CH 51

Lu Shi Qing was bitten by her and felt itchy to the root of his teeth. Seeing her delicate lips opened and closed, and how it threw fierce swore at him, his mind snapped. He stepped aside his rationally, clasped the back of her head with his palm, lowered his head and blocked her very arrogant mouth.

Yuan Ci Xian was startled, and she thumped loudly in shock from his sudden attack.

Lu Shi Qing: “…” Could she spoil the moment a little more?

Suddenly he couldn’t go on kissing anymore, the lips and tongue that were full of store-up momentum abruptly stopped, and he took a step back to let her go. From Yuan Ci Xian’s point of view, during the whole process, he seemed to have smacked her lips hard.

Then she heard him clear his throat, and said awkwardly: “Well, I thought, I’m going to wash it anyway.” After that, he turned and hurried into the clean room, closing the door behind him.

Get cheap and show off!

Yuan Ci Xian was furious for a moment, and punched the door frame in front of her angrily, but she “hissed” in pain, clutched her face and shook her hands desperately.

Lu Shi Qing, who heard the movement, opened the door again in surprise, looked down at her red hand, and said hesitantly: “You…” He said as if he wanted to grab her hand to check.

Yuan Ci Xian dodged, put her hands behind her back to prevent him from touching, and said angrily, “Go take your bath, I won’t drown you!”

After she finished speaking, she rubbed her lips that were still numb from being smacked by him, and walked away without looking back. Even until dinner time she didn’t look at him once, just kept smiling and talking to Xuan shi and Lu Shuang Yu.

Lu Shi Qing wanted to interrupt several times, but he couldn’t integrate into the conversation no matter what. He was either interrupted by Yuan Ci Xian, or there was an awkward silence as soon as he finished speaking.

It’s not that Xuan shi and Lu Shuang Yu refused to talk to him, but that every time he opened his mouth, the bubbly Yuan Ci Xian suddenly stopped talking, and the atmosphere abruptly froze. The mother and daughter naturally had to look at each other in doubt, so they missed the opportunity to answer Lu Shi Qing’s words. As a result, he experienced what it felt like to be squeezed out by the three most important women in his life.

Yuan Ci Xian was still very friendly to Xuan shi. Because she was embarrassed to eat free food, after dinner she went to help her choose the pattern of new winter clothes, and then continued to sleep in the room next to her. Before falling asleep, the fire was turned off, but unexpectedly, something more annoying appeared in her dream.

The dream this time was a continuation of the one last time. After she heard Jiang Bi Can’s maid finished speaking, there was a sound of carriage wheels rolling in the distance.

The carriage drew closer and closer, then there was a female voice that she was startlingly familiar: “Can’er?”

It was Jiang Bi Rou. Her voice was a little weak and hoarse, but Yuan Ci Xian couldn’t hear it wrong.

Jiang Bi Can seemed to lean forward a few steps, and then said: “Sister, eldest uncle asked me to come here to wait for you. Eldest uncle asked me to tell you that after you go to Lingnan, someone will pick you up. After that, remember to keep your name anonymous and never return to Chang’an again. The Sacred Heart is unpredictable. You are deeply involved with the Yuan family. His Majesty promises to pardon you now, but it is hard to guarantee whether he will change his mind.”

Jiang Bi Rou smiled wryly, and after keeping silence for a long time she said: “Thank you and Second Uncle for pleading leniency in front of His Majesty for me.”

“Why sister overly polite with me, you also helped me a lot back then. Well, it’s getting late, I should go back. You take care on your journey.”

“You too, it’s not easy to stay in the middle, you and Second Uncle are going back and forth between Sixth Highness and His Majesty, so don’t lower your guard.”

Jiang Bi Can replied “Yes”.

Then there was the sound of the carriage leaving.

After Yuan Ci Xian woke up, seeing that it was still dark outside the window, she buried her face back in the bedding, took a deep breath, and suppressed the indescribable fire in her heart—the whole Yuan family died tragically, but Jiang Bi Rou escaped to Lingnan alive.

She gritted her teeth and calmed down for a while, her mind tried to figure things out.

