My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 32.2

Lu Wuyou turned his head and, with a gentle and polite smile, said, “Paddling must have been tiring. How about we have a simple meal? My treat.”

This meal was obviously not as pleasant as the atmosphere before boat ride.

At a nearby restaurant, Lu Wuyou booked a private room and ordered a few dishes. He still remained very polite and impeccably courteous, asking Lin Zhang and Second Miss Wei if they wanted to order anything.

Lin Zhang knew he shouldn’t, but he really couldn’t hold back and said, “Should we ask furen if she wants anything to eat?”

Lu Wuyou said, “She isn’t picky; She’ll eat whatever is ordered.”

Helan Ci also nodded in agreement, this time, she was being completely sincere.

Second Miss Wei couldn’t hold back any longer and pushed the menu in front of Helan Ci, saying, “Order whatever you want!” There was even a bit of anger in her voice, “You’re so beautiful, can’t you be a bit more assertive?”

Helan Ci explained, “I’m really not picky.”

But no one believed her.

The dishes arrived quickly, and among the seven or eight ordered, there was a plate of steamed river shrimp. Second Miss Wei wanted to eat it but found it troublesome, so she playfully said, “You peel it for me.”

Lin Zhang sighed helplessly, washed his hands, and began peeling shrimp for her.

Seeing this, Helan Ci, being inspired, also cleaned her hands and began to peel the shrimp.

The young woman, with her slender, delicate hands, even while peeling shrimp with her head down, moved with a grace that was pleasing to the eye. Lu Wuyou thought she wanted to eat it herself and didn’t pay much attention—until he saw her place the peeled shrimp into his bowl with a rather flattering expression.

Lu Wuyou stared at the shrimp in his bowl, paused, and said, “…I don’t want to eat shrimp.” Then, he picked up the shrimp and placed it back into her bowl.

Helan Ci said, “…… Oh.”

Lin Zhang’s hand trembled, and he nearly cut himself on the shrimp shell. He stared in disbelief at Lu Wu You, who was calmly picking up other dishes, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

“Ji’an, you…”

Second Miss Wei slammed the table and said, “She worked hard to peel the shrimp for you. Even if you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to be so ungrateful!”

Lu Wuyou’s expression remained calm, and his peach blossom eyes even carried a gentle, affectionate light. He still looked like the same charming, heart-stealing scholar from Qingzhou, but at this moment, Second Miss Wei felt absolutely no attraction toward him. She only heard him say, “She is my wife. Aren’t you two meddling a bit too much?”

Helan Ci added, “He doesn’t want to eat. It was my mistake for assuming. It’s not his fault.”

Wei Er Xiaojie lost her appetite entirely.

She had grown up in the household of the Xunyang Gongzhu, where she had seen men treat her grandmother with utmost reverence. When her mother married her father, the Marquis of Kangning, she had been pampered and adored. When had she ever seen a wife being treated like this?

Second Miss Wei immediately waved her sleeve and said, “I’m not eating this meal! Lu Wuyou, I must have misjudged you. You turned out to be such a despicable man! No wonder my grandmother would rather persuade Shaoan Gongzhu than let me have anything to do with you—she said that you are clearly engaged in Qingzhou but still go around flirting and causing trouble, a man without virtue. You, you are not as good as Lin Zhang!”

After finishing her words, she forcefully slammed the door open and left.

Lin Zhang stood up, glanced inside and outside, and finally sighed as he chased after her.

Helan Ci was startled by the sound of the door being slammed. She had expected it to be effective, but she didn’t expect it to be this effective.

Of course, it was all thanks to Lu Wuyou’s cooperation.

“You…” She hesitated and looked at him. “Do you explain a little? It’s not as bad as they think. I can go with you.”

“You want us to go chase after them? I’ll just explain to Shaoyan later. As for Miss Wei, there’s no need.” Then, Lu Wuyou pointed at the shrimp and said, “You didn’t peel this properly. The shrimp vein isn’t being peeled cleanly. Here, let me peel one for you.”

He expertly grasped the shrimp tail, gave it a quick pull, and cleanly removed the vein. His fingers moved skillfully, almost like he was undressing it, and in just a few seconds, he had peeled the tender white shrimp meat and placed it in Helan Ci’s bowl.

She picked it up, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in her mouth. “…It tastes good.”

Lu Wuyou’s eyes curved into a smile. “Right? This restaurant is by the lake, so their seafood is great. Forget about them. Let’s just eat. I heard there will be fireworks tonight—do you want to stay and watch?”

