Chapter 2: What Are Your Plans?
byChapter 2: What Are Your Plans?
Speaking of Lu Xusheng's previous life, it was indeed filled with unresolved grievances.
After parting ways with Cheng Yian, Lu Xusheng, under his mother's strong insistence, remarried his cousin. He thought that the relationship between aunt and nephew would bring harmony to the household. However, after the marriage, his cousin changed from her usual gentle demeanor, constantly vying for family property, clashing with her sisters-in-law, and creating rifts with her mother-in-law. She would also fly into jealous rages, punishing any maid who dared to glance at Lu Xusheng, plunging the household into chaos.
Lu Xusheng, often away on military campaigns, had no time to deal with these issues. Later, when the crown prince rebelled and the Northern Qi took advantage of the situation to invade from the south, Lu Xusheng was ordered to lead the defense. He fought from Xuanfu to Suzhou, eventually driving the Northern Qi cavalry out of the territory and being promoted to Grand Commander. However, on his way back from a patrol, exhausted and with old injuries flaring up, he was framed by traitors and died young.
Having risen to the pinnacle of power only to meet such an untimely end was truly tragic. But more than the tragedy, Lu Xusheng regretted not having married a virtuous wife. With his death, the household would surely fall into chaos, and with no children to inherit the vast family fortune, he closed his eyes filled with resentment.
Just moments ago, he opened his eyes and found himself reborn on his wedding night.
Upon closer reflection, he realized he had married the daughter of the Cheng family's fourth branch. At that moment, Lu Xusheng breathed a sigh of relief.
At least it was Cheng Yian, not that troublesome cousin.
Everything was still possible.
Lu Xusheng quickly gathered his thoughts, accepted the fact of his rebirth, and returned to the bridal chamber from his resting place.
The main courtyard was unusually quiet. Cheng Yian's maid, seeing him enter, quietly closed the door and left. He walked from the outer room to the bridal chamber, where the flickering red light filled him with a mix of nostalgia and apprehension...
After a moment of silence, he straightened his clothes and walked confidently towards the canopy bed. The curtains were drawn, and he couldn't see anyone, but Lu Xusheng knew Cheng Yian was resting inside.
Recalling Cheng Yian's gentle and unassuming nature, her frugality and humility, she truly embodied the ideal of a virtuous wife. If he hadn't let her go after the incident in their previous life, perhaps things would have turned out differently.
Since heaven had given him this chance, he was determined to live a good life with Cheng Yian this time.
After a moment's hesitation, Lu Xusheng stepped forward and lifted the curtain, only to find the bride sound asleep. Glancing at the time, he decided to wake her for a bath and change of clothes. But as soon as he reached out, he received a solid slap.
Lu Xusheng was stunned.
What happened on their wedding night in the previous life?
Cheng Yian had been shy and submissive, and the young couple had spent the night in passionate union...
Lu Xusheng exhaled heavily and stepped back. When he heard her ask, "Why are you here?" he knew it was over. Cheng Yian must have also been reborn.
Just moments ago, he had been grateful for the chance to make amends, only to have his hopes dashed.
Given their history of separation, how could they possibly reconcile now?
Lu Xusheng stood outside the curtain for a long time before replying irritably,
"Tonight is our wedding. If I'm not here, where else should I be?"
With that, he stepped out from the canopy bed and went to the long table to drink in silence.
Cheng Yian was stunned.
Our wedding?
Looking at the blurry red candles outside the curtain, a thought flashed through her mind.
She pinched the back of her hand hard. The sharp pain confirmed it.
She was alive.
Could it be? Had she returned to her wedding night?
How could this be?
Even though everything was too unbelievable, Cheng Yian forced herself to calm down.
She slowly got out of bed and looked around again. The glass window on the south-facing kang (heated bed platform) was adorned with two pairs of bright red double happiness characters. The curtains, drapes, and bed hangings were all made of vibrant red mandarin duck gauze, and the floor was covered with a red carpet embroidered with a dragon and phoenix, symbolizing marital harmony and prosperity. Under the eight-panel Su embroidery screen depicting a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, there was a traditional Luohan daybed piled high with ornate boxes filled with peanuts, red dates, and fruits, symbolizing fertility and good fortune.
This was unmistakably the bridal chamber of the Lu family from her past life.
Looking at the man under the antique shelf, he was dressed in a crimson wedding robe with a second-rank lion mandarin square embroidered on his chest, a rhinoceros leather belt around his waist, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. His figure was strong and well-proportioned. Who else could it be but Lu Xusheng?
It felt so unreal.
Cheng Yian pressed her still-stinging palm and took another deep breath.
Whether this was a dream or a real rebirth, she needed to deal with the current situation first.
In a short time, Cheng Yian quickly made a decision.
Although Lu Xusheng was cold and indifferent, not knowing how to care for others, he had significant power, a noble character, and no bad habits. With the lessons from her previous life, she would no longer crave elusive love.
Rather than marrying into the Fan family and devoting herself to managing their estate, it would be better to live a stable life as Your Grace. With wealth and luxury at her fingertips, and her husband often away at war, she wouldn't have to serve him. It didn’t matter whether Lu Xusheng cared for her or not; living a leisurely life was what mattered.
In this life, she resolved to live as a carefree Your Grace.
Having made up her mind, Cheng Yian decided to apologize for her earlier slap.
Just as she reached the other side of the long table, Lu Xusheng suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met.
Cheng Yian's heart skipped a beat.
His gaze was deep and complex.
There was no trace of anger.
No, if it were the Lu Xusheng from her previous life with his bad temper, after being slapped for no reason, his face would have been extremely dark.
How could he still look at her so calmly?
This was strange.
Cheng Yian held back her apology, swallowing the words, and decided to stay put, observing first.
She sat down.
Just as she was about to speak, Lu Xusheng pushed a cup of tea towards her.
"You've come back too?"
Cheng Yian froze.
It was over. He had also been reborn with her.
With the estrangement from their previous life, how could they muddle through this life?
Lu Xusheng noticed Cheng Yian's expression visibly darken, and his heart grew colder and colder.
Looks like she has no intention of building a life with him.
Is she still hung up on that childhood sweetheart?
Lu Xusheng's mood worsened, and he drank one cup after another.
The couple sat across from each other in silence, looking as wilted as frostbitten eggplants.
As the night wore on, the autumn chill grew sharper. Cheng Yian, having sat for too long, felt her body stiffen. She reached for the cup of cold tea and downed it in one gulp. The icy tea slid down her throat, soothing the restlessness stirred by her rebirth.
In her past life, Lu Xusheng's heart had always been with his childhood sweetheart. He married her half-heartedly, treating her with nothing but indifference. She had no reason to cling to him.
Besides, was Lu Xusheng really innocent in their past marriage?
He was at fault. When her mother-in-law mistreated her, he didn’t care much, always dismissing it as women being petty over trivial matters. When she was schemed against and her reputation was tarnished, he didn't even try to keep her, signing the divorce papers without hesitation.
Why should she force this relationship?
Her first marriage, as the daughter of a Cheng family concubine marrying into the prestigious Lu family, