My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 52

Although Lu Wuyou hadn’t clearly said what he wanted her to “care,” it was obvious he meant caring about him.

Helan Ci spent the next few days mulling over this.

In truth, she felt she already cared a great deal about Lu Wuyou—almost to the point that she couldn’t care more. She thought about him all day long.

She thought about why their relationship had suddenly become strange, and how Lu Wuyou himself had also become strange.

She felt the way they had gotten along before was already very good. The most ideal marital relationship that Helan Ci could ever imagine.

There were no secrets, no real conflicts. Most things could be discussed. Oftentimes, they were in sync—they could understand each other without needing to say much. Even though Lu Wuyou would suddenly start spouting nonsense now and then, Helan Ci had gradually come to accept his erratic rhythm. Whatever he said, she wouldn’t be too surprised anymore.

It seemed like they could just go on like that forever.

But Lu Wuyou still seemed deeply dissatisfied.

The land survey was finally settled, and some powerful families were forced to make up the missing amount. The Emperor seemed extremely pleased—far from showing any more concern for the nobles, he even generously rewarded those who had contributed to the matter.

Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue submitted reports of merit on Lu Wuyou’s behalf—after all, he had even been injured over the matter.

Because Lu Wuyou’s promotion pace had already been quite fast, the Emperor didn’t grant him a new title this time. Instead, he bestowed upon him a Qilin robe. Though imperial robes didn’t align with the official ranks of the civil and military officials, the highest-ranked was the dragon robe, followed by the feiyu flying fish robe, then the bull-fighting robe, and finally the qilin robe… Even so, in terms of its color grade, the qilin robe was still equivalent to the third or fourth rank.

However, as the Hanlin Academy officials are close attendants of the emperor, they are inherently more esteemed than external officials. Other officials ranked below fifth wouldn’t be eligible for such gifts, but Hanlin scholars faced no such restriction. During imperial lectures in the past, some instructors had even been granted bull-fighting robes—when the Emperor was in a good mood, even capable eunuchs at his side could receive rewards.

Still, Helan Ci vaguely suspected… perhaps it was because when Lu Wuyou appeared before the Emperor, he had worn the official robe she had personally patched, and His Majesty simply couldn’t bear the sight of it…

The qilin robe, like those worn by other third- and fourth-rank officials, was bright red. The badge was fully embroidered with qilin patterns¹, the back panel unbroken, side panels flared, and the front split in two sections, with pleated mamian skirts* below. Even without putting it on, one could imagine that Lu Wuyou wearing it would be no less impressive than in his zhuangyuan ceremonial attire.

But he doesn’t seem to be happy.

Helan Ci couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

This time, Lu Wuyou had no intention of hiding anything. He said, “Your Majesty suppressed my memorial. I investigated the embezzlement of disaster relief grain, and that official and the local magistrate, shortly after we left, both committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.”

Helan Ci was stunned. “…Silenced?”

Lu Wuyou said, “Most likely. I left men behind to investigate. They reported that even their homes were attacked by robbers, completely ransacked, leaving nothing behind. But I had taken precautions. I had someone planted in the prison to deceive the warden,telling him his entire family had already been wiped out. I even showed him bloodstained clothes said to belong to his wife and child—probably stolen and faked—then used a few other methods. Under my coaxing, he confessed to most of it. We secured a written confession with his bloody handprint, so I managed to pursue the case a little further and traced it all the way to the Provincial Administrator of Yizhou.”

The Provincial Administrator² held a deputy second-rank position, overseeing the provinces finance and administration. Among local officials, only the Governor³ outranked it, but Governors typically oversaw more than one province. In terms of actual governance, it was the Provincial Administrator and the Judicial Commissioner⁴ who held sway—practically regional overlords in their own right.

Lu Wuyou curled his lips slightly and said, “That Provincial Administrator is quite interesting too. He hails from the same hometown as Noble Consort Li and is very close with her brother, the Earl of Pingjiang. In fact, he even married his youngest daughter off to the Earl as a second wife—even though there’s a twenty-year age gap between them. I reported everything truthfully. His Majesty did reward me, but he also suppressed the memorial, telling me not to investigate further. The rest, he said, would be handed over to the Three Judicial Offices. But when I asked around among my colleagues, it turns out no one from the Three Judicial Offices⁵has taken on the case.”

Helan Ci lowered her head in thought. She had the nagging sense that this reminded her of something.

Her head still lowered, Lu Wuyou turned to ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

Helan Ci pressed her fingers to her temple and said, “I feel like I’ve forgotten something really important—wait for me a moment…”

Lu Wuyou let out a light sigh, sat down on one side of the study, and said softly, “Take your time to think, anyway, I have… a lot of patience for you.”

Helan Ci felt that Lu Wuyou’s words were truly contradictory. He had just said he was impatient, and now he claimed to be full of patience. Sometimes, his clever and delicate heart really feels like a needle in the ocean.

She couldn’t always rely on pressing him directly for answers either.

While she was tangled in these thoughts, a sudden flash of insight struck her, she remembered.

But when she was about to speak, she hesitated again, because when she told her father, he was completely dismissive and even told her that dreams should not be taken seriously.

But Lu Wuyou was different.

Helan Ci hesitated only for a moment before saying: “Before I first met the Second Prince, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw my father go to Yiyun to take up the post of Governor, only to be falsely accused, dismissed, and thrown into prison. My elder brother and I were implicated as well, and our situation turned miserable. I fled in the middle of the night… but was captured by the Second Prince, imprisoned. Then I woke up. But everything in the dream was so vivid, every detail etched into memory—I broke out in cold sweat from the fear. Not long after, I encountered the Second Prince in person. I hadn’t seen his face in the dream, but I had heard his voice… and it was exactly the same as in the dream.”

She spoke while recalling it, this event already something that had happened quite some time ago.

“I clearly remember that it was Yizhou where Father was appointed and met the Second Prince. I kept suspecting that he had something to do with Father’s eventual downfall. Now that I think about it, it probably…”

Anyone else hearing this would think it utter nonsense—who dreams of future that actually come true?

But Lu Wuyou listened to her carefully from beginning to end, then said, “As you said, it’s not impossible. Those two women sent by Xiao Nanxun—I had them monitored. They were sent from Yizhou as well. I thought it strange that a mere magistrate dared threaten to kill a court official. Now I see—it was because he had powerful backing.”

Helan Ci breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you believe this?”

Lu Wuyou raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Why not believe it? What you said makes sense… and besides, I’ve heard stranger stories. Back in my hometown, there was an eerie rumor that if you preserved a corpse perfectly, sealed it inside a stone statue, and placed it at the heart of a certain formation to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, then with a bl00d sacrifice of a hundred lives and ten years of nurturing, you could bring the dead back to life. People believed it—and even tried it. Whether they succeeded or not, that’s another story.”

Helan Ci was stunned by what she heard, then suddenly remembered that she had recorded the details of the dream. She immediately went to the study to retrieve the notes and handed them to Lu Wuyou.

Lu Wuyou took them and looked through them carefully. The handwriting was hurried and shaky—Helan Ci had clearly written them in a panic. Traces of fear from that day were still faintly visible. After a moment of silence, he asked, “You were that scared back then?”

Helan Ci was taken aback, and only after a long pause did she slowly nod.

As Lu Wuyou read, he suddenly recalled a moment from long ago—when he had hidden atop the carriage and witnessed that scene with his own eyes.

She had clearly been terrified out of her mind, yet still forced herself to remain calm, summoning every ounce of energy and vigilance to deal with Xiao Nanxun. Yet, she almost fell victim to his flirtation. He was not in such a predicament; even if Princess Shaoan relentlessly pursued him, he was confident in his ability to handle it with ease.

And even further back, the time they first reunited.

At the time, he still harbored some bias against Helan Ci. Li Ting, the former Shizi of the Duke of Cao, had pursued her relentlessly. Though Lu Wuyou had helped her out of a sense of justice, he hadn’t truly tried to put himself in her shoes, hadn’t considered what she must have felt at that time.

