Chapter 30 The True Form... Did it come at an inopportune time?
The indigo curtains rippled as the carriage moved. Slivers of white light streamed in from outside, preventing the interior from becoming too dark.
Mingwu sat quietly in the corner, her back pressed against the car wall.
Even with her eyes slightly closed, she could still feel the tangible gaze upon her.
The fingers resting on her knees curled up involuntarily.
The carriage was so quiet that only the rumbling of the wheels over the bluestone slabs and... that almost frozen silence could be heard.
Mingwu felt as if the air around her had thinned. She finally lost her willpower and opened her eyes, only to be met with a pair of dark, unfathomable eyes.
Those eyes seemed to have a powerful suction, drawing her in, making her sink deeper and deeper.
In an instant, Mingwu recalled the despair she felt that day, lying helplessly on the bed, watching her blood being drawn away bit by bit.
She suddenly came to her senses.
On one hand, she cursed herself inwardly, "Even at a time like this, I'm still attracted to that pretty face." On the other hand, she nonchalantly looked away.
I turned my head to look at the street scene receding slowly outside the window.
Lu Yuan frowned slightly; he could tell that Ming Wu was rejecting him.
He wanted to ease the tension between the two.
But he had held a high position of power for a long time. He was always the one being flattered and fawned over. There was no one in the world he needed to fawn over.
He ultimately neither spoke first nor moved closer.
However, his gaze did not leave Mingwu.
The lines of her profile were taut. Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a small, fragile shadow on her lower eyelids.
The stiff, forced composure she had just displayed vanished; now, she resembled a startled bird struggling to regain its composure.
His gaze slid down to her slightly pursed lips.
The soft touch from last night still seems to linger...
Lu Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, and the slight displeasure he felt due to her resistance was strangely replaced by another, more complex emotion.
Does it still hurt?
He spoke, his voice sounding particularly low in the enclosed carriage.
Mingwu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. She didn't turn around or answer, as if she hadn't heard at all. But Lu Yuan knew she had.
I just don't want to pay attention to him.
Lu Yuan's eyes darkened.
He leaned forward slightly, reached out, and grasped Mingwu's hand, which was resting on her knee, without saying a word.
Her fingertips were icy cold, and they trembled slightly in his warm palm before she tried to pull away. He didn't use any force, yet he made her unable to move.
Mingwu suddenly turned her head and glared at him.
Lu Yuan's slender fingers gently lifted Ming Wu's sleeve, revealing a section of her fair wrist.
However, on that porcelain-like skin, there were clearly visible, hideous bloodstains.
It's shocking to look at.
It was from being scratched by Granny Chen's fingernails just now.
Lu Yuan's face suddenly darkened.
With a blank expression, he took out a small porcelain bottle from a small box beside him, opened the lid, and scooped up a pale blue ointment with his slender, fair fingers.
Gently apply it to the wound.
he……
Mingwu was shocked. Her hand instinctively tried to pull back, and she hurriedly said, "It's just a minor injury, no need to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yuan's cold gaze shot over, choking Ming Wu's unspoken words.
Unable to pull her hand away, Mingwu had no choice but to grit her teeth and let him apply the medicine for her.
Soon, the burning, stinging sensation at the wound was quickly suppressed by the cooling effect of the ointment.
After applying the medicine, Lu Yuan had just let go when Ming Wu quickly pulled her hand back into her sleeve and turned to continue looking out the car window.
They adopted an attitude of keeping everyone at arm's length.
If she hadn't been pressed tightly against the carriage wall, if the carriage hadn't been still moving, if he hadn't needed to take her to the birthday banquet... Lu Yuan had no doubt that she would have already jumped out of the carriage.
Lu Yuan felt somewhat uncomfortable.
If anyone else had dared to treat him like that, they would have been beheaded long ago.
But she...
Lu Yuan's face was cold and sullen as he tightened his grip on the porcelain bottle.
"How could the mistress of the Prime Minister's mansion be hurt by a mere servant? You must remember, you are the Prime Minister's wife, and your dignity is the Prime Minister's dignity."
The mistress of the Prime Minister's residence?
Oh!
Mingwu sneered inwardly.
It turns out he helped her only because she made him lose face. He was almost moved and softened his heart. How ridiculous.
Lu Yuan perhaps realized that his words were somewhat harsh and wanted to say something more conciliatory. However, Ming Wu did not respond, nor did she even raise her eyelids.
