Chapter 39

Before returning, Lu Minghua had imagined many scenarios.

For example, Madam Qin’s weary expressions and words, Lu Chengsong’s annoying schemes, and Lu Mingxi’s flaunting. But she never expected—

“Minghua, this is my good friend’s child, Bai Jiayou. Jiayou, this is my niece, Minghua.” After returning to the mansion, Lu Minghua first went to see Lu Chengwen. As she was in the courtyard, she saw him coming out with a slender man dressed in a blue robe, exuding scholarly air.

She hesitated, and Lu Chengwen saw her, smiling and waving her over, then said these words.

“Mr. Bai.”

“Miss Lu.”

The two stepped forward to greet each other. When Lu Minghua looked up, she saw Bai Jiayou’s face slightly red, his eyes avoiding hers, showing a somewhat shy nature.

She suddenly thought of someone’s carefree smile and gently withdrew her gaze.

Lu Chengwen watched this scene with a smile, seeing Bai Jiayou’s expression, feeling even more satisfied.

With Minghua’s demeanor and appearance, he thought, as long as the person wasn’t as blind as Wei Yuntai, who wouldn’t like her?

“Minghua, you’ve had a long journey. Rest for a while. After I see Jiayou off, tell me in detail how you’ve been these days,” Lu Chengwen instructed.

“I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Uncle. Please go back. I’ll follow the servants,” Bai Jiayou said quickly, glancing at Lu Minghua and then quickly looking away. He knew his father’s and this uncle’s decision, but he didn’t expect Miss Lu to have such a good character.

“No problem, no problem. It’s rare for you to come. Let’s go,” Lu Chengwen said happily, taking the lead.

Bai Jiayou quickly followed, but when they turned the corner, he couldn’t help but look back, only to see her slender figure. The gentle and smiling expression of the beauty lingered in his mind, making him reluctant to leave.

After seeing him off, Lu Chengwen returned to see Lu Minghua.

“Minghua, what do you think of Jiayou?” he asked directly, without any pretense.

“Thank you for your efforts, Uncle,” Lu Minghua said, feeling helpless.

She really had no intention of getting married, but Lu Chengwen’s careful arrangements were all for her sake.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Chengwen said indifferently, staring at Lu Minghua. “Jiayou is quite talented. He will surely pass the autumn exam and become a scholar. He is also honest and sincere, a good match. Don’t rush to refuse. Think about it.”

“Uncle, I really have no intention of getting married,” Lu Minghua reiterated.

“I’m not asking you to marry now. Jiayou’s elder recently passed away, and he has to observe mourning for a year. During this time, you can get to know each other. If it’s not suitable, I won’t force you,” Lu Chengwen said thoughtfully. Although he was satisfied, everyone had their preferences, and Minghua might not like him. He advised her this way because he saw that Lu Minghua had no intention of remarrying and feared she might waste her youth. After all, Minghua was only twenty years old this year.

“But…” Lu Minghua hesitated.

“Last time, you made me break my promise. This time, you can’t,” Lu Chengwen said with a smile.

Hearing this, Lu Minghua had no choice but to withdraw her refusal.

Fine, she thought. She wouldn’t see him, so why argue and make a scene?

After seeing Lu Chengwen, she returned to her small courtyard with no intention of seeing Qin and Lu Chengsong.

Lu Chengsong didn’t plan to wait for her either, but Madam Qin, upon hearing the maid’s report, looked distressed and asked her maid, “Do you think this child really holds a grudge against me?”

The maid forced a smile. Considering what her mistress had done, it would be strange if Lu Minghua had no resentment. But she couldn’t say that, so she offered some comfort.

Madam Qin’s hand tightened around her handkerchief, and she felt a wave of panic. After a moment of distraction, she got up and went to Lu Minghua’s small courtyard.

“Minghua.” Entering the room, she saw Lu Minghua sitting at the dressing table, combing her hair, and called out.

“Mother.” Lu Minghua responded without even looking up.

Her cold demeanor, not even glancing up with a smile, made Madam Qin’s heart ache.

“You child, I’ve been waiting for you for a while. Why did you go straight back to your courtyard?” She tried to hide her unease, speaking with a hint of probing.

“Mother was waiting for me? Weren’t you taking care of Mingxi? She’s not well and can’t be left alone.” Lu Minghua found it amusing, speaking with a tone of surprise, then realization. “Oh, how could I forget? Mingxi is already married and doesn’t need your care anymore.”

“No wonder you have time to wait for me.” Lu Minghua smiled.

