My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 45

The two of them were just speaking when a young madam rushed in from the side. She immediately threw herself into her husband’s arms and wailed, “Husband, when will you finally be allowed out? You mustn’t really get into trouble! Our whole family is counting on you—you’re the pillar of our home—”

The young official held his wife, wiping her tears while helplessly saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay, oh my lady, please stop crying.”

His wife was still pushing against him, her tears staining his official robes.

The scene was really lively and dramatic.

Lu Wuyou: “……”

Helan Ci: “……”

The other colleagues around were all watching with great interest, as if this was the only source of amusement in their otherwise dull and boring days.

Lu Wuyou eagerly whispered, “How about we also…”

Helan Ci also whispered, “……I can’t cry like that.”

Lu Wuyou smiled and said, “Just hug me and…” As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, “Forget it… I haven’t bathed in two days, how about I read your palm instead?”

Helan Ci said, “Didn’t you just say you don’t know?”

Lu Wuyou smiled and said, “Actually, I can do it, but just a little bit.”

Helan Ci allowed Lu Wuyou to spread her palm open.

His fringe fell forward as he lowered his head and studied it for a while. “Your palm lines are quite turbulent, but…” He lightly brushed his fingertip across her palm and said, “There’s a new line here. After this point, your fate line seems much smoother. From here to here… several lines are tangled together. Why do I feel like that looks a bit like me?”

…He is really just messing around.

Helan Ci’s palm itched slightly, and she couldn’t help curling her fingers. “Do you have anything else to say?”

Lu Wuyou finally lifted his head, looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, whose shyness was subtly apparent. Her slightly light yet bright peach blossom eyes gradually curved into a pleasing arc, and he said, “Come visit me again. Oh—and bring a jar of wine.”

Almost as soon as Helan Ci left, several colleagues surrounded him.

“To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve seen her so closely.”

“Although I always knew that Ji’an married her, when I actually saw her, it was still…”

“……I’m so envious.”

“She actually came to visit you? I thought a woman like her should be above worldly matters, being revered and living a life of poetry and elegance, drinking morning dew and eating flower petals…”

Lu Wuyou’s fingers still retained the lingering Helan Ci’s warmth.

He smiled gently and said, “You all are overthinking. My wife is just a bit shy. She’s actually very lively at home—ah, but of course, you wouldn’t get to see that.”

*****

After that, Helan Ci returned a few more times.

Lu Wuyou stayed in the Censorate’s office for nearly ten days. However, there hadn’t been much interrogation. Just as he said, it seemed like it was only to appease the anger of the powerful and wealthy. After that memorial was submitted, the Emperor began issuing orders to investigate the lands of the powerful and wealthy in the capital.

The investigation threw everything into chaos. Every nobles involved began activating their networks.

Soon, noblemen and officials were lining up to meet the Emperor to plead their cases. Not to mention those palace concubines with implicated family members—they all began whispering into the Emperor’s ear. Even some of the chief eunuchs of the palace started steering conversations toward factional struggles, implying those young officials were just naive and being used by others, and that this whole matter was exaggerated and fear-mongering.

Digging up old grievances and impeaching officials, memorials come in like snowflakes.

But the Emperor seemed resolute.

At this moment, Duke Wei moved to submit a memorial, stating that in several of his estates in the outskirts of the capital, due to the mismanagement of his subordinates, some of the peasants’ good farmland had been wrongfully seized. He had already severely punished the subordinates and made up for the unpaid taxes. He submitted this memorial to confess his guilt.

The capital’s nobility, always quick to follow the wind, saw this and some began wavering—after all, the memorials only mention a portion of the good farmland and fields, not all of it.

The more timid ones followed suit, submitting memorials and compensating with grain.

The rest were mostly still observing.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor struck again like thunder, swiftly punishing two aristocrats with little foundation, who not only seized farmland and failed to report it but also allowed their servants to beat people to death in private. The Jinyiwei directly raided their homes, dragged the nobles and their families to the Imperial Clan Court, and had all servants thrown into the Imperial Prison for interrogation. The scene of wailing and chaos terrified all who witnessed it.

