Chapter 17 Her aloof demeanor made him uncomfortable.
When Granny Qin asked this question, her gaze seemed to casually sweep over the heavy gauze curtains hanging in the inner room, where the figures inside were hazy.
Silence.
She was an old servant who had served Lu Yuan for many years and knew the prime minister's temperament well.
When he went to bed, he never allowed anyone to be beside him, let alone sleep in the same bed with anyone. In the past, when he came to leave the hospital, he would get up and leave as soon as he finished.
Staying up until dawn like last night is truly unprecedented.
Granny Qin keenly sensed that the Prime Minister's treatment of his wife seemed different than before. In addition, she also secretly hoped that a little master would be added to the household soon.
After much deliberation, she finally mustered the courage to ask.
Inside the gauze curtain, Mingwu turned her head to the side, staring blankly at the dim yellow glow of the candlelight spreading across the curtain.
Actually, she woke up from her daze when Lu Yuan leaned over her.
But at that moment, his hand was resting above her neck.
In that instant, fear gripped her, and her blood seemed to freeze. She held her breath, deliberately making her breathing slow and long, desperately maintaining her sleeping posture.
Not even her eyelashes dared to tremble.
She believed that he had murderous intent because of the "Joyful Fragrance" incident last night.
Fortunately, he only gazed at her silently for a moment before turning away.
Mingwu quietly pressed her hand against her wildly beating chest, still shaken, and hadn't quite calmed down yet.
Qin Mama's question suddenly reached my ears, and my heartstrings, which had just relaxed, tightened again.
She raised her head and, through the hazy gauze curtain, gazed at the tall figure at the doorway of the inner room.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped the brocade quilt beneath her tightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force. The once soft and exquisite embroidery on the quilt was now twisted and deformed under her palm, becoming grotesque and prickly.
What would he say?
Even knowing there will be no good outcome, deep down there is still a faint, untimely hope, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw.
Perhaps he still felt a sliver of pity for her; perhaps the tenderness of last night wasn't entirely an illusion.
"As usual."
Two words.
Short, concise, decisive, devoid of any warmth or hesitation.
Like a blade chilled to ice, it shattered all her illusions.
Mingwu's fingers, which were tightly gripping the brocade quilt, suddenly loosened, as if all the strength in her body had been instantly drained away by those two words.
Her slightly raised body slumped back onto the cold bed as if weightless, making a dull thud.
I'm so ridiculously foolish.
Even now, I still fantasize... that his unprecedented decision to let me stay overnight last night, and that tender kiss... might have been different.
How could she forget? He is Lu Yuan, the cold-hearted Prime Minister Lu.
Footsteps sounded again at the door.
"etc."
Mingwu suddenly spoke.
She was no longer willing to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich and pretend nothing was happening. She wanted him to know that she had overheard their conversation.
I now know how ruthless he is.
If it hurts, then let it hurt completely, leaving no room for illusions.
Granny Qin's expression suddenly changed, a hint of panic flashing across her face. She subconsciously turned her head to look at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged.
Mingwu endured the pain emanating from her private parts, sat up, raised her hand, and with a "whoosh," forcefully pulled open the thin gauze curtain.
Her long, black hair was disheveled, and she was only wearing a small, crimson dress.
One side of the shoulder strap was torn off, and the fabric hung precariously on her chest.
Lu Yuan, who was about to leave, stopped and turned around upon hearing the sound. What came into view was this scene.
His Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, his brows furrowed, and he almost immediately stepped forward, his tall figure blocking the doorway of the inner room.
That alluring spring scenery was completely shut out from behind.
"You can go down now."
"yes."
Granny Qin felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She lowered her head and hurriedly retreated, disappearing outside the door.
Only the two of them remained in the inner room.
The lanterns hanging under the eaves outside the window had long been extinguished, swaying forlornly in the morning breeze.
Lu Yuan's gaze was fixed on the crimson, his voice low and hoarse: "What is it?" His fist clenched tightly in his sleeve, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
"That incense... I didn't light it."
Lu Yuan didn't hear what she said; his vision and thoughts were all immersed in the crimson and white jade.
He didn't say anything.
Mingwu gave a bitter smile to herself. This was something she had expected; no matter what she said, he wouldn't believe her. All her explanations were just excuses in his eyes.
Mingwu lowered her eyes: "It was I who overstepped my bounds."
Release your hand, and the gauze curtain slowly falls.
The spring scenery within the tent was obscured.
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, a fleeting hint of disappointment flashing across his deep eyes. It was so quick it seemed like an illusion, before returning to its usual cold, ancient stillness.
He turned and walked away quickly.
With a creak, the outer door was opened and then gently closed again.
The room fell silent again.
Mingwu lay back down in bed, her body utterly exhausted, yet her mind unusually clear and active. Countless thoughts rushed in, like a thousand horses galloping and roaring, or like a tangled mess of knots.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Mama's voice came from outside the door.
"Madam, the medicine... is ready."
Mingwu snapped back to reality, only to realize that it was already bright outside the window, with the faint morning light casting dappled shadows on the ground through the window frame.
What's meant to happen will happen eventually.
She took a deep breath, threw back the quilt, and sat up.
The aches and pains in her body made her frown, but she bit her lower lip and remained silent.
Reaching out, she picked up the clothes draped over the bedside and slowly put them on, one by one.
She was barefoot, stepping on the cold, smooth blue brick floor. The biting chill crept up her body from the soles of her feet, yet strangely, it cleared her muddled and numb mind.
She walked to the dressing table and looked at herself in the blurry bronze mirror.
