My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 56

She didn’t know how Lu Wuyou would react.

She only saw him quickly turn his gaze toward her—then just as quickly look away, the corners of his straight lips pulling into a faint curve, before he suddenly leaned down toward her.

Startled, Helan Ci hurriedly said, “I really am exhausted!”

Lu Wuyou let out a light laugh and gently kissed her on the temple. “How about I get some water and carry you to take a bath? You’re all sweaty from earlier, your body must feel sticky.”

Helan Ci truly didn’t have the energy. Her body felt limp, and she didn’t want to move at all—even her eyelids were at war with each other. She spoke honestly: “I want to sleep.”

Lu Wuyou paused and said, “Then you should sleep.”

Helan Ci looked at him wearily: “I really…”

Before she could finish, Lu Wuyou covered her eyes with his hand. In that moment, he seemed unusually agreeable, as if he would say yes to anything she asked. His tone was incredibly gentle: “Sleep.”

***

For the first time, Helan Ci didn’t wake up on time. Her body was simply too exhausted. When she finally stirred, it was the light before her eyelids that roused her. The daylight was bright, and the sound of rain had quieted for the most part, leaving only a faint, lingering patter.

She let out a soft “hiss” and tried to get up—only to hear someone beside her speak gently: “Awake?”

Helan Ci was slightly startled. “Why didn’t you go to the Hanlin Academy?”

Today wasn’t Lu Wuyou’s day off. Although his morning lectures had gradually shifted to a rotating schedule shared with another, so he no longer had to be at the Wenhua Hall daily, he was still supposed to be on duty at the Hanlin Academy on the other days.

Lu Wuyou answered without a hint of guilt: “I wasn’t feeling well and asked for leave. I can’t just leave you here alone at this time.” Then he put down the book he’d been idly flipping through. “Alright, can we go bathe now?”

Helan Ci’s face turned red in a flash.

Thinking back to what had happened last night—amidst the thunderous downpour—she immediately felt awkward all over. The sensations left on her body were still vivid: her waist and hips were sore and limp, and her body felt as though it had been taken apart and reassembled.

She stammered, “No need, I’ll go myself…”

Lu Wuyou raised a brow. “I’ve waited half the day for you—can’t you at least let me finish what I started?”

Helan Ci tried to get up, but the result wasn’t much better than the last time—and thanks to certain more indulgent behaviors, a certain place even felt more swollen and sore. She struggled for a bit and couldn’t move, so in the end, Lu Wuyou carried her over.

Her body was indeed sticky and uncomfortable.

Lu Wuyou placed her into the bath barrel, and immediately hung his own nightclothes on the rack. Helan Ci exclaimed in shock, “What are you doing!”

“What else could I do? Isn’t it just a bath?” Lu Wuyou said casually, “I’m afraid you might faint in there. After all, I’m the one who did this to you—I ought to take some responsibility. Miss Helan, don’t worry, I won’t do anything else.”

It had felt only mildly awkward before, but hearing that form of address made it exceptionally awkward.

Usually, Lu Wuyou was dressed impeccably, and being young, he still appeared somewhat lean. But once he undressed, it revealed the physique of someone trained in martial arts. His musculature was defined, his arms sculpted, his waist and abdomen clearly full of strength—not the least bit frail.

Helan Ci felt a touch of envy.

Before she could dwell on it, Lu Wuyou had already scooped up water and begun to wash her.

Helan Ci initially accepted Lu Wuyou’s service calmly, but soon she began panting in the water, her face turning as red as bl00d. After being tormented repeatedly by shame, she finally broke down and said, “I’ll do it myself!”

Lu Wuyou said, “But it hasn’t been cleaned properly inside…”

Helan Ci said, “I’ll wash it myself!”

She was almost crying out.

Lu Wuyou chuckled. “Alright.”

It might indeed still be a bit swollen. Helan Ci lowered her head with a flushed face. After all, she originally thought it was impossible, and she didn’t expect to actually achieve it as Lu Wuyou said. Although he made a lot of preparations, it was still a bit too much…

Her thoughts drifted aimlessly.