The so-called “helped me a lot” in Jiang Bi Can’s mouth must refer to the matter of breaking her engagement with Zheng Zhuo. She was not surprised that Jiang Bi Rou would participate as a helper, but what surprised her was that the Jiang family not only wanted to join Zheng Zhuo, but at the same time, like fence-sitter, they also had a good relationship with the emperor, and somehow, they even spread their hands and feet to Lingnan.

It’s not difficult to control the Jiang family sisters, but to solve these troubles in the court, it was not within the reach of a boudoir girl like her. She might need to contact Zheng Zhuo again, or first probe Lu Shi Qing’s tone while in she was in Lu Mansion.

Alas, every time she got angry with him, something convenient fell on him, and it would always be her who seek him.

Yuan Ci Xian sighed inside, thinking about it until dawn. But because Lu Shi Qing had entered the palace early in the morning to face His Majesty, she couldn’t see him. After breakfast, she heard that Jiang Bi Rou came to Lu Mansion to visit Old Lady Lu.

This excuse was just a pretend. The matter of Yuan Ci Xian lived in Lu Mansion was never announced to the outside world, and Lu Shi Qing told everyone in the mansion to keep their mouths shut. Once the gate of the mansion was closed, only the Yuan and Lu families knew about it. So Jiang Bi Rou came to find Yuan Ci Xian, and she had to find an excuse on the surface.

Xuan shi heard that Jiang Bi Rou was here to act as a peacemaker, and advised Yuan Ci Xian to reconcile with Yuan Yu and return home earlier, so she sent someone to take Jiang Bi Rou to the West Courtyard.

As soon as Yuan Ci Xian saw Jiang Bi Rou coming, she knew her real intentions. It seemed the child in her womb couldn’t stay any longer, so she was so anxious that she came to Lu Mansion and insisted on blaming her.

She opened the door and saw Jiang Bi Rou standing at the bottom of the steps, and she said earnestly, “Ci Xian, sister-in-law is here to take you home. You say, how could you, an unrelated person, live in Lu Mansion? It will be too unpleasant if it spread.”

Yuan Ci Xian’s mouth twitched: “If sister-in-law didn’t say anything, and didn’t come here rashly like today, how would the outsiders know?”

Jiang Bi Rou froze slightly: “Why are you arguing with Shichen? And now you even angry with sister-in-law?”

Yuan Yu swore a poisonous oath in front of Yuan Ci Xian, never to tell anyone about the dream, so Jiang Bi Rou really didn’t know the truth, and thought that the two brother and sister really quarreled.

Yuan Ci Xian smiled and didn’t answer: “It’s cold outside, sister-in-law, come in and talk.”

She walked down the steps in two or three steps, glanced at the slightly damp bluestone slabs, she then supported Jiang Bi and said: “At night the steps were covered with frost and have just been cleaned by the servants. Sister-in-law, be careful.”

Jiang Bi Rou responded with a slightly stiff smile. With Yuan Ci Xian’s support, she walked two steps up, and when she reached the third step, the sole of her boot suddenly slipped, and she fell back with a scream.

Yuan Ci Xian’s hand was already behind her waist, and supported her tightly with all her strength, and then calmly said: “Sister-in-law, are you okay?”

Jiang Bi Rou seemed to be in shock, nodded and said: “It’s okay, I was just scared and the legs are a little weak.”

Oh, already laid the groundwork for the next fake fall.

Yuan Ci Xian glanced at the threshold five steps away with a smile, and she indeed saw Jiang Bi Rou stumbled at the door, lifted her foot but failed to cross the threshold, and fell straight forward.

This time she didn’t stop her again, and seeing her slam her lower abdomen on the threshold with a heavy pressure, she just bent over and said in surprise and worry: “Sister-in-law!”

The news of Jiang Bi Rou’s accidental falling quickly spread throughout the Lu Mansion. The doctor came immediately, but still failed to save the baby in her belly.

Xuan shi was terribly frightened, and Yuan Ci Xian didn’t go to accompany Jiang Bi Rou who was dying of pain, but instead comforted her: “Old lady, don’t worry, I will take care of this matter, it has nothing to do with your Lu Mansion.”

