Golden Branch

"...I can't compare, so what?"

"Lou Yu's glory was in the past. Now, he has been disliked by the Crown Prince and exiled to Lingnan."

"Ha! Langya is the one who refuses to admit defeat and is so obsessed with saving face. Even though Lou Yu is in such a state of destitution, she's still throwing a lavish birthday party!"

"Doesn't she know that we, the distinguished guests, are willing to come to the Duke of Qi's mansion just to see the couple make a fool of themselves?"

Isn't it a joke?

Langya had been married to Lou Yu for only two months, but she had already ruined Lou Yu's future.

what is this?

A jinx for sure.

Anyang's heart was probably twisted by jealousy. After hearing the "news" about the Duke of Qi's Mansion, he felt relieved and excited. Now he even came to watch the fun in person.

Perhaps she was too excited and forgot to cover herself up.

Her eyes were filled with gloating.

Wang Heng glanced at her indifferently. As early as when Lou Yu decided to go to Yongzhou, the couple had expected this day to come.

In this world, there is not only no shortage of evil spirits, but also no shortage of fools!

Wang Heng's disguise is much more sophisticated than Anyang's.

She smiled gently and gracefully, showing no disdain for fools like Anyang.

Only Lou Yu could "understand" his little girl's thoughts just with the corner of his eye.

He held Wang Heng's hand, his fingers gently rubbing against her palm. "Idiot? Idiots are good! If there weren't some smart-aleck idiot jumping out to 'beg for a slap in the face,' how would you have taken advantage of this opportunity to establish your authority, Ah Heng?"

Wang Heng: ...That makes a lot of sense!

"Sister Anyang! Prince Consort Wei!"

Wang Heng bowed slightly and greeted the couple politely.

"Congratulations! I heard that Mr. Lou was promoted to Governor, and it also happened to be his birthday. It's really a double blessing!"

Anyang really lived up to Lou Yu's "expectations". As soon as he opened his mouth, he started to output powerfully.

But there was nothing wrong with what she said.

Lou Yu was promoted from the fifth rank to the fourth rank, which was indeed a "high promotion" and could be considered a "good news".

As for the actual "promotion in name only, demotion in reality", it is not easy to point it out directly.

As long as the window paper is not punctured, one can pretend that everything is fine and can squeeze others in a sarcastic way.

"Thank you, Princess. I wish you and Mr. Wei many happy events every day and every year!"

Lou Yu never disappoints anyone with his words.

As long as he wanted to, he could make the other party vomit blood, but there was no other way.

say what?

Wasn’t it Anyang who “congratulated” first?

Lou Yu was just "sharing the joy" and generously expressed his willingness to let the other party share in his joy. What a kind gentleman he is.

If the Anyang couple got angry and turned against each other, wouldn’t they be “ungrateful”?

"Lou Yu! You! What did you say?"

When Anyang heard such a "blessing", his face suddenly changed with anger.

Her anger was not only due to Lou Yu's vicious curse, but also because: Lou Yu had fallen out of favor and was exiled, yet he still dared to be so presumptuous in front of her?

Does he, does he also look down on me, Princess Anyang?

Anyang glared at Lou Yu fiercely, and when his gaze fell on his fair and handsome face, a flash of unwillingness appeared in his eyes.

Lou Hanzhang is really good-looking. If his appearance and demeanor rank second in the capital, no one dares to rank first.

Anyang is no exception, she is obsessed with looks.

She was also fascinated by Lou Yulang's beauty and imagined how happy she would be if she chose Lou Yu as her husband.

However, she understood her own identity. She was different from Ping An. She was not the saint's biological daughter. She did not have the confidence that Ping An had to dare to seduce Lou Yu in person.

She could only hide her thoughts. Occasionally, when she met Lou Yu, she would subtly show some kindness, waiting for Lou Yu to feel it himself.

Unfortunately, Lou Yu was not a romantic person, and Anyang's kindness was not reciprocated, so she gave up.

Now Anyang is married and gave birth to a child last year. She can only bury her former love deeply.

But now, the young man she once admired was so harsh in his words and showed no mercy to her. Anyang couldn't help but feel "love turning into hate".

She twisted the handkerchief hard, and her eyes turned fierce when she looked at Lou Yu.

Lou Yu remained calm. Seeing that Anyang didn't seem to hear what he said, he kindly repeated it again:

"Reporting to the princess, I just said 'I am happy for you!' I sincerely wish you and your husband to have such joyful events like mine every day, every month, and every year!"

"Lou Yu, how dare you curse this princess?"

"Princess, how can this be a curse? Weren't you the one who congratulated me first?"

"...You also say you are a subject? Then you should strictly abide by your duties as a subject!"

"I am terrified! I do not know how I have become 'unloyal'."

It's just a war of words. As the newly-risen top troll in the court, Lou Yu can argue with others for three days and three nights in a similar round-the-clock battle.

"Lou Yu! Do you really think you're still the glorious Lou Shaoqing?"

"I dare not! I never consider myself 'glorious'. I am only fulfilling my duty as an official."

"..."

Anyang originally intended to ridicule Lou Yu, but he didn't expect that this man was so eloquent.

The key is that his attitude was calm and gentle from beginning to end.

