Chapter 138 - Boots

They only just met, and it was inappropriate to ask such question.

However, the Qilin Festival was tomorrow, so there wasn’t much time left.

Kou Wei looked at her with worry, “I know it’s rude, but please tell me if you need any help.”

Lu Mingshu was flabbergasted. However, she calmed herself within no time and gave Kou Wei a stiff smile, “Thank you very much for your concern, Senior Brother Kou.”

Finally, her “Senior Brother Kou” didn’t sound awkward.

It was funny how she had been in Nine Jade Palace for so long, yet the first person to really care for her like a brother was an outsider.

“We aren’t related to each other in any way, so I wouldn’t have a say in your matter, but disrupting it would be possible. You could approach me or Junior Brother Qi. As long as you give the word, we will try to help.”

Lu Mingshu stared blankly at him. Does he really mean that?

“Erm, Senior Brother?” Qi Sheng, who was standing beside them, turned as red as a beetroot, “This is…”

Kou Wei laughed out loud. “Of course… the queen’s your elder. If you plan to refuse, you’ll need a good enough reason.”

Lu Mingshu kept quiet for a moment before bowing to him, “Thanks for your help, but I do not think I’m currently at that stage yet.”

Kou Wei nodded, “It’s good that you’re aware of what you’re doing.”

Kou Wei turned around to leave, but he was stopped in his tracks by Qi Sheng, “Senior Brother!”

Kou Wei turned and saw that Qi Sheng was rooted to the ground, and he laughed, “What are you doing now?”

Qi Sheng hemmed and hawed. He didn’t know how to start, but he was unwilling to give up on the matter.

“Isn’t it obvious that she’s stubborn?” Kou Wei sighed.

“I know! But…” Qi Sheng muttered, “Isn’t it better to help her? If we help her, she wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble!”

Kou Wei had thought that Qi Sheng was just fascinated by Lu Mingshu’s talent, but listening to Qi Sheng now, he realized that it was infatuation. He has just started with his puberty. Kou Wei straightened his face.

“Junior Brother Qi.”

Qi Sheng, who never cared about formality, got a shock.

Seeing Qi Sheng’s reaction, Kou Wei felt like laughing, but it wasn’t an appropriate time.

“She should make her own decision, and you should change your mindset,” he sighed.

“What for?” Qi sheng pouted. “I’m just trying to help.”

“You should only help if she wants you to,” Kou Wei looked at him sternly. “I don’t give a damn about your crush on her. I just want to remind you that, no matter what you want to do – court her or just notice her in silence – never interfere in her business when she is unwilling. You won’t help her that way, you’ll just make things worse.”

……

As soon as she got back to her room, a disciple came saying that Elder An was calling for her.

“Senior Uncle An.”

An Tongchen sat by the window, looking at the river below. “You’ve already heard about it, huh?” He didn’t even turn around to look at her.

“Does Senior Uncle mean the queen?”

An Tongchen turned to face her. She’s calm. He heaved a sigh of relief. “Xie Lianzhen is the queen’s son.”

This information was so sudden that Lu Mingshu just stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to say.

No wonder Tan Yubing said they had a special relationship. She initially figured they were relatives, but they were way closer than she thought.

“Senior Uncle An…” Lu Mingshu hesitated. She was lost on what to do.

“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares to do all things and crushes down remorselessly against all that stands in its path. I am sure you are clear of this. Moreover, she owes this child of hers too much,” An Tongchen sighed. “I have sent people to gather information about this, and I found out that the queen already has her eyes on you. The only way to solve this is for her to agree.”

Lu Mingshu kept quiet.

“I heard that you went to meet Kou Wei?” An Tongchen changed the subject.

“Yes.”

“The Heavenly Sea Pavilion could get a say.”

Lu Mingshu looked up at him, raising her eyebrows.

An Tongchen looked down and sighed, “Sometimes, you will have to give in temporarily. Giving in temporarily doesn’t mean that you will be stepped on for your entire life, it’s just to help you get through one difficult part of your life if you’re powerless.”

Lu Mingshu didn’t get it at first, but she recalled what the Grand Elder said; “The strongest ones will break and the most powerful will be humiliated, just do your best.”

Lu Mingshu suddenly saw red.

She shut her eyes to calm herself down for a moment, “Senior Uncle An, isn’t Xie Lianzhen’s father… the king of Zhongzhou?”

An Tongchen shook his head, “The queen remarried to the king.”

No wonder. No wonder she “owes this child of hers too much.”

“Senior Uncle, if I hadn’t come to Zhongzhou, what do you think the result would be?”

An Tongchen looked at her in surprise.

“I know that the queen’s initial target was Ling Wuxia, but she didn’t come. What about the others?”

An Tongchen bit his lips as he was sent into deep thought, “I know that she would prefer something over nothing.”

Lu Mingshu nodded, “I got it. Thanks, Senior Uncle, I’ll excuse myself.”

An Tongchen looked at her leave, but when Lu Mingshu reached the door, she turned back abruptly, “Senior Uncle An, maybe some other people can give in, but I can’t. When you give in once, there will be a second time, and it’ll never end until, maybe one day, I would never be able to lift my head up again.”

She bowed to him and left.

An Tongchen sat down in silence and muttered to himself, “Senior Brother Liu, I always thought you were the most stubborn thing I had ever seen, but your disciple is even more stubborn.”

He smiled.

……

Lu Mingshu pushed opened her room door. She was still steaming about what happened.

She sat down in silence to calm herself down, and she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

That’s weird. All her belongings were in the mustard seed pouch, so why was there a package on the table? Who left it here?

She went to open the package, and what was inside took her aback.

It was a pair of boots – boots made out of hide. They were tanned until they were soft and glossy, and the stitches were fine, but they looked like the tailor was new to this.

She grabbed the pair of boots and rushed out.

“Ah!” Lu Mingshu accidentally bumped into Tan Yubing, who was walking to her room.

“Senior Aunt Tan!” Lu Mingshu grabbed her shoulders in panic, “Did anyone come over to my room?”

“Yeah!” Seeing her in this state, Tan Yubing was at a loss. “I was just about to come and tell you that somebody sent you something, and I placed it on your table.”

“Who?”

“A servant girl.” Knowing what she was going to ask next, Tan Yubing added on, “Just an ordinary servant girl around here. There’s nothing special about her. Wait, what happened? Is there something wrong with the package?”

“Where did she go? And when did she leave?” Lu Mingshu didn’t answer any of her questions; she didn’t have time to explain.

“She went that direction. Eh? Where are you going?”

Lu Mingshu ran out without hesitation.

When she rushed out, she was at a loss. The whole palace was filled with servant girls with the same clothing and same hair style.

“Junior Niece Lu?” Tan Yubing followed, “What happened?”

Lu Mingshu hugged the boots tightly and shook her head, “Nothing.”

……

At a secluded area in the palace, a servant girl bowed, “I have delivered it.”

“Okay. Were there any questions?”

“Your servant didn’t meet her, Miss Lu wasn’t around.”

“Very well, you may leave. Never speak anything about this and pretend it never happen.”

“Yes.”

After the servant girl left, somebody else came out and left.