Chapter 52

Lu Qi Huai’s hand paused as he heard the voice. He hadn’t expected Shen Wei to wake up at this moment. Aside from a brief moment of surprise, he quickly returned to his previous demeanor, still looking down at Shen Wei. He did not withdraw his hand from her lips.

He continued to look at Shen Wei, neither avoiding nor backing down, wanting to see her reaction.

Shen Wei was indeed slightly dazed, not quite understanding the current situation. However, as she looked into those deep eyes above her and felt the pain in her head, she began to realize what was happening. She must be dreaming again, but this time, she was dreaming about Lu Qi Huai.

Although she didn’t understand why she would dream of Lu Qi Huai, she began to make sense of it.

Shen Wei gathered herself, though her eyes still showed some confusion as she looked at Lu Qi Huai. Her voice, too, was puzzled, “Why am I dreaming of you again?” As she spoke, she felt something unusual on her face and realized that Lu Qi Huai’s hand was still there. The coolness of his fingers made her uncomfortable, and their current closeness felt inappropriate.

Even in a dream, such closeness made her uncomfortable.

Feeling displeased, Shen Wei brushed his hand away and tried to sit up, intending to lean back on the pillow. However, she had drunk too much wine, and her movements were too quick and unsteady, almost causing her to hit her head on the tea table.

Fortunately, Lu Qi Huai quickly reached out to support her, preventing her from falling.

Even though it was a dream, and hitting her head wouldn’t actually hurt, Shen Wei’s aversion slightly lessened upon seeing Lu Qi Huai’s actions. She allowed him to hold her wrist and looked at him with a slightly dazed expression, muttering, “Thank you.”

Her drunken state made her less composed than usual. In the moonlight and candlelight, Shen Wei looked up at Lu Qi Huai with her head slightly tilted back. Her lips, still moist from drinking water, appeared lush and inviting, and her usually serene eyes held an uncharacteristic charm.

She gazed steadily at Lu Qi Huai without wavering.

Lu Qi Huai, observing Shen Wei’s current state, realized that she wasn’t fully awake. She probably thought this was all just a dream. Indeed, if it weren’t a dream, how could she believe that the son she had always thought so well of would visit her room in the middle of the night?

However, thinking about what Shen Wei had said earlier, could it be that she had also dreamt of him before?

Lu Qi Huai thought about this, not quite sure what to feel, but a rare ripple of emotion stirred within him. One hand held a teacup, while the other still gripped her wrist. He gazed at Shen Wei, his eyes unflinching, and even his voice carried a huskiness never before revealed in front of her: “Have you dreamt of me before?”

After saying this, he watched the confusion spread across Shen Wei’s face and let out a low chuckle. His laugh was deep and magnetic, almost enchanting in the night: “What did you dream about, hmm?”

Dream about him?

Shen Wei stared at Lu Qi Huai, momentarily unable to react.

She felt that the Lu Qi Huai in her dream tonight was different from the one she had seen before. However, when she tried to think carefully, her head began to ache. She pressed her temple with one hand and spoke irritably, “If I dreamt of you, wouldn’t you know what happened?”

When she first arrived in this strange world, she often dreamt of Lu Qi Huai.

She had dreamt of the humble Lu Qi Huai from the book who later ascended to the center of power. She feared day and night, worried that she might end up like her predecessor.

But if she thought about it carefully—

Since she had become more accustomed to this identity, she hadn’t dreamt of Lu Qi Huai again. Tonight, for some unknown reason, she did. Shen Wei thought of this and glanced at him again. But the more she looked at Lu Qi Huai, the more her head hurt, and even her vision began to blur.

The fruit wine indeed had a low alcohol content, but perhaps her original body was not good with alcohol. Even though it was just two pots, she was still somewhat intoxicated.

As Shen Wei looked at Lu Qi Huai, she could see several blurred images of him in the candlelight. She pressed her temple with one hand and spoke to the hazy figures: “Lu Qi Huai, why haven’t you left yet? You’re disturbing my rest.” After saying this, she could no longer resist the fatigue and leaned against his shoulder, half asleep.

Lu Qi Huai felt the weight on his shoulder and looked down to see Shen Wei closing her eyes again. His expression softened.

He said nothing, just gently brushed her hair away from her forehead. When her calm face reappeared in front of him, he finally spoke softly: “Who exactly are you?” His voice was light, especially with the night wind outside making it barely audible.

Shen Wei, who had already fallen asleep, naturally did not answer him, nor did Lu Qi Huai expect her to.

He just looked at her, the candlelight and moonlight casting shadows on her face. He wasn’t sure why he had come over tonight, or why he had acted the way he did earlier. Having lost his parents at a young age, his temperament was unlike that of ordinary people.

Yet today, when he heard Shui Bi mention an old acquaintance and unusual behavior, he felt an uncontrollable gloom.

Especially when he saw her intoxicated state.

Before today, he had never seen another expression on her face. But now, she was drunk because of another man? Was she not worried that others would notice her odd behavior, or had she disregarded everything for that so-called old acquaintance?

Thinking of this, Lu Qi Huai’s eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on her wrist.

Even though Shen Wei was already asleep, she winced in pain, causing him to loosen his grip. After closing his eyes to dispel the deep thoughts, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed.

After placing Shen Wei on the bed, he lingered for a while before turning to leave.

By now, it was deep into the night—

Shui Bi, unsure of how long she had been kneeling, heard footsteps from inside and quickly looked up. Seeing Lu Qi Huai exit, she lowered her voice and softly called out, “Master.”

Lu Qi Huai glanced at her, noticing her pale face from kneeling too long. His expression remained unchanged. He looked down at her, his voice cold: “If there is a next time, you know the consequences.”

Shui Bi knew the consequences. If others found out about the master’s earlier actions, who knew what kind of turmoil it would cause.

But thinking about the master’s previous actions and the tenderness he showed towards that woman, could it be that the master… She had followed him for many years and had never seen such gentleness from him, especially towards a woman. Realizing this was like uncovering a great secret.

She didn’t dare to think further and held her breath.

Lu Qi Huai looked at her but said nothing more. He knew what she was thinking and her surprise. Even he couldn’t explain his actions, let alone others. He looked back at the room, where the candlelight illuminated the sleeping woman.

He watched for a while before dropping the curtain and said, “Go in and serve her.”

After that, he left without another word. Shui Bi, supporting herself on a pillar, stood up and looked at his retreating figure before lifting the curtain to look inside. The room was dimly lit, and the woman on the bed lay still… She bit her lip, her usually steady heart now chaotic.

—-

The next day, when Shen Wei woke up, it was already the time of the Chen hour.

Most likely because of the alcohol last night, Shen Wei woke up with a terrible headache and an incredibly dry throat. She felt a bit embarrassed about her behavior last night, thankful that no one saw her. If anyone had, who knows what kind of trouble it might have caused.

Thinking about it made her headache worse.

Shen Wei decided to stop overthinking. She pressed her fingers gently against her temples, and once the discomfort eased slightly, she called out hoarsely, “Someone, come.”

As soon as she spoke, someone lifted the curtain and entered.

Hearing the footsteps, Shen Wei half-sat up. When the green curtain in front of the bed was lifted, she saw Mo Qi.

Mo Qi noticed that although Shen Wei still had dark circles under her eyes, she looked much better than the day before. Her worried expression softened a bit. While she tied the bed curtain to the gold hook, she handed Shen Wei an outer robe and spoke with concern, “Madam, you really scared me last night…” She poured a cup of warm water and continued, “Do you feel better now? Is your head still hurting? Should I call the doctor?”

Shen Wei, feeling the dryness in her throat, took the teacup and drank the warm water. Once her throat was moistened, she responded gently, “I’m fine now. Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

With that, she glanced outside. The sun was already high in the sky, long past the time for morning greetings.

Mo Qi, aware of her concerns, said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already sent someone to Da Sheng Zhai to inform them that you’re feeling unwell today. The Old Madam specifically instructed you to rest well.”

Hearing this, Shen Wei felt a bit relieved. She put the teacup aside and reached out to Mo Qi. But before she could get out of bed, she heard a gasp.