On the contrary, Anyang was so angry that he almost lost control because of his neither soft nor hard, neither cold nor hot answer.

Wang Heng smiled as she watched her brother teasing Anyang like a dog. Seeing that the time was almost right, she interrupted before Anyang could get angry:

"Sister Anyang, the birthday banquet is about to begin. You and Prince Consort Wei should take your seats quickly."

Wang Heng's words instantly attracted Princess Anyang's attention.

Anyang looked at Wang Heng fiercely: "Excellent! Very excellent! Langya, I, your elder sister, came to congratulate you out of good intentions, but your husband spoke so rudely—"

Wang Heng looked Anyang straight in the eye without yielding. She softly uttered three words: "Usury!"

Anyang's rage, about to erupt, was instantly silenced. Panic flashed in her eyes, "What usury?"

Wang Heng leaned close to Anyang's ear, a smile on her face but a cold voice: "Sister, you just said that my husband was once the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple."

"He has a lot of information on serious and unsolved cases. Even after leaving office, these files are still firmly in his mind."

"Sister, as you guessed, my husband is no longer as glorious as he used to be. He can't do anything right, but he can certainly do something wrong."

"Yes! I know that the money your princess's mansion lent out at high interest might have been done by the cunning slave, not by your instruction!"

"However, the example of Aunt Rong'an is right before our eyes. She was the sage's aunt, yet she still failed to discipline her subordinates and allowed them to commit violence. She was thoroughly investigated by Zhou Shaoqing and subsequently reprimanded by the sage."

"Although it was only a fine of half a year's salary, it was still a loss of face. Sister Anyang, I think you certainly don't want to repeat the mistakes of your great-aunt Rong'an!"

Even though Rong An was reprimanded, he did not lose the emperor's favor.

Zhou Jiming made such a big fuss about the case that it even affected the eldest grandson of the emperor in the Eastern Palace. If it were another princess, she would probably have her fiefdom confiscated.

Rong An was only fined a symbolic amount of salary, which was not a big deal at all.

She received such an honor because of her relationship and affection with the saint.

Anyang, on the other hand, does not have such capital.

If the fact that Princess Anyang's Mansion had massively amassed wealth from the people and even forced people to death was revealed... Anyang herself didn't dare to imagine what the outcome would be!

Anyang stared at Wang Heng intently, his face fierce but his heart weak. "Langya, y-you're saying something, I-I don't understand!"

"Well, today is Mr. Lou's birthday, so let's not talk about these messy things!"

Although he was unwilling to give in, Anyang also understood one fact:

Even if Lou Yu lost his power, he was not someone that could be bullied by her, a fake princess who was not favored.

Just as Wang Jiu said, the down-and-out Lou Yu could no longer "accomplish things", but he could still "do bad things".

If anyone dares to humiliate him, he will drag the other person into the water with him!

madman!

Lou Yu has a sharp tongue and acts in a mean way.

That damn girl Langya is worthy of being his wife, and she is even more difficult to mess with!

Although he was unwilling, Anyang did not dare to risk it.

She pinched her palms hard and forced a smile, "Yes, you are right, it's getting late, I, we should go to the table!"

Anyang swallowed his anger and admitted his mistake.

"please!"

Wang Heng decided to quit while she was ahead.

Today is her brother's birthday, and she doesn't want it to be ruined.

A little admonition or two would be enough to make Anyang give up.

No matter what, Anyang is a princess, and Wang Heng cannot really fight with her.

Wang Heng relaxed, and Anyang felt relieved. She pulled Prince Consort Wei and walked inside.

At this moment, there was a flurry of footsteps outside.

Zhou Jiming was wearing a brand new bright red official uniform. He strode in with one hand slightly bent in front of his abdomen.

Behind him were several officers from the Dali Temple, who pushed and shoved their way in with the guards from the Duke's Mansion.

Wang Heng glanced at Lou Yu: Brother, this guy is too impatient.

Lou Yu curled the corners of his lips: If you want to kick someone when he's down, you have to choose an auspicious day.

A birthday party should be festive and lively, and it is considered an important day in Lou Yu's life.

That means Lou Yu has already gotten married, otherwise, Zhou Jiming would definitely stir up trouble and pour cold water on his wedding ceremony!

"Zhou Shaoqing!"

After the young couple finished their silent conversation, Wang Heng took a step forward and greeted Zhou Jiming.

"Your Highness greets Princess Langya!"

Although Zhou Jiming was a little too proud of himself, he did not completely forget the hierarchy.

When he saw Wang Heng, he still bowed, but his movements were not very standard.

"Mr. Zhou, you've arrived at the right time. The Duke's Mansion is hosting a birthday banquet today. Everyone who comes is a guest. Please join us for a birthday toast."

Wang Heng, however, was considerate and politely invited Zhou Jiming, the unexpected guest.

Zhou Jiming, however, acted as if he was doing business as usual. "Princess, I'm here to investigate a case. I won't drink any more!"

As he spoke, he passed Wang Heng and looked at Lou Yu: "Governor Lou, there is a case that involves you. Please come with me to the Dali Temple and have a seat!"

Wang Heng: ...Alas, I gave him a chance, but unfortunately, this guy just won’t learn to be obedient!