Chapter 78 - The Li Family Annulled Engagement for Marriage

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Blue veins burst out on the back of Lu Chen’s hand. “Did Li Yun complain to you?”

“No, it’s just that he was first place in the previous exam, but why was he only the eighth place in the palace exam?”

Qiao Jinniang said angrily, “Your Majesty is so wise. How could he allow you to mess around with state affairs?”

Lu Chen’s throat was sore. “Qiao Jinniang, do you think you are so peerlessly beautiful that I can’t do without you?

“Do I need to play such a dirty trick on a minor scholar just for you? Are you a fairy? What makes you think you can make me ruin the Imperial Examination, which is the foundation of the country?”

Qiao Jinniang trembled with anger. “You, you dare to talk back to me?”

Lu Chen taunted, “Do you think you were still Miss Qiao in Lin’an and I was still your husband who married into your family?”

When Qiao Jinniang saw the look in Lu Chen’s eyes, she suddenly thought of the scene she saw outside the mansion of the Right Prime Minister where Lu Chen looked so awe-inspiring.

Qiao Jinniang immediately calmed down. “Then I’d like to ask Your Royal Highness to do what you say. Don’t pick on Li Yun on the allocation of official positions.”

When Qiao Jinniang walked out of the study, she almost bumped into the three people outside the door, who were the Duke, Li Yun, and Li Yun’s father who came to thank the Crown Prince.

The door of the study was open, so the three of them had heard what they said just now.

The Duke’s legs went soft after he saw Qiao Jinniang. “Jinniang?”

Qiao Jinniang saluted. “Father, Uncle Li, Cousin.”

Li Yun bowed his head in shame and said, “Cousin, you misunderstood His Royal Highness. He didn’t pick on me. I didn’t do well in the exam indeed, but His Royal Highness made an exception to let me enter Hanlin Academy.”

According to rules, only the top three of the palace exam can directly enter Hanlin Academy after the exam.

Duke Qiao dragged Qiao Jinniang into the study, motioned her to kneel down and said, “Your Royal Highness, I didn’t educate my daughter well. If she offended His Highness, please punish her.”

Qiao Jinniang had no choice but to kneel down and said with her head lowered, “Your Royal Highness, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

She counted secretly in her heart, and when she counted to eight, Lu Chen still didn’t let her get up, so she looked up at Lu Chen.

However, Lu Chen was indifferent. How could she think of him this way? He couldn’t forgive her easily.

The Imperial Examination had been started only a hundred years ago. It was the fruit of the efforts of three generations of people. How could he manipulate the Imperial Examination?

Qiao Jinniang had never knelt on such hard ground for such a long time. Her knees ached, and she couldn’t help but move her knees slightly.

Seeing her small movements, Lu Chen said, “Get up.”

When Qiao Jinniang got up, she almost fell. The Duke glared at her and said, “Your Royal Highness, we’ll take our leave.”

Lu Chen nodded. “Okay.”

The Duke entered the Duke Mansion with a black face and snapped at Qiao Jinniang, “Get on your knees! Why didn’t you tell me the truth? You even dared to pretend to be a palace maid and enter the East Palace, and speak to His Royal Highness like that! Are you trying to kill our Qiao family?”

Qiao Jinniang knelt down and said, “Father, if you’re afraid that I will implicate the Duke Anyuan Mansion, you can sever ties with me.”

The Duke said, “What are you talking about? You are my daughter. How can I sever ties with you? So His Royal Highness was your husband when you were in Lin’an?”

Qiao Jinniang nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you still let your mother and me find a husband for you?”

Qiao Jinniang raised her head and said, “Why not? He wants to demote me from his wife to his concubine and wants to keep a lot of concubines. Why should I tolerate it? Why can’t I marry another man?”

The Duke said helplessly, “If he was just an ordinary prince, I could help you, but he’s the Crown Prince!”

Qiao Jinniang said disappointedly, “So, this is the compensation Father talked about?”

Duke Anyuan sighed and said, “Jinniang, although our family looks prosperous, it will collapse if I’m just slightly careless.”