And there was also that incident at the suburban sacrifice, when she accidentally hurt someone—her pale, panicked expression, as if she was on the verge of breaking down in tears at any moment, remained vividly in his memory.

What kind of environment had she grown up in?

Lu Wuyou moved his lips and said, “Have you ever encountered something similar to this?”

Helan Ci thought for a moment. “…That dream was probably the first time.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Lu Wuyou said, lips pressing together. “I meant—have you experienced anything like what happened with Xiao Nanxun or Li Ting?”

Helan Ci pondered for a moment and said, “Nothing except that happened in the capital. After all, my father was the Left Chief of Censorate, a high-ranking official. But when i were in Qingzhou, there was one incident. The man… um…” Helan Ci wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. At the time, she had nearly been forced down onto a bed. She hadn’t slept well for several nights afterward and kept having nightmares. “In the end, I scared him off with a hairpin. At first, his father tried to use his power to suppress it, but once the prefect learned of my father’s identity, he personally sent people to arrest the man and throw him into prison. His father was implicated as well. Of course, you probably never heard of this—it wasn’t spread around for the sake of my reputation. But after my father found out, he had me return to the capital.”

Lu Wuyou only knew that she left suddenly, but he didn’t know the reason behind it.

And suddenly, he felt that he had been quite cruel—it’s already quite difficult for her to not have any psychological trauma for any form of intimacy.

“Can I hug you?”

“Huh?” Helan Ci was taken aback,“Why so sudden?”

Lu Wuyou rubbed the tip of his nose and said, “If you mind, then I won’t hug you.”

…He had kissed her whenever he wanted, so why was he asking permission over something as small as a hug?

Helan Ci muttered under her breath, then raised her arms and said, “If you want to hug, then just…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the next moment she found herself enveloped in a warm embrace.

Lu Wuyou gently embraced her, his arms wrapping around her back. One hand pressed against her, while the other caressed her hair in a soothing manner. Since he was a full head taller than her, Helan Ci felt like she was completely enveloped within him.

For a brief moment, she was lost—like her heart had suddenly gone blank, all thoughts scattered.

After a while, Helan Ci finally said softly, “…It’s all in the past now. I’m not afraid anymore.”

Lu Wuyou’s voice was low and somewhat muffled: “I understand. My parents’ sect has people everywhere. I’ll continue looking into this matter, and try to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Yizhou before your father is officially transferred. If things really are as you saw in your dream, then by the time your father arrives for his post, the trap there may already be set—just waiting to spring shut… Even if it turns out to be too late, I will find a way to help you.”

Helan Ci instinctively nodded in his arms. She could hear Lu Wuyou’s heartbeat, one beat after another, like a drum pounding in her ear.

She slightly raised her head, following the line of his jaw, and saw Lu Wuyou’s slightly lowered eyes and slightly pursed lips. Her heart stirred, wondering if she should give him a kiss at this moment.

But was held down by Lu Wuyou’s hand on his shoulder.

He spoke gently: “There’s no need to thank me for something like this. I was already going to investigate it—this is just convenient for me to look into.” He turned his head a little. “What I told you before, you don’t need to worry about it. I was just saying it casually. Just do whatever you want… be a bit more carefree.”

Today, he was still the incomprehensible Lu Wuyou.

*****

The last time Yao Qianxue saw Helan Ci, she felt she didn’t seem too happy, so she invited her out for a temple visit, thoughtfully saying: “Let’s not go to Jueyue Temple! Let’s visit Fayuán Temple instead! It’s really effective for praying for marriage and children—every time I’ve gone, it’s full of women, either already engaged or recently married.”

Helan Ci used to go once every month or two, treating it as a way to unwind.

Ever since the incident with Li Ting, she hadn’t gone out to offer incense for quite a while. After giving it some thought, she agreed.

Lu Wuyou learned this and paused before saying, “So you think you even need to inform me just to light an incense?”

Helan Ci replied, “What if you come back and I’m not home?”

Lu Wuyou said, “…I can just ask someone else.”

