In the Mansion of the Duke Who Pacifies the South, at Azure Wave Courtyard.
Madam Lu guessed correctly. Under his ordinary clothes, Lu Huaizhou was wearing a wedding outfit he had temporarily borrowed from a pear garden troupe.
"Knock, knock!"
Two crisp knocks sounded on the door of the bedroom.
Jiang Fuying was buried in the endless account books and didn't even lift her head. "Your Highness, please come in."
The next second, the door was pushed open, and a dull opera aria reached her ears.
"Miss, I know you have your sorrows, but don't be lost in sadness~"
Jiang Fuying's hand flipping through the account books suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of him in the opera costume.
A rather absurd guess popped into her mind: Was His Highness Lu... trying to cheer her up by singing opera?
But this thought had barely emerged when she quickly dismissed it.
His Highness Lu and she had become husband and wife by accident. Their relationship was limited to being partners in running a business and putting on a show of affectionate husband and wife in front of elders like Madam Lu. Other than that, they...
"Miss, please listen to me~"
"Once there was a scumbag of a father who looked decent but did the bad deed of abandoning his wife and daughter. But guess what?"
Lu Huaizhou had never learned to sing opera. Wearing the long - sleeved opera costume and raising his little finger in a feminine pose, he inevitably looked a bit comical.
Jiang Fuying couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter and played along with him.
"What happened?"
"His daughter was very talented, a heroine among women. When she grew up, she became a pillar of the country, rescued her mother, and kicked out that scumbag father~"
"And that scumbag father—" Lu Huaizhou's eyes were burning with deep meaning. "Although he regretted it, he reaped what he sowed and ended up a miserable life..."
Lu Huaizhou suddenly straightened his expression seriously. "The opera is over, but Miss Jiang, I have something to tell you."
For some reason, Jiang Fuying's heart felt like a little deer that couldn't find its way out, pounding wildly.
She tried her best to calm herself down. "Your Highness, please speak."
But her slightly trembling knuckles still betrayed her.
Lu Huaizhou obviously noticed her unease.
He let out a soft sigh, walked up to her, bent down to look her in the eye, and said seriously word by word.
"Miss Jiang, they say fortune changes. Since he ignored you today, one day we'll make sure he can't even dream of getting close to you."
"Okay, I understand."
Jiang Fuying lowered her eyes, her mind in a whirl.
Compared to that biased scumbag of a father, Lord Jiang, she thought the account books were more important.
Thinking like this, she buried herself in the thick stack of account books again.
Seeing that she didn't show much reaction, Lu Huaizhou automatically imagined a grand drama in his head.
Oh no!
Miss Jiang must be overly sad because of her biological father's extreme bias!
Fortunately, he never fought a battle without preparation. He had already prepared a second plan.
He waved his hand and ordered the people outside, "Servants! Serve the food!"
Hearing this, the maids and servants filed in.
In the blink of an eye, the table was filled with more than a dozen dishes.
"Miss Jiang, these are all the signature dishes of the restaurant. Come and have a taste."
After saying that, without waiting for her reaction, he directly pulled her by the sleeve and made her stand up. "Over the years, I've learned a lesson: There's nothing in this world that can't be solved by a good meal. If one meal isn't enough, then have two."
He pulled her to sit down in front of the table, then personally handed the chopsticks and bowl to her hand, looking at her expectantly.
Jiang Fuying's heart fluttered, and a warm current welled up in her heart.
It was only at this moment that she suddenly realized: Her initial guess was right. His Highness Lu was indeed trying to cheer her up.
He tried every way to comfort her, just wanting her not to take Lord Jiang's bias towards Jiang Fuyue to heart and not be sad about it.
A hint of gratitude showed in her autumn - water - like eyes, and she gave a faint smile.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for thinking about me."
"However, I didn't take what happened next door to heart."
She picked up the chopsticks and filled a plate with the dishes he usually liked. Under his surprised gaze, she pushed the plate in front of him.
"These are a small token of my gratitude."
"I'm no longer a three - year - old child who would envy her sister for getting their father's favor." She paused, her tone light but hiding an indescribable melancholy. "A father as biased as him, I don't need him."
Even though she said so, Lu Huaizhou still couldn't help but feel a twinge of heartache.
Miss Jiang was just a little bitter melon in the world!
He couldn't even imagine how miserable her life in the Lord Jiang's mansion had been, with her mother passing away early and having such a biased father.
"Yes, we don't need such a father!"
He quickly stood up and picked up some dishes for her. "We're a family. My father and mother like you very much. They'll surely dote on you as their own daughter!"
The more he said, the angrier he got. "Some people are really ungrateful. They're lucky to have a remarkable daughter like Miss Jiang but don't know how to cherish her. It's simply a waste of a treasure..."
Where he couldn't see, Jiang Fuying's eyes curved, and a few traces of a smile flashed across her face.
She thought that the eldest branch of the Lu family treating her as one of their own was actually a blessing from heaven.
...
In the Mansion of the Marquis of Pingning, at the East Courtyard.
"Miss, His Highness the Prince has invited Doctor Xue, the most famous gynecological expert in the capital. Doctor Xue is waiting in the main hall now!" Qiuyue reported excitedly.
Jiang Fuyue's face lit up.
Qing'an really loved her. He had promised last night, and this morning he really invited Doctor Xue!
"Hurry, help me get dressed and do my hair!"
In the main hall.
As soon as Jiang Fuyue approached, Doctor Xue bowed respectfully. "I've come to pay my respects to the Princess."
Jiang Fuyue nodded slightly. "Doctor Xue, there's no need for such formalities."
"I've been ordered by His Highness the Prince to help you condition your body. I'll be staying in the mansion for a while."
Jiang Fuyue was both surprised and overjoyed.
You know, this Doctor Xue was someone that many young ladies and wives from noble families in the capital couldn't even invite.
And for her sake, Qing'an not only invited him but also asked him to stay in the mansion!
She must have been overthinking before. Whether in the past life or this life, Qing'an still loved her as before.
"Doctor Xue, don't worry. I'll order someone to clean up the side room for you."
"Thank you, Princess."
Jiang Fuyue didn't notice the fleeting gloom in Doctor Xue's eyes at all. She was still immersed in joy.
"Doctor Xue, what tonics do I need to prepare for my body conditioning? Tell me all of them. I'll have the servants go and buy them."
"Princess, don't be in a hurry. I need to feel your pulse first."
"Okay." Jiang Fuyue trusted his words completely. She quickly placed her wrist on the pulse pillow. "Thank you, Doctor Xue."
Normally, a pulse - taking would yield results in a short time.
But Doctor Xue took a full half - incense stick's time to feel her pulse.
Seeing Doctor Xue frowning tightly, Jiang Fuyue's heart sank to the bottom.
She asked tremblingly, "Doctor Xue, there shouldn't be... any problems with my pulse, right?"
Before Doctor Xue could answer, a tall figure walked in from outside and pulled her into his arms.
"Fuyue, I'll be here for everything. If there really are any problems, we'll face them together."