Chapter 70 The Joy of Moving House

Chapter 70: The Joy of Moving

There was no frost or snow falling outside, but the cold wind howled fiercely. Lu Feng's tall figure strode ahead, shielding Jiang Wanrou from the biting chill.

The twins had already been cradled in the arms of the wet nurses and quickly taken back to the warm pavilion. Bundled in a fluffy cloak, Lu Huaiyi glanced at his bickering parents, rubbed his reddened cheeks from the cold, and hurried over to them.

"Father, Mother."

After the recent scolding from Lu Feng, Huaiyi had grown more cautious in his speech and behavior. Jiang Wanrou thought he acted too old for his years, while Lu Feng was satisfied with his discipline. The couple's parenting styles were poles apart, often sparking arguments.

Lu Huaiyi bowed respectfully and said, "Please permit me to go ahead and double-check the luggage."

Lu Feng abhorred extravagance, and due to his injury, he had publicly attributed it to a mild cold. Thus, he did not hold a grand housewarming banquet, choosing only an auspicious day—today—for the move. Despite his youth, Huaiyi was fiercely independent. His cherished brushes, ink, paper, books, and even his spinning top had to be personally accounted for.

Noticing Huaiyi's reddened face from the cold, Jiang Wanrou suddenly realized she had been so engrossed in her spat with Lu Feng that she had entirely overlooked her delicate son!

With both parents present, the child couldn't leave without their say-so. While Jiang Wanrou had Lu Feng blocking the wind for her, poor Huaiyi was left to face the biting cold, his tender cheeks stinging from the icy blasts.

Jiang Wanrou threw a fierce glare at Lu Feng and quickly urged Huaiyi to go back inside. The interruption distracted her from her earlier mood, and she allowed Lu Feng to continue holding her hand.

Jiang Wanrou noticed that Lu Feng was walking unusually fast.

Lu Feng spoke with a hint of helplessness, "The wind is strong; let's hurry back."

"That's not what I meant."

Jiang Wanrou struggled to keep up with Lu Feng's pace, panting as she said, "Your leg—it's not limping anymore!"

Lu Feng had lost a leg, and in the past, he would deliberately slow his pace to appear no different from an ordinary person. But now, he was walking much faster than before, and his limp was barely noticeable.

Lu Feng kept his gaze forward, ignoring Jiang Wanrou.

Since his fall from the horse, the word "limp" had become a taboo for Lu Feng. Even the emperor dared not mention it in his presence. Jiang Wanrou, who had once been cautious, was now becoming increasingly bold.

"Really, I can't be wrong about this."

After nearly six years of marriage, she had walked beside Lu Feng countless times, but today, his pace was noticeably faster. Jiang Wanrou's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Lu Feng's expression—

He remained expressionless, neither surprised nor pleased, as if she were talking about someone else.

Jiang Wanrou suddenly felt defeated and muttered, "I guess I'm meddling in your business again."

He was always like this, indifferent to his own health. It wasn't that she disliked Lu Feng's limp—they had already had three children together, and her husband was handsome and noble, with no shortcomings that made her feel wronged. She was simply worried about his well-being, afraid that he might be in pain.

Lu Feng wasn't in pain in his leg now, but he had a headache.

He realized that she was not only becoming more delicate but also more temperamental. The last time she had shouted in anger, she refused to let him touch her for several days, citing, "Mr. Luo said your wound shouldn't be disturbed; it might tear."

Of course, in the end, Jiang Wanrou had used all her tricks to "serve" her husband properly. She felt wronged, and Lu Feng was also dissatisfied—such small indulgences only whetted his appetite but couldn't satisfy his hunger.

Now that his wound had mostly healed, she was inexplicably angry again, and Lu Feng couldn't understand the reason for her mood swings.

Though sometimes, well... her resistance had its own charm, he still preferred a harmonious relationship between husband and wife. He adored her snow-white, soft body, her long, silky black hair, and her slightly reddened eyes when she was deeply moved.

After a moment of thought, Lu Feng slowly replied, "It is better than before."

Jiang Wanrou hadn't mentioned it, but he hadn't noticed it himself. Now, with his beloved wife and children by his side and power in his hands, the once excruciating pain no longer shook his heart.

Jiang Wanrou's temper flared up quickly but also subsided just as fast. Following his pace, she said with hope, "It's been less than a year. If I stay by your side and you keep applying the medicine, maybe in a year, two years, five years, or even ten years, you might fully recover!"

Lu Feng chuckled helplessly, "Silly. Do you really think that Luo guy is Hua Tuo come back to life?"

Back then, it took so much effort to recover to this extent, which was already an unexpected blessing. He’s grown indifferent now; even if there were a miraculous elixir placed before him, claiming that daily application for ten or twenty years would surely cure him, he would probably still find it too troublesome.

A decade or two later, he would be old and frail. What good would recovering do then?

Lu Feng didn't care, but Jiang Wanrou thought differently. Without cutting or needles, just slapping on a plaster every day, no matter how many years it took, as long as it could heal, it’d be worth it!

Even if it took ten or twenty years, Lu Feng would only be in his fifties by then. The book says, "An old horse in the stable still dreams of running a thousand miles." Who knows, it might be the prime of his life!

Jiang Wanrou tucked this thought away in her heart.

The new estate was not far from the imperial palace, just three streets away from the Duke of Lu's residence. The emperor, thrilled to acknowledge his son, naturally wouldn’t stint on material comforts. The new estate was vast, thoroughly cleaned and arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Pavilions, towers, and intricately carved beams and rafters adorned the estate, with a grand plaque bearing the four golden characters "Prince of Qi's Residence" hanging high. Two huge stone lions at the entrance glared fiercely, exuding majesty.

