Chapter 59: Let go of the predestined marriage.
"Madam!" The lake was off-center from the main hall, and there was no one around. The maidservant frantically spun around, cupping her hands to her mouth and crying for help, "Help! Help! Duchess..."
Immediately afterwards, a hand covered the mouth, forcibly silencing the person.
Ripples spread across the lake, and Du Shi was enveloped by the cool autumn water. She shivered, her teeth chattering, yet she still managed to mumble her curses.
"Lou Yanxu!"
"You have such a lot of... guts..."
The foul language kept reaching her ears, but Lou Yanxu stood calmly on the shore with her arms crossed. She was already filled with hatred, but the gradually panicked look on the person in front of her calmed her hatred a little.
Du is indeed very clever in her actions, but she is not someone to be trifled with. With a little more effort, she can find out who directed the group that blocked the street corner yesterday.
Du truly wanted her dead! In that sealed box, where only river water could seep in, she would struggle in panic, find herself powerless, and then suffer the agony of waiting to die. The events of yesterday still haunt me.
To humiliate and kill her simply because she wasn't chosen as the heir's wife—how wicked! To kill her on Lu Hengzhi's wedding day, aren't they afraid she'll come back for revenge!
Lou Yanxu was filled with resentment, and she was determined to vent her anger today, making Du Shi taste the same fear she had felt. Seeing that the lake was gradually submerging Du Shi's head, she ordered, "Pull her out."
Du was soaked to the bone, her makeup ruined, and a few strands of wet hair clung to her cheeks, making her look quite disheveled. Even so, she still refused to back down. After catching her breath, she rushed towards Lou Yanxu, yelling, "You slut, you dared to push me into the water! I won't let you get away with this!"
Lou Yanxu sneered, her eyes suddenly sharpening. Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched into a fist. With a slight kick, the man fell back into the lake.
After another round of drowning, Du was dragged out, her ears ringing from the water. She could vaguely see Lou Yanxu's lips moving, "Do you still dare to say that?"
A moment of silence.
But she was clearly unwilling to accept it, staring at Lou Yanxu's figure with cold malice in her eyes, "I am the Duchess of the State, what are you!"
"I am nothing more than a female official personally appointed by the Emperor," Lou Yanxu said calmly, yet every word she uttered was a threat to her heart. "Do you know what crime it is to premeditate the murder of a court official?"
"What premeditated murder? You clearly ran away halfway, don't spout nonsense!" Her body trembled slightly, and her eyes quickly glanced to the side.
"You're quite the opportunist." Lou Yanxu saw her reaction and a cold, cruel smile appeared on her lips. "In the end, I will have no connection with your Lu family. If you try anything funny again, my methods are more than just bluffing."
In the officialdom, there are countless open and hidden attacks. How could one survive to this day without some tricks up their sleeve? Lou Yan was not bluffing. She was only letting her go now because Lu Hengzhi had saved her before, but she would not allow herself to be schemed against again and again.
Du scoffed, "For so many years, no one has dared to threaten me."
She was the noble Duchess of the State, and many people dared not offend her in the slightest because of her status. They could kill anyone they wanted. But this time, she had encountered someone who was difficult to kill, who was relentlessly pursuing her. Lou Yanxu approached step by step, picked up a few strands of her wet hair and held them in her hand. Her words were as cold and ruthless as a knife.
“I’ve died several times already, and each time I’ve crawled back from the brink of death. I don’t care if you’re a duke or a duchess; at worst, we’ll die together.”
"I dare to die with you, do you dare?"
Die together? She still wanted to enjoy wealth and luxury; how could she bear to die? How dare she die? Madam Du took a half step back, nearly slipping into the water as she stepped into the mud. Caught between a rock and a hard place, fear finally showed on her face. "She's simply insane!"
"Yes, I'm insane. You can't kill me. You'd better watch out."
Lou Yanxu drew her knife from her waist, the cold blade pressed against her face, and with the devilish whisper in her ear, her steps faltered and she was about to give up when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar, tall, and upright figure. She cried out, "Hengzhi! Save me! Help me!"
He thought his son would go crazy protecting her at the sight of her, but all he saw along the way was the bride who hadn't yet been married. His eyes were filled with worry. "When did you get back? Are you hurt?" He only felt relieved when Lou Yanxu shook her head.
Du hid behind Lu Hengzhi, her face filled with disbelief. "This crazy woman is trying to kill me! What are you doing?"
"Enough!" Lu Hengzhi's eyes swept over her, his anger almost bursting out. "Mother, what have you done that I have to tell you?"
Thinking she had finally found a powerful backer, she was instead met with a judge. Du's heart sank, and she was then abruptly taken away without further explanation.
Lou Yanxu saw this and realized that this action was intended to protect Madam Du, fearing that she might do something rash in a moment of passion. One was his birth mother, and the other was his intended wife; he was caught in the middle and it wasn't easy for him either, so Lou Yanxu didn't say much.
Coming to his senses, Lu Heng stepped forward and reached out his hand, only to see Lou Yanxu take several steps back and say, "Hengzhi, things have come to this, so treat Ning Erniangzi well."
He was startled, then awkwardly lowered his hand that had been hanging in mid-air, a look of sorrow in his eyes.
"Don't...don't give up on me." His eyes were slightly red as he weakly promised, "I'll handle it..."