Seeing that she looked quite indifferent, Xian shi gradually became suspicious, and just about to ask something, but she saw her smile and ordered Cao An, who was left at the house by Lu Shi Qing to look after her: “Brother Cao, you go and invite my brother and Doctor Yu from the west of the city to come over for me.”

After she finished speaking, she asked Lu Shuang Yu to take care of Xuan shi, and then went to the West Courtyard.

When Yuan Yu rushed to Lu Mansion, he ran into Lu Shi Qing who also hurried over from Daming Palace.

There was such a commotion in the house, so Cao An naturally sent someone to the palace to report the matter to his Master immediately, so Lu Shi Qing got the news no later than the Yuan family.

He glanced at Yuan Yu, whose face was full of worry and sweat, and stretched out his hand to invite him inside, and then stepped into the mansion gate first. But after entering the West Courtyard, it was difficult to go further into Yuan Ci Xian’s room, so he stopped abruptly at the threshold.

The door of the room was half open, and a screen in the middle covered the bed. Yuan Ci Xian stood outside of the screen and hugged her forearm, shivering from the cold wind.

When she heard the footsteps, she turned around, first glanced at Lu Shi Qing, then cast her gaze on Yuan Yu behind him, and said lightly: “Brother is here.”

After all, this was the Lu Mansion, and it was the womenfolk’s courtyard, so it was not easy for Yuan Yu to step in casually, and anxiously said: “How s your sister-in-law?”

Yuan Ci Xian smiled a little: “Brother, just come in and take a look.”

Yuan Yu saw that her expression was not right, but he couldn’t care about it for a while, hurriedly glanced at Lu Shi Qing to ask.

Lu Shi Qing nodded slightly, signalling him to go inside, and after he saw Yuan Yu went inside, he heard Jiang Bi Rou’s weeping voice from behind the screen: “Shichen, I’m sorry…don’t blame Ci Xian, it’s all my own fault…” The female voice was vague, and it was nothing more than this sentence.

Lu Shi Qing listened with his hands behind his back, but his eyes fell on Yuan Ci Xian, who was watching coldly from the side. After Jiang Bi Rou finished speaking, he saw her take a few steps forward and enter the screen, and then said, “Sister-in-law, how can you not blame me for this? I let go on purpose.”

Lu Shi Qing could feel the stiff atmosphere inside from far away.

Yuan Ci Xian’s voice was still very calm: “The steps are wet and slippery, and sister-in-law thought to take a fall, but I think it’s inappropriate. After all, you are pregnant with my brother’s flesh and blood, so I tried my best to support you. Unexpectedly, the fortitude of your determination is like water flowing eastward, will never return. Seeing a solid threshold in front of you, you want to crush your stomach again. What can I do? I had to let go and fulfil sister-in-law’s painstaking effort.”

Yuan Yu stared at Yuan Ci Xian with wide eyes.

Jiang Bi Rou’s face turned pale, “Ci Xian, what are you talking about?”

“Sister-in-law, I moved to Lu Mansion just to hope that you will back out. If you don’t come today to make this incident, your thoughts as well as the fact that you bribed doctor Yu, I plan to pretend not to know. But how would I know that you’re the kind of character who like to rises to the challenge?” After she finished speaking, she called out to the outside of the screen, “Assistant Minister Lu, please urge doctor Yu for me, his footsteps are too slow, I have to deduct his wages.”

Lu Shi Qing smiled and sighed, went outside to urge the person for her, and when he came back, he had an extra cloak in his hand, stood at the threshold and said, “Yuan Ci Xian, come out.”

Yuan Ci Xian stepped out confusingly, and asked: “What about the doctor?”

Lu Shi Qing put the cloak on her shoulders, wrapped her tightly, and said: “The doctor will come soon, this room is too dirty, don’t stay here.” Then he said lightly to the inside, “General Yuan, your family affairs, please deal it yourself, Lu will take your sister away first.”

After he finished speaking, he took Yuan Ci Xian and walked out.