ATLAS TRANSLATES

Luo Lingyu thought that although her second cousin appeared upright and proper, he was actually quite foolish.

Now that she was married, she could occasionally show her true nature in front of her husband’s family. After all… they couldn’t persuade Lu Yun to divorce her.

So she went at night to threaten Lu Xian, forcing him to reveal what he had said to Lu Yun — “It was only after you left that Brother Xuechen’s mood turned sour. You must have said something to make him unhappy.”

The beautiful lady entered gracefully, observing Lu Xian’s stiff expression. After taking a seat, she said seriously in a soft voice: “Whatever makes my husband unhappy, I won’t allow it to happen.”

Lu Xian trembled slightly, looking at his cousin’s incomparably beautiful face illuminated by the lamplight.

After a long while, Lu Xian sighed slowly, thinking that since his cousin already knew about his dream, what harm was there in telling her? Although his third brother told him not to tell others, wasn’t Cousin Luo family? So Lu Xian slowly recounted his dream.

Luo Lingyu listened quietly, as if following Lu Xian’s narration to that night. She had saved Lu Yun’s family, but the price was losing her child…

She didn’t give Lu Xian too much trouble. After hearing the story, Luo Lingyu got up to say goodbye. Lu Xian accompanied her to the courtyard gate, looking at his cousin’s calm expression, wanting to say something to comfort her. He wanted to say that with his third brother there, his cousin surely wouldn’t end up like in the dream.

But Luo Lingyu was lost in thought, not paying much attention to her second cousin’s expression, and listlessly got into the carriage to return.

The entire trip took only about an hour. When she returned to their quarters, the warm fragrance hadn’t yet burned out. The air was filled with the lingering scent of agarwood and the intimate atmosphere after a couple’s intimacy. Luo Lingyu sat down in a daze. Among the top three incenses – agarwood, aloeswood, and sandalwood – agarwood was the most expensive. As a fallen noble lady, even when her family was prosperous, the Luo family of Ruyang couldn’t afford to use agarwood daily. It was only after marrying Lu Yun that she discovered he always used the finest agarwood incense.

What ordinary families couldn’t afford, Lu Yun used daily so casually, not even considering it special.

What he didn’t value, she envied deeply. Marrying him had finally given her the life she had always dreamed of. She had barely begun to enjoy it when Lu Xian told her she might miscarry… In Luo Lingyu’s eyes, this wasn’t just about miscarriage. While miscarriage could be avoided, other things were harder to prevent. Like Lu Yun, she glimpsed from this potential miscarriage that Jianye would soon face troubled times.

For someone as pragmatic as her, such an ominous prediction was terrible.

She could share in his glory, but did she have the courage to share in his hardships?

The incense burner still held burning coals. Luo Lingyu added more incense to the embers. She sat dazed in the room for a while, and once she felt warmer, she removed her cloak and outer garments, took off her hairpins and ornaments, and entered the inner chamber. Lifting the bed curtain to sit on the couch, she smelled the increasingly strong scent of intimate love mixed with wine. Just sitting there made Luo Lingyu’s face flush slightly.

In the dim candlelight beyond the curtain, she looked down at the young man sleeping on the bed. The brocade blanket only covered up to his chest, exposing his shoulders and neck. Elegant when dressed, his body was well-proportioned when unclothed, with broad shoulders, a slim waist, and long legs. Heaven truly favored him. As he slept, his long hair spread across the pillow, several strands clinging to his cheeks, his face flushed from drinking. In the hazy light, perhaps feeling unwell from the wine, his brows were furrowed in sleep, his eyebrows delicately knit, his eyelashes long and black, his lips sharp yet red and moist.

Truly a jade-like gentleman.

Whether awake or asleep.

Just watching from beside him made Luo Lingyu feel dizzy. She understood now why all the ladies of Jianye went crazy for this jade gentleman. Her lips curved in a smile as she reached out to brush his brow and eyes, her fingernails playfully teasing him. As a beauty herself, she actually loved beauty more. Ordinary men’s looks were unremarkable to her; only someone like Lu Yun could intoxicate her heart and soul…

Luo Lingyu leaned down and pressed her lips to his, giving him a kiss.

She extinguished the candle, lowered the curtains, and nestled in his embrace. Listening to Lu Yun’s steady, strong heartbeat, Luo Lingyu held him tight, slowly feeling her anxiety dissipate. As drowsiness overtook her, she closed her eyes… troublesome worries could wait until tomorrow.

