Chapter 51

Feeling helpless, Madam Yuan had someone assist her to rest and instructed the nanny to make arrangements. She felt fortunate that her two daughters were already married and her granddaughter was still young. Otherwise, having a woman abandoned by the Marquis’s family around would have inevitably delayed the other girls’ marriages. The rivalry between Lu Mingxi and Minghua had lasted for many years, but in the end, Minghua managed to leave unscathed and return home after a divorce. However, when it was Lu Mingxi’s turn, someone actually sent her back.

Madam Yuan couldn’t help but laugh a little as she thought about it. Hearing her husband still scolding his younger brother inside, she didn’t pay much attention, only reminding the servants outside to take care of the lord’s health before leaving.

The carriage swayed as it entered the mansion’s side gate. Lu Mingxi looked at the slightly old mansion in front of her and clenched her hands in her sleeves. She had returned now, not knowing how those people and Lu Chengsong would mock her. Previously, she had relied on her marriage to the Marquis’s family to act arrogantly in front of him, but now…

Her heart tightened, and Lu Mingxi didn’t dare to think further.

Madam Qin was unreliable, as she was weak and muddle-headed. Whatever Lu Chengsong said, she would follow. As the legitimate wife, if it weren’t for her uncle’s repeated reprimands, the second household might have been dominated by concubines. And Lu Chengsong never cared about his daughters. Since childhood, he disliked Lu Minghua for being too opinionated. It was laughable that her mother also distanced herself from Lu Minghua because of his dislike. Everyone thought Madam Qin was biased towards her, but the real reason was actually lay with Lu Chengsong.

With such a family, Lu Mingxi didn’t want to come back at all. But now, she had no choice but to return. Gritting her teeth, she got off the carriage, enduring the subtle glances from the surrounding servants, and intended to greet her aunt first. However—

“Eldest Madam has already instructed that the Fourth Miss does not need to greet her after returning to the mansion. She can go directly to her room,” the nanny said with a smile.

This meant she didn’t want to see her.

Lu Mingxi felt dizzy and couldn’t help but sway. She lowered her eyes to hide her resentment, stiffly responded, and followed the servants back to Suxian Courtyard. The courtyard in front of her was crowded and not even half the size of Chunshan Courtyard.

Lu Mingxi stood in front of the door, not even wanting to step inside. But she had no choice; she had nowhere else to go.

“Miss, you’re back. Madam just fainted. Please go and see her,” the stewardess reported.

Fainted again! Fainted again! At such a critical moment, she didn’t help but only caused trouble. Lu Mingxi’s eyes showed impatience as she suppressed her temper and went to see Madam Qin.

The woman on the bed was not young anymore. She had good looks, otherwise, she wouldn’t have given birth to two beautiful daughters. But the bitterness on her face made her look even older. Lu Mingxi sat by the bed, looking at her mother, expressionless, still lost in thought.

Previously, when Lu Minghua returned home, her uncle and aunt came to greet her. But now, when it was her turn, her aunt refused to see her, and her uncle was nowhere to be found. Resentment churned in her heart, and Lu Mingxi almost ground her teeth to pieces.

“Mingxi.” When Madam Qin woke up, she saw the resentment on Lu Mingxi’s face. She was startled for a moment before softly calling out.

“Mother, are you okay?” Lu Mingxi’s expression changed in an instant, gently helping her up.

She must have seen it wrong. Madam Qin thought so, but she couldn’t even muster a smile. Instead, she trembled as she held Lu Mingxi’s arm, “You, you were really dismissed by the Marquis’s family? And for the crime of harming offspring?”

She still felt like she was in a dream, unable to believe it.

“You’ve been dismissed. What are we going to do now?!” Madam Qin cried out in despair. Her Mingxi, already frail and often ill, had now been abandoned by the Marquis’s family. What would become of her?

“You foolish girl, I told you before not to listen to your father, to be careful. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Dismissed, dismissed, dismissed!

Madam Qin’s words felt like arrows piercing Lu Mingxi’s heart. Her anger boiled over, and she could no longer bear it.

“Stop talking!” she interrupted harshly.

Madam Qin was stunned.

“What’s the use of saying this now? If you didn’t want me to listen to Father, why did you send the medicine to the Marquis’s family in the first place?” Lu Mingxi felt sarcastic, her words relentless.

“You didn’t dare to defy father, you listened to everything he said, and now you’re blaming me. How does that make you innocent?”

“If you were truly innocent, you shouldn’t have taken the medicine to the Marquis’s family in the first place. When father told you to, you should have refused outright.”

The real reason for her dismissal wasn’t this, but as the words kept coming out, Lu Mingxi felt more and more justified, her gaze toward Madam Qin filled with resentment.

Yes, if she hadn’t sent the medicine to the Marquis’s family, she wouldn’t have taken such a risk and wouldn’t have angered Yuntai, making her suspicious. That’s right, it’s all her fault!

Madam Qin’s breath caught with each word, almost forgetting to breathe.

“You, you’re blaming me!” Seeing the resentment in Lu Mingxi’s eyes, her lips trembled, her voice breaking, and she was almost unable to speak.

“How could I dare!” Lu Mingxi said expressionlessly.

Madam Qin gasped, unable to speak. She lay there with her mind blank, unable to understand how things had come to this.

“Mother, it was my fault earlier, have some water.” On the other side, Lu Mingxi, having vented her anger, regained her composure. She lowered her eyes, took the tea, not caring if it was cold, and handed it to Madam Qin. Now that she was back at the mansion, she still needed Madam Qin’s help. Though venting her anger felt good, she needed to make amends.

After drinking the cold tea, Madam Qin finally regained some clarity. Looking at her despondent daughter, her anger dissipated bit by bit. Forget it, this child was also suffering. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be like this.

After comforting Madam Qin, Lu Mingxi wanted to return to her old courtyard but was stopped by the nanny.

“Miss, Young Master Qi has set his engagement, and your courtyard has a good location. Master has ordered it to be renovated as a wedding room.”

“Then where will I stay?” Swallowing her anger, Lu Mingxi asked calmly.

This is too much, too much!

“Now, only the Third Miss’s small courtyard is left,” the nanny said.

“Where? I’m not going!” How could Lu Mingxi not know where Lu Minghua lived? It was both remote and cramped, not fit for living.

“But that’s the only place left.” Seeing the disdain in her eyes, the nanny’s expression remained unchanged, but she couldn’t help but laugh mockingly in her heart. Now she knows disdain. When Miss Minghua lived there, she didn’t see her feeling sorry for her own sister.

Lu Mingxi’s chest tightened with anger, but in the end, she had no choice but to go. She was somewhat surprised that she didn’t see Lu Chengsong after returning. When she asked, she found out that her uncle had sent him to the ancestral hall. She immediately stopped in her tracks.

In this way, Lu Chengsong would probably be even more angry with her.

Lu Mingxi’s heart tightened, and she couldn’t even muster the disdain for Lu Minghua’s courtyard. She was almost restless the entire afternoon.

At the ancestral hall, Lu Chengsong frowned and cursed uselessly.

Lu Minghua had at least returned after a divorce, but Lu Mingxi had been dismissed. He had seen her hanging around Wei Yuntai for three years and thought she was very capable, but in the end, she ended up like this.

Since he took those letters, Lu Chengwen had been watching him. Seeing things come to this point, he was still only concerned with these matters, without a trace of regret, which made him even angrier.

“Lu Chengsong, that’s your daughter!” he reprimanded.

Lu Chengsong really didn’t understand why he was so angry. It’s just a daughter, who would eventually get married and leave. However, he was sensible and immediately admitted his mistake.

He admitted his mistake, but there was no sign of remorse, and Lu Chengwen was completely disheartened. He waved his hand, signaling for the family law to continue. He paced back and forth in the ancestral hall, thinking about what to do next.

What Lu Mingxi did was truly disgraceful. If people found out that the Wen’an Earl’s Mansion had such a daughter, who would dare to marry their daughters in the future?

