Lu Nianfu had long understood Situ Jue's selfishness. After a long silence, she asked, "Then what do you want me to do to help you?"
"Can Sister write a letter and invite my sister to stay at your residence for a while?"
"Impossible. You are already married into the Prince of Ning's mansion. What would it look like if you stayed at my residence? Let alone me, even the Prince of Ning would not agree."
Zeng Weiyang also knew this was the case. She was just making an outrageous offer. After Lu Nianfu refused, she proposed a second plan: "Then can Sister send a subordinate to the Prince of Ning's mansion every few days to check on my sister?"
"Zeng Weiyang, when you married, you should have known that Prince Rui and Prince Ning are not on good terms. If Prince Ning finds out that I value you, you will be close to losing his favor."
"I'm not afraid Sister will laugh, but in Prince Ning's heart, I'm probably not even as good as that maid-born Concubine Mei. Otherwise, the Princess Consort wouldn't have dealt with her first."
Lu Nianfu was speechless. "Why did you try so hard to be Prince Ning's concubine back then?"
Zeng Weiyang had unspeakable suffering, and tears dripped down like pearls.
She regretted it now. She regretted that she had only wanted to compete with Lu Nianfu, which led her to this situation. Her dreams had given her foreknowledge, but in the end, her life was worse than before.
But what was the use of regretting it?
"Sister, I no longer dare to hope for Prince Ning's favor. I just want to have a child to rely on and live a stable life. Although the Princess Consort has a bad temper, she is not brainless. In the more than a month since I entered the mansion, although she dislikes us concubines, she has only targeted the lowly-born Concubine Mei. Pingning Earl's Mansion is no longer an option, but if Sister pities me a little, I should be able to survive."
How proud Zeng Weiyang used to be! She didn't know what she had experienced in the Prince of Ning's mansion to be so humble in front of her now.
She sighed. "I need to discuss this with my husband. You should go back first, or I can send you to Pingning Earl's Mansion. Mother, she should be very happy to see you."
Zeng Weiyang was stunned and nodded tearfully.
Lu Nianfu sent her to Pingning Earl's Mansion by carriage, then went to find Situ Yan and relayed Zeng Weiyang's request.
Situ Yan clicked his tongue. "She attacked me before to save her life, and I haven't settled the score with her yet, but she has the nerve to come begging."
"She must be truly scared. The struggle in the harem, although not with swords and spears, is still dangerous. Situ Jue doesn't seem to favor her much, and she has no family to support her. It would be as easy as playing with her for Princess He to deal with her."
"You're not really planning to help her, are you?"
"For my mother's sake, if she doesn't live well, my mother won't be happy either."
"You are indeed magnanimous." Situ Yan was still unhappy but did not stop her. He only instructed, "This is the only time, and it will not happen again, lest she become more presumptuous."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Mainly, sending someone to the Prince of Ning's mansion occasionally was not troublesome. If it were any other request, she might not have agreed.
Situ Yan snorted, "Zeng Weiyang's matter is settled. What's next?"
"Look at the account books."
"Then you read more, preferably finishing tomorrow's portion as well."
"Huh? Something happening tomorrow?"
"Ouyang rented a boat and invited us to go boating. We'll bring Yao'er and escape the summer heat on the river."
Lu Nianfu was quite surprised. "You're not planning to attend court tomorrow either?"
Situ Yan didn't seem to have much ambition or enjoy strategizing in court, but he was diligent in his official duties. As long as he was in the capital, even if he didn't go to court, he would definitely visit the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice. It was truly unprecedented for him to neglect official duties for several consecutive days like this.
Situ Yan hummed twice. "You don't need to worry about this. Your husband has his own plans."
"Alright, anyway, we don't rely on your meager salary to live. But doesn't the young duke's family have a boat? Why do they have to rent one for boating?"
If this got out, wouldn't the common people think the court was mistreating the orphans of martyrs?
Situ Yan said, "He's not a spendthrift. Why buy a boat that's only used a few times a year? It still requires dedicated maintenance, costing how much silver?"
So the young duke was quite thrifty. No wonder he could get along with her husband.