Chapter 1
In the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion, the wedding night.
After the two bridesmaids finished their work, they filed out of the inner room with the maids from the marquis's mansion. Before they even walked out of the door, they couldn't wait to whisper to each other.
"I've lived for most of my life, and I've never seen such a handsome man."
"It's a pity to marry a sickly person, alas."
"What's a pity? He will be the young master of the Marquis's mansion when he marries. If it weren't for the birth date that would bring good luck to the young Marquis, would the Marquis and his wife be interested in the son of the fifth-rank Imperial Hospital judge?"
"What you said makes sense. Whether this is a blessing or a curse, we will have to wait for some time to know."
…
During the conversation, the bridesmaid came to the outer room, and before closing the two doors, she looked inside: in the midst of the festive red, the newly married young master of the marquis's mansion was wearing a wedding veil on his head, sitting quietly on the wedding bed like a jade sculpture.
The door slowly closed, and only the happily married couple were left in the bridal chamber.
Everything around him became quiet, and Lin Qingyu's back, which had been stiff all day, finally relaxed. He moved slightly, and the tassels on his veil swayed.
It is really inconvenient to wear a veil. When a woman gets married, the veil on her head should be lifted by her husband, and the same should be true for a man getting married.
However, her husband might not be able to do this.
His... "husband".
Lin Qingyu raised her hand to take off the veil for herself, and her vision finally became clear. He looked around at the gauze curtains, red curtains and warm quilts in front of him. Finally, he turned his gaze to the man sleeping on the bed—the young marquis of Nan'an Marquis' Mansion, Lu Wancheng.
Under the candlelight, Lin Qingyu looked at Lu Wancheng expressionlessly.
Lu Wancheng was wearing a bright red wedding gown, his eyebrows were like distant mountains, his eyelashes were long and thick, his cheeks were thin, and his lips were as pale as paper. Even with his eyes closed and his body frail, he could still be seen to have a very good appearance.
From today on, this person is his husband.
Although she was a man, she became the wife of another man - he was the first male wife to be "legally married" in the Dayu Dynasty.
It's ridiculous.
He prepared for the Imperial Medical Bureau's assessment for three years. If he passes the assessment, he will become a medical officer like his father. Even if he didn't enter the palace, he could open a pharmacy in the capital and become an ordinary doctor.
Unfortunately, just when he was about to make his grand plan, the Empress Central Palace called his father to her side and said, "I heard that you have a son, born on March 11, Guiwei year, at the hour of Chen. Is that true?"
After receiving a positive reply from Lin's father, the Queen asked the Emperor to grant the Lin family a marriage and betroth Lin Qingyu to the eldest son of Nan'an Marquis, Lu Wancheng.
All the powerful people in the capital knew that Lu Wancheng had deficiencies in his life and had been bedridden for many years. When he was born, Marquis Nan'an specially invited an imperial physician to the mansion to examine him. The imperial physician had asserted that young Marquis Lu would not live past the age of twenty.
This year, Lu Wancheng is already nineteen years old, and his health is getting worse day by day. Seeing that his days were numbered and his time was running out, the Marquis of Nan'an had no choice but to write a letter for help from the imperial teacher of the Dayu Dynasty, who was said to have knowledge of heaven, earth and ghosts. The reply from the Imperial Master contained only one line of his birth date, which was exactly: March 11, Guiwei year, Chen time.
Disobeying the emperor's order is a capital crime. Lin Qingyu's death alone is not a pity, but he has to protect his elderly parents and younger brother. In this way, he became Lu Wancheng's male wife for good fortune.
More than ten years of hard study have all become a joke.
At this moment, the hour of midnight had passed, and the maid who was guarding outside the door said, "Young Master, the time has come. Please help the young marquis go to bed."
Lin Qingyu clenched her fingers towards her sleeping husband - she wanted him to serve Lu Wancheng? What a joke.
The rules for marriage in high-class families have always been complicated. Although it was a hasty wedding, the Nan'an Marquis's Mansion also sent an aunt to the Lin Mansion to teach Lin Qingyu the so-called "way of being a man's wife". Before the wedding, his whole body, inside and out, was washed clean, and even smeared with ointment.
Lin Qingyu was not fond of men and had never suffered such humiliation. If it were not for the sake of saving the dozens of people in the Lin family, he would have wanted to die together with Lu Wancheng.
