Chapter 11

Wen Yuan Hall was located at a remote corner of the outer courtyard, with a river flowing in front. On the riverbank, there was a row of weeping willows. However, it was not yet the season for them, and from a distance, the trees appeared bare, giving off a desolate feel. The weather in the first month was always like this—one moment, the sun was shining brightly, and the next, the sky would turn overcast.

As the cold wind hit her, Shen Wei tightened her grip inside her rabbit fur hand muff.

Mo Qi, noticing her frown and sensing that she was cold, adjusted his position slightly to shield her from the wind. He spoke, “Why go through the trouble of coming all the way here? The weather is still cold, and you’re not fully recovered. You’ll start coughing again if you stay out too long.”

“Staying in the house all the time is also quite suffocating…” Shen Wei replied, her previous words followed by, “Besides, he’s sick now. As his mother, I should go see him.”

Naturally, her visit today wasn’t just to fulfill a mother’s duty.

Upon hearing this, Mo Qi did not insist further and remained silent, continuing to support her as they walked. After about a quarter of an hour, they arrived at Wen Yuan Hall. She had originally planned to have the servants announce their arrival, but as she looked around, there wasn’t a soul in sight. However, as they entered, a young maid dressed in light yellow appeared from the corridor.

This maid was the one Shen Wei had chosen, named Chun Xi.

Chun Xi was holding a tray with a medicinal bowl on it, still steaming. Upon seeing Shen Wei, she was startled. She quickly walked over, curtsied, and respectfully greeted, “Madam, may you be well.”

Shen Wei nodded lightly in response.

She first surveyed the courtyard before asking, “Where is everyone?”

“The young master does not usually allow them to attend to him, and given the cold weather, he had them leave once their tasks were done…” Chun Xi paused for a moment before continuing in a lowered voice, “Even I rarely attend to the young master personally.”

As soon as Chun Xi finished speaking, Mo Qi furrowed her brows and retorted, “How can this be? The young master holds an important position, and you’re not attending to him? Are you expecting him to do everything himself?” Her face darkened as she continued, “If the young master keeps acting this way, one day, he will spoil those beneath him.”

“You, too,” Mo Qi added sharply, “You are Madam’s personally selected maid, sent to properly serve the young master. If the young master doesn’t understand, don’t you understand either?”

Though her voice was low, her tone was harsh.

Chun Xi, hearing this, dared not reply. She remained kneeling, head lowered, and accepted the scolding.

“Enough—” Shen Wei looked at the embroidered brocade curtain in front of her, the landscape of mountains and rivers embroidered so vividly that it almost seemed real. As she spoke, her tone remained calm, “He’s not a three-year-old child, does someone really need to follow him around all the time?”

“Though I chose you, now that you’re here to serve the young master, he is your only master… Whatever he asks you to do, you do.”

Thus, Chun Xi was to follow Lu Qi Huai’s orders.

Chun Xi was momentarily stunned. When she had first come to Wen Yuan Hall, she had a vague feeling that the madam wanted her to keep an eye on the young master. She had not expected Madam to say such things now. Moreover, the calm tone of her speech made it clear there was no pretense. Although Chun Xi was smart, she hesitated for a moment before quietly replying, “Yes.”

Mo Qi had intended to say more but, seeing Shen Wei’s expression, decided against it.

She felt something was odd. Since Madam had awakened, though she spoke less, her presence had grown much stronger. Sometimes, even a casual glance from her could make Mo Qi immediately fall silent.

Shen Wei saw that they had stopped talking, so she said no more. She pulled her hand out of the rabbit fur hand warmer and handed it to Mo Qi, then spoke to Chunxi in a calm tone, “Give me the medicine, and you all wait outside.”

“Madam…”

Chunxi looked up at Shen Wei. She opened her mouth, her face showing unmasked hesitation, but when she saw Shen Wei’s expression, she closed her mouth. She responded softly, then stood up to pass the tray to someone and lifted the curtain to let the person in.

With the curtain rising and falling—

Shen Wei walked into the room, holding the tray. The further she went in, the more her brows furrowed… It was even colder inside than outside. After walking a few more steps, she heard a faint cough, followed by a hoarse murmur: “Just leave the medicine outside.”

Shen Wei heard this but didn’t respond. She continued walking in.

The room in the Wen Yuan Pavilion was not particularly lavish, but it had been carefully arranged. From the calligraphy and paintings on the walls to the furniture, everything was of fine quality… When she reached the innermost curtain, she saw Lu Qi Huai, dressed in inner garments, half-lying on the bed.

Since he was in the room, Lu Qi Huai hadn’t tied his hair up, letting his black hair cascade down his back, giving him an indescribable charm. At the moment, he was holding his hand to his mouth, half-bent over as he coughed quietly. Perhaps the coughing was severe, as even his eyes seemed to shimmer with tears.

At first, Lu Qi Huai had not noticed, but after coughing for a while, he heard footsteps getting closer. He frowned and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to come in?”

As soon as he said this—

Lu Qi Huai looked up at the person entering and froze when he saw it was Shen Wei. After a long pause, he muttered, “Mother?”

Once he spoke, he saw that she was holding the medicinal soup, and quickly lifted the blanket to sit up. However, still ill, he moved too quickly and felt dizzy, stumbling a little. When he regained his balance, he was about to bow to her, but before he could, Shen Wei spoke first, “Enough, you’re still sick. There’s no need to observe these formalities.”

After saying this, Shen Wei noticed that he was still barefoot on the cold floor and frowned. She placed the medicine on the table and added, “Go lie down.”

Lu Qi Huai hesitated for a moment after hearing her.

Seeing his hesitation, Shen Wei raised an eyebrow and said, “What? Do you want me to come over and help you?”

“No, no…”

Lu Qi Huai’s previously pale face flushed slightly at her words, looking bashful and innocent. After finishing his sentence, he added in a soft voice, “It’s just that I’m disheveled, and I might appear rude to you. Besides, how could I still lie in bed with you here?”

As he spoke—

Shen Wei remained silent, simply watching him. As time passed, Lu Qi Huai’s voice grew quieter, and under her unwavering gaze, he finally lowered his head and returned to the bed. But even sitting on the bed, his body was stiff, and he looked visibly uncomfortable.

Shen Wei couldn’t be bothered to respond to his show of restraint.

She moved a small stool to the bed and sat down. Then, she handed him the medicinal soup with a calm tone, “Drink it while it’s hot.”

Lu Qi Huai finally reached out and carefully took the medicine, drinking it in a few gulps. After finishing, he placed the bowl back on the tray.

His actions, though quick, caused Shen Wei to pause. She glanced at the tray and noticed that the bowl was completely clean, without a single trace of residue.

Shen Wei, accustomed to using traditional medicine due to her health issues in her past life, could tell that the medicine contained some Huang Lian (Coptis), a bitter herb. She hadn’t expected him to…

She lifted her eyes to look at him and saw Lu Qi Huai frowning, his face filled with discomfort.

Seeing this, Shen Wei said nothing. Instead, she noticed the candied fruit on the table, stood up, and took a piece, handing it to him.

Lu Qi Huai stared at the piece of candied fruit for a moment, then turned his head to look at Shen Wei. Before he could speak, she said softly, “Since you don’t like the bitterness, why force yourself? The candied fruit is sweet and sour, just right to clear the bitterness in your mouth. Eat it.”

Lu Qi Huai smiled at her words, his face brightening. He accepted the candied fruit and murmured, “Mother is so kind to me.” His smile was charming, warm, and refreshing, especially his eyes, which seemed to glisten with a light that could captivate anyone.

This look was no wonder that in the future, many noble ladies in Bianliang would be drawn to him.

Shen Wei couldn’t help but think to herself.

It’s a pity that the person before her was a heart as dark as black sesame paste. Don’t be fooled by his innocent appearance now—if one could see his true heart, it would be as dark as night. Shen Wei considered herself experienced in reading people, but she could never quite figure out Lu Qi Huai’s mind… This young man concealed his thoughts so deeply that even she couldn’t tell whether he was truly innocent or just pretending.

But she had no interest in probing his thoughts.

She just wanted to avoid making the same mistakes as her predecessor. She wanted to live well in this unfamiliar world. As for what Lu Qi Huai chose to do, it was none of her concern.

With this in mind, she remembered the coldness she felt when she entered the room and asked, “You’re still sick, why haven’t you lit the kang stove?”

“I’m used to the cold bedding. If I light the kang stove, I’d feel uncomfortable…” Lu Qi Huai said, and noticing Shen Wei’s fingers turning pale and her lips losing their usual color, he quickly added, “But if you feel cold, I’ll have someone light it immediately.”

“No need,” Shen Wei shook her head, “I was just checking on you. Now that you’re fine, I should be leaving.” With that, she didn’t say anything more and stood up.

Lu Qi Huai intended to get up to see her off when he noticed that Shen Wei was already speaking: “Alright, you’ve just taken your medicine. You should sleep well now, don’t let yourself catch a cold again, or it will worsen your condition.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qi Huai did not insist. Instead, he said to her, “It’s cold outside. Mother, remember to drink a bowl of ginger soup when you go back.” Once Shen Wei responded and left through the cloth curtain, his previously stiff and tense body relaxed. He leaned back against the pillow, lightly closing his eyes, and as the sound of her footsteps faded, his long fingers casually played with the candied fruit Shen Wei had handed him earlier.

The cold wind swept through the window—

Lu Qi Huai spoke quietly, “What kind of person is the wife of the Marquis of Rong?”

As soon as he spoke, a voice from the shadows replied softly, “According to previous intelligence, the wife of the Marquis of Rong does not have much ability. If it weren’t for Lu Buwei looking after her, this woman would hardly be fit to be a wife of the clan. However…” The shadow hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Recently, her actions have been different from before.”

Lu Qi Huai did not respond, continuing to idly play with the candied fruit in his hand.

The shadow waited for a while without hearing a response, then cautiously asked, “Should I investigate further?”

Hearing this, Lu Qi Huai paused the movement of his fingers on the candied fruit. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The warmth that had been present in his gaze when facing Shen Wei was now replaced with an icy coldness. He looked down at the candied fruit in his hand, his eyes dark and deep like an ancient well. After gathering the fruit in his palm, he spoke, “Not for now.”