Chapter 37 A Mistake Made [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Their Trial.
As he spoke, Xu Lu turned and walked to the offering table, skillfully picking up the tinderbox from the compartment and lighting the white candles beside him.
As the light circle drew closer, Xu Luchuan slowly opened his eyes. But he didn't look up; his thick eyelashes drooped, obscuring his clear eyes.
He spoke in a deep voice: "Master Craftsman Liu."
Xu Luwei's right hand, which was holding the lamp, hovered in mid-air after he spoke. After a moment's thought, Xu Luwei lit the last lamp and said, "It's Liu Qinglan."
"Brother, how did you know?"
Xu Luchuan was surprised by Xu Luwei's reaction, and Xu Jiaojiao, who was squatting to the side secretly eating pastries, also curiously peeked out.
"This wasn't something Xiao Ba told you, Big Brother! Xiao Ba swears on it!"
Xu Luwei smiled and shook his head. Looking at Xu Jiaojiao, who had stuffed her mouth full, he took out the pastries he had stolen with her and bent down to hand them to her. "Xu Jiaojiao, weren't these for your second brother? He hasn't eaten them yet, so why are you eating them first? Then you can eat these too."
"I...this..." Xu Jiaojiao mumbled, first looking at the pastries in Xu Luwei's hand, then at Xu Luchuan beside her.
Xu Luchuan could tell what the little girl meant, so he said softly, "I've received your kind intentions. Eat up, Little Eight."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao's eyes immediately lit up. She took the pastries from Xu Luwei's hand and said sweetly to her two elder brothers, "Thank you, eldest brother. Thank you, second brother. You two are the best to Xiao Ba."
The little girl's mouth was truly gagged this time. She sat cross-legged on the kneeling cushion next to Xu Luchuan, holding the pastries, and even urged them on as they dawdled, "Eldest brother, second brother. You two continue, don't mind me."
Xu Luwei stood up and looked at the increasingly dim sky in the courtyard, saying, "Liu Qinglan is a well-known noble lady in Jinling. Even the daughter of the Prime Minister is slightly inferior to her. Therefore, as soon as Master Liu is mentioned, I know that Father will definitely choose her."
After speaking, Xu Luwei subconsciously lowered his eyes to look at Xu Luchuan, but Xu Luchuan remained silent.
Helpless, he continued, "Do you know how many noble young men dream of marrying Liu Qinglan? Countless high-ranking families have proposed to the Liu family. Your father's willingness to arrange this marriage for you shows his good intentions. Why are you so dissatisfied?"
"My marriage is none of his business," Xu Luchuan finally said.
Xu Lu frowned and looked around, "Where in Jinling City can we find another Liu Qinglan? And who can compare to Liu Qinglan?"
"Even if Liu Qinglan is a celestial being, she has nothing to do with me." Xu Luchuan raised his head, his piercing gaze illuminating the entire ancestral hall. "The only person I will marry is the one I love. I don't care if she is adored by everyone, or even if she is despised by others. She is still the one my heart desires."
"Otherwise, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
Xu Luchuan's words resonated deeply in Xu Luwei's ears, and Xu Luwei seemed to suddenly understand.
Xu Luwei narrowed his eyes, recalling their parting many years ago. He too had been forced into marriage by Xu Qinguo with his current wife, yet his life had been far from happy.
Xu Luwei began to wonder if he really wanted Xu Luchuan to repeat the same mistake he had made.
Knowing full well that the road ahead is full of twists and turns, why do we still insist on repeating the same mistakes?
Xu Luchuan stared intently, but Xu Luwei had turned his back in the lamplight. He could only see him reach out and take out three incense sticks placed in front of the shrine and light them on the white candle.
Standing before his ancestors again, he bowed once, then twice...
As he raised the incense stick above his forehead for the last time, Xu Luwei resolutely said, "Since we want to break free from these constraints, we can no longer sit idly by and wait for our doom. If we provoke Father to go directly to the Liu family to propose marriage, it will truly be too late then."
"Erlang, sometimes retreating is a strategic move, but it doesn't mean compromising."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Luwei inserted the burning sandalwood incense into the incense burner. Inadvertently, some hot ash fell into his palm, and he clenched his fist coldly.
"Miss Liu is a devout Taoist and goes to Qingyun Temple to offer incense on the tenth of every month. This is common knowledge."
“The tenth of the month will be in three days, and this is your best chance. This woman has always been proud and self-possessed. If you had said those words to her earlier, she would never have rushed to arrange this marriage. If the Liu family refuses the marriage, then Father will have no way to help her.”
"But Erlang, do you know what you're about to face?"
Xu Luchuan's old back wound throbbed, but he still answered firmly, "It's nothing more than cold stares, ridicule, and scorn. I've endured these hardships in Liyang for eight years. They're nothing to me anymore."
Xu Luwei's eyes were filled with heartache, which turned into a sigh amidst the rising sandalwood incense: "Since you have made up your mind, leave Father's matter to me. You don't need to worry too much."
Xu Luchuan was deeply grateful for his elder brother's kindness.
He bowed deeply, and Xu Lu raised his hand, thus erasing the past grievances between the two brothers.
Seeing this, Xu Jiaojiao clapped her hands happily, and with her usual clever expression, she said, "Eldest brother, second brother, don't worry, Xiao Ba will not reveal a single word! But Xiao Ba has one request!"
