldest grandson of the legitimate emperor on the twelfth, the return gift should have been sent on the thirteenth, or at the latest on the fourteenth, but it was delayed until today, the seventeenth, to send the return gift. Maybe it takes some time to make so many coral bracelets with musk? Nanny Li also said that she would reward us for handling the wedding of the Marquis' Mansion. I thought to myself, whether we handle the wedding of the Marquis' Mansion or not has little to do with Queen Gu. Do we need her to reward us?"

Nan Wangyu nodded and said, "Well, it seems that this is just their excuse. What about the other bracelets? Have you collected them all, or have you distributed them?"

"This morning, before Nanny Li left, Concubine Wang arrived. I asked her to take the items away and distribute them. They should have been distributed by now. Chunhong just confirmed that something was wrong. What should we do now? Should we take them back?"

Nan Wangyu thought for a moment and said, "No need. This is a reward from Queen Gu. We have no right to withhold it, let alone take it back. You can take some time to point out the strangeness of this. As for how to deal with it, let them make their own decision."

Lu Lingxi nodded in agreement and instructed Chunhong, "Chunhong, go and tell Concubine Shang about the strange bracelet first, and ask her to help remind the others tactfully. I have to rush to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion in the afternoon, so I don't have time to arrange these."

After Chunhong received the order and left, Nan Wangyu said to Chunhong, "Go and serve lunch."

When there were only two people left in the room, Nan Wangyu asked, "You went back to the Marquis' Mansion this afternoon to congratulate your brother on his appointment as the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, I also want to congratulate my sister-in-law on her promotion to the Crown Prince's Consort. What kind of gift should I prepare?"

Nan Wangyu poured a cup of tea for Lu Lingxi, and poured himself another cup, drinking it slowly, and replied casually: "It's up to you. I'll accompany you back to the Marquis' Mansion in the afternoon."

After running around and talking a lot this morning, Lu Lingxi was really thirsty. He picked up the teacup and took a big sip before saying, "Aren't you always busy? How come you have time today?"

"I learned about the appointment of an heir to the Marquis' Mansion this morning, and I thought you would definitely go back to see him, so I arranged the things on hand and made time to go back with you."

Lu Lingxi was puzzled: "You don't have to make time to accompany me back. This is not the official ceremony for establishing an heir. I just want to go back early to take a look and ask when the official ceremony is."

"Brother's succession ceremony is still a long way off. It has been scheduled for today's morning court session. After brother and the Crown Prince's wife's return ceremony tomorrow, my father-in-law and brother will leave for the border immediately."

"Why is it so urgent? Dad said before that the date was uncertain. Why are we suddenly leaving tomorrow?"

Nan Wangyu had never been shy about telling Lu Lingxi about the court affairs, and patiently explained, "It's spring, the snow has melted, the horseshoes are no longer slippery, and the cavalry of Beizhan has made a comeback. The north needs young and strong troops, so we are anxious to urge my brother and his subordinates to go back. There are many mountains and rivers in the west, and my father-in-law has the most experience in fighting against Xiyue in the mountains. Although my father-in-law has been recuperating in Kyoto for more than a year and has been guiding the border operations through letters, he is still out of reach. Our army is losing ground, and only my father-in-law can turn the tide. So my father is anxious to urge my father-in-law and my brother to leave as soon as possible."

Lu Lingxi knew that the military situation was urgent, and he could not help but be reluctant. He was silent for a while and then cheered up: "There is no other way, so let's finish lunch quickly and go back to the Marquis' Mansion to talk with father and brother for a while. It's just a pity for my sister-in-law, she is left alone in the Marquis' Mansion after only three days of marriage."

"When you are free, come back home more often, or invite her to our house to chat, so she won't be bored."

Lu Lingxi nodded obediently: "Yeah, I got it."

Not long after the two finished talking, Liu Lu led people to serve lunch, and the two finished it quickly.

After preparing some gifts, he set off for the Marquis's Mansion.