His face was deathly pale, his eyes were red and swollen, and his long hair was disheveled, making him look like a lost and bewildered ghost.
She looked at her disheveled reflection in the mirror and, extremely slowly, twitched the corner of her mouth.
The person in the mirror returned her a smile that was even uglier than crying.
That's enough.
Really... that's enough.
She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep, long breath, as if releasing all the pent-up frustrations, grievances, and unrealistic fantasies she had harbored since her marriage…
Everything was expelled completely with that breath, leaving not a trace.
She quickly washed her face with cold water, the icy touch sending a shiver down her spine. She carefully combed her disheveled hair back into place, securing it with a simple, elegant jade hairpin.
He then walked to the table next to him and sat down, his back ramrod straight.
"Come in."
Granny Qin came in carrying a mahogany tray.
In the center of the tray, a small jade bowl held a dark brown medicinal liquid, emitting a strong, bitter smell. The wisps of steam seemed particularly pungent in the cool morning air.
I could only smell that scent.
Mingwu's stomach churned violently, and acid reflux surged uncontrollably into her throat. She raised her hand and pressed it tightly against her chest, her nails almost digging into her flesh, to forcefully suppress the overwhelming nausea.
Before Granny Qin could urge her or even hand it over, Mingwu reached out and steadily picked up the bowl.
He tilted his head back and gulped it down in one go.
As soon as it went down, my stomach churned and protested even more violently.
She clenched her teeth tightly, closed her eyes, and her slender neck tensed as she swallowed. A drop of medicine spilled from the corner of her pale lips, winding its way down and leaving a dark mark.
Granny Qin's eyes flickered with complex emotions, her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing and silently accepted the empty bowl.
He turned and walked away quickly.
Chunnan had been waiting with a cup of warm tea in her hands, and now she hurriedly handed it over, her voice trembling with tears.
“Madam, please rinse your mouth. The Prime Minister… isn’t he… isn’t he treating you… differently? He stayed in your room all night last night, how could he…”
Chunnan couldn't understand it.
She believed Lin's words and put medicine in the incense burner, hoping that the lady would have a chance to conceive a legitimate son.
As long as she has a legitimate son by her side, no matter how favored the concubine in the Lan family is, no one can shake the position of the lady.
She never imagined that the Prime Minister could be so heartless.
Chunnan suddenly knelt on the ground.
"Madam, I was wrong. I shouldn't have listened to Old Madam Ming and put the poison in the incense burner. Madam, please punish me..."
"Chunnan, I know you mean well, but you shouldn't have acted on your own."
"Madam, I was wrong. I will never do it again."
Mingwu closed her eyes wearily.
"Go kneel outside. If it happens again, leave on your own."
"Thank you, Madam."
-
Mingwu felt stuffy inside, so she wandered around and passed by a grove of trees.
I heard several old women whispering something.
A few words drifted over faintly.
Widow...chastity...female household...
Female household?
Mingwu's heart skipped a beat. She had always worried that if Lu Yuan helped Qi Lan take the throne, Qi Lan would definitely not tolerate her, given her personality.
What will she do then?
If she returned to her parents' home, her mother would definitely want her to remarry.
Will I end up like my sister, forced to marry an alcoholic widower?
If she could become a female household member...
Mingwu felt a surge of excitement; a path she had never imagined was suddenly laid out before her.
Back at the ward, Mingwu found some books to read, but there was very little information about female households.
As evening approached, a young maidservant brought in a brocade box.
"Madam, that person from Lanyuan... has sent someone to deliver something."
Qi Lan?
Mingwu remained seated on the soft couch by the window, her gaze fixed on a withered forsythia bush in the courtyard, its yellowed branches swaying forlornly in the wind.
Upon hearing this, she did not turn around, but simply responded with a faint sound.
"Just leave it there."
Chunnan stepped forward and took the brocade box.
"I heard that the lady in the Lan courtyard was so angry when she found out that the Prime Minister stayed here last night that she smashed things on the spot and almost fainted. Why would she kindly bring things over?"
She opened the box as she spoke.
Inside the box, on a red velvet lining, sits a white jade Guanyin statue, about half an arm's length tall, depicting a child. The jade isn't of the highest quality, but it is still lustrous and translucent.
The carving is excellent; Guanyin has kind eyes and is holding an infant, her robes fluttering, and she is very lifelike.
“What is she up to? Knowing that you just… just now… she’s deliberately stabbing you in the heart. I’ll go and throw this nasty thing back to you right now.”
Mingwu's voice was flat and emotionless.
"No need. Since she sent it, just accept it. It's a piece of jade anyway, and we can sell it for some money."
Before the words were finished, the light and shadow at the doorway dimmed, and a familiar male voice, carrying an invisible pressure, suddenly rang out.
"What do you mean by selling silver?"
At this moment, the sun had lost its heat and turned orange-red, dyeing the surrounding overlapping clouds with a beautiful glow.
Lu Yuan entered amidst the rosy clouds.
Why is he here again?
Mingwu frowned slightly, stood up, and curtsied with perfect form.
"This humble servant greets Your Excellency."
The manners were impeccable and impeccable, yet it felt as if there was an invisible ice wall between us.
Lu Yuan's dark eyes fell on her lowered head.
He had received countless greetings, and this was not the first time Mingwu had bowed to him.
But for some reason, her deliberately distant and perfectly respectful demeanor was strangely irritating to him.
He frowned, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Mingwu got up as instructed, still keeping her head down and behaving obediently, as if she were a soulless puppet.
Lu Yuan frowned even more deeply.
His gaze shifted and landed on the white jade Guanyin statue of Guanyin giving a child in Chun Nan's hand.
A note from the author:
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