Seeing no movement in the wedding room, the maid urged again: "Young Master, go to bed."
Lin Qingyu closed his eyes and suppressed the rising malice. He blew out the candles, leaving only a red candle in front of the bed. Lu Wancheng was still wearing Jin Fan's wedding dress and lying outside the quilt. It would be uncomfortable to sleep like this.
But what does this have to do with him? He wished that Lu Wancheng would never wake up.
Lin Qingyu walked to the bedside and his eyes fell on Lu Wancheng's hands crossed on his chest.
The Lin family is a medical family. Lin Qingyu has been studying medicine with his father since he was a child. When he was young, he left home to study under a famous teacher, and his medical skills far surpassed those of his peers. Just by looking at Lu Wancheng's complexion, he knew that Lu Wancheng was seriously ill and must have some chronic illness.
In order to confirm this, Lin Qingyu condescended to take the pulse of this sickly person. Lu Wancheng's wrist was frighteningly cold, as if it had been pulled out of cold water.
It was almost as he guessed. Lu Wancheng's vitality was exhausted and he was already showing signs of dying. Unless a miracle doctor was reborn, Lu Wancheng would not survive more than half a year.
He only had to endure for half a year. When Lu Wancheng dies, he will be free.
Lin Qingyu unconsciously used force on his hands, leaving two shallow marks on Lu Wancheng's wrist.
Suddenly, the pale fingertips moved.
Lin Qingyu instinctively let go of his hand. Lu Wancheng's hand fell back on the bed, and his eyes rolled under his eyelids, and his long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Is Lu Wancheng about to wake up?
Lin Qingyu's expression was solemn, and he stared at Lu Wancheng without blinking. Under his sharp gaze, Lu Wancheng slowly opened his eyes.
There seemed to be a layer of mist in Lu Wancheng's eyes, and he seemed unable to see anything clearly. When the mist in his eyes dissipated, a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes: "Hmm...? Where did this classical beauty come from..."
Oh, you scoundrel. Even when he was almost dying of illness, he still didn't forget to call her beauty.
Lin Qingyu said coldly: "You are awake."
Lu Wancheng was in a trance for a moment, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Who are you?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Qingyu's eyes: "You don't know me?"
It was true that it was the first time they met, but if Lu Wancheng had any brains, he would have understood what was going on when he saw the wedding dress he was wearing.
Lu Wancheng shook his head, coughed twice, and said, "Although it's very cliché, I still want to ask: Where is this, and why am I here?"
Lin Qingyu: “…” Could it be that the sick boy has gone crazy? Or maybe Lu Wancheng didn't know about this marriage at all?
Before the wedding, he heard his father mention Lu Wancheng's illness. It is said that Lu Wancheng has been in a coma and mentally ill for nearly a month. If this is true, Lu Wancheng may be completely unaware of this marriage.
Lin Qingyu's expression eased a little: "My last name is Lin, and my given name is Qingyu."
"Lin Qingyu? Lin... Qing... Yu." Lu Wancheng recited his name, as if thinking of something, "The beautiful imperial physician who died in the East Palace?"
Lin Qingyu frowned: "What?"
Lu Wancheng stared at him without blinking, his face full of shock, and suddenly struggled to sit up.
Out of doctor's habit, Lin Qingyu pressed the moving patient back: "What do you want to do?"
"Mirror." Lu Wancheng covered his chest with one hand and pointed at the bronze mirror on the cabinet with the other hand. His long hair fell on the pillow. "Ahem, give me the mirror."
Mirror?
Lin Qingyu handed the bronze mirror to Lu Wancheng and asked, "What's wrong with this mirror?"
When Lu Wancheng saw himself in the mirror, his eyes suddenly widened as if he had seen a ghost. His expression looked like he had a thousand words to say, but after holding it in for a long while, he almost couldn't breathe, but in the end, he only said one word: "...Fuck."
The maid who was on night watch heard the noise in the bridal chamber, knocked on the door and asked, "Sir, is there anything wrong?"
Lin Qingyu looked at Lu Wancheng who was struck by lightning, and said calmly: "Tell your Lord and Madam that the eldest young master has woken up."
The maid immediately sent someone to report to the Marquis of Nan'an and his wife, and then asked for a doctor. Soon, the bridal chamber was filled with people. Lin Qingyu stood at the very outside and looked like an outsider.