Suddenly, Lu Wuyou spoke in a slow drawl: “…So did it feel good for you?”

Helan Ci froze, goosebumps nearly rising all over her. Instinctively, she said, “Why are you still here!”

Lu Wuyou, who had clearly already finished bathing, dried himself off and changed back into his nightclothes. “Where else would I go? I’ve been waiting on you all morning. Don’t worry, I’ll just stand here—it won’t affect your bath.”

……It affects me!

Helan Ci muttered to herself and sank deeper into the water.

Lu Wuyou’s voice continued, “I felt great, but I was afraid you didn’t. If there’s any problem, communicate in time, and I can correct it next time…” He also kindly added, “No need to feel embarrassed.”

Helan Ci nearly buried herself in the water.

“Don’t talk to me about this in a serious tone!”

Lu Wuyou looked a bit confused. “Haven’t we been chatting like this before?”

That was just about kissing—how could that be the same?

Back then, Lu Wuyou had always exercised restraint. His hands never wandered, and even when they touched, it was only through layers of clothing. But last night was different—his fingers had practically explored every inch of her skin, inside and out, again and again.

When she didn’t answer, Lu Wuyou pondered a bit and pressed on: “So… it wasn’t good? If I was the only one who enjoyed it, then it wouldn’t be meaningful.” His tone remained as casual as if he were asking whether she liked last night’s food—saying that it didn’t matter if only he found it tasty.

Helan Ci hesitated. “…As long as you felt good, it’s fine.”

Lu Wuyou’s voice cooled slightly. “That won’t do. The joy of union is meant to be mutual. There’s no point if my pleasure comes from your endurance. If you didn’t feel good at all—or not enough—it may be that you simply don’t like it.”

Helan Ci’s face began to burn again.

Lu Wuyou really always gets serious about the strangest things.

She mumbled for a while before stirring the water with her fingers and softly saying, “…It did feel good.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have cried like that. Her body had trembled, her legs had gone weak—it was all far more intense than she’d imagined. Irresistible, overwhelming.

Though… there had been some discomfort too.

Perhaps she could gradually get used to it.

Only then did Lu Wuyou’s voice return to calm.

“Then that’s good. There’s nothing shameful about it. Without the union of yin and yang, how could there be harmony in the Dao, or the birth of children? Our parents did this too—that’s how we came to be.” He started rambling again. “Open communication is a virtue.”

Helan Ci couldn’t help but say, “But you weren’t this open before!”

At this moment, Lu Wuyou fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, he smiled and said, “I’ve figured it out now. Just let things take their course. Being a smart person is quite exhausting too. Although Miss Helan is a bit slow, she’s diligent enough, and brave enough. I admire that.”

Helan Ci stared at him.

Lu Wuyou’s face wore a faint smile, radiating a sense of relief and acceptance, as if he had reconciled with himself.

Helan Ci didn’t know what he was thinking, but she had a feeling he probably wouldn’t maintain that subtle, courteous distance between them anymore. She inexplicably felt relieved, then suddenly remembered something: “That sachet really was embroidered by me!”

Lu Wuyou immediately shook with laughter. “You seem quite proud of it.”

Helan Ci cleared her throat.

Lu Wuyou said, “Actually, that first sachet wasn’t bad either. When I wore it out, my colleagues all asked me where I got such a unique sachet, and they would show expressions of astonishment. And when I told them it was embroidered by my wife, they would carefully examine it and sigh in admiration—saying that Miss Helan must possess a refined and elegant mind, that the embroidery surely held profound meaning beyond their comprehension.”

Helan Ci: “…”

So that’s a way to spin it too.

Lu Wuyou added, “But the one you embroidered this time is indeed a big improvement. I almost didn’t recognize it as your work—thought it was bought ready-made from somewhere. Helan really does learn quickly.”

Helan Ci felt quite pleased.

Lu Wuyou gave a little cough and turned his face away ever so casually. “Hopefully you’ll learn other things just as quickly.”

Helan Ci: “…?”