Hearing the gasp, Shen Wei was about to ask, “What happened?” But before she could speak, Mo Qi had grabbed her hand, frowning, “Madam, why does this look worse than yesterday?” When she had served the Madam last night, she had noticed marks on her hand, which the Madam explained were from being helped up after a fall by the young master.

At that time, Mo Qi had blamed the young master for being careless despite his usual attentiveness. How could he be so rough with someone as delicate as the Madam?

But now, the marks on her wrist looked even worse…

Hearing Mo Qi’s words, Shen Wei looked at her wrist. The dark marks indeed seemed deeper than last night. Could she have made them herself in her drunken state?

As she pondered this, fragments of last night’s dream flashed through her mind.

She had dreamt of Li Qi Huai before, but always as an observer. Last night, however, they were very close, even intimate. She remembered Li Qi Huai’s cold fingertips wiping the water from her lips, and his soft laughter near her ear, “You’ve dreamt of me before. What did you dream about?”

She could even vividly recall his expression and tone when he said that.

Could it be that last night wasn’t a dream? As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. How could she be so confused? Given their status, Li Qi Huai would never do such a thing.

Gathering her thoughts, she casually withdrew her hand from Mo Qi and said lightly, “It’s nothing serious. It just looks scary. Apply some pearl ointment, and it will be fine.”

Mo Qi, hearing this, didn’t press further but internally blamed Li Qi Huai.

—-

Due to her illness, Shen Wei stayed home today. After seeing a few managers and giving some instructions, she took an afternoon nap. She usually napped for just half an hour or so, but perhaps because she didn’t sleep well last night, she slept longer today, waking up to a dim sky.

This time, she felt much better than in the morning.

She sat up and was about to call for someone when Shui Bi entered after lifting the curtain. Seeing her enter, Shen Wei didn’t say much, just put on her outer robe and asked, “What time is it?”

“Just past Shen hour (3-5 PM) —” Shui Bi replied as she bowed and then poured another cup of warm water. “During midday, Miss Yi Nan from the Old Madam’s place came to see you. Knowing you were resting, she didn’t disturb you.” After saying this, she noticed Shen Wei drinking tea and added, “Last night, Mo Qi wondered if something happened when you were out?”

Seeing Shen Wei tighten her grip on the teacup, she continued softly, “I said you were thinking of the Duke, but I always worry that driver Li might cause trouble.”

Hearing this, Shen Wei relaxed her grip. After finishing the warm water, she said, “As long as I’m in charge of the household, as the Duchess of the Duke’s household, he knows what to say and what not to say.”

After speaking, she set the teacup aside, glanced at the marks on her hand, and asked tentatively, “Were you by my side last night?”

Shui Bi’s hand paused for a moment before she resumed her usual expression and replied softly, “When I returned, you were already drunk. After helping you wash up, I slept on the floor in your room…” While speaking, she helped Shen Wei up and then asked with some concern, “Is something wrong?”

Shen Wei listened to Shui Bi’s words but didn’t respond.

Her gaze swept over Shui Bi’s eyes, noticing her usual expression before she spoke lightly, “It’s nothing.” With that, she allowed herself to be helped up, but noticing Shui Bi’s slower than usual steps, she frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with your leg?”

Hearing this, Shui Bi glanced at her leg. Last night, she had knelt for a long time, injuring her knee. She thought she had concealed it well enough that no one would notice, but she hadn’t expected the Duchess of Rongguo to see through it immediately.

Thinking about this, she recalled the events of last night and, fearing Shen Wei might suspect something, she replied, “This slave has an old ailment…” Beyond that, she said nothing more.

Shen Wei naturally sensed something was off with Shui Bi, but seeing her like this, she didn’t say anything. However, her feelings towards her cooled a bit—

She did intend to truly bring Shui Bi into her service, but Shui Bi’s recent actions had made her wary. She observed coldly, realizing that Shui Bi’s ambitions were large. Perhaps to Shui Bi, Shen Wei was just a temporary shelter, and when her previous master called her back, she wouldn’t hesitate to leave.

Thinking this, Shen Wei felt a chill.

She could tolerate her people being less clever but not disloyal. If Shui Bi continued like this, she would have to reconsider her arrangements for her.