The Marquis' Wife
Meet with Miao Sheng

Lu Xiang did not follow his team who celebrated the victory at the banmei house and had fun due to the curfew time and did not want to join in accompanied by the women.

He immediately said goodbye to his friend and went up the hill to pick up Adelia and her sisters. Amidst the journey, Lu Xiang simply smiled in response to the enthusiastic response of the spectators.

"You won, baby!! You are so great, I am so proud of you Lu Xiang!!" Adelia who was still euphoric with a victorious atmosphere jumped towards Lu Xiang making the man panic and immediately caught her.

"You're almost 6 months pregnant, baby. Don't jump around recklessly, what if you fall?!".

"And you're gonna catch me, baby. I believe you can catch me with responsiveness".

Lu Xiang's lips throbbed, he could only pinch his wife's chubby cheeks with anxiety until Adelia whimpered the new pain he released.

"Sister Xiang!! Brother Xiang you won!!" Lu Shan hugged his brother's waist with a flushed face full of vigor.

Lu Cheng was also excited although not as hysterical as his sister but the powerful nods of his head repeatedly showed his true feelings.

The little family laughed happily and went home under the gaze of the people and for so many times the women were jealous of the harmony of Lu Xiang and Adelia's relationship.

The victory of the red team made the names of Chen Xirang and Song Yuan known by the people in the city of Fucheng, especially Lu Xiang. Biographies of him and his family re-emerged in the minds of the citizens of Fucheng and people again remembered the embankment project that came from the idea of the young man.

The families of officials and scholars again considered Lu Xiang's worth, whether they wanted to encourage their daughters to become side concubines or not. Some of them decided to look at the situation first before acting.

Lu Xiang cleaned himself and changed his usual scholar clothes and invited Adelia and her sisters to eat outside.

Lu Xiang's family went to Fuyuan's restaurant which also had a branch in the inner part of Fucheng city.

The waiter immediately warmly welcomed their arrival and led to the VIP room on the second floor. A servant recognized Lu Xiang and immediately informed his manager.

"Welcome to Fuyuan's restaurant mister Xiefu mrs Xiefu. I'm Xie Lao manager here, it's a pleasure to meet you all. Manager Xu sent me a letter and told me about you ladies and gentlemen".

"It's also nice to meet you manager Xie, please convey our greetings to manager Xu. Is Manager Xu doing well?"

"Propos manager Xu is fine sir, manager Xu also conveyed his greetings to the master and mistress. It's a special restaurant menu in the summer" Manager Xie gave Lu Xiang and Adelia a menu as well as his two younger siblings.

Adelia and her family ordered a few menus and then chatted and again praised Lu Xiang's ability to play Cuju football. She did not expect that her husband was quite good at playing the game.

After eating, they went home but on the way Lu Xiang stopped the horse carriage in front of the De Xiang cake shop.

Unlike a few days ago, the renovated De Xiang store became as it was. Adelia smiled with pleasure and relief, finally her shop was able to operate again, since closed many customers were disappointed because they could not enjoy the pudding and parfait cake like Jun Shi one of them, since closed many customers were disappointed because they could not enjoy the pudding and parfait cake like Jun Shi one of them, Lu Shan told me a lot in a slightly irritated tone because his friend always asked when De Xiang's shop would reopen.

But Adelia's smile disappeared when she remembered the mastermind of the incident had not been found. "Lu Xiang's. Is there going to be another fire in our shop because the culprit hasn't been found yet?".

Lu Xiang hugged Adelia's waist possessively. "No dear. That incident would not be possible to repeat itself since Prefect Zhong had already increased the number of patrolmen in the night. They won't be able to repeat it again".

Adelia nodded slowly, although she was not so relieved that the perpetrators could not be arrested by the yamen officers showed that they were not amateurs but that there was no point in her thinking hard about things that had not happened.

Lu Xiang became relieved when he saw the look on his wife's face change for the better. Although he knew who the culprit but the lack of evidence could not make him punish the perpetrator but he will not forget and be more alert to the movements of Liang Chenyue.

The next day, Adelia receives a letter from Li Jin's wife Xiaowen that she will go to Fucheng to accompany her husband in preparing for the exam and bring Adelia's percentages to De Xiang's store in Cheng city.

Adelia was very happy to get the letter, she replied and told her servant to take the letter to the dock so she could get there quickly. He told Xiaowen that the woman could stay at his house if she had not rented a house.

He smiled happily. If Xiaowen lives in his house then he will not be lonely and bored because he has a conversation partner.

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At the Academy, Lu Xiang did his usual activities, entered the classroom and went to the office of the mathematics division completed from the academy. The intensity of studying ahead of Sheng-shih's close-up exams increases making Lu Xiang think about taking a temporary leave of absence on his job if allowed.

Not long after he had to take a day off because he saw the final process of the embankment and irrigation project and focused on preparing for the Sheng-shih exam.

In the afternoon, when he wanted to go to the office, Lu Xiang met Miao Sheng who had never met him during his stay in Fucheng.

"Miao Sheng?" Lu Xiang said in surprise.

"Sister-in-law. How are you, brother? I'm sorry I just got to see you, the exam preparation and my marriage have kept me so busy" Miao Sheng looked for an excuse for her absence all along. But also insinuating Lu Xiang who also did not care about him.

Since arriving in Fucheng, Miao Sheng did not want to be Lu Xiang's shadow anymore and did not want to be compared by anyone. Luckily he was friends with Jun Kun and Liang Shengmao who came from a family of scholars, it made his ego well-treated and could forget his sense of irony towards Lu Xiang but he did not expect that his brother-in-law was shining even in Fucheng and cooperating with the Prefect.

Jealousy and spite that had been muffled because he accepted the reality but his ego that increased because of friends with a large influential family made the spite reappear.

True as Adelia said, Miao Sheng had changed because Lu Xiang gave him money during the Fu-shih exam and when his status rose then he would look down on Lu Xiang again, xiefu's title is nothing to the post of mayor.

But Lu Xiang did not catch the innuendo, he nodded. "When are you getting married? Congratulations Miao Sheng!".

"Thank you Lu Xiang. I'm going to have a wedding early next month, I hope you'll be able to attend my wedding. Mayor Li must be pleased with your arrival" Miao Sheng said.

Lu Xiang let out a disappointed breath. "I want to actually attend your wedding but I have some business with Prefect Zhong and it takes a week. Sorry Miao Sheng me and Adelia couldn't attend, you take it easy I'll send a gift for you and your wife. Congratulations on your marriage again". He sincerely told Miao Sheng about the reason for his disengagement in the event.

Miao Sheng's smile momentarily cracked yet he immediately smiled back. "It's okay. I understand brother-in-law, but if I may know, what business are you talking about with Prefect Zhong? If it's a secret, you don't have to tell me".

Lu Xiang nodded no problem. "The dike project that Prefect Zhong did is almost complete. Prefect Zhong told me to see the end result together".

Miao Sheng was stunned. He did not expect that Prefect Zhong had Lu Xiang see the final results of the project together, it showed Prefect Zhong's appreciation more than he had imagined. He thought that even though Lu Xiang was able to get to know Prefect Zhong yet it was only because of his idea that after it was done that Lu Xiang who had no value anymore would definitely appear ordinary in the eyes of Prefect Zhong.

Although in the eyes of others Lu Xiang had the support of Prefect Zhong yet it was only two to three years until the reign of Prefect Zhong in the city of Fucheng was completed before being transferred to the city greater. So Lu Xiang was different from him who had a marriage relationship with the Li family.

If Mayor Li's tenure is completed and her position increases her status as the daughter-in-law of the Li family also increases no matter whether she passes the Sheng-shih exam or not.

However it seemed like Lu Xiang's status in Prefect Zhong's eyes was more than he had expected. Did he have to be good friends with Lu Xiang again? But if the estimate is wrong then it will backfire on itself.

Finally Miao Sheng chose the tactic of waiting and seeing. If the assumption is true then it is not too late to establish a good relationship back with her cousin's husband.