"What are your requirements?" Xu Luchuan asked. Xu Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Second brother must not marry an ugly sister-in-law. Eighth brother wants a beautiful sister-in-law."
"You, you!" Xu Luwei squatted down and gently poked Xu Jiaojiao's head. "Tell me, what are you thinking about all day long!"
Their eyes met, and the two burst into laughter.
Xu Luchuan gazed at the familiar lights in his eyes, feeling a sense of déjà vu. He reflected on the many years that had passed, and perhaps only today did he begin to truly understand the meaning of the word "family."
With a wry smile, he still thought of Liu Shiyu. He remembered her flustered face in his dazed state.
He wanted to get things done sooner rather than later.
Some things that haven't been said yet shouldn't be delayed any longer.
...
Three days later, on the tenth day.
Xu Luchuan deliberately chose this day to return to the Court of Justice to handle his business, so that after taking leave in the afternoon to go to Qingyun Temple to resolve the matter, he could meet Liu Shiyu in the evening without being delayed.
No sooner had the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) passed than Xu Luchuan had just said goodbye to Jiang Tu and left, and Liu Shiyu's carriage stopped outside the Tingwei Mansion.
Liu Shiyu excitedly got off the carriage.
Because she had exempted Xu Luchuan from attending morning court for three months, she hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of him at today's morning court. She was extremely anxious. She had just finished processing the memorials and rushed to the Court of Justice without stopping, just so she could see him as soon as possible.
It's worth noting that Liu Shiyu has been living a month that feels like an eternity.
Unexpectedly, the two of them missed each other by a twist of fate.
...
On the other side of the Court of Justice, Jiang Tu pushed Shen Ruoshi out to take the blame again.
Shen Ruoshi was both angry and helpless, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out to greet her. He really couldn't understand why Princess Liu Shiyu, who was such a high-ranking princess, always came to the Court of Justice's residence when she had nothing else to do.
Despite not understanding, Shen Ruoshi still obediently brought the person to the Court of Justice.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects. May Your Highness be well." Shen Ruoshi clasped his hands in greeting, and Liu Shiyu waved his sleeve dismissively. Shen Ruoshi then asked, "May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?"
Liu Shiyu remained silent, only sitting down in the front hall with a sullen face.
Looking around, she finally asked, "Why are you the only one here? Where is everyone else?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoshi thought for a moment and replied, "The Minister of Justice went to the Censor-in-Chief to discuss matters, Lord Jiang is interrogating prisoners in the jail, and Supervisor Xu has taken leave to go on a blind date. Let me think of someone else."
Blind date? ???
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was greatly shocked. Perhaps she had misheard, so she asked again, "Who did you say took leave to go on a blind date?"
Shen Ruoshi answered again with certainty: "Xu Youjian."
The title of Xu Youjian landed steadily in Liu Shiyu's ears, and she was completely stunned and motionless.
That's just great. That fool Shen Ruoshi has really ruined Xu Luchuan's life.
Xu Luchuan never mentioned to him that he was going on a blind date. Xu Luchuan was just annoyed by Shen Ruoshi's questioning about what happened at the Xu family that day, so he casually mentioned Liu Qinglan.
Unexpectedly, he concluded that Xu Luchuan had taken the day off to go on a blind date.
Shen Ruoshi didn't notice Liu Shiyu's unusual behavior. He felt that as long as Liu Shiyu didn't cause trouble with his duties, he was fine with whatever he wanted. Seeing that Liu Shiyu seemed interested in this matter, he asked, "Does Your Highness know who the Right Supervisor Xu is?"
Liu Shiyu looked indifferently at Shen Ruoshi, who glanced around and lowered her voice, saying, "The most noble lady in Jinling, Liu Qinglan!"
"That's someone who lives on in legends. I really envy Supervisor Xu. Supervisor Xu is so lucky. But thinking about it, only someone as good-looking and from such a good family as Supervisor Xu could marry such a good match."
"May they receive divine protection at Qingyun Temple today and attain enlightenment."
Shen Ruoshi rambled on and on with great enthusiasm, and Liu Shiyu barely managed to listen to him while suppressing her anger.
Shen Ruoshi glanced down and saw Liu Shiyu's gloomy face, then quickly added, "Of course, no matter how noble a lady may be, she cannot compare to Your Highness's noble birth. By the way, Your Highness, you haven't said yet, the reason you've come here is..."
Before Shen Ruoshi could finish speaking, Liu Shiyu stood up, smoothing her skirt.
She was in a state of confusion and only said, "Since Bai Tao is not here, I will come another day," before hurriedly leaving. Shen Ruoshi was left alone, secretly rejoicing that she had escaped a calamity.
...
Outside the Court of Justice, Liu Shiyu strode across the gate.
She went in and out in less than a quarter of an hour, which greatly surprised Lian Yue. Just as she was about to ask a question, Liu Shiyu interrupted her again: "Lian Yue, return to the palace."
Lian Yue watched as Liu Shiyu boarded the carriage, seemingly with anger in her eyes.
But just as she was about to ride her horse toward the Wanshe Palace, Liu Shiyu changed her mind. A muffled voice came from behind the newly changed cotton curtains in early winter: "Wait."
Upon hearing the news, Lian Yue quickly reined in her horse and stopped, but her voice abruptly ceased. A silence followed. Her anxiety and unease were written all over her warm eyes.
She thought for a very long time before finally mustering the courage to speak: "Turn around and go to Qingyun Temple."
[Author's Note]
That idiot deserves a beating, I'll kick him first!
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