After that act of “killing the chicken to scare the monkeys,” most of the capital’s nobility hurriedly submitted their grain or paid in silver if they lacked stock.

The Ministry of Revenue immediately sent someone to count the grain and then delivered it for disaster relief.

Seeing the tides turn, the detained young officials in the Censorate were released one after another.

When Lu Wuyou returned, he still felt somewhat regretful and said, “Duke Wei repaid this favor too early.”

In fact, the farms of Wei Guoqi’s mansion were not mainly located in the suburbs of Beijing, so it was quite straightforward to repay them.

Helan Ci said, “Was the Empress’s letter really that effective?”

Lu Wuyou said, “I only realized later that she probably likes you quite a bit. Giving you that letter was her way of doing you a favor.”

Helan Ci understood: “She even helped me break free from Xiao Nanxun’s entanglement.”

Lu Wuyou smiled and said, “Miss Helan, it seems that being beautiful isn’t all bad.”

“Uh…”

Helan Ci felt that he might have misunderstood, but she didn’t want to repeat the embarrassing conversation from that day to Lu Wuyou. However, just thinking about it inevitably reminded her of the questions that Empress Xu had asked her at that time.

Over there, Lu Wuyou has already gone straight to the clean room to bathe and change clothes.

He had been washing for a long time, and Helan Ci suspected he might have scrubbed off a layer of skin. Before she could think much about it, Lu Wuyou, looking relieved, came out of the clean room, still steaming and dripping with moisture, and came over to grasp her wrist.

Helan Ci was still dazed when Lu Wuyou urgently covered her lips with his. A kiss so long it was almost suffocating.

Moreover, while kissing her, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her onto the couch.

Helan Ci’s mind went blank in an instant. The lingering steam clung to their skin and hair, breath growing hotter and more erratic. Lu Wuyou kept adjusting his position, his lips never parting from hers, as though collecting a long-overdue debt.

Because they hadn’t kissed for a while, when they touched again, it seemed to reignite a bit of unfamiliar excitement.

At the very least, Helan Ci already wanted to retreat. The contact of their tongues triggered sharp sensations in her mind, and she couldn’t help but let out mortifying sounds. Her fingers clenched on his shoulders, body trembling, even the corners of her eyes tinged with wet red.

But this sounds only seemed to encourage Lu Wuyou further.

He held Helan Ci’s head, and his still-damp hair slid down, brushed against her ear, with a few strands fell onto her shoulder. As he kissed her, his hair lightly grazed Helan Ci’s collarbone, one after another.

Her whole body went limp, her breath trembled with sounds close to sobs.

Helan Ci had no idea how long Lu Wuyou kissed her—only that her lips had gone numb. He was still holding her waist, unwilling to let go.

At last, Lu Wuyou slightly eased up. As he brushed against her lips, she heard him murmur, “…… Your moans are too soft.”

Helan Ci gasped, “I… I didn’t!”

Lu Wuyou chuckled softly and said, “Then what was that sound just now?”

Helan Ci slightly turned her face and said, “……You kissed too hard.”

Lu Wuyou kissed her cheek and said, “Come on, it’s been over ten days… don’t you want?” The last sentence was almost a whisper, barely audible.

Helan Ci stiffened her neck, her eyes shining faintly with moisture. She didn’t know how to respond, but Lu Wuyou didn’t seem to need her to. He lowered his head and kissed down her neck.

Those places are just like they’ve been burned.

Those places also felt like they were being scorched.

Helan Ci bit her lip. Her breathing became erratic, unable to stop the rise and fall of her chest.

Lu Wuyou slid further down, then paused to ask, “Miss Helan, how far can I kiss?”

“……”

Helan Ci truly blanked out for a moment, then blurted, “…You’re asking me?”

