Chapter 56

Taoran Studio.

Shen Wei leaned against the soft couch by the window. After turning a page in the book, she started feeling a bit weary. She closed the book in her hands and placed it on the nearby table. Then, she stretched out her hand and lightly pressed her fingers to her forehead. Once the fatigue passed, she spoke, “What time is it?”

Standing nearby was Qiuhuan, who had gone out with her earlier. Hearing the question, she quickly set down her needlework and responded gently, “It’s already the second quarter of the Hai hour.”

Shen Wei remained silent for a moment, then glanced outside at the moonlight. After a while, she spoke again, “Go send someone to the outer courtyard to check if the Jin Wang has left.”

Qiuhuan, quick-witted, had already anticipated that Shen Wei, though not speaking it aloud, had been concerned about the activity in the outer courtyard. She had already sent someone to check, and upon hearing Shen Wei’s words, she quickly replied, “I sent someone earlier. Jin Wang hasn’t left yet.”

Shen Wei gave a slight nod in approval, feeling a growing fondness for Qiuhuan. Initially, she had focused on Shui Bi, but she had used the other maids as well, without putting much thought into them. Looking back now, she realized that the maids chosen by Mo Qi each had their own strengths. If Shui Bi proved unfit for use, she could train the others well. Shen Wei nodded and spoke gently, “You’re thoughtful.”

Qiuhuan, hearing the warmth in her voice, felt more encouraged and smiled. But when a thought crossed her mind, she spoke again, “However…”

She hesitated before continuing, glancing at Shen Wei, “The servant who reported back said the young master, the eldest son, seems to be quite drunk.”

Shen Wei furrowed her brows at this, and lightly tapped her fingers on the tea table, listening to the sound echo in the quiet room. After a moment, she spoke, “Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of sobering soup and send it to Wenyuan Pavilion.”

“Yes, Madam.”

—-

In the outer courtyard.

Zhao Zheng looked at Lu Qi Huai, who had already collapsed on the table, and threw the wine jug back onto the table. He glanced at the pile of wine jugs, his expression indifferent, but his voice tinged with mockery, “He’s nothing special. Compared to his father, he’s still far behind.”

As soon as he finished speaking—

Lu Qi Xuan smiled and complimented him warmly, “Your Highness, your grace and poise are unmatched. My cousin is naturally not as good.”

Zhao Zheng gave him a look. He had seen many people like Lu Qi Xuan. Though Lu Qi Xuan was more capable than the sons of the aristocratic families in Bianliang, he had many subordinates, and a young man without power or position didn’t deserve his attention.

No matter how many times Lu Qi Xuan had come to see him, Zhao Zheng had never bothered to reply.

However,…

He remembered something Lu Qi Xuan had said when he came to visit earlier, and it made him look at him differently. His subordinates only made him wait and endure, but now that his father had clearly sided with Zhao Xu, if he continued waiting and enduring, wouldn’t he just have to watch Zhao Xu take that position?

Would he have to bow down to Zhao Xu?

What had his years of effort been for?

Zhao Zheng, thinking this, patted Lu Qi Xuan’s shoulder and said, “You’re good. Starting tomorrow, you’ll follow me.”

Lu Qi Xuan immediately stood up, cupping his hands in a deep bow, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Zhao Zheng didn’t say anything more. He just waved his hand dismissively and, looking at Lu Qi Huai who was collapsed at the table, scoffed and stood to leave. As Zhao Zheng walked out, Lu Qi Xuan quickly followed, but as they were leaving, he took one last look at the shadow of Lu Qi Huai under the candlelight.

Seeing Lu Qi Huai drunk and incoherent, a mocking expression couldn’t be hidden in his eyes.

Lu Qi Huai was so proud, wasn’t he? But when he saw the Jin Wang, didn’t he have to bow his head and submit? In the future, when he followed the Jin Wang and became his trusted confidant, he would definitely compete with Lu Qi Huai for supremacy.

He would make everyone aware that the Lu family is not only about Lu Qi Huai.

Lu Qi Xuan thought of this and then restrained his thoughts, before speaking softly to the servant standing by his side, “Help my cousin back.” After speaking, he didn’t care about the person behind him and continued walking alongside Zhao Zheng towards the exit.

Once the two of them left, the servant hurried over to Lu Qi Huai.

The servant originally wanted to help him back to Wen Yuan Guan, but before he could touch Lu Qi Huai’s arm, Lu Qi Huai, who had been leaning over the desk, had already opened his eyes… Under the garden’s lights, his eyes were still clear, and his expression was the same as usual—there was no sign of drunkenness. The servant, seeing this, stammered, “Young Master, you…”

Lu Qi Huai glanced at him, causing the servant to lower his head, then spoke indifferently, “It’s fine, I’ll go back on my own.” After saying that, he brushed off the creases in his sleeve and stood up, walking towards the door.

His posture was straight, his steps calm, and he appeared completely sober without any attempt to hide it.

The servant, waiting until Lu Qi Huai had left, dared to look up. Watching his figure leave, he couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. These masters of the house were truly frightening, each one more intimidating than the last. For the servants like them, it was better to keep their mouths shut to avoid offending the masters.

Shaking his head, he went to collect the wine bottles.

—-

Wen Yuan Guan.

Lu Qi Huai stood by the window. It was almost June, and the evening breeze was warmer than usual. He stood with his hands behind his back, letting the warm breeze brush against his face, when he heard a whisper from behind: “Second Young Master Lu is becoming more and more reckless. Should I take care of him privately?”

“No need…”

“But…” The dark guard wanted to say more, but before he could finish, he heard Lu Qi Huai’s indifferent voice: “Sometimes, this may not be a bad thing.”

The dark guard didn’t understand, but since he was used to obeying orders, he didn’t speak further… When he retreated into the shadows, Chun Xi came from behind the curtain, reporting respectfully, “Young Master, Old Madam Wei is here to see you.”

Lu Qi Huai, hearing this, didn’t show any sign of change on his face but permitted her entry.

The curtain lifted, and shortly after, footsteps approached. Wei Mama, seeing that the young man was still standing by the window, paused for a moment. But just for a brief moment, she resumed walking. When she reached him, she bowed deeply, her voice respectful, “May you be at peace, Young Master.”

Lu Qi Huai heard the sound and turned around to see the elderly woman kneeling on the ground. He bent down and helped her up. His expression remained indifferent, but his tone softened a little, “Mama, please rise. You’ve done me a great favor; there’s no need for such formalities.”

Wei Mama allowed him to help her up. Hearing this, tears welled up in her eyes. She looked up at the young man, but the memory of her grandson made her lower her head quickly to wipe away the tears. Then she spoke again in a respectful tone: “You honor me too much, Young Master. It was their own choice. Your words of ‘great favor’ are too much for me.”

Once this was said, Wei Mama bowed again to him and continued, “Second Young Master has been behaving quite wildly lately. He is young and unaware of family matters. Please forgive him… The Old Madam asked me to inquire about your opinion. If you disapprove, she will think of a way to have the Second Young Master leave Bian Liang to avoid ruining the arrangements we’ve had for so many years.”

Lu Qi Huai listened to this, then smiled softly.

He withdrew his hand from helping Wei Mama and resumed standing with his hands behind his back by the window.

Though he smiled, there was no change in his expression. His gaze rested on the elderly woman standing before him for a moment before he spoke: “Is the Old Madam afraid I will take action against her two grandsons?” After saying this, he smiled again, “Mama, don’t worry. Ultimately, the Lu family has treated me with kindness. As long as there’s no major trouble, I will overlook things for the Old Madam and the Duke of Rong.”

“As for Lu Qi Xuan…”

When he mentioned this name, there was an unreadable look in his eyes as he continued, “Let him be. The Old Madam has already chased one grandson away. If she drives out another, the person in the palace will surely start to suspect.”

Wei Mama, hearing this, dared not speak further and hurriedly agreed. She was about to bow again and leave when Chun Xi’s voice came again from outside, “Young Master, the Madam has sent someone with some hangover soup for you. Would you like it brought in?”

At these words, Lu Qi Huai’s face broke into a rare smile.

He sat back down in his chair and instructed, “Bring it in.”

Soon, the curtain was raised, and in came Qiu Huan, holding a redwood tray. On the tray was a bowl of hangover soup. After giving her respects, she spoke politely, “The Madam knew you had drunk quite a bit earlier and specially ordered the kitchen to prepare hangover soup, asking me to bring it to you in time. Please drink it while it’s hot.”

Hearing this, Lu Qi Huai replied calmly, “I know. Put it down…”

Qiu Huan, who had been looking down since entering, was surprised by his tone, which showed no trace of drunkenness. The servant outside had said the Young Master was very drunk. As she placed the tray on the table, she was about to sneak a glance at him… But before she could do so, Wei Mama, who had been standing aside, coldly spoke, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Qiuhuan hadn’t expected that Wei Mama would be here as well.

Upon hearing the voice, her face turned pale. Wei Mama was someone close to the old madam, and if what she had done earlier reached the old madam’s ears, she might face a reprimand. At that point, it was likely that the madam wouldn’t protect her. Thinking of this, Qiuhuan couldn’t care less about whether the eldest son was drunk. After giving a respectful greeting to the officials, she quickly retreated.

After everyone had left—

Wei Mama then bowed to Lu Qi Huai and carefully spoke to him, “Please don’t be upset. This is a new servant who doesn’t know the rules.”

Lu Qi Huai simply responded, “It’s fine.”

Hearing that his tone hadn’t changed, Wei Mama breathed a sigh of relief. After another bow, she prepared to leave, but just as she was about to pull back the curtain, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Lu Qi Huai’s face. She saw him gazing at the detoxifying soup on the tray, his expression gentle, and even a smile in his eyes.

