Chapter 8

Evening.

Lu BuWei had just finished his court duties when An Xiang, who had been waiting for him outside, escorted him to the West Courtyard.

Though he felt a sense of irritation, he said nothing and proceeded towards the Baofu Study where Lady Wang resided.

The night in early January descended particularly early. It was only the hour of You (between 5-7 PM), yet darkness had already fallen. Both inside and outside Baofu Study, candles were lit. The large red lanterns hanging under the porch swayed gently in the wind, casting an ambiguous light. The maid at the door greeted him respectfully and lifted the curtain to let him in.

Without pausing, Lu BuWei walked into the house.

Once inside, he let An Xiang help him remove his cloak and handed her his black gauze hat. Only then did he notice Lady Wang, sitting in a chair and wiping away tears.

Seeing her like this, Lu BuWei frowned.

He said nothing and walked over to her. Sitting down beside her, he offered no words of comfort.

Lady Wang, seeing his silence, began to cry louder. The quiet night magnified the sound of her sobbing, with nothing else in the room but her weeping. An Xiang, after arranging the cloak and hat, poured Lu BuWei a cup of hot tea and then quietly retreated.

Once they were alone—

Lu BuWei held the teacup, took two sips, and then spoke calmly, “What happened?” His voice, though warm, was devoid of emotion, and his expression remained unchanged.

Lady Wang had expected Lu BuWei to comfort her upon seeing her like this. After waiting for a long time, she received only this bland question. Feeling both ashamed and angry, she still maintained a look of grievance. Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, she turned to look at Lu BuWei.

Lu BuWei was now thirty-three, with a square jaw and clear eyes, at the peak of his attractiveness.

Having just returned from court, he was still dressed in his official robes. The peacock embroidered on his third-rank crimson robe seemed almost lifelike in the candlelight. Seeing him like this, Lady Wang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration. She had married Lu BuWei because of such a fleeting glimpse.

Unexpectedly, he was even more captivating now than he was back then.

Lu Bu Wei noticed the gaze from Mrs. Wang. His sharp eyebrows furrowed slightly as he set down his tea cup and said, “If you have nothing else, I’ll return to my study.”

Mrs. Wang snapped out of her reverie at his words, feeling annoyed. Did this man now despise her so much? If it weren’t for necessary matters, he rarely set foot in her courtyard. Even when he did come, he only stayed briefly. If she didn’t know he spent his days either at court or in his study handling affairs, she might think Lu Bu Wei had kept a mistress outside, just like Lu Bu Wei.

Despite her discomfort, she knew she had to say what needed to be said.

Softening her tone, Mrs. Wang spoke, “Today, our sister-in-law punished Qi Xuan and Qi Yan. They’re so young; how could she bear it?”

“Punishing Qi Xuan is one thing, but Qi Yan knelt in the ancestral hall for three hours. When he got up, he couldn’t even walk a few steps and had to be carried back to his room.” The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, she continued, “You must stand up for them, my lord.”

Lu Bu Wei frowned further upon hearing this. “Sister-in-law has never dealt with anyone in such a manner before…” Seeing Mrs. Wang’s fleeting expression, he already had his answer. His face darkened, and his tone grew harsher, “If Qi Xuan and Qi Yan hadn’t done something wrong, why would she punish them for no reason?”

Standing up, he reprimanded, “Instead of disciplining them properly, you come here to twist the truth?”

Mrs. Wang’s face stiffened at his harsh words.

Clutching her handkerchief tightly, she dared not mention it again, but she still continued, “Punishing the children might not be a big deal, but think about our sister-in-law and mother’s attitudes today. The position of our Duke is still vacant.”

Hearing her last words, Lu Bu Wei’s expression changed, and his steps halted. He looked down at Mrs. Wang, frowning, and finally asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Seeing him stop, Mrs. Wang felt a bit relieved and went on, “Our elder brother’s branch only has one male heir left, and our sister-in-law is so biased towards that illegitimate son.”

She spoke softly, stealing glances at Lu Bu Wei, and continued, “You know our mother. She has always favored our elder brother and sister-in-law. Although no illegitimate son has ever taken charge in our Lu family, who’s to say the old lady won’t request an edict from His Majesty?”

After saying this—

Although Lu Bu Wei remained silent, seeing him return to his seat, Mrs. Wang put down her handkerchief and poured him another cup of tea.

Then, she softened her tone again, “Our family only has a few proper masters. The third house’s son is ill…” Seeing Lu Bu Wei’s darkening face, she quickly corrected herself, “Third Brother may be a legitimate son, but his health has always been poor.”

“Even if the position isn’t yours, it shouldn’t go to that illegitimate son from the East Courtyard. Our Qi Xuan has a good reputation.”

All these years—

She had put in so much effort to raise Qi Xuan, all for the hope that one day she could rise by virtue of her son.

“My lord…”

Looking at Lu Bu Wei, who was silent in the candlelight, Mrs. Wang added, “It was one thing when our elder brother held that position, but to let us be at the mercy of that illegitimate son in the future—how would you save face? And what about Qi Xuan and Qi Yan? Because of this illegitimate son, we’ve been subjected to much gossip. Even those noble ladies are sending us fewer invitations.”

