Chapter 18, Chapter 18, Separation from Gu
The flickering candlelight made the lustrous white jade Guanyin statue appear even more warm and translucent, as if it were enveloped in a layer of soft, warm light.
Lu Yuan's gaze slowly shifted from the jade statue to Ming Wu, who was standing quietly to the side.
She was bowing her head slightly, with a few strands of hair falling beside her temples. Her long hair was loosely tied up, revealing a slender and graceful neck.
Under the light, her skin was so delicate and smooth that it appeared even more warm and fair than white jade.
Lu Yuan couldn't take his eyes off her again.
His fingertips, which were behind his back, twitched almost imperceptibly, as if the smooth, warm touch of last night still lingered on his fingertips.
He spoke, his voice low and unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Madam, do you wish to have a child?"
If she really wants it... in the future... it's not impossible to consider giving her a child.
This thought suddenly flashed through Lu Yuan's mind, carrying a kind of impulse that he himself had never delved into, and was even somewhat unfamiliar with.
Mingwu sneered inwardly.
She raised her eyes and met Lu Yuan's deep phoenix eyes directly.
"Your Excellency is too kind. I am well aware of my own limitations. This statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who grants children, is a special gift from your Miss Qi Lan today."
She deliberately emphasized the words "gift" and "sentiment".
Since Qi Lan used this Guanyin statue to disgust her, she wouldn't mind giving this "beloved" a good dressing down in front of this man.
Chunnan understood immediately and responded tactfully.
“Madam, you’ve already been drinking the contraceptive soup, and Miss Qi Lan still went out of her way to send this over. I wonder what her intentions are.”
"Girl Qi Lan is so gentle and kind, how could she have such thoughts? Don't talk nonsense."
"Madam, you're just too kind-hearted! Qi Lan is clearly..."
Lu Yuan watched as the master and servant drank and talked.
He wearily pinched the bridge of his nose: "If you don't like it, just take it back."
After saying that, he called out in a deep voice towards the door, "Xu Ming."
He then turned and walked into the inner room.
Soon, Xu Ming led two old women in, each carrying something in her hands:
A dark-colored sleeping robe, a purple court robe for tomorrow's court session, and scented towels and handkerchiefs for bathing.
They were all men's products.
Mingwu's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising within her.
Seeing that they were heading towards her bathroom, she was terrified and rushed forward to block their way.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
"Naturally, one's true nature requires a bath."
Lu Yuan's voice came from behind him.
He had stepped out of the inner room, having changed out of his black everyday clothes and was now wearing only a thin undergarment, the collar slightly open, revealing his muscular, pale white chest.
His gaze swept over Ming Wu, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Or... would you like to bathe with me, Madam?"
Mingwu's face flushed red instantly; she was furious.
She glared at him fiercely and then abruptly turned away.
"Who...who wants to come with you? I mean, this is my room, my bathroom. If Your Excellency wishes to freshen up, please return to your own courtyard."
This was the first time since Lu Yuan assumed a high position that someone had dared to publicly humiliate him.
His handsome face darkened, as if covered with a layer of frost.
The room was deathly silent; time seemed to stand still.
Everyone lowered their heads in fear, not daring to breathe, wishing that the ground would suddenly split open and bury them.
Although the Prime Minister never used private punishments in his residence, his imposing aura was enough to terrify anyone.
Even Xu Ming, the commander of the guards who was usually by his side, felt as if he had a heavy burden on his shoulders.
Outside the window, the sun had already set, and the surroundings had darkened, leaving only a faint blush of rouge on the western sky.
After a moment, Lu Yuan turned and went back into the inner room without saying a word.
When he came out again, he was dressed neatly. He didn't even glance at Mingwu again, but walked straight past her and strode towards the door.
Xu Ming was stunned. What was going on?
He hurriedly bowed to Mingwu, beckoned to the two old women, and quickly chased after her.
Lu Yuan had not gone far; he stood with his hands behind his back under the sycamore tree in the courtyard.
Hearing hurried footsteps behind him, he turned his head slightly and saw that it was Xu Ming. His brows furrowed in displeasure.
His gaze swept over the clothes that the two old women behind Xu Ming were still holding, and his eyes darkened.
"I threw it away."
"I will stay at the detached residence tonight, understand?"
After saying this, he said no more and turned to walk straight towards the quiet pavilion closest to the courtyard.
