How to Deal with Having the Villainous Tyrant’s Child Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Su Wan’ning wore an innocent expression and said, “How could Cousin think such a thing? I came to visit the newly born young heir and, while I was at it, to pay respects to the two princes. These days, many noble ladies and high officials have come to mourn—why must Cousin overthink it?”

Tears welled up in Lu Hanzhi’s eyes as he trembled and pointed at Su Wan’ning, saying, “You have long been hoping for this day, haven’t you? Back then, when you swallowed your anger and endured everything, were you already plotting for Second Sister-in-law and me to be widowed?”

A look of surprise spread across Su Wan’ning’s large eyes as she said, “Oh! That does seem to be the case. With Cousin losing his husband, wouldn’t the monthly cycle become unbearable torture? Just thinking about it makes one feel sorry for you!”

Lu Hanzhi’s chest heaved violently. “You—you—you! You vicious woman! You simply cannot stand to see me doing well, can you?”

Su Wan’ning still maintained her innocent, fairy-like demeanor—neither hurried nor angered—her beauty filter fully cranked on.

Passing noblewomen glanced over, only feeling that the Crown Prince’s side consort truly possessed a flawless appearance.

Yet coming at such a time to watch the misfortune of Prince An’s residence was indeed inappropriate.

Prince An and Prince Chu’s consort had died in battle, leaving behind two widowers and two young children—their days were surely not easy.

In outsiders’ eyes, the more glamorous the Crown Prince’s side consort appeared, the more destitute and forlorn Prince An’s Wang Fei seemed by contrast.

People were always like this—forever standing on moral high ground to judge others.

Moreover, during this period Lu Hanzhi had earned quite a good reputation in the capital. Especially among noblewomen, he was considered a rare genuinely good person.

If he were not a good person, how could he have produced so many wonderful things that made people beautiful?

There was also the matter of how he had previously saved Prime Minister Lin’s daughter-in-law, as well as a pair of newborn twins.

These stories had long since spread through the streets and alleys, known to everyone.

Lu Hanzhi pressed a hand to his chest, tears streaming down his face as he said, “Cousin Su, I know there were misunderstandings between us in the past. But now that I have fallen to such a state, can you not spare me any mercy? We are a widowed father and orphaned children—we still have to live on. Our Wang Ye’s body has not even gone cold yet, and you have already come here to bully us. What sort of reasoning is that?”

Su Wan’ning likely had not expected Lu Hanzhi to go this far, actually breaking down and wailing in mourning right in front of all the noble ladies.

She frowned and said, “What did I even say for you to cry like this?”

One of the noblewomen stepped forward and said, “If your husband died in battle, wouldn’t you cry? If you won’t even offer a kind word of comfort, then so be it—but instead you come here dressed all bright and glamorous. Who are you trying to show off to? If I were the Prince An’s Wang Fei, I would have already had you beaten out of the residence.”

Lu Hanzhi thought to himself, Which beautiful sister spoke so pleasantly?

If you can talk like that, you should really say more.

When he looked up, he realized it was Prime Minister Lin’s daughter-in-law—the very woman for whom he had once performed a cesarean delivery.

Previously, whenever he had seen this beautiful lady, she had always seemed gentle and delicate. He had never expected her combat strength to be this impressive.

Young Madam Lin looked at Lu Hanzhi with heartfelt pity, supported his arm, and said, “She doesn’t understand you, but we all do. If you want to cry, then cry—but don’t cry yourself sick. You still have Ah Chan, and you still have us sisters. We will all stay by your side. If you have any difficulties, you can tell us.”

Young Madam Lin had always been extremely popular among the noble ladies of the capital, and everyone liked associating with her.

This was not only because of her character, appearance, and talent—each outstanding in the capital—but also because she had married into the Prime Minister’s residence and shared deep affection with Young Master Lin.

Su Wan’ning, though she belonged to the Crown Prince’s household, was still only a concubine.

In Great Zhao, concubines were ultimately not people who could take center stage.

Thus, several noblewomen all moved to Lu Hanzhi’s side, one after another criticizing Su Wan’ning.

