My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 39

Lu Wuyou calmly replied, “When it’s late at night, everyone knows to stay inside their rooms and not come out. Why are you running around? Even if you saw it, you shouldn’t come here and talk nonsense.”

Hua Weiling couldn’t help but ask, “But are you sure, sister-in-law, she, she seems to…” She hesitated, “You two aren’t really betrothed by your parents and matched by a matchmaker, are you? If she doesn’t want to, you can’t force her…”

Lu Wuyou felt that it was hard to explain, so he simply said, “Stop overthinking, your sister-in-law even kissed me on her own initiative a couple of days ago.”

Hua Weiling was greatly shocked: “Really?”

Lu Wuyou chuckled lightly and said, “Why would I lie to you?” Before leaving, he reminded her again, “Since you’re here, you might as well read some books. Your sister-in-law is quite knowledgeable and can teach you. It’s best not to let too many people see you using martial arts. I’ll find someone to keep an eye on the person you saved. If there’s any unusual movement, wait for me to come back. If he bothers you, you don’t need to pay him attention.”

Hua Weiling wasn’t really convinced, so she went to ask Helan Ci.

She felt that her sister-in-law, who looked particularly noble, didn’t seem like someone who would take the initiative.

Helan Ci looked at her eager eyes, hoped that Lu Wuyou could be a bit more restrained, and could only helplessly say, “More or less like that… Do you want to come read? I have quite a few books here.”

“As long as you aren’t being forced.” Hua Weiling sighed in relief, then her eyes lit up, “Sister-in-law, do you have any storybooks here?”

Helan Ci said, “Actually… not really.”

Her father didn’t keep these in the library. And in Qingzhou, she was also reading the Four Books and Five Classics, studying history, and classical texts, at most there was some poetry.

But she hesitated and said, “If you really want it, I’ll have someone buy it for you.”

Hua Weiling smiled sweetly, dimples showing, “It’s okay, I’ll read other things too. I’ll just wander around your study…”

Just then, Qingye coughed lightly and came over, saying, “…..Furen, that man has woken up again.”

Yesterday, that person had his wrist stepped on by Lu Wuyou, causing them to spit bl00d in anger and then faint. It was only because Hua Weiling found him pitiful that she took care of him for a while and moved him to the side room.

Helan Ci thought for a moment and said, “Let’s wait for Lu Wuyou to come back first.”

Hua Weiling volunteered, “How about I go take a look?”

Helan Ci looked at her, feeling a faint, unnecessary sense of unease.
“……Forget it, I’ll go with you.”

Although that person is in the side room, he is still being guarded by Lu Wuyou’s trusted confidants.

After he woke up, he wasn’t as abrupt as last night. He half-leaned against the bed and sat up straight. Since they had changed his clothes, he didn’t look as disheveled as last night. He appeared polite and refined, and upon closer inspection, he wasn’t bad-looking. However, due to his severe injuries and excessive bl00d loss, his cheeks were pale, his complexion was poor, and his lips were dry, giving him a somewhat pitiful and haggard appearance.

“Previously… I was in a moment of desperation and offended furen of the hous.” He lowered his head apologetically, his voice still cold and clear, “I have yet to thank you all for saving my life. However, it seems I can’t remember my past…”

Helan Ci asked, “You really can’t remember anything?”

He nodded.

“But I seem to be literate and able to do calculations. I could work as an accountant. Would it be possible for the house to temporarily take me in for a while?”

Helan Ci politely replied, “Our household does not lack a steward, so there is no need for you to be so formal. You can stay here for now, and once your injury is healed, we can discuss further arrangements.”

The man nodded again and said, “Then I thank Madam greatly. If I regain my memories someday, I will surely repay this debt of gratitude.” While speaking, he looked at Hua Weiling again, “And thank you, miss, for saving my life. May I ask for your surname and given name, so that in the future I can…”

Hua Weiling said, “Oh, my name is Hua Weiling.”

Helan Ci: “……?”

How could you just tell him so easily?

The man immediately broke into a smile, and his pale face gained a bit of color: “So it’s Miss Hua.”

Helan Ci began to understand Lu Wuyou’s worry.