Helan Ci paused for a moment, feeling that Lu Wuyou had also gone astray: “I’m telling you this out of respect, it doesn’t mean I’m not free!”

Lu Wuyou was silent for a moment and said, “You can be a bit more unrestrained.”

“Should I start tearing tiles off rooftops? I’ve already done that once. Lu…”—she still didn’t know what to call him—“You’re trying to force the sprouts to grow faster. Even if you say you want me to be more free, I can’t suddenly become… like Wei Ling.”

Hua Weiling was truly free-spirited.

Not only did she come and go as she pleased, lately she had even started bringing along that man she picked up. The young man she picked up seems to think having no name is too troublesome, so he gave himself a name, “Mu Ling⁶“—the intention is quite obvious.

This Young Master Mu followed Hua Weiling around like a little tail. When she went shopping, he carried her things. When she went to a teahouse, he kept her company. When she went to see a play, he went too. Even when she visited makeup and clothing shops, he followed along with a smiling face and helped her pick things out—though he always kept his face covered.

Helan Ci worried, but Lu Wuyou still said the same thing: “Her heart is bigger than yours.”

At this moment, after hearing her words, Lu Wuyou felt a bit embarrassed. He said, “Got it. Anyway, if I finish work early, I’ll come pick you up.”

The incense offerings at Fayuán Temple was indeed flourishing, though the number of women coming and going was noticeably higher.

The wooden railing at the entrance was covered with slips of paper for praying for love. None were signed, and there was no telling who had written them. Inside, there stood a towering red-blossomed tree, currently adorned with layers upon layers of light red silk ribbons fluttering in the wind—it was a stunning sight. This tree is also known as the Yue Lao⁷Tree.

Yao Qianxue liked coming here, but Helan Ci had no particular desires when it came to romance, so she had never come here.

After following Yao Qianxue into the temple, Helan Ci happened to see a young man walking toward them. He was dressed in plain clothes, strikingly handsome, with a stern expression. A faint aura of bloodshed and killing intent lingered about him. Helan Ci instinctively wanted to avoid him, but Yao Qianxue grabbed her arm and said, “You’re married now, what are you afraid of! It’s not like you haven’t seen Qi Chuan before.”

The man approaching was none other than Yao Qianxue’s fiancé—Commander of the Jinyiwei, Song Qichuan. The two were set to be married early next year.

Helan Ci still felt a little awkward. “How about I just—”

Yao Qianxue immediately guessed what she was worried about and laughed. “Xiao Ci, don’t worry. He’s seen you before—he doesn’t have any feelings for you.” She leaned in and whispered, “If he had any feelings for you, I definitely wouldn’t marry him!”

Helan Ci had no choice but to remain as the third wheel.

Song Qichuan was the second son of Minister Song of the Ministry of War. He had even gained experience on the battlefield in his early years and entered officialdom through the military exams. He and Helan Ci’s cousin Yao Qianxue were a proper match in both status and family background. Helan Ci had heard Yao Qianxue mention him many times, but she had only met him twice in person. Even so, she always felt like this grim-faced man didn’t match the version who supposedly shared gossip and daily chatter with Qianxue.

He looked far too serious.

Yet Yao Qianxue seemed completely unaware. She walked right up and hooked her arm around Song Qichuan’s, her face relaxed and cheerful, her voice even changing tone: “Chuan-chuan, you’re here!”

It sounded unexplainably coy and sweet.

Helan Ci glanced at her cousin in mild surprise.

Song Qichuan responded lightly, “Mm.”

Yao Qianxue tightened her hold on his arm and kept smiling. “Have your duties been tiring lately?”

Song Qichuan said, “Still manageable.”

Yao Qianxue didn’t seem to mind his coldness at all. She even rubbed her head against his arm and said, “I feel like you’ve gotten thinner again. I’ll make you some soup and bring it over later. Oh right, is there any interesting news lately?”

Song Qichuan, whose lips had been tightly pressed just moments ago, showed a slight upward curve when she rubbed against him. Then he pulled out a document from his sleeve.

“Chuan-chuan is the best!”

Yao Qianxue cheered and took it, immediately letting go of his arm to read with great interest, even leaning over to share it with Helan Ci.

