Chapter 36 Lu Yuan's Past
What kind of "quiet recuperation" is this? It's clearly imprisonment!
Mingwu clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, the sharp pain barely suppressing the urge to rush out recklessly.
She knew very well that without Lu Yuan's orders, these guards would never let her pass. Forcing her way through would only bring shame upon herself and serve no purpose.
She took a deep breath, then abruptly turned and walked back.
Lu Yuan remained seated, leisurely sipping his tea, appearing completely unperturbed, as if nothing concerned him.
This gesture caused Mingwu's suppressed anger to surge up again.
She walked quickly closer, her shoes stomping heavily on the floor with a dull thud.
Lu Yuan seemed to only then notice her, and looked up at her: "Awu, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?"
He should have kept quiet, because once he spoke, all the pent-up grievances and resentment Mingwu had accumulated over the past few days, along with the frustration of her failed escape and the fear brought on by the separation from the Gu, instantly burned away her reason.
She rushed to him, snatched the teacup from his hand, and slammed it hard on the rosewood table.
With a "bang," tea splashed everywhere, leaving dark water stains on the clean tabletop, and a few tea leaves stuck messily to the edge of the table.
"What do you mean by this? Are you trying to imprison me?"
Mingwu's chest heaved violently, her beautiful eyes burning with fierce flames as she glared at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the trembling teacup and slowly moving to her cheeks, flushed with anger.
Mingwu in this state is like a rose that has suddenly burst into full bloom.
Fresh, prickly, and full of life.
He had seen her gentle and docile, seen her timid and ingratiating, but he had never seen her like this before.
An almost tyrannical possessiveness grew wildly from the bottom of his heart.
He wanted to crush her thorns, to melt her completely in his palm...
The thought surged within him, causing his knuckles to tighten involuntarily as he gripped the edge of the table, turning them bluish-white.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he suppressed the irritation in his heart, but his voice became slightly hoarse.
"You're frail, and you were frightened yesterday. You need to rest. It's not safe outside..."
Mingwu almost let out a cold laugh.
Unsafe? The most unsafe person in the world is clearly Lu Yuan himself.
"Lu Yuan! What do you take me for? A bird you keep in a cage?!"
Mingwu called him by his name directly, and she almost shouted the last few words.
Lu Yuan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, then quickly relaxed.
"Don't talk nonsense."
The tone was like that of someone speaking to an unreasonable child, leaving Mingwu with a feeling of utter frustration, like punching cotton. It was a lump in her throat.
Neither up nor down.
She's so stupid.
What's the point of arguing with a cold-blooded tyrant?
Her eyebrows drooped limply, and she looked like a wilted eggplant.
Lu Yuan disliked her appearance, as if she were about to leave him at any moment.
He stood up and stopped her from leaving, his tall figure looming over her, carrying an invisible pressure.
Mingwu instinctively stepped back, but he took a step closer, instantly closing the distance so that she could clearly smell the crisp scent of ink on his body, as well as a faint, unique, cool scent of ebony.
He lowered his head, his gaze calmly fixed on her, his tone flat yet each word clear.
“You are not a bird, you are my wife.”
He reached out to touch her cheek, but Mingwu turned her head away.
His hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, paused for a moment, then gently brushed a strand of hair that had fallen by her temple and tucked it behind her ear.
Mingwu slapped his hand away, took several steps back, and said sarcastically, "Madam? Doesn't the Prime Minister find this ridiculous? What kind of madam am I? Who in this mansion has ever treated me as a madam?"
Lu Yuan frowned: "I will have the butler..."
Mingwu interrupted him: "Does the Prime Minister still remember what you said on our wedding night? You warned me not to have any improper thoughts."
"I..." Lu Yuan was speechless for the first time.
"I've given up now, and I won't covet anything that doesn't belong to me anymore. I'll stay quietly in the morgue and never appear before the Prime Minister again."
Lu Yuan's face instantly turned terrifyingly gloomy.
"What's done is done. From now on..."
“From now on, Prime Minister, you should treat Miss Qi Lan better,” Ming Wu interrupted him again.
Lu Yuan asked, puzzled, "What does this have to do with Miss Qi?"