After leaving the room, Helan Ci seriously said to Hua Jiling, “This young man has an unclear background and was being chased before. His identity is uncertain. Also, his memory loss might not be real. It’s best not to reveal too much to him, lest in the future…”

Hua Jiling asked curiously, “In the future what?”

“……Biting the hand that feeds you and drag you into trouble?”

Hua Weiling said, “That’s fine, anyway, he can’t beat me.”

Helan Ci continued to coax gently, “What if he drugs you, poisons you, uses tricks like these…”

Hua Weiling started laughing again: “Sister-in-law, you don’t know! I can handle poison better than my brother! Sigh, if only he hadn’t gone off to study so early, if he had stayed at home a few more years, he might have been better at poison techniques than me. But my brother doesn’t like using poison; he thinks it’s an underhanded method that can’t be put on display, and that open schemes are more interesting… Sister-in-law, you see, my brother is so upright, can you consider liking him a little bit?”

Helan Ci was impressed by her way of changing the subject.

*****

Lu Wuyou was promoted to the position of Zhongyun in the Zhanshi Fu and, along with several colleagues from the Hanlin Academy, went to Wenhua hall to prepare for the daily lecture. Everyone was in high spirits.

In his early years, the Emperor was quite diligent in holding lectures at the imperial academy. The imperial academy was attended by both civil and military officials, and lectures were held on the second day of each month, with a large scale. There were breaks during winter and summer. Daily lectures were more casual, primarily given to the Emperor. At the busiest times, lectures were held almost every day, where Confucian classics were explained to the Emperor—this was a quick way to build a good relationship with the Emperor and get promoted.

Most of the current cabinet ministers served as daily lecturers for the Emperor in their earlier years.

In recent years, however, His Majesty’s health had declined, so daily lectures were mostly suspended, with only a few sporadic ones held, causing dissatisfaction within the Hanlin Academy.

Now that the daily lectures were reopening—and not just for the emperor but for the imperial princes too—everyone was thrilled.

Originally, it was only meant for the Second Prince, but somehow the First Prince heard about it and wanted to join. Once he mentioned it, the Third Prince and several younger princes were also sent by the Empress.

Thus, Qihua Hall was filled to the brim with princes, making all the lecturers even more excited.

Although the title of daily lecturer wasn’t particularly grand—but if you are shameless, you can say that you are an emperor’s teacher in the future.

Next to Lu Wuyou, his colleague was nervously asking him, “Ji’an, do you think my official robe is worn correctly? Is the collar crooked? I felt like I didn’t wear it properly when I got up this morning, and it makes me uneasy…”

As for the other colleagues, they looked at the princes below with eyes as if they were picking cabbage.

Lu Wuyou glanced over and saw Xiao Nanxun looking at him with a gloomy expression. In stark contrast, the eldest prince, Xiao Nanbo, was smiling amiably and even nodded at Lu Wuyou. The remaining young princes were sitting upright, looking tense and nervous.

To prevent any slip-ups, Minister Lu of the Inner Cabinet and several other high-ranking officials also sat to the side.

The speech had already been submitted to the cabinet for review. Lu Wuyou flipped through it nonchalantly, preparing to deal with today’s troublesome matters.

*****
When Lu Wuyou returned from court, Helan Ci, recalling that he had gone to the daily lectures, asked him a few more questions.

Lu Wuyou took off his official robe and said, “…other than constantly being picked on by Xiao Nanxun, everything else is fine.”

Helan Ci immediately became nervous and asked, “Are you okay?”

Lu Wuyou said calmly, “He thinks he can compete with me in history and classics? He’s too naive. But I always feel that the First Prince wants to recruit me.”

Helan Ci asked, “…Would you consider it?”

Lu Wuyou quickly changed into loose, comfortable clothes and said, “We’ll see. Getting involved is a huge hassle… By the way, has that person made any moves?”

He Lan Ci replied: “No, he’s been lying in bed… very obedient.”

For some reason, Lu Wuyou chuckled. Upon hearing the words “very obedient,” an image of Helan Ci lowering her gaze in complete submission popped into his mind.