Facing so many people alone, Su Wan’ning was clearly unable to hold her ground.

That was, until Zhaoyun emerged from the room holding Prince Qimian. With a single sentence spoken from above, Su Wan’ning lost completely.

Zhaoyun said, “Side Consort Wan, instead of staying properly confined in the Crown Prince’s residence to reflect on your faults, you ran out here to show off? Oh—you came to pay your respects? Since when did it become a concubine’s turn to participate in such major household affairs? I have entrusted the household management to Hao Shijun, and he has not even come out to show his face. Yet you are so enthusiastic?”

Su Wan’ning was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

But Zhaoyun had no intention of letting her off. “You have repeatedly made things difficult for Prince An’s Wang Fei. Though I do not know what intentions you harbor, I must warn you once. Whether you are tolerated or not is up to me. Do you think that just because the Crown Prince dotes on you, I can do nothing to you? If so, then the threshold of my Grand Princess’s residence has truly become too low.”

Everyone had assumed Su Wan’ning would endure it as she always did, swallowing her anger and listening obediently to Zhaoyun’s scolding.

Yet today she acted completely differently. She merely smiled at Zhaoyun and said, “Sister, what are you saying? I came to visit Cousin Hanzhi under the Crown Prince’s orders. The Crown Prince knew that I came from the Lu family as a cousin, which is why he sent me here to check on him. We are relatives after all—we cannot step outside the same circle. As for repeatedly making things difficult for Cousin… where does that even come from? I truly do not understand. Please enlighten me, Sister Zhaoyun.”

After experiencing so many things, Zhaoyun was no longer a child who could be provoked into anger with a few words.

Holding Prince Qimian in her arms, she slowly stepped down the stairs. Supporting the child with one arm, she raised her right hand and delivered a vicious slap across Su Wan’ning’s face.

That slap shocked all the noblewomen present. Once they recovered, however, they all felt that Zhaoyun had struck her correctly.

Su Wan’ning covered her face, which had been knocked to the side, and cried angrily, “You—why did Sister hit me?”

Zhaoyun let out a soft, mocking laugh and said, “Oh? Do you still need me, the Crown Princess, to teach you—a concubine—why you were beaten? Leaving aside your talking back and sophistry, even without reason, am I not allowed to strike you?”

Young Madam Lin also reacted at that moment and said with a smile, “Concubines have always endured in silence, keeping their heads down. I have never seen a Crown Prince’s concubine openly challenging the Crown Princess—who is also a noble princess. A concubine is a servant by nature. When struck by the mistress of the household, she still dares to ask for the reason? I say the slap was too light. Why should Her Highness dirty her hands personally? There are plenty of matrons, maids, and strong women in the residence—who among them would dare disobey the Crown Princess’s command?”

Zhaoyun slightly inclined her head toward Young Madam Lin and said, “I have embarrassed all the ladies—it was my failure in discipline. I spoiled everyone’s mood, and that is my fault. Another day, I will certainly invite all of you to the Princess’s residence for a banquet. As for this lowly servant, there is no need for everyone to lower yourselves to her level. Let her be. She merely relies on a bit of seductive beauty to bewitch her master. If the Crown Prince favors her for a few days, then I shall endure her for a few days. Very well—I am generous and will not stoop to her level. I will retreat to the Princess’s residence for a few months of quiet leisure and let them do as they please.”

The crowd immediately erupted into discussion, one after another, talking about the Crown Prince favoring a concubine while neglecting his wife.

Such matters, once spoken by women, would spread through every street and alley of the capital in less than half a day.

The Crown Prince’s loss of virtue might be a matter of the inner household, but it was still enough to give him an endless headache.

That aside, today’s events had left Su Wan’ning nearly furious to death.

Even Lu Hanzhi himself had not expected that his popularity had become this great.

In the past, no one in the capital had not wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

Yet now, among the noblewomen in this courtyard, not a single one failed to stand on his side.

It was probably because he was a true friend to women—often giving out all kinds of sample products when Han Ji Fragrance House sold its package sets.

And it was precisely these little samples, given out one by one, that had fully earned everyone’s goodwill.

