In fact, when Liu Yan entered Shu, he brought quite a few people with him, each with their own ulterior motives.
He brought Wu Yi's family along because he believed Wu Xian was destined for greatness and wanted to plot a rebellion to seize the throne.
As for Zhang Lu's family, he probably brought them along because Zhang Lu, a nobody from a humble background, was easy to control.
Moreover, after seeing Zhang Lu's mother, Lu Ming suspected he was likely after her beauty.
In Lu Ming's eyes, Zhang Lu's mother was a very charming mature woman.
It's normal for Liu Yan to be tempted; men spend their lives fighting for power, after all!
With power, naturally, one wants to enjoy more beautiful women!
A woman's charm has nothing to do with age; young beauties and mature, sexy noblewomen are equally charming and attractive.
"Hehe, Anmin, you flatter me. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Yulan, you've truly married a wonderful husband." Zhang Lu's mother covered her mouth and giggled. The jade bracelet on her right hand, combined with her Taoist robe, gave her a mysterious and noble beauty.
The beauty mark at the corner of her mouth added to her mature charm, making Lu Ming's heart race.
Besides Zhang Yulan and her daughter, Zhang Lu's wives, concubines, and children were also at the other two tables.
They were all there to get to know him. Lu Ming simply nodded slightly to them as a greeting.
Given his status, Zhang Lu's family was actually marrying above their station.
Without the Empress's decree, proposing marriage wouldn't have been difficult for Lu Ming, but taking a concubine would have been a different story. At least a matchmaker would have been needed to make it happen.
But the Empress's decree saved him a lot of trouble. Even if he was unwilling, he had no choice, because it was the Empress's decree!
The Empress Dowager dared not disobey.
After several rounds of drinks, Lu Ming behaved very properly, not expressing the slightest hint of impropriety.
He knew he needed to restrain himself. When did he not need to restrain himself?
Only in bed. In public, he needed to conceal his true feelings.
The meal was over, and the betrothal gifts had been accepted.
Lu Ming left with Zhang Yulan and some dowry, somewhat eager to return to their chambers.
Taking a concubine was that simple. A betrothal letter, betrothal gifts—no grand wedding. That's how it was for a concubine. Taking a concubine was far too simple; this was already considered quite generous.
Often, taking a concubine was just a matter of registering her, giving some money, and she could be taken away.
Whether a concubine had status depended entirely on how well her husband's family treated her.
After Lu Ming left, Zhang Lu's mother returned to her seat in the main hall. Her expression was composed, unsmiling, and cold. "Gongqi, does Anmin have a grudge against the Grand Master of Ceremonies?"
"Rumor has it, yes. Wu Yi's mother and sister were living in Wu Kuang's residence when their property was confiscated. They asked the Grand Master of Ceremonies to intervene and bring their relatives back, but Lu Ming didn't give the Grand Master of Ceremonies any face. He even announced that he had already taken Wu Yi's mother and sister as concubines, causing the Grand Master of Ceremonies to lose face. That's their grudge." Zhang Lu had clearly done his homework on his brother-in-law. A nobody like him needed to understand the various figures in Luoyang, big and small, to know who to avoid and how to navigate the complex web of power.
Zhang Heng, the head of the household, remained silent. In fact, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
His status in the family wasn't even higher than his wife's. He only had his current position because of his wife's position as the Director of the Astronomical Observatory.
For a man to be suppressed by his wife at home was, to some extent, a disgrace.
Zhang Lu's mother, Liang Yin, after listening to Zhang Lu's report, closed her eyes again, her delicate white fingers forming hand seals, her red lips moving rapidly as if calculating something.
Just looking at her like this, combined with her still-charming aura, made one want to pin her down and ravage her, ejaculating on her face, leaving her in a state of wanton ecstasy!
After calculating for a long time, Liang Yin finally opened her eyes. "This Lu Ming has a very strong destiny, a life of wealth and nobility, unstoppable. He has the momentum to soar to great heights. Gongqi, you should associate with him more often in the future; it won't be a bad thing for the Zhang family."
"Yes, Mother." Zhang Lu deeply believed in his mother's fortune-telling abilities.
These things are like the shamanistic ritual; it's better to believe they exist than not.
Because they are truly eerie, take a child crying in the middle of the night, for example.
Summoning spirits, calling back souls, burning incense, and praying—these can stop a child from crying in the middle of the night, something even doctors can't do.
This set of methods is quite popular in this era.
The belief in ghosts and spirits is indeed very popular.
Even in the royal family, many believe in such things.
However, many people see it as nothing more than unorthodox practices, used when needed and suppressed when not, never given any chance to rise.
Princess Wannian's residence.
Princess Wannian leaned against the bed, one hand clutching her lower abdomen, her pretty face contorted in pain. For some reason, a sudden, sharp pain in her stomach made her unable to speak.
Her maid, Jin Shi, rushed over to help her rub her lower abdomen. "Your Highness, how are you feeling?"
"Ugh, go and fetch Yulan." Princess Wannian frowned, her face pale, fine beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. Her body felt extremely uncomfortable, as if the pain had drained all her strength, leaving her utterly powerless.
"Madam Yulan was taken back to the manor as a concubine by the Prince Consort today. Should we invite the Prince Consort to come along? Your Highness, Madam Yulan said the Prince Consort's medical skills are excellent. Perhaps we could invite him as well? Your Highness, you'll suffer greatly from this pain, and it breaks my heart," Jin Shi said sincerely. As the head maid, she needed to inform her mistress of the current situation, and since she would later become a concubine, essentially a half-mistress, she certainly needed to know the Prince Consort quite well.
"Hmm. Alright, go and invite them over." Princess Wannian actually didn't really want to see Lu Ming, even though they were about to be married. She didn't want to see him, purely because of her bad impression of him.
Besides, it wasn't appropriate to meet him now that they were getting married.
It was just that the stomach pain was unbearable; otherwise, she might not have agreed.
"Hmm, I'll go find them right now." Jin Shi's face immediately lit up with joy. Bringing the relationship between the prince consort and the mistress closer would make their future days easier.