Listening to her, Lu Bu Wei finally spoke, “How old is Qi Xuan now?” He picked up the tea cup again but didn’t drink, simply tracing the patterns as he continued, “Besides, with elder brother just gone, mother wouldn’t have the heart to request an edict from His Majesty.”

He paused, then added, “You needn’t mention this again. With elder brother just passed, mother is grieving. Spend your time keeping her company and stop scheming.” With that, he set down the tea cup and walked out.

This time, Mrs. Wang didn’t stop him.

After a while, An xiang lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing Mrs. Wang seated, she softly said, “Madam, Second Master seemed upset. You should avoid such topics in the future. After all, he was raised by the old lady.”

Mrs. Wang looked up at her.

In the dim candlelight, a half-smile appeared on her face, “Separated by a belly, separated by a heart. What do you understand?”

Would her husband truly be content to be under an illegitimate son?

—-

A few days later.

Shen Wei got up early. As Moqi finished grooming her and was about to call for breakfast, she said, “No need to prepare breakfast. I’m going to greet mother.”

Due to the cold weather, Old Lady Xie had long canceled the morning greeting routine. Since her recovery, Shen Wei rarely visited her at Dacheng Hall. Hearing this, Moqi was momentarily stunned but quickly smiled and complied, “Yes.”

She hurriedly fetched a cloak for Shen Wei, then replaced the coals in the hand warmer.

Once everything was ready—

Moqi helped Shen Wei walk towards Dacheng Hall.

It was still early, and apart from the servants sweeping the courtyard, there were few people around. Seeing Shen Wei pass, they respectfully greeted her.

Shen Wei did not speak on the way and just as she arrived at Dacheng Zhai, she encountered Yi Nan.

Yi Nan was carrying water for washing and was momentarily taken aback when she saw Shen Wei. She handed the basin of water to the maid behind her and then approached Shen Wei. When she got closer, Yi Nan respectfully greeted her and said, “It’s still early in the morning, what brings you here?”

“It’s been a while since I paid my respects to Mother…” After saying this, Shen Wei glanced at the row of servants and then asked, “Is Mother awake?”

“Yes, she is…”

Yi Nan smiled as she led Shen Wei inside, speaking softly, “The Old Madam will surely be delighted to see you.”

Shen Wei just smiled in response.

—-

Old Madam Xie was being assisted in dressing when she heard the commotion outside. Before she could say anything, Yi Nan entered, supporting Shen Wei. Old Madam Xie was momentarily surprised, then softly said to Shen Wei, “Suishui, you’re early today.”

Hearing this, Shen Wei smiled and greeted Old Madam Xie, then said with a smile, “I missed you, and also the breakfast from your small kitchen. So I took advantage of the good weather to come early and pay my respects to you, and also to get a bite to eat.” After saying this, she handed the hand warmer to the maid beside her, and after taking off her cloak, she went forward to help Old Madam Xie walk towards the bronze mirror.

Old Madam Xie laughed and tapped her on the forehead, half scolding, “You little rascal, you just recently took my pastry cook, and now you’ve set your eyes on my breakfast chef. At this rate, everyone from my small kitchen will end up at your Tao Ran Zhai.”

Though she said this, she still instructed the maid beside her, “The First Madam likes crystal dumplings and eight-treasure porridge, have the small kitchen prepare an extra portion for breakfast.”

After the maid left, Shen Wei smiled and said, “Mother, you are always so kind to me.”

With Shen Wei’s arrival, the previously cold atmosphere warmed up considerably. She took the towel Yi Nan handed her and personally assisted Old Madam Xie with washing up. While doing so, she noticed the ruyi on the duobaoge shelf and casually mentioned, “My husband knew you liked ruyi, so he had a jade ruyi specially made for you, using the same material as the Guanyin in your Buddha Hall. I saw it had been delivered to the manor a few days ago when I went to the accounts office.”

She paused slightly before lowering her voice, “Originally, my husband and I planned to present it to you together, but now—”

Hearing this, Old Madam Xie felt a bit sorrowful. She turned to see Shen Wei with reddened eyes and sighed, gently patting her hand, “Everyone has their destiny, it cannot be forced. Now that Bu Wei is gone, you must live well. If he knew you were sad, he wouldn’t be at peace even in heaven.”

Shen Wei nodded at this, wiping her tears with the towel and forcing a smile. Seeing Old Madam Xie’s expression turn somber, she said, “I’m sorry for making you sad.”

Old Madam Xie shook her head and patted her hand again. To prevent further sorrow, she instructed Yi Nan, “Since the jade ruyi is already in the manor, go to the accounts office and fetch it.”

Yi Nan immediately complied and left after making a respectful bow.

—-

When Yi Nan returned…

Shen Wei had just finished breakfast with Old Madam Xie and they were about to go for a walk outside. Seeing Yi Nan come back empty-handed and with a troubled expression, Shen Wei asked, “What’s wrong? Where is the jade ruyi?”

Old Madam Xie, hearing this, also looked over.

Yi Nan, with a troubled expression, lowered her head and replied, “The jade ruyi was taken by the Second Madam.”

Author’s Note: Now, passing the microphone to our Sister Shen—

Please, begin your performance.