Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 389

Of course, he could only blame Mrs. Qin for her cruelty and for not valuing the importance of a person’s life.

While they were engaged in their conversation, Lu Xu arrived.

His wet nurse and the palace servants had escorted him to the Wenhua Hall before stopping.

Lu Xu entered the hall alone, displaying no signs of shyness. He curiously gazed around, twisting his neck to get a better view.

Lu Xu was three and a half years old, slightly smaller than children of the same age. He had a dark, wiry build, resembling a lively little monkey.

“Cousin!” Lu Xu greeted Feng Yu with a smile upon seeing him. However, when he noticed Gu Ye, instead of calling out, he simply raised his chin and snorted.

Recalling the events of the previous day, palace staff members had been discussing the eldest son in the palace.

Lu Xu was thrilled to learn that he had siblings in his family. Although they often argued over food, clothing, and playthings, they would still play together later. It was good and sounded like fun.

Lu Xu was never lacking in food, drink, or playthings. He had no qualms about sharing his food with others. He simply wished for someone to play with.

He had considered playing with Lu Zhao before. Secretly, he went to Kunning Palace to find Lu Zhao, who was about the same age. However, he found Lu Zhao to be dull and uninteresting.

Later, Empress Zhou discovered his actions and promptly sent him back to Yonghe Palace. His mother was upset about the incident and scolded him, instructing him not to go there again. He felt that a brother like Lu Zhao was boring, so he readily agreed.

Therefore, when he heard about the older brother, Lu Xu was elated. He believed that once Emperor Zhengyuan and his brother had finished their work, they would come looking for him.

Unexpectedly, his mother returned in the evening. He contemplated whether to ask her for a gift from outside the palace or to meet his brother first. However, he noticed his mother crying and heard her say between sobs, “My son, I’m sorry you arrived later. But what can we do…”

Lu Xu was bewildered. He asked her if she had gone back to his grandma’s house and why she was crying.

Concubine Feng said, “My son, you are still young, and you don’t understand. Your cousin is now your eldest brother’s companion, and today your father was still ruthless when he drove me out… In this palace, there’s no place for us to stand…”

Concubine Feng rambled on while crying, and Lu Xu, who was three or four years old, couldn’t grasp the full meaning of her words. However, one thing was clear to him: his cousin would now be a companion to this older brother he’d never met, and his mother was unhappy about it.

So, he deliberately refrained from greeting Gu Ye and instead chose a seat next to him, sitting down. His curiosity about Gu Ye got the better of him, so he sat down and used a book to cover his face while secretly observing Gu Ye.

He believed he was being quite sneaky, but Gu Ye and Feng Yu had noticed his actions from the start.

Despite Lu Xu being too young to read, he was using the book to hide half of his face while sneakily glancing at them, making it hard not to notice his behavior.

Although Feng Yu was closer to Gu Ye, Lu Xu was his blood cousin. Feng Yu was about to intervene, but Gu Ye had already taken the lead.

Gu Ye gently removed the book from Lu Xu’s hand and asked with a smile, “Why did you start reading the book as soon as you got here? Can you read?”

Lu Xu snorted again, “I can read, what’s the problem?”

Gu Ye said, “Then why were you holding the book upside down when you can read?”

Lu Xu blushed and hesitantly replied, “I… I… I don’t care about you!”

Gu Ye smiled and said, “Alright, I lied to you. You weren’t holding it upside down, I just came over to talk to you.”

Lu Xu’s face turned slightly red, and he gazed at Gu Ye’s infectious smile. Suppressing the urge to act aloof, the corners of his mouth curled up as he asked, “So, why are you still talking to me if you don’t care?”

Gu Ye answered, “I’m not angry. We haven’t met before, so let me formally introduce myself. My name is Gu… Lu Lie, and I’m your eldest brother. But this time, I’ll let it slide. If you don’t greet me next time, I’ll be really upset and will ignore you.”

Lu Xu pondered it and responded, “Okay, you’re in a good mood now, so why did you snatch my cousin away and upset Mother Concubine?”

Gu Ye retorted, “Your cousin isn’t something to be snatched, and he didn’t promise you but agreed with me first. How can you call it snatching? Plus, we’ll be studying together in the future, so it doesn’t matter who’s whose companion.”

Lu Xu glanced at Feng Yu, thinking it made sense. Since his cousin was still there, he smiled at him.

Gu Ye continued, “And when did I upset your mother concubine?”

“She said yesterday that because of you, Father Emperor drove her away.”

Lu Xu couldn’t keep a secret and immediately revealed Concubine Feng’s words.

Gu Ye’s displeasure with Concubine Feng deepened.

In the morning, when Gu Ye told his mother that he was going to meet Lu Xu, she advised him not to let the adults’ grievances affect the children’s relationship.

Concubine Feng’s words to the three-year-old Lu Xu did seem to be aimed at alienating their relationship. If it were an older child, they might already have developed a resentment before getting to know each other.

Gu Ye, who valued his mother’s words the most, didn’t blame Lu Xu. Instead, he explained, “I was indeed there yesterday, but it wasn’t because of me…”

He couldn’t reveal to Lu Xu that it was Concubine Feng who had made a mistake and upset Emperor Zhengyuan, so he said, “But I was busy all day and exhausted, and I didn’t say a word. It was the concubine who made Father Emperor unhappy, that’s why.”

Lu Xu angrily interrupted, “You’re talking nonsense! Father Emperor loves my mother! It has never been like this before, and it changed when you came!”

Seeing the two about to argue, Feng Yu suggested, “Why don’t you ask Eunuch Qian?”

Qian Sansi was Emperor Zhengyuan’s personal eunuch, and he was privy to everything that happened in the palace.

Lu Xu rejected the idea, saying, “Why would we ask someone like that? My mother said that in the previous dynasty, the foolish emperor wrongly trusted a dog and let the dog do bad things… I don’t want to listen to him!”

Gu Ye, with a stern face, reached out to pat Lu Xu’s mouth and asked, “How could you speak that way about Eunuch Qian?”

Lu Xu was shocked by the slap, though Gu Ye hadn’t used much force. Up until this point, Emperor Zhengyuan had never laid a finger on him, and Concubine Feng treated him as if he were a precious gem. The others were also fearful. As a result, Lu Xu burst into tears and immediately ran out of Wenhua Hall.