Chapter 12 She doesn't want to love him anymore either.
Lu Yuan's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. He looked at her silently, his gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce through her very soul.
Time passed in a suffocating silence, each breath like a dull knife cutting flesh, slowly eroding Mingwu's last remaining hope.
He didn't believe her.
Even if she said "no," even if she cut open her heart and presented it to him, bleeding profusely, he could not find a trace of trust in her eyes.
All that remains is doubt.
Mingwu suddenly smiled.
The smile was faint, not reaching her eyes, only twitching her pale lips. She straightened her back, using all her strength to maintain the last shred of dignity, and met his gaze.
"Since Your Excellency is convinced that I harmed Miss Qi Lan, may I ask Your Excellency, why are you so concerned about her, even going so far as to come here to interrogate her? Just who is this Miss Qi to you?"
Is he really his sweetheart? Is he really the "Yuan Lang" that Qi Lan spoke of? She stared intently at him, wanting to hear an answer from him.
Even the cruelest truth.
The moment the words fell.
Lu Yuan's gaze suddenly turned cold, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing point.
His tall figure seemed to freeze for a moment, and in his unfathomable black eyes, a dark current, thicker than the night, surged, almost dangerous.
"That's not something you should be asking."
His voice was extremely low, each word deliberate and strained, as if ground out from between his teeth. There was no harshness or anger, yet it was more chilling than any thunderous rage.
The air inside the room was completely frozen.
Is he really protecting his sweetheart like this? He won't even let her ask him a question?
The long-suppressed metallic taste in her chest could no longer be contained and surged up her throat. She clenched her teeth tightly and swallowed the metallic flavor.
Yet a few strands of warmth still uncontrollably spilled from the corners of her mouth, a streak of glaring red running down her pale lips.
Lu Yuan's gaze lingered on the striking red mark at the corner of her mouth, a subtle ripple appearing in his deep, dark eyes. After a moment, he took two steps forward, slowly raising his hand, as if he wanted to do something.
Mingwu instinctively shrank back, avoiding any possible contact with him.
Lu Yuan's hand froze abruptly in mid-air. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, his knuckles slightly curled, and then turned around without hesitation and strode away.
There was not a trace of lingering attachment.
The heavy footsteps quickly disappeared outside the door.
With a muffled thud, a cold wind carrying icy rain poured in from the open door, like countless knives piercing Mingwu's bones.
It took away the last bit of warmth from her body.
Mingwu moved slowly and with trembling hands, like a frail old woman, as she pulled open the bottom drawer of the dressing table.
He fumbled around inside and pulled out a beautifully embroidered sachet with four-season fragrance.
She spent countless days and nights embroidering it, stitch by stitch.
Her fingertips gently caressed the spring orchids, summer lotuses, autumn chrysanthemums, and winter plum blossoms on the sachet. Each flower represented her feelings for him, her love for him.
Mingwu could no longer hold back, and scalding tears gushed out like a flood.
She grabbed the sachet, and with her last bit of strength, slammed it to the ground.
The sachet rolled a few times on the ground, covered in dust, and finally came to a sorry state on the cold ground by the door.
Just then, a pair of dark brown official boots, covered in mud and rain, stepped in.
Mingwu suddenly looked up, a faint glimmer of hope that she herself was unaware of instantly igniting in her eyes, only to be extinguished as soon as she saw who it was.
It wasn't Lu Yuan who came.
Instead, he was an elderly man with slightly graying temples, carrying an ebony medicine chest on his back, the cuffs of his green official robe already soaked with rainwater.
He was the Imperial Physician Assistant of the Imperial Medical Academy.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, whether from disappointment or relief, she couldn't tell.
She quickly turned to the side and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. When she looked up again, her face was covered with a thin layer of frost-like calm.
The Imperial Physician bowed and said, "Madam, the Prime Minister has ordered me to examine your pulse."
Chunnan hurriedly stepped forward, carefully picked up the sachet from the ground, and gently brushed away the dust from the embroidered surface with her fingertips.
"The Prime Minister still cares about his wife."
Mingwu lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a deep shadow in the candlelight, obscuring all her emotions.
"I'm fine. Imperial Physician, you should go to the Lan Hospital to look after Miss Qi."
The Imperial Physician did not move, but took out a celadon pulse pillow from his medicine box and gently placed it on the table.
"The Prime Minister instructed that the lady be examined carefully."
With a crackling sound, sparks burst forth from the charcoal brazier, scattering tiny points of light.
Mingwu's mind went blank for a moment, as if she had been burned by a spark, and she suddenly understood.
He doesn't care about her at all.
He wanted to investigate her, to find out if she had been in contact with poison, and to check if there were any traces of poisoning in her pulse.
A bone-chilling cold crept up from the soles of her feet, chilling her to the bone. Her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeves, the fine lines of the brocade digging into her palms and causing a sharp pain.
"good."
She chuckled softly, stretched out her wrist, and her lotus-colored sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her smooth, creamy skin.
"Since Your Excellency is still worried, then let's investigate."
The imperial physician took her pulse, and the room fell into complete silence, save for the ticking of the water clock on the low cabinet.
Mingwu could clearly hear her own heartbeat, one after another, like a bird trapped in a cage, futilely bumping against the golden wire bars.
The wind howled outside the window, and the candle wick popped with a "snap." The dim candlelight flickered, casting an extremely long shadow.
After a long while, the Imperial Physician withdrew his hand.
“Madam’s liver qi is stagnant and her heart pulse is unstable. This is a sign of worry, fear, and disordered qi and blood. She needs to calm down and recuperate, and must not drink heavily or get angry.” He paused. “As for other things… there are no abnormalities.”
Mingwu slowly withdrew her hand.
"The imperial physician may now report back. Please tell the Prime Minister that I am not poisoned and have never intended to harm anyone."
