Chapter 1 Did he keep a mistress?
The spring night rain was fine, one drop, two drops, gradually thickening.
The newly unfurled banana leaves under the window couldn't bear so much rain, and with a "plop," they shattered the raindrops on the bluestone.
The tent was warm and cozy.
When Lu Yuan pressed down on her again, Ming Wu's fingertips trembled slightly, yet she still obediently climbed onto his shoulder. His breath enveloped her aggressively, leaving no room for resistance or escape.
"My husband..."
Mingwu called softly, her voice so gentle it was almost inaudible.
She tilted her head back, wanting to kiss his lips.
Lu Yuan's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly grabbed her chin to prevent her from getting closer. His calloused fingertips pressed heavily against her lips, the stinging sensation bringing a sliver of clarity to Ming Wu's muddled mind.
This was a warning, and she knew it.
She couldn't help but think of a rumor she had overheard yesterday, that he was keeping a woman in Wuyi Alley.
Is it...really?
She wanted to ask him, but her throat felt like it was blocked by thick mud, and she couldn't utter a word. Her chest felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock, making it hard to breathe.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lu Yuan was displeased with her distraction, and the fingers that were pinching her chin tightened slightly.
Mingwu quickly composed herself, not letting her emotions show at all, and sweetly pressed her face against him.
"Miss you."
A cold glint flashed in Lu Yuan's dark eyes, and his body pressed down heavily...
-
The next day, Mingwu woke up to find herself alone in bed, the outer bedding neatly arranged and spotless. She reached out and touched it; it was completely cold.
It was as if no one had ever slept there.
"Is Madam about to get up?" came the voice of the maid Chun Nan from outside the tent.
Ming Wu frowned slightly and raised her hand to press her temples. Last night, that man seemed to be venting something, tormenting her vigorously until the sky outside the window began to lighten.
Only then would they give up.
She felt weak all over, with no strength left, and her eyelids drooped heavily, unable to stay open. She told Chunnan to leave, intending to sleep a little longer.
Outside the tent, Qin Mama's stern voice rang out.
"Madam, it's time to take your medicine."
Every time he rested in her room, he would have someone bring him a bowl of thick medicine.
The medicine was bitter and astringent; just thinking about it made Mingwu want to vomit. She quickly pressed her hand to her chest to stop the nausea.
She said weakly, "I don't want to drink."
Qin Mama's stern voice came again: "If Madam behaves like this, the Prime Minister will be displeased."
Mingwu was most afraid of Lu Yuan getting angry. When he got angry, he wouldn't fly into a rage, but would just stare at her silently, his dark eyes unfathomable.
That's terrifying.
Mingwu had no choice but to get up, no matter how unwilling she was.
Just then, Chunnan rolled up the curtains and hung them on the silver hooks. Sunlight streamed in through the window, spilling onto the bedside.
The rain from last night has stopped.
Water droplets clung to the tips of the banana leaves by the window, washed a vibrant green by the rain. Bathed in the morning light, they refracted into tiny, colorful glitters, like scattered glass.
The air was moist and felt cool on the skin.
As she stood up, the clothes draped over Mingwu's shoulders slipped down, revealing a large expanse of fair, jade-like skin. But now, that jade-like skin looked as if it had been abused.
Covered in red marks.
Add to that her alluring face, and even Qin Mama, a well-traveled old woman, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned by her beauty.
She cursed inwardly, thinking, "She really is a vixen who knows how to seduce men."
Her husband was the Prime Minister of the current dynasty, a man of noble status. He could marry even a princess, yet he chose to marry such a lowly merchant's daughter.
She was a first-rank imperial consort.
How should a female merchant be matched?!
Granny Qin believed that it must have been this vixen who seduced the Prime Minister, which led the usually law-abiding Prime Minister to do such an outrageous thing.
"Madam, please drink quickly, it won't be good if it gets cold." Granny Qin's tone was a little impatient.
Mingwu silently took the bowl of medicine, the strong smell of which assaulted her nostrils. Her face paled, and she nearly vomited.
She quickly pinched her nose, closed her eyes, and gulped down the dark medicine.
After drinking the medicine, I felt completely bitter.
"Madam, have some candied fruit."
Chunnan popped a candied fruit into Mingwu's mouth, and the sweet taste instantly overwhelmed the bitterness. Mingwu's scrunched-up face relaxed.
"Thank you, Chunnan."
She smiled like a bright sunflower.
Granny Qin frowned: "There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors. Now that you are the wife of the Prime Minister, you should abide by the rules and be careful in your words and deeds."
Mingwu quickly suppressed her smile. Even though she didn't agree with what Granny Qin said, she nodded solemnly in agreement.
After Granny Qin left, Chunnan made a funny face at Granny Qin's back, which made Mingwu laugh again.
She hadn't eaten much last night, and then took medicine on an empty stomach this morning, so her stomach was a little sore. Mingwu clutched her abdomen, and soon her lips turned pale and her forehead was covered in a fine sweat.
"Madam, is your stomach ailment acting up again? This servant will go and fetch the imperial physician right away."
The Prime Minister's residence has resident imperial physicians.