***

Although the rain had lessened, it hadn’t stopped completely. It was as if a soft veil of drizzle had been draped over the entire capital.

Lu Wuyou wore the newly embroidered sachet and went to the Hanlin Academy as usual. Since it hung quite prominently, it didn’t take long for someone to notice: “Ji’an, how come you changed your sachet today? Finally stopped wearing the one from your wife?”

He smiled gently. “No, this one was also embroidered by my wife.”

Everyone couldn’t help but click their tongues in amazement, feeling like the man’s tail was about to shoot up to the sky.

At the recent wedding banquet of the Marquis of Kangning’s second daughter and Lin Shaoyan, everyone had witnessed it—that famous Miss Helan, in order to maintain her husband’s face, even went as far as offering to compete on his behalf. It really looked like she was deeply in love.

No wonder he was so pleased with himself.

At noon, while walking around, they ran into Lin Zhang. A colleague nearby sighed to Lu Wuyou, “Shaoyan’s got it rough. I heard ever since the wedding, they’ve been arguing—minor fights every two days, major ones every three. Life sounds impossible… By the way, we’re gathering for drinks tonight. You coming, Ji’an?”

A usual social engagement, Lu Wuyou would naturally not decline.

Privately, Lin Zhang had already apologized to Lu Wuyou over the matter with Wei Yun. Lu Wuyou knew it wasn’t Lin Zhang’s fault, so their meeting wasn’t too awkward. However, seeing him drinking alone, Lu Wuyou went over and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t drink too much. A thousand sorrows won’t vanish just because you’re drunk.”

Lin Zhang looked up at him, his cheeks tinged red, clearly tipsy. After a pause, he said, “Maybe our birth charts just don’t match.”

Lu Wuyou asked, “Did you not followedthe three letters and six etiquettes¹?”

Lin Zhang gave a bitter smile. “They were auspicious. Nothing I could do about that.” He took another swig. “I didn’t know marriage could be this complicated.”

He thought that the other party was marrying him reluctantly, that she was so drunk on their wedding night. He could barely drag her, and he didn’t dare to offend her, so he could only sleep in the outer room. To this day, they have not consummated their marriage.

After Wei Yun came to the Lin residence, she seemed dissatisfied with the living conditions and began rearranging and redecorating everything. She picked on him from head to toe. Lin Zhang, being good-tempered, didn’t hold it against her, but she became even more relentless, targeting him repeatedly. For example, when he went to the study, she would take his documents and ask him what use they had; when he was sleeping well at night, she would come out and complain that the bed was too hard—as if he could do anything about it in the middle of the night. She found fault with his plain clothes, his quiet nature, his seemingly perfunctory responses—everything.

Lu Wuyou brought the cup to his lips and chuckled lightly. “It’s not so bad. You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t think I can.”

Lin Zhang didn’t say everything out loud, but she had even burned aphrodisiac incense for him. He suspected she wanted him to lose control and tarnish one of her dowry maids, so he wouldn’t have to offend her directly. But the Lin family had always been proper and upright, and he prided himself on being a gentleman. He hadn’t fallen for it. He’d even tried to explain things to Wei Yun, only to be met with layers of sarcastic mockery. Ever since, her temper had only worsened.

Lu Wuyou began irresponsibly teasing: “Your esteemed wife is still a woman after all. Since things are already like, Shaoyan, why don’t you try to coax her? Since she used to like it… You don’t have to be so dull, use gentle words and sweet talk. Say some nice things, maybe her temper will improve a bit, and your life will be a little easier.”

Lin Zhang was stunned. “But I don’t know how…”

“You can learn. In a marriage, it’s mostly about exploring and figuring things out, right…” Lu Wuyou set down his cup and chuckled. “By the way… does my sachet look nice?”

***

Once Helan Ci had rested enough, she had someone hold an umbrella and went out to the garden to rescue the trees and flowers that had been ravaged overnight.