Lu Wuyou lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes fluttering lightly. Looking at the beautiful scenery before him, his Adam’s apple unconsciously bobbed as he said, “…… After all, this is your body.”

It’s already at this point…

Helan Ci found this outrageous. “Then don’t kiss anymore.”

Lu Wuyou suddenly looked up at her: “……? You’re so stingy.”

Helan Ci: “……”

Lu Wuyou said softly, “It’s been so many days, and you…” He pursed his lips and said, “You looked at me, touched me, and did everything, but you are not willing to implement ‘courtesy demands reciprocity’.”

Is the saying “courtesy demands reciprocity¹” used like this?

Helan Ci’s chest still heaved. She closed her eyes, about to speak.

Lu Wuyou propped up his arm and kissed her face again, then chuckled softly, “It’s impossible to make up for ten day’s worth of kisses in one day anyway, there’s plenty of time ahead… I was bored to death in there.”

Helan Ci opened her eyes. “You didn’t have anything to do?”

Lu Wuyou nodded and said, “I nearly memorized all my detained colleagues’ palm lines. We didn’t even have paper or ink, so we started composing linked verse poem. It got to hundreds of lines. The words were indeed magnificent, but I just can’t remember what the poem was originally about.”

Helan Ci said sympathetically, “At least you’re out now.”

Lu Wuyou replied, “Yeah… but I won’t be going to court lectures for now.” He moved aside. “His Majesty didn’t punish me, but he’s sending me to survey farmland with a few officials from the Ministry of Revenue. From the outskirts of the capital, maybe all the way to the Qizhou border—at shortest half a month, at longest a month or two.”

Helan Ci sat up and said, “When do you leave?”

Lu Wuyou propped his chin and said, “Probably the day after tomorrow.”

Helan Ci thought for a moment and said, “You want me to help you pack? But my father used to bring very little when he traveled, so you might… have to make do. I’ll do my best to prepare…”

She was still talking when she heard Lu Wuyou ask, “Do you want to go with me?”

Helan Ci was taken aback: “……Huh?”

Lu Wuyou turned to look at her: “It might be quite tough along the way, and there could be dangers…”

Helan Ci also raised her eyes to look at him. She hesitated a bit, but then, her tone had become firm: “……I want to go!”

Lu Wuyou looked at her and muttered, “You really don’t like staying at the house, huh…”

Since she was preparing to go on a long trip, Helan Ci immediately began to pack up with great efficiency.

The saplings in the yard had visibly grown taller. Lu Wuyou tested the firmness of the tree trunk and saw Helan Ci running back and forth with a light step, just like Hua Weiling on her first trip away from home with its parents—full of enthusiasm and joy. Without realizing it, a smile crept onto his lips.

Hua Weiling held the story book she had purchased and asked, “Are you going out to play? Can I come?”

Lu Wuyou said, “Don’t you still want to read that story that comes out daily?”

Hua Weiling raised her hand and said, “You can bring him along too!”

Lu Wuyou said, “We don’t even know that person’s name yet. I don’t feel comfortable taking him out. You stay here and keep an eye on the house, and also monitor him and the two people sent here for any unusual activity.”

Hua Weiling drooped her head and said, “……Okay.”

Just before leaving, Helan Ci remembered to ask Lu Wuyou, “Can I wear men’s clothes?”

Though she was asking him, she somehow felt he would surely agree.

Sure enough, Lu Wuyou nodded and said, “If you want to wear it, go ahead. It’s more convenient to wear men’s clothes outside. Ahem, if you don’t have any, I can…”

Before he finished, Helan Ci had already dashed off and dug out a set of short men’s attire from the bottom of her clothing chest. She even found a square scarf for her head—it was something she had prepared while in Qingzhou when learning how to wear men’s clothing. The old woman who taught her was working as a cleaner at Jiangliu Academy, was quite tall, and had disguised herself as a man several times in her early years to escape during times of trouble, so she had quite a bit of skill.

Helan Ci quickly changed, tied her hair up like a man’s, and stuffed her long black hair into the headscarf before stepping out to see Lu Wuyou.

Even her stride had noticeably widened. She walked over and spun around to show him.

Lu Wuyou’s expression became hard to describe for a moment.

Honestly speaking, she was still beautiful—after all, with a face like that, how could she not be? Among women, she was considered tall. But her shoulders, waist, and chest weren’t concealed at all, so it was obvious at a glance she was a woman. Hidden beneath the coarse brown short robe, it felt somewhat like a waste of beauty.

But she really looked very happy.

Then there’s nothing he can do.

Lu Wuyou just smiled and said, “Let’s go.”

*****

Their carriage was a standard model, the same with other Ministry of Revenue officials, there were soldiers accompanying them, but not many. Just like that, the group left the capital.

Since relief grain had already been distributed, there were government porridge stations along the roadside. People queued in front, holding bowls of thin porridge. But at least along the outskirts of the capital, you no longer see disaster victims lying on the ground, barely alive, with faces full of despair.

It was like th country was slowly returning to order.

Dressed like this, Helan Ci naturally didn’t plan on wearing a veiled hat anymore.

Lu Wuyou used a damp cloth to clean his hands and leisurely brewed tea inside the carriage. His young master habits were extremely meticulous. While He Lan Ci usually just put the tea leaves in and let them steep, Lu Wuyou could fuss over this process three or four times, and he would still insist, “Anyway, I have nothing else to do.”

The carriage rode smoothly along the official road.

Helan Ci took a blank notebook from her satchel, preparing to record what she saw and heard. Lu Wuyou had already placed the brewed tea in front of her and said, “Give it a try.”

She had no choice but to pick it up and sip. Afterward, she hesitated and said, “…It’s pretty good.”

Lu Wuyou asked, “Can you tell the difference?”

Helan Ci hesitated for a moment. “…What difference?”

Lu Wuyou pressed his fingers to his forehead. “This is Junshan Silver Needle from Xiangzhou that my mentor gave me. It’s a tribute tea. The tea soup has a golden base color, and the leaves stand like feathers, resembling silver needles, hence the name.” He leaned slightly forward and said, “Come a bit closer.”

Helan Ci followed his words and leaned forward.

Lu Wuyou held her chin and tasted her lips lightly before commenting, “Mellow and refreshing—it’s quite different.”

Helan Ci’s cheeks flushed slightly as she pulled back, “Are you really not just talking nonsense?”

Lu Wuyou pondered, “Your tongue shouldn’t have any issues, right? When I tasted it, it didn’t seem…”

Helan Ci was speechless: “I might not have a talent for this, you should try it yourself.”

After finishing her words, she lifted the curtain again and peered out the window with wide eyes.

Measuring the land of the noble is actually a thankless task, because not only does it offend people, but there is also a high probability of being beaten out by the tenants or the estate’s servants. So they unanimously decided to start with those who have a relatively good attitude.

The Ministry of Revenue has specialized officials equipped with tools such as ropes and measuring carts, responsible for surveying land, while they mainly handle negotiations.

Helan Ci followed Lu Wuyou closely, peeking around nervously. Naturally, they all knew that those who came were officials from the capital, high-ranking individuals. They didn’t dare to act recklessly or even look up casually, and had even prepared tea and snacks.

The other officials couldn’t help but cough twice upon seeing Helan Ci.

Lu Wuyou smiled gently and said, “Just newly married, my wife clings a bit. Hope you don’t mind.”

The other officials gave him knowing looks. Some took opportunities like this to enjoy themselves, others thought bringing a woman was inconvenient. It was rare to see someone bring his wife along, but considering how beautiful she was and that they had just married, it was understandable—even forgivable. One official who was more familiar with Lu Wuyou even patted his shoulder and said, “Ji’an, you’re still young. Take care of yourself.”