Her words were calm and gentle, without a trace of sarcasm. But Madam Qin felt a sharp pain in her heart. She felt annoyed and panicked but mostly afraid.

“You, you really hold a grudge,” Madam Qin couldn’t help but step forward, standing beside Lu Minghua. “Mingxi is not well, and I had no choice. But you are both my daughters, I—”

“Mother naturally loves us both.” Lu Minghua interrupted, standing up and looking at Madam Qin, finding her words ridiculous and disgusting. She coldly said, “Is that what you wanted to say?”

Caught off guard, Madam Qin instinctively nodded.

“Alright, I understand. Do you have anything else to say? If not, please leave. I’m tired and want some peace.” Lu Minghua’s expression turned indifferent, dismissing her.

She wanted peace, not rest.

But what chilled Madam Qin more was the indifference in Lu Minghua’s eyes. No sadness, no anger, nothing. She looked at her as if she were an insignificant person.

“Minghua…” She wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.

“Mother, please.” Lu Minghua stepped forward and lifted the curtain, ostensibly inviting but actually urging her to leave.

Seeing the maid waiting outside, Madam Qin felt her face flush with embarrassment and hurriedly left, covering her face.

After sending Madam Qin away, Lu Minghua finally had some peace. She sat in her room reading for a while but suddenly felt it was too quiet. She thought of the sound of flowing water, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the ripples on the water when the swing moved.

“Minghua—” And the man’s clear, always smiling voice.

Not daring to dwell on these thoughts, Lu Minghua suppressed her emotions and looked down at the book in her hand, only to find that she had opened it to the page of “Mountain Ghost” in the “Chu Ci.”

Feeling restless, she closed the book and put it down, not knowing what to do.

After being distracted for half a day, it was soon dark. The kitchen sent dinner, and a young maid brought a message.

Tomorrow, Lu Mingxi and Wei Yuntai will return together to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

Thinking of those two people made Lu Minghua uncomfortable.

It wasn’t sadness but irritation. With this thought, she left early the next morning. However, she hadn’t gone far when the steward came and told her an address, saying, “Master had arranged to have tea with Mr. Bai today, but something came up, and he can’t go. Hearing that you were going out, he asked me to tell you to inform Mr. Bai so he doesn’t wait in vain.”

Such a coincidence, Lu Minghua knew her uncle had arranged this on purpose. She wanted to refuse, but the steward quickly said he had something to do and left. With the words stuck in her mouth, she smiled helplessly and set off.

Fine, it’s just a message.

The teahouse was in a slightly remote location but very elegant.

Lu Minghua went in and asked the waiter if Mr. Bai was waiting for someone. Learning there wasn’t, she left a message and went upstairs to find a quiet seat.

Downstairs, people were having morning tea, leisurely passing the time. On the stage, a singer played the pipa and sang softly.

Lu Minghua thought about where to spend her time. She needed to stay out until the afternoon, by which time those two should have left.

“Miss Lu.” As she was tasting a piece of pastry, Lu Minghua suddenly heard an uncertain voice.

The voice sounded familiar; it was indeed Mr. Bai Jiayou from the previous day.

“Mr. Bai?” Lu Minghua put down her pastry.

“Miss Lu, it really is you. What a coincidence,” Bai Jiayou said happily from outside, then asked, “May I come in?”

“Please.” After all, they were family friends, and Lu Minghua didn’t want to appear too rude and embarrass her uncle.

Bai Jiayou then entered and sat opposite Lu Minghua. When he looked up, his face turned slightly red again, and he didn’t speak for a moment.

Lu Minghua didn’t know what to say either, so she continued watching the singer.

The room fell silent. Seeing that Lu Minghua did not intend to speak, Bai Jiayou felt slightly disappointed. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke softly and politely, “I didn’t expect it to be you, Miss Lu. When the waiter told me, I almost thought I had the wrong person.”

“My uncle had something come up today and couldn’t make it. Since I was going out, he asked me to come and inform you,” Lu Minghua explained.

“Is that so,” Bai Jiayou replied, momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing him struggling to find a topic, Lu Minghua found it amusing and decided not to make it difficult for him. She asked, “Why did my uncle and Mr. Bai choose this place? Is there something special about this teahouse that I don’t know about?”

“It was your uncle who chose it,” Bai Jiayou said, his voice lowering and his eyes avoiding hers, becoming even more hesitant to look at Lu Minghua.

At this point, he finally realized that Lu Chengwen had likely chosen this place to arrange a meeting between him and Lu Minghua.

Lu Minghua hadn’t expected her usually serious uncle to do such a thing either. She paused for a moment before trying to change the subject casually. After a few more words, she excused herself.