…

Luo Lingyu was conflicted, and before she could make up her mind, she wasn’t sure whether to tell Lu Yun. Without having made her own decision, telling him would make it easy to be led by him. This was something she absolutely didn’t want. Moreover, Lu Yun wanted her to go to Yicheng, and according to Luo Lingyu’s true feelings, she should have been willing… but now she only felt melancholy.

Three days after speaking with Lu Xian, Luo Lingyu had nothing to do but sit at home packing for the trip to Yicheng as Lu Yun had instructed. She didn’t know if she would ultimately decide to go to Yicheng. To avoid making Lu Yun suspicious, she would follow his instructions for now.

In the afternoon, Lu Yun returned from outside and changed into loose casual robes. Luo Lingyu was surprised: “You don’t need to go out again?”

Lu Yun said lazily: “Do I have to do everything myself? What’s the point of the court having so many idle officials?”

A sparkle flashed in Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes as she went to the inner chamber to gather his changed clothes and instructed the maid to wash them. She returned to the room and sat on the small couch piled with clothes, continuing to pack for the southern journey. Lu Yun paused for a moment, wrote several letters at his desk, went out to have them delivered, then came back and paced a few steps before finally taking a book and lounging on the couch where Luo Lingyu sat.

Luo Lingyu rolled her eyes slightly: this person really… the room was so big, yet he had to squeeze into this small space with her.

Lu Yun pretended not to see her beautifully executed eye roll and lounged on the couch, holding his book. However, he couldn’t concentrate and after flipping through a few pages, he couldn’t help but look up and glance at her back several times. As she methodically packed those clothes, Lu Yun reached out and gently massaged her waist.

Luo Lingyu suddenly stiffened and let out a startled cry. Her spine unsure whether to tense or relax, her waist was embraced by the gentleman behind her, accompanied by someone’s light laughter. Lu Yun laughed: “We haven’t seen each other for over a day, how can sister only focus on packing clothes and ignore brother?”

Luo Lingyu was held from behind, his arm around her waist firm and burning hot. Unable to break free, she used her jade bracelet to hit him once, complaining: “Isn’t this what you told me to do! Now you’re blaming me for being too diligent? Brother Xuechen, why are you so hard to please?”

Lu Yun’s breath floated near her neck, hot and teasing: “Brother told you to pack your things when no one was around, but when brother is here, shouldn’t you keep brother company?”

Luo Lingyu’s ears tingled, tilting her head to avoid his teasing. She had been wearing a tense expression due to her heavy thoughts, with no mood to play with Lu Yun. But after Lu Yun held her from behind a couple times, vaguely teasing and provoking her, she couldn’t hide the joy stirred in her heart, her peach-colored cheeks stained like flower juice, revealing a bright and beautiful smile. She turned her face and let their lips touch lightly. Seeing his black eyes, she playfully asked: “What shall I do to keep Brother Xuechen company? Recite poetry and paint? Or play chess and brew tea?”

Lu Yun smiled languidly, having been busy all day, he had no interest in those activities. He simply saw her idle and wanted to draw her over. So Lu Yun smiled and said: “Nothing special, just keep brother company for a while.”

Luo Lingyu frowned: “In broad daylight…”

Lu Yun sighed.

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes and his dejected expression, Luo Lingyu’s heart immediately softened. In this era, shoes were kept outside the room, and people walked inside wearing only silk socks. When Lu Yun invited Luo Lingyu to lounge with him, she only needed to move the clothes piled on the couch to the small table below, and she climbed onto the couch, being embraced by Lu Yun as they lay together.

On the small couch, the young man and woman lay face to face, their breath mingling.

Sunlight filtered through the window like a sieve, shining on the empty ground behind them, the glowing spots moving slightly, dust floating in the air. The room was unusually quiet, the atmosphere peaceful. Lying in Lu Yun’s arms, Luo Lingyu felt the beauty of tranquil time, just wanting to lie with him like this, without talking or doing anything.

At this moment, Luo Lingyu felt compelled to speak certain words.

She quietly asked Lu Yun: “Brother Xuechen, if I were pregnant, would you prefer a boy or a girl?”

Lu Yun was very sensitive, his gaze dropping as his voice tensed: “…Are you pregnant?”

He immediately thought of Lu Xian’s dream prediction. Noticing his body suddenly tense and his voice unreadable between good and bad, Luo Lingyu quickly comforted him: “No no, my monthly cycle came just over ten days ago, don’t you remember?” Seeing Lu Yun’s eyes flash and his attitude relax, she continued probing: “I’m just discussing it with you. Do you like boys or girls?”