"Commander Xu, these clothes..."
The old woman held the brand-new court robes and nightgowns, feeling bewildered and uneasy.
Xu Ming, as expected of Lu Yuan's confidant, quickly grasped his master's meaning with a blink of an eye.
He strode over to the two old women, lowered his voice, and gave them a few instructions. The two old women were initially taken aback, but then they suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.
-
Inside the room, Chunnan looked at Mingwu's tense profile and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"Madam, haven't you been hoping for the Prime Minister to come? He finally came today, so why... why did you send him away?"
His tone was full of confusion and regret.
"That was before, but in the future..."
Before the words were finished, footsteps sounded again outside the door.
Chunnan's eyes lit up, and a look of joy immediately appeared on her face: "It must be that the Prime Minister has returned."
As soon as she finished speaking, the two old women from before walked in and placed Lu Yuan's sleeping robes and court robes, which they were carrying, neatly on the table in front of Ming Wu.
"Madam, these are the Prime Minister's sleeping robes and court attire. Please keep them safe."
After saying that, he left in a hurry without waiting for Mingwu to react.
Mingwu remained silent for a moment, then had no choice but to instruct Chunnan to move all these items to the side room.
As they were going to bed, Chunnan straightened Mingwu's sleeves and suddenly pointed to the inside of her right forearm, exclaiming in surprise.
"Madam, did you... draw a flower here?"
Mingwu raised her arm to her eyes in confusion and looked down to examine it closely.
On the inside of his forearm, there was a mark the size of a mung bean.
The mark resembled a delicate five-petaled flower, its color ranging from light red to crimson, with clearly defined petals and a symmetrical shape.
Mingwu rubbed the mark with her finger, but it didn't budge; it wasn't drawn.
“That’s strange, I don’t think I had any birthmarks here before?” She frowned in thought.
"I don't remember having a birthmark here. Could it have grown out later?"
Chunnan leaned closer to take a closer look:
"Perhaps it grew from behind."
"I've heard people say that some people's birthmarks only appear later in life. Look, these five petals are exactly the same, even more neat and beautiful than a painter's drawing!"
Mingwu glanced at it twice and then ignored it.
Mingwu glanced at it a couple more times. Although the mark was strange, she didn't find it unusual, so she casually lowered her sleeve.
Perhaps.
-
The next day, Song Yuxuan rushed to leave the hospital like a gust of wind.
As soon as she entered, she plopped down on the embroidered stool opposite Mingwu, grabbed a teacup and gulped down more than half of it before wiping her mouth and speaking with a grin.
"Sister-in-law, congratulations! I heard my cousin has been staying at your place for the past two nights. I knew it! He definitely has feelings for you."
Rumors circulated that Prime Minister Lu was deeply in love with Qi Lan, and she used to believe it too.
But I don't think that way anymore.
If my cousin truly loves Qi Lan, why doesn't he marry her? Why won't he even give her a proper title? This doesn't make sense.
Mingwu and Chunnan exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Last night... wasn't Lu Yuan so angry with her that he stormed off? Where did this news of "staying at the Liyuan" come from?
Mingwu was only puzzled for a moment before she decisively dismissed the thought and did not want to delve into it further.
Then they changed the subject.
"Does the princess know about the establishment of female households?"
She discovered that in the Song Dynasty, women could only establish a household if they observed three years of mourning after their husbands died, without remarrying, not marrying again, or having any more children.
But she also knew that, for some powerful and wealthy people, rules were often just a piece of paper.
Aside from Lu Yuan, the only other powerful and influential person she knew was Song Yuxuan.
The other two were stunned by Mingwu's words.
Song Yuxuan rubbed her ears, somewhat disbelieving what she was hearing, and asked uncertainly.
"Why did my cousin-in-law suddenly bring up women's households?"
Mingwu brought out the explanation she had prepared long ago.
"I just read a storybook a few days ago. The woman in the story didn't go back to her parents' home after divorcing her husband. Instead, she started her own household. I was wondering if there are similar cases in real life."
“I don’t know anything about these things. I remember my brother was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. I’ll ask him later.”
"good."
Song Yuxuan's elder brother was the Prince of Ning, whom Ming Wu had met once. In her memory, he was a handsome and frivolous nobleman.
Suddenly, Song Yuxuan moved the embroidered stool closer to Mingwu, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted away, showing the shyness and bashfulness unique to young girls.