The Imperial Physician hesitated, then bowed silently, packed his medicine box, and left.
Wait until the footsteps faded away.
Mingwu finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer. She slumped down in front of the dressing table. Her pale face was reflected in the bronze mirror, and a deep, bloody gash ran down her lip.
It's shocking to see!
“Madam…” Chun Nan choked up as she stepped forward.
Mingwu didn't respond, her gaze falling on the dusty sachet in Chunnan's hand. She reached out and took the sachet, her fingertips once again tracing the delicate embroidery.
A few moments later, she suddenly picked up the small scissors.
Chunnan was terrified, thinking that Mingwu was about to do something foolish.
"Madam! No!"
He lunged forward to try and stop him.
But then Mingwu, with a few quick "snap" sounds, turned the exquisite four-season sachet into a pile of rags, scattered across the table.
Since he doesn't love her, then she shouldn't love him anymore.
-
As I drifted off to sleep, the night was as deep and dark as an unyielding blob of ink.
Chunnan rushed in: "Madam, the medicinal herbs you ordered a few days ago have all been sent to the small kitchen. Should we process and soak them now? Tomorrow morning will be fine..."
Mingwu leaned against the couch, and was slightly taken aback when she heard this.
Then she vaguely remembered that a few days ago she had indeed instructed someone to buy medicinal herbs in preparation for making a medicinal meal for Lu Yuan the next day.
Lu Yuan had a picky appetite and never revealed his preferences. He didn't even know what kind of food he disliked, preferring to go hungry. Whenever he ate, the cooks in the manor would be on high alert, trembling with fear.
This medicinal cuisine recipe was the result of her painstaking efforts and countless trials. It was designed to be gentle and nourishing, while completely removing the bitterness of the herbs, leaving only their delicate fragrance to infuse the food.
The herbs must be soaked in spring water overnight the day before. Before dawn the next day, one must get up and tend the stove.
For three or four hours, one must stay close by, simmering over a low flame, and constantly stirring with a long-handled wooden spoon, very gently and slowly, with even force, so that the medicinal properties and ingredients can be blended together.
There is no room for impatience, and even less room for negligence.
"From now on, I will no longer make medicinal cuisine."
Mingwu's voice rang out in the dim light, tinged with a tired hoarseness.
Chunnan stared in astonishment. Preparing medicinal meals for the Prime Minister had always been the Madam's top priority. Even when she was bedridden with illness, she would still get up and make them.
Today, you're saying you won't do it anymore?
Chunnan thought she had misheard. But after waiting a moment, she saw that Mingwu's expression was calm and she didn't seem to be joking.
She nodded absently and mumbled, "Yes, this servant will go and give the order to put all the medicinal herbs into the storeroom."
-
The next morning, as dawn broke, the waning moon, like a dull pebble, lay abandoned on the horizon.
In the study in the east courtyard, Xu Ming carried in a small, warm celadon jar. His lips moved silently, but he ultimately said nothing.
She gently placed the porcelain jar on the sandalwood table in front of Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan put down the scroll in his hand, picked up a porcelain spoon, scooped up a spoonful of medicinal porridge, and put it into his mouth. With just one bite, his handsome brows furrowed slightly.
He said in a flat tone, "The taste is off."
The head chef, who was standing to the side, turned pale and knelt down with a thud.
Xu Ming carefully observed Lu Yuan's expression: "Reporting to the Prime Minister, this was made by the household kitchen this morning according to the recipe. In the past, the medicinal porridge was always personally cooked by the Madam in the small kitchen and delivered at the exact time."
Lu Yuan's fingers, which were holding the spoon, paused almost imperceptibly.
He put down his spoon, took the plain white handkerchief that Xu Ming handed him at the right time, and gently pressed it to his lips, his movements still elegant and composed.
He slowly got up, walked around the desk, and went outside.
"There's no need to serve this medicinal cuisine anymore."
"Yes," Xu Ming bowed in response.
The carriage on its way to court was completely silent. The only sound was the monotonous rumble of the wheels rolling over the cobblestones.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, as if he were resting.
Xu Ming sat to one side with his hands at his sides, looking down at his nose and inwardly contemplating his own thoughts.
Just as the carriage was about to leave the Prime Minister's residence, Lu Yuan suddenly asked, "How has she been lately?"
Xu Ming was taken aback at first, thinking that Lu Yuan was asking about Miss Qi Lan, who was temporarily staying at Lan Yuan, and hurriedly replied, "The imperial physician just came to report this morning that Miss Qi Lan's health is no longer a problem..."
Xu Ming felt a deep, focused gaze fall upon him.
He looked up and met Lu Yuan's unfathomable black eyes. Although he didn't speak, Xu Ming could vaguely sense that he was dissatisfied with his answer.
Xu Ming's heart skipped a beat, and a thin layer of sweat instantly broke out on his back. The words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
He suddenly realized that the Prime Minister was asking about the woman who had left the hospital, Madam Mingwu.
He quickly perked up and carefully reported back what he knew.
"Your Excellency, these past few days, apart from paying her respects to the Old Madam in the morning and evening, Madam has stayed in the outer courtyard and has not gone out."
Lu Yuan kept his eyes closed and did not respond. Silence fell again in the carriage, just as Xu Ming thought the Prime Minister would not speak again.
Lu Yuan's deep voice rang out again.
"Have the steward send those top-quality old ginseng and bird's nest from the storeroom to Madam. Also," he paused, "send someone to the Li Courtyard to tell her that I'll be dining there tonight."
"yes."
Xu Ming quietly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at Lu Yuan, who was resting with his eyes closed.
The Prime Minister is truly attentive to his wife.
A note from the author:
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The scoundrel slowly falls for her without even realizing it.
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