To Mingwu, these words sounded like he was protecting Qi Lan.
In the past, she would have been heartbroken, but now she only found it laughable. Since he was in love with Qi Lan, why didn't he divorce her and marry the Qi Lan he longed for as his wife?
Seeing Mingwu's expression, Lu Yuan knew she was overthinking things again.
He sighed softly and patiently explained, "Miss Qi is just..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mingwu retorted, "But what? Who in all of Lin'an doesn't know that Prime Minister Lu and Miss Qi Lan are deeply in love..."
Realizing that her words had a sour undertone, she immediately pursed her lips and fell silent.
Lu Yuan's brows relaxed, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"Is Awu jealous?"
Mingwu turned her face away, her tone stiff.
"Your Excellency is mistaken. I was wishing you a long and happy marriage and many children."
Seeing the undisguised aloofness in her eyes, Lu Yuan felt a sudden unease and didn't want to continue the conversation.
"Alright, don't overthink it. I still have some things to take care of. You should rest well, okay?"
After speaking, he turned around almost immediately, his dark robes flashing in a slightly messy arc.
His steps were hurried and fast, lacking his usual composure, and even revealing a hint of fleeing in panic.
-
The main hall of the Plum Garden was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood incense.
The old lady sat upright in the seat of honor, took a sip of tea, and looked at Lu Yuan, who was sitting below her.
"You haven't been here for a long time. Tell me, what brings you, Prime Minister, to my plum garden?"
The mother and son were already estranged, and their relationship worsened after the blood transfusion incident. Lu Yuan hadn't set foot in Plum Blossom Courtyard for almost half a month.
The old lady was seething with anger, both at his indifference and at herself for being unable to control her son, who was rising in power and influence.
Lu Yuan lowered his eyelids slightly, his slender fingers resting on his knees, motionless, as if he hadn't heard the complaint in her words at all.
He opened his mouth, and his voice was steady and calm.
"Mother, I plan to announce to the public soon that Qi Lan is the adopted daughter of the Prime Minister's family. She will be under the protection of the Prime Minister's family in the future, and we will find her a good match."
The old lady's expression changed drastically, and her voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"What did you say? Adopted daughter?"
Lu Yuan's expression remained indifferent, not even twitching his eyebrows.
"Mother should understand that this is the best arrangement for her and the Lu family at present."
"I disagree," the old lady refused resolutely.
Lu Yuan brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves and slowly stood up.
“I am not discussing this with my mother.”
After saying that, he turned to leave.
How could she show him such ruthlessness? Does she still consider him her mother? Does she have any respect for her elders?
The old lady was furious.
If the eldest son were still alive...
The old lady closed her eyes, and a sharp, piercing pain spread from the depths of her heart, instantly seizing her breath.
So many years have passed. The death of the eldest son is like having one's heart and liver ripped out, leaving an emptiness that no amount of time can fill.
She often thought, what if her Han'er were still here?
This mansion must be a completely different scene.
He would never be like Yuan'er, radiating a cold and unapproachable aura, acting arbitrarily, and refusing to utter a single kind word to her, his mother.
Han'er will be there for her, carefully observe her emotions, and take her words to heart...
Instead of the current situation, where mother and child face each other with a tense, almost negotiating atmosphere.
Thinking of this, an indescribable resentment arose within that excruciating pain.
Why did her second son, who was not very close to her and even had a slight estrangement from her, survive instead of her eldest son, to whom she had poured all her heart and soul and hopes?
The old lady realized that her emotions were not right and immediately composed herself.
She couldn't let Lu Yuan see what she was thinking, otherwise the last bit of mother-son affection they had left would truly be gone.
But she was not one to tolerate such things, so she turned her anger on the innocent Mingwu.
"Is Ming causing trouble again? I always knew that Ming might seem well-behaved, but in reality..."
"Mother!"
Lu Yuan's voice suddenly turned sharp, cutting off the old lady's words.
"This is my decision, and it has nothing to do with Awu. Also, I don't want to hear any more slander against her from anyone."
The old lady turned pale with anger. What did this unfilial son mean? Was he threatening her?
"My mother is determined to make me marry Qi Lan. Has she ever considered whether my brother, in heaven, would want to see his betrothed marry his own brother?"