Later, while they sipped tea and chatted, Lu Wuyou noticed Helan Ci was curious and simply took her outside.

The farmland stretched endlessly, and the air was especially clear. Helan Ci watched for a while and said, “Can I go ask questions?”

Lu Wuyou turned his head and asked, “What do you want to ask?”

Helan Ci said frankly, “I want to ask them about the prices of grain, how much the rent is, how the harvest is in the dry season, how the harvest is in the flood season, and so on… Ask more questions, so you won’t be at a disadvantage when buying.”

Lu Wuyou was genuinely surprised by her frugality.

“Have you always been like this?”

He remembered that when Helan Ci provided the shopping list, she had asked Qingye to check with a few more stores, and the result was that Helan Ci had indeed chosen the cheapest and most cost-effective one.

Helan Ci shook his head and said, “Actually, it was quite inconvenient to inquire before, but now…”

She finally realized that there are indeed many benefits to being married. She can make public appearances without worrying about others’ criticisms, go out freely, and wear men’s clothing without being overly concerned about others’ gazes—as long as her husband doesn’t mind. But Lu Wuyou seemed to not mind anything at all.

Lu Wuyou said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

He hadn’t expected Helan Ci to be so energetic, as if all the physical training from before had been in preparation for this.

Helan Ci pulled over tenants to question them, listening while taking notes, her expression focused and serious. She was so strikingly beautiful, like a celestial being descended to earth. Next to her stood someone dressed in official robes, also resembling a celestial being. The tenants stammered their answers like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, answering every question, eager to clarify even their ancestors’ eight generations.

Lu Wuyou followed Helan Ci, asking questions as they walked, even finding out all the gossip in the area.

Like how the widow in the village might be involved with the blacksmith, or how the Zhang family’s youngest might not be biological, or how the eldest Miss of the Lin family liked the Liu family’s young master—but he liked Wang Erhua at the village entrance…

Helan Ci couldn’t help laughing, and even the light sorrow that usually lingered between her brows seemed to fade.

This was indeed a new experience for her.

Even when she traveled from the capital to Qingzhou, it had been with her uncle’s entourage—just carriage and inn, always wearing a thick veil, afraid of trouble caused by her looks.

However, Helan Ci was slightly worried Lu Wuyou might be bored walking with her.

Lu Wuyou shrugged and said, “I’m listening too. If officials don’t understand the people’s grievances, how can they govern and make policies? Just keep asking, I won’t get tired. But if you get tired, just say it.”

At the last moment, just as the sun was setting, Helan Ci reluctantly said, “Let’s go.”

Lu Wuyou asked, “Are your legs sore?”

Helan Ci paused, pinched her calf, and honestly said, “…It’s a bit numb.”

Lu Wuyou raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you want me to carry you?”

Helan Ci tested her legs and said, “But I can still walk…”

Lu Wuyou asked, “Do you want to walk again tomorrow?”

Helan Ci fell silent.

Lu Wuyou continued, “Save your strength, only then can you endure². Come up.”

He stopped and reached out to lift her by the waist.

Helan Ci hesitated for a moment but still let him carry her.

Lu Wuyou carried her as if she weighed nothing. He walked much faster and soon brought her back before sunset.

Several officials have also come back one after another; there was no way to keep surveying once it got dark.

When everyone saw the elegant young man in a blue official robe over there, quickly approaching while holding the delicate and frail beauty in his arms, they couldn’t help but feel a shock in their hearts.

——Are young people really this energetic?

——Are young people really not shy at all these days

Everyone coughed one after another as if they hadn’t seen anything.

Helan Ci got down from Lu Wu You’s arms. Because she had been held for a long time, her legs felt a bit numb. She stumbled and almost couldn’t stand firm, but fortunately, Lu Wu You supported her waist. She felt a bit embarrassed and got into the carriage first.

The official who had earlier told Lu Wuyou to “take care of himself” now couldn’t help but come over now, stroking his beard and sighing, “Ah, it’s great to be young.”