Helan Ci was puzzled and felt that he seemed to suddenly laugh in a strange way.

After finishing the meal, Hua Weiling seemed to suddenly remember something and took out a crumpled note from her pocket.

“I didn’t touch the wedding gifts. Do you want to check them? I worked so hard to escort them here. I even have the gift list—nothing should be missing…”
The three of them headed to the storage room where the boxes were kept.

The boxes were lined up in disorder, half red, half black.

Opening up, the red box was haphazardly filled with gold, silver, and jade artifacts, pearl and gem jewelry, as well as some bottles and jars, and strange tools. The black box contained several volumes of books, some antique tools that seemed to have been there for years, and some precious medicinal herbs.

Finally, there was a smaller red box. Inside, there were also a few books and some tools.

At a glance at the covers, Helan Ci felt a foreboding sense. Then she spotted a long jade stick placed beside the books, and her cheeks flushed red. Other items like bead chains, ropes, and bells also looked rather… improper.

Lu Wuyou calmly squatted down and flipped through the books.

Helan Ci, seeing some very familiar illustrations among the quickly flipping pages, instinctively took a step back.

Hua Weiling exclaimed, “Ah!” and said, “…I didn’t know they put this kind of stuff!”

Lu Wuyou said, “You can leave first, I’ll check the rest.”

Hua Weiling said, “Oh.”

She quickly slipped away, even closing the door behind her.

Helan Ci didn’t know if she should also sneak away. She took a step to the side and saw Lu Wuyou looking at her. She immediately froze, forcing herself to appear calm: “… I’m going out to exercise first.”

Lu Wuyou said, “What’s the rush? Why not come over and take a look together?”

Helan Ci: “…… Just look by yourself!”

Lu Wuyou seemed completely unaware of her embarrassment: “After all, it’s a gift for both of us. You should count it carefully, and don’t forget to note it down in your little notebook.”

Helan Ci said, “Let others do the counting!”

Lu Wuyou looked at her for a while longer, couldn’t help but turn his head with a smile, and said, “You’ve already done it, why are you still so easily embarrassed?”
Helan Ci’s face immediately flushed again: “That wasn’t me…” She tried hard to compose herself, but the mindset she had cultivated after over ten years as a proper young lady was hard to overcome, “…I don’t really remember.”

Lu Wuyou turned around again, his gaze very clear as he looked at her: “So, do you still remember if it hurt or not?”

Helan Ci’s face started to betray her as soon as she thought about his question.

Yet, Lu Wuyou spoke calmly, his expression unchanged, as if he were merely asking if she had hurt her finger.

She hesitated for a moment and said, “… I really don’t remember. It was such a long time ago.”

Lu Wuyou stood up, and He Lan Ci couldn’t help but clench her fingers tightly. He slowly averted his gaze, as if it were nothing serious, and said, “Actually, I don’t remember too clearly either. I just vaguely remember… you seemed to be in quite a bit of pain back then.” He paused, his tone still as if he were discussing something very ordinary with her, without any teasing or mockery. “You kept saying ‘it hurts’ and ‘stop,’ and when I held your waist, you tried to pull away, but I dragged you back. You kept crying, and half my shoulder was soaked with your tears. I was rather embarrassed.”

The more Helan Ci listened, the redder her face became. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “You call that ‘not remembering too clearly’?!”

Lu Wuyou said, “Indeed… I don’t remember very clearly. I’ve told you before that my memory is quite good. Not only can I remember the books I’ve read, but also the things that have happened, often even the details are vividly remembered. So that night…”

Helan Ci felt that their conversation could not continue any longer.

She quickly opened the storeroom door, said “I have something to do,” and slipped away as if escaping.

Leaving Lu Wuyou standing there, holding the little booklet, chuckling softly.

*****

The person whom Hua Weiling saved actually recovered quite quickly. Perhaps it was the bumpy ride on the way, causing the wound to keep reopening and not getting proper care, which delayed the healing. After a few days of rest here, he was able to get out of bed, but upon seeing the guards outside the door, he never stepped out.

Helan Ci saw that he could read and chose a few simpler classics, and had someone deliver them to him. Thus, there was no further trouble.

