My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 4

As Lu Wuyou said, the two of them soon passed through the peach grove, where the peach blossoms bloomed in March, vibrant and dazzling everywhere.

Helan Ci, wearing a veil hat and dressed simply, attracted little attention on the way, largely thanks to Lu Wuyou, who was ahead of her, drawing most of the attention.

He smiled gently all the way, charming everyone around him.

Not only did young ladies gaze at him with affectionate eyes, but Helan Ci even saw an older woman approach to ask his name, where he lived, whether he had any titles, and if he was married. If this were a matchmaking event, he might have been seized on the spot.

In a daze, Helan Ci almost thought she was back in Qingzhou, where she had spent her childhood.

She had been weak as a child, her mother passing away early, and her father, busy with court affairs, was unable to care for her. After a serious illness, her father sent her back to their hometown in Qingzhou to recuperate at her uncle’s house.

The fortune teller said her fate was light, with heavy yin energy, making her prone to disasters, and that she had a fate of a beautiful but short life. She needed to go to a place with strong yang energy or find a man with a similar fate to keep her safe. Coincidentally, Jiangliu Academy opened its doors to female disciples, and her uncle, fearing she might end up like her mother, secretly changed her name and sent Helan Ci to study there.

Interestingly, during her time at Jiangliu Academy, where she was engrossed in her studies, her ailments gradually faded away.

Jiangliu Academy was established by a retired scholar from Zhixiang, with the support of the government, and it was quite renowned in Qingzhou. The students there were either exceptionally talented or came from prestigious families.

At that time, her cousin had been whispering the name Lu Wuyou in Helan Ci’s ear, and the reason was simple: he was the top place in the academy’s entrance exam and also quite handsome.

The students at the academy were mostly young, and they often didn’t pay much about their backgrounds; talent is the most important, while appearance comes second.

“…That Young Master Lu is truly a refined gentleman, as gentle as jade,” her cousin said, blushing. “I once saw him outside the study; he is so amiable, speaking softly and gently, without a trace of the arrogance that those talented families often have… He even smiled at me!”

When Helan Ci was ignorant, she thought that Lu Wuyou had an interest in her delicate cousin, but later realized that Lu Wu You smiled at everyone with a gentle and affectionate demeanor.

This “everyone” even included the cook who served meals at the academy—resulting in the cook giving him an extra two liang of vegetables.

She witnessed the swarm of admirers at Jiang Liu Academy, watching as naive girls fluttered towards Lu Wu You, like moths drawn to a flame.

If Lu Wuyou had come from a higher background, they might not have been so extravagant in their hopes; unfortunately, he was just a distant cousin living under someone else’s roof.

The female disciples at the academy, one after another, all believed they could win Lu Wuyou over—Helan Ci only later realized that many families sent their daughters to Jiang Liu Academy not just to learn to read and write, but more importantly, to find a good husband. Although the academy had separate classes for boys and girls, that did not prevent them meeting each other. The parents planned the marriage from early on—unfortunately, it all ended in failure.

Whether gentle, demure, lively, or bold, and even a talented woman known for her skills, all of them, in one way or another, have shown affection towards Lu Wuyou, indicating that as long as he asked his family to propose, the matter would be settled.

It was as if she was throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man; Lu Wuyou showed no reaction at all, and in the end, the last girl could only sadly turn her attention to someone else.

At that moment, it felt like a scene unfolding.

Lu Wuyou was extremely skilled, handling the situation with ease. His warm and polite smile seemed to be nailed to his face, and his words were courteous and measured, making it difficult for anyone to harbor resentment even when being gently declined.

Helan Ci quickly lost interest in him.

Turning left at the peach blossom grove, she could indeed vaguely see familiar rooms, and since she hadn’t run into Li Ting again, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her streak of bad luck might be coming to an end.

Just as she was thinking this, a somewhat familiar voice rang in her ears.

“Ji An, so you are here. We just…”

Helan Ci raised her eyes upon hearing the voice and saw a handsome and upright young man approaching.

It was Lin Zhang, the son of Master Lin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was familiar with her brother Helan Jian—mainly because her father liked him—so he would occasionally visit their residence. He was also one of the scholars preparing for the spring examination.