Qiao Jinniang said, “Don’t worry, Father. The Emperor and the Queen have already known about this matter. They have already allowed me to marry someone else freely, so you can rest at ease.”

Back in the Jin Garden, Qiao Jinniang went to bed after dinner.

After closing her eyes, she tossed over and couldn’t fall asleep. When she closed her eyes, her mind was full of Lu Chen’s disappointed and aggrieved eyes.

She didn’t sleep well.

Early in the morning, Mrs. Li came to annul the engagement.

Mrs. Li said to Old Madam Qiao, “Old Madam, I didn’t know that Jinniang had such good fortune. Yun’er is not worthy of her. That stupid child, he didn’t even tell us about it.”

Old Madam Qiao said, “We should have told you about it.”

Mrs. Li brought a lot of silk and satin and went to the Jin Garden to thank Qiao Jinniang in person.

“Yun’er passed the Imperial Examination thanks to your Champion Cake. Your kindness will be remembered by the Li family for a lifetime. However, Yun’er still has two brothers and our family is not a noble family. It is entirely because of His Majesty’s favor that we are where we are today. Yun’er is not worthy of you.”

Qiao Jinniang smiled. “Auntie, you’re too modest. We’re still relatives.”

After Qiao Jinniang’s engagement was annulled, the Zheng family quickly came over like flies smelling meat.

Jinniang didn’t want to see the Zheng family, so she went to Tasty Pavilion with the excuse that she had something to tend to in Tasty Pavilion.

When she arrived at Tasty Pavilion, she heard that Junior Duke Rong was there, so she went into the kitchen and planned to make a crab feast for Junior Duke Rong as a thank-you gift for helping her enter the East Palace.

The period before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, crab was the most delicious, and hairy crabs were shipped from Taihu Lake every day.

Qiao Jinniang made Wine Preserved Crabs two days ago.

In the No.1 private room.

Junior Duke Rong said, “Seventh Brother, I heard that the Li family has annulled the engagement. And Li Yun was almost beaten to death by his father…

“My father also beat me, but never this hard. ”

Lu Chen held the wine bottle and took a sip.

At the door, Bajiao came in with a dish and was stunned when he saw Lu Chen.

He placed a cup of Crab Stuffed Oranges in front of each of Junior Duke Rong, Lin Mo and Zhou Siming.

Only Lu Chen didn’t have one because Lu Chen wasn’t here just now.

Junior Duke Rong asked curiously, “What is this? We didn’t order this dish, did we?”

“This is our boss’s thank-you gift to you. Our Tasty Pavilion has recently launched a lot of dishes made of crabs. These are all new products and are now presented to you, Your Highness.”

Lin Mo handed his crab-stuffed orange to Lu Chen.

Looking at the orange in the white porcelain cup, Junior Duke Rong took off the top of the orange, and the fragrance of crab mixed with the aroma of wine instantly wafted in the air. “What is this?”

Lu Chen said, “Crab-stuffed Orange is made of crab meat, crab roe, pork, and orange, plus Kuaiji Yellow Wine.”

Junior Duke Rong took a spoonful with a delicate small silver spoon and said, “Wow, this is simply the most delicious food in the world.”

Before long, Huixiang served a dark gray crab.

Junior Duke Rong stepped back and said, “Is the crab still alive?”

Huixiang said, “Your Highness, this crab is not alive. It is called Wine Preserved Crab. If Crab-stuffed Orange is the most delicious food in the world, then the Wine Preserved Crab our boss made is definitely a heavenly dish that can only be found at an immortal’s banquet.”

Huixiang opened the crab shell with a tool, and the aroma of wine came out, revealing the crab meat inside.

Junior Duke Rong looked at the black crab paste and the golden crab roe and didn’t dare to eat it, but seeing Lu Chen eating it without hesitation, he decided to bite the bullet to taste it…

After Junior Duke Rong swallowed it, he blinked and said, “Seventh Brother, since Li Yun has broken off the engagement with Miss Qiao, can I marry her?”