Helan Ci saw that he truly wasn’t bothered at all, so she finally said, “…Can we stay that late?”

Lu Wuyou peeled another shrimp and placed it in her bowl, saying, “Your husband is here. What’s wrong with staying late” Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly asked, “Wait… you haven’t been to a lantern festival before? Didn’t Qingzhou have them?”

“…I went once,” Helan Ci embarrassedly said. “…Someone touched my waist.” The last few words were muttered so softly they were almost inaudible.

And that was even while she had been wearing a veiled hat.

Lu Wuyou paused and asked, “You didn’t send him to the authorities?”

Helan Ci shook her head. “He ran too fast. There were too many people, and it was dark so we couldn’t catch him.”

Lu Wuyou seemed to understand what she was afraid of. His tone turned serious as he said, “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone touch you.”

****

After finishing their meal, night quickly fell, but the number of tourists hardly diminished.

Rows of lanterns were hung along the plank walkway, and by the lake, people had begun performing with monkeys, making them jump through flaming hoops. A simple stage had been set up for a shadow puppet show, and vendors started selling all kinds of exquisite lanterns. As for snacks and refreshments, there was no shortage, with hawkers calling out tirelessly.

Lu Wuyou asked her, “Do you want some snacks?”

Helan Ci replied, “…I’m really full.”

What was originally meant for four people ended up being eaten by just the two of them. Even with Shuangzhi and Qingye joining in, they still couldn’t finish everything.

Lu Wuyou casually asked, “How about a lantern?”

Helan Ci hesitated.

Without waiting for an answer, Lu Wuyou continued, “What kind do you want? There’s a stall over there where you can win one by solving riddles. I’ll help you win one.”

Not far away, a stall was surrounded by a crowd. Hanging at the highest point was a long scroll like a couplet, and below it, voices rose in excitement, a riddle competition was taking place.

Helan Ci couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t that a bit too…”

He was a Zhuangyuan, a rare talent who had passed all six levels of the imperial exam in one go, competing with common folk over riddles to win a lantern—it would be an insult to say it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If word got out, no one would believe it.

Lu Wuyou said calmly: “I have no face left today anyway.” He gestured at the lanterns on the stall with his eyes, “Which one do you want?”

Since he was the one going, Helan Ci casually pointed to a gold ingot-shaped lantern.

Lu Wuyou turned and stared at her.

Her face turned slightly red, but she remained composed and said, “Its a good omen. I’m worried that if you keep spending like this, you’ll empty out your family fortune sooner or later.”

Lu Wuyou said, “That won’t happen. Didn’t I marry a thrifty wife?”

Helan Ci coughed lightly and urged, “Go quickly, or someone else will win it first.”

After Lu Wuyou left, she stood with Shuangzhi and Qingye, waiting.

Helan Ci hadn’t been out at night for a long time. Looking at the sky full of stars and the diverse crowd, she saw couples, families out for a stroll, young noblemen and ladies exchanging smiles filled with unspoken meaning. Even the hawkers’ cries and the occasional bickering among customers felt oddly warm.

If she counted, the last time she had been out at night was when she was forced to attend the prince’s birthday banquet. Back then, all she could remember was fear and anxiety.

This time, however, she felt completely at ease. Even the night breeze brushing against her face was warm.

She looked at the stall in the distance and couldn’t help but smile.

Just then, a voice broke the peaceful moment. “Young lady, why are you standing here alone at night? It’s not very safe. Would you like me to protect you?”

A finely dressed nobleman approached, prompting Helan Ci to instinctively step back in caution.

Technically, as a married woman, she should have styled her hair accordingly, but she had forgotten. Besides, Lu Wuyou had told her there was no need to be so old-fashioned, so she had casually tied it up.

With a frosty expression, she said, “I’m already married. My husband is just nearby. Thank you for your kindness, gongzi.”

The nobleman, seeing her well-dressed but wearing simple jewelry, assumed she wasn’t from a humble family. He smiled and said, “But your husband isn’t here right now. Let me keep you company for a while so you won’t be bored. I wonder which family you are from?”

As he spoke, he took a step forward, with a slightly obsessed look in his eyes. He reached out, trying to touch her arm.

Before he could, a dark figure suddenly appeared, intercepting him. With a single palm strike, the nobleman fell to the ground.

Helan Ci recognized—it was Zizhu, the servant from her wedding. She was a bit surprised. Where had he come from?

Qingye crossed her arms and pouted, “He’s been following us the whole time. He was squatting in a tree for ages—I thought he wasn’t coming down.”

