Chapter 2 Flower Moon Night "I'm not going to...eat you."...

Just one glance was enough to make Lu Xiuyi's heart flutter, and his blood felt like it was burning hot.

He knelt down and pulled her into his arms around the waist, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his voice hoarse: "These are the words the girl said."

Meng Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded.

Because she needed his help, she dared not struggle, only feeling her heart pounding extremely fast.

But this wasn't attraction; it was fear.

Her clothes were soaked, and the warmth of her touch seeped through the thin fabric. With each step Lu Xiuyi took, he would gently rub against her body. In that instant, it was as if a thunderbolt struck, igniting a fiery passion within him.

Meng Yu raised her eyes slightly and saw the man's Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Her heart pounded even harder, and she even felt like she had boarded a pirate ship.

The man carried her through the cabin, and Meng Yu then saw that the thieves had all been disarmed, soldiers were patrolling everywhere, and the passengers were gathered together, their faces as white as paper with fear.

As she approached the deck at the bow of the ship, through the dim light and cracks in the door, Meng Yu could vaguely see a group of people sitting around. A feeling of embarrassment instantly spread throughout her body, and she finally couldn't help but move.

Lu Xiuyi stopped and looked down at her.

Meng Yu pointed to herself and waved her hand, then pointed to the floor.

Lu Xiuyi's expression darkened, and he guessed, "You mean to say you're alright and can get down and walk by yourself?"

Meng Yu nodded heavily.

Her eyebrows were curved, her skin was as white as snow, her lips were full and luscious, and her waist was as soft as cotton when held in one's hand.

With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, Lu Xiuyi reluctantly put her down in the end.

Meng Yu opened the door leading to the deck completely and immediately saw Aunt Shen sitting on the side.

When Aunt Shen saw that she was safe, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Meng Yu later learned from other passengers that the person who saved her was the young Marquis Lu from the capital, whose name was "Xiu Yi".

Regarding this young Marquis Lu, Meng Yu had heard Meng Yanqing talk about him a few times when he was in the Xuzhou mansion.

This person came from a distinguished family; his birth mother was Princess Minghua.

Princess Minghua is the current emperor's elder sister. Because she was greatly favored by the late emperor, she is arrogant and domineering.

Back then, the Eldest Princess fell in love with Lu Huaiyuan, the third-ranked scholar, at first sight, and married him in less than half a year. This perfect match became a celebrated story in the capital. Unfortunately, the Eldest Princess's health was damaged after giving birth to Lu Xiuyi, and she passed away in less than half a year.

After observing three years of mourning, Lu Huaiyuan married a new woman and adopted a son, Lu Jiayan.

Having grown up without a mother's guidance, it was rumored that Lu Xiuyi was a licentious and extravagant man who frequently frequented brothels, infuriating Lord Lu to the point of rage. Half a year ago, he got into a fight in the street over a courtesan, for which he was severely reprimanded by the Emperor and confined to his residence for five months.

A month ago, his confinement ended, and he was sent by the emperor to Yongzhou to suppress bandits. However, the bandits somehow got wind of the situation and fled to Xuzhou overnight, where they hijacked the boat they were on.

Fortunately, Lu Xiuyi arrived in time with his men and rescued everyone. In other words, even if she didn't ask Lu Xiuyi for help, her aunt and Huaiyin would definitely be safe and sound.

Thinking of this, Meng Yu was filled with remorse. If there had been a crack in the ground on the boat, she would have crawled into it without hesitation and gotten as far away from this place as possible.

Just thinking about it made Meng Yu feel a splitting headache.

***

The three returned to their room, still shaken by what had just happened.

The sailor knocked on the door, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Madam, ladies, this room is too cramped. Our captain has arranged a larger room for you. Please move in."

The three men looked at each other, all surprised by the captain's sudden act of kindness.

Aunt Shen subtly pulled Meng Yu back behind her and said respectfully, "We are quite comfortable here. We would appreciate it if you could tell the captain for us that we are grateful for his kindness. However, we are quite comfortable here, so we will not trouble him to change rooms."

The sailor had assumed that this wonderful opportunity would be so good that the women would agree immediately without him having to say anything, but to his surprise, they refused.

Seeing their resolute expressions, it seemed that further persuasion would be useless, so the sailor had no choice but to return the sunken maid to the captain intact.

In the room, where a faint fragrance wafted, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of rain seeped in through the cracks in the window, causing the lamplight to flicker and casting an inscrutable image of the man's face.

Lu Xiuyi listened to his subordinate's report without showing any emotion. He pushed the long ruby ​​and gold filigree jewelry box on the table over and said in a low voice, "You personally deliver this to the girl with the braids."

Chu Ze was slightly surprised, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply took the jewelry box and went over.

