The Situ Manor was much more relaxed compared to the neighboring Grand Marshal’s Manor next door. After all, even among the Three Excellencies, there were differences.
The Situ Manor managed water conservancy and sacrificial matters, which few people cared about given the current war situation in the north.
It was so leisurely that Prince Liu Mu of Hengyang came to the office early in the morning and left shortly after. When Liu Mu returned, he brought back a newly acquired sword. The young lord sat carelessly under the Situ Manor’s office pavilion, carefully wiping his new sword with silk cloth.
The sword was like fresh snow, reflecting the youth’s stern and cold features.
Liu Mu lovingly polished the sword when suddenly, it reflected the refined and elegant face of a young man peering over. That youth curiously examined his sword, as if studying what was worth appreciating about a broken blade.
Liu Mu lifted his eyelids, smiling without warmth: “What are you doing here?”
Lu Xian coughed once: “As colleagues, I came to check on the prince.”
The actual situation was that the officials in the office complained bitterly to him that since the Prince of Hengyang arrived at their Situ Manor, he hadn’t done any work. The mountain of documents at the Situ Manor hadn’t seen this young prince even glance at them. Why did Liu Mu need to idle away at the Situ Manor when he could stay at any office without actual duties?
However, the Prince of Hengyang was violent, and His Majesty still doted on him. The officials didn’t want to risk being scolded by Liu Mu. Since it was said that Second Young Master Lu got along well with the Prince of Hengyang, the officials elected Lu Xian to probe the prince’s intentions.
As Lu Xian had his own plans, he came directly to find Liu Mu.
Lu Xian probed indirectly: “Will the prince be leaving Jianye soon, heading to the border like my third brother? Are you also going to Nanyang?”
Liu Mu replied lazily: “The situation in Nanyang isn’t urgent enough for just anyone to rush there, is it? I’m going to Yingchuan.”
Second Young Master Lu immediately praised: “Yingchuan is a great place!”
Liu Mu: “…Do you think I’m going there for sightseeing?”
Lu Xian coughed dryly.
After making small talk for a while, Lu Xian sat in a lower position than the Prince of Hengyang, continuously probing indirectly. Though Liu Mu gave him several cold looks, he remained oblivious.
The youth wore a warm smile, making Liu Mu secretly puzzled and frustrated — this Second Young Master Lu truly never could read people’s expressions.
After talking for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, still not getting to the point, Liu Mu impatiently put down his sword: “What exactly did you come to see me for? Didn’t I tell you earlier that I’m only temporarily staying at the Situ Manor? I don’t plan to do anything here.”
Second Young Master Lu was very understanding: “I don’t blame the prince for looking down on our place. A true man’s ambitions lie in the four corners of the world. Actually, I’m the same… Let me tell you something in confidence — I’m working on my father’s assignment, I also plan to go to the border.”
Liu Mu: “…You?!”
He looked Lu Xian up and down — graceful as jade, refined and gentle, the typical thin scholarly appearance. Noble young lords were typically handsome, and this youth had fair features and slender fingers. Someone like this should stick to wielding brushes — yet he wanted to go to the battlefield?
Second Young Master Lu thick-skinnedly said: “I wanted to let you know, since we’re acquainted. Someone like you will definitely become a general leading troops in battle. I definitely won’t make it to the battlefield, so I’ll follow my third brother’s example and be your military advisor. How about that? With you and my father helping, when you leave the capital, I can go along.”
Liu Mu was extremely surprised and looked again at this mentally unsound Second Young Master Lu. Following Lu Yun’s example? Although it was later proven that the one who wanted to kill him was his own royal brother, Liu Mu had always suspected that the assassin who came to probe his Prince of Hengyang Manor that day was Lu Yun. Lu Yun was definitely not just a scholar… Lu Xian and Lu Yun were just too different, weren’t they?
Liu Mu: “Are you serious?”
Lu Xian nodded.
Of course he had thought it through. After his third brother left, he worried day and night about that inauspicious dream, thinking about it extremely anxiously. His dreams had always been fragmented, as if only when something happened in reality, or when something was different, would it stimulate the dream to continue. Recently, after Lu Yun left, everything was peaceful in Jianye, and Lu Xian no longer dreamed.
Without dreaming, he couldn’t figure out what else would happen in the dream, so he didn’t know how to prevent his third brother’s death.