Lu Yun’s lips curved as he asked in return: “What do you think?”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

Lu Yun: “Common things are seen too often, one always wants the uncommon. Even if I tell you now that I like both boys and girls equally, you and I both know that I must have a preference in my heart. When you actually give birth to a child that matches my preference, my overwhelming joy would be much more sincere than telling you now that ‘I love both’.”

He went round and round, refusing to say directly. The clever Luo Lingyu immediately said: “…A girl? You prefer girls?”

Lu Yun smiled: “I didn’t say anything, don’t blame me later.”

Luo Lingyu laughed in annoyance and pinched his waist, thinking this person really had too many tricks up his sleeve. But she wasn’t angry, and didn’t need to deliberately oppose Lu Yun to irritate him. Since she wasn’t pregnant anyway, she was just curious about pregnancy: “Why do you like girls?”

Her face reddened, wondering if perhaps he loved her so much that he wanted a daughter just like her?

Lu Yun was concise: “Our family rarely has girls. Having seen few, naturally we like them.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

She widened her eyes: “That’s it?! That’s your reason? Because your Lu family has few girls, you like them? Just because you rarely see them?”

Lu Yun flicked her forehead: “Why are you so excited? Isn’t this reason enough? Let me tell you, if you can give birth to a girl in one pregnancy, your position in the Lu family… you won’t even need to think of ways to please grandmother and the others, rather they will come to cherish you. Our family almost never has girls, whenever there is one, everyone spoils her to their heart’s content.”

Luo Lingyu: “It can’t be that extreme?”

Lu Yun said flatly: “Our family originally lived in Danyang City. My grandfather said Danyang City was a bit far from the Taichi Palace in Jianye, making it inconvenient for the family’s sons to attend court, so we moved to Wuyi Lane. But the real reason was that my grandfather had someone check our family’s fortune, asking if our family’s lack of daughters was due to bad feng shui. We moved to Wuyi Lane because my grandfather thought Danyang’s feng shui was bad, affecting the Lu family’s ability to have daughters.”

Luo Lingyu listened in stunned silence.

Seeing Lu Yun’s lips curve in a mocking smile: “But after moving to Wuyi Lane, we still didn’t have any girls. My grandfather was probably deceived, haha.”

Luo Lingyu: “…You really are wicked, you even mock your grandfather!”

Lying in her husband’s arms, she truly loved Lu Yun sharing these private matters with her. It made her feel that they were truly husband and wife, that he no longer saw her as an outsider. Especially since Lu Yun rarely gossiped about others, his gossip was particularly interesting. The lady’s eyes sparkled as she urged Lu Yun to say more: “Really? Your family really likes girls that much?”

Lu Yun: “Of course it’s true. My eldest sister is called Lu Qingyi, she’s married in Hanzhong now, you haven’t met her. She’s the only girl in our generation, whether from the main family or branch families. If you had come a few years earlier, if you had met my eldest sister, then you would know how much our family spoiled her. From childhood to adulthood, if my eldest sister sighed, our family would worry for a day, afraid she wasn’t happy. When my eldest sister scolded people it was her true nature, when my eldest sister didn’t like studying it was because she had a boy’s spirit, when my eldest sister practiced martial arts it wasn’t proper, that was for wealthy families, no need to learn those things.”

“When we were young, whenever my eldest sister gave us the cold shoulder, my second brother and I would be questioned about whether we had upset her. My aunt, second brother’s mother… well, you know, she fears people gossiping about her mistreating the second branch, since I came to Jianye, she barely manages second branch affairs. Only when it came to my eldest sister, whether I did something or not, she would anxiously question me. Now you see aunt doting on my second brother, being good to him… but in fact, the treatment my second brother receives now doesn’t even amount to one-tenth of what my eldest sister received back then.”

Lu Yun reached out to caress his dumbfounded cousin’s small face.

His eyes filled with love as he sighed softly: “Do you know how lucky you are? Two years ago when my eldest sister was still unmarried, who would have accepted you cousin ladies to stay regularly at the Lu family? My eldest sister kept delaying until she was twenty, our family really couldn’t delay anymore, then reluctantly sent her off to marry. Our family still wanted the groom to marry into our family, or have eldest sister marry just anyone in Jianye… but unfortunately my eldest sister insisted on marrying to Hanzhong. In the year or two after she married, you don’t know how depressed the atmosphere was in our family. No one dared to cough loudly all day, afraid it would trigger memories and make us think of my eldest sister.”

Luo Lingyu was shocked: “That’s- that’s too extreme…”

Lu Yun sighed: “Not extreme at all. The Lu family just loves girls that much.”

