usatvline Chapter 103 Refusal
Chapter 103 Refusal
Three days later, at the villa of the accompanying officials in Xishan.
Lu Zhiheng looked at the pretty young girl in front of him with an indifferent expression: "Miss Wang, I made it clear to you last time that I have no feelings for you."
The man's tone was cold, and every word he spoke pierced Wang Jingyi's heart.
But she still wore a bright smile and took two steps towards him: "Lord Lu, I know..."
Before her hand could even touch Lu Zhiheng's sleeve, he dodged it by turning to the side. Her outstretched hand hung awkwardly in mid-air.
Wang Jingyi pursed her lips, then lowered her hand, pretending nothing had happened, and continued, "Lord Lu, just because you don't like me now doesn't mean you won't like me in the future. At least get to know me first, and you'll find that I'm also a very good girl, worthy of your affection."
"No need." Lu Zhiheng's voice remained as cold as ever.
Wang Jingyi was struck dumb, her eyes filled with resentment: "Lu Zhiheng, why are you so heartless towards me?"
"Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. If I don't cut ties now, I'll be wasting Fourth Miss's precious youth," Lu Zhiheng said coldly, leaving no room for negotiation between them.
Wang Jingyi was born into the prestigious Wang family, with a noble status. Her aunt was the Empress Dowager and her elder sister was the Empress. She was pampered by her entire family from childhood. Who wouldn't spoil her?
Given her status, she would be more than qualified to marry a prince and become his consort.
She abandoned all girlish reserve and shyness, almost groveling to please him. Yet, the man before her still rejected her time and again.
Thinking of this, she could no longer contain her anger. For the first time, her face flushed red, and she glared at the man in front of her with wide, dark eyes: "Lu Zhiheng, who do you think you are? You're just a son of a fallen noble family who became the prime minister by sheer luck. What's so great about that?"
"Do you know what the consequences will be if you offend me, and the entire Wang family?"
What she thought were piercing words, Lu Zhiheng heard but felt nothing.
He looked at her coldly and said indifferently, "Since you look down on me from the bottom of your heart, Miss Lu, then please be kind enough to turn right when you leave. I will not see you off."
"you!!"
Wang Jingyi looked at him with disbelief: "Lu Zhiheng, do you really think I can't do anything to you?"
"Didn't your father allow Fourth Sister to travel all this way to the Western Hills Palace?"
Lu Zhiheng sneered: "I would like to trouble Fourth Miss to convey to your father that I have no intention of climbing up the social ladder by associating with the Wang family, and I also advise him to give up those unrealistic fantasies as soon as possible."
Wang Jingyi was speechless at his words, her eyes welled up with tears of grievance, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Lu Zhiheng had already invited Ling Xiao in and was seeing him off.
Wang Jingyi boarded the carriage with red eyes.
Seeing this, the maid Xia Zhu whispered to comfort her, "Miss, don't be sad. I heard that His Majesty intends to arrange this marriage. Even if Chief Minister Lu is stubborn, can he possibly go against His Majesty's decree?"
Wang Jingyi immediately looked up at her: "Is that really true?"
"That's what I heard, otherwise Master wouldn't have let you go and sent you to find Lord Lu."
After hearing this, Wang Jingyi's tears and grievances vanished instantly.
She lifted the carriage curtain, looked at the gate of the villa, and a confident smile appeared on her face.
Lu Zhiheng, so what if you don't like me? His Majesty is about to issue an edict to bestow marriage upon us. Can you really disobey the imperial decree?
-
As evening falls, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, and the sunset glows brilliantly.
Chu Qingyin learned from Kang Luhai that the first thing the Empress's younger sister did upon arriving at the palace from the capital was to go find Lu Zhiheng, but she was turned away by Lu Zhiheng and left in anger.
"Is this Lord Lu some kind of virtuous man who can remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap? How could he bear to refuse such a beautiful woman throwing herself into his arms?"