"And what will the world think of the Lu family? Will they praise our deep affection and loyalty, or laugh at our practice of passing the throne from brother to brother, disregarding human ethics?"
"Smack!"
The old lady slammed the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand hard onto the table with alarming force.
The connecting thread snapped instantly, and the beads burst out, scattering everywhere with a crackling sound.
"Your brother did it all for you... You owe him this."
Lu Yuan's eyes turned cold, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.
"Does Mother want me to give my life back to my brother? It's a pity, even if I die, my brother will never come back."
The old lady's face was deathly pale, her whole body trembling violently. She pointed at Lu Yuan, her eyes wide with rage.
"You...you unfilial son! Get out! Get out of here!"
-
Lu Yuan practically fled from Plum Garden.
He did not return to his study, nor did he go anywhere where he could be found. Instead, he dismissed his attendants and went alone into the dark room in the deepest part of the east courtyard, a room that was never lit.
"Click".
The heavy wooden door closed behind him, completely shutting out all light and sound from the outside world.
He leaned against the door, his body slowly sliding down, and he fell helplessly to the cold ground.
Only here, in this absolute darkness where no one can see.
Only then did he dare to loosen the taut string and allow himself to be overwhelmed by overwhelming emotions.
He knew his mother hated him.
He hated that he was alive while his brother was dead.
Even though he now wields immense power and is the prime minister, in his mother's heart, he will always be that gloomy and ominous second son, not even a fraction as good as his elder brother Lu Han.
Yes, brother.
He is a truly upright and virtuous gentleman.
They are their parents' pride and the hope of their family; wherever they go, they easily attract attention.
And what about Lu Yuan?
He was quiet and reserved from a young age, and others said he was "deep-thinking and difficult to approach." Even his parents always looked at him with a subtle distance in their eyes.
If my elder brother is like the bright moon hanging in the sky, his clear light shines everywhere, and everyone admires him.
Then he is like a rat curled up in a ditch, unable to see the light, and repulsive to people.
He once envied his brother so much, even imitating his every move with almost devout reverence, longing to share a bit of warmth with him.
Deep in his heart, a dark jealousy and hatred grew uncontrollably.
He didn't understand as a child.
Why is all the care and expectations directed towards the older brother?
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't earn a single approving glance from his father or a gentle word of advice from his mother.
His elder brother treated him very well.
That kindness was pure and warm, unaffected by his gloomy and taciturn nature; on the contrary, it protected him in every way and cared for him at all times.
It was precisely this kindness that made him appear so despicable.
His fate took a turn when he was eight years old.
The father brought back a stunningly beautiful but slender woman from Jiangnan, and spoiled her rotten.
After becoming pregnant, the woman's ambition grew, and she began to covet the position of heir apparent. Since her elder brother, Lu Han, held a secure position, she had no way to harm him, so she turned her wicked schemes towards her insignificant second son.
Just then, her father fell ill, so she suggested that his fate was cursed and that he would bring misfortune to his father.
Such absurd words were believed without a doubt by the father, who was blinded by beauty.
He still remembers that snowy night vividly.
He was roughly dragged out of bed, and despite his terrified cries and struggles, he was bound with hemp rope. He was then dragged to the pond in the back garden, where a thin layer of ice had formed.
"For the sake of the family, for the sake of your father, Yuan'er, you... do not hold a grudge."
This was the last thing he heard before he was thrown into the icy water.
The chill felt like a thousand steel needles piercing his bone marrow, and the pool water rushed into his mouth and nose, engulfing him.
Darkness, despair.
The chilling feeling of being abandoned by loved ones is far more piercing than any pool of water.
In a state of blurred consciousness.
He thought, "That's fine, anyway... nobody cares."
Just as he gave up struggling and slowly sank.
"Thump!"
A figure leaped into the icy pool without hesitation.
He is the elder brother.
With all his might, he used his almost frozen arms to drag him back from the brink of death.
However, the elder brother suffered from the cold, which damaged his health.
The following year, a common cold easily took his life.
At that time, he was only fifteen years old and had just been engaged to Miss Qi Lan of the Qi family, but they were not yet married.
"It's something I owe him..."
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