***

The procession moved in with great fanfare. As they arrived at the new mansion, a light drizzle started to fall. Jiang Wanrou lifted the curtain, and the fine rain, like tiny needles, landed in her palm.

She suddenly recalled six years ago, on a similar rainy day, she had worn an ill-fitting wedding dress, carrying the weight of countless curses, taking her elder sister’s place to marry into the unknown Duke’s household.

What had she been thinking back then? Fear, terror, confusion, and a desperate determination.

She had to carve out a place for herself in the Duke’s household. She was so young; only if she thrived would her mother have a good life.

She had indeed succeeded, but fate had its way. Jiang Wanrou looked at the majestic, unfamiliar mansion before her, feeling a pang of nostalgia. Suddenly, the curtain was knocked aside by a black sword hilt.

"Stop fooling around."

Lu Feng chided lightly, "Don’t play around."

Jiang Wanrou: "..."

She really wanted to knock on Lu Feng’s head and demand, "I'm the mother of three children now. Even Huaiyi doesn't play with water anymore. Am I more childish than Huaiyi?"

It was drizzling today, and someone with injuries insisted on riding a horse in the cold wind rather than sitting comfortably in the carriage. Who was the one being foolish here?

But the interruption dispelled Jiang Wanrou’s melancholy. Once the family moved into the new mansion, she had no time to dwell on such thoughts.

The estate was simply too large!

In fact, the Prince of Qi's residence was about the same size as the Duke of Lu's residence, but the Duke's residence had more people. The ancestral hall, the courtyards for the second and third wives, the old Duke's former residence, Lu Qingling's boudoir, the Buddhist hall, the ancestral shrine, the study... To facilitate Huaiyi's martial arts practice, there was even a small archery range. The horses from the stables could be brought out to kick up a fuss in the range.

Now, with only their family, the mansion suddenly felt empty. Jiang Wanrou chose a courtyard with a hot spring, still calling it "Jin Guang Courtyard," and brought along the maids and servants from her old courtyard. The two little ones were also placed under her care for now.

In a typical mansion layout, the master and mistress each had their own separate courtyards, while other concubines were assigned residences based on their status. Lu Feng had no concubines. Back in the Duke's residence, he had a "Mo Lin Courtyard," but in recent years, he hadn't set foot in it. This time, he didn't even choose a courtyard, directly moving into Jin Guang Courtyard. As a result, the mansion felt even more desolate.

The day after moving in, Jiang Wanrou called for craftsmen to bring the palace blueprints, planning to expand the front courtyard study to give Huaiyi more space for his studies. She also prepared some areas for the two younger ones, leaving space for a flower room. A few guest rooms and a grand hall for entertaining guests were kept, while the rest were demolished to make way for a horse arena, saving on cleaning efforts.

Jiang Wanrou showed her planned palace blueprints to Lu Feng, who glanced at them and said, "As you wish."

As long as it wasn't too excessive, Lu Feng rarely interfered with household matters. Now, Jiang Wanrou had no elders above her and no sisters-in-law or younger sisters below. Lu Feng was a hands-off shopkeeper. Besides the original entourage, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also sent over a batch of maids and servants. Their loyalty was uncertain, but no one dared to defy the Princess Consort.

On the first night, Jiang Wanrou missed her old Jin Guang Courtyard, the flowers and plants she had nurtured, and the occasional stray cat that came to bask in the sun. On the second night, after a passionate night with Lu Feng, her mood slightly improved. By the third night, Jiang Wanrou found that, aside from some boredom, her current life was even more comfortable than before!

Jiang Wanrou was adept at finding her own joys. Recently, the weather had been poor, and the Imperial Astronomers predicted heavy snow, advising against large-scale construction. The new palace blueprints were temporarily set aside. After resting, Jiang Wanrou began decorating her courtyard. She transplanted winter plum blossoms and pine trees, had the pond's ice broken to raise cold-resistant fish, and lined the pond walls with her favorite Taihu stones. Inside, she replaced the bead curtains with her preferred glass beads... Just as she was engrossed in these tasks, on the sixth day after moving into the new mansion, the emperor arrived.

The emperor had likely decided on a whim after the morning court, still dressed in his bright yellow imperial robes, followed by several ministers. Jiang Wanrou rarely saw outside men, and after a quick glance, she only recognized Lu Feng and Pei Zhang.

In the crowd, Lu Feng nodded slightly at her, and Jiang Wanrou felt somewhat reassured. Fortunately, she had anticipated visitors and had the guest hall meticulously arranged. The mansion's pavilions, towers, artificial mountains, and flowing water were already luxurious and refined, fitting for such occasions.

Jiang Wanrou silently followed behind Lu Feng. The emperor leisurely toured more than half of the estate before returning to the main hall with floral decorations, his eyes showing satisfaction.

"All of you, please sit. Today, we are not discussing matters of ruler and subject. Like all fathers in the world, I just wanted to see how my son is doing."

Though he said this, no one dared to disregard his status as emperor, but they all played along, praising his "paternal love." The emperor waved his hand, uninterested in such formalities. He turned to Lu Feng and said, "Jun Chi, a few days ago, the incident involving Chen Fu angered me, and I only found time today to come and congratulate you on your move."

"The courtyard is well arranged; your wife has put in a lot of effort."

Jiang Wanrou quickly stepped forward, bowing her head and speaking humbly, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's grace. Your daughter-in-law does not dare to claim credit."

The emperor, unusually, gave Jiang Wanrou a few kind words, praising her for being virtuous, capable, and understanding. Jiang Wanrou replied cautiously, unsure of the emperor's true intentions. Suddenly, the emperor changed the subject, saying, "Everything else is good, but this courtyard... it's too empty."

Jiang Wanrou's heart raced, and she felt a sense of dread.