Mingwu stopped Chunnan and shook her head: "We have to go and pay our respects to the old lady."
The old lady was always strict with rules, and he was not allowed to be late for his morning and evening greetings.
When Mingwu arrived at the Plum Garden, the old lady was sitting upright in a carved rosewood chair, her eyes half-closed, and she was holding a string of ebony prayer beads in her hand.
Two maids stood on either side of her behind her, gently massaging her shoulders.
The incense burner with its intertwined branches on the altar emitted wisps of smoke.
When Mingwu entered, the old lady slightly lifted her eyelids, and her scrutinizing gaze swept over Mingwu like a knife, as if scraping away a layer of flesh.
The old lady closed her eyes again.
"Let's prepare the meal."
At the command, the servants sprang into action.
Some were setting up tables and chairs, others were serving dishes... The whole process was completely silent, like a silent mime. Dark curtains hanging by the window blocked out the sunlight.
The room was filled with a stagnant darkness, as if the air had been drained of its vitality, pressing heavily on the chest.
After the servants left, Mingwu stood by the table and bent down to serve the old lady some food.
The aroma of the food made Mingwu's stomach ache even worse.
My hand trembled, and the soup spoon hit the porcelain bowl, making a soft clinking sound. It was quite jarring in the quiet room.
The old lady glanced at Mingwu, put down her chopsticks and bowl, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. Just then, a maidservant who was waiting nearby brought over some warm tea.
Granny Chen waved her hand, signaling someone to remove the food from the kitchen.
The old lady took a sip of tea.
"You've been married into the Prime Minister's household for half a year now, haven't you?"
"It has been seven months and three days since I returned to my mother's home."
The old lady's gaze fell on Mingwu's flat stomach, and she frowned: "Why is there still no sign of pregnancy?"
After the marriage, Lu Yuan often stayed in Madam Ming's room. Logically, things should have started to go wrong. What... could it be that Madam Ming has a health problem?
Thinking of this, the old lady's face darkened.
Mingwu's fingertips trembled.
She just drank the contraceptive soup that her son brought her, how could she possibly be pregnant?
"Granny Chen, bring the medicine up."
Medicine? What medicine?
Granny Chen quickly brought over a bowl of medicine. The liquid was dark brown and had a strong, bitter taste. Mingwu's face turned pale, and she felt her stomach pain worsen.
"Mother, I..." He tried to decline.
Seeing that the old lady's expression was not good, Granny Chen smiled and said.
"This was specially obtained by the old lady from the old doctor. It's very effective. I heard that the young mistress of the Minister's mansion on the next street used this medicine and gave birth to a healthy baby boy last year."
"Madam, this is the old lady's way of showing you love and care. You mustn't be ungrateful."
Mingwu knew she had to take the medicine today; her upbringing had taught her to be pragmatic.
"Thank you, Mother."
Mingwu took the bowl of medicine, gritted her teeth, and drank it down, but she had overestimated herself. The medicine churned in her stomach as soon as it entered her mouth.
He vomited up all the medicine he had drunk, leaving a dark brown stain on the dark red carpet.
"Thump!" The teacup was slammed heavily on the table, and the old lady's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Seeing this, Granny Chen hurriedly exclaimed, "Oh dear, Madam, even if you don't want to drink, you can't, you can't do this... This... This is outrageous!"
"Mother, I didn't..."
Mingwu hurriedly tried to explain, but as soon as she moved, everything went black before her eyes, the surrounding noise gradually faded away, and her consciousness fell into chaos.
Mingwu woke up again because she was hungry.
"Is Madam hungry? I've made some porridge, please have some."
Chunnan brought over a bowl of warm porridge and started talking incessantly.
The lady fainted, and the old lady, believing she was faking it, flew into a rage and refused to even summon the imperial physician. She also went to the East Courtyard to see the Prime Minister, but…
Mingwu did not notice Chunnan's unusual behavior.
After finishing a bowl of porridge, her stomach finally stopped churning. Mingwu also finally regained some strength.
The sun was already setting outside the window, casting its rays on the windowpane and making the paper appear as if it had been dyed.
"Where is the Prime Minister?"
Chunnan hesitated.
Mingwu's heart sank. She grabbed Chunnan's hand and asked anxiously, "Has something happened to the Prime Minister?"
He then got up and got out of bed.
"The Prime Minister... went to Wuyi Lane."
Mingwu froze, her entire body stiffening as if she had been struck by lightning. It took her a while to recover. Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't utter a word.
The color drained from his already pale face.
Chunnan slapped her mouth in frustration, cursing herself for being unable to keep a secret.
She knew how much the lady cared about the Prime Minister.
At the beginning of the year, the Prime Minister suffered a relapse of his headache. At that time, Lin'an City was experiencing a snow disaster due to half a month of snowfall. There was a medicinal herb that required fresh picking that was no longer available in the mansion.
The guards in the mansion were all sent out to help the people with disaster relief.
At that time, only a few women remained in the mansion.
In her panic, the lady resolutely ran out and went alone to the mountains and forests outside the city to gather herbs.
It was late at night when I returned, and I was covered in injuries.
Chunnan still remembers how carefully she held the emerald green herbs, looking at her with bright, sparkling eyes.
