My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 33

At night, The two of them returned home. They quickly washed up and went to bed since they had to visit the bride’s family¹() the next day, although Helan Ci suspected that Lu Wuyou might have forgotten.

Helan Ci burrowed under the blanket, hesitating whether to remind him, when she heard Lu Wuyou, who was wrapped in another blanket, said, “Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow. You wouldn’t want Helan daren to see you with dark circles under your eyes and looking all worn out, would you?”

Once she got used to it, Helan Ci now no longer as uncomfortable as before to sleep in the same bed with him.

Perhaps it was because they each had their own blanket.

And the bed was quite spacious.

She closed her eyes, feeling like something was missing… Oh, right. The past two times before falling asleep, she had been kissed until her limbs went weak before sinking into slumber. But today, it seemed that he had already kissed her, so it didn’t matter. Helan Ci thought about it absentmindedly and slowly fell asleep.

In the morning, she woke up on time. Lu Wuyou was still sound asleep. Helan Ci carefully climb over him, trying to get off the bed, when suddenly someone grabbed her ankle. Helan Ci froze.

Lu Wuyou’s voice was thick with drowsiness: “……You’re up so early, why not sleep a bit more?”

The hand quickly loosened, leaving only a bit of warmth around the ankle.

Suppressing the slight heat rising to her cheeks, He Lan Ci replied, “The plan of the day lies in the morning²…”

Lu Wuyou exhaled and sat up, his eyes still closed, breathing shallowly, and said, “Fine…”

Now it was He Lan Ci’s turn to be puzzled. “Why don’t you sleep a bit more?”

It’s just past the hour of Mao Shi³ now, so it’s indeed still early.

Lu Wuyou pressed down on the tuft of messy hair on his head and said, “Furen is already up, how can I continue sleeping… But really, what’s with you? Why do you have to wake up so early?”

Helan Ci replied, “Habit… Uh, should I lie down for a bit longer so you can continue sleeping?”

Lu Wuyou opened his sleepy eyes and said, “No need… You’re surprisingly easy to talk to.”

He Lan Ci said, “I have always been easy to talk to.”

Lu Wuyou casually remarked, “You weren’t so easy to talk to during our past verbal arguments.”

In the past, when she heard the phrase “verbal arguments,⁴” Helan Ci wouldn’t have any strange associations, but this time, some images inexplicably flashed through her mind, her ears turned pink, and she didn’t even respond to his words.

Lu Wuyou was puzzled as to why she didn’t retort. When he got out of bed and saw the faint blush creeping up her neck. Recalling his own words from earlier, he suddenly felt a little awkward himself.

Before heading out, He Lan Ci hesitated while holding her white dress. The one from yesterday was soaked in sweat and had already been washed.

Lu Wuyou said, “Wear the red one. You’re going back to your family—don’t look so gloomy… Since you’re a new bride, you should look a bit happier, so Helan daren doesn’t think I’m mistreating you.”

Helan Ci went to get the red dress but couldn’t help saying, “Since you mean well, can’t you say it more nicely?”

Lu Wuyou smirked and said, “You understand my meaning, don’t you… Oh right, it seems you didn’t take that ginseng the Emperor bestowed last time? Just send it over to Lord Helan along with the other things. Your father doesn’t seem to be in very good health.”

This is indeed the truth. In the summer, it was manageable, but as soon as winter arrived, he easily caught colds and coughed. On rainy days, his knees ached so much that he had to soak them in warm water. It was a condition he had developed years ago when he was out inspecting the provinces and wading through flood waters during a disaster relief effort. Because of that his legs were soaked in the cold water for a long period of time.

Helan Ci had always known her father was a good official. Ever since she was little, there had been raggedly dressed commoners coming to their doorstep, tearfully expressing their gratitude.

Back then, he wasn’t yet the Left Censor-in-Chief, but if a citizen had an unjust case too great to bear and went to the capital to seek redress, her father’s residence was the first place they thought of. For those thankless cases that offended the higher-ups, others dared not take them on, but her father would investigate them one by one, tirelessly uncovering the truth and maintaining integrity, sometimes not even having time to return home.

Helan Ci said, “Thank you.”

Lu Wuyou paused and said, “Aren’t you being a bit too polite with me?”

Hean Ci also said, “You kiss me, and you have to ask first, isn’t that very polite?”

Lu Wu You was momentarily speechless before retorting, “That’s different! I was just…” Perhaps realizing that explaining such a situation was very silly, Lu Wuyou changed his tone and smiled slightly, saying, “…Well, since you don’t mind, I won’t ask you first next time.”

*****

Before long, the carriage arrived at the He Lan residence. There were no women in the household, so the usual formalities and small talk were minimal.

The steward led them inside, smiling as he said, “Although the master hasn’t said anything, he’s been waiting for Miss to return since early this morning.”

Her father actually wasn’t the type to ask about her well-being. With a stern face, he just asked a few trivial questions before pulling Lu Wuyou aside into the study.

Helan Jian came out then asked her, “Is that guy treating you well?”

Helan Ci recalled the past few days and sincerely nodded, saying, “Quite well.”

Helan Jian said, “This dress of yours is nice.”

Helan Ci said, “He gave it to me.”

Helan Jian nodded and said, “Then it is nice.” Thinking for a moment, he scratched his head and added, “Oh right, is he really that good? Lately, when I was at the Imperial Academy, one after another kept asking about him. They’re all saying they want to get to know him better, even more eagerly than they want to get to know you.”

Helan Ci nodded more sincerely and said, “Very promising.”

Can someone who won first place in six consecutive exams not be promising?

Helan Jian lowered his voice and leaned, saying, “Then… could he help me write an article? There’s a literary gathering in a few days, and I still need one.”

“……”

Helan Ci said expressionlessly, “Why don’t you just have him take the imperial examination for you too?”

Helan Jian was shocked and said, “Is that really okay? But our heights are quite different… That might not work.”

Helan Ci remained expressionless. “What’s the topic? Do you have paper and ink? I’ll go to the room and write it for you now.”

Writing an article for He Lan Jian is very easy, even less demanding than when she was in Qingzhou. As long as she casually writes something of similar quality to the articles she ghostwrote for Helan Jian before, it will be fine, neither a great success nor a failure.

——It’s fortunate that the Imperial Academy of Great Yong was filled with idle young nobles. With no formal examinations, otherwise, they would be exposed in one go.

Helan Ci pondered over the topic for a while, then moistened her brush at the inkstone, prepared her draft, and began to write. After a long time, she finally finished. She set down her brush, rubbed her wrist, and then heard a voice beside her say, “Has your writing regressed this much?”

She suddenly turned her head, and Lu Wuyou, who had come out of his father’s study at some unknown time, was standing beside her, watching.

It wasn’t known how long he’s been watching.

Helan Ci’s face turned red faster than ever this time. She quickly grabbed the ink-stained article and turned her back, saying, “Why didn’t you say something when you come!”

Lu Wuyou lazily lifted his chin. “Wouldn’t that be too polite?” He even smiled as he added, “I already finished reading it. Isn’t it a bit late for you to hide it now? Should I recite the article you just wrote?”

Recalling that his memory was near-photographic, Helan Ci felt truly embarrassed and indignant. “This is—You just wait! I’ll write another one!”

Lu Wuyou raised an eyebrow, smiling at her. “How come I never realized you were so easy to tease before? brother, right? I just saw him at the door, acting all secretive and with shifty eyes, so I guessed a bit…”

Helan Ci gradually calmed down and muttered, “I don’t usually write this poorly.”

“I know, I was just teasing.” Lu Wu You patted her shoulder. “Alright, don’t be nervous. Haven’t I already praised you?”

Helan Ci asked suspiciously, “When did you ever praise me?”

Lu Wuyou said, “As sharp as ice and snow.”

“……”

Recalling the context in which he praised her, Helan Ci was quite speechless for a moment and said, “… You also praised your little cousin for being smart.”

Lu Wuyou smiled gently and indulgently, saying, “Why are you comparing yourself to a child?”

Helan Ci once again felt an inexplicable itch in her teeth, the urge to bite him.

Just at that moment, a sound came from outside.

“Imperial decree has arrived!”

A quarter of an hour later, Helan Ci stared blankly at the decree and the ceremonial attire for a Noblewoman of the Sixth Rank, utterly bewildered.

A woman’s honorary title usually followed her husband’s rank. Since Lu Wuyou was a Bianxuan (editor) in the Hanlin Academy with a sixth-rank official position, she was granted the title of sixth-rank noblewoman. The imperial decree stated that it was in recognition of their deep bond in Qingzhou, and to honor the virtues of the Helan family, that she was specially granted this title.

Lu Wuyou adjusted her attire a couple of times and said, “Did you forget the good things we that happened on our wedding night?”

Helan Ci naturally didn’t forget: “So we took advantage of it again?”

Lu Wuyou said, “What do you mean by taking advantage? We earned this imperial decree from our own ability. It was extremely risky and had great consequences. Our wedding night was almost ruined.” He patted Helan Ci’s shoulder again, “Furen, the future is promising indeed… Hm, as your husband, I must work hard for future promotions.”

Helan Ci ignored his nonsense and was thinking about something else. “Then, in the short term, the Second Prince… probably won’t cause us trouble anymore?”

Lu Wuyou said, “It should be.”

The two were still talking when the eunuch who had delivered the edict returned. He still had a beaming smile on his face and said, “There’s one more piece of good news I forgot to tell the Zhuangyuan.”

Lu Wuyou respectfully and gently replied, “Please speak, Gonggong.”

It was as if he had become a completely different person in an instant.

“We just received the news, It seems His Majesty intends to promote Zhuangyuan to Youzhongyun⁵ in the Zhanshi Fu⁶, where you’ll be responsible for lecturing the princes on classics.” Qian Gonggong said with a beaming smile, “This is a great opportunity, who knows, in the future, this one might still have to rely on the Zhuangyuan.”

Zhanshi Fu was originally established specifically for the Crown Prince, and later also taught the princes. During the reign of the late emperor, the Crown Prince enjoyed great favor and had significant influence, making the officials of the Zhanshi Fu quite sought after. Now, since there is no Crown Prince, the princes’ early education is the responsibility of the Cabinet, the Zhanshi Fu had become more of a stepping stone for Hanlin Academy scholars. Who knows why the emperor suddenly wanted to resume classical lectures for the princes.

The eldest prince and the second prince have already reached adulthood⁷, while the third prince has just turned fourteen.

Lu Wuyou politely asked, “May I be so bold as to ask, which prince is it?”

Qian Gonggong smiled and said, “Second Prince”

Lu Wuyou: “……”

Helan Ci: “……”

Qian Gonggong chuckled again, “Zhuangyuan, you’re too excited! The lectures will be held in Wenhua Hall, and other princes and princesses may attend as well. Of course, His Majesty has also selected a few senior officials from both the Hanlin Academy and the Zhanshi Fu to lecture alongside you. Although you were previously attacked, this marriage is indeed bought a great fortune! Your promotion speed is truly unheard of! You are indeed a Zhuangyuan who topped six consecutive exams, deeply favored by the emperor.”

After Eunuch Qian left, Lu Wuyou sighed, “…… I think Xiao Nanxun is trying to mess with me again.”

Helan Ci nodded. “I think so too… Can you handle it?”

Lu Wuyou spoke in a calm and steady tone: “Even if I can’t, I have to. Who told me to marry you? I will become a powerful minister in the future, and I won’t fall here.”

For the first time, Helan Ci admired his confidence. “Then work hard! I’m counting on you.”

Lu Wuyou:”…”

Helan Ci said, “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re even smarter than me. Soldiers come, generals counter; water comes, earth blocks⁸. I really can’t help you in this. I believe that Lu Daren, who is so clever, will definitely be able to solve it.”

Lu Wuyou’s expression suddenly shifted: “Actually, the First Prince’s people came to see me privately.”

Helan Ci was also taken aback: “Huh?”

Lu Wuyou smiled and said, “It’s quite interesting. They came to apologize for the Second Prince nearly causing a scene at our wedding. They even sent me some medicinal herbs and supplements, telling me not to hold it against the Second Prince. Their rivalry is quite intense. The Hanlin Academy hasn’t been affected yet, but I’ve heard that the Six Ministries are already seeing various large and small maneuvers—especially the Ministry of Personnel. If I remember correctly, your uncle is Minister Yao of the Ministry of Revenue, right? Your father also told me to be careful.”

Helan Ci suddenly recalled the dream, the two factions in a state of open hostility. Clearly, things hadn’t escalated that far yet.

When the imperial decree was being read earlier, Helan Jian had tactfully stepped out. Now, as he re-entered the room, Helan Ci and Lu Wuyou quickly resumed a casual demeanor. After lunch, they boarded the carriage to return home.

It’s worth mentioning that Helan Ci had compared Lu Wuyou’s taste in food with their own household’s cooking and suspected that their chef might not meet his standards. She was deeply worried that after taking two bites, Lu Wuyou would either slam the table and demand the chef be replaced or simply eat a couple of bites and then leave the rest untouched.

Unexpectedly, Lu Wuyou ate with great naturalness, without any hint of awkwardness, and even with an elegant and natural demeanor, making it seem as if he, Helan Jin, and Helan Ci were a family, while Helan Jian next to them appeared to be an outsider.

After getting into the carriage, Helan Ci couldn’t help but say, “Just now, it must have been hard for you…”

Lu Wuyou turned his head and asked, “What is difficult?”

Helan Ci said: “Ahem, the dish…”

At this, Lu Wuyou chuckled. “Oh, that? Based on your taste, I had a rough idea of what to expect. It’s just one meal—I won’t be eating it every day. It’s not like it’s going to poison me.”

Helan Ci muttered, “…I thought you were more delicate than that.”

Lu Wuyou said, “No, you don’t know… when I was a kid, I had to eat… no, that’s not right, you don’t know how outrageous my mother’s cooking was. My father was always watching us closely, so my sister and I had to pretend to enjoy it. It was truly unbearable. Later, out of desperation, we even had to fend for ourselves and teach ourselves how to cook. After we got out, it was finally a relief. Anyway, I don’t lack money, why shouldn’t I treat myself well?”

It was the first time Helan Ci had heard him talk about his childhood. She thought he was like those young masters, pampered and delicate, unable to do any hard work or tell grains apart. But now it seems there might be some discrepancies.

Of course, being a bandit… ah no, coming from a martial arts sect background would be a bit different.

After returning to the residence, Lu Wuyou went to organize his study, while Helan Ci started tidying the storage room.

She soon realized that despite Lu Wuyou’s confident demeanor when he showed her the storeroom the other day, in reality, he didn’t even have an inventory list, let alone proper account books. The household affairs were still quite chaotic.

Qingye, though effectively acting as the steward, doesn’t really understand it very well.

So, Helan Ci first ordered an inventory of the storeroom and had everything registered. Then she began inquiring about the household staff—how their monthly wages were distributed, what their assigned duties were, and how the household expenses were managed. Once everything was accounted for, it turned out that Lu Wuyou’s newly built residence for the purpose of housing the two of them had even more staff than Helan Residence. And that was not even counting close attendants like Qingye and Zizhu, who followed Lu Wuyou personally without receiving a salary.

Helan Ci couldn’t help but ask Qing Ye, “Are there more people like you?”

Qingye replied, “I don’t know about the people from Tingjian Manor, but in our sect, there are at least ten more like us. If needed, we could temporarily transfer even more from other branches. But honestly, the capital is so boring—it’s inconvenient to kill someone, and they are all reluctant to come…”

Helan Ci: “……??? Hmm?”

Qingye coughed and said, “I mean, It’s inconvenient to even hit someone without trouble. There are too many patrolling Jinyiwei and spies on the streets. We are all very law-abiding!”

While she decided to let that slide for now, Helan Ci had another question. “What is Tingjian Manor? And what do you mean by ‘sect’?”

Qingye explained, “Tingjian Manor is the jianghu faction under the young lord’s father, which is why Zizhu calls him ‘Manor Young Lord.’ As for our side, we’re from the young lord’s mother’s faction. Out in the world, people call us the ‘Demonic Sect,’ but actually, we call ourselves the ‘Righteous Sect.’ We’ve long since turned over a new leaf! We even run legitimate businesses now, like the Yufeng Hall pharmacy and the tailor shop where we ordered the furen’s dresses.”

“In short… the young lord wanted to study and become an official, so we just followed him here. Does furen have any other questions?”

Helan Ci tried to understand, but still felt a bit confused. Mainly regarding some terms, everything is too unfamiliar.

“……Forget it, I’ll just keep working.”

When Lu Wuyou stepped out of his study, he saw Helan Ci bustling around, though he wasn’t sure exactly what she was doing. After finally sitting down, she took a small booklet and began to write with a brush.

He couldn’t help but lean over to look, and he even heard Helan Ci muttering to herself.

“One qian… two qian… three qian…”

Sensing someone close by, Helan Ci turned her head and was met with Lu Wuyou’s striking profile just inches away. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to move aside. Lu Wu You gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “You are really a virtuous furen.”

Too close.

Helan Ci took a moment to steady herself and replied, “…This is just the normal work required when managing a household.”

Lu Wuyou sat beside her, propped his chin on one hand, and tilted his head to look at her with the lazy air of a young master, “It’s fine, you continue… Actually, when I said before that I marrying a frugal and thrifty wife, I was just joking. I didn’t expect… cough, never mind, you continue.”

Helan Ci wrote two more lines, but under his gaze, it was impossible to continue, so she said, “…… Don’t you have anything to do?”

Lu Wuyou naturally replied, “I’m on leave, so of course not.”

Helan Ci stood up and said, “That’s perfect, there are still quite a few things here that need to be registered and cataloged. Come over and help me count them.”

“Isn’t there already someone over there counting? Having one more person might actually make it easier to make mistakes.” Lu Wuyou patted the dust off her temple, and said, “There’s plenty of time ahead, no need to rush.”

Then continue to stare at her, seemingly finding the scene rather novel.

He had seen Helan Ci repair rooftops. He had seen her row a boat.

But seeing this ethereal beauty—her face luminous like the moon, her eyes delicate and serene—now with her hair tied back, meticulously holding a small ledger and managing household affairs, was a completely different kind of fascinating.

Even though he was already married and had brought Helan Ci into his home, Lu Wuyou had never truly internalized what that meant.
At this moment, he suddenly had a very concrete feeling—
“You really look like my wife now.”

Helan Ci couldn’t help but blush under his gaze, wanting him to stop looking but not knowing how. She could only bite her lip and muttered, “…… What nonsense are you talking about? I am your wife”