Chapter 480: 480

“The Queen speaks wisely! In my youth, I too defied social norms, which is why I went with my husband and fought in the battlefield. Back then, many voices questioned my choice, but I never cared. I thought to myself, if legendary heroines like Hua Mulan could take up her father’s battles, and Mu Guiying could lead armies for her husband, why should I not step on to the battlefield?” Madam Lu spoke with deep nostalgia.

“Madam, you are a rare heroine. I admire you greatly.”

Wei Ruo’s words were not mere flattery. Her admiration for Madam Lu was genuine.

There were very few women in history who had led battles. Among those who survived today, only Madam Lu had the privilege of doing so, and she made remarkable contributions too.

Madam Lu answered with a smile, “I am old and useless now. On the contrary, Queen Rui, there are many aspects in which you excel that I admire.”

“Why would you say that, Madam?” asked Wei Ruo.

“I heard that you have done a lot for the Princess Jingmin and King Jing at the Taizhou prefecture that have benefited the country and its people,” Madam Lu replied.

“What I did cannot compare to what you’ve accomplished, Madam.”

“There is nothing to compare. Whether we are fighting in the battlefield or working to relieve the people’s suffering, we are doing it for our people. There is no differentiation between what has more or less importance,” Madam Lu declared.

At Madam Lu’s words, a smile appeared on Wei Ruo’s face, and she felt deeply touched.

###

Currently, Prince Chu Heng was in the front yard.

By his side was the unrestrained and elegant Qi Zhen.

“The second young miss of the Wei Family is right behind us. Should we try to arrange a meeting to see if she truly is as beautiful as I described her to be?” Qi Zhen asked lightly.

“I am not interested in beauties. For people of our caliber, what type of beauty can’t we possess? She’s just a girl from a fallen Duke’s Family. Even if she has an auspicious birth chart, and my mother insists that choosing her would benefit me, even if you recommended her, I would still not want her to take a position as my concubine,” the Prince retorted.

“You truly are oblivious to romance,” Qi Zhen remarked.

“Indeed, I am not interested in romance. I am more interested in meeting old Mr. Lu alone rather than meeting Wei Qingwan,” Chu Heng replied.

Everyone knew that old Mr. Lu has a profound influence in the military. Although he does not hold the military talisman, his word is as good as the talisman. His support would be very helpful for Chu Heng’s aspiration to the throne.

Unfortunately, even though it was old Mr. Lu’s birthday celebration today, he rarely showed himself in the front yard to meet his guests. The task of hosting was left to the other males in the Lu Family.

Chu Heng predicted that old Mr. Lu would make a brief appearance to greet the guests, but during that time, with all the guests present, Chu Heng wouldn’t have the chance to speak with him.

“Old Mr. Lu is not that easy to meet. He’s sharp enough to know that everyone craves his support now, so he’s avoiding everyone. He won’t make himself available to you, nor to King Jing,” Qi Zhen pointed out.

“Lu Yuhong has always had a good relationship with Chu Lan, who knows if he would be taking advantage of this connection to meet old Mr. Lu in secret?” Chu Heng countered.

“Everyone in the Capital knows Lu Yuhong’s personality and his actions will never represent old Mr. Lu’s intentions,” Qi Zhen replied.

As they were speaking, one of Chu Heng’s followers approached and whispered something into Chu Heng’s ear.

“Is that so?” Chu Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The follower nodded.

“Understood, you may leave,” Chu Heng dismissed him.

After the follower left, Qi Zhen asked, “What happened?”

“Just now in the Lu Family’s backyard, Madam Lu thanked Queen Rui for saving the Lu Family publicly.”

“Does Queen Rui have such ties with the Lu Family?” Qi Zhen inquired curiously.

“I knew we should have chosen her older sister. Instead, we chose the useless younger one. I wonder if this supposed theory of ‘fate and fortune’, is of any use,” Chu Heng sighed irritably.

Following that, Chu Heng asked Qi Zhen, “When you were close to the second young miss of the Wei Family, did she ever mention her sister to you?”

“She did mention a few things. She said her older sister was jealous of her because she had always been sick and was sent to the country as a child. Her sister harbored resentment towards her after she returned. She wanted to compensate her sister, but her sister did not accept and made life hard for her. As it’s just some disputes between women from the same family, I didn’t take much interest in it. I just comforted her from time to time,” Qi Zhen replied.

“I am not interested in the affairs of the courtyard. I just want to know if she can be useful to King Rui; if she cannot help me, I hope she will not help others and become my obstacle.”

“She’s married to King Chu Yi, not Chu Lan. You don’t need to worry too much. Even if Chu Yi doesn’t live long, the eldest miss from the Wei Family is, after all, just a woman. Without a family head, she can’t make many waves,” Qi Zhen said confidently.

Chu Heng snorted lightly, “Pity, if she had become my concubine, and with her ability to help me, I would have cherished her.”

###

Wei Ruo and Madam Lu were watching a show when a maid approached Madam Lu and whispered something to her.

Madam Lu’s expression changed slightly, “This boy, always up to mischief!”

“What happened, Madam?” Wei Ruo asked.

“It’s Yuhong. He has started an archery challenge with some of the guests today,” Madam Lu replied with a mix of helplessness and indulgence in her voice.

Then Madam Lu turned to Wei Ruo and asked, “Do you have any interest in archery, Queen?”

Wei Ruo saw the excitement on Madam Lu’s face.

She smiled slightly, thinking, this was not asking whether she wanted to watch or not. Clearly, it was Madam Lu herself who wanted to go.

Well, Madam Lu was a brilliant woman who, in her time, could hold her own against any man. She probably preferred practicing shooting and martial arts to watching stage performances.

Wei Ruo decided to go with the flow and said, “I don’t understand it much, but I am interested in watching.”

“In that case, please accompany me to the front yard,” Madam Lu invited.

“I am at Madam’s disposal.”

“Very well, the performance is almost over anyway. Let’s all come with me to the training field to watch the young men compete in archery,” Madam Lu suggested.

Once Madam Lu had spoken, the other ladies had nothing more to add, they all got up, ready to move.

On the training field, Lu Yuhong and a few young masters from noble families of the same age were competing.

Madam Lu, accompanied by the other ladies, came to a pavilion next to the training field.

From the pavilion, all the windows could be opened on four sides, providing a clear view of the training field.

Wei Qingwan was seated in the back as usual, with two rows of people blocking her view of the field.

While watching the opera, the stage was elevated and the seats were dispersed. Even those seated in the last row could see clearly. But now, everyone was gathered together. Those sitting at the back could hardly see what was happening up front.

Weiqing Wan felt increasingly uncomfortable, feeling as if she had been snubbed.

On the other hand, Wei Ruo remained next to Madam Lu all this time, occupying the prime spot.