Completely ignore him.
Lu Yuan felt a slight tightness in his chest.
"Is Madam angry with me?" The voice suppressed its anger.
Mingwu lowered her eyes. She still needed his invitation to attend the birthday banquet and couldn't afford to offend him too much. She then said...
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
"Really?" Do you really think I'm blind?
However, now that she had responded, Lu Yuan didn't want their hard-won improved relationship to become strained again. He softened his voice.
Are you upset because of your mother?
Before Mingwu could answer, he continued, "I've already had Granny Chen sold off, and you've vented your anger."
With this warning from him, Mother should understand his attitude and will be more careful in her actions in the future.
A hint of mockery flashed in Mingwu's eyes.
What he meant was that he dealt with Granny Chen, so she should be grateful?
"Your Excellency is right."
Lu Yuan frowned and stared at her for a moment.
"Today is my birthday banquet. Stay quietly by my side and no one will make things difficult for you."
-
Although the Ning Prince's Mansion has weakened, it is still a member of the imperial family and has considerable resources. In addition, there is the Ning Prince's Mansion's connection with Lu Yuan.
The Prince's Mansion had already announced that Lu Yuan would be coming.
Therefore, on this day, the Prince Ning's mansion was filled with guests, and all the well-known noble families in Lin'an City came.
As soon as Lu Yuan entered, he was surrounded by a group of people.
They were all high-ranking officials of the imperial court or heads of powerful families, and they all smiled ingratiatingly, just to get a word in his ear.
This was the first time Mingwu had realized so clearly and explicitly that Lu Yuan held a high position and wielded great power.
She began to doubt whether she could really escape.
No.
She shook her head violently.
His recent behavior was simply because she rejected him, which made him lose face, hence his abnormal actions.
It wasn't that he really wanted to keep her.
So as long as she can successfully leave and get through the first few days, there won't be any problems.
Lu Yuan was discussing court affairs with a middle-aged man. Taking advantage of his inattention, Ming Wu slowly retreated. Soon, she was pushed to the outer edge of the crowd.
She turned and walked to the other side.
I plan to ask one of the maids where Song Yuxuan is.
"Who is that? I've never seen him before."
"That person is quite famous in Lin'an City, but it's a bad reputation."
Several voices drifted into her ears. Mingwu looked up and saw a group of noble ladies dressed in brocade, chatting and laughing at the crossroads.
"Look at her outfit, she looks quite respectable, what a pity..."
"What knowledge could a merchant's daughter possibly have? She dares to embarrass herself at the Imperial Concubine's birthday banquet today."
"I don't know how she seduced the Prime Minister and begged him to bring her here."
"Look at her face, she really does have a bit of a vixen-like air about her, no wonder she can get into bed..."
I tried to pretend I didn't hear it, but those people went further and further astray. Their words were like poisoned needles, pricking me relentlessly.
Mingwu straightened her back and walked towards the group of people.
A few of the more sensitive ones, realizing they'd been caught red-handed gossiping behind people's backs, felt embarrassed and shut up. But a few others, seeing Mingwu approach, became even more animated in their chatter.
"Who in the entire city of Lin'an doesn't know that the Prime Minister is fond of Sister Qi?" The woman in blue said, glancing smugly at Ming Wu.
I thought Mingwu would be sad and cry, but to my surprise, Mingwu's expression didn't even change.
The woman in blue gritted her teeth inwardly: Let's see how long you can keep up this act.
Laughing, he said loudly:
"Some people think they can hook up with men just because they have some looks. Little do they know they're just pathetic creatures about to be kicked out."
Mingwu walked up to the group of people and looked the woman in blue up and down.
The woman in blue glared at her fiercely: "What are you looking at?"
Ming Wu smiled and said, "Of course, I'm here to see you, you poor thing with no looks."
The woman in blue flew into a rage: "What did you say?! Who are you calling unattractive?" The woman in blue was beautiful and considered one of the most attractive women in the group.
She always took pride in her beauty.
But now, compared to Mingwu, she is like a firefly compared to the sun and moon.
They are vastly different.
It made her seem ordinary.
"You bitch, you... ah!"
Suddenly, her face changed and she cried out in pain as Mingwu stepped on her foot.
"I'm so sorry, I twisted my ankle just now." Mingwu showed no apology on her face. "This lady is so careless. How could she put her foot under my feet? Now I've stepped on you."