As soon as Helan Ci stopped, Lin Zhang’s gaze swept over her direction.

He was momentarily taken aback, his fair face tinged with a faint blush. After a few steps, he bowed his head and clasped his hands towards her, saying in a formal tone, “Miss Helan.”

Without deliberately lowering his voice, it immediately spread around.

The surname Helan is not very common, and soon people began to look over. A few scholars who were following him hurried over, their eyes filled with excitement, each flustered as they greeted her.

“This little one has met Miss Helan.”

“Oh, so it’s Miss Helan.”

“Miss Helan, greetings. I am…”

The scholars were chattering away, while Lu Wuyou stood far back, smiling faintly, his gaze indifferent, as if he were merely watching a play from the sidelines.

This commotion immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

Helan Ci sensed something was off and tried to slip away, but the crowd had gathered, blocking her path.

That wasn’t even the worst of it.

In the next moment, she felt a chill run down her spine as she saw Li Ting, the son of Duke Cao, who she thought had given up on finding her, panting and appearing not far away. Upon spotting her, he squeezed through the crowd, rushing over in a few quick strides.

He shouldn’t be this reckless in public—she thought, but then she saw the purple and red on Li Ting’s face, his eyes glistening with a hint of twisted madness.

Beside the peach blossom grove, there was a small pond that wasn’t exactly shallow.

In the blink of an eye, Li Ting was right in front of him. He suddenly reached out his hand, as if to grab Helan Ci, or perhaps to push her.

The people beside him didn’t recognize Li Ting and were initially confused. By the time they realized what was happening and reached out to stop him, it was already a bit too late.

“What do you want to do?!”

“…Miss Helan, be careful!”

“Stop it now!”

Helan Ci’s mind raced, and she understood that Li Ting likely intended to drag both her and himself into the pond together. In the thin spring clothing, if the two of them fell into the water like this, it would truly be impossible to wash it clean*.

Her mind was quick, but her body couldn’t react in time.

The spring chill was biting, and the pond water was cold; if she really drown herself in it, I’m afraid she might be pulled out with half her life gone.

It’s over.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye—

A peach blossom petal slowly fell, caught between someone’s fingers, and then, like a swift wind, it shot out with tremendous force, crashing into Li Ting. The force dissipated immediately, and it fluttered down, leaving no trace.

—Then everyone looked on in bewilderment as the man in splendid attire, with a bruised face, suddenly seemed to slip and fell backward with a loud thud.

The crowd was stunned.

Helan Ci was momentarily dazed as well.

Lin Zhang, who was closest, disregarded etiquette and hurriedly stepped in front of Helan Ci. The others quickly regained their senses and rushed to drag the dazed Li Ting to a distance, some even taking the opportunity to kick him a couple of times.

“Miss Helan, are you alright?”

“Miss Helan, you’re not hurt, are you…?”

“I don’t know where this villain came from, but how dare he be so bold! I’ll go fetch the guards from the city right away.”

“We will definitely punish this scoundrel properly, don’t be afraid, Miss Helan.”

Helan Ci, who had felt her palms sweating, and now she managed to calm herself down, steadying her mind as she said, “…Thank you, gentlemen.”

She was closest to the scene and felt as if something had struck Li Ting, which had stopped him from going too far, but when she looked down, there were only scattered flower petals, not even a pebble in sight.

Helan Ci quietly cast a somewhat unclear glance at Lu Wuyou.

Although she vaguely knew that this person might have some rudimentary martial skills, she felt it was unlikely… and then she saw Lu Wuyou standing far away, smiling down as he spoke to a little girl with her hair tied up in a bun.

Helan Ci: “…”

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

At this moment, someone finally recognized Li Ting.

“Uh, you all stop for a moment, this person… looks a bit like Duke Cao’s son.”

“…Is it really him?”

“He was beaten to such a state that I almost didn’t recognize him.”

“Ah… then, this…”

Everyone couldn’t help but look at the girl wearing the hood, their expressions varied, as if they had a million questions but dared not voice them.