Although Doctor Zhang, who took Lu Wancheng's pulse, was not an imperial physician, he was also a famous doctor in the capital. Doctor Zhang stroked his beard and said in disbelief, "I have been practicing medicine for decades, but this is the first time I have encountered such a situation."
Madam Hou asked anxiously, "Doctor Zhang, who is the Prime Minister..."
"Madam, don't worry. It's a good thing that the young marquis has woken up. It's just this pulse... Yesterday, I also checked the young marquis's pulse. At that time, the young marquis's vitality was exhausted and he was not far from the five stages of decline. But now, he seems to have become a different person." Doctor Zhang was amazed, "It's as if a god helped him and suddenly injected a vitality into his body."
Lin Qingyu thought silently. Lu Wancheng's sudden improvement was somewhat strange, but it was not a last-ditch recovery. He had never seen a similar case in medical books.
Madam Hou was stunned and asked, "So his illness is about to get better?"
The doctor did not dare to make a definitive statement, and said after careful consideration: "At least there is a glimmer of hope."
"Okay, okay..." Madam Hou was so excited that she shed tears, "Wan Cheng, did you hear that? Your illness has improved."
Lu Wancheng didn't have any special reaction, he just said, "I heard it."
The doctor said again: "Madam, the young marquis has just woken up, he needs to rest."
Madam Hou wiped her tears and said, "Then mother will not disturb your rest - where is Qingyu? Where did Shaojun go?"
Everyone looked at each other. Lin Qingyu stepped forward and said, "Madam."
Madam Hou held his hand and said with a smile: "Qingyu, as soon as you married into the Hou Mansion, Wan Cheng's illness got better. The Imperial Master is indeed very wise. You are Wan Cheng's savior. Our Wan Cheng will be in your care in the future."
Lu Wancheng raised his head and looked at Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. I will do my best to take care of the young marquis."
The nanny beside the Marquis' wife joked, "Hey, Young Master, don't call me Little Marquis like the rest of us. You should call me 'husband'——"
Everyone burst into laughter, and no one noticed that Lin Qingyu quietly clenched his hands inside the sleeves of his wedding dress.
After everyone left, the bridal chamber regained its tranquility and the red candle was almost burning out.
Lu Wancheng lay on the bed in silence, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, as if he was trying hard to recall something.
Lin Qingyu was too lazy to pay attention to him. He stood by the window, looking at the unfamiliar bright moon outside, and felt as if he was covered with a layer of moonlight.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Wancheng let out a long sigh and said, "Brother...oh, no - beauty, come here."
Lin Qingyu said coldly: "Who are you calling?"
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "Is there anyone else here?"
Lin Qingyu turned around. The flickering candlelight cast a blush on his cheeks, and the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye was as bright and charming as a peony.
She is beautiful, but seems to have a bad temper.
Lu Wancheng coughed twice and nodded to signal Lin Qingyu to sit down. Lin Qingyu just stood beside the bed, keeping an arm's length away from Lu Wancheng.
"I was just sorting out my thoughts." Lu Wancheng's tone was calm, without any of the haste that he showed when he had just woken up.
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "What you are thinking about has nothing to do with me."
"It's somewhat related. Because what I'm thinking about is about you." Lu Wancheng had just said these few words when he was already exhausted and pale. "If I had come a few days earlier, I would definitely not have agreed to this marriage and let you marry me and be a widow for life."
Lin Qingyu looked numb: "What's the point of you saying this now?"
"Indeed. Now that we are married and consecrated, the whole city knows that we are husband and wife."
Lin Qingyu sneered: "No."
"Um?"
Lin Qingyu mocked: "We didn't get married. You were asleep the whole time, and I got married with a big rooster."
Lu Wancheng sneered, "That's fine. Forget it, it's fine if you don't want to marry me. You don't have to take this marriage seriously. I won't live more than half a year anyway, so you just have to endure it for half a year. When I die, you can take my inheritance back to the Lin Mansion and live happily. It's not too bad."
Lin Qingyu was startled and asked suspiciously: "Is there such a good thing?"
"Yes. But how much inheritance you can bring home depends on your own ability." Lu Wancheng leaned back against the soft pillow, speaking lazily, "With my broken body, I won't play house fighting. The waters of Nan'an Marquis' Mansion are too deep, I can't control it, I just want to eat and wait for death, and be a salted fish."
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