Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 358 Sharp Knife
On New Year's Eve, despite the freezing weather, there was no curfew, and the streets were bustling with activity. People came out after their New Year's Eve dinner to stroll around, watch performances, and enjoy the lively atmosphere.

Lu Jing accompanied Su Qingwan to the lantern festival. This year's lantern festival was very lively, with many ice sculptures. Last year's lantern festival was not as grand. This year's harvest was good, and the people were living well. Moreover, good news kept coming from the southwest and Huainan, which made the people excited. The Dayuan under the rule of Lu Jing and the Princess was also blessed with good weather and crops. The court officials were harmonious. Although there were factional struggles, they were not too bad. The whole court was in a thriving state, and the people were naturally willing to enjoy themselves.

The various ice sculptures are lifelike and decorated with many palace lanterns and paper-cuts. They are very beautiful, including animals and flowers. Adults and children are admiring them.

Not far away was a stage, and the lively sounds of opera could be faintly heard. Lu Jing accompanied Su Qingwan as they strolled around. Su Qingwan was carrying a lantern, which made her stand out in the crowd.

The two strolled around the ice sculptures and lanterns for about half an hour. Lu Jing, worried that she might get tired, took her to a teahouse to rest. The teahouse was warmed by burning charcoal, and the tea and music were quite a pleasant experience.

The eldest princess also came out to stroll through the lantern festival, accompanied by a group of maids. From afar, they could see Lu Jing and Su Qingwan's group; the people from the Prince's mansion were still too conspicuous.

At first, the eldest princess didn't come to the teahouse; instead, she went to look at the ice sculptures. Su Qingwan thought she wouldn't come looking for them, but unexpectedly, the eldest princess arrived after only a stick of incense had burned.

She hadn't seen the Princess since becoming pregnant. Aside from handling business matters, she rarely left the house. After dealing with the Li family's affairs, Lu Jing had virtually no political enemies in the capital. Su Qingwan was a guest of honor at banquets hosted by noble ladies, but for safety's sake, she didn't attend any of them. Ding's child mysteriously disappeared, and she still didn't know how the Li family had done it. Better safe than sorry, she wasn't taking any risks. The Princess invited her to the residence for a chat, but she refused, offering plenty of excuses: the baby wasn't fully developed yet, and she hadn't been feeling well lately. It wasn't that she was afraid the Princess would scheme against her; the child was Lu Jing's and also had Huainan blood. The relationship between Huainan and Lu Jing would only become stronger, so how could the Princess possibly harm her child?

In the short term, their interests are intertwined, and since they are both focused on Nianqing, neither she nor the princess will turn against each other.

Lu Jing and the Princess exchanged greetings. Su Qingwan also stood up. Although she was not too heavy, the Princess smiled and waved her hand, indicating that she should sit down. Lu Jing knew that they had something to talk about, so he tactfully said that he would go buy her some snacks and left with his men.

"You still prefer visiting lantern festivals?" The princess chuckled. Su Qingwan loved visiting lantern festivals and all kinds of lanterns. Despite her mature and composed demeanor, she actually liked the same things that young girls like. She was originally a young girl herself.

"Yes, Your Highness. How have you been lately?"

"It's all good, but I miss Qing." The princess sighed softly as she looked at the night sky. It was snowing outside and the weather was very cold. When she mentioned Nianqing, her eyes were full of longing. She and Nianqing had been separated since childhood and were not as close as ordinary mothers and sons. Longing was a normal part of her life.

Su Qingwan said, "The war in Huainan will end soon, at most a year. Nianqing will come to the capital to see you often in the future."

"So what if he's come to the capital? He's already the Prince of Huainan."

“He is the Prince of Huainan, and he will always be Your Highness’s child,” Su Qingwan said. “Nianqing is a sensible and grateful child. Now that good news is coming in one after another, Your Highness should be happy. This was your original intention in sending him to Huainan, and it can be said that your wish has come true.”

Su Qingwan's words were both a reassurance and a sharp dagger.