My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 13

Helan Ci thought for a moment and said with about seventy to eighty percent certainty, “Is it because of Shao’an Gongzhu?”

Lu Wuyou raised an eyebrow, didn’t say anything, and took it as a silent agreement.

Helan Ci slowly sipped her medicinal soup, taking small sips, and asked curiously, “Did she squeezed onto your carriage?”

Indeed, Shao’an Gongzhu had taken a fancy to Lu Wuyou at first sight that day and immediately asked the Emperor to arrange a marriage for her.

The young girl thought simply, believing that as a princess, she was of noble birth and could choose anyone as her husband. She didn’t expect to hit a wall for the first time.

Her father, who had always doted on her and fulfilled her every wish, tactfully advised her to choose someone else. He even sent his trusted eunuchs to introduce her to outstanding young men from good families. However, the young princess was determined to marry Lu Wuyou and even went to plead with the soft-hearted Noble Consort Li.

In the end, she learned that Lu Wuyou was already engaged and thought Shao’an Gongzhu would give up. Unexpectedly, she visited her aunt, the Changgong of Xunyang, and developed a new strategy—if the open approach didn’t work, she could try the covert one.

On the way to Changyong Hunting Grounds, Lu Wuyou was originally in the same carriage with three other Hanlin scholars.

Halfway through, Shao’an Gongzhu forcibly squeezed in, bringing a fruit platter and snacks, her small face beaming with a smile, sitting next to Lu Wuyou as if she wanted to have a long chat with him.

The other three Hanlin scholars were pushed to the opposite side, two of them pretending not to see.

The remaining one couldn’t hold back and said, “A carriage full of men, and a young unmarried girl staying here, what kind of propriety is this! It’s really inappropriate! Please, get out of the carriage!”

Then, he was driven out.

The young lady, who had just reached the age of marriage, delicately held a snack with her slender fingers and smiled sweetly, saying, “Brother Lu, would you like to try this plum blossom sugar steamed chestnut flour cake? It’s a snack made by imperial chefs, and it’s my favorite. It’s fragrant, sweet, and extremely delicious.”

Lu Wuyou’s gaze was indifferent, and he smiled politely and appropriately, “My humble self is inexperienced and truly feels unworthy. It’s better to share it with the other two gentlemen first.”

The two Hanlin scholars opposite him: “……？？？”

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I’m already full.”

“I’m not hungry either.”

Lu Wuyou said, “Since both gentlemen have said so, then my humble self even more so…”

Then, they were both driven out.

Only two people were left in the carriage.

Shao’an Gongzhu nervously tidied her sideburns and the hairpin on her head, ensuring she looked perfect before shyly saying to her beloved, “Brother Lu, I know you’re in a difficult position and don’t want to ruin your career… So I thought of another way. If you don’t want to marry me, it’s okay. You can secretly be my male lover¹. That way, it won’t go against the family rules, and you can continue being an official…”

She was completely unaware of how absurd her words were.

“…But if that’s the case, you would be my man, and you can’t marry that fiancée of yours… Brother Lu, what’s wrong with you?”

The young man in the blue robe, who had been sitting upright, now had a mocking yet pained expression as he said, “Why do you have to humiliate me like this?”

Shao’an Gongzhu was taken aback, “I didn’t mean it… Don’t scare me!”

In the next moment, the young man’s face turned pale, his lips devoid of color, and he started coughing repeatedly.

“This servant… old ailment has flared up…” He seemed to be angered by her, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe, yet he still struggled to say, “Thank you for your kindness, but… cough cough… but I…” Shao’an was just a sixteen-year-old girl, and she immediately panicked.

“Don’t speak for now! Someone, quickly take him to the imperial physician!”

*****

At this moment, inside the carriage of the Imperial physician.

Lu Wuyou was about to speak again when a delicate voice suddenly came from outside the curtain, “Brother Lu, are you in there?”

Halan Ci reacted even faster than Lu Wuyou upon hearing the voice.

She immediately put down the medicine bowl in her hand, pulled over the bedding, lay down on the bed, covered her head, and quietly shrank into the corner.