This matter absolutely could not be known to outsiders. Since the Marquis’s Mansion had sent her back, they must be sure that she wouldn’t dare to speak out. But what if? Wei Yuntai was a man, and even if his reputation was tarnished, it wouldn’t have a significant impact. But it was different for a woman; the Earl’s Mansion couldn’t take that risk!

Looking deeply at his brother, who was crying out in pain from the beating, Lu Chengwen made up his mind.

“We don’t need to take action. The Earl of Wen’an is not an idle title,” said Wei Huailiang from the Marquis’s Mansion.

He had some understanding of the Earl of Wen’an. The Earl’s Mansion had declined, not because he was useless, but because he was too intelligent and insightful, yet too proud to engage in official affairs. Now, with someone like Lu Mingxi in the mansion, if he didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of all the women in the mansion, he wouldn’t allow her to live.

Wei Yuntai listened quietly, feeling a slight sense of satisfaction. He quickly dismissed it, not allowing himself to care about someone like Lu Mingxi. Since they had divorced, whether things were good or bad, it had nothing to do with him. Such a person didn’t deserve his thoughts.

“Father, I am incompetent. I have been reckless for years and even implicated the Marquis’s Mansion. Please punish me,” said Wei Yuntai, kneeling and bowing his head in guilt.

“You have indeed been reckless. You have good eyes, but your heart is blind,” said Wei Huailiang, feeling gratified but still reprimanding him.

Wei Yuntai lowered his head, feeling even more ashamed.

“I came today with one request, hoping Father can establish my second brother as the heir.” He knew his current reputation, and if he continued as the heir, it would only make the Ningguo Marquis’s Mansion a laughingstock. The best solution was to relinquish the position and be exiled.

After some time, everything would fade away.

“Your second brother,” Wei Huailiang was surprised by his words, hesitating.

Compared to Wei Yuntai, Wei Yunxuan, as the legitimate second son, had been deliberately suppressed and trained since childhood. Now, he had become a bookworm, hardly suitable to be the heir of the Marquis’s Mansion.

“Second brother… I know, but his son Ming’er is adorable. If he could be raised and educated by Father, he would certainly not be inferior in the future,” Wei Yuntai had considered all aspects and now spoke slowly.

“I understand,” said Wei Huailiang, observing his son with increasing satisfaction.

Without his father’s approval, Wei Yuntai felt a bit disappointed. In his view, whether it was his son or his father’s son, it was better to let his second brother take the position. But since Wei Huailiang didn’t express his opinion, he couldn’t say more and had to hide his disappointment.

“Yuntai, have you thought about being sent away?” Wei Huailiang suddenly asked.

Wei Yuntai was stunned.

“Go back and think about it. Being sent away and serving as a local official might be beneficial for you,” said Wei Huailiang.

“Yes,” Wei Yuntai replied and left.

As he left the study, his steps hesitated. Being sent away might be good, but the first person he thought of was Lu Minghua…

After everyone left, Wei Huailiang smiled faintly.

If Wei Yuntai hadn’t overcome this hurdle, he wouldn’t have let him continue as the heir. But now, things were different. Wei Yuntai had matured through trials and was even more suitable for the position.

As for reputation?

Failures are troubled by reputation, but who dares to speak ill of the successful? Even if mentioned, it would just be a youthful indiscretion.

Well, let’s wait and see.

After a while, Wei Huailiang sighed again, feeling that there were still too few children.

If he had another grown child now, one who was not inferior to Wei Yuntai—even if slightly less capable—he could decisively change the heir. But he didn’t have one, and even if he started nurturing one now, who could predict the future?

With a legitimate wife and two grown sons, choosing another concubine’s son now would be too risky. A slight mistake could lead to sibling rivalry, which would harm the family’s foundation.

If time could go back twenty years, Wei Huailiang would never have stuck to just one wife due to the hassle of having too many women and the chaos of having too many concubine’s sons. But now, it’s too late to think about these things.

In the room, the doctor was applying medicine to Lu Chengsong, who couldn’t stop groaning in pain.

