The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 39 Who's close and who's distant, is it even necessary to say?

Lu Jun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother, my parents want to marry Xin'er to the son of the magistrate of Ji County. I heard that the magistrate's son has a violent tendency. He beat his two previous wives to death. If Xin'er marries him, she will have no way to survive. Can you talk to my father and tell him not to marry Xin'er to him?"

Lu Zhan frowned slightly. "When did this happen?"

“My elder brother is busy with official duties and probably doesn’t know that the magistrate of Ji County came to our second branch of the family to propose marriage yesterday. My parents have already accepted their betrothal gifts, and the wedding date has even been set for next month.” Lu Jun said this with great anxiety. “I didn’t know about the magistrate’s son at first. After inquiring, I found out that I only have one younger sister, Xin’er, and I really can’t bear to see her jump into a fire pit.”

Lu Zhan had heard some things about the son of the county magistrate.

Although he did not agree with his second uncle and aunt's approach, he understood his uncle well. Once he made a decision, no one could change it; on the contrary, it would only make him resentful.

But the marriage was arranged so hastily, there must be more to it than meets the eye. Lu Zhan asked, "Why are Second Uncle and the others in such a hurry to marry off Third Sister? With Third Sister's qualities, it shouldn't be difficult for her to find a good family to marry into in the capital."

Lu Jun smiled wryly. It seemed that his elder brother was truly focused on political affairs and knew nothing about what was happening in the family.

"Brother, you may not know this, but at the last flower-viewing banquet, Wang Zeren fell into the water for some reason. At the luncheon, in front of everyone, Xin'er accused her cousin Zhiwan of pushing Wang Zeren into the water. However, Xin'er had no evidence and instead made a scene at the banquet, making baseless accusations against her younger sister. This has damaged her reputation."

Later, my aunt discovered that Wang Zeren was someone Xin'er had secretly brought into the household, and that the two were having an affair. When my mother found out, she was furious and immediately confined Xin'er to her quarters, wanting to marry her off as soon as possible, regardless of who the man was. That's how the marriage to the son of the county magistrate came about.

Lu Zhanjun's face darkened. "You mean, Wang Zeren also attended the flower-viewing banquet at our residence last time?"

Lu Jun nodded. "I heard it from the servants." He was focused on his studies and preparing for the imperial examinations next year, so he did not participate in the flower-viewing banquet that his aunt had hosted last time.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Wang Zeren had a notorious reputation in Beijing, and respectable families would never invite him to a banquet.

My mother would never make such a mistake as inviting such a person to the mansion for a flower banquet.

However, Lu Xin brought this person into the mansion, and in front of all the guests, she pushed Wang Zeren into the water.

What else happened behind the scenes?
Was Lu Xin's bringing Wang Zeren into the mansion premeditated?

Was her goal to destroy Zhiwan?
Lu Zhan immediately thought of what had happened at the Fu family's villa last time.

If he hadn't happened to witness it that time, Zhiwan's reputation would have been ruined.

Perhaps it wasn't entirely a coincidence that Zhiwan was teased by Wang Zeren.

It was during the flower-viewing banquet at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion that Wang Zeren set his sights on her!
Lu Jun said that his mother later found out that Wang Zeren was brought to the flower-viewing banquet at the mansion by Lu Xin, and that the two had an affair. This matter was definitely not something his mother investigated on a whim, but rather something she did deliberately.

The mother must have done this because of the danger that Zhiwan encountered at the Fu family's villa.

From this perspective, Lu Xin's marriage to the magistrate's son in Ji County was the result of her mother's instigation, which was revenge for Lu Xin almost harming Zhi Wan.

In a short while, Lu Zhan understood everything.

Since it concerned his mother, he naturally couldn't contradict her, so he said, "Second brother, I can't handle this matter."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun's face showed disappointment, and his eyes dimmed.

He originally wanted to find his uncle, but his uncle had been in the army and had not returned.

He went to find his aunt, but was told by Granny Fang that his aunt had been feeling unwell recently and should not overexert herself.

He thought his older brother would have a solution, so he went to find him, but to his surprise, his older brother didn't want to get involved.

In that case, he could only turn to his grandmother. Unfortunately, his grandmother had taken his aunt Jinglan to worship Buddha and was not in the capital at all.

"Then I won't bother you any longer, brother. I'll go back and write a letter and send it to my grandmother. My parents will always listen to her."

Lu Zhan nodded. "Go ahead."

After Lu Jun left, Lu Zhan summoned Chen Jiu and instructed him: "If the Second Young Master sends someone to Jiuhua Temple later, you must find a way to hinder the messenger's journey and prevent him from delivering the letter too quickly. Wait until the Third Miss gets married before having him deliver the letter to Grandmother."

"Yes," Chen Jiu replied, then turned and left.

But I couldn't help but have some doubts.

Is the young master doing this for the sake of his wife or for his cousin?
Just now, by the entrance of Baiwei Restaurant, no one else noticed, but as the prince's personal guard, he was standing not far behind the prince, so he naturally did not miss the scene of Miss Biao bumping into the prince's arms.

Afterwards, the prince visibly became cold towards the young lady.

Unexpectedly, when the matter involved the young lady, the prince chose to sacrifice the third young lady without hesitation.

Who is close and who is distant, is that even a question?
Yaoguang Pavilion.

Zhiwan was unaware of what had happened at Qingyun Residence.

When she brought Ouyang Zhenzhu into the house, she accidentally showed her her own drawing.

The drawing was a failed attempt, and although there was nothing inappropriate on it, Ouyang Zhenzhu held it tightly in her arms and refused to let go.

"Wanwan, you draw so beautifully! You're even more beautiful than the people in the picture books sold in bookstores. How can you draw so well?"

Zhiwan smiled and said, "You really think my drawing is beautiful?"

"Really, the person you painted is even more beautiful than those painted by other artists." Ouyang Zhenzhu held up the portrait and praised it highly.

Zhiwan paused for a moment, then seized the opportunity to ask, "Then do you think I can sell the painting to a bookstore?"

"Huh?" Ouyang Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then said excitedly, "That's a great idea! If you're willing to paint for bookstores, the major bookstores in the capital will probably all be vying for your paintings!"

“Then… I’ll give it a try,” Zhiwan said.

"You really should try it. These days, those comic books, also called serial pictures, are popular in Beijing. They're just a picture with a few lines of text. They're simple, clear, and attractive. Plus, the stories are coherent, making them irresistible. They're very popular."

Besides, many books these days like to have illustrations. Books with pictures are always more appealing than books that are all text. Bookstores are probably short of illustrators right now, and with your excellent drawings, they'd be thrilled to have you.

When Ouyang Zhenzhu talked about these things, she spoke fluently and confidently, clearly having read a lot about them in her daily life.

Hearing her say that, Zhiwan gained more confidence.

"Okay, I'll try it another day."

Seeing her serious expression, Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly leaned closer to her with a mischievous smile, "When I first saw this painting, I thought it was of the man you admired, and that you secretly painted it to ease your longing."

Zhiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she said anxiously, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't have any man I like."

Ouyang Zhenzhu blinked and touched the small mole on the collarbone of the man in the painting with her fingertip. "If not, why can you draw it so meticulously? This shouldn't be something you added on a whim, right?"

(End of this chapter)