After entering the book, the cold prince begs for favor

Chapter 352 The Most Clingy Person in the World

The sun had just passed its zenith when the sound of Lu Jiangnian's horse hooves broke the tranquility of the western suburban villa.

When he dismounted, his robes were still covered with dust from the journey, as he had galloped back under the blazing sun, his forehead glistening with fine beads of sweat.

Inside the side room, Yuan Wanru was directing the maids to pack their belongings.

The summer sun shone warmly and brightly into the room. Yuan Wanru had just taken a long nap and had eaten a meal.

She wore a light purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the simple fabric of which made her skin look as white as jade.

Liu Yan and Liu Zhi were tidying up their clothes, while she was tidying up her medicine box.

Suddenly someone came to report that Lu Jiangnian had returned.

"Why are you back so early?"

Yuan Wanru tilted her head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her almond-shaped eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow under her eyes.

Liu Zhi smiled and said while folding clothes, "Young Master must have been thinking of you being here."

She glanced out the window and saw Lu Jiangnian striding across the courtyard, and couldn't help but add, "The way he's rushing around makes it seem like he'll fly away if he's even a second later."

“Indeed,” Liu Yan chimed in, carefully placing the dressing case into the sandalwood box. “When it comes to being clingy, if our young master claims to be second, then no one in the capital would dare claim to be first.”

Yuan Wanru feigned anger: "You two girls are becoming more and more unruly. I'll tell your young master exactly what he said later."

The two maids were immediately flustered.

Liu Zhi hurriedly offered tea: "Young Madam, please don't. How could we dare to speak ill of the eldest son?"

Liu Yan quickly apologized, saying, "That's right, we were just joking around."

Such words are fine to say in front of the eldest young mistress, but if the eldest young master hears them and gets angry, they'll be in big trouble.

Yuan Wanru looked at them with a laugh: "He's not a man-eating tiger, why are you so afraid of him?"

Liu Zhi and Liu Yan exchanged a glance. The eldest young master naturally doted on his eldest young mistress, but he treated others quite differently.

A short while later, Lu Jiangnian's tall figure appeared at the door, carrying an air of travel and sunshine.

He stared intently at Yuan Wanru, as if no one else in the room existed.

Why the rush?

Yuan Wanru stepped forward, then suddenly frowned, "You haven't eaten anything along the way, have you?"

Lu Jiangnian shook his head, a smile playing on his lips: "I forgot."

The two simple words made Yuan Wanru frown. Seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, and remembering that he hadn't slept well last night and was running around so much today, a feeling of displeasure flashed through her heart.

“You!”

Yuan Wanru poked Lu Jiangnian's firm chest with her slender finger. She tilted her head slightly and frowned: "I'm here and can't run away, so why are you in such a hurry?"

Her voice held a hint of reproach, yet couldn't hide her concern, "There are so many teahouses and taverns along the way, didn't you know to find a place to grab a bite?"

She poked him again, this time harder: "Don't take advantage of your youth to act recklessly."

The sun was shining brightly, and her eyes shone with a gentle light. "Those years at the border must have been filled with hunger and hardship. Now that I'm back in the capital, I still don't know how to take care of myself."

"When you get old and plagued by illness, I won't take care of you."

Lu Jiangnian stood straight, like a pine tree, letting her scold him.

He looked down at his wife's cheeks, which were flushed with anger, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

Strangely enough, while I was in the palace, my mind was in turmoil, but when I rode back, all I wanted to do was see her as soon as possible, and I didn't feel hungry at all.

Now that she said that, I really felt hungry.

"Still laughing!" Yuan Wanru caught a glimpse of the smile on his lips, becoming even more annoyed, her almond-shaped eyes widening. "Do you think I'm wrong?"

With her movements, the small pearl pendants on her earlobes swayed and shimmered.

Lu Jiangnian quickly suppressed his smile, but couldn't hide the tenderness in his eyes: "My wife is right to reprimand me. It was my oversight."

His voice was low and ingratiating, “I will remember this from now on and will not miss a meal, so that my wife will never have to worry.”

As he spoke, he quietly reached out and hooked his finger around hers, saying, "Even when we're old, I won't want you to suffer."

Yuan Wanru shook off his hand, and as she turned around, her skirt spun open like a flower stamen.

She called out to the door, "Someone, go to the kitchen and serve the meal—" She paused, then added, "I want some yam porridge, and a side of stir-fried seasonal vegetables."

As Lu Jiangnian watched Yuan Wanru's busy figure, he felt that these ordinary whispers were more touching than any sweet words.

-

A delicious meal was laid out on the table, with steaming yam porridge and fragrant dishes.

She had previously instructed that some fresh fish be caught and brought back for Wang Min and the others to try.

Also, some local products from the villa were taken along with them.

"You eat by yourself, I'm going out to check."

Just as Yuan Wanru was about to get up, her skirt had barely brushed the edge of the stool when her wrist was firmly grasped by a warm, large hand.

"Stay with me."

Lu Jiangnian's voice was deep, and his fingertips gently caressed her wrist, a touch that made Yuan Wanru's ears burn.

Upon seeing this, Liu Yan quickly lowered her head and withdrew. Before leaving, she gently closed the carved wooden door, saying that the eldest young master was the most clingy person in the world.

Yuan Wanru glared at Lu Jiangnian, embarrassed and annoyed: "What are you doing? I'm still full. Do you expect me to just sit here and watch you eat?"

Lu Jiangnian not only didn't let go, but instead gripped her wrist even tighter.

He looked up, "I need my wife with me, otherwise I can't enjoy my food."

“You,” Yuan Wanru said, both amused and annoyed, lightly tapping his forehead with her fingertip, “you have the nerve to say such things, like a three-year-old child.”

Lu Jiangnian's eyes were deep: "There are people watching outside, no doubt about it. My wife, will you come with me?"

Yuan Wanru looked into his eyes and then realized that something was wrong with his mood.

"what happened?"

"What happened in the palace?"

Yuan Wanru's mind shifted, and her tone softened.

She sat down again, gently ladling a bowl of yam porridge for him.

"Okay, I'll stay here. You eat first, and we can talk again after you've finished eating."

Lu Jiangnian let go of her and focused on eating.

The room was very quiet, with only the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the occasional chirping of birds from outside the window.

Lu Jiangnian put down the porcelain bowl in his hand, looked up at Yuan Wanru, and saw that her eyes were full of concern. He couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth and reveal a slightly bitter smile.

“It’s nothing really,” he said, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the bowl, “it’s just that some old things suddenly came to mind this morning, and I’m feeling a bit down.”

Yuan Wanru sat quietly, her slender fingers interlaced on her knees, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"My father was promoted by the Emperor himself."

Lu Jiangnian's voice was low, his gaze fixed on the distance. "He always said that our Lu family must remember the Emperor's kindness, and we would repay it with our lives."

At this point, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. "That's why I became the Crown Prince's study companion."

A gentle breeze slipped in through the window cracks, softly ruffling the stray hairs on Yuan Wanru's forehead.

She still didn't interrupt him, but her gaze softened even more.

"I used to really think that I would be a loyal subject to the emperor, just like my father said."

Lu Jiangnian's fingers tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white. "But now..."

He paused, his voice even softer, "I've found that being a loyal and devoted minister is very difficult."

Yuan Wanru gently held his hand, feeling the warmth of his palm.

Lu Jiangnian grasped her hand again and continued, "His Majesty has treated me well, my wife. If one day His Majesty and the Crown Prince stand on opposite sides, should I be loyal to His Majesty or the Crown Prince?"

The last sentence was spoken so softly that it almost vanished into thin air.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of their breathing mingling together.