Outside, a servant hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, “Master, Young Master Qi has returned.”

“Qi’er is back?” Lu Chengsong felt pain all over his body. Even though he sensed something was wrong, he didn’t have time to think it through, so he ordered the servant to tell Lu Yaoqi to go back first.

The servant went out to report, and Lu Yaoqi, unable to contain his anxiety, pushed past him and rushed inside.

“Father, Father, I’ve been expelled by my teacher. He said I was hopeless and told me to find another teacher. What should I do?” He didn’t even have time to see what had happened to Lu Chengsong and hurriedly spoke. Only after entering the inner room did he realize something was wrong.

“Father, what happened to you?” Lu Yaoqi’s heart sank, sensing something was amiss.

“What?” Lu Chengsong was startled for a moment, then quickly understood and angrily slapped the bed, saying, “The Marquis’s Mansion has gone too far.”

In the morning, Lu Mingxi was sent back home, and in the afternoon, Wu Hanlin expelled Lu Yaoqi. Such a coincidence was impossible.

“The Marquis’s Mansion? What happened with the Marquis’s Mansion?” Lu Yaoqi asked urgently.

He knew that with just Lu Chengsong’s influence, it was impossible for him to become Wu Hanlin’s disciple. Now, something must have gone wrong at the Marquis’s Mansion.

Lu Chengsong gritted his teeth and spoke about Lu Mingxi, hating her even more for being useless.

If he had known, he might have helped Lu Minghua back then. Although she was disobedient, at least she could have brought some prestige to the Marquis’s Mansion, making people take notice. But now, what?

“What? She was dismissed?!” Lu Yaoqi was shocked, his face quickly turning ashen, but then he felt a bit relieved. His fellow disciples had always looked down on him. If they had known about this, they would have surely humiliated him. Now, being expelled by Wu Hanlin first turned out to be a good thing.

“Father, what should we do now?” he quickly asked. He had taken the exam in September this year, thinking he wouldn’t pass, but unexpectedly, he barely made it as a Juren. Although the ranking wasn’t impressive, he had still passed.

Therefore, Lu Yaoqi knew even more about Wu Hanlin’s abilities. Although he felt relieved, he was more worried and regretful.

After becoming a Juren, there was still the Jinshi exam.

At this moment, Lu Chengsong couldn’t think clearly, as he was in pain all over. He had to let him leave first.

Lu Yaoqi had no choice but to find his mother. His mother, Madam Zhang, was originally just Lu Chengsong’s personal maid, but now she was dressed more lavishly than the legitimate wife, Madam Qin.

Hearing her son’s complaints, Madam Zhang wasn’t in a hurry. She just advised him to wait until Lu Chengsong recovered.

“Your father has always valued you. Don’t panic. Take this time to show more filial piety in front of him, and he will naturally make plans for you. Remember, show more filial piety.”

With his mother’s advice, Lu Yaoqi finally calmed down and nodded to show he understood.

Only then did Madam Zhang feel relieved and say, “Be more filial to him, and he will naturally care for you.” She knew her husband well. As a son, he wasn’t favored like his elder brother nor pampered like his younger brother. He hated not being valued the most. To please him was easy—treat him as your world, rely on him for everything, and praise him in everything. The most important thing was to never, ever let him feel that you are neglecting him.

Lu Yaoqi didn’t know his mother’s thoughts and kept agreeing. Then he went back to Lu Chengsong to show his filial piety.

A grand drama unfolded in the capital, and Lu Minghua received the news that evening. She sat on the couch, flipping through the letter, almost unable to comprehend it.

It had only been a day. How could Lu Mingxi have been dismissed? What on earth happened?

Lu Minghua was rarely curious, but as she thought about it, she realized that no matter how chaotic things got, it had nothing to do with her. In the end, it was just a dog-eat-dog situation.

She reached out to pet Ping An on her lap. The cat was well cared for, with sleek, shiny fur and a fondness for being pampered. Just a touch made it purr and stretch its neck, wanting Lu Minghua to scratch it. Once satisfied, it happily purred, thoroughly enjoying itself.