The trees could still be propped up with some effort—though their branches and leaves had snapped in places. But the flowers had fared far worse. They’d only been planted for less than two months, and the autumn chrysanthemums hadn’t yet weathered much wind or rain before being beaten nearly to death. Helan Ci could only use some broken branches to support them, hoping they could somehow hold on.

—Sigh, she’d originally planned to use them one day to make a bit of cooling herbal tea.

Just as she was thinking this, an invitation was delivered.

The gatekeeper said, “It looks like this one is for you, Madam.”

Invitation cards sent to Lu Wuyou were as numerous as fish in a river—not only from various officials but even more from scholars. After all, he really did let a few impoverished yet talented scholars squeeze into the back room to live, taking them as students and occasionally guiding them in writing.

But ones addressed to Helan Ci were rare.

She was slightly surprised and took the card to look. On the front was written “From the Anding Count Mansion.”

Helan Ci truly had no dealings with the Anding family. The only possible connection was perhaps the time in Fayuan Temple when she had, by coincidence, helped their young lady.

She opened the invitation to find a polite request—asking if she could come to the residence to have a conversation with their young miss.

The face of that timid girl from that day floated before her eyes. She recalled what Lu Wuyou had said—that the young miss perhaps had still not emerged from the shadows of that incident. For a moment, Helan Ci found it hard to decide, but after a while, she finally sighed and said, “Prepare the carriage. We’ll go to Anding Count Mansion.”

Anding Furen personally came out to greet her. Although this noblewoman was meticulously adorned, she still couldn’t quite hide the weariness and haggardness in her appearance.

“Sorry to trouble you to come all this way, Helan Furen. Ying’er said she wanted to thank you…” She choked slightly. “She doesn’t really want to see anyone now, barely speaks either, I just…”

When Helan Ci saw the girl, she realized the furen hadn’t exaggerated.

In the gloomy room, the girl curled up in a corner, clutching a soft pillow, completely motionless.

Helan Ci lifted the curtain and stepped inside. The girl looked up at her, and upon seeing her face, her eyes moved slightly—only then did she seem to show a hint of life. Helan Ci slowly walked closer and said, “Miss Du, do you remember me? We met once by chance.”

The young lady of Anding household nodded lightly, her voice so timid it barely registered: “I remember.” She paused, her voice airy and unsteady. “Thank you, but the hairpin, I…” She hugged her head, as if about to cry. “…I lost it.”

Helan Ci walked over slowly and sat beside her, her voice gentle, “It’s fine, it’s fine if it’s lost.”

After a long moment, once her emotions had calmed, Helan Ci said again, “What you went through, I’ve experienced something similar.”

The young lady looked at her in confusion.

Helan Ci’s smile was soft but helpless, her voice flowing like a spring: “Back then, after much struggling, I was nearly pressed down on the bed. My skirt was half torn off. I was close to despair. Luckily, I had that hairpin hidden in my sleeve—just like the one I gave you. In the end, it scared him off. Afterwards, I had nightmares for several nights, wondering why I had to go through such a thing. I was afraid others would find out, afraid they’d think I’d lost my purity or had done something wrong. I wondered what I did to make someone treat me that way… But eventually, I came to understand that I did nothing wrong. None of this was my fault. He wanted to harm me—why should I be the one to suffer in the end? It’s unreasonable. And before he knew who my father was, he was smug and felt no guilt. That, truly, is what makes no sense.”

She spoke gently, not expecting it to be of any use, just a bit of sympathy for the same kind.

At first, the Anding girl simply listened blankly. But gradually, her eyes turned red, and tears spilled down her cheeks as she lowered her voice: “But… but I really wanted to marry him. Why… why would he treat me like this?”

It seemed she had realized her own words, she quickly covered her mouth.

Helan Ci gently patted her head and said, “Because he doesn’t deserve you… But why did you want to marry him?”

The girl slowly let go of her hand, tears still streaming. “I met him at Qingquan Temple. I really did. He was being bullied and looked so pitiful. I told him I could ask my father and the abbot to take him in, but he refused. So I just kept visiting him at Qingquan Temple… Later, I found out he was a prince. He looked different then and didn’t recognize me anymore, but I still thought he looked so sad, like he’d never had a single happy day. I wanted to make him happy…”

Helan Ci felt slightly shocked.