She was asked to secretly deliver the herbs to the imperial physician and not tell anyone.
But she clearly saw several bloody marks on the lady's wrist.
"Madam, please don't overthink it. That Wuyi Lane might just be..."
Wuyi Lane was famous because the Wang and Xie families, two powerful clans, lived there during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Today, the Wang and Xie families have long since fallen from grace, and Wuyi Lane is now mostly inhabited by beauties kept by powerful and wealthy men.
Therefore, Wuyi Lane is also jokingly called Beauty Lane by busybodies.
It was fashionable for nobles in the Song Dynasty to keep beautiful women and take pride in it; some would even openly bring them out to compete in beauty contests.
Could it be that he, too, is like those men...?
When Mingwu closed her eyes and opened them again, her expression was resolute.
She was determined to find out no matter what.
She put on her shoes, straightened her clothes, and walked out. Chunnan was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed after her.
"Madam, you can't go."
In Lin'an, countless women were kept in Wuyi Lane. Did the mistresses of the house not know this? They did know, but they all chose to turn a blind eye.
It's better to raise them outside than to keep them at home.
"Madam, you are still the principal wife, and even if... she is not even as good as a concubine, she can never surpass you. Why don't you..."
The mistress's behavior is making her a laughingstock.
"Chunnan, I don't understand those rules and regulations. I only know that if I don't figure it out today, I will feel uneasy."
By the time they arrived at Wuyi Lane, it was already dark. The Song Dynasty had lifted the curfew imposed by the previous dynasty. Therefore, even after nightfall, the streets were still bustling with people.
Most of them were men, and the few women also wore veils. It was rare to see someone like Mingwu who was so unconcealed.
Colorful lanterns hung high, illuminating the streets as bright as day.
The sound of a zither drifted in from somewhere, faint at first, but suddenly became clear and bright as we passed the mottled red archway.
Mingwu stood in front of an exquisite courtyard and turned to ask.
Is this the place?
Chunnan had just nodded in agreement when Mingwu pushed open the door and went inside.
The lights in the courtyard suddenly shone out, like a ladle of warm water poured over one's head, washing away the night air.
The man standing in the courtyard was neither clearly someone who had just entered nor someone who was about to leave.
Clad in a dark brocade robe, tall and elegant, he exuded an air of untainted nobility and aloofness under the moonlight. Yet, his imposing presence inspired an involuntary desire to submit.
It's Lu Yuan.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Here we go: The story of chasing after one's wife is a nightmare.
[A seductive-looking woman who is actually an honest man vs. a seemingly aloof but actually cold-blooded and ruthless powerful minister.]
Hope the babies like it.
————Next book: "After the Engagement Was Broken Off, My Ex-Husband Went Mad"————
I had two ex-husbands, one a venerable, elderly woman who had turned to the dark side, and the other a lewd, insane bastard. They're both in the crematorium now.
Xiao Jingcheng was the heir of the Duke's mansion. He was proud and aloof, and he had ingrained abstinence and propriety into his very bones.
Because of the relationship between the two families, Li Su had been engaged to him since childhood.
Although he was stern and rarely smiled, he never spoke a harsh word to her. He believed he was satisfied with the marriage.
Until, on the eve of his wedding, he brought home an orphan girl.
The orphan deliberately destroyed the engagement gift he had given her, embarrassing her in front of everyone at the banquet. She had only said one thing to the orphan, and he immediately turned cold towards her.
Later, right before the orphan girl's wedding, he took her away in full view of everyone.
Her fiancée became the biggest joke in the capital.
Even so, she still clung to a sliver of hope. When she saw him again, he offered no explanation, only shielding the orphan girl behind him.
"Li Su, I never expected you to be so vicious."
At that moment, Li Su finally saw it clearly.
"Xiao Jingcheng, I'm not marrying you!"
Since his heart is no longer with her, she shouldn't love him anymore.
-
Xiao Jingcheng hated Li Su, hated her betrayal.
He deliberately brought back an orphan girl, deliberately showing her favoritism. He wanted to repay her a hundredfold for the humiliation she had inflicted on him.
She was indeed heartbroken.
He thought he would be very happy. But when he learned that she had married someone else, he panicked.
He rushed into the bridal chamber, only to find her dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown, nestled in another man's arms, the two having just finished their wedding night wine.
Xiao Jingcheng was in so much pain that his heart felt like it was shattering, and he was acting like a madman.
"Li Su, you are my wife, and you can only be mine."
-
Li Zhao was the adopted son of the Li family, and their nominal elder brother. No one knew what kind of obsession he harbored for her.
In his past life, he used every means to get her, but he also lost her forever.
When she opened her eyes again, she was still unmarried.
This time, he wanted not only her body, but also her heart. He was willing to pay any price.
[A pampered young lady from a respectable family x A cold and aloof beauty. Darkened version x A gentle and kind older brother. Actually a lewd and crazy woman.]
P.S.: Xiao Jingcheng and Li Zhao are both reborn. The story involves a "wife-chasing-after-the-cremation" trope, with characters resorting to force and coercion. The female lead will gradually regain her memories of her past life.
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