He embraced his wife: “When eldest sister was at home before, I was bullied so badly… thankfully she got married. At that time I wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate. Little sister Lingyu, do you know how lucky you are now? You could win against the cousin ladies only because everyone treated the cousin ladies equally. If you had met my eldest sister, my family’s heart would have been biased to the heavens…”

Luo Lingyu trembled: “Your eldest sister won’t return to Jianye, right? Now that she’s married and has children, she should stay in Hanzhong and not come back, right?”

Lu Yun pinched her nose and shook it, squinting his eyes with a half-smile: “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you… so you heartless one, do you know how much brother loves you?”

Luo Lingyu buried her head in his embrace and nuzzled him. Talking about these casual matters with him, smelling his clean fragrance, she was even more reluctant to leave him. She loved Lu Yun so much, when he lounged on the couch holding her and chatting, she was more certain she couldn’t leave him… Luo Lingyu bit her lip, thinking it was just sharing hardships together. What of it, what in the world could tear her heart apart more than leaving Lu Yun?

Luo Lingyu buried herself in his embrace, nuzzling him, using subtle movements to express her love for him. Lu Yun’s arm around her waist stiffened, and the lady pressed against his chest heard his heartbeat suddenly quicken. At the same time, she felt something rapidly hardening press against her lower abdomen…

Luo Lingyu raised her head in alarm, meeting Lu Yun’s deep black eyes, dark and bottomless.

She looked at him pitifully: “Brother Xuechen…”

Lu Yun laughed hoarsely: “I just wanted to lounge for a while originally. You provoked me.” His hand pressed on her chest, fingers curling, pressing down heavily.

After a cry, the lady’s face turned red as she stammered and tried to escape. But how could she escape? She was immediately pressed down beneath him, her long hair and the white jade hairpin in it struggling in his arms. The lady’s face reddened: “It’s still bright out…”

Lu Yun’s eyes were black as midnight as he slowly hooked his hand, his hand pressing against her, wandering inch by inch along her peaks, lingering. After a few caresses, with a light touch, he undid the ties at her chest. The gentleman’s eyes instantly darkened further: “A different kind of charm.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

She reddened her eyes, grabbing his hand to stop him from moving. Lu Yun raised an eyebrow to look at her.

Luo Lingyu cried with a miserable face, pressing her cheek against his arm coquettishly. The lady’s eyes were like clear lakes, waves of light flowing, blinking pitifully: “Husband, I don’t want to. I’m still sore there, uncomfortable, wait two days…”

Lu Yun looked down, gesturing for her to look at his body’s reaction. He smiled flirtatiously and said slowly: “Sister, some things can’t wait…”

Luo Lingyu bit her lip: “I really can’t… I can help you ease it another way?”

Lu Yun’s hand on her chest paused, his gaze flickering as he looked at her, suddenly smiling. The smile was cool and strange, making Luo Lingyu immediately regret somewhat. But Lu Yun grabbed her arm, pressing against her ear, whispering two or three words.

Luo Lingyu’s face turned completely red as she hit him: “Lewd! Who wants to put it in their mouth!”

Lu Yun was very generous: “Choose one of two, I’ll listen to you.”

Luo Lingyu glared at him angrily, while he just waited patiently. She pleaded a couple more times, but Lu Yun just looked at her with a silent smile. Finally Luo Lingyu had no choice but to nod resentfully. She closed her eyes, humiliated: “Take off your clothes then!”

Lu Yun leaned down and kissed her face lightly, teasing: “Why so unhappy? Next time brother will help you too…”

Luo Lingyu: “Shut up! Don’t say anymore!”

Her face wasn’t thick enough to match Lu Yun’s level yet.

…

After becoming husband and wife, certain boundaries kept getting lower.

But it was also joyful.

After spitting out what was in her mouth, being lovingly fed water by her husband, and being asked if it was difficult, Luo Lingyu’s cheeks were flushed red, her eyelashes wet with water, looking like peach blossoms dampened by water, tender and charming. Looking up at Lu Yun’s handsome face, she somewhat dully rubbed her cheeks, shaking her head: “…Just my jaw is sore.”

Lu Yun pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss to comfort her.

Her hand rested on the back of his neck, and as he laid her on the couch, she let out a light sigh—she had made up her mind, she really couldn’t leave Lu Yun.

She loved being with Lu Yun, no matter what they did, even when he bullied her. She could be careful, protect herself, avoid being startled, avoid miscarriage, avoid being worn down by external things. She just didn’t want to leave his side to go to Yicheng. Who knew how long the chaos in Jianye would last, and in their newlywed state, she couldn’t bear long-term separation from her husband.