After much contemplation, Lu Xian thought the best solution was to simply go to the border himself. If he watched over and took care of his third brother at all times, surely nothing could go wrong?
But the Lu family only had two young masters in the main line, and his brother had already gone to the border. The Lu family would almost certainly not send him there too. Lu Xian’s own father would absolutely not agree to let his son risk danger in such a place. Lu Xian had no choice but to seek Liu Mu’s help. However, after talking for so long, Liu Mu showed little interest and politely declined, clearly not wanting to work with him.
Liu Mu thought, what use would a weak scholar be as a military advisor? Moreover, one with a mental illness? Why wouldn’t someone with a mental illness just stay home and treat their condition instead of running around everywhere?
Seeing that the young Prince of Hengyang was unmoved, Lu Xian had to use his trump card: “…If I go to Yingchuan with you, under your watch every day, you won’t have to worry about me staying in Jianye alone and accidentally revealing your secret about wanting to commit regicide.”
Liu Mu: “…?!”
A blizzard swept through his eyes as Liu Mu kicked over the table in front of him with a bang. He stood up and said sinisterly: “Are you threatening me?”
Second Young Master Lu was forced back several steps by the blizzard carried in the youth’s manner, his face pale. Seeing murderous intent rising and falling in the Prince of Hengyang’s eyes, Lu Xian hurriedly said: “I want to go to the border with you! I’m on your side!”
Liu Mu’s cold gaze stared at him for a long time: “Do you truly only want to go to the border, with no other purpose?”
Second Young Master Lu smiled bitterly: “Any other purpose would just be to look after my third brother, nothing to do with you. Please help me this once, prince.”
Liu Mu stared at him.
Slowly, the young prince withdrew his fierce aura and said in a slightly strange tone: “…You treat your fairy-like cousin very well, to go to such lengths for her.”
Second Young Master Lu was confused: “Ah?”
…Indeed, everything he did was aimed at keeping his third brother alive and helping him win his beloved. But how did Liu Mu know?
Liu Mu lowered his eyelids, his pupils clear and black, looking at him with complex emotions: “I know you love your cousin, that’s why everything you do involves mentioning her. I also heard about Lu Yun’s drunken incident at the dock that day… being pulled along and entrusted to help take care of some cousin… You must be suffering greatly in your heart, right? You’re the one who loves your cousin, but in the end you have to help your third brother get together with her. If you didn’t love her so much, how could you go to such lengths?”
Lu Xian: “…”
Lu Xian stared in astonishment, never imagining that misunderstandings in this world could be so terrible, and that he had actually managed to twist so much of the plot — Liu Mu actually thought he was in love with cousin Luo!
In his dream, the Prince of Hengyang married cousin Luo, largely using her. The Prince of Hengyang feared Luo Lingyu would reveal his secret, while Luo Lingyu used various methods to win his favor so he wouldn’t kill her. The Prince of Hengyang simply married her, binding her to his side.
Yet even so, Liu Mu must have loved Luo Lingyu. If he didn’t love her, why would Liu Mu kill Luo Lingyu first before committing suicide at the slope of Jianye City?
He loved her too, and fearing she would be violated after the city fell, he simply let her die before his eyes.
He resented and was jealous of her devotion to Lu Yun, yet she was still the empress.
…In the dream, Prince Liu Mu of Hengyang had loved cousin Luo so much. In reality, through Second Young Master Lu’s constant efforts, there was almost no connection between the Prince of Hengyang and cousin Luo. Liu Mu’s slight fondness for Luo Lingyu had been forcibly reduced to almost nothing by Lu Xian’s actions. He no longer liked her, and in the future would not suffer from heartbreak, dying with regret that he wasn’t the one in her heart.
This was very good. Although Lu Xian stumbled along, not very familiar or skilled with these matters, he had ultimately guided things in a good direction. Lu Xian had succeeded once, so now in saving his third brother, he should be able to succeed as well.
Thinking of this, Lu Xian sat on the ground and began to smile slightly.
The youth’s smile was warm and gentle, but Liu Mu who was watching him became even more worried: See, this foolish Lu Xian was smiling for no reason again. Could he really take someone to the border whose mental illness already seemed so serious?
Liu Mu was somewhat resistant, but he also truly didn’t trust Lu Xian and feared him staying in Jianye and telling His Majesty about his disloyal heart. After much thought, Liu Mu had no choice but to hold his nose and agree to help Lu Xian this once. When he left Jianye, he could take Lu Xian along.