Lin Zhang, seeing her dazed expression, became even more worried and said, “Miss Helan, are you alright? If not… I can take you to a safe place to rest.”

*****

After all this trouble, when Helan Ci finally saw her cousin Yao Qianxue again, it truly felt like a lifetime had passed.

The soldiers from the city came, but when the officials saw it was the son of Duke Cao, they hesitated and didn’t dare to take him away. In the end, it was only when someone from the Duke’s residence arrived that he was taken away. Under the watchful eyes of so many, everyone witnessed Li Ting’s fierce demeanor, as if he wanted to take them all down with him, and rumors began to spread everywhere.

Even Yao Qianxue couldn’t help but ask, “What on earth happened…?”

Helan Ci succinctly replied, “Basically, his reputation is ruined, and he wants to drag me down with him, so he planned to push me into the pond.”

“Ah?” Yao Qianxue was taken aback, then indignantly said, “I never expected him to be that kind of person… I never thought that… Xiao Ci, you really haven’t been hurt, have you?”

Helan Ci was a bit calmer than Yao Qianxue, mainly because she had indeed seen worse.

When it comes to turning hostile after a failed pursuit, men usually resort to more intense and despicable means than women. She was still the only daughter of a second-rank official, and when she was in Qingzhou, people thought she was just a country gentleman’s daughter. There were even some debauched young masters who underestimated her and tried to force themselves on her, but of course, he paid a painful price for that in the end.

Yao Qianxue checked her up and down, confirming there were no injuries, gently stroked the girl’s silky black hair, feeling heartbroken. “This time, cousin will definitely help you clear things up…”

“It’s fine,” Helan Ci replied calmly. “It won’t just end like this.”

Even if he was the son of a duke, making a move against the family of a second-rank official in public was not something that could be easily brushed aside. Moreover, most civil officials had little to no fondness for these noble families; as long as they kept to themselves, it was fine, but once they had something to hold against them, it would be strange not to pursue it relentlessly.

“But…” Yao Qianxue seemed to recall something.

Helan Ci: “Hmm?”

Yao Qianxue’s eyes shifted, and she said, “That Young Master Lin who brought you here just now seems quite decent.”

Helan Ci: “…”

“I noticed he looked full of concern, as if his heart is completely devoted to you, not pretending at all…”

Helan Ci paused for a moment and said, “He is a good person; I don’t want to involve him.”

If any rumors about her and him spread, it would only bring trouble to herself. She is well aware of her own reputation.

Yao Qianxue mumbled, “Maybe he would be happy about it himself; after all, you will have to get married, right?”

Not long ago, Lu Wuyou had mentioned this troublesome matter to her.

Helan Ci lowered her gaze to her palm. She had seen too many men with ugly faces when their advances were rejected; their flowery words were merely a disguise for their desire for her beauty. She truly had no intention of serving others with her looks, and thus viewed marriage with indifference. However, fate was beyond her control, and for now, she could only take things one step at a time.

Thinking about this, Helan Ci furrowed her brow slightly.

Seeing that face, whiter than snow, revealing such an expression, Yao Qianxue inexplicably felt a tremor in her heart, as if it were her own heart rather than Helan Ci’s furrowed brows.

Yao Qianxue immediately said, “Forget it, let’s not talk about that! I have something funny to tell you.”She leaned in mysteriously and said, “I heard that the second young lady of the Kangning Marquis’s residence is that particularly willful and hot-tempered one. She has taken a liking to a scholar from Qingzhou who participated in the spring examination, named Wu You. She has made it known that if he passes, she plans to grab him right off the list and take him away to marry him.”

Helan Ci was taken aback: “Is that the second young lady who recklessly rode through the streets and destroyed the vendors’ stalls?”

“Who else could it be! Relying on her maternal grandmother, Princess Xunyang, who dotes on her, she thinks she can do anything,” Yao Qianxue said animatedly.”Right now, everyone is watching the good show, but it’s really pitiful for that unfortunate scholar from Qingzhou; he probably still knows nothing about it.”

Helan Ci suddenly felt a bit better: “…That really is quite unfortunate.”