The only person who truly surprised him was Zhaoyun. That willful yet timid young girl had finally learned how to protect herself.

Lu Hanzhi had originally wanted to return the handkerchief to her again, but upon thinking that she would be staying in the Grand Princess’s residence for several months—and likely would no longer have any dealings with Su Wan’ning—he hesitated.

So he put Yuwen Min’s handkerchief away, hoping only that she would be able to walk her own path well in the future.

After thanking everyone, Lu Hanzhi returned to his room to check on Yuwen Jue.

Yuwen Jue was, after all, a man—and one who had only become a Xiao Langjun after reaching adulthood.

Compared to those who had been transformed from childhood, his constitution was much stronger.

At the moment, he was holding little Ah Meng, feeding him with a milk bottle.

When he saw Lu Hanzhi enter, he asked, “Hanzhi, I was just about to ask you. This bottle of yours—the purity of the crystal is so high, and it’s such a large piece. Where did you find it? It must be extremely valuable, right? And this craftsmanship—I’ve never seen anything like it before. Is it also from the Western Regions?”

Ever since he had gone to the Western Regions once, Lu Hanzhi no longer dared to casually make things up about that place.

That land was so poor that even birds wouldn’t bother stopping there—how could it possibly produce things that stood at the forefront of civilization?

Lu Hanzhi cleared his throat and said, “Uh… actually, this thing isn’t crystal. It’s glass.”

Yuwen Jue turned his head and asked, “Glass?”

Lu Hanzhi replied, “That’s right. It’s made by bonding and processing materials such as quartz sand, soda ash, limestone, feldspar, and the like. It was… first manufactured by a country called Egypt, which lies far away on the other side of the world.”

Yuwen Jue looked completely baffled and asked, “The other side? Egypt? I’ve never heard of it.”

Lu Hanzhi gestured as he explained, “The world we live in is actually a large sphere. We are here on this part of the sphere, and Egypt is over here on another part…”

When he looked up and saw Yuwen Jue’s expression—as if he were listening to heavenly scripture—Lu Hanzhi stopped talking. “In any case, it’s glass. I’ll try making it myself and see whether it can be produced.”

The process of making glass should not be particularly complicated—after all, ancient Egypt had produced glass very early on.

If glass could be made, it would be an extremely good product and would surely sell very well.

He suddenly remembered that his kaolin base contained materials like quartz.

Ah Meng had finished eating and was humming softly, kicking his little legs.

Lu Hanzhi leaned closer and said, “Wow, Ah Meng looks a bit more grown today.”

When Ah Meng had just been born, his head had been slightly flattened from being squeezed. Today, the little Ah Meng already looked sturdy and lively, and his skin was noticeably fairer and more tender.

Yuwen Jue said, “He’s a bit ugly—but all babies are ugly. Our Ah Meng is ugly-cute, ugly-cute.”

Lu Hanzhi laughed loudly. “Hahaha… Our Ah Meng isn’t ugly at all. Where is he ugly? Look at these eyes—classic European-style double eyelids.”

Yuwen Jue was completely confused by Lu Hanzhi at this point. “European-style double eyelids?”

Lu Hanzhi explained, “It means very obvious double eyelids, long eyelashes, and highly defined facial features.”

Yuwen Jue nodded to show that he understood, then smiled and said, “When I first met your second brother, I was attracted by his facial features. My mother concubine said I fell for him at first sight, and that really wasn’t wrong.”

Lu Hanzhi said, “Second Brother is indeed good-looking… but my eldest brother isn’t bad either, right? Then why has he remained single all this time?”

Yuwen Jue soothed Ah Meng to sleep and placed him back in the small bed, then said, “Eldest Brother probably has other thoughts. Sooner or later, he’ll meet someone he likes.”

The small room was warm and peaceful—but it was only the calm before the storm.

The western gate of the capital was thrown open, and two carriages carrying black coffins entered through the city gate.

All along the way, paper money was scattered. Those leading the procession shook bells and spirit banners, chanting loudly, “Soul, return to your homeland! Soul, return to your homeland!”

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