Chapter 13 The Return Visit Ends

Chapter 13 The Return Visit Ends

Cheng Yunshuo's words silenced the room, and Lady Liu was overjoyed, unable to hide her delight.

She humbly thanked them repeatedly, portraying a deep bond with Lu Lingyun, pulling her close and recounting how she had raised her from a young age with utmost care, treating her better than her own daughter.

Lu Lingyun found it tiresome.

She responded perfunctorily and then left with Cheng Yunshuo.

As they were leaving, she glanced back at the room.

Lu Hanyi stood there, still stunned, her expression a mix of disbelief and shock.

Her current husband, Li Wenxun, called out to her several times, but she remained unfazed.

Lu Lingyun withdrew her gaze and smiled lightly.

"This is just the beginning. Wait until Lu Hanyi realizes that the husband she schemed so hard to marry is not on the same path as her. She'll be in for a rude awakening."

The first step of winning the imperial examination, which she had meticulously planned, involved her spending nearly half of her dowry, exchanging gifts with the wives of various scholars, and even a bit of luck, to secure the right questions for him to ace.

If she hadn't done anything, Li Wenxun would never have become the top scholar!

After Lu Lingyun left, the women in the room gradually dispersed.

They had witnessed quite a spectacle today.

At least now they knew that Lu Lingyun's marriage into a wealthy family was indeed a good one, both in terms of status and appearance.

It was truly baffling why Lu Hanyi chose to marry a mediocre second son of a sixth-rank official.

After everyone left, Lu Hanyi kept repeating, "Impossible! It can't be true!"

"Hanyi, what's wrong with you?" Lady Liu looked at her daughter, genuinely worried she might be possessed.

"Mama! Lu Lingyun cannot possibly be favored!"

"Enough. Stop obsessing over her and focus on your own life," Lady Liu sighed.

Today, Lu Lingyun had taken the spotlight, but things had reached this point, and there was no turning back.

"Mama, I will treat Hanyi well in the future," Li Wenxun said.

Lu Hanyi then remembered something, "Yes, Mama, just wait and see! Wenxun will definitely pass the exams! Then we will live better than Lu Lingyun!"

Even if Lu Lingyun's current behavior differed slightly from her previous life, the fact remained that the marquisate was still in shambles, Cheng Yunshuo would eventually run away with a concubine, and she would rise with Li Wenxun!

Her true happiness lay with Li Wenxun!

There was no escaping it!

Lu Hanyi's certainty made Li Wenxun blush slightly, "I will work hard."

"My lord, I believe you will definitely become the top scholar!"

Li Wenxun blushed even more.

He had prepared for the spring examinations next year and felt confident about becoming a scholar-official, but he never dared dream of being the top scholar.

Fortunately, these were private words, showing his wife's support.

Lady Liu, seeing her determined daughter, thought, "Well, let's see. Perhaps my daughter has chosen the real gem."

Otherwise, she feared she might die of frustration.

Lu Lingyun and Cheng Yunshuo boarded their carriage, which moved slowly.

Inside, they were silent.

Lu Lingyun quietly read her book, as if Cheng Yunshuo wasn't there. Indeed, he showed no interest in her, maintaining a wide distance between them, enough to fit two people.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped.

No unexpected contact occurred; Lu Lingyun sat firmly, gripping the carriage pole steadily.

Cheng Yunshuo also remained seated, keeping his distance.

"What's going on?"

Cheng Yunshuo asked irritably.

"Your Highness, there's a pair of siblings selling themselves to bury their mother up ahead," came Qingfeng's voice from outside.

Cheng Yunshuo waved his hand, "Ignore them, keep going."

Lu Lingyun, however, lifted the curtain and looked outside. She saw a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy and an eight- or nine-year-old girl. The boy was kneeling, while the girl clung to the body of a woman on a mat, crying loudly.

Both children were emaciated. Lu Lingyun noticed that only the boy had a straw marker on his head, indicating he was for sale, while his sister did not.

This meant they were selling only him, not his sister.

Slavery was the lowest status, and once sold, they often could never buy their freedom back.

For some reason, Lu Lingyun sighed.

She took out the bag of silver given to her by the Liu family today, "Shuang Hong, have him bury his mother and take good care of his sister."

"Yes."

The carriage curtain was lowered, and she turned to meet Cheng Yunshuo's eyes.

Lu Lingyun thought for a moment and explained, "In this world, life is hard without a mother."

She feared that too much explanation would make Cheng Yunshuo think her hypocritical.

After all, he didn't have a good impression of her.

Sometimes doing good deeds can feel quite false.

After saying this, she quietly sat back down, but then she heard Cheng Yunshuo say,

"Hmm, I heard you lost your mother at a young age too."

Lu Lingyun looked up, and Cheng Yunshuo said to someone outside, "Give them more money; they don't need to follow us."

After saying this, Cheng Yunshuo lowered his head and played with his prayer beads.

At this moment, Lu Lingyun felt that although her husband in this life was a bit rebellious and wayward, he was a rare honest and straightforward person.

His character wasn't bad.

Soon, the carriage returned to the marquis's residence.

As soon as it stopped, Cheng Yunshuo got out impatiently.

Seeing that Cheng Yunshuo was about to leave, she simply said, "Thank you."

Hearing the thanks, Cheng Yunshuo turned to look at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's do things like this from now on."

Lu Lingyun smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Cheng Yunshuo was telling her that today had been a pleasant cooperation, and in the future, they should respect each other as guests. Lu Lingyun would give him face at home, and he would also give her face outside, cooperating with her actions.

What Lu Lingyun wanted was exactly this.

She got out of the carriage, and Cheng Yunshuo had already headed towards Yaoguang Pavilion.

"Let's go back."

"Yes."

After returning from the Lu family, Lu Lingyun first went to see Lady Qin.

Lady Qin was already well-informed about her visit to the Lu family today.

After all, she had brought many people from the marquis's residence.

When Lady Qin learned that her son had gone obediently today and hadn't done anything outrageous, she couldn't stop smiling.

After Lu Lingyun returned, she praised Cheng Yunshuo again, making Lady Qin feel very pleased.

She held Lu Lingyun close, expressing her affection, and only said that she had married a good daughter-in-law.

She believed that if it were another daughter-in-law, things wouldn't be handled as well as Lu Lingyun did.

She gave Lu Lingyun many gifts, and when parting, she held Lu Lingyun's hand tightly and whispered her instructions.