Chapter 4 The Prime Minister must be jealous.
As she lunged forward, Mingwu instinctively braced herself with her hand, barely stopping half an inch in front of him.
My heart was pounding like a drum, and my eardrums were thumping along with it.
Almost there...
She suddenly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently.
Ptooey! Ptooey!
What are you thinking about?
She hurriedly banished those inappropriate thoughts from her mind. She stared blankly at the brocade robe that was almost touching her nose. It was so close that she could even make out the cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread on the robe.
The trajectory of the rise and fall with each breath.
They were staring at each other in bewilderment.
Although she had used it many times, this was the first time she had seen it under such light. No wonder it was so difficult for her; the sheer scale of it was terrifying.
Have you seen enough?
A cold, clear voice pierced down from above.
Mingwu looked up in a panic, only to meet his downcast gaze.
Backlit, his silhouette was edged in gold, like a silent statue, even the shadows he cast carried an oppressive aura. Though he was sitting, he inexplicably reminded her of a cheetah retracting its claws.
The cool, ebony scent, mixed with a masculine aroma, forcefully entered the nostrils.
It made her dizzy and breathless.
Mingwu's fingertips curled up unconsciously.
The sudden tightening of the muscles under her fingertips startled her.
Looking down, I realized that my fingers were gripping the inside of his thigh.
My face suddenly burned.
"I'm so sorry!"
She frantically pulled her hand back, forgetting that her entire weight was resting on that hand. Losing her support, her ankle buckled, and she uncontrollably tumbled forward again.
Her cheek collided squarely with his.
Even through the spring clothes, you could feel the power that was about to be unleashed.
Mingwu froze, her breath caught in her throat, and she heard a muffled groan.
Immediately afterwards, a large hand gripped her chin and forcefully lifted her face.
His face was completely hidden in the shadows.
She couldn't see his expression, but she could clearly feel the weight of his gaze, pressing down heavily, grinding inch by inch across her brow, nose, and lips...
He suddenly moved.
She leaned forward slightly, and the shadows washed over her like a tide.
His calloused thumb pressed heavily against her lips, the slight stinging sensation causing Mingwu to gasp softly. He then slipped his fingertips into her mouth, pinching her tongue.
"So greedy?" His voice was low and husky.
No, it's not.
She wanted to speak, but her tongue flicked and curled around his fingertip, as if she were teasing him.
She noticed that his unfathomable black eyes had become even more profound.
He leaned down, and then she felt a dizzying sensation as she found herself sitting on his lap, his hand reaching for her belt.
He wants to be here...
Mingwu: "!!!"
She turned pale with fright and hurriedly grabbed his hand.
"I...I've started my period."
The temperature inside the room seemed to suddenly drop in that instant.
Lu Yuan slowly raised his eyelids, his deep eyes falling on Ming Wu's face. Ming Wu felt a chill run down her spine, just as she thought he was about to expose her.
He let go of her hand, took a handkerchief, and slowly wiped his fingers.
His expression returned to its usual cool and aloof demeanor.
"Get down."
The two words were like a cold knife, piercing straight into Mingwu's heart.
Her slender body trembled slightly, she silently lowered her eyes, and straightened her back as she got off him.
Lu Yuan glanced at Ming Wu, then stood up and strode away.
The gust of wind stirred up by the fluttering robes caused the candlelight to flicker violently, casting his shadow on the ground in disarray.
Chunnan strode in, looking at Mingwu with a hesitant expression.
"Madam, the Prime Minister, he..."
Why did they just leave like that?
"So they left."
Outside the door, the night wind carried these words, delivering them to Lu Yuan's ears without missing a single one.
He paused almost imperceptibly, his dark robes gleaming coldly in the moonlight, before disappearing into the thick darkness of the night.
Xu Ming was stunned.
In the past, whenever the Prime Minister came to the brothel, his wife would stick to him like glue. The Prime Minister would not come out until dawn.
Today, the lady actually didn't keep the Prime Minister. And she even said such things.
He gazed at the tall figure ahead, now reduced to a mere silhouette.
I speculated in my mind.
Could it be that the Prime Minister confined the Madam to her quarters today, which angered her?
Inside the room, Mingwu lay on her back on the empty bed. Looking at the intricate patterns embroidered on the canopy, the lines seemed to twist into a net in the dim light.
They trapped her firmly.
She didn't understand why she had to refuse.
Was it anger at him for confining her to her quarters without explanation? Or was it a silent protest against her mother's words, "Serve the Prime Minister well"? Or perhaps...
Simply tired of that bowl of bitter medicine that's always black and bottomless?
...
She turned her head to look at the empty space outside, the place where he often slept, which was eerily quiet and desolate.
Reaching out to touch the cold sheets, my fingertips brushed against a fine strand of his hair.
The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from outside the window; it was the third watch of the night.
At this time of day, if he was still reviewing official documents, she would quietly bring him a bowl of lotus seed soup. Sometimes he would look up at her, and sometimes he would just give a soft "hmm".
Faint footsteps could be heard in the distance.
She looked up abruptly, but as she heard the footsteps fading into the distance, she collapsed as if all her strength had been drained away.
The night wind stirred the curtains, lifting them up and then letting them fall again.
Mingwu didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, her eyelids felt heavy, as if they were glued together. Her mind was foggy, as if someone was slowly stirring it with a dull knife.
She struggled to sit up and rubbed her temples.
"Chunnan, what time is it?"
Footsteps sounded, and Chunnan parted one side of the curtain to look at the drain on the low cabinet.
"It's only the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), it's still early, Madam, please sleep a little longer."
When the Prime Minister stayed at the Liyuan, he would get up at this time. His wife would also get up to help him get dressed and have breakfast.
After seeing the Prime Minister off, I went to the Plum Garden to pay my respects to the Old Madam.