Chu Qingyin lazily stroked the little snowball and chuckled, "This fourth young lady is so stubborn. There are so many young masters from noble families in the capital, how could she have fallen for Lu Zhiheng, this blockhead?"
"This servant has heard that His Majesty seems to intend to arrange a marriage between the Wang and Lu families," Kang Luhai leaned closer and whispered.
Did Pei Yuanling bring them together?
When did he become so concerned about Lu Zhiheng?
Could it be related to her drunken ramblings last time? The thought had barely crossed her mind when she quickly dismissed it.
No, that's impossible.
Pei Yuanling would never allow himself to conflate private matters with matters of the court.
Besides that, there's only one other possibility: Pei Yuanling might be testing Lu Zhiheng's attitude.
He wanted loyal ministers, not nepotistic ministers bound by powerful families.
But is it too risky to test Lu Zhiheng with the Wang family?
After all, there was Empress Dowager Wang above, Empress Wang beside, and the entire Wang family below.
An ant trying to shake a tree cannot succeed in a day. Although Pei Yuanling's foundation is gradually stabilizing, the Wang family's power has been entrenched for a long time, so how could they be willing to be manipulated by him?
Seeing that she remained silent, Kang Luhai carefully continued, "This servant heard that Lord Lu refused to see Miss Wang, and Consort Lu was quite angry."
"Whether that idiot Lu Mingzhu is angry or not has nothing to do with Lu Zhiheng."
Chu Qingyin gently stroked the little snowball's fluffy head, then suddenly remembered something and smiled, "However, this is a great opportunity to surrender to Empress Wang, and I'm afraid she won't let it go."
“Your Majesty is absolutely right.” Kang Luhai bowed. “These past few days, this servant will keep a close eye on Consort Lu.”
Seeing how capable he was, Chu Qingyin smiled and looked at him, saying, "Since you are so loyal to me, I will naturally not treat you unfairly."
As she spoke, she took a jade pendant from her waist and handed it to Kang Luhai: "I already know about what happened in your family. Take this jade pendant and have your sister go to the Cui residence to find my cousin. He is now an assistant minister in the Ministry of Justice and will surely be able to handle it."
Kang Luhai was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief. How did Consort Qiao know about this?
His sister had married a decent and honest man, and they lived a peaceful and uneventful life, never causing him any trouble.
This year, his brother-in-law went hunting in the mountains and caught a white fox. He took it to the market to sell, but unexpectedly encountered a dishonest merchant who not only robbed them of the fox but also falsely accused them of theft and made them pay compensation.
Outraged, they took the matter to the authorities. However, the unscrupulous merchant bribed the county magistrate, who then twisted the truth and ordered them to pay the merchant in damages. The brother-in-law refused to accept this and was imprisoned.
My sister had no other choice but to write him a letter.
He thought it would be a simple matter of spending some money, so he pulled some strings and asked the county magistrate to release the man. Unexpectedly, the magistrate mocked him, saying he was a eunuch, powerless and without influence. Even though the Consort Qiao he served was now favored, she couldn't interfere in court affairs.
He had intended to find an opportunity to ask Consort Qiao for a favor. Unexpectedly, Consort Qiao offered her help on her own initiative.
After a brief moment of shock, Kang Luhai regained his senses and hurriedly lifted his robe to give Chu Qingyin a deep bow: "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace. Your Majesty's great kindness will surely be repaid by this servant in the future, serving you like a cow or a horse."
He had said these flattering words many times before, but only now did he express genuine gratitude.
After all, with an ordinary master, he would probably get into trouble. He would only reluctantly help if he had something of value to offer in exchange.
He had only done his duty, yet she had helped him so much; how could he not be grateful?
"Okay, take it, my arm is getting sore from holding it up."
Kang Luhai immediately looked up and carefully took the openwork white jade pendant.
"I don't need you to risk your life for me, all I need is your loyalty."
Chu Qingyin, holding the little snowball, slowly stood up and leaned closer to him: "And, I expect that no one in my palace will hide anything from me, including family matters. This is your first time, so don't do it again."