Meng Yu was still wondering why the captain suddenly wanted to change their rooms when the knocking sounded again.

The visitor was a young man in military uniform. He looked around the room, then his gaze suddenly fixed on Meng Yu. He respectfully presented the gift in his hand: "This small gift is a small token of my master's permission to deliver to you, young lady. Please accept it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Aunt Shen and Huaiyin both widened their eyes slightly and looked at her.

Judging from his attire, Meng Yu knew who the young master he was talking about was. Upon hearing that he was sent by Lu Xiuyi, her last hope vanished, and she became increasingly uneasy.

Meng Yu glanced at the jewelry box. The rubies on it were crystal clear and extremely dazzling. Even without looking at what was inside, the jewelry box alone was worth a hundred gold coins.

They're really generous.

She thought for a moment and wrote in her notebook: "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but this gift is too precious for me to accept. I am a lowly woman and cannot bear it."

Chu Ze was slightly surprised. He looked Meng Yu up and down, and a hint of admiration immediately appeared in his eyes.

This woman, dressed in simple linen and skirt, at first glance appeared to be merely pretty, far inferior to the refined ladies of the capital. But upon closer inspection, her posture remained upright, and she spoke with poise and confidence, neither servile nor arrogant.

The women he usually encountered were all mediocre and cowardly, and they didn't even dare to look him in the eye when they spoke.

It's rare for an ordinary family to raise a girl like this.

Knowing that saying more would be useless, Chu Ze stopped pressing the matter. He bowed slightly and was about to leave when he looked up and saw Meng Yu holding the notebook in front of him again: "I would like to ask if you know where your master is going next?"

Before he could finish speaking, the admiration in Chu Ze's eyes vanished instantly, but he still said calmly, "Young Master's mission is complete, and he will return to the capital with this ship."

Meng Yu's heart sank to the bottom.

***

Seeing Chu Ze walk away, Aunt Shen remembered that the captain had just offered to change their rooms. She quickly closed the door, pulled Meng Yu to sit down beside her with a serious expression, and said sternly, "Yu'er, do you know that young marquis? What is your relationship? Why would he give you such an expensive gift?"

Her eyes were full of worry, and Meng Yu was also extremely anxious.

God knows how much she regrets asking Lu Xiuyi for help; now she's truly shot herself in the foot.

Meng Yu originally wanted to keep it a secret from Aunt Shen, but there was still a long way to go before reaching the capital. She would inevitably be spending the next two months with Lu Xiuyi. If she waited until then to explain, it would be more difficult. It would be better to make things clear now.

She paused for a moment, then quickly began to make hand gestures.

Aunt Shen and Huaiyin watched from the side, their expressions growing increasingly grim. Finally, Aunt Shen's face turned ashen, her shoulders trembled, and tears blurred her vision; she was so distressed that she almost couldn't catch her breath.

The air became stagnant for a moment.

Meng Yu massaged her back, tears welling in her eyes. She gestured and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry."

Aunt Shen hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face, "Auntie doesn't blame you. You did all this for Auntie and Huaiyin. You're a good child. If your father had taken us with him when he left, we wouldn't be in this situation. It's all Auntie's fault. I didn't protect you well."

On the day Meng Yanqing was transferred to the capital, he took his stepmother and her three children with him, but left Aunt Shen, Huaiyin, and herself in their hometown of Xuzhou.

Meng Yu wasn't surprised at all that Meng Yanqing was heartless, ungrateful, and only interested in profit. She knew he would abandon her and her child.

As they were talking, Aunt Shen wiped away her tears and changed the subject, saying, "Fortunately, your father still has some conscience. After settling in the capital, he wrote to invite us to come over. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do. But today you agreed to marry that young Marquis Lu. How are you going to explain this to your father when you get to the capital?"

Meng Yu gently patted her back to comfort her: "Don't worry, Aunt. Who do you think that young Marquis Lu is? There are countless beauties in the capital. How could he possibly look at me? I noticed he didn't bring any maids. I guess during his time on the ship, at most I'll just have to serve him tea and water for a few days."

Aunt Shen nodded worriedly: "I hope so."

Meng Yu said this entirely to comfort Chen Xiaoniang. If Lu Xiuyi only considered her a maid, why would he send such valuable gifts?

That night, Meng Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. No matter what she did, Lu Xiuyi's face lingered in her mind, over and over again, like an inescapable shadow that clung to her.

As dawn approached, Meng Yu finally succumbed to her heavy eyelids and gradually fell asleep.

But not long after, a suffocating feeling of impending death suddenly surged up, and she opened her eyes abruptly, realizing that she had fallen into the water without even knowing when.

Overwhelming fear suddenly swept over her. Meng Yu struggled desperately, but she couldn't swim. The more she struggled, the faster she sank.