"You've said this more than once, and the truth is you can't solve it." Lou Yanxu interrupted him, looked up at the overcast sky, and sighed. "Your Duke of Ying's mansion is too high and mighty to look down on me, a merchant's daughter. This can't be changed overnight. Even if we get married smoothly, what will you do when your in-laws make things difficult for you? Your body and hair are given to you by your parents. Can you really go against them? In the long run, I will only be retreating again and again, wasting my years in the inner quarters."
He always said he would handle it, but the truth was that she was repeatedly humiliated and schemed against, almost losing her life. She couldn't risk her life again. Originally, she did intend to rely on the Duke's mansion, which was why she agreed to the marriage. But her heart wasn't made of stone, and she was eventually moved. Over time, she had accepted Lu Hengzhi from the bottom of her heart. However, marriage is not a matter between two people. She was not favored by her husband's family, so she had to give up.
“I’ve had enough of this life in the Chenghua Marquis’s mansion. I can’t jump from one fire pit to another. I can’t let myself down.” She gave a bitter smile. “Hengzhi, let go. This is a dead end.”
Lu Hengzhi was a filial son and would never go against his family for her sake. His solution was simply to mediate with earnest words, but this proved ineffective. Furthermore, she was always opinionated and not obedient enough to force herself to compromise or back down. All these factors contributed to their eventual separation.
He had clearly figured out the root of the problem, closed his eyes to hide his pain, and finally apologized to her, "This was my fault. I apologize to you for what my mother did."
Twenty years ago, his mother and the Duke were in love, but the Duke's family was too powerful and influential, so his mother had to be taken as a concubine. The three of them suffered cold looks and contempt. His mother was beaten so badly that she couldn't stand up for three months when she tried to protect him, until the Duke passed away. He knew what his mother had done, but he couldn't bear to see anything really happen to her. Fortunately, Lou Yanxu was unharmed, and the ordeal his mother had just endured was considered a clean break.
"I don't blame you. Consider it repayment for saving your life." Lou Yanxu smiled and stepped back to leave, as if saying goodbye. "Hengzhi, you are a very, very good person. May you have no worries in the future and have a smooth life."
As the graceful figure receded into the distance and gradually disappeared from sight, Lu Hengzhi collapsed to the ground, his eyes shattered, tears streaming down his face as he wept bitterly.
This time, he truly lost his beloved.
As Lou Yanxu stepped into the mansion, she saw Yun Bing anxiously walking towards her, "Sister, where have you been!"
"It's just going to Huiju Temple to offer incense, why are you making such a fuss?" She patted his hand, knowing he was worried, and comforted him, "I'm fine, that's all in the past, don't worry about it."
"I still feel scared when I think about it." He clutched the scarlet sleeve tightly, his heart still pounding, and murmured, "Fortunately, that Xu guy reminded me that the Duke of Ying's mansion would not easily agree to this marriage, so I thought of making sure you wore that bracelet no matter what."
The voice wasn't loud, but Lou Yanxu heard it all. She frowned and asked, "When did he remind you?"
In his haste, Lou Yunbing forgot that he hadn't told his elder sister about this. He wished he could slap himself and said meekly, "The day he found out my identity."
Lou Yanxu remembered that Xu Congjing's request to speak alone with Yun Bing that day was about this matter. So he had been keeping her safety in mind all along. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but recall Yun Lu saying he was poisoned and on the verge of death; she wondered how he was doing now…
As luck would have it, just as she was thinking about it, a servant came to report that Yun Lu was requesting an audience. Lou Yanxu ordered someone to bring him in, and a moment later, a hurried figure appeared.
"Please, Lady Lou, save my husband!" Yun Lu knelt down with a thud as soon as he saw Lou Yanxu, tears streaming down his face. "My husband has been unconscious for several days. The doctor said his will to live is too weak, but I clearly heard him calling out your nickname all the time. Please, Lady Lou, save my husband's life!"
He originally intended to tell Lady Lou about his husband's poisoning, but after waiting and waiting, no one came. Now that his husband was out of business, he had no choice but to come shamelessly.
But one thing at a time, Yun Bing did not forget what Xu Congjing had done, and immediately declared, "Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with my sister! I wish he were dead!"
When it came to this matter, Yunlu dared not speak recklessly and could only accept it. Having no other choice, he could only plead, "Madam Lou, please remember our past relationship and save my husband again!" He thought that after so many years of affection, he still couldn't bring himself to be heartless.
As expected, Lou Yanxu pulled Yun Bing away and let go, saying, "Even if I go, I might not be able to save him."
Yunlu's eyes lit up. "It's always good to have more hope."
Lou Yanxu nodded and sighed inwardly. No matter how much she hated him, she never thought of really wanting him to die. Oh well, she would just consider it repaying the debt of saving him.
The carriage departed from the Lou residence, passing through long streets and alleys, filled with the aromas of wine and food, and soon arrived at the Xu residence. Yun Lu hurriedly led her inside, where several doctors were seen flipping through medical books, presumably searching for an antidote.
Xu Congjing lay on the bed, his lips tightly pressed together, his chin clenched, his face deathly pale, and his handsome brows deeply furrowed, as if he were burdened with something beyond his control.
Yunlu thought she would take her husband's hand and tell him about the past to rouse him, but to her surprise, she leaned close to the bedside and said slowly, "Zizheng, if you don't wake up, just watch Lu Hengzhi and I live happily ever after."
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