However, after being cooped up in the residence for a few days, Hua Weiling grew restless and wanted to drag Helan Ci out with her.

“I haven’t really been to the capital much. Sister-in-law, could you take me out for a walk?”

Helan Ci wanted to tell her that even though she was now married, there were still plenty of people watching outside the Lu residence. Going out might mean being followed or being watched. However, unable to refuse Hua Weiling’s desire to go, she eventually packed up and went out with her.

It’s just that, when she was wearing the veil at the door, Hua Weiling asked: “Sister-in-law, why are you wearing this?”

Helan Ci said, “…Because if people see my face, it’ll cause a lot of trouble.”

Hua Weiling continued to ask, “What trouble?”

Helan Ci said, “For example, being teased by someone, being picked on, being deliberately approached, there’s always someone with ulterior motives…”

Hua Weiling said, “Oh… don’t worry! Sister-in-law, I’m here! Who dares to cause you trouble?” She clenched her fist and said, “I’ll beat them up.”

Helan Ci: “……”

It was indeed a very simple and straightforward solution. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Is your martial arts really that impressive? How do you compare to your brother?”

Hua Weiling touched the tip of her nose and laughed, “”If my brother had kept training, he would definitely be much stronger than me. But he’s still pretty amazing now. Look, he still has time to read so many books. My brother said that sister-in-law, you also like reading. Are you really not considering it…”

Helan Ci, skeptical of anything that came from Lu Wuyou’s mouth, cautiously asked, “……So, how long do you need to practice like this? Is it even possible for me?”

Hua Weiling was taken aback for a moment before saying, “Uh… I’m not really sure, but if you want to learn, I can teach you!”

After dinner, Lu Wuyou was about to go for today’s training instruction when he discovered that someone had already taken his job.

Hua Weiling chattered excitedly, even taking out her sword to show Helan Ci, demonstrating with her hands and feet. Her long hair, tied back with a dark blue ribbon, swayed lightly with her movements, and her bright, lively eyes sparkled.

Lu Wuyou: “……”

However, Helan Ci saw him and said, “Lu… you’re here.”

Lu Wuyou approached the two, slowly smiled, and said, “It seems that I’m quite unnecessary here.”

Hua Weiling, still lifting Helan Ci’s arm in demonstration, heard the tone of his voice and blurted out, “Brother, you’re so easily jealous! Even Father isn’t as petty as you.”

Lu Wuyou: “……?”

He Lan Ci: “……?”

Hua Weiling saw that they were both stunned, and she was also stunned: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Wuyou said with a strange expression, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll find someone to send you back.”

Hua Weiling muttered, “…Then I’ll go read the novel I bought. You all continue.”

Helan Ci cautiously said, “You don’t seem to treat her very nicely.”

Lu Wuyou replied, “This is already quite nice. It’s still better than how you talk about your own brother.”

Helan Ci reflected for a moment. It was true — her brother had been quite good to her, always thinking of her when there was good food or toys when they were young. Helan Ci thought perhaps she should treat her brother a little better too.

Lu Wuyou had already leaned over, and then, following Hua Weiling’s movement, he supported her arm and whispered, “…Where did you two practice up to?”

That night, after training, Helan Ci was drenched in sweat and went to bathe. Lu Wuyou, lingering by her dressing table, discovered many scattered little items — and a large box.

Helan Ci, twisting her damp hair, said, “Weiling took me shopping during the day.”

She hadn’t expected that despite Hua Weiling’s refugee-like appearance upon arrival, she truly was Lu Wuyou’s sister — dragging Helan Ci from cosmetics stores to jewelry stores to clothing stores. Qingye and Shuangzhi were both carrying loads of purchases, and she still wanted to go to the bookstore afterward.

Moreover, she not only buys for herself but also for Helan Ci. Whenever she sees a beautiful piece of jewelry, she has to try it on Helan Ci’s head, and after admiring, “Ah, it looks so good,” she proceeds to pay.

Even when going to the clothing store, she had to drag Helan Ci along to try on clothes, and after trying on three pieces in a row, she was still wide-eyed, wanting to continue.