Helan Ci lowered her head to read, but she was still faintly shocked by the way the two interacted.

However, the very first line she saw was:

Anding Count presses for marriage; the Second Prince refuses.

Helan Ci immediately focused. The contents were simple—the Second Prince was engaged to the legitimate daughter of the Count of Anding. The engagement had been arranged quite early. The engagement had been arranged quite early.—if her background surpasses that of the eldest prince’s consort, the court officials would start frantically submitting memorials with their opinions.

Right now, of course, it hasn’t progressed much. The Second Prince had delayed the marriage again and again. The young lady was nearly twenty now and still unmarried. Naturally, Her father was displeased, and the officials were dissatisfied too, and so they had begun submitting petitions urging the Second Prince to marry soon.

But everyone knew—once he married, the next step… would be to leave the capital and take up his fief.

The First Prince was the most rightful of being a heir, so he naturally doesn’t need to leave. The Second Prince and he are not from the same mother, and they are also competitors. To establish the Crown Prince’s position early, they would certainly find a way to send him away as soon as possible.

The Second Prince’s attitude was very resolute. He claimed the Emperor was still in his prime—which was utter nonsense—and that there was no need to rush into marriage. He firmly refused to yield.

The following entries were gossip from various noble households: matchmaking rumors, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law disputes, and rivalries among wives and concubines.

It was clear Song Qichuan had carefully selected the content—enough to satisfy a young woman’s appetite for gossip, yet nothing confidential, just ordinary, well-circulated news.

Yao Qianxue read with great satisfaction, then looked toward Song Qichuan and couldn’t help saying, “Chuan-chuan, you’re just the best! I really wish we could get married tomorrow!”

The corners of Song Qichuan’s usually expressionless lips lifted again. “Very soon.”

“You’re the most amazing Jinyiwei in the whole empire—no, the most amazing general!” Yao Qianxue’s eyes were full of laughter. “Being able to marry you, I’m truly the luckiest!”

Helan Ci, walking beside them, couldn’t help glancing sideways again and again.

She had never seen them interact before. This was her first time realizing that her cousin acted like this around her fiancé—not only did her tone become sweet and coy, but her entire demeanor radiated an indescribable kind of emotion.

It was… strange.

Song Qichuan went to buy the prayer slip for them. Helan Ci couldn’t help asking, “Are you two always like this?”

Yao Qianxue replied, “Of course. Isn’t it the same for you in private? Oh—I don’t mean you should act like me…” She recalled the way Lu Wuyou had looked and pondered, “That husband of yours seems like the type… who’s pretty good at sweet talk, right? With you being like this, there’s no reason he wouldn’t…”

Helan Ci felt that this was really hard to describe.

She and Lu Wuyou had always spoken frankly, often engaging in witty verbal sparring.

Rather than sweet talk, he seemed to prefer spouting nonsense in front of her.

“Anyway, not all couples are like us, don’t overthink it! It’s just that Qichuan is a bit inexpressive, so I feel like I should talk more and coax him a bit. He’s actually easy to coax.” Yao Qianxue couldn’t help but laugh. “The moment I praise him, he practically wants to do everything for me. Of course, he’s also very easy to deal with.”

Helan Ci seemed to ponder for a moment.

The place selling prayer slip at Fayuan Temple always has a long line. Song Qichuan also waited for a while before he could buy two.

The prayer slip paper also comes with a small pouch, which you can take home and carry with you, or hang on the prayer rack at the temple.

At the designated place to write on the slip, Helan Ci hesitated for a moment, holding the brush for a long time before solemnly writing down four characters: “May you be free of worries.”

After writing the slip, Yao Qianxue said, “Fayuan Temple’s fortune sticks are really accurate. Do you want to draw one?”

Helan Ci thought for a moment, then nodded.

As the two of them walked to the divination place, small Yue Lao trees were planted along both sides of the path, all hung with red silk ribbons. It was her first time here, and she couldn’t help but look around curiously—only for the corner of her eye to suddenly catch a glimpse of a man slipping into a secluded side room.

It was just a fleeting moment, but Helan Ci felt the figure looked familiar.

After they drew their lots, Helan Ci held an upper lot in her hand, while Yao Qianxue had drawn a bad lot⁸. Her face was as long as a funeral banner, and even Song Qichuan—usually so expressionless—looked visibly tense, completely at a loss as to how to comfort her. He seemed one step away from smashing that lot-drawing tube.

Helan Ci always felt a bit out of place here, so she decided to go interpret her lot on her own.

Taking Shuangzhi with her, she made her way back along the same path.

Passing by the small Yue Lao trees again, Helan Ci happened to see a young woman holding a brocade pouch, looking nervous as she headed toward that same secluded side room from before. She was finely dressed but oddly had no maid with her.

Helan Ci found it slightly odd, but thinking it might be someone’s private matter, she continued on.

However, a few steps later, something struck her as wrong.

She had seen that man before!

He had been at Xiao Nanxun’s side!

And in that brief glimpse just now, she had a strong sense that the man did not come with good intentions—though it might have been just her imagination.

Helan Ci suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Shuangzhi, confused, asked, “Miss, what’s wrong?”

Helan Ci thought she might be meddling too much. She had her own troubles and didn’t need to get involved. But… after hesitating for a moment, she quickly strode toward the young lady and blocked her path.

The woman was startled when she saw Helan Ci’s face, and a flicker of timidity crossed her expression.

Helan Ci said nothing more. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a slender iron hairpin that she always carried, leaned in and whispered a few words, then handed the pin to the girl—it didn’t matter if she gave it away. She still had other things Lu Wuyou had given her.

The girl accepted it in a daze.

Helan Ci said, “If you feel you don’t need it, you can throw it away.”

She had one of an iron hairpin like this, which she brought back from Qingzhou, making it difficult to trace its origin.

After handing it over, she took the frost branch and continued walking forward to解簽.

After Helan Ci finished interpreting her lot, she waited outside. Over there, Song Qichuan had finally managed to calm Yao Qianxue. She came out wiping her tears, and Song Qi Chuan clumsily coaxed her softly. Yao Qianxue broke into a smile for a moment, but just as quickly started sobbing again at something Song Qichuan said. He had barely sighed in relief when he had to start coaxing her all over again.

Helan Ci stood at the door, watching the two of them, always feeling that it was a very strange.

Yao Qianxue had always been like an elder sister to her—gentle, patient, and caring. But in front of Song Qichuan, she was clearly a different person.

Just as she was thinking that, she suddenly heard Qingye call out, “Madam!”

Helan Ci turned her head at the sound.

A horse carriage slowly rolled toward them. The curtain was lifted, and a poised, graceful young man wearing a qilin robe stepped steadily down from the carriage. Then he slowly raised those striking peach blossom eyes and looked at her.

—That qilin robe really did suit him.

It brought out his looks even more.

At that moment, the sky had just dimmed, and dusk had only just begun to cast its tint.

People bustled past around them—some casting astonished glances at Helan Ci, others looking around curiously. Quite a few young ladies stole furtive glances at Lu Wuyou, but he alone kept his gaze straight ahead, strolling leisurely toward her with complete ease, as if everything around him had faded into the background. He strolled calmly, step by step, until he stood in front of her.

His finely drawn features gradually came into focus.

Behind him, the slightly flushed evening clouds formed a grand backdrop.

Lu Wuyou’s eyes shimmered like rippling waves, yet his tone was gentle as he said, “What are you daydreaming about? I’ve come to take you back to the residence… nothing happened, right?”

Helan Ci nodded and softly replied, “Nothing happened.”

She bade Yao Qianxue a quick goodbye, then walked lightly over to Lu Wuyou’s side, seeming hesitant, uncertain.

Lu Wuyou noticed something off in her expression and asked, “Really nothing happened?”

Helan Ci looked up at him, making a determined effort to overcome her embarrassment. With some difficulty, she said, “Ji’an… today you look…” Her cheeks were slightly flushed. “Very handsome.”

Lu Wuyou: “…???”