"Pfft!" Someone burst out laughing.
Mingwu turned her head and saw that it was Prince Ning, Song Heng.
He was dressed in a moon-white robe with cloud patterns, which, compared to Lu Yuan's imposing and dignified bearing, made him appear more refined and gentle. He leaned casually against a stone pillar not far away, arms crossed, a smile on his face. It was unclear how long he had been standing there.
Upon seeing this, the woman in blue immediately changed her expression.
"Your Highness, this woman has insulted me. Please come and teach her a lesson."
Song Heng straightened up and slowly walked towards them. A smile played on his lips; he looked dashing and debonair in the sunlight.
His amorous peach blossom eyes glanced at the woman in blue and then landed on Ming Wu's face.
The woman in blue glanced at Ming Wu triumphantly: "Hmph, you just wait, how dare you step on my foot, the prince will definitely not let you off."
The reason the Dowager Consort invited so many young ladies to this birthday banquet is to choose one of them to become the Princess Consort of the Prince of Ning's residence.
However, the Dowager Consort took a liking to her.
This is one of the reasons why she was confident enough to provoke Ming Wu. Moreover, although Ming Wu was nominally the Prime Minister's wife, she was not favored by Prime Minister Lu.
As for why Prime Minister Lu brought Mingwu here today, it must have been the idea of the old lady of the Prime Minister's residence.
The woman in blue made things difficult for Mingwu for three reasons: first, she was jealous of Mingwu's superior beauty; second, she wanted to curry favor with Qi Lan, the future wife of the Prime Minister; and third, she wanted to suppress the old lady of the Prime Minister's mansion on behalf of the Dowager Consort.
This was a sure-fire deal. She believed that Prince Ning would definitely avenge her.
After all, it was common knowledge that the Dowager Consort and the old lady of the Prime Minister's residence were not on good terms.
“She’s not wrong,” said Prince Ning.
The woman in blue was stunned: "Wh...what?"
Song Heng looked the woman in blue up and down for a while, making her heart pound, her face flush, and she lowered her head shyly, about to speak.
Hearing Song Heng say again, "Indeed, you are not as beautiful as him."
The woman in blue turned visibly pale. Her lips twitched a few times, and she stamped her foot, turned her head, and ran away crying.
The other women were delighted to see this. One by one, they blushed and stepped forward to greet Prince Ning.
Song Heng was indeed eloquent; with just a few words, he made the girls' hearts flutter with joy, and they left shyly, turning back to look at him again and again.
Everyone had left.
Song Heng turned around, a gentle smile on his lips, his gaze falling on Ming Wu with an almost imperceptible appreciation.
“Mrs. Lu.” He said gently.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Ning." Mingwu curtsied.
"No need for such formalities."
Song Heng offered a slight gesture of support: "Just now... Madam was wronged."
Mingwu shook her head slightly.
Looking at her still somewhat pale face, Song Heng felt a pang of pity. He took out a flat object carefully wrapped in brocade from his sleeve.
"I have taken care of the matter entrusted to me by the lady."
He handed the object to Mingwu, lowering his voice even further.
"This is the lady's household registration document, stamped by the Lin'an Prefecture government, and all the necessary documents are complete."
Mingwu's gaze was instantly drawn to the document, her heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of her chest.
She reached out her slightly trembling hand and took the document, which felt light yet weighed a ton.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"
Her voice choked with emotion, and she gave a deep bow.
With it, she and Chunnan finally had the confidence to leave and a foundation to settle down and make a living.
"Please rise, Madam." Prince Ning reached out to help her up. "It was nothing, nothing to mention. But... what are your plans for the future, Madam? If you need any assistance..."
He paused, his gaze falling on Ming Wu's back, his expression slightly hardening.
Mingwu seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around.
Lu Yuan was standing at the entrance of the corridor, his figure as straight as a pine tree, his face hidden in the shadow cast by the eaves, so his expression could not be seen clearly.
Only those eyes, sharp as a hawk's, were coldly watching the two people who were standing too close.
The air froze instantly.
Lu Yuan's gaze slowly slid from Ming Wu's panicked face to Song Heng, and finally settled on Song Heng's hand that was gently supporting her.
His thin lips parted slightly, his voice not loud, but carrying a deathly stillness that seemed to foreshadow an impending storm.
"Your timing is... is it not right?"
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