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Jiang Zhanwei’s words elicited laughter from the others. Seeing everyone laugh, Jiang Yue also joined in, her giggles particularly loud as she repeated, “Hit, hit, hit…”
Lu Man glanced at her, saying, “You’re a young lady, always thinking about fighting.”
Jiang Zhanwei quickly defended, “The girl is still young, doesn’t understand anything, she’ll grow out of it.”
The room was brightly lit, clean, and refreshing, with a pleasant scent of sandalwood lingering in the air, a stark contrast to the harsh conditions of the borderlands.
Jiang Zhanwei looked at the three little ones, then at the eldest, smiling softly and speaking gently, making him feel warm and content inside. The two years of brutal war had brought him unimaginable suffering. But the thought of these few people at home made him persevere through any hardship. Only by enduring could he provide them with a better life and earn a status for that beautiful, gentle yet ill-fated woman…
As the night approached, Jiang Yue’s eyes began to droop, reaching out to her mother, and Lu Man took the daughter into her arms.
Jiang Zhanwei said to his siblings, “Alright, it’s time to rest.”
They walked to the main courtyard, Jiang Zhankui continued towards the front yard, Jiang Zhanwei headed to the main house, while Lu Man carried Jiang Yue to the east wing.
Seeing her mother not heading to the main house but to the east wing, Jiang Yue pouted and started crying loudly, shouting, “Mother, sleep, mother, sleep.”
Lu Man, fearing that her crying would make her more awake, had to soothe her, “Okay, okay.” Planning to calm the child to sleep before taking her to the east wing. Jiang Yue was old enough now, whether Jiang Zhanwei was home or not, they should sleep in separate rooms.
Jiang Zhanwei, seeing Lu Man and their daughter going into the room, disapproved and said, “Manman, is it not good for the girl to sleep here?” His voice was not lowered due to his urgency.
Seeing Jiang Zhanwei, who was usually as steady as a rock, in this state, the nearby servants all awkwardly lowered their heads and chuckled.
Lu Man’s face turned crimson. Internally sighing, why do men always get flustered in such situations and fail to cover it up? Suddenly, she felt a slight discomfort in her lower abdomen, something was expelled – her menstrual cycle had arrived.
Truly… too coincidental!
Lu Man smirked at Jiang Zhanwei, handed Jiang Yue to Mama Li, and headed to the cleansing room.
Jiang Zhanwei, seeing his wife smile gently at him, felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. It was only when her graceful figure disappeared at the entrance of the cleansing room that he averted his gaze.
He went over to take the crying Jiang Yue from Mama Li’s arms, but the little girl was sulking, turning her face away and using her small hands to block her father’s advances, continuing to cry. She had sensed her father’s rejection, how could he, now that she was being ignored, sobbing uncontrollably…
Faced with his little daughter who couldn’t grasp reason, Jiang Zhanwei had no choice but to repeatedly say, “Good girl, good girl…”
When Lu Man came out, she took Jiang Yue back. Along with Mama Li and Zhenzhu, she helped the little girl freshen up, then cradled her while softly humming a lullaby, walking around the room. Jiang Yue gradually stopped crying and soon fell asleep.
Seeing her asleep, Lu Man gestured for Mama Li to cover Jiang Yue with a small blanket, tucking her in snugly, and then headed to the east wing.
Placing her on the small bed, Jiang Yue pouted her chubby little lips and continued to sleep soundly.
Lu Man smiled. Jiang Yue’s sleep was deep, once she was asleep, not even thunder could wake her. Even in the middle of the night, she would handle everything with her eyes closed.
She sat by the small bed for a while, observing Jiang Yue sleeping peacefully, her breathing steady, and after giving a few instructions to Mama Li and Zhenzhu, she left the east wing.
The cold stars twinkled, the chilly wind howled, and she adjusted her clothing tightly around herself.
The main room was brightly lit, and she glanced at the small window emitting orange light, feeling a hint of peculiarity. Waiting for a mother, for a child, and waiting for a man – each felt entirely different.
Jiang Zhanwei had finished freshening up, wearing a silver-white silk undergarment and pants, sitting at the head of the bed reading a book.
After her own cleansing, Lu Man emerged, and the maids all withdrew.
She sat on the bed. Jiang Zhanwei set aside his book, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, first kissed her earlobe, then buried his head in the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath. He said, “When I was on the border, I thought of you all the time. I thought of your face, your laughter, your hair, and your scent… There were a few times I woke up in delight from dreaming of this scent, thinking I was back in the capital, sleeping by your side. But when I opened my eyes, all I saw was bare branches and swirling snow, or a gray tent… Ah, that feeling, it was so disheartening.”
Lu Man felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier happiness. She whispered, “Third Young Master, I’m sorry, I, I just started my period.” Sensing Jiang Zhanwei’s body stiffen, she joked, “Do you need me to play the dutiful wife and find a maid for you?” Jiang Zhanwei tickled Lu Man’s armpit, making her giggle uncontrollably. Her soft laughter in his ear, her delicate body rubbing against his chest, her slender fair neck, and tender ears, along with her alluring fragrance, stirred his body restlessly, igniting a fiery sensation within him, yet with no outlet, his chest felt like it was about to burst.
Angrily, he said, “You’ve stirred up this fire in me, now you have to take responsibility for extinguishing it.” With that, he pressed Lu Man down forcefully.
“I didn’t mean to…” Lu Man’s words were cut off as he silenced her with a kiss.
After a brief playful exchange, Jiang Zhanwei still felt unsettled and uncomfortable, so he got up and headed to the cleansing room.
Hearing the sound of water from the cleansing room, Lu Man felt a chill run through her. There were always two buckets of cold water in the cleansing room, and bathing with cold water on such a cold day could easily lead to illness.
Lu Man approached the cleansing room, knocked on the door, and said, “I’ll have someone bring a bucket of hot water for you, you might catch a cold like this.”
Jiang Zhanwei’s voice came from inside, “No need, I’ll be fine soon.”
When he came out, Lu Man scolded him for being careless.
Jiang Zhanwei nonchalantly replied, “During battles, we often slept in snow pits and on icy ground. Taking a cold shower in a windless room with cold water is already a great luxury.”
Lu Man then got up to change Jiang Zhanwei’s bandages and rewrap his wounds.
Seating her back down, Jiang Zhanwei said, “This morning, I heard Grandma, Eldest Uncle, and Third Uncle discussing some court and mansion matters. I didn’t expect my wife to be so capable, even discovering the issue of poison in the Crown Prince…”
Lu Man’s expression turned serious as she looked at him and said, “Not only did I discover the poison in the Crown Prince, but I also found out that the Crown Prince wasn’t born to the Empress. It was this secret that my maternal grandfather knew that got him killed…”
“What’s going on?” Jiang Zhanwei gripped Lu Man’s arms, seeing her wince, he immediately loosened his grip, demanding, “What’s going on, explain it clearly.”