Chapter 1687: Chapter 1680: She Can’t Fight Against Lu Mian?

"No need, thank you." Leng Muling slightly bent her knees, performed her courtesy, then turned and went straight back to her room.

Mo Qi, of course, didn’t linger long at the Prime Minister’s Estate, but he left a message for the servants, saying that if Prime Minister Zhuo ever needed his help, he could come to him without hesitation.

Zhuo Junli and Yun Sijin stood under the corridor. With indifference, Zhuo Junli remarked, "Now that the Four Seas are at peace, there’s naturally no reason to need his assistance."

"Don’t speak too soon. Commander Mo fought alongside the emperor in countless battles; in terms of martial arts, there’s no match for him in Jiang Du City," Yun Sijin reminded him.

However, she was quite surprised by Leng Muling’s drastic change in attitude toward Mo Qi. Her swift and resolute severance of ties had caught even them, her uncle and aunt, off guard.

Zhuo Junli was astonished inside, though he didn’t say it aloud. He playfully waved his folding fan and spoke with a roguish air, "A daughter of the Leng family ought to act this way."

Even if wounded emotionally, she mustn’t lose her dignity!

Yun Sijin shot him a glare and urged him to quickly inquire about Lu Mian’s marriage proposal.

She herself went to Leng Muling’s room.

To her surprise, Leng Muling was sitting in her room, her eyes swollen red from crying.

When Yun Sijin entered, Leng Muling was still slumped over the desk, hurriedly wiping away her tears.

Yun Sijin quickly spoke up, "Stop wiping! Be careful, or you’ll damage your face."

Leng Muling pouted and immediately slumped back onto the desk. She wanted to cry but couldn’t sob loudly anymore; instead, she sobbed quietly in her sorrow.

"Ling’er, you clearly still hold Commander Mo in your heart. Why force yourself like this?" Yun Sijin, like a nurturing mother, gently stroked her back.

Over the past year and a half, Yun Sijin had watched Leng Muling rise from despair to strength, from a broken leg to walking with a limp, from hiding indoors to shining brightly in public once again.

She had overcome so much!

But the one person she couldn’t seem to conquer was Mo Qi...

He was likely someone she could never fully erase from her heart in this lifetime.

"I can’t bear to leave Seventh Brother. He treated me well, feared Lu Mian might bully me, and said I could always turn to him..." Leng Muling cried, her shoulders trembling, her entire chest heaving.

"Then what’s truly in your heart?" Yun Sijin consoled with heartfelt concern.

"I want to marry him! But he already has a son, and he still plans to bring Hong Lian into his home... She had a child with Seventh Brother before me. I’m jealous!"

Leng Muling sobbed so fiercely she could barely breathe between her words, a clear sign of her unresolved heartache.

"Given your current status, with Father gone, there’s no one left to oppose. If you can tolerate the concubine and her child, life might still be manageable," Yun Sijin calmly analyzed.

"No... that’s impossible!" Leng Muling shook her head. Even as she cried, she straightened her spine and said firmly, "If I didn’t love him deeply, if I were merely marrying for the sake of living together, then however many concubines he takes, however many children he has, I could still tolerate it!

But I love him with all my heart—this lifetime, I will only love him!

And I believe he loves me as well, that he could love only me, forever!"

If the child was born from an act of his wrongdoing, the child itself would be blameless, and she might still be able to accept it.

But she could not tolerate that Hong Lian was someone Mo Qi had loved for years.

During all those past years, Mo Qi had loved her deeply.

It was only after he lost his memory that he fell in love with Leng Muling—a mere twist of fate between them.

Now that he and Hong Lian had a child together, no matter what, his heart could no longer belong to Leng Muling alone.

So even if she could take the position of Madam Mo, it would hold no meaning for her, nor could she sit securely in it for a lifetime.

Knowing this, she would rather not have it.

"Then what’s the deal with you and Lu Mian?" Yun Sijin had already questioned the servants before coming and knew that today Leng Muling had personally sought out Lu Mian.

Moreover, Leng Muling herself had mentioned earlier that Lu Mian’s proposal to marry her was anticipated.

"Lu Mian... I deliberately provoked him," Leng Muling said, her sadness hardening into a glint of hatred in her eyes. "He’s the one who caused me to break my leg! I won’t let him get away with it!"

She clenched her teeth and slammed a fist fiercely onto the table.

Lu Mian, to oppose her uncle, had gone so far as to harm her sister and herself!

Now her uncle served alongside him in court and couldn’t act against him, but she could!

She intended to entangle Lu Mian, force him to marry her, and torment him for the rest of his life!

Was there not that one line in Ninth Prince’s writings?

—The best way to ruin a man is to marry him!

To bind him for a lifetime!

If Lu Mian married her, he could kiss his peaceful days goodbye. Plus, she could help her uncle pass on information to prevent Lu Mian from harming their Leng family again.

"Don’t act recklessly. Marriage is a solemn matter. Even if you cannot marry the one you love, it shouldn’t be used for revenge!" Yun Sijin could understand some unconventional emotions.

But she would never allow Leng Muling to trample on the sanctity of her marriage!

A woman’s marriage was the most important event in her life!

"What kind of husband you marry determines how you’ll spend the rest of your days. You... you little young girl, how can you possibly win against Lu Mian?" Yun Sijin lightly jabbed her finger at Leng Muling’s forehead and shook her head.

Lu Mian was as cunning as Zhuo Junli. Leng Muling was still just a child!

What was she even thinking, playing games with him?

Lu Mian would likely devour her whole, leaving nothing behind.

Yun Sijin left the room and went to discuss countermeasures with Zhuo Junli.

Leng Muling, meanwhile, understood that they all thought she was too young, not a match for Lu Mian.

But how little they knew—earlier that day, she had clung to Lu Mian, preventing him from getting anything done, leaving him unable to focus!

What did it matter if Lu Mian was older?

He still had weaknesses!

That night, all the official duties Lu Mian had failed to complete during the day piled up on his desk.

His attendant stayed late into the night, feeding the lamps with oil. The room was ablaze with candlelight, worried that Lu Mian’s late hours might harm his eyesight.

The attendant noticed Lu Mian yawn, clearly showing signs of exhaustion, and couldn’t help but advise, "Lord, you should rest. Tomorrow you must attend morning court, and this pace will wear out your body."

Lu Mian was merciless with others and even harsher on himself—this the Lu family’s servants all knew.

Lu Mian instructed him to light a few more candles and stubbornly pushed himself to finish reading the official papers. Seeing that dawn was near, he decided not to bother with his bed and simply napped briefly in his study.

When morning came, he bathed, dressed in court robes, and rode to court.

The attendant, close in service, sighed quietly beside him, "Our Lu family doesn’t yet have a mistress. There’s still no one to persuade you, lord, to take proper care of your health."

"Shut your mouth," Lu Mian snapped, annoyed with the chatter.

But the mention of a mistress brought back the memory of the request he’d made at the palace a few days ago.

Lu Mian did not actually intend to marry Leng Muling, that little young girl. It was her incessant pestering that left him frustrated and trapped, so he sought out the Crown Prince to warn her off.

He wanted her to stop bothering him!

The Crown Prince, shrewd and decisive as he was, would undoubtedly consult the emperor on such matters. This marriage would never be approved.

He hoped Leng Muling would obediently stay in her Prime Minister’s residence and stop pestering him!

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