Lu Wuyou’s gaze shifted, and he casually pulled over the medicine table, applying slight pressure with his fingers to block the view from the outside, his movements practiced and silent.

Almost simultaneously, Shao’an Gongzhu had already entered the carriage, followed by palace maids and servants, all with anxious expressions.

“Princess, this is not appropriate, not appropriate…”

“Princess, please slow down…”

Even the old imperial physician was surprised and said, “Princess, is there something wrong with you…”

Shao’an Gongzhu didn’t even look at him, directly lifting the curtain. The strong smell of medicine filled the air, and the dim light inside made it hard to see clearly. With a beam of light shining in, one could finally see the young man leaning against the bed, pressing his chest, slightly raising his brows.

His complexion was still pale, his eyes light, and his handsome face no longer bore the gentle smile that used to make the girl’s heart flutter. Instead, it exuded a sense of distant and formal righteousness.

Shao’an Gongzhu’s heart ached instantly, and softly said, “…Are you okay?”

Lu Wuyou pressed his chest again, coughed, “Thank you for your concern, Princess. I am fine… cough…” He coughed so hard that he bent over, then straightened up instantly, his back straight as if to distance himself from her.

“Imperial physician, what is wrong with him…”

The old imperial physician gritted his teeth and said, “This gentleman does seem a bit weak. The carriage is narrow, princess, please step out…”

After saying that, he was driven out of his own carriage.

For a moment, besides the two people in the carriage, there was only a trembling medical apprentice who was grinding medicine.

And Halan Ci, who was hiding under the bedding, unable to stop the sweat from forming on her forehead.

She desperately hoped that this Lu Wuyou’s baggage would go away as soon as possible, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Shao’an Gongzhu was still unwilling to leave and seemed to want to seriously discuss their feelings here.

“Brother Lu, I was wrong just now… please don’t be angry…” Shao’an said softly, “I didn’t mean to insult you. I thought about it just now, and it might not be appropriate to be my secret male lover. How about… would you be willing to be my concubine?”

Lu Wuyou: “…”

Helan Ci: “…” Is there a difference?

“… Did I say something wrong again? But you know my intentions clearly. I just want, want to…”

Lu Wuyou’s voice was unprecedentedly clear and righteous, as if all the righteous energy in the world had gathered on him. He coughed and said, “Shao’an Gongzhu, it is difficult for me to comply with this order… cough… I have an old ailment, and a taoist say my lifespan is short. Only by being with the person destined for me… cough… that is, my betrothed wife, can I extend my life and avoid disaster. If we are forcibly separated, it would… cough…” He coughed repeatedly, as if he were about to cough out his lungs, “Moreover, my feelings for my wife, whom I have not yet married, are as clear as day. I will live a long life without decline, and I will never betray her in this life… cough…”

Between his words, there was a continuous sense of sorrow. The peach blossom eyes were almost overflowing with tears. Lu Wuyou coughed heavily, and one could see a streak of bright red flowing down from the gap between his fingers, dripping onto the ground.

Shao’an Gongzhu exclaimed, “You’ve coughed up bl00d!”

Lu Wuyou finally glanced at his palm. The corner of his lips was also stained with bl00d, making the scene even more shocking. He calmly wiped the bl00d from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand and said, extremely sorrowfully, “Gongzhu, why can’t you just let me go…”

He pressed against his chest.

The bloodstain smeared across his blue official robe. In the dim light, he looked almost like a tragic ghost, and his tone turned eerie: “—Do you really want me to die in front of you?”

The smell of bl00d mingled with the medicinal scent.

The performance was astonishing.

The little girl was frightened into crying: “I won’t pressure you anymore. I’ll leave first. You… take care of yourself…”

The young apprentice who was making the medicine also shivered, placing the freshly brewed medicine in front of Lu Wuyou, saying, “Sir… please drink it while it’s hot,” and quickly rolled off the carriage.

Now, there was truly no one else around.

Helan Ci couldn’t help but clap her hands three times: “Great acting.”

She had seen this kind of acting before, but she still couldn’t help but be amazed.

