My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 37

Helan Ci ignored him, fiddled with the bracelet for a while, and then told him about the letter delivery.

Now that the two of them were indeed tied together — sharing honor and disgrace alike — it was still best to discuss everything together.

Lu Wuyou looked at the letter addressed to Duke of Wei and asked, “Should we open it?”

Helan Ci said, “Isn’t that inappropriate…?”

Lu Wuyou twirled the envelope between his fingers and said, “To be honest, I usually wouldn’t do something like delivering a letter for someone I don’t know. Especially this one, which is a letter from the Empress to the Duke of Wei. If anything goes wrong, it could be a love letter—very likely, or even evidence of rebellion. If we get involved, we’re both done for.”

Helan Ci was alarmed by his exaggerated words: “It’s not like we’re going to rebel or anything… Why does it feel like we’re always on the verge of disaster?”

Lu Wuyou turned to look at her and said, “Didn’t we already know this was the case before we got married?”

Helan Ci feels a pang of sorrow.

Lu Wuyou continued to speak boldly:“Plenty of feudal lords have thoughts of rebellion. It’s just that with their guards constantly reduced, it’s hard to succeed. But the Duke of Wei’s ancestors fought the Northern barbarians for generations. He’s not short on military power or authority. What he lacks is a legitimate reason to raise arms and a bloodline with rightful claim. Coincidentally, Her Majesty the Empress could provide that. The Duke of Wei is also a widower. If she were to bend the rules a bit and secretly bear him a legitimate son… It’s not like anyone could actually test the bloodline.”

The more He Lan Ci listened, the more horrified she became. “How did your mind even go there? That’s way too…”

Lu Wuyou let out a laugh and then changed his tone. “Of course, I’m just talking nonsense… Anyway, I’ll go look into things first. This letter is quite old, not a recent one. The Empress probably hasn’t pressured you to send it either. Let’s see the situation first… Don’t worry, I didn’t say I wouldn’t send it, so you won’t be breaking your word.” Finally, he added, “This outfit… Are you really okay? You don’t have to hide it from me…”

Helan Ci had never known Lu Wuyou to be this naggy.

For no reason, she suddenly remembered Lu Wuyou’s words, “You can treat me like your father,” and immediately felt terrible. She quickly kicked the thought out of her mind.

Although she came back late, Helan Ci still went to exercise as usual.

Lu Wuyou lowered his eyes to guide her posture, instructing her on how to breathe and exhale, while also supervising her—actually, He Lanci didn’t need supervision. When she thought something was useful, she would be particularly diligent.

Today, she was once again reminded how important it was to take care of her body.

Lu Wuyou propped his chin on his hand, sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, watching her for a while. He casually picked up a branch and used it to demonstrate, saying, “Doing these basic moves all the time can get a bit boring. How about I show you some sword dance?”

Helan Ci had only occasionally seen street performers wielding large knives when her carriage passed by. She stopped her movements, somewhat confused, and asked, “Sword dance?”

Lu Wuyou curled his lips and smiled, “You’ll know once you see it.” As he spoke, Lu Wuyou had already raised his wrist and assumed a starting posture, “What kind of style do you want to see? Something complicated? Elegant? …Or something clean and practical?”

Helan Ci said, “……There are so many styles?”

“There’s a lot to consider.” Lu Wuyou said with a smile, “The sword techniques in my family can be piled up this high.” He gestured, “If you have no specific requests, I’ll just dance it whatever comes tomy mind.”

Lu Wuyou had likely been holding back for a long time. In the next moment, the willow branch shot out, its tip trembling and making a rustling sound as it cut through the air. His entire body seemed like a sword, creating afterimages as he wielded the willow branch. Although the force behind his strikes was immense, enough to terrify anyone, his movements were graceful and fluid, faintly echoing the poetic line: “Graceful like a startled swan, supple like a swimming dragon.” Moreover, he moved incredibly fast, one move flowing into the next. Each technique was dazzling, every flourish mesmerizing. His sword intent was like a pool of autumn water, and He Lan Ci found herself unable to look away.

She stood by, staring in daze for a while, before Lu Wuyou finally executed a perfectly poised sheathing of the sword—his fingers curling back like willow branches.

With not even a hint of breathlessness.

Turning back, Lu Wuyou raised the corners of his eyes, his peach blossom eyes sparkling as he smiled at her and said, “Do you want to learn this?”

Helan Ci hesitated for a moment because it looked too extravagant and thus seemed less practical, but since Lu Wuyou was so enthusiastic, she didn’t want to dampen his spirits and nodded in agreement.

Lu Wuyou found another willow branch, placed it in Helan Ci’s hand, and began to demonstrate and explain each move to her.

Helan Ci remembered it very carefully, but her strength was indeed not enough. While Lu Wuyou danced with great momentum, the sword intent captivating. She looked just like a light and graceful dancer. Lu Wuyou didn’t seem to mind, holding her wrist, telling her how to position, how to turn, and how to strike.

After a few moves, he noticed that some movements were harder for her to do alone.

So Lu Wuyou simply moved behind her, loosely encircling her body. His fingers covered hers, leading her hand as they moved together.
Helan Ci’s consciousness involuntarily went off track.

It’s because… Lu Wuyou is a bit too close.

“Here, not only do you need to move your wrist, but your body also needs to turn slightly to keep up with the force…”

He also whispered in her ear, Lu Wuyou’s voice was clear and refined during the day, very much like a gentleman, but now he lowered his voice, making it sound exceptionally deep, gentle, and almost like a murmur.

Helan Ci tried hard to pull her consciousness back, focusing on the movements of his hands.
But just then, she saw Lu Wuyou holding her hand. The bones were clearly defined, the fingers long and slender, faint blue veins visible under the skin, and the taut lines made even the back of her hand feel a bit hot.

“Uh? Are you listening?”

Lu Wuyou was still explaining with interest, only to find He Lan Ci completely spaced out.

He looked at her, her earlobes were tinged with pink, and even the side of her neck had a rosy hue. Her delicate chin trembled slightly, and the edges of her temples were slightly damp with sweat. Lu Wuyou suddenly forgot what he was about to say. He released Helan Ci’s hand, cleared his throat, and said, “Let’s just practice until this part this for now.”

She turned her head to look at him.

Her eyes were soft, her lips slightly parted as she caught her breath, her expression completely unguarded.

——He shouldn’t be so preoccupied with things like this all the time, Lu Wuyou thought. Even a few months ago, he felt completely uninterested in these mundane matters. They seemed to serve no purpose other than wasting time.

But now, it felt like both his resistance and willpower were weakening.

He had thought that a few kisses would be enough to relieve it — but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

He was a little annoyed.

Helan Ci was quite surprised to see Lu Wuyou left, because he had just seemed to be in high spirits. Now, he had left her alone in the courtyard, sweating profusely as she wielded the willow branch, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

After taking a bath, Helan Ci sat in front of the dressing table, trying to practice her awful embroidery.

Lu Wuyou picked up a book and casually flipped through it while sitting on the bed.

Compared to the training, this skill seemed to progress slowly. Helan Ci wasn’t in a hurry anyway; there was plenty of time ahead. While she was embroidering, her mind wandered, and she inexplicably recalled the words Empress Xu had said to her in the palace.

Lu Wuyou was quite considerate towards her, even though the initial cause wasn’t entirely voluntary. He fulfilled his duties diligently, thought things through carefully, and took care of everything inside and out, leaving no room for criticism.

Even if He Lan Ci had many prejudices against him in the past, it was impossible to nitpick at this moment.

Had she treated him that well in return?

She held the embroidery hoop and began to ponder.

Lu Wuyou was idly flipping through a book on the couch, not really reading it at all, just skimming through it with his eyes.
His index finger rested against the page, hesitating whether or not to kiss her.

He had indeed kissed her quite a lot recently. Averaging it out, it was almost every day. Sometimes it was just a light touch, sometimes it left them both breathless. Helan Ci had never actually refused, but it didn’t seem like she was completely willing either.

It was just that he wanted to, so she complied.

In the past, he would have looked down on such behaviours. Not to mention if the other party was unwilling; even if they were willing, he wouldn’t have been so indulging.

He must have lost his mind.

Maybe it was just the novelty. Once the freshness faded… maybe he wouldn’t act so much like a beast.

As Lu Wuyou thought this, Helan Ci had finished what she was doing, extinguished the lamp, and moved over toward the bed.  Naturally, Lu Wuyou shifted to make room for her to lie down.

During the more courteous phase of their relationship, Helan Ci would still say thank you to him, but now she no longer did.

Once she crawled onto the bed on her knees, Lu Wuyou casually placed the book on the bedside and was about to extinguish the last lamp, when he noticed that Helan Ci hadn’t lain down under her blanket. Instead, she lingered there, head lowered, seemingly deep in thought.