He asked in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, I have a question for you. I have a... um, friend."
"She secretly liked a man and even drew a portrait of him. She thought she had accidentally lost the portrait, but guess what? She discovered that the man kept the portrait close to his body. He treasured it very much."
"Do you think this guy might... well, my friend... have a little bit of a crush on me?"
After Song Yuxuan finished speaking, she immediately looked at Ming Wu and Chun Nan nervously, her big eyes full of anticipation.
Mingwu looked at her innocent, first love-struck expression and understood. A gentle smile appeared on her lips, and she nodded slightly.
"Keeping a portrait of your beloved close to your heart means you have someone else in your heart."
Chunnan nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Yes, yes, that's how it's portrayed in plays, so of course we'll like it."
Song Yuxuan's eyes lit up instantly, and she excitedly grabbed Ming Wu's hand and shook it vigorously.
"Really? Cousin, are you sure it's true? He really..."
An immense joy almost overflowed from her.
Seeing her reaction, Chunnan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, asking mischievously.
Seeing her reaction, Chunnan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, asking mischievously.
"That man is in love with your 'friend,' Princess. You seem so delighted, as if you've found a treasure. Could it be... that your 'friend' is actually...?"
"No! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Song Yuxuan bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, glaring fiercely at Chun Nan, her cheeks turning so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
She stood up abruptly and uttered a single sentence.
"Sister-in-law, I suddenly remembered that my mother might be looking for me, so I'll be going now."
Before the words were even finished, the person had already run out like a gust of wind, heading in the direction clearly towards Lu Cang's courtyard.
Watching her walk away, I couldn't help but sigh.
“The princess really cares about the third young master.”
Mingwu gazed out the window in the direction where Song Yuxuan had disappeared, the smile on her lips fading, replaced by a hint of inexplicable melancholy.
He murmured, "Yes...it's so good to be young."
Once upon a time, she was just like that, harboring a pure and noble figure in her heart.
Thinking of him makes my heart feel sweet, like it's coated in honey.
Even when he speaks coldly and gazes at her with icy indifference, she can still savor a trace of self-deceptive joy, and then muster her courage to go headlong into the fire like a moth drawn to a flame.
I don't know when it started, but that courage of his was exhausted.
My heart, too, seemed to have aged prematurely, covered with a thick layer of dust, as if blown by the pervasive cold wind of this deep mansion.
-
After returning from paying his respects to the old lady at the Plum Blossom Courtyard, he walked to the garden corridor and saw Qi Lan sitting in a wheelchair, blocking the middle of his path.
Mingwu paused, her delicate brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, as she turned to choose another path.
Qi Lan lowered her eyes, her voice weak and filled with grievance and sorrow.
"Why does my sister want to leave as soon as she sees me? Did I do something wrong to make her dislike me?"
"My younger sister is new to this household and is quite inexperienced. If she makes any mistakes, I hope that my elder sister will not hold it against her, considering her physical limitations..."
She looked like she was about to cry, and appeared very pitiful.
Hearing that "sister" made Mingwu's stomach churn.
"Don't call me sister. My mother only gave birth to me and didn't give me any younger sisters."
Qi Lan hadn't expected Ming Wu to be so ruthless, not even willing to maintain appearances.
She was indeed a vulgar woman raised by common merchants, utterly lacking in manners. How could such a person be worthy of standing beside Prime Minister Lu?
“Sister…no, Madam,” she changed her words, her eyes quickly welling up with tears, “Does Madam not like me?” Her voice carried a perfectly timed sob.
Mingwu said bluntly, "You do have some self-awareness."
Qi Lan's expression changed suddenly, but she quickly forced a gentle and friendly smile. However, the knuckles of her fingers gripping the wheelchair armrests had turned bluish-white from excessive force.
She spun her wheelchair and slowly approached Mingwu.
As the wheelchair approached, Mingwu stepped aside to let Qi Lan pass first.
She can be verbally confrontational, but she would never actually push or shove a person with a physical disability.
"Sister, do you want to know why Yuanlang married you?"
In no mood.
But those two words were stuck in his throat, as if he were being entangled and dragged by invisible threads.
Finally, Mingwu heard herself ask in a dry voice, "...Why?"
"Naturally, it's because... Sister's body is an excellent vessel for repelling Gu poison..."
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