The man, furious, shouted, “Who do you think you are?! How dare you push me! Do you even know who I am? My brother is a command officer in the Capital Guard! How dare you openly attack me—”

Helan Ci was fed up with hearing this. The official title could be swapped with any other, and it wouldn’t make a difference.

A command officer in the Capital Guard? A fifth-rank position. Someone they could afford to offend.

Normally, revealing her father’s position would be enough to make people back off. If they were unreasonable, she could just call the soldiers patrolling nearby to solve the problem.

Just as she was about to speak, Lu Wuyou returned, carrying the gold ingot lantern.

Seeing the scene before him, his usually gentle peach-blossom eyes darkened. When he wasn’t smiling, his expression carried a hint of intimidation.

“What did he do?” he asked.

Zizhu replied, “He tried to touch furen.”

The previously arrogant man, noticing Lu Wuyou’s dignified attire and presence, suddenly seemed unsure. He muttered, “It was just a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Sorry to disturb you. I’ll be leaving now.”

As he hurried away, Qingye asked, “Sir, are we really letting him go?”

Lu Wuyou waved his hand and whispered something to Zizhu. After Zizhu left, he turned to Helan Ci, holding out the lantern. “Here, for you.”

She took the gold ingot lantern and spun it with her fingers. “You got back pretty fast.”

Lu Wuyou returned to his usual demeanor and said, “If I took any longer, you’d have a whole mahjong table of admirers by now…” He paused thoughtfully. “I never realized there were so many scoundrels in the capital.”

Helan Ci chuckled. “You’ll understand once you become a young lady yourself.”

Lu Wuyou studied her for a moment. When she looked up at him in confusion, he muttered, “…You really have it rough.”

She replied matter-of-factly, “I’m used to it. Otherwise, why do you think I hate going out so much?” Then she suddenly remembered something. “Don’t you have a younger sister?”

Lu Wuyou nodded. “Oh, right. I told you about her. She doesn’t have much scheming in her, but… she’s incredibly skilled in martial arts. Most people who try to harass her don’t even last until we arrive—she beats them half to death first.”

Helan Ci was stunned. “She does that?”

“Come on,” Lu Wuyou said. “The fireworks are about to start. I found a quiet spot with fewer people. Let’s go.”

When Lu Wuyou said “fewer people,” he meant none at all.

He led her up a small hill across from the festival. The area was completely deserted.

Helan Ci carefully lifted her skirt to avoid getting it dirty. It took some effort to climb up, all while holding the lantern.

Lu Wuyou remarked, “I told you, I could have carried you.”

Helan Ci declined, “I rarely get to go for a walk.”

“…your physical strength is actually quite poor,” Lu Wuyou said.

Helan Ci was not annoyed and instead admitted, “I’ll remember to exercise.”

Not long after she reached the top, the fireworks began.

With a sharp whistle, a bright firework shot into the sky, bursting into dazzling sparks. Another followed, lighting up the dark night with vibrant colors. Helan Ci stared up in awe, momentarily forgetting everything else.

Lu Wuyou had seen fireworks many times before, but after a brief glance, he instinctively turned to look at Helan Ci.

Helan Ci was still staring at the sky, as if she had never seen something so beautiful before. The colorful lights flickered across her delicate features, reflecting in her bright, trembling eyes. She looked as if she were glowing—more breathtaking than the fireworks themselves.

…Why was she always so easily satisfied?

Helan Ci watched until the last firework faded, still reluctant to look away.

Only after, she remembered to thank Lu Wuyou. He stood by, deep in thought, and when he saw her looking over, he politely asked, “…May I kiss you?”

Helan Ci surprised, “……??? We’re outside?”

Lu Wuyou said, “Anyway, there’s no one around.”

Shuang Zhi and Qingye quickly turned their backs and retreated down the hill, soon disappearing from the two’s sight.

Helan Ci stammered “Y-you” for a long time, but at this moment, she was indeed very soft-hearted and couldn’t bring herself to refuse. However, she felt that the way they were kissing on the bed was really dangerous outside, and it would be terrible if someone saw them. Then she heard Lu Wuyou say again, “Just a quick kiss, very fast.”

Helan Ci asked doubtfully, “Really…?”

Lu Wuyou gave a soft “mm,” slowly leaned over, covered her lips, and gently pecked at them.

At that moment, a small firework shot into the sky, bursting softly in the background, illuminating Lu Wuyou’s half-lidded eyes.

“……Alright, the fireworks are beautiful. Now that we’ve seen them, let’s head back.”

“En.”

“And by the way—you looked really silly just now.”

“……?”