After entering the book, the cold prince begs for favor

Wang Min smiled gently, her eyes steady: "My lord, I am but a woman, and I am not well aware of the major events that unfold in the court."

She looked at her son and expressed her support, "Jiang Nian has always been thoughtful. He has already made his decision and even spoke to His Highness. His mind is as firm as a mountain and there is no turning back."

“As parents, all we ask for is for our children to be safe and well. Since he is determined to do this, I will never forcefully stop him or make things difficult for him.”

She felt a chill run down her spine whenever she thought about what had happened in the manor over the past year.

If Jiang Nian hadn't married Wanru, and if they hadn't foreseen the situation, what would the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion be like now...?

She couldn't even think about it.

Wang Min never told anyone that for a period of time, she had a dream in which Liang Yusong cursed Lu Song and Lu Jiangnian, causing their family to fall apart, with some dying and others injured...

That nightmare terrified her so much that she couldn't sleep for several days.

She came from a humble background, and her simplest wish was for her family to be safe and sound, and for her children and grandchildren to be healthy.

Moreover, his son's words just now were all reasonable and piercingly insightful.

She knows her son very well.

He is almost demanding of those he is close to and trusts, and he cannot tolerate the slightest imperfection.

He used to treat Lu Wei so well, but after Lu Wei schemed against him, he really turned cold and stopped caring about her.

Now that the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne, the difference between the emperor and his subjects is like an insurmountable chasm. In the future, Jiang Nian will undoubtedly suffer countless unspeakable torments and grievances.

Rather than making things difficult for each other in the future, it's better to let go gracefully now.

Wang Min voiced her thoughts, and after listening, Lu Song, seeing the determination in his son's eyes, finally sighed, "Never mind..."

"Just as you said, the Lu family will not be bad off in the future."

He looked at Lu Jiangnian with relief and heartache in his eyes, "With your concession today, His Highness will surely take care of the Lu family members in the future."

"It's just that you've suffered. All those years of hard work, your promising future, and now you have to give it all up..."

Lu Jiangnian replied, "This path is exactly what I wanted."

"Everyone gets something, everyone's happy, that's great."

-

Lu Song was soon summoned to the palace.

He still harbored a sliver of hope that Lord Lu could dissuade Lu Jiangnian from his absurd idea.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Song also supported Lu Jiangnian's decision.

The Crown Prince never expected this.

Lu Song actually agreed!

Is this official position a hot potato?

The Lu family members avoided them like the plague.

The crown prince struggled with this decision for many days, even after the coronation ceremony.

Finally, he relented.

On that day, the new emperor summoned Lu Jiangnian to the palace.

He did not summon Lu Jiangnian to the Imperial Study, but instead said to him, "Come for a walk with me."

Lu Jiangnian already had a feeling about it.

He remained silent, asking no further questions, and simply followed quietly behind the new emperor.

As he walked, Lu Jiangnian looked up and began to observe the surrounding scenery. He was startled: this road led to the late Empress's palace.

Since the late empress passed away, he had not set foot in that palace for many years.

The emperor stopped under a tall peach tree deep in the palace garden.

The branches are devoid of spring blossoms, and the leaves, tinged golden by autumn frost, sway gently in the wind.

The emperor looked up at the tree canopy and asked, "Do you remember when we stole peaches from here?"

Lu Jiangnian also raised his head, his gaze piercing through time, as if seeing scenes from his childhood.

A faint smile appeared on his lips: "I remember, back then His Majesty insisted on having a contest with me to see who could climb faster and higher, and the result was..."

He paused, then said with a hint of mischief, "But then a caterpillar startled me so much that I almost slipped and fell off the tree."

"nonsense!"

The emperor was somewhat embarrassed and angry. "I wasn't scared by insects at all! I just slipped! You're mistaken! Don't mention this again."

Lu Jiangnian calmly withdrew his gaze: "Whatever Your Majesty says goes, but I know in my heart what really happened back then."

These words infuriated the emperor.

He glared at him angrily for a long time: "You bastard, from childhood to adulthood, I've never seen you truly yield to me more than a few times! And yet..."

His voice lowered, sounding both nostalgic and wistful, "But I just love being with you, and I consider you my only friend."

A gust of autumn wind blew by, swirling up the fallen leaves and making a soft rustling sound.

A brief silence filled the space between them.

When he spoke again, the emperor did not look at Lu Jiangnian; his gaze seemed to drift to a very distant place.

"Jiang Nian, are we still friends?"

Lu Jiangnian's tall figure paused almost imperceptibly.

He did not shy away from the question; his gaze was somewhat complicated, but his words were decisive and straightforward: "Your Majesty, on this path, you can never have any friends."

The Emperor's heart trembled slightly.

In fact, he was not unaware of the deeper meaning behind Lu Jiangnian's resignation.

Lu Jiangnian is the kind of person who's always thinking ahead. Even now, their friendship remains unchanged, but what about the future...?

The emperor dared not say that he would remain unchanged forever.

That's fine, many things can't be forced.

For example, his father's treatment of him, and his relationship with Lu Jiangnian...

"Your resignation is granted."

Lu Jiangnian's eyes flickered, and he solemnly bowed to him: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at him: "The heir of the Marquis's mansion will only be yours."

"After you've had your fill of wandering around outside, come back to the capital. Sometimes, I also want to chat with people, not about politics, but just about friendship."

Lu Jiangnian nodded: "I was born and raised in the capital, so of course I will come back."

As he left the palace gates, Lu Jiangnian glanced back before resolutely turning away.

-

Back at Lingshui Residence, Yuan Wanru was studying medical texts in her study.

This is something she just bought from Qihuangzhai.

After Old Man Su left the capital, Young Master Su had nothing to do and was bored out of his mind.

Hearing that Yuan Wanru was also preparing to leave the capital, he couldn't sit still and insisted that he must go with the couple.

As for Qihuangzhai, he left it to others to manage, and he would only come back to check on it every now and then.

Previously, Su Shaodong was trapped in the capital because of Tang Bo, but now he really can't hold back anymore.

Yuan Wanru did not object to this suggestion.

Now, Su Shaodong's gaze towards her no longer held any strange feelings; they truly interacted like siblings or friends.

Remembering that Lu Jiangnian had said that the Emperor would probably agree to his request soon, Yuan Wanru told Su Shaodong that they would set off after the New Year and asked him to prepare in advance.

Sure enough, as soon as Lu Jiangnian returned, he told her that the Emperor had agreed.

Yuan Wanru excitedly threw herself into his arms, "That's wonderful, my husband is amazing."

Lu Jiangnian pinched her waist: "You didn't praise me like this last night?"

Yuan Wanru rolled her eyes at him: "Be serious for once."

She leaned against him, counting the things she needed to do before the new year.

"My two cousins ​​from the Cao family are getting married before the end of the year, and we just happened to be there."

"Haining will also be going to the border after the New Year. After this separation, I don't know when I will be able to see her again. I want to spend some quality time with her during this period."

"And my mother, after we leave, it will be a year or two before we come back. I want to spend more time with her."

"Before I leave, I want to see the Liang family off, so they can go find Liang Yuhua and have a family reunion for the New Year..."

Lu Jiangnian lowered his head and kissed her chattering lips.

She didn't mention him once, despite saying so much.

I simply stopped listening.

"Hmm~"

Yuan Wanru's remaining words were all shut down.

This person is becoming more and more unrestrained.