“You, if you were this well-behaved toward Ji’an, you wouldn’t have been thrown away,” Lu Minghua chuckled, tapping Ping An’s little head, unconsciously thinking of Yuan Jin’an.

She wondered how he was doing now.

With the matters in the capital resolved, the people from the Ningguo Marquis’s Mansion arrived at Yunshan, avoiding those trying to uncover the dismissal details.

Lu Minghua stayed in the villa, not keen on going out, but the maids always wanted to go out, either for shopping or for fun.

At first, it was fine, until one day, Xiao Chun hurried back, nervously saying she had met Wei Yuntai and had been recognized. He called her over, but she pretended not to hear and ignored him. When she returned, the guards outside the courtyard said someone had followed her.

“What should we do, Miss? The heir must know where you live now. It’s all my fault for being careless,” Xiao Chun knew her mistress didn’t want to deal with those people, but now she had caused trouble.

“It’s okay.” Lu Minghua was a bit annoyed but didn’t blame Xiao Chun.

The capital wasn’t too big or small, just this piece of land. If Wei Yuntai wanted to find someone, he would eventually find them.

As they spoke, a servant came in to report.

Lu Minghua frowned, thinking it was too soon for someone to come, but it turned out to be Zhao Shiyi, and her expression relaxed.

“Miss Lu, this is from my master,” Zhao Shiyi said as he handed Lu Minghua a wooden box.

Lu Minghua’s expression changed, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“For me, what is it?” she asked softly, startled by the joy in her voice. Was that her voice?

“I don’t know either,” Zhao Shiyi handed the item to Li Mama, who gave it to Lu Minghua. He couldn’t help but watch. He also wanted to know what gift his master had prepared for his beloved and had sent it in such a hurry.

When the wooden box was opened, inside was a budding wintersweet flower.

Lu Minghua was surprised and said, “Is there wintersweet at this time of year?” She remembered that it usually appeared around the New Year, and it was only the winter month now.

Zhao Shiyi was not surprised. The palace had all kinds of skilled craftsmen, and making wintersweet bloom a month early was not a big deal. He was just a bit puzzled as to why his master thought of sending wintersweet.

Reaching out to pick it up, the flower had not yet bloomed, but it already had a faint fragrance. Lu Minghua lightly sniffed it and suddenly noticed a piece of paper at the bottom of the box. She picked it up and saw it read, “Seeing this wintersweet, I recall our first meeting with great emotion, so I send it to you.”

“First meeting?” she murmured, feeling very confused. She only remembered their first meeting at the Lantern Festival, but there were no wintersweet flowers that day.

Zhao Shiyi perked up his ears to listen, vaguely guessing the reason but unable to recall where it might have been.

He followed his master all day. How could he not know about this?

In the Taichi Hall, the current emperor looked at his chattering brother, wishing he could stuff something in his mouth to shut him up.

“I still remember the first time I saw Minghua. I was leading the troops back to the capital, waiting for orders outside the city. Minghua was there, and there was a cluster of wintersweet flowers. She lifted the curtain to look at them and smiled.”

“I was covered in dust and exhausted, but strangely, when I saw her smile, I suddenly didn’t feel tired at all.”

Yan Yuanhua was still reminiscing, his face full of smiles.

The current emperor couldn’t bear it any longer and interrupted, saying, “Shut up and look at your case files.”

Yan Yuanhua looked at his brother with dissatisfaction and then at the files in his hand, which were about the defenses and spies from Zhenbei Pass to the capital.

“I haven’t seen Minghua for three days,” he sighed, unable to focus.

“Only three days!” The emperor couldn’t understand his brother’s behavior. It was just three days, and she couldn’t run away. Why was he acting like this?

It was fine before, but ever since that night, he seemed to have no more reservations and kept talking about his beloved. He didn’t want to hear it at all!

“What do you mean only three days?” Yan Yuanhua disagreed, “I used to see Minghua every day.”

“If you shut up and solve these issues quickly, you might see her sooner,” the emperor felt exhausted, giving him a disdainful look.