Lu Xian stood up, wanting to high-five the Prince of Hengyang with great excitement: “You see, you don’t need to always treat me as an enemy? We could follow the example of my third brother and Prince Chen! I used to dislike how my third brother was always with Prince Chen, but now that I’ve started handling political affairs, I realize how rare Prince Chen is among the princes.”
Rare in that he wasn’t constantly fighting with the other princes, competing for who could seize the dragon’s head, competing for the throne. Prince Chen was a very practical person who didn’t do useless things. The things he did daily, in the short term, weren’t very useful for seizing the throne.
Liu Mu’s body shuddered: Prince Chen and Lu Yun? Him and Lu Xian?
Liu Mu hurriedly said: “No no, that’s not necessary. Just treat me as an ordinary person, there’s no need to seek friendship, we’re not compatible.”
He would absolutely not be friends with someone like Lu Xian!
Fortunately, Lu Xian had just said it casually. When the young prince didn’t buy it, he changed the subject.
Who knew that when he changed the subject, Liu Mu’s face would darken again, blaming Lu Xian for using him. Some people were always hard to please — too close breeds contempt, too distant breeds resentment. Lu Xian found it extremely difficult to please him.
…
While Second Young Master Lu was busy finding various connections to help him go to the border as he wished, the army that left Jianye had traveled for ten days, switching from water routes to land routes. At the post station, the soldiers made camp in the wild while the officers stayed at the station, everything in good order.
All these matters were arranged by Lu Yun.
After leaving Jianye and boarding the ship, he had slept groggily for half a day before waking up. After waking up on the ship, Lu Yun felt somewhat confused. He couldn’t quite remember what had happened between seeing the young ladies at Luo Lingyu’s place at night and now sitting on the ship. He had originally wanted to take that purse and find Luo Lingyu to explain.
Now he didn’t even know if he had explained.
He completely couldn’t remember what had happened that night.
Lu Yun felt uneasy, not very confident in his own character… He rubbed his forehead and sighed. However, he didn’t have much energy to think about Luo Lingyu, because after staying on the ship for just one night, the typically very perceptive Lu Yun noticed that the general called Wei Cong whom he was following seemed to have some prejudice against him.
As above, so below — the entire army had prejudice against him. Everyone was very respectful towards him, but it was the kind of fawning concern.
“Young lord, how could someone as noble as you do such minor tasks? Let me handle it!”
“Young lord is reading… amazing, we can’t even recognize characters, hehe.”
“Young lord, why would someone like you come to the border to fight? What are you after? Could it be for military achievements? Does someone like you even need military achievements?”
Lu Yun responded casually, going to find the general to discuss matters. However, in the past few days, he had never seen General Wei once.
After switching to land routes, when Lu Yun returned to his quarters at the post station after arranging accommodations for the officers and soldiers, he found two beautiful maids kneeling by his door to welcome him. He leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow, silently thinking this matter was quite interesting. The two maids knelt with lowered heads, able to see the young lord’s elegant shadow floating on the ground from the corner of their eyes. The young lord was so handsome that they blushed imagining it, but they waited and waited, only to see Military Advisor Lu standing at the door continuously instructing the following soldiers to do things, not entering the room.
One maid boldly raised her head to look and saw Lu Yun actually staring at them, his eyes slightly hooked, somewhat alluring. The maid’s heart trembled, her body going soft from being looked at by the young lord’s naturally amorous eyes, and she shakily called out: “Third Young Master…”
Lu Yun asked: “Your general is quite interesting. Going to war but still providing maids?”
The maid hurriedly said: “We two were specially sent by General Wei to serve the young lord! The general said the young lord isn’t used to following the army, so he sent us two to serve the young lord. We two should take good care of the young lord and make him satisfied.”
Lu Yun looked at her, the smile in his eyes already gone. He spoke in a slow tone: “Oh… does that mean taking care of me in bed? Then he’s behind the times — who plays with women nowadays? We upper-class nobles all play with young boys.”
The two pitiful and innocent maids: “…?!”
Was Lu Yun joking? Had General Wei sent the wrong people?
Seeing Lu Yun glance at them: “If you don’t serve me well and I don’t want you, when you’re sent back, will General Wei kill you two, hmm?”
The maids were very frightened by his strange gaze. Pale-faced, they immediately spilled everything about General Wei’s schemes like beans. The hook-like look in Lu Yun’s eyes that was sometimes there and sometimes not also completely disappeared. The two maids watched as he became cold and aloof, noble and dignified, not to be trifled with.
Lu Yun said mockingly: “I see General Wei’s intention is to keep me from interfering in military matters, just lying around with women and waiting for him to finish fighting and give me military achievements, right?”
How could the maids understand such things? Of course they shook their heads saying they didn’t know.
Lu Yun pulled at the corner of his mouth and said somewhat arrogantly: “You two go back and tell General Wei that I don’t lack military achievements. Since he knows I come from a noble family, he should know military achievements are useless to me. I’m different from him — if I want official positions, they’re mine for the taking, I really don’t need to make a trip to Nanyang. He does it for profit, I do it for reputation, we walk different paths.”
Lu Yun paused. The maids were about to retreat out the door when they heard him say playfully: “Take another message to General Wei. Those from humble origins truly have shallow vision. Indeed they can’t compare to the nobility.”
The maids: “…”
This was provoking General Wei! Wouldn’t the general be furious hearing these words?!
Who didn’t know that General Wei came from common origins, and his current position was gained step by step through Prince Chen’s support? Both being people by Prince Chen’s side, Lu Yun immediately took a stance of wanting to anger General Wei to death… The maids retreated pale-faced. The struggle between general and military advisor showed no blood but the killing intent was no less!
Since ancient times, generals led battles on the battlefield while military advisors managed affairs behind the battles. When generals and military advisors worked well together, they achieved victory; when they didn’t cooperate well, both sides lost. Now in this army heading to the border, the struggle between General Wei Cong and Military Advisor Lu Yun was just beginning, with swords flashing.
Quite spectacular.
…
Let’s not discuss how Lu Yun teased General Wei and how intensely they fought in Nanyang. But after this army arrived in Nanyang, it did indeed relieve some of the pressure from the north.
The noble families of Nanyang welcomed this army, and at the same time welcomed Nanyang’s new governor, Lu Yun.
Lu Yun was not just the governor of Nanyang, but also the military advisor of the army. Holding two positions, all the noble families of Nanyang wanted to test him.
The largest noble family in Nanyang was the Fan family.
Fan Qingchen, the fourth young master of the Fan family of Nanyang, was sent by his father to welcome the new governor on Lu Yun’s first day in Nanyang. In Nanyang, Lu Yun and Fan Qingchen met again. Fan Qingchen stared at this person with gloomy eyes, feeling extremely annoyed — Lu Yun was truly like a haunting spirit, and made him feel uneasy.
Fan Qingchen laughed coldly: However, it was nothing much, his marriage agreement with Sister Luo still hadn’t been cancelled. Now that Lu Yun had come to his territory, what was there to fear? Let’s see how he would cause trouble for this new governor.
He darkened his eyes as Lu Yun glanced over lightly. Both young lords had sparks in their eyes, sparks crackling in mid-air, each believing they would be the victor in love.
Both military and political forces wanted to give Lu Yun a hard time. Lu Yun divided his attention to deal with both sides, while also traveling through mountains and waters to investigate the local environment, climate, and conditions of the common people. After a continuous month, besides becoming much thinner, Lu Yun surprisingly hadn’t been forced by General Wei and the Nanyang nobility to flee back to Jianye. The Nanyang side began to take him more seriously: Lu Yun was quite something.
Time passed to August, when Jianye was already very hot. In mid-August, the large Lu family continued to stay in Danyang County to avoid the heat. One day, their cousin Miss Luo Lingyu held a small banquet for her sister, celebrating her sister becoming one year older, now a ten-year-old young lady.
The family’s female cousins like Jiang Wanyi all came to attend. Since Lu Yun left, the Lu family’s female cousins got along much more harmoniously.
As young Miss Luo Yunhuan grew one year older, her sister no longer just kept her confined at home as before, but solemnly decided to lead her little sister into Jianye’s social circles, introducing her sister to Jianye’s ladies and young lords. Luo Yunhuan’s eyelids twitched lightly as she resisted: “…Is that really necessary? Going out to socialize costs a lot of money.”
