ATLAS TRANSLATES

In the deep courtyard after a rain shower, the early morning revealed wet flowers and leaves scattered across the steps and corridors.

As servants busied themselves sweeping the courtyard, they heard an announcement and saw Madam Lu walk past them distractedly, entering the house to seek the Elder Madam.

Elder Madam Lu was troubled by the letter she received last night. Although premarital relations were common in this era, elders generally disapproved. Lu Yun’s letter didn’t mention that Luo Lingyu was carrying his child, but instead emphasized his determination to marry her.

Lu Yun had issued an ultimatum. If the Lu family didn’t prepare for the wedding soon, he would make his own arrangements.

Once he resolved matters with the Fan family in Nanyang and became engaged, he would bring Luo Lingyu there. The Lu family needed at least half a year to prepare for a wedding, but Lu Yun knew that if Luo Lingyu was pregnant, they couldn’t wait that long. He didn’t tell his family the truth, planning instead to trick Luo Lingyu to Nanyang for marriage. By then, with such distance between them, the Lu family would be powerless to object.

Lu Yun’s letter displayed his literary talent, effortlessly weaving in various classical references.

He appealed with both emotion and reason, presenting a compelling case.

At least Elder Madam Lu was deeply affected upon receiving the letter last night. She tossed and turned all night, repeatedly dreaming of her youngest son and daughter-in-law who had died within a year of each other.

It had been many years since she dreamed of that couple, who weren’t particularly passionate before marriage. Elder Madam Lu knew that before her youngest son’s death, he had wanted to take a concubine. Her daughter-in-law had wept constantly, writing letters begging her to intervene. Elder Madam Lu had grown weary of their disputes and tried to counsel both sides. After deciding to ignore them for two days, her son died in battle, and her daughter-in-law followed him in death.

No one remembered the matter of concubines anymore.

They only remembered the deep love and loyalty of the Northern General and his wife who bravely faced national crisis.

But Elder Madam Lu knew the truth.

She also knew that Lu Yun probably knew as well. Though he was just a child then, Lu Yun had always been exceptionally intelligent. He might not speak of many things, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware. It was precisely because he knew that Lu Yun had always doubted love and marriage. He not only couldn’t understand his mother’s weakness, but also couldn’t comprehend his father’s attitude toward relationships.

Lu Yun told Elder Madam Lu in his letter that if it wasn’t Luo Lingyu, it wouldn’t be anyone else.

For someone who originally had no intention of marrying or having children, once they made up their mind, how strong must that determination be?

Madam Lu lifted the curtain and entered, seeing Elder Madam Lu pensively putting away the letter: “Have the eldest son write to his father again, saying that Third Son’s marriage cannot be delayed. It will be Miss Luo… These days, the weather has turned cool. Think of a tactful way to inform the young ladies staying with us. If they wish to leave, don’t stop them. After Third Son marries, let the Third Young Madam handle the social affairs of the family’s women.”

The Lu family had many married-in women, but unfortunately few daughters in both main and branch families. Women’s social connections were often more important than men’s, and the Lu family lacked in this aspect. Madam Lu herself was reserved and didn’t like going out. Elder Madam Lu could only console herself that despite all her shortcomings, the daughter-in-law her third son chose had one good quality — Luo Lingyu was lively and sociable.

Madam Lu heard her mother-in-law’s instructions and responded with a troubled expression. Elder Madam Lu looked at her, and she finally voiced her complaints bitterly: “Although Miss Luo’s background is somewhat lacking, at least Third Son can marry. But my Second Son has taken Buddhist vows as a lay devotee, his entire quarters filled with chaos — if it’s not one Buddha statue being enshrined, it’s another Bodhisattva being welcomed home.”

“I’ve explained countless times that lay devotees can marry, that Second Son isn’t becoming a monk. But none of the young ladies’ families I’ve approached respond to me. They all suspect that since Second Son has become a lay devotee now, he might become a monk later. How can Second Son do this? Even if he wanted to become a lay devotee after marriage, who would care then? But taking vows now — what young lady would dare marry him?”

Madam Lu burst into tears, covering her face with a handkerchief as she sat grieving in her mother-in-law’s presence. Lu Xian was usually so obedient, but in the past half year he had seemed possessed, making her terribly anxious. Now it was even worse — her son actually showed signs of wanting to become a monk. Madam Lu gritted her teeth: “All this Buddhism and temples, I say they’re just bewitching people’s minds. They should all be destroyed!”

“Mother, our family’s sons are considered outstanding, yet while other families’ sons marry at seventeen or eighteen, why are our Second and Third Sons so difficult? It’s all because I thought we could take our time choosing. I never expected these two children to have such strange tastes. For Little Fourth Son, I must arrange his marriage early, to prevent him from following in his brothers’ footsteps.”

The Lu family’s Little Fourth Son, Lu Chang, was only eight or nine years old, at the carefree age of studying. Although born to a concubine, since Madam Lu had no other children, she took good care of him. Moreover, Little Fourth Son Lu Chang was well-behaved and sensible, very much to Madam Lu’s liking.

Elder Madam Lu sighed, sharing her daughter-in-law’s feelings on this matter. The two women discussed the marriages of both sons, and Elder Madam Lu’s previously hesitant attitude toward Luo Lingyu became more determined. At least Lu Yun was willing to marry — Lu Xian’s marriage prospects were still up in the air.

After being comforted by her mother-in-law, upon leaving, Madam Lu made a decision: even if she had to deceive someone, she would get a young lady to marry her son. How could the older brother lag so far behind his younger brother?

Madam Lu pondered this as she once again sent someone to invite Princess Ning Ping, Liu Tang, to visit their home. This young princess was exceptionally pure and gentle, and had saved her Second Son.

Since the young lady’s feelings ran deep, she should be easier to deceive.

While Elder Madam Lu was discussing Lu Yun’s marriage with the Lu family patriarch and the old Marquis, trying to persuade them, Luo Lingyu remained unaware of all this.

The young ladies who had come to escape the summer heat seemed to leave in unison, as if by prior arrangement. Before leaving, Lady Jiang Wanyi’s eyes were red with tears as she glared repeatedly at Miss Luo, who had grown even more beautifully slender after her illness—

Indeed, men only care for beauty.

Even someone like Third Cousin was so vulgar, only loving beautiful women.

Only by thinking of Luo Lingyu’s beauty could Jiang Wanyi somewhat accept it. If someone said Lu Yun loved more than just Luo Lingyu’s beauty, Jiang Wanyi would find that even harder to accept. As a noble lady, she would rather believe Lu Yun only loved beauty than admit there were other qualities in which she fell short of Luo Lingyu.

The Lu residence became much emptier, and without the beautiful young ladies, the house grew quieter. In the summer heat, cicadas chirped endlessly. Servant girls wielded bamboo poles, jumping to catch cicadas outside the courtyard.

Unable to resist the constant chirping of cicadas, young Miss Luo Yunhuan, who had been writing by the window, ran out excitedly, shouting that she wanted to catch cicadas too.

A while later, the Lu family’s Little Fourth Son Lu Chang shyly came to visit the young ladies’ courtyard, only to be dumbfounded seeing his little cousin acting more boyish than himself.

Young Miss Luo had rolled up her sleeves and pant legs, bouncing around as she climbed up to catch cicadas.

Little Fourth Son Lu Chang looked up at the lush tree, feeling dizzy as he called for his little cousin to come down.

Luo Yunhuan made a face at him, having never listened to what this little cousin had to say. The young miss even teased Lu Chang, angering the Little Fourth Son. Lu Chang immediately rolled up his sleeves, determined to climb the tree too, not wanting to lose to his little cousin.

Luo Lingyu sat by the window, perfectly positioned to watch her sister and young cousin’s playful antics in the courtyard. Cousins… her sister was still young, so Luo Lingyu didn’t interfere much. She even showed a flash of disapproval in her eyes at her sister getting too close to Little Fourth Son.

The Lu family would never allow two Luo women to marry into their family. One woman of lower birth, one woman for whom the Lu family had to sacrifice some benefits — one was enough.

However… it all depended on her sister.

If her sister truly liked him, she would use every means possible to make it happen.

While her mind wandered with these thoughts, her brush never stopped. Those familiar with Luo Lingyu’s handwriting would notice this young lady had switched to a different style. Although Luo Lingyu couldn’t match Lu Yun’s mastery of over ten different calligraphy styles, she had at least always admired the Xunmei Resident and had practiced two styles herself. Though her second style wasn’t very good, it was probably enough to fool people.

After finishing and sealing the letter, she asked her maid to find out when Second Young Master Lu would return. That evening, when Lu Xian returned home, the newly recovered young lady came to seek him out. Luo Lingyu held a letter supposedly sent from the Luo family in Nanyang, anxiously explaining that Aunt Luo in Nanyang seemed to have fallen ill and she needed to visit her.

Luo Lingyu spoke earnestly, her eyes filled with worry: “She must be seriously ill to write to me. Otherwise, with the current unrest in Nanyang, my aunt wouldn’t want me to return. Second Cousin, when Third Cousin left me in your care, could you arrange for someone to escort me to Nanyang?”

The beauty who could topple kingdoms caught the gaze of worldly men like flowing water, and she was well aware of her effect.

With her beauty, ordinary families couldn’t protect her — she could only marry into a powerful household.

Moreover, in these times of war, she shouldn’t wander about freely. The dangers she faced when traveling were far greater than those faced by other young ladies.

Luo Lingyu didn’t dare return to Nanyang with just her few servants, so she had to plead with her kindhearted Second Cousin. Things that couldn’t be explained clearly in the letter, she needed to explain to Lu Yun in person in Nanyang. After convincing Second Cousin, it would be easier to bid farewell to the Lu family.

Like ivy and dodder beneath pine and cypress, the night breeze gently stirred, lifting the clothes of the young man and woman standing beneath the corridor, both dignified and elegant.

Luo Lingyu was confident that Lu Xian wouldn’t refuse her. Just as she began to smile, she saw Lu Xian’s body slightly tremble.

His eyes contracted suddenly as he blurted out: “No! You cannot go to Nanyang!”

Lu Xian broke out in a cold sweat, sensing the threat of an approaching nightmare. In his dream, he had escorted his cousin to Nanyang… If he went with his cousin now, wouldn’t it be exactly like his dream? The same actions — wouldn’t they lead to the same outcome? Lu Xian absolutely could not agree.

Lu Xian darkened his face and swept into his quarters. His cold demeanor startled Luo Lingyu, who had never seen Second Cousin show such an expression toward her. Utterly confused, Luo Lingyu followed behind Second Cousin, softly explaining her reasons, trying to persuade Lu Xian. Lu Xian only frowned, refusing to agree no matter what she said.

The young master sat down sullenly, randomly flipping through a book. Luo Lingyu stood to the side, feeling both awkward and angry. Such dismissive treatment usually only came from Lu Yun. How could she tolerate any young master treating her with disdain?

After feeling dejected, the young lady turned to leave, but looked back to provoke him: “It’s fine if you won’t escort me, I’ll ask Prince Chen for help. When Third Cousin left, he didn’t just ask you to look after me, but Prince Chen as well. With Lord Zhou’s support, and since Prince Chen is Third Cousin’s best friend, Prince Chen will surely send someone to escort me to Nanyang.”

Lu Xian: “You are not allowed to go!”

Luo Lingyu: “Why? Why? You promised your brother you would take care of me.”

He stood up abruptly, his face dark as ink. Lu Xian was poor with words and couldn’t out-argue his quick-witted cousin. He blurted out: “Because I dreamed that when we went, Third Brother died!”

Luo Lingyu froze.

Her heart suddenly felt empty.

She mumbled: “It was just a dream…”

Luo Lingyu, skilled at reading people’s expressions, noticed Lu Xian’s uncomfortable look, as if he deeply regretted what he had said. Lu Xian’s subtle change in expression made Luo Lingyu suspicious, and she looked at him a few more times. But her Second Cousin was now on guard against her, unwilling to say more… Unable to discover anything else, Luo Lingyu had no choice but to take her leave.

Before leaving, she comforted him: “It was just a dream, dreams are opposite to reality. Cousin, don’t worry.”

Lu Xian smiled and also said it was just a dream, telling her not to think too much about it.

However, Luo Lingyu was deceiving Lu Xian.

With her calculating nature, how could she not think more about it?

Lu Xian’s unnatural expression played over and over in her mind.

The young lady tossed and turned, biting her pink nails ragged. She couldn’t help but care about matters concerning Lu Yun. Being so suspicious by nature, how could she easily let go when she noticed something amiss?

Lost in thought, Luo Lingyu began planning how to get information from Second Cousin.

For several days, Lu Xian showed no unusual behavior. Apart from attending court and going to the government office, he returned home with a worried expression, troubled about something unknown. One day, when Lu Xian had time off and planned to visit a master at Kaishan Temple, upon hearing this news, Luo Lingyu immediately took her sister out. Her reason was that Zhou Yangling was helping the poor and refugees at Kaishan Temple, and since Lord Zhou was working so hard, she should help too.

Luo Yunhuan strongly doubted her sister’s intentions, but helping people was always good.

The carriage rattled through the city streets. Inside, with the curtains drawn, Luo Lingyu closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, thinking. Sitting beside her, Luo Yunhuan lifted the curtain, her bright eyes sparkling with curiosity and joy as she watched the passersby.

Luo Lingyu, eyes still closed, instructed: “Stop looking, who knows if there are bad people out there? These days, government officials have been killed by knights-errant, it’s too dangerous.”

Luo Yunhuan: “Why would knights-errant come to kill us? Cousin’s family is very powerful. Let me look just one more time, sister…”

Their carriage passed through the slums, where ragged people sat crowded outside. Kind-hearted people were distributing porridge there. When Luo Yunhuan lifted the curtain, she saw refugees swarming to one spot, fighting over the scarce porridge. While people gathered in one area, a young man kneeling in a corner, his face rigid, stood out particularly.

This young man was one of the two who had stopped their carriage when the Luo sisters were returning to the Lu residence from the mountain.

Unfortunately, Luo Lingyu never remembered what unimportant people looked like, and young Miss Luo Yunhuan had been sleeping sweetly in the carriage that day. The escorts weren’t the same as today’s either. As a result, as the ox cart slowly passed by, no one from the Lu family’s carriage recognized this young man.

The young man was kneeling there as punishment from that middle-aged man.

Earlier, the middle-aged man had whipped him until his skin split and blood flowed freely. The middle-aged man fumed: “What use are you? I tell you to kill one government official, and you manage to get discovered. You’d better hide well, and if the people from the Southern Kingdom recognize you, you might as well take the blame. If you reveal who our master is, none of your family members will survive!”

The middle-aged man, disguised as a refugee, scrutinized the noble ladies who were kindly helping refugees in Jianye, finally settling on Miss Chen who distributed the most porridge.

The middle-aged man went to curry favor with that lady, leaving the young man kneeling there all afternoon as punishment.

The young man kept his head down.

In the scorching summer day, the blood on his wounds had crusted over, his long hair damp with sweat. The young man’s lips were pale, turning white. Thirsty, hungry, and in pain all over, his heart also carried a trace of violent rage. He thought that when their mission was accomplished, he would definitely kill that companion!

His mind was filled with thoughts of bloody slaughter, his cold eyes suffused with red bloodshot, when he suddenly heard clear tinkling sounds above his head — several copper coins had been thrown down in front of him.

A young lady’s voice, sweet as a oriole yet soft, called out: “Young brother, young brother…”

The young man lifted his head to see half a curtain raised on the carriage, behind which a beautiful, vivacious young lady smiled at him, showing her teeth. She put her finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, then pointed at the refugees fighting over food nearby, then at the copper coins that had fallen in front of him.

The young lady’s meaning was very clear — quickly hide them, don’t let others notice and take them away.

The young man’s eyes contracted almost imperceptibly, his thick black eyelashes lifting as he continued to stare at her expressionlessly.

The young lady’s face was glimpsed only briefly, as another lady in the carriage scolded her, causing this young lady to quickly lower the curtain. The noble carriage drove past the young man.

The young man lowered his head, staring at the copper coins thrown before him.

After a long while, he finally bent down and clutched the coins in his hand.