Helan Ci had never experienced such an intense shopping spree; her stamina truly couldn’t keep up. In the end, it was Hua Weiling leaning against her shoulderand somehow transferred a burst of warm energy to her, allowing her to carry on.

Lu Wuyou’s finger touched the exquisitely crafted makeup box, and suddenly, as if recalling something, he said, “…You’ve started calling her Weiling already?”

Helan Ci said, “What else should I call her?”

Lu Wuyou asked, “Then what do you call me?”

Helan Ci subconsciously said, “Lu…” then fell silent, “… So what do you want me to call you?”

Lu Wuyou raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you have a little more initiative?”

Helan Ci said, “Well, ‘Lu Daren’ really rolls off the tongue.”

After all, she had been calling him that for so long.

Lu Wuyou didn’t seem annoyed either. He fiddled with the lipstick box, opened it with a flick of his finger, tapped the blush color with his fingertip, pressed lightly, and then raised his hand to apply it to Helan Ci’s lips.

Lu Wuyou wasn’t angry. His fingers idly flipped open a box of lip rouge. He dipped his fingertip in the rouge, lightly pressing it, then reached out and brushed it onto Helan Ci’s lips.

Her lips were already naturally a soft red, but with the rouge, they became even more vivid.

Helan Ci stopped twisting her hair, sensing something. She lifted her luminous gaze, the faint fragrance of the lip rouge drifting between them. Lu Wuyou leaned down, one hand cradling her neck, his long fingers brushing through her damp hair, generating a subtle heat that dried the moisture strand by strand. Then, lowering his head, he kissed her lips, carefully kissing away the smeared rouge, before parting her lips further.

Helan Ci, who rarely wore cosmetics, tasted the slightly sweet, slightly astringent flavor of the lip rouge for the first time.

Kissing deeper, Lu Wuyou eventually pressed her down onto the dressing table. When they were both panting for breath, he finally let her go and murmured against her ear, “…Miss Helan, why don’t you call me ‘Master Lu’ a few more times?”

Helan Ci’s neck and cheeks were tinted a light red. Her lips moved soundlessly, her fingers clutching his collar, muttering, “…Aren’t you afraid the lip rouge might be poisonous?”

Lu Wuyou chuckled lowly. “Isn’t there a saying? ‘To die under a peony flower, even death is romantic.’”

Helan Ci couldn’t help but feel that he seemed to have subtly changed from the original Lu Wuyou. She tilted her head slightly, a bit confused, and said,”Lu Wuyou, you weren’t like this before.”

Lu Wuyou seemed to be in a daze, lowering his head and pondering, “I also feel like I wasn’t like this before, maybe…”

Helan Ci said, “So, are you going to correct your words and actions a bit?”

Lu Wuyou, seemingly lost in thought, said, “It seems… pretty fun this way.”

“……”

Helan Ci said, “…… Get off me, my legs are going numb from your weight.”

He used to have peaceful nights — reading, reviewing history books, at most attending the occasional social event and coming back late, often bringing Helan Ci some pastries.

But recently, Helan Ci noticed he was always buried in writing at his study.

Finally, unable to resist, she went over and asked, “What are you doing?”

Without looking up, Lu Wuyou said, “Cursing people.” Then he pointed to a stack of documents on the desk. “Those are memorials criticizing me. They’re copies transcribed by clerks at the Ministry of Public Administrations. If you’re interested, you can take a look. The insults are pretty low-grade.”

Helan Ci suddenly reacted: “Are those impeachment memorials?”

Lu Wuyou nodded and said, “Hmm,” then continued, “Previously, I was editing history, and there wasn’t much to nitpick. But it was different now. Every word and sentence can be scrutinized and used to create trouble. Moreover, Xiao Nanxun is deliberately making things difficult for me, taking things out of context to find fault.”

Helan Ci couldn’t help but worry, “Are you… okay?”

Lu Wuyou flexed his wrist holding the brush and said, “Small matter. I’m best at scolding people.” He pointed to another pile of documents. “Want to see how I scold them? Not a single vulgar word — but it’ll make them want to run home crying to their mothers.”