Chapter 414 He’s Back

Chapter 414 He's Back

"Hmm."

"Has he returned? Has he mentioned when Jinrou will be added to the clan register?"

Cui Tai’s lips twitched. After much deliberation, he decided to stall.

"Not yet. It's indeed a difficult matter. Eldest Brother needs time to think about it. Are you in a hurry?"

Lady Zheng frowned and nodded, reassuring herself: "Adding someone to the clan register is a big deal; it does need careful consideration. No rush, no rush."

After dinner, the three members of the Cui family were called aside by Lady Zheng for questioning.

"Qingqing, we've heard about your request to Yongnian to lend his seed to Jinrou."

Lady Zheng looked at Cui Yongnian in surprise, thinking: Didn't I tell you not to say anything?

I trusted you because you're a scholar, but scholars shouldn’t gossip either.

"Don't look at Yongnian. What good does that do? Tell us, is that child really from the Lu family?"

Lady Zheng pouted and said defiantly: "Of course it is. If not from the Lu family, whose could it be?"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hmph, but I heard that Lu Shen is impotent."

"Fifth Brother, how can you say that? Wouldn't Lu Shen know if he was impotent? If he were, would he be so happy?"

"You..." Cui Huai, being a man of few words, was left speechless with anger.

"You’ve done something that damages the reputation of the Cui family, and you still expect us to help your adopted daughter enter the clan register?"

Lady Zheng’s heart sank. She said: "Fifth Brother, it's true. You only heard rumors. How can you believe what people say behind closed doors? Who would dare say it to Lu Shen’s face? Would Lu Shen admit to being impotent?"

Cui Huai was silent.

"Our family is already chaotic enough. Stop meddling in others' affairs. Does it matter whether he's impotent or not? The fact remains that the child is Lu Shen’s. And Ning'er looks just like Lu Shen. Can you say she isn’t from the Lu family?"

Cui Huai was left speechless again.

Then Cui Tai said: "Alright, Fifth Brother, let’s not get involved in this. If Qingqing says it’s true, then it must be true."

He turned to Lady Zheng and continued: "You’d better be telling the truth. Even if it’s not true, you must keep it a secret. Otherwise, forget about your adopted daughter entering the clan register; I doubt Eldest Brother won’t kick you out too."

Lady Zheng felt a tightness in her chest but managed to force a smile. "Of course."

...

After more than two months away, Xie Peiyu returned, his face red and dry, and his body covered in wounds. It seemed he had suffered greatly.

The Princess Consort gently touched his face and said: "You’ve been through a lot."

Xie Peiyu shook his head. "It’s nothing serious, just minor issues."

"Minor issues? Someone deliberately revealed your whereabouts and identity, leading the refugees to attack you. Is that minor?"

"Just some refugees, what can they do?" Xie Peiyu said with a grin.

The Princess Consort stiffened, then flicked his forehead.

"How many times have dynasties changed due to uprisings by commoners? Strictly speaking, the earliest rebellions were led by starving refugees. How can you say a few refugees can’t harm you?"

Xie Peiyu pursed his lips, his expression solemn.

The Princess Consort sighed and looked down, avoiding his gaze.

"Go see Jinyu. She has been worried sick about you."

"Okay, I’ll go."

The Princess Consort waved him off, signaling him to leave quickly.

Xie Peiyu returned to their courtyard. As soon as he entered the moon gate, he saw Zheng Jinyu sitting by the window, going through account books.

She seemed to have lost weight after more than two months apart.

"Jinyu."

Zheng Jinyu put down the account book, looked up, and smiled.

Xie Peiyu walked towards her, stripping off his dirty clothes and tossing them on the ground. By the time he reached her, he was only wearing relatively clean underclothes.

He wanted to hug her but hesitated, noticing his own stench.

But Zheng Jinyu didn’t mind and gave him a warm embrace.

Only then did he return the hug.

"Jinyu, I made you worry."

Zheng Jinyu said nothing, but her embrace conveyed everything.

After a while, she released him and tugged at his clothes. "I need to check you over."

"What?"

"Gao Zhi wanted to take the opportunity to kill you. I want to see how badly you're injured."

He held her hand that was pulling at his clothes and said, "Just some minor injuries, nothing serious. But I heard from Wang Yu that you were kidnapped and didn't return all night. Is that true?"

Zheng Jinyu: "……"

"Tell him not to say anything."

"He is my person, so naturally, he should tell me the truth. Asking him to lie to me would be putting him in a difficult position."

Zheng Jinyu said, "Alright, I'm fine too. I was kidnapped along with my cousin."

"Oh, Cui Yongnian was also kidnapped? Then it's alright." Xie Peiyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Zheng Jinyu narrowed her eyes slightly.

Xie Peiyu realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly changed the subject, "I'll go take a bath first. You help me arrange the water."

"Mm."

Zheng Jinyu instructed the servants to heat water for his bath, and soon a large pot was filled. A few strong elderly ladies carried buckets of hot water and poured them into the bathtub.

"You go ahead and bathe. I'll get clean clothes for you."

She found a set of clean clothes, and by then, Xie Peiyu was already soaking in the bathtub, seemingly exhausted and dozing off.

His long black hair floated in the water, only his head visible above the surface.

To be honest, those beautiful bathing scenes in TV dramas are impossible in reality.

With such long and thick hair, it really does float all over the tub.

Where's the beauty in that?

Unless one bathes without washing their hair, which would be coiled on top of their head.

When Zheng Jinyu approached, she gathered his hair and placed it outside the wooden tub.

Xie Peiyu woke up and instinctively crossed his arms over his chest.

Seeing it was Zheng Jinyu, he relaxed and naturally lowered his arms.

Zheng Jinyu suddenly laughed, "Who do you think would dare to come in while you're bathing?"

"My mother."

Zheng Jinyu: "……"

Great, what she feared has happened.

Mother-in-law giving an adult son a bath?

"Then... would you go find your mother while she's bathing?"

Xie Peiyu: "……"

"How could that be? Why would you think that?"

What else could I think?

If the mother-in-law can give an adult son a bath, then naturally, the adult son would give the mother-in-law a bath. That's what those aggrieved daughter-in-law stories always say.

"Don't misunderstand. That was a long time ago. She hasn't entered my bathroom for many years."

Ah?

Why didn't you explain clearly?

Zheng Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief.

"She used to take care of me personally, especially when I was injured. She worried that others might hurt the wounds while washing."

Hearing this, Zheng Jinyu got up and lit more lamps.

The lighting in the bathroom was poor, plus the steam made it hard to see his injuries clearly.

After adding more lamps, she could see some of them.

"Are these new?"

"Mm."

"And here?" Her hand traced along his skin.

Xie Peiyu caught her hand and, in a hoarse voice, said, "I can wash myself. You should go out first."