Xie Rongyue gritted her teeth inwardly, then slouched and climbed onto his legs, sitting down.
The two were close together, and the familiar scent of agarwood lingered around her nose. She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, speaking softly.
"Are you planning to make me go back to Yandu with you without any official status?"
"If you'd be his concubine, why won't you be mine?"
He glanced at her, a hint of displeasure and sharpness in his eyes and brows.
"I'm just using this as a pretext to stay at the Lu residence and find some shelter."
"Using a pretext?" Wang Hezhan scoffed, his eyes darkening. "If saying a distant relative isn't enough, why does it have to be a concubine?"
"---"
Xie Rongyue did not want to argue with him, so she remained silent for a moment before speaking frankly.
"When the general asked me to go to Xunyang to get married, I agreed, but you went back on your word again and again, and things ended badly in Fancheng."
“I went to the northern capital, and you came looking for me again, even using Lu’s father to force me to go back to Yandu with you.”
"But I've told you before, I don't want to be a concubine or a mistress. Does the General want me to never marry, just stay by your side, and watch you enjoy your beautiful wives and concubines, free and happy---"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she bit her lower lip tightly.
"You can favor her whenever you feel like it, and when you're tired of her, you can just leave her aside and ignore her, letting others trample on her."
Wang Hezhan leaned against the bedside, his arms around her waist tightening slightly.
"What's the point of living like that?"
She accused him with every word, her voice filled with grievance. He stared at her, a half-smile suddenly appearing on his face.
"Does Yue'er want the position of the principal wife, or does she want me to stay with only you for the rest of my life?"
Xie Rongyue's eyes flickered slightly, and she sobbed softly, "When I seduced you back then, I didn't know you would go back on your word and refuse to let me go."
She wasn't a good person; she shamelessly seduced him. But he was no good either, always doing despicable things behind her back.
"Yes, you're right. I will never let you go in this lifetime."
He suddenly pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply.
"Moon, if you want to save him, you must come back to Yandu with me."
His voice was calm, but the meaning behind it was absolutely not to be disobeyed.
Xie Rongyue knew she had spoken in vain, and gave a bitter laugh, "You wanted to send me away before because Yan Yuan didn't like me, wouldn't it be like taking my life if I went back to the Wang family now?"
"I will arrange everything; you just need to follow me."
---
Lu Mansion.
The room was dimly lit, and the autumn wind that blew in through the window carried a chill. The gauze curtains on both sides swayed gently, and two figures could be vaguely seen embracing tightly.
Suddenly, the two opened their eyes and looked at each other. A deafening scream suddenly rang out from inside, startling the magpies on the branches outside the window into fluttering away.
"Pei---Pei Qing, what are you doing here?"
Lu Yu looked at the woman who was huddled in the corner with the blankets drawn up to her and asked loudly.
Pei Qing lowered her eyes, pitifully wrapped herself in the blanket and huddled in the corner, shaking her head desperately.
"I don't know, I don't know---"
Lu Yu dared not look at her. Looking down, he saw that his clothes were disheveled, so he quickly got off the bed, picked up the robe on the ground, and put it on.
"I--I fainted after drinking the tea, and I don't remember anything."
The delicate young woman was crying softly. Lu Yu didn't bother to ask any questions. He strode to the table, poured tea into a cup, and carefully smelled it.
"This tea seems to have been sent by the madam."
Mother? !
Lu Yu rubbed his forehead, his knuckles turning slightly white as he gripped the celadon teacup.
His mother had long wanted him to marry Pei Qing, and she probably put something in the tea to make it a fait accompli.
Pei Qing wrapped herself in the quilt and slumped on the bed. She glanced sideways and saw the tall figure standing motionless in front of the table. She pinched herself and sobbed with red eyes.
"Young Master Lu, there's no need to make things difficult for us. Let's just pretend this never happened."
She spoke gently, but her pretty face was covered in tears, making her look like she had been bullied.
"you---"
Suddenly, Xie Rongyue, who lived in the West Garden, flashed through Lu Yu's mind. She frowned and sat down on the small couch next to her with her body bent over.
Silence fell over the room, broken only by the woman's soft sobs, which made him frown even more deeply.
Pei Qing peeked at him through the thin gauze curtain. He had a handsome profile, a tense jaw, and sat there, seemingly lost in thought.
She blinked, bit her lower lip, glanced down at her beautiful figure, hesitated for a moment, then lifted the covers to get out of bed.
Just then, a woman knocked on the door.
Lu Yu recognized the familiar voice and subconsciously glanced at Pei Qing, who was still on the bed, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Pei Qing recognized Xie Rongyue's voice. She bit her lip and looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes.
The two locked eyes, then he looked away, put on his cloak, and walked outside.
Inside the garden, Xie Rongyue stood under the corridor, her eyes reddening with anger as she thought about being forced to come here in the middle of the night to explain things to Lu Yu.
She heard a man's footsteps behind her, took a breath, concealed her emotions, turned around, and forced a smile.
"Lu Yu".
"What's wrong?"
Lu Yu noticed that she was in a bad mood and asked her with concern.
Xie Rongyue twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands and said softly, "I--I don't plan to stay in Beidu anymore. I've come to say goodbye to you."
"What do you mean? Where are you going?"
After Lu Yu finished speaking, he suddenly realized what she meant and grabbed her hand.
"Did Wang San come to pressure you?"
A short, soft gasp came, and he realized his rudeness, sheepishly letting go.
Xie Rongyue took a step back, clutching her handkerchief, and shook her head. "It's not him. I just feel it's inconvenient to continue living in the manor, so I want to leave."
Lu Yugang wanted to retort, but the people inside the room flashed through his mind, and the words stuck in his throat became impossible to utter.
Where are you going?
“I have an aunt in the south.”
So far?
A flood of complex emotions welled up inside Lu Yu, leaving him momentarily speechless.
The crescent moon hung like a hook, and the sparse stars in the sky shone through the peach branches, casting a thin silver veil over the two people.
Fearing that the person might barge in without a care, Xie Rongyue dared not delay and broke the silence by speaking.
"I need to go back to Xiyuan to pack my things, so I'll be leaving now."
Lu Yu frowned. "So urgent?"
She gave a soft "hmm," looked up at him carefully for a few moments, and chuckled.
"Miss Pei is very well."
Lu Yu vaguely guessed what was going on and stopped her, saying, "I'll take you."
"Need not."
Wang Hezhan was still waiting in the carriage outside; she didn't want the two of them to meet.
“You’re all alone, suddenly going south in the middle of the night, you’re lying to me—” His voice was dejected, “Rongyue, it’s him, isn’t it?”
Xie Rongyue paused, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "It was my choice."
"---"
Lu Yu was speechless for a moment, his hands clenched into fists hidden in his sleeves, and he remained silent.
Xie Rongyue didn't want to say more, so she tiptoed and gently hugged him.
"Take care of yourself."
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