Chapter 200 Taking advantage of the situation
The sky was setting in the west. After Li Lanchun finished dealing with the affairs of the day, she walked out of the front hall and headed straight for Qingsong Garden.

Grandma Li Lanchun is in charge of the household and usually doesn't have time to visit people. Seeing her suddenly coming over, Qin Xiaoning immediately guessed that it must be Wang Fengyi who was arguing with Li Lanchun about what happened today.

That scoundrel came looking for his relatives for no apparent reason, and Qin Xiaoning could conclude that he was secretly instructed by Wang Fengyi.

She is the only one who hates me the most right now.

Although he knew that even if the scoundrel had irrefutable evidence, Lu Ji would never let her go, but after this humiliation and exposure of her scars, the scoundrel was killed in front of the Dali Temple, and she was accused of forcing her father to death for the sake of fame and fortune.

As expected of someone who could enter the imperial palace, his methods were ruthless and he did not leave a single flaw.

Qin Xiaoning knew clearly that the fragile disguise between her and Wang Fengyi would be torn apart sooner or later. If they came to a duel, her wisdom was not inferior to Wang Fengyi's, but there were ironclad rules in this noble family that distinguished between the superior and the inferior. Even with Lu Ji's protection, she would be the one who suffered in the end.

She is the type of person who doesn't like to be wronged.

Qin Xiaoning has made up her mind that she will leave as soon as possible.

Since this was destined to be a war that would bring her great humiliation, the best strategy was to run away.

Therefore, she disregarded the rules today and confronted Wang Fengyi in public. Even if she left, she wanted to let her know that she was not a fool who would let her play tricks on her, and that she was aware of the evil things she had done.

Before Li Lanchun could speak, Qin Xiaoning took the initiative to ask, "Grandma, are you here because of the argument I had with my cousin today?"

Li Lanchun didn't expect Qin Xiaoning to be so straightforward. She smiled and replied, "Feng girl didn't say much about today's incident."

The rules of the upper class are strict. No matter how right the inferiors are, they will be severely punished if they commit crimes against their superiors.

Knowing that Li Lanchun was trying to protect her today, Qin Xiaoning said, "We had a quarrel because the man who claimed to be my biological father, my cousin and Miss Jiang, spoke rudely to me a while ago. I was so angry that I said bad things."

Li Lanchun patted Qin Xiaoning's hand and said, "I don't know your personality. You are a very gentle person. If you weren't angry, you wouldn't be like this."

She paused, and said earnestly, "But my cousin is the principal wife after all. After you get married, she will be your mistress. You will have to make a living under her, so you'd better be patient in everything. Otherwise, you will be the one who suffers."

Li Lanchun is telling the truth.

This disparity in status destined her to be at a disadvantage.

Qin Xiaoning nodded: "I understand. Thank you grandma for protecting me."

As the mistress of the house, Li Lanchun could not sit idly by and watch what happened today, but she also had no intention of blaming Qin Xiaoning. She wanted to forgive her and stopped at the proper point in her words.

Seeing that the other party understood, she brushed it off and said, "The main reason I came here today was to let my second brother see the layout of the new house."

Qin Xiaoning raised her hand to pour tea for Li Lanchun: "Grandma, please wait a moment. The prince will be back soon."

The two chatted for a while, and when Lu Ji came back, he heard Li Lanchun mention the decoration of the future new house. He didn't even look at the blueprint, and just said: "It's all up to the eldest sister-in-law to make the decision. Just don't change the furnishings in this hall. Ning will still live here in the future, and all my things will still be here."

What he meant was that even if a new bride came into the house, the ancestor would still have to live in this main room with Qin Xiaoning.

Logically speaking, it's against the rules.

Before the mistress comes into the house, it is fine for the concubine to live in the same room with the master in order to serve him. But if the mistress comes into the house, the concubine should move to the cross courtyard, and only the mistress can live in the main room.

There is only one main hall in Qingsong Garden.

Li Lanchun was just following orders to arrange the marriage. As for who Lu Ji favored and who he would sleep with in the future, she, as a sister-in-law, had no right to interfere. However, the allocation of the house was a matter of propriety. It was impossible to let the concubine and the mistress live in the same house. After hearing what Lu Ji said, she thought about it and did not go against Lu Ji. Instead, she chose a compromise: "If you don't want to move the main house, then vacate Huaningju next to Qingsongyuan. That main house is also very spacious. Renovate it and make the yard wider to use it as the wedding house."

Lu Ji took two sips of tea and did not respond immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at Qin Xiaoning who was sitting quietly beside him: "A Ning, what do you think of my sister-in-law's suggestion?"

As a concubine, what qualifications does she have to participate in these things?

Qin Xiaoning smiled faintly when she heard this: "I dare not overstep my authority, it's all up to the prince to make the decision."

Lu Ji then said to Li Lanchun: "Then let's do as the eldest sister-in-law said."

After Li Lanchun left, Lu Ji asked Qin Xiaoning: "What happened today?"

Even the slightest fluctuation in the little girl's emotions could not escape Lu Ji's eyes.

"It's okay." Qin Xiaoning said casually, "I'll ask the maids to set the table."

As soon as she stood up, Lu Ji pulled her back and held her on his lap: "What happened?"

He lowered his eyes and asked her, "Are you in a bad mood because of what happened a while ago? Or did someone offend you today?"

Seeing that the little girl was still silent, Lu Ji asked anxiously: "Why don't you speak?"

"Or maybe you're upset because of what we just said about decorating the wedding room?"

It is indeed unpleasant.

How could she be happy when her beloved man was about to marry in such a grand manner?

Later, she saw Wang Fengyi coming in and becoming his wife, while she had to make a living under that woman, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.

The little girl raised her eyes and looked at the man, with a thin layer of mist in her clear eyes. She said, "It's not unpleasant. You want to get married. It's only a matter of time. I'm prepared for it."

The man fell silent upon hearing this and just hugged the person tightly in his arms.

After a long while, he said, "Give me some more time."

The little girl didn't say anything. After a while, she broke free from his arms and suddenly said, "I have a gift for you."

He always gave her gifts, but she seldom gave anything in return.

I had become accustomed to his favor, and now that I had decided to leave, I realized how little I had given back to the man.

There will be no more chances in the future.

Hearing that she was going to give him a gift, Lu Ji was surprised: "What is it?"

As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced in the direction of the dining table. Qin Xiaoning smiled and said, "It's not food."

"Just a moment."

As she said that, she ran to the inner room. After a while, the little girl walked up to the man with her hands behind her back and something in her hand. She said mysteriously, "Close your eyes."

Lu Ji cooperated very well, closed his eyes and asked her: "What is it?"