Having delivered the message, she could leave.

Bai Jiayou opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, agreeing and personally escorting her to the carriage before absentmindedly walking back.

Not knowing where to go, Lu Minghua instructed the driver to take a random route. Finding it uninteresting, she decided to visit another teahouse to listen to music.

While Lu Minghua was feeling bored, Yan Yuanhua was also a bit irritated in the palace as he looked at the girl in a pink dress opposite him.

“Greetings, Your Highness.” The girl curtsied gracefully, her cheeks flushed.

This girl, named Ning Yunxi, was the niece of Empress Dowager Jiang’s family, from the Duke of An’s mansion. She was the legitimate daughter of the Duke’s eldest son and had been brought into the palace a few days ago under the pretext of accompanying the Empress Dowager.

Then, after Yan Yuanhua returned to the palace and stayed overnight, they met the next morning.

Yan Yuanhua hadn’t expected his mother to bring someone into the palace so directly this time.

“Rise,” Yan Yuanhua said casually, not even looking at her.

Seeing his indifference, Ning Yunxi blinked but wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she showed concern and said, “Your Highness, you have guarded the border for three years for the sake of the country and the people, which is truly admirable. I heard you have been recuperating at an estate outside the city this year. How are you feeling now?”

She was poised and sincere in her speech, which made the Empress Dowager very satisfied. In her view, it was too late to expect her son to understand, so he needed a proactive and gracious woman like this.

As the saying goes, “A woman’s pursuit of a man is like a veil.”

Moreover, this Miss Ning came from a noble family, was sensible and considerate, and most importantly, she admired her son. She was the perfect candidate for a daughter-in-law.

“No need for concern,” Yan Yuanhua replied impatiently, standing up and raising his hand to the Empress Dowager. “Mother, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving now.”

Without waiting for the Empress Dowager to respond, he turned and left.

“Sigh, this child.” Caught off guard, the Empress Dowager could only tap the table in frustration and looked apologetically at Empress Dowager Jiang.

“Empress Dowager, I just remembered something I need to fetch. Please excuse me for a moment,” Ning Yunxi said with a smile, not minding Yan Yuanhua’s cold attitude.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes flickered, and she nodded, signaling a palace attendant to follow Ning Yunxi.

“Your Highness, Your Highness.” Ning Yunxi hurried out of Shoukang Palace, looked around, and lifted her skirt to chase after Yan Yuanhua.

Yan Yuanhua ignored her, not wanting to deal with it.

“Your Highness,” Ning Yunxi finally caught up and grabbed his sleeve.

Surprised by her boldness, Yan Yuanhua stopped and turned to look at her with a faint smile.

“Your Highness, this is a talisman for peace that I obtained before entering the palace. I want to give it to you,” Ning Yunxi said with a smile, holding a brocade pouch and looking at Yan Yuanhua with anticipation.

“Stop her,” Yan Yuanhua ordered, not even bothering to look at her. He instructed his attendants to hold her back, pulled his sleeve away, and walked off.

Ning Yunxi stumbled, watching Yan Yuanhua’s indifferent back, her eyes reddening.

“Bad luck,” Yan Yuanhua muttered, feeling annoyed. He took off his outer garment, threw it to a servant, and said in a low voice, “Burn it.”

He had never seen someone so oblivious. Couldn’t she see his displeasure? Or did she think that her persistence would showcase her devotion?

It was too humiliating.

The palace attendants thought so too. They glanced at Ning Yunxi and saw her body tremble, tears streaming down her face.

He thought she would run away, but she stood straight again.

“It was my fault for disturbing Your Highness. Please don’t be offended,” Ning Yunxi said, bowing her head in apology, but she noticed that he didn’t even pause.

Such a cold heart.

Yan Yuanhua didn’t stop and had already walked far away.

Ning Yunxi lifted her head, turned, and walked away. After a few steps, she wiped away her tears and regained her determination.

Just wait, she thought. The position of the princess would be hers sooner or later. But it seemed that this prince wasn’t swayed by her tactics. What a waste of time learning from her half-sisters.

She was frustrated, but on the other side, Yan Yuanhua was even more frustrated. He stared at his personal guard, unable to maintain even a faint smile.

“You said Wen’an Earl has chosen a bookish widower and wants to match him with Minghua?” He almost gritted his teeth as he said this.

The guard shrank back slightly and then nodded.

“Outrageous!” Yan Yuanhua slammed the small table, making a loud bang. The guard winced in sympathy, then heard his master say,

“Am I not better than that bookworm?”

The guard didn’t dare to speak.

