Chapter 41: Heart Delight Lu Ji
I originally thought that Qin Xiaoning was just using her beauty to please men, but it turns out that it's not that simple.

After Jiang Fu heard what the Sixth Miss said, her face suddenly became uncontrollably ugly.

Everyone present could see Jiang Fu's displeasure, so Madam Hou tried to smooth things over and changed the subject: "Speaking of this Ji'er, he is a master of both civil and military skills, and he really has the demeanor of the Duke when he was young."

Duke Ningguo was a man of both literary and military talents. When he was young, he was the dream lover of countless noble ladies.

As she spoke, the Marquis's wife said to the Duke's wife with a hint of flattery, "Such a good man and such an excellent son were both given to my cousin. Tell me, how come you are so lucky?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke's wife laughed and said, "It's not easy to get a good man like this. My cousin knows that I almost had to use a knife to snatch this man away."

After the Duke's wife passed away, many famous ladies in the capital wanted to marry him again, but the Duke stayed with his deceased wife all the time, and all the noble ladies in the capital were so anxious that their eyes turned red.

The Duke's wife also liked this man, but he didn't have a good reputation when she was at home.

He is not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and is not good at taking care of the house. His only hobby is to wield guns and sticks and fight in the battlefield like a man.

At that time, people in Beijing called her a tigress.

But the wife of the Duke was very tenacious. If she wanted something, she would fight for it. In order to win the Duke, she even disregarded her own reputation and spread the word in the capital.

If any noble lady dared to marry Duke Ningguo, she would kill that person.

At first everyone thought she was bluffing, but later when a noble family went to the Ningguo Mansion to propose marriage, the Duke's wife actually blocked the door with a knife, and kept demanding that the noble lady come out and fight to the death with her.

After she made such a fuss, no one dared to propose marriage to the mansion anymore.

Later, seeing how infatuated his daughter was, the old general approached the old saint with the imperial edict and iron scroll in hand. The saint acted as a matchmaker, and the Duke's wife finally married the Duke as she wished.

At that time, people all over the capital were waiting to see this couple make a fool of themselves, but unexpectedly, they lived surprisingly well after getting married.

Although the Duke's wife was still impetuous, she knew how to restrain herself in front of her husband and was very straightforward, which really pleased the Duke.

The couple loved each other very much and had one son and two daughters.

Speaking of the past, the Marquis's wife followed the Duke's wife and laughed, and then said, "People say that the sons of the Ningguo Mansion have always been robbed."

This statement flattered the Duke's wife and also provided a good excuse for her daughter to love Lu Ji.

Upon hearing this, the Duke's wife smiled and said nothing else.

At this moment, a maid came up from the platform and reported that the prince had arrived.

After a while, Lu Ji walked up the long steps, strode onto the high platform, and stood in everyone's sight. The Marquis's wife and Jiang Fu were stunned when they saw him.

The man had a heroic and upright figure, with deep and handsome facial features. He wore a jade crown on his head, a dark green brocade robe, and a half-foot wide rhino horn belt tightly fastened around his waist. He was tall and sturdy, and although he was a military general, he did not have the slightest air of a reckless man, but was dignified in his coldness.

The Marquis's wife had not seen Lu Ji for many years. After so many years of experience, the handsome young man from the Ningguo Mansion had grown into a man of integrity. The Marquis's wife could not help but sigh in her heart: No wonder her old lady, after seeing Lu Ji at the palace banquet, urged her and her daughter to come back in a hurry, with the sole intention of marrying off her granddaughter.

"Is this Ji'er? He has become more successful than before." After being surprised, the Marquis's wife smiled and said to the Duke's wife. The Duke's wife looked at her son and said, "Ji'er, this is the Marquis's wife from the Marquis Zhongshun Mansion. Do you remember your aunt?"

Lu Ji stood on the last step of the high platform. After listening to his mother's words, he stepped forward, clasped his fists slightly in greeting to the Marquis's wife, sat down on the chair, frowned and asked, "Didn't you say we were having a family dinner? Why didn't I see my eldest brother?"

The Duke's wife had tricked her son into going on a blind date, and when he asked her about it, she, who had never been good at lying, hesitated and didn't know how to answer.

Seeing this, Lu Ji looked at his sister-in-law Li Lanchun beside him with an inquiring look.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Li Lanchun stammered, "Brother, something happened suddenly and he may not be able to come."

As soon as Li Lanchun finished speaking, her eldest sister, who was sitting next to her eating fruit, asked without hesitation, "When did Daddy say he was coming?"

Li Lanchun glared at her daughter and said, "Children should not interrupt when adults are talking."

Lu Ji was so smart that he understood it immediately after seeing this.

He remained silent, but his face darkened.

The man had a strong aura, and he was the only one unhappy, which made the originally lively scene suddenly become cold.

Seeing this, the Marquis's wife was embarrassed, and the Duke's wife was even more embarrassed. In order to ease the atmosphere, the Duke's wife glanced at Jiang Fu who was sitting beside the zither, then cleared her throat and introduced her to Lu Ji: "This is your cousin's daughter, named Fu'er. Your cousin's wife just returned to the capital, and today, she brought Fu'er here to see me."

Lu Ji still didn't say anything.

The Marquis's wife smiled awkwardly and tried to smooth things over, "Fu'er was just about to play the piano for everyone, and the prince happened to come over, so she came to listen with us."

After meeting Lu Ji in person, Madam Hou was very satisfied. She saw that although he had a temper, a capable man was noble and unruly. In short, Madam Hou was 100% satisfied with Lu Ji and was a little impatient to make this marriage happen.

As he said this, he winked at his daughter.

Ever since Lu Ji came over, Jiang Fu's young heart had been beating wildly. She was still young before, and when she saw the young Lu Ji she just had a good impression of him. But when she saw him again now, she felt like her heart was broken by him.

Seeing his cold attitude, Jiang Fu was a little afraid to act rashly, but in order to seize the opportunity, she still plucked up her courage, stood up and bowed slightly to Lu Ji, and asked in a sweet voice: "What song does my second cousin like?"

Lu Ji didn't even raise his eyelids, just sat there and left Jiang Fu alone for a long time, until her eyes turned red with embarrassment, and then he blurted out two words: "Whatever."

Although she knew that he didn't like her, the colder Lu Ji became, the more Jiang Fu couldn't stop.

Although she was afraid of him, there seemed to be some kind of magic in this man that made her want to humble herself and try her best to get close to him.

"The peach trees are young and luxuriant, their flowers are radiant and bright. Auntie's Peach Blossom Spring is very wonderful. I just happened to learn a new piece of music called 'Peach Blossom'. Why don't I play it for everyone?"

After speaking in a sweet voice, Jiang Fu smiled at Lu Ji with a shy look on her face: "Just now, the sixth lady was praising the second cousin for his proficiency in playing the piano and chess. If Fu'er doesn't play well, please give me more advice, cousin."

Lu Ji did not respond. He had a cold face and did not even look at Jiang Fu. He just sat there with his eyes fixed on Qin Xiaoning.

(End of this chapter)