Chapter 349 Supporting My Wife
The Duke's wife was surprised: "A Ning was with me just now, why didn't I hear her mention it."

The maid said, "It was brought by a maid named Si'er, who said that the princess had specially asked the small kitchen in Qingsong Garden to make it before she went to accompany you to race horses. Si'er also said that this was a recipe that the princess got from the folks, and this side dish is the best to go with rice."

Seeing this, the Duke hurriedly said, "Then serve it quickly. I've been tired of eating it these days, so I want to try something new."

"You're so old, why are you still greedy?" The Duke's wife complained, but she personally raised her hands to place the side dishes brought by the maid on the table.

The Duke smiled and took a bite, and immediately praised, "It tastes really good."

As he said this, he personally picked up a piece of food for the Duke's wife: "Try it too."

Glancing at his wife's gradually easing expression, the Duke took the opportunity to say, "To be honest, Ji'er is indeed willful, but he has good taste. I think that although this new bride is from a humble background, she has a good temper and is able to see the big picture. Now she is pregnant with our flesh and blood, and two boys. So you should just accept it and stop making a fuss."

Upon hearing this, the Duke's wife put down her jade chopsticks and sighed, "This child has been raised in our family since childhood. I like him very much. I am just angry."

The Duke's wife would get angry when her son was mentioned.

"Tell me about this bastard, how could he be so inconsiderate? He is my own son, but he is so disobedient to me. How can I not be angry?"

In the Qingsong Garden.

Lu Ji, who was being scolded by his mother, sneezed twice in succession.

"You accompanied your mother in horse racing today. Did your mother say anything to you?" Qin Xiaoning asked Lu Ji while removing her makeup in front of the mirror.

Lu Ji rubbed his sore nose and said casually, "What can I say?" He laughed at himself and said, "Now when my mother sees me, she scolds me within three sentences. How can I have a good face?"

As he said that, he stood up and walked behind his little wife, raised his hand to stroke her soft hair, and said to himself: "Otherwise, let's go back to the palace. We are getting bullied here anyway."

Qin Xiaoning turned around and glared at Lu Ji: "We made such a big mistake, and you're going to run away just because mother scolds you?"

Lu Ji said innocently, "I am thick-skinned and not afraid of my mother's scolding. But I heard that my grandmother said something bad about you."

The man lowered his eyes and glared at his young wife, his eyes showing heartache: "You went to pay your respects to your grandmother today, and were turned away again."

"Lu Ji, I told you, I won't back down." Qin Xiaoning stood up, stretched out her arms and wrapped them around the man's muscular waist. With a smile in her eyes, she said to him, "I can conquer even the most unruly man in the world, so why would I be afraid of these women and trivial matters in the backyard?"

"Lu Ji, don't worry, I can do it well."

The next day, they had been married for three days.

Early in the morning, Lu Ji took his new bride to the palace to meet Empress Dowager Lu.

As Lu Ji's eldest sister, Empress Dowager Lu was more open-minded than others. Before she entered the palace, Qin Xiaoning had already come to the mansion, and the two of them were acquainted.

Empress Dowager Lu was delighted to see that her younger brother had finally married his beloved. She was talking to Qin Xiaoning when a female official came in and reported that Princess Xuancheng had come to the palace to express her gratitude and requested to meet Empress Dowager Lu.

Empress Dowager Lu didn't expect that she would arrive at such a coincidence. After the female official reported back, she didn't rush to issue an order. She just smiled awkwardly and said to Qin Xiaoning beside her: "A Ning, do you know about the cousin of the Wang family?"

Qin Xiaoning smiled faintly and answered truthfully: "I heard that the cousin of the Wang family was made a princess and will be married to the State of Qi soon."

Empress Dowager Lu smiled and said, "Did my brother tell you?"

"He didn't say that." Qin Xiaoning said, "I heard it from my grandmother." Empress Dowager Lu sighed, "This brother is really cruel."

Queen Mother Lu smiled bitterly and said, "But this is also good. Although the prince of Qi is not a young man, my cousin from the Wang family has always valued fame and status. She was the crown princess in the past, and will be the mother of a country in the future. This arrangement is suitable for her."

Seeing Qin Xiaoning smiling but not saying anything, Empress Dowager Lu explained, "She will be leaving next month. I gave her some gifts a while ago. It just so happens that she must have come here today to express her gratitude."

Qin Xiaoning said, "Then the Queen Mother, please let her in." She smiled faintly and said, "You don't have to worry about me."

Empress Dowager Lu was naturally hesitant about whether to meet Wang Fengyi because she was concerned about Qin Xiaoning.

After all, the two were once rivals in love.

Seeing Qin Xiaoning being so straightforward, Empress Dowager Lu was a little surprised: "A Ning, do you really not care? If you don't want to see her, I can order her to come to the palace to express my gratitude another day."

Qin Xiaoning smiled again and replied very gently: "Since everyone is here, please let her in, Queen Mother. If you refuse to see her, and Miss Cousin knows that it is because of me that she is here, she will blame you for being partial."

"What happened in the past is over. I won't dwell on it. There's no point in doing so," Qin Xiaoning explained.

After hearing these words, Empress Dowager Lu laughed heartily and couldn't help but sigh: "A Ning is really a woman with a broad mind. No wonder my brother likes you so much."

Seeing Qin Xiaoning agreed, Empress Dowager Lu ordered the female official to invite Wang Fengyi in.

After a while, Wang Fengyi, dressed in gorgeous clothes, slowly entered with the female official. She probably didn't expect to run into Qin Xiaoning here. The moment she entered the hall and saw Qin Xiaoning, Wang Fengyi couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

It was Qin Xiaoning who took the initiative to greet her.

Wang Fengyi came back to her senses.

Because Qin Xiaoning just sat there and said "Hello, cousin" without standing up to greet her, Wang Fengyi bowed deeply to Queen Mother Lu, then stood there and forced an awkward smile at Qin Xiaoning, then said to Queen Mother Lu: "I don't know the palace rules very well, and I don't know whether I should bow to the princess or the princess should bow to me."

One is a princess and the other is a queen consort. It is hard to say which one is more noble.

Empress Dowager Lu frowned slightly, then smiled faintly and replied to the two of them: "According to palace rules, besides me, the empress dowager, and the emperor, the princes and princesses of the royal family should be more honorable, but..."

She glanced at Wang Fengyi and continued, "After all, my cousin, you are not of royal blood, but a princess who was promoted."

Empress Dowager Lu glanced at Qin Xiaoning again and said, "A Ning is the Regent Princess. The title of Regent is higher than that of Prince, so her title of Princess is also higher than that of Prince."

Empress Dowager Lu smiled and said, "Which of you two has a higher status? I really can't tell."

"Naturally, my princess' status is higher."

Several people were talking here when Lu Ji, who had just gone out to meet the emperor, happened to return. He strode into the hall.

Because he was Empress Dowager Lu's younger brother, the two siblings had always had a very strong relationship, so he did not need to wait for permission to enter or leave Empress Dowager Lu's palace.

The man was wearing a python robe with a coiled dragon pattern. He stood in front of Qin Xiaoning with a dignified demeanor, glancing at Wang Fengyi with cold eyes.

The meaning was obvious. He was waiting for her to bow and salute Qin Xiaoning.