Yan Yuanhua, breathing heavily in anger, gradually calmed down.

“Minghua wouldn’t be interested in that bookworm, right?” he asked anxiously.

The room was silent. The guard stood quietly and shivered, feeling a deathly stare on him.

“Of course not. With Your Highness’s brilliance, how could Miss Lu be interested in him?”

“Minghua doesn’t even want to see me,” Yan Yuanhua said, his face expressionless, his voice low.

Caught between hope and despair, he couldn’t control himself.

Unaware of the turmoil on the other side, Lu Minghua had lunch outside and, estimating the time, decided to return to the mansion.

As soon as she got off the carriage, she saw a luxurious carriage with the Ningguo Marquis’s emblem parked at the entrance, and she paused.

However, it was not appropriate to leave now. It would seem as if she was afraid of those two. Feeling frustrated, Lu Minghua walked into the mansion.

In the Si Xian Courtyard.

Lu Mingxi couldn’t help but glance at the door again, but she still didn’t see the person she was looking for. Where was Lu Minghua?

“Mingxi, it’s time to go,” Wei Yuntai urged softly, glancing at the door.

Lu Mingxi gritted her teeth but finally stood up to say goodbye. Lu Chengsong personally got up to see them off. As they reached the door, they saw Lu Minghua entering from outside. Her crimson dress with golden floral patterns shimmered as she walked, enveloping her in a radiant glow.

Lu Mingxi’s eyebrows twitched, and she instinctively looked at Wei Yuntai, who was averting his gaze, his expression slightly stiff. Her heart sank, and she moved closer to Wei Yuntai, smiling, “Sister, why are you back so late?”

“Sister,” Lu Minghua felt a pang of irritation but managed a light smile. She glanced at Lu Mingxi and then, maintaining her composure, looked at Wei Yuntai and said, “Brother-in-law.”

At these words, the expressions of those present became subtly nuanced.

If they had been watching with some curiosity before, the term “brother-in-law” and Lu Minghua’s calm demeanor almost made them laugh.

Lu Mingxi felt a pang in her heart when she saw Lu Minghua’s gaze, which seemed to look at her as if she were a street performer, making her feel even worse.

“Sister, I haven’t seen you in a long time. I wanted to wait for you to come back and talk, but I couldn’t wait any longer. If not for Yuntai,” she paused subtly, looking a bit embarrassed, then smiled and continued, “You probably wouldn’t have seen me here.”

“You and brother-in-law, waiting for me?” Lu Minghua also paused subtly.

Hearing her repeatedly call him brother-in-law, Wei Yuntai’s expression stiffened, and Lu Mingxi felt even more blocked.

Originally, Wei Yuntai had pampered and followed her, not saying they should leave, but hearing Lu Minghua’s words, it seemed as if Wei Yuntai was also waiting for her. Thinking this, she couldn’t help but shudder and wonder if it was true.

“I have something to do, so I’ll leave first.” Lu Minghua initially wanted to disgust Lu Mingxi, but when she said this, she felt disgusted. Not wanting to look at Wei Yuntai any longer, she left without stopping, walking past them and leaving directly.

The wind blew away the faint jasmine fragrance. Wei Yuntai lowered his eyes, and Lu Minghua’s calm gaze lingered in his mind. He felt a sense of depression and inexplicable discomfort.

Leaving those people behind, Lu Minghua looked at the vast sky and slowly exhaled. Seeing those people, even for a moment, made her uncomfortable.

At this point, Lu Mingxi still wanted to show off in front of her. Really, Lu Minghua chuckled lightly.

The Ningguo Marquis’s mansion was a mess. If she didn’t act, it would be fine, but if she did… she even suspected that the Ningguo Marquis and his wife were waiting for Lu Mingxi to make a move so they could catch her red-handed.

For Lu Minghua, there was nothing special about the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The entire Wen’an Earl’s family had dinner together in one courtyard. Lu Chengsong kept talking to his beloved son, Lu Yaoqi, while Madam Qin kept glancing at her. Her aunt was indifferent, and her uncle greeted her briefly. After eating mooncakes and admiring the moon, each person composed a poem about the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was over. Everyone dispersed to rest.

In the middle of the night, there was a commotion in the front. Used to the bed in the other courtyard, Lu Minghua couldn’t sleep and got up.

Xiao Chun sent a maid to investigate, and she quickly returned, unable to hide the glee in her eyes, and reported with a smile, “Miss, the maid who was with Fourth Miss just came back and said that Madam Marquis has grounded Fourth Miss. She asked Master and Madam to think of a solution.”

Lu Mingxi was grounded?

So soon?