Can anyone still have such feelings for the present Xiao Nanxun?

Miss of Anding house covered her face with her hands, tears streaming through her fingers: “Why did he have to treat me like this, why did he have to treat me like this… I, I like him.”

Helan Ci felt an even greater shock.

She could only stroke the girl’s head again and sigh heavily. Once the girl had cried herself out, Helan Ci quietly asked, “What do you like about him?”

The girl shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know. I just really wanted to see him, to make him happy, to…” She covered her face and started crying again.

Helan Ci summoned the patience she once used to coax her younger cousin and gently comforted her until the girl had completely let it out.

Only after a long while did she say, “You two aren’t close, and you don’t know what kind of person he is, so it’s natural to have such expectations. Miss Du, since he doesn’t want to marry you, that means you still have a chance—to meet someone better suited to you. In the end, none of this is your fault.”

Leaving the Anding residence, Helan Ci still felt a bit melancholy.

Mainly, she felt Miss of Anding feelings for Xiao Nanxun were simply not worth it.

When she returned, Lu Wuyou still hadn’t shown up. She figured he was likely drinking with colleagues and wasn’t in a rush. But just then, she found herself wanting to talk to him. Helan Ci lingered in the study for a while, then went to Lu Wuyou’s own study.

Eventually, she wandered to the bedroom. Thinking of the night they had consummated their marriage, her cheeks flushed red again, and her legs still ached faintly.

She leaned over her dressing table, counting the hours, feeling as if time had become exceptionally long. She casually picked up the embroidery frame beside her but didn’t feel like stitching just yet—and in her daze, she dozed off at the vanity.

When she woke up, Lu Wuyou’s voice was already at her ear: “Why are you sleeping like this?”

He gave her shoulder a light tap. Helan Ci sat up and turned her face toward him, still groggy. “…What time is it?”

Lu Wuyou looked the same as ever, dressed in his qilin-embroidered robes, with a gentle and elegant demeanor. His peach blossom eyes carried a hint of affection, looking as handsome as if he’d just returned from receiving honors on the Imperial Street.

Seeing him, Helan Ci felt a strange sense of calm settle over her.

Estimating the time, Lu Wuyou said, “Just past the hour of hai². What’s wrong?”

“It’s a little late,” Helan Ci answered honestly. “I wanted to tell you something, but you weren’t back. I waited for a long time.”

Lu Wuyou was taken aback and asked, “What is it? Is it important?”

“It’s not that important, it’s just…”

After hearing her out, Lu Wuyou thought she was particularly concerned about this matter. He pondered a moment and said, “If you truly feel sorry for that young lady from the Anding household, I do have a way to help her find peace—and cause some trouble for Xiao Nanxun at the same time.”

Helan Ci was shocked and asked, “What way?”

Lu Wuyou said, “Just tell me whether you want it or not.”

Helan Ci came back to her senses. “If you could’ve made trouble for Xiao Nanxun, why didn’t you do it earlier!”

Lu Wuyou naturally said, “Hiding one’s talents and biding one’s time, he has been relatively well-behaved lately. Why provoke him for no reason? But if you want to, it’s not impossible.”

Helan Ci was even more nervous: “It won’t put you in danger, right… then forget it!”

“It’s nothing.” Lu Wuyou casually replied, finding her nervous expression particularly cute. He lowered his head and almost kissed her, but then suddenly remembered something and softly asked, “Does it still hurt? Are you still uncomfortable?”

Helan Ci said “Hmm?” and was taken aback.

Lu Wuyou bit her ear lightly, his voice low and breathy, with a faint laugh: “I always feel like you are seducing me again. Have you rested enough?”

T/n:

I love that Lu Wuyou asked her if she is enjoying it too, and not just care about his own happiness. Even if there are other green flag ML, I feel like its rare for them to really ask straightforwardly about Fl’s enjoyment of s3x.