She stroked her still-flat belly, the resolute will in her heart to face the upcoming challenges was unstoppable.

…

After figuring things out, she worried Lu Yun wouldn’t agree. The north-south peace talks had reached their final crucial period, and Luo Lingyu didn’t want to argue with him now and affect his energy. Luo Lingyu thought it better to act first and report later. Lu Yun was arranging for her and Zhou Yanling to go to Yicheng, and while Luo Lingyu outwardly agreed obediently, inwardly she pondered how to lower Lu Yun’s sensitivity so he wouldn’t discover her little scheme.

The most effective method was to use her charms to seduce him.

Poor Lu Yun was pleasantly surprised these days, thinking Luo Lingyu had become so agreeable after marriage, doing whatever he asked. He felt somewhat proud, not realizing Luo Lingyu was just confusing and numbing him to make him feel at ease about her.

In early April, after continuous tug-of-war negotiations, the border peace talks between the northern and southern countries finally concluded. The northern country’s envoys left Nanyang contentedly, taking with them the complexly emotional governor of Luoyang, who kept looking back three times with each step. The Luoyang governor was still thinking of Chen Xue, but Chen Xue hadn’t appeared for a long time.

In early April, Lu Yun first sent Luo Lingyu and Zhou Yanling on their way. After the two ladies left, the official duties in Nanyang were handed over to new court officials, and Lu Yun was also to leave Nanyang.

The night before leaving Nanyang, after Lu Xian discussed some matters with his brother, he walked out of the residence and heard someone playing an ocarina. The ocarina’s sound floated through the heavens and earth, cold and lonely, so solitary. Lu Xian’s heart was always soft, and his artistic cultivation had never been lacking. He heard the desolate loneliness in the ocarina’s sound, and feeling distressed, unconsciously followed the music.

Where the ocarina sound stopped, Lu Xian found Prince Liu Mu of Hengyang on a small hill outside Nanyang city.

The young prince sat playing the ocarina under the moon, his expression cold. After finishing a tune, he put away the ocarina and stood up. The youth turned around and saw someone had joined him – Lu Xian was looking at him with complex eyes brimming with tears.

Liu Mu: “…”

Lu Xian: “Is it because we’re all leaving that you’re sad?”

Liu Mu’s face stiffened, ferocity rising in his eyes. His violent temper surged up, but looking at this refined, vulnerable-looking Lu Xian, Liu Mu considered that one punch from him would be too much for the scholar to handle. So the young prince just sneered and turned to leave with his hands behind his back.

But Lu Xian stopped him.

The second young master spoke softly: “I’m sorry, I forgot about you… everyone else is leaving, but you still have to return to Yingchuan to continue guarding the border. His Majesty shows no sign of letting you return… You must miss Jianye very much? Your brother, your mother…”

Liu Mu’s face suddenly twisted as he reached out to grip Lu Xian’s throat, needing only to squeeze to kill this young man: “Shut up! Don’t mention them!”

Liu Mu was violent by nature, and now he gnashed his teeth without hiding it: “…I don’t know what nonsense you’re imagining! But stop looking at me with those eyes that see a ‘pitiful creature’! Look again and I’ll gouge out your eyes!”

But though Lu Xian was struggling to breathe, he suddenly gripped Liu Mu’s hand in return. That warmth made Liu Mu’s eyes contract. He heard Lu Xian gasp: “Don’t- don’t worry… when I return to Jianye, I’ll find a way to let you visit Jianye. Oh- right, I have a marriage… I should be able to invite you as my good friend to attend the ceremony in Jianye, right?”

Liu Mu raged: “I’m not! I don’t have any!”

Lu Xian: “Are you still heartbroken over my cousin? Young lord, there are beauties everywhere under heaven, why must you?”

Liu Mu: “…”

The hand gripping the gentleman’s neck loosened.

Liu Mu’s gaze became complex: “You…” Could he really be an idiot?

But in the end he lowered his eyes and said: “…Yes, Lady Luo is married… I miss my mother very much.”

The Empress Dowager, his mother. According to his brother’s words, she had gradually grown distant from him. The young prince smiled self-mockingly. Back then when he went to Yingchuan, wasn’t it partly out of anger? But half a year had passed, even Lu Yun was leaving, yet he… no one had summoned him back to Jianye.

Still full of resentment, Liu Mu still held a thread of fantasy about his relatives — You fear I’ll seize the throne, so I’ll show you by seizing it; if I can’t seize it, you’re wary of me, so I’ll go far away; is that enough? Still not enough?

What exactly do you want from me?

Mother, brother… do you really need me dead to feel at peace?