This brother used to be clueless, which worried him. Now that he was enlightened, he wished he wasn’t. How could someone be so annoying?

“Solving these issues will take at least five days!” Yan Yuanhua frowned.

They had to arrange the entire route for Beiyi from Zhenbei Pass to the capital, and there could be no exceptions- like envoys dying mysteriously on the way, that was unacceptable.

The emperor had nothing more to say, suddenly missing the brother who used to work diligently without complaining.

“No, I have to see Minghua.”

“No!” The emperor’s refusal was even louder than Yan Yuanhua’s.

“I’ll be quick and won’t delay,” Yan Yuanhua decided, standing up immediately, “I’ll be back by tomorrow morning, don’t worry.”

Saying this, he strode out of the hall.

“You—” The emperor gritted his teeth, but seeing his brother’s eager back, he couldn’t say anything to stop him. Helplessly, he gritted his teeth for a while and couldn’t help but laugh.

Forget it, it’s rare to see him so happy, let him be.

As the sun set, the soldiers guarding the city gate received the order, pushed the gate, and slowly closed it. A rapid sound of hooves approached quickly and didn’t stop. They had rules for closing the gate, and once the time came, they wouldn’t stop for anyone. But this didn’t include Prince Rui. He had achieved great military success and was highly trusted by the current emperor, who had given him a token allowing him to enter and exit the palace gates freely. If the palace gates were like this, how much more so would the city gates be?

The guard checked the token in the hand of the personal guard, immediately knelt down to salute the person on horseback, and then hurriedly ordered the gate to be opened, watching as the group of fine horses quickly disappeared outside the city gate.

“General, should we still close the gate?” The soldiers were unsure, worried that the prince might return soon.

The guard frowned and said, “Of course, close it quickly.”

If the prince wanted to return, he could use the token to open the gate, but the gate must be closed.

The creaking sound of the gate continued, finally closing with a loud bang.

The valuable horses did not stop, and in just half an hour, they reached Yunshan.

Without returning to his own villa, Yan Yuanhua reined in his horse in front of Lu Minghua’s villa, dismounted, and personally knocked on the already closed gate. The servants inside were surprised to learn it was him, but they didn’t dare let him in immediately and hurriedly went to report the news.

A white porcelain vase with a wintersweet flower was placed by the window. Lu Minghua unconsciously looked at it, and when she heard someone coming in, she snapped back to reality, hiding her unease. She heard Li Mama say, “Miss, Young Master Yuan is back. He’s outside the gate.”

“What?” Lu Minghua was surprised, instinctively standing up and taking a few steps towards the gate.

“Miss,” Mama Li quickly stopped her.

It was already dark, and her mistress had just washed up, wearing only her inner clothes, with her hair down. She couldn’t go out like this.

Lu Minghua looked down, realizing her state. She blushed, quickly ordered someone to come in and help her dress, and then asked them to invite Young Master Yuan in.

Mama Li personally chose a red dress for her.

Lu Minghua didn’t think much, put it on, and hurried to the front yard. As she rounded the corridor, she saw the person standing at the gate.

Yan Yuanhua looked at her, seeing the beauty walking towards him in the lamplight, her features delicate and her skin smooth. The red dress swayed in the warm candlelight, and the golden butterfly hairpin petals trembled lightly in her hair, enveloping her in a thin halo. He had never seen her dressed so brightly, and for a moment, he was stunned.

“Ji’an,” Lu Minghua called with a smile, not noticing his distraction.

“Minghua,” Yan Yuanhua finally came back to his senses and called out.

“Didn’t you say it would take four or five days? Why are you back today?” Lu Minghua asked first, then added, “Is everything resolved?”

She looked up, her eyes filled with expectation.

Yan Yuanhua’s heart suddenly started pounding.

“No,” he heard his own voice softly, his eyes greedily watching Lu Minghua, not wanting to miss any of her expressions, and said, “I missed you, so I came back to see you.”

“I have to leave early tomorrow,” he said.

Lu Minghua didn’t have time to feel disappointed as her heart raced under his gaze.