Mingwu was stunned for a moment before she remembered that he wasn't staying here. She didn't need to get up early with him.
When I woke up again, it was already bright daylight. Sunlight streamed in through the slightly open window, dappling the curtains like a soft, golden mist.
Mingwu sat up abruptly, threw off the covers, and got out of bed.
The moment her foot touched the ground, a piercing pain shot through her ankle. Her face turned deathly pale, she cried out in pain, and collapsed back onto the bed.
Hearing the noise, Chunnan quickly came over and lifted the curtain.
The morning light streamed in, illuminating the fine beads of cold sweat on Mingwu's forehead and her lips, which she had bitten until they were white.
"Madam, is your foot injured?"
Lift up the hem of her skirt.
My right ankle was swollen so badly that it turned a horrifying bluish-purple color.
He must have been injured again last night.
Chunnan gasped, "This servant will go and fetch the imperial physician right away." With that, she hurriedly ran out.
Mingwu stopped Chunnan and shook her head: "Let's apply some medicine first, we need to go to Plum Garden."
The old lady was known throughout the entire Prime Minister's residence for her strict and uncompromising rules. Once, when she fell ill and did not pay her respects, she was punished by being forced to copy the family rules fifty times.
After copying, the lady's right hand fingers were trembling, and she could barely hold her chopsticks.
With red-rimmed eyes, Chunnan took out the leftover ointment from yesterday, knelt on the ground, and carefully applied the ointment to Mingwu.
After applying the medicine, Mingwu endured the pain and, with Chunnan's help, walked towards the Plum Courtyard.
"Second sister-in-law."
It was Lu Cang, Lu Yuan's half-brother, and the third son of the Prime Minister's mansion.
He was dressed in moon-white brocade, with a handsome and refined appearance. He walked briskly from another path, and judging from his appearance, he was also going to the Plum Blossom Courtyard to pay his respects.
Mingwu stopped and smiled politely.
"Third Young Master."
Her eyelashes drooped, like two raven feathers gently covering her porcelain-white skin, casting a faint shadow beneath her eyes.
The corners of her lips turned up slightly, the smile extremely faint and distant. Yet it was like a spring breeze brushing across a lake, rippling outwards.
Chunnan knew that Mingwu was beautiful, but seeing Lu Cang staring at her so intently, she coughed lightly to remind him.
Lu Cang snapped out of his daze, realizing his lapse in composure, and lowered his head in embarrassment, the tips of his ears gradually turning red.
"I'm...sorry..."
Mingwu took a step forward, and Lu Cang, who was looking down, noticed that her walking posture was abnormal.
"Second sister-in-law, your leg..."
"It's alright."
Seeing that Mingwu was unwilling to say more, Lu Cang did not dare to ask any more questions and silently followed behind her.
When Mingwu arrived at Plum Garden, she immediately spotted Lu Yuan sitting below the old lady.
He leaned back comfortably in the armchair, his long, slender fingers casually resting on the armrests, his well-defined fingertips lightly tapping the sandalwood armrests.
His handsome face was cold and indifferent, not even his eyebrows twitched.
It resembles a perfect jade sculpture.
The old lady frowned, slamming her teacup down heavily on the table with a loud "bang".
A suffocating sense of oppression permeated the entire hall. Even the birdsong outside the window seemed to have faded away, leaving only an unsettling silence.
Did she arrive at the wrong time?
Mingwu gently withdrew one foot that had stepped inside; the embroidered shoe barely made a sound on the bluestone. She held her breath, about to turn and leave.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan lifted his eyelids.
Those jet-black eyes pierced her like arrows, their cold gaze making her stiffen.
As she paused, Lu Cang, who was following behind her, also appeared at the door.
Lu Yuan's gaze darkened slightly, then swept indifferently over the two of them before moving away.
"Why are you only arriving now?"
The old lady's face was sullen, and her tone carried a hint of anger, clearly directed at Ming Wu.
Chunnan hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down.
"Reporting to Madam, Madam sprained her ankle yesterday, and it's terribly swollen. She rushed here to pay her respects this morning, but even the imperial physician wouldn't let her be summoned. He only allowed me to apply some simple ointment, which is why she was delayed."
Upon hearing this, the old lady glanced in the direction of Lu Yuan.
The latter's expression remained unchanged, as he casually twirled the black jade thumb ring on his thumb. He didn't even lift his eyelids, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
"Since you're injured, you should take good care of yourself."
"Regarding the greetings, just send someone to convey the message. Otherwise, it might seem like I, as a mother-in-law, am being heartless."
The old lady's words were sarcastic and unsettling.
Mingwu's fine, long eyelashes trembled slightly.
A strand of dark hair fell down, landing beside her cheek. She resembled a piece of shattered jade, so delicate it was heartbreaking.
She gritted her teeth and slowly bent her knees, about to kneel down: "Daughter-in-law wouldn't dare..."
"There are matters to attend to at court, so I must take my leave now."
Lu Yuan suddenly stood up, his black robes stirring up a gust of cold wind. The jade pendants hanging at his waist clinked together, producing a crisp sound.
Mingwu's half-bent knees froze in mid-air for a moment before she slowly straightened up.
Outside the courtyard gate, Xu Ming was pacing back and forth when he suddenly saw Lu Yuan stride out. He was startled at first, then jogged after him.
Xu Ming spoke cautiously, his voice extremely low.
"Just now, I saw the lady as well..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yuan suddenly turned his head to the side.
That gaze was like a blade chilled by ice, instantly silencing Xu Ming, who even held his breath.
Ever since he heard his wife say "She's gone" last night, the Prime Minister has felt a chill run through him. Just now, he saw the Third Young Master and his wife leaving together.
The Prime Minister must be jealous.
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