She froze, staring at the sight.

In all these years, she had never seen such an expression on his face.

When Lu Qi Huai heard the sound of footsteps stopping, he looked up again. Under the candlelight, his expression had returned to its usual calm and indifferent demeanor. Seeing the person in a daze, he spoke, “Is there something else, Mama?” His voice was as usual, but his expression had turned much colder than before.

Seeing his change, Wei Mama quickly composed herself. After a respectful bow, she withdrew and exited the room.

Once the curtain fell—

She turned towards the dim candlelight outside and thought about the expression on his face earlier. Was it just a trick of her eyes, or had it really been like that? If it was just her imagination, that would be fine. But if it was real… Wei Mama turned pale at the thought. She had seen this young man grow up and knew well what his temperament was like.

She didn’t know why, but she suddenly remembered what the old madam had said to her that day: “It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad to have this one remember you…”

—-

Time passed quickly, and soon it was June.

Shen Wei disliked the heat. Although there was ice in the room, nothing compared to modern air conditioning. Since the weather had turned hot, she rarely went outside except for the morning greetings to Old Madam Xie. Fortunately, the original owner had also disliked the heat, so it didn’t raise suspicion.

The windows were all closed, and the old curtains were replaced with bamboo ones, which helped reduce the heat a little.

At this moment, Shen Wei was reclining on a soft couch, reading a book, with a maid sitting nearby, fanning her. The ice on the table, being fanned, sent out a cool breeze. Since the day she used Qiuhuan, the three maids who had entered with Shui Bi that day took turns attending to her.

Interestingly, Shui Bi, who had always been with her before, no longer attended to her.

The maids in Taoranzhai could tell from this that their mistress had grown tired of Shui Bi. Though they weren’t sure what had happened, this was a good thing for them… Therefore, the servants in Taoranzhai had become more attentive to Shen Wei.

When Mo Qi entered with some chilled fruit, she noticed the maid standing by Shen Wei’s side. Her expression didn’t change, but her eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

She placed the fruit on the table, waved her hand, and dismissed the maid. Seeing that it was Mo Qi, the maid didn’t dare say anything more. Although both were senior maids, none of them had a relationship with their mistress like Mo Qi did. She placed down her fan and quietly left.

This small commotion did not escape Shen Wei’s notice, but she didn’t say anything. She turned another page of her book and then spoke, “Your wedding is approaching. These matters can be handled by others.”

Mo Qi’s smile deepened upon hearing this, “I’ve taken care of everything. Besides, except for the wedding dress, haven’t you arranged everything for me?” As she spoke, there was some helplessness in her voice. The mistress had been so generous to her that even her family often spoke of her with admiration, calling her “a Bodhisattva-hearted person,” saying she had followed a good master.

The preparations for her wedding were more elaborate than some daughters of minor officials. The mistress certainly wasn’t worried about her making things difficult.

Shen Wei closed the book and looked at her. Seeing the concern on her face, she said, “Alright, a wedding only happens once in a lifetime, so it should be well arranged. Besides, the money for it is all from my purse. Even if others say something, they can’t find fault with me.”

The dividends from the Jinjiang Tower had already come in…

The money used for Mo Qi’s wedding was all hers, and if it weren’t for maintaining the proper standards, she would have liked to organize an even grander celebration… It was the least she could do to reward Mo Qi for her devoted service over the past few months.

Upon hearing this, Mo Qi’s eyes unconsciously shimmered with tears. Fearing that others might notice, she quickly wiped them away. After composing herself, she said, “After I marry, should I return to serve you again? I can take care of the maids and handle the miscellaneous matters for you.”

“Others are eager to become idle ladies, but you’re different. You’re never idle…”

Shen Wei scolded her jokingly, then took her hand and patted it lightly. She said earnestly, “You have a long life ahead of you. Don’t spend all your time on me. I have enough people by my side now. Just enjoy your life as a rich wife… If you get bored, come visit me often, but don’t bring up the matter of serving me again.”

She added, “Your future husband is a good match for you. Now that he is with the eldest son, his prospects are bright. When he becomes an official in the future, you won’t still be working as a maid here, will you?”

Mo Qi listened to these words, not sure what to say in response. Eventually, she decided not to continue the topic. After fanning Shen Wei a few more times, thinking about the events of the past few days, she finally spoke again.

“Madam, has Shui Bi offended you in any way?”

She said this while carefully observing Shen Wei’s expression. Seeing that there was no noticeable change, she continued, “That girl is not bad. If she has truly upset you, I will make her apologize to you.”

“She’s been having a hard time in the household lately…”

When someone who was once favored suddenly loses that favor, those who had once envied her would naturally seize the opportunity to look down on her. Mo Qi thought about this and tentatively asked, “She’s outside now. Would you like to see her?”

Shen Wei listened carefully to each word, but her expression remained unchanged.

She reclined back on the pillow behind her and then looked at Mo Qi before replying, “Have her come in.”