Luo Lingyu: “It’s fine, we’re not so short on money now. The cosmetics shop has started making profits, and I also have some land rentals and such that your third cousin gave me. Although he said it was to help refugees, I can use the extra. Lu Yun is always saying one thing but meaning another. Hmph, he must have just wanted to give these to me but wouldn’t say it directly, having to use such methods.”
Luo Yunhuan hesitated: “…I still don’t want to go…”
Luo Lingyu patted her sister’s shoulder and scolded gently: “Huan’er, I will stay in Jianye in the future. Now that you’re grown up, how can you not make some friends in Jianye? I’m so calculating, I haven’t made any true friends. But you’re different — Hua’er is so lively and kind, many people should like you… help sister build a good reputation in Jianye.”
Luo Yunhuan widened her eyes. She didn’t mind her sister wanting to use her kindness to build some reputation, but was surprised and asked: “Why are you so certain you’ll stay in Jianye in the future? Is it, is it…”
She had a bold guess, joy gradually rising in her eyes.
Luo Lingyu couldn’t contain her pride.
The dust hadn’t settled yet, so she didn’t want to brag everywhere, fearing that if things fell through in the future, she would become the object of everyone’s mockery. But to her own little sister, Luo Lingyu covered her heart, holding back her excitement and shyness, and nodded: “…Yes, Brother Xuechen personally said he wants to marry me.”
Luo Lingyu’s cheeks were red: “In the future, I will be the Lu family’s third young madam.”
“Since I’ll stay here for a long, long time, how can you not go out and socialize, Huan’er? Hmph, sitting at home doing needlework all day, we don’t do that.”
Only then did Luo Yunhuan excitedly agree. Although she was often speechless about her sister’s constantly changing favorite young lords, picking and choosing as if selecting goods, when her sister spoke like this… she must have at least ninety percent certainty. Her sister just liked power and wealth — among the powerful and wealthy, if Third Cousin Lu got together with her sister, that would probably be the best outcome.
No wonder sister had been in such a good mood recently!
Third Cousin had left, but the lady wasn’t sad at all, eating, drinking, and playing, while also teasing the Lu family’s female cousins. Luo Lingyu’s current life was so comfortable.
But perhaps joy leads to sorrow — Luo Lingyu had just agreed to go with Zhou Yangling to distribute porridge to the poor at the edge of the city, when she fell ill after returning in the evening.
The lady lay sick in bed, vomiting and having diarrhea. Zhou Yangling personally sent her back and instructed her to rest well. The next day, Second Young Master Lu only heard about cousin Luo falling ill. Since his third brother had asked him to take care of cousin Luo before leaving, Lu Xian naturally couldn’t let anyone bully his cousin while his third brother was away. Lu Xian went to visit Luo Lingyu before the morning court session.
It was breakfast time, and Luo Lingyu was lying in bed, having just drunk a bowl of porridge before throwing it all up.
Making the newly arrived Lu Xian’s expression change slightly.
Luo Lingyu had never liked letting people see her in a haggard state. Seeing Lu Xian from the corner of her eye, she used her sleeve to cover her face and said softly and weakly: “Second cousin, my appearance is damaged, I can’t receive you, you…”
But Lu Xian didn’t leave.
Instead, he first had the maids leave, and before closing the door, he even carefully looked around.
Luo Lingyu pulled down the bed curtains, refusing to see Lu Xian.
However, Lu Xian didn’t give up, pacing to the outside of the curtains and pondering for a long time. After a long while, he endured his blushing face and bent down to ask the beautiful lady who was sick in bed in a low voice: “Cousin, tell me the truth. With you vomiting and having diarrhea like this, could it be… could it be… you’re pregnant?”
Luo Lingyu jolted violently: “…?!”
Lu Xian forcefully held back the worry and joy in his voice, gripping her wrist through the curtain and scolding: “How could you not tell us? Does third brother know? He even got you pregnant but still hasn’t married you, leaving you alone… If I hadn’t discovered this, what would you do? That bastard Third Brother, he must marry you!”
Luo Lingyu: “Second brother… I’m not…”
But Lu Xian thought she was just being shy.
Not listening to his cousin’s explanation, there was also a servant calling from outside. Lu Xian left with a meaningful look. That day after court, he first wrote a letter to Lu Yun, telling him this happy news while also scolding him.
…
It wasn’t until ten days later when Lu Yun received his second brother’s letter that he was completely bewildered and confused — that night, had he actually… actually… lost control and taken advantage of Luo Lingyu?
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