Lu Wuyou asked, “What’s wrong?”

Helan Ci still looked hesitant.

Lu Wuyou patiently waited for her, thinking she was going to talk to him about some household matters again, or something that had happened in the palace that she hadn’t told him about before.

While waiting, his gaze naturally fell on Helan Ci—and then very unnaturally moved away.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but he finally felt Helan Ci move.

Lu Wuyou raised his gaze, just about to hear her speak, when he saw Helan Ci slowly lean over, a slender hand resting on his shoulder.

Her knees were still kneeling, and as she leaned closer, her long, delicate eyelashes kept trembling incessantly, casting a captivating shadow on her lower eyelids. That face, which was beautiful no matter when you looked at it, gradually filled the field of his vision.

Lu Wuyou’s pupils trembled, his Adam’s apple involuntarily moved, but his body remained still.

Until Helan Ci very slowly pressed his lips against his.

The girl’s lips were soft, just like every time he kissed her before, but this time it seemed somehow different. During their previous kisses, he only felt a gentle, heart-pounding electric current.

But this time, Lu Wuyou felt like he had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Helan Ci’s other hand also climbed onto his shoulder.Because she was leaning forward, she had to lift her lower back. Her fragrant softness pressed closer and closer. However, Helan Ci’s kissing was clumsy, only rubbing against his lips for a long time.

Her face quickly turned red, seemingly confused why he hadn’t moved.

After a while, she slowly withdrew, her face flushed, already feeling deeply embarrassed. This was the limit of what she could do at this stage. Expecting her to stick out her tongue like Lu Wuyou always did… was really too much.

Just as she was thinking that, she heard Lu Wuyou’s slightly hoarse voice ask, “…And then?”

Helan Ci froze. “…What do you mean, ‘and then’?”

Lu Wuyou asked, “…That’s it?”

Helan Ci replied: “What else do you want?”

Lu Wuyou moved his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbed again, and he said, “…That felt perfunctory.”

Helan Ci didn’t expect that despite her hard work, she would receive such an evaluation. She felt exasperated, but then suppressed it, turned to the inside, pulled over the quilt, and lay down, saying, “…Then forget it.”

Only then did Lu Wuyou seem to come back to his senses, dragging out his words as he said, “…You already took the initiative, can’t you try a bit harder? I don’t even kiss you like that usually. That was honestly a little perfunctory. I thought…” As he spoke, he tugged at her blanket a bit, exposing her head. Her face, framed by her hair, still had a red tinge on her ears. Lu Wuyou couldn’t help but laugh softly, but turned his words in another direction, saying, “…I thought you didn’t like this sort of thing.”

The first half of the sentence was still teasing, but the latter part seemed to reveal a hint of serious sighing.

Helan Ci then sat up again, pressed the back of her hand against her burning cheek, lowered her tear-filled eyes, and softly said, “Actually, you don’t need to consider my feelings so much. Since we are already married, you naturally…” She paused slightly and added, “Can do whatever you want.”

Her voice is soft, like a feather brushing against the heart.

Lu Wuyou’s breath hitched.

However, afterwards, he lowered his voice again and said, “Maybe it’s like that for others, but at least not for me. I don’t like forcing others, especially in this kind of situation. If both people aren’t fully willing, then there’s no point. I’m not like Xiao Nanxun. Since you hate him so much, you shouldn’t like being forced either. So, there’s no need to force yourself.”

Helan Ci slowly looked up, thinking that he really did overthink things.

But she didn’t dislike this inexplicable insistence of his. Somehow, it made her heart feel soft—just like before their marriage, when he brought the betrothal gifts and consulted her about everything. It was unnecessary, yet made her feel extremely comfortable and cared for.

Helan Ci thought for a moment and said, “……So how do you want to kiss?”

Lu Wuyou was taken aback and said, “Huh?”

Helan Ci asked: “Weren’t you quite dissatisfied just now? Then I… I’ll try harder.”

This time, Lu Wuyou was nervous. He covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to cough, and asked, “……Can I choose?”

Helan Ci replied, “I really do feel a bit embarrassed. I can’t help it. Please understand…”

“Oh.” Lu Wuyou responded. As he spoke, he had already pulled Helan Ci over, the corners of his lips curving into a charming smile as he said, “Then it’s fine. I think I learn pretty fast. I can slowly teach you…”