Just when Meng Yu thought she was going to drown, a pair of large hands suddenly wrapped around her from behind, and a bone-chilling cold instantly spread from the soles of her feet to her limbs and bones.

Even though the person behind her wasn't very strong, Meng Yu subconsciously stopped struggling, as if her limbs no longer belonged to her after he appeared.

A cool voice then rang out softly in her ear: "Meng Yu, do you think you can get rid of me by dying? You're too naive."

Lu Xiuyi's voice was colder than the river water and more piercing than ice.

Meng Yu was so startled that she suddenly opened her eyes.

A blinding ray of light suddenly burst in, and she squinted instinctively. Cold sweat soaked her hair at her temples and dripped slowly down her forehead. Her heart pounded wildly.

After a moment, Meng Yu's eyes adjusted to the light and she opened them again. Just then, Huai Yin pushed open the door and entered, carrying a washbasin. Seeing that she was awake, she handed her a washcloth and said with a smile, "Did you have a nightmare, Miss? Why are you sweating so much?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yu belatedly raised his hand to wipe his forehead, and the back of his hand was instantly soaked with sweat, wet and sticky, as if a snake's tongue had been licking it.

Recalling that dream, Meng Yu felt a chill still running through her body, and a wave of fear washed over her.

Fortunately, it was just a dream.

She patted her cheeks to wake herself up, trying to put the terrifying dream behind her. She got up to wash up and said, "It's nothing, I just dreamt that I fell into the water and woke up instantly."

Huaiyin served her a bowl of rice porridge, along with chestnut pastries, braised duck breast, and steamed sea bass.

After washing up, Meng Yu sat down by the window and saw the sumptuous breakfast spread on the table. She was surprised: "Didn't they say the other day that there were no chestnut pastries? Why are there them again today? And this rice porridge, I asked the cook, a bowl costs five hundred coins, how can you bear to eat it, young lady?"

Huaiyin smiled and said, "This was a gift from the captain, it's free, so please eat without worry, young lady."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yu's face turned pale instantly. Looking at the breakfast, she suddenly remembered the dream she had just had, and immediately lost her appetite.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

It's human nature to curry favor with those in power; the person they really wanted to please was Lu Xiuyi.

Huaiyin, being simple-minded, hadn't thought of this. Seeing that Mengyu hadn't moved at all, she assumed she was still seasick and advised, "Even if you don't have an appetite, you should at least eat something. If you do this every day, your body won't be able to take it."

Meng Yu shook her head, put down her spoon, and gestured: "I'm fine. By the way, where's Aunt? Why haven't I seen her this morning?"

"Auntie just went to fetch water."

Just then, Aunt Shen pushed open the door and entered, carrying a basket of fruit containing peaches, mulberries, and dates—all seasonal spring fruits. The basket was still dripping wet, suggesting it had just been washed.

Without needing to ask further, Meng Yu knew that this must have been a gift from someone on the ship.

For the next four or five days, Lu Xiuyi did not send anyone over, but their room was piled with all sorts of gifts, leaving no room to step.

Looking at those things, Meng Yu felt a pressure so heavy she could hardly breathe.

After pondering for a few days, Meng Yu finally couldn't resist going up to the second floor and heading towards the innermost room.

The passenger ship has two decks, each of which is extremely large.

Meng Yu had never actually inquired about where Lu Xiuyi lived, but every time she stepped out of her room, someone would casually mention his address in her ear.

His intentions couldn't be clearer.

***

Just past the corner on the second floor, Meng Yu saw the young man who had delivered the jewelry that day waiting at the door. When he saw her coming, he seemed to have expected it and didn't care at all. He simply reached out and opened the half-closed door. "My young master has been waiting for you for a long time, please come in."

Meng Yu bowed slightly to him in thanks, then stepped inside.

Upon entering, a faint fragrance wafts through the air. A glass-yellow curtain blocks the light from coming in from outside, and orange lanterns are scattered in the four corners. The room is very large, but it contains only a four-poster bed with an ivory-white rosewood canopy and a lotus-patterned chaise lounge, a rosewood table, and two round-backed chairs.

Meng Yu looked around and saw that there was no one else there except her. She felt strange and was about to turn around to ask Chu Ze when a pair of large hands suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind.

A chill instantly ran from the soles of her feet to her limbs and bones, and Meng Yu's eyes widened slightly in fright.

The man lowered his head, gently resting his chin on her shoulder. Feeling her body suddenly stiffen, he tilted his head, his gaze gradually moving down from her rounded earlobe, and chuckled, "What are you afraid of, Jiaojiao? I won't...eat you."

His tone was somewhat playful and teasing, and he emphasized the last three words slightly.

A note from the author: