Chapter 36

The candlelight in the tent had been replaced, and Doctor Zhang, who had gone out to have a meal earlier, had returned.

Seeing Shen Wei still sitting on the round stool, carefully wiping the sweat from Lu Qi Huai’s forehead with a cloth, Doctor Zhang couldn’t help but feel moved. The Lady of Rongguo was only in her early twenties, had lost her husband, and had no children. If her eldest son were to die as well, her future at the Duke’s residence would likely be difficult.

The dirty dealings within noble families were endless. From the actions of the second Lady of Lu, it was clear that if the eldest son of Lu were to pass away, the ones who would benefit would be them.

At that point—

How could the Lady of Rongguo still have her current peaceful days?

Thinking of this, Doctor Zhang couldn’t help but sigh. There were many matters within the noble families that he could not control, and there was nothing he could do about them. For now, all he could do was try his best to save the life of the eldest young master of the Lu family. Naturally, it wasn’t just because of them; his own neck was also tied to the life of the eldest young master.

“Lady…” Doctor Zhang respectfully called out to Shen Wei. Hearing her soft reply, he continued, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you rest for a while? I will keep watch here.”

After his words, Mo Qi, who was standing by the side, also began to persuade her, “Yes, Lady, you didn’t sleep well last night, and now you’ve been up for so long. It’s better to listen to Doctor Zhang and rest for a bit…” She added, “If you’re worried, I’ll stay here and keep watch, and I’ll report to you if anything happens.”

Shen Wei heard their words but remained silent. She just kept watching Lu Qi Huai under the candlelight.

It had been several hours since Lu Qi Huai had fainted. During these hours, Shen Wei had stayed by his side, speaking to him, but no matter what she said, there was no sign of him waking up. Thankfully, the good news was that his forehead wasn’t as hot as it had been earlier, and his pale complexion had warmed up a little. His lips were also starting to show some color.

She had Mo Qi change the water again, and after wiping him down once more, she finally spoke, “If I go back now, I won’t sleep soundly. It’s better to stay here…”

After speaking, she had Mo Qi bring some cotton and, after soaking it in water, began to apply it to Lu Qi Huai’s dry lips. Then, she added, “His fever has started to subside, and in a little while, he should be fine.”

If it were modern times, a saline drip or some fever-reducing medicine would have made it better in no time.

But in this ancient setting, the medical standards were far from ideal. Earlier, she had asked Mo Qi to use white wine to wipe Lu Qihuai’s chest and back. Now, although his fever had started to subside, it was still uncertain whether he would fully recover. All she could do was hope that his fever would break soon. Once the fever was gone, she wouldn’t need to worry so much.

The two of them, hearing the conversation, didn’t dare to stop and instead stayed to care for Lu Qihuai.

The wind outside howled fiercely, occasionally accompanied by the distant cries of wild birds, likely due to the chill of the night and the mountain setting. There was even wind seeping through the tent, causing the bright candlelight to flicker and dim. Mo Qi, fearing that someone might catch a chill, quickly stood up to adjust the curtain.

Time passed slowly, and by the time of the midnight hour, Lu Qihuai’s fever finally subsided.

The night outside had grown very late. Except for the soldiers on guard, most had likely gone to sleep. Shen Wei put down the handkerchief she had been holding tightly, then reached out to touch Lu Qihuai’s forehead again. She turned to Dr. Zhang, speaking in a hoarse voice, “Dr. Zhang, please come and take a look.”

Upon hearing this, she raised her hand, and Mo Qi quickly helped her sit up.

Shen Wei had been sitting for a long time without moving, causing her body to stiffen. She furrowed her brow, bracing herself on Mo Qi’s arm, and, to avoid drawing attention, stood up with difficulty. She positioned herself to one side and watched as Dr. Zhang examined Lu Qihuai.

Dr. Zhang had not been confident that Lu Qihuai would recover from the fever so quickly. Hearing Shen Wei’s words, he was momentarily stunned. After taking Lu Qihuai’s pulse again and conducting a thorough examination, he finally sighed in relief. Turning to Shen Wei, he bowed respectfully and said, “Young Master Lu’s fever has broken. He should wake up soon.”

He continued, “It is truly a miracle that he has recovered so quickly from such an injury. It is all thanks to Madam’s careful care.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei finally felt the weight lift from her heart.

The tension that had built up inside her now dissipated, but she also felt her body growing weak. Dr. Zhang noticed and asked, “Madam, are you alright?”

Though Mo Qi did not speak, her face showed concern.

Shen Wei noticed their worry and waved her hand in response. “I’m fine…” Her tone was calm, but there was a faint rasp in her voice.

Once she had said this, she added, “Since he’s no longer feverish, I’ll leave the rest to you, Dr. Zhang. If anything happens, please send someone to inform me.” She then glanced at Lu Qihuai. He still lay motionless, but his face had taken on a slight flush. Seeing this, she said no more and gently patted Mo Qi’s hand.

Mo Qi understood and helped Shen Wei to her feet as they left the room.

Dr. Zhang, seeing them leave, bowed deeply and respectfully saw them off.

At that moment, Lu Qihuai, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He turned his head slightly and watched Shen Wei leave. He noticed the unusual stiffness in her movements. His brows furrowed slightly. He had woken up some time ago but had wanted to see what Shen Wei would do.

He recalled the words she had spoken when he was unconscious and how her gentle hands had brushed over his forehead.

This woman…

Lu Qihuai’s eyes grew dark with a complicated expression, but as he had been seriously injured, his eyelids grew heavy, and soon he drifted back into unconsciousness.

As Shen Wei was about to step out from behind the screen, she suddenly stopped. Turning around, she glanced at the figure lying on the bed. There was still no movement from him, but for some reason, she felt as though someone had been watching her.

Mo Qi, noticing her pause, asked in a concerned voice, “Madam, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing…” Shen Wei quickly averted her gaze and turned to leave.

Outside, the moon hung high in the sky, and besides the soldiers on guard, there was no one else. Even the wild birds in the mountains seemed to be asleep, and everything in the world had quieted down. Shen Wei stopped for a moment, looked up at the crescent moon, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, finally releasing the pent-up tension inside her.

Mo Qi, noticing Shen Wei’s pause, said nothing.

She simply stood there with her, her gaze moving to the young woman by her side. She thought back to this time last year when Shen Wei’s face was still full of smiles, a sign of a carefree life, loved by her husband. But now?

In just a few months, Shen Wei had experienced so much.

Mo Qi observed the visible signs of exhaustion on her face, the tightness in her lips, and yet her brow was still smooth.

Mo Qi felt something stir in her heart. She couldn’t help but feel that, despite losing the support of the Duke, Shen Wei was growing stronger with each passing day. She now believed that even without his support, Shen Wei could walk her own path with confidence.

Shen Wei sensed Mo Qi’s gaze but didn’t open her eyes or speak.

She simply stood there, feeling the evening wind in the mountains. When the breeze touched her face and cleared the tension in her chest, she opened her eyes, her expression calm and composed. She then turned back to look at the camp one last time and said, “Let’s go.”

—-

The next morning, Lu Qihuai finally woke up. Zhao Zhun sent one of his attendants to check on him, and Zhao Wan and others also came to visit. Some were happy, while others, like the Wang family, were not pleased.

At this moment, inside a tent, Wang Shi sat on a circle chair, tightly gripping a handkerchief in her hands. Her exquisitely painted face revealed a trace of coldness… The maidservants who had been attending to her were long sent away, and without hesitation, she spoke in a low, harsh voice, “How is it that this little bastard has such good luck?”

Yesterday, in such a critical situation, he managed to escape danger and wake up.

The two brothers, Lu Qixuan and Lu Qiyang, sitting beside her, also looked uneasy. Hearing Wang Shi’s words, Lu Qiyang spoke first, “He still holds no power or influence now. We might as well send someone to deal with him directly. If he rises to power in the future, we might not be able to do anything about it.”

As soon as he finished speaking—

Wang Shi furrowed her brow and began to think deeply.

However, Lu Qixuan immediately disagreed with this approach. He had seen Lu Qihuai’s true appearance and knew that this man was not someone to be underestimated. Moreover, Lu Qihuai had become the emperor’s savior. Everyone in the court, from aristocratic families to officials, was watching him. If they acted now, and no one found out, it would be one thing, but if even the slightest clue was discovered, their entire family would be ruined.

He could not afford to have another unexpected situation like the one with the Huo family.

Lu Qihuai had to be dealt with, but not through such dangerous methods… This needed careful consideration.

Lu Qixuan thought of this and raised his head to speak to Wang Shi, “Father already reminded us many times to proceed with caution. We should discuss this matter more thoroughly.”

He brought up Lu Bujing’s name, and Wang Shi and Lu Qiyang fell silent. While they were discussing this, a voice came from outside the tent, carrying a faint fragrance, “Old Madam sent Miss Yi Nan to deliver a message. It’s time to return.”

According to tradition, everyone should have returned the previous day, but because of Lu Qihuai’s incident, they had stayed an extra day… Now that Lu Qihuai had awakened, there was no longer any reason to stay.

No matter how dissatisfied Wang Shi and her son felt, they did not dare to show it on their faces. The group first visited Lu Qihuai’s tent. Lu Qihuai, who had been injured in the arm, was now leaning on a soft couch. Besides the Lu family, Zhao Wan and her daughter were also present. Earlier, many others had visited, including the Crown Prince and Prince Jin.

Wang Shi first greeted Old Madam Xie and Zhao Wan before turning to look at Lu Qihuai, who was half-sitting. Her heart still felt uneasy, but she forced a smile and added a tone of surprise, “Xuan Yue, you’ve finally woken up. Yesterday, after what happened, you scared all of us.”

Lu Qixuan also cupped his hands and greeted, “Cousin, do you still have any problems now?”

Lu Qihuai, listening to their words, kept the usual gentle smile on his face. His voice was soft and calm, though slightly hoarse: “Thank you for your concern. I’m feeling much better now.” As he spoke, he coughed lightly.

Old Madam Xie quickly spoke up, “Enough, don’t exert yourself right after waking up.”

After a pause, she continued, “We were just worried. Yesterday, your mother stayed up the whole night looking after you.” Her words were not without ulterior motive; this person was destined for great things in the future. If she could always receive his protection, even if the lord of the Duke’s residence changed hands, she would still live smoothly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qihuai looked up and glanced at Shen Wei, who was standing not far away. She looked a little more tired than usual, likely having gone two nights without sleep. Her appearance had become a little thinner, but as she stood there, even though her beauty couldn’t compare to Huo Feiguang’s, she carried an undeniable presence.

He gazed at her, then softly spoke to others, “Thank you… mother.”

Shen Wei felt that Lu Qihuai’s gaze was different today. The intensity of it was overwhelming and hard to ignore. She didn’t like it, but she just frowned slightly and replied as usual, “It’s good that you’re fine.”

After a brief exchange, someone came in from outside to announce that everything was packed, and the carriage was ready. Seeing this, everyone stopped talking and began walking outside.

Lu Qihuai needed assistance to walk.

As soon as the Lu family appeared in front of everyone, many gazes turned to them. Unlike before, all the attention was on the young man in the dark robe… Some gazes were filled with admiration, others with curiosity, but no matter the reason, Lu Qihuai’s name had once again echoed through Bianliang City.

And this time—

He was no longer the powerless, ridiculed illegitimate son.

This young man had saved the emperor of Qingyun from a tiger’s mouth. From now on, anyone who had witnessed that day’s events would remember his heroic actions.

In the vast open space, no one spoke, only the wind in the mountains made the banners flutter.

Shen Wei also looked at Lu Qihuai, the young man in dark clothes standing quietly. His face was still the same as usual, as if the events of yesterday and the gaze of the crowd had not affected him… This young man, just like in the books, had taken his first step.

At this moment, the sun rose, and its golden light fell upon him, making it almost impossible to look directly at him.

Shen Wei felt disturbed by the sunlight and was about to lower her gaze when the young man passed through the crowd and looked at her… The wind was gentle, and birds called in the mountains. In this quiet space, the young man stood and looked at her. His eyes never left hers, as if he saw only her, and everyone else around them vanished.

Shen Wei felt her heart skip a beat at the intensity of his gaze.

She quickly turned her head and said, “Alright, let’s go…”

At Night..

In the largest palace of the imperial city of Qingyun, Zhao Zhun stood with his hands behind his back in front of a large open window. He gazed at the bright moon outside for a long while before softly asking, “What do you think?”

“The eldest son of the Lu family does resemble that person somewhat, but the age difference is too great. Last night, I also visited the camp. That person had no distinguishing marks…” The speaker was a government official dressed in crimson robes. With his head slightly lowered and a graceful posture, he was none other than the Prime Minister Yang Ji.

As the conversation paused—

He glanced at the figure standing with his back to him and added, “Some marks, once they exist, will leave traces. But that person has no such marks… Moreover, I’ve already sent someone to investigate privately. This person has lived in Wushui Alley since childhood, and the people there all know him, so I don’t think there’s any falsehood.”

These matters, Zhao Zhun had already sent people to investigate.

Therefore, he remained silent as he listened to these words… He simply continued to gaze at the crescent moon above and, with the evening wind, spoke calmly, “Bu Wei has followed me since he was young, and in all these years, he has never done anything to displease me… But this son of his, who has been hiding for so many years, is it really just to protect his wife?”

Hearing this, Yang Ji’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers curled slightly under his sleeves.

Still with his head half lowered, he said, “I don’t know the thoughts of the Duke of Rong, but I believe, given his loyalty to you, he would not commit any treasonous acts… After all, he personally carried out the disposal of that person back then.”

As Zhao Zhun listened to Yang Ji’s words, his expression remained unchanged. After a long while, he finally turned to face Yang Ji and, looking at him, spoke lightly, “Yes, Bu Wei has followed me since he was young, and has never deceived me… So, Yang Qing, what about you?”

“Have you ever deceived me?”