Lu Wuyou instantly shed the tragic aura he had just displayed, returning to normal as he took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the bloodstains from his fingers, effortlessly saying, “Thank you for the compliment.”

Helan Ci had already lifted the quilt and sat up to get some fresh air.

“Lu Gong, uh, Lu Daren…” Lu Wuyou, a top scholar, went straight into the Hanlin Academy as a junior editor, and it was almost a foregone conclusion. “May I ask, does your old ailment and your fiancée’s condition have anything in common?”

Lu Wuyou casually replied, “When false becomes true, true also becomes false, Miss Helan, is this very important?”

Indeed.

Even if Lu Wuyou’s lies get overturned, what would it have to do with her?

Lu Wuyou finished wiping his fingers and then his hands, but the smell of bl00d still lingered in the air.

Helan Ci casually said, “… Where did you get that bl00d?”

“Just fake bl00d, found by chance in those folk…., always carried around.” He raised an eyebrow and looked over, his tone slightly teasing, with a hint of a smirk, “Want some? I have another pack.”

“… No, thanks.”

Helan Ci picked up the half-finished bowl of medicine and continued to gulp it down.

After all the commotion earlier, the medicine had cooled down a bit, becoming even more bitter and hard to swallow. However, Helan Ci seemed to not even notice, not even furrowing her brows.

Lu Wuyou wiped his fingers clean, turned to look at her for a while, slightly furrowing his brow, and asked, “Don’t you find it bitter?”

Helan Ci finished the last sip, wiped her lips with a handkerchief, and said, “It’s fine.”

She had been drinking it since she was little.

After finishing, whether it was psychological or not, she actually felt a bit better. Then Helan Ci saw a piece of sweet, soft pastry placed in front of her, still giving off a faint scent of plum blossoms.

She looked up at the pastry.

Lu Wuyou smiled slightly and said, “Plum sugar steamed chestnut cake.”

Helan Ci couldn’t help but ask, “Where did it come from?”

“From the Gongzhu.”

“……”

“I tried a piece, it tastes good.”

Helan Ci was surprised, “You really dare to eat it?”

Lu Wuyou smiled gently, “She wouldn’t poison me.”

Helan Ci looked at Lu Wuyou with some suspicion, not understanding why he was suddenly being so kind. However, since he hadn’t harmed her before, and the pastry was too tempting, she hesitated for a moment and then picked up a piece.

The taste was indeed delicate and sweet, dispelling all the bitterness in her mouth. Except for being a bit too sweet, it was quite good.

She still found it strange, but still said, “…… Thank you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a bowl of medicinal soup was pushed in front of her.

Lu Wuyou chuckled softly, “Miss Helan, then would you mind having another bowl?”

Helan Ci: “…”

Lu Wuyou added, “I’ve smelled it; this bowl is for treating deficiency. Even if someone is not sick, drinking it won’t cause any harm. The carriage is so small, if it spills on the ground, it would be easy to notice.”

He originally had a pair of clear eyes, and with his peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, he appeared gentle and harmless, even giving off a sense of sincerity.

Helan Ci finally understood and felt a bit relieved, “Then why don’t you drink it yourself?”

Lu Wuyou simply replied, “It’s very bitter.”

…She also found it bitter, okay!

Helan Ci looked at him speechlessly, showing no sign of being soft-hearted, and said coldly, “You drink it.”

Just as she said this, a sound suddenly came from outside the carriage.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

“Your Highness.”

Helan Ci instantly jolted.

Suppressing the shiver that ran down her spine, she said to Lu Wuyou, “Hurry…”

Before she could finish, she turned her head and found him gone.

Then, the carriage suddenly sank, and the cold, drawn-out voice of Second Prince floated in, “Miss Helan, I’ve heard you’re not feeling well, so I’ve come to visit.”

…Just when she finished watching Lu Wuyou’s joke, it was her turn now.

1. It’s roughly equivalent to a gigolo. lol.
2. 公 gong: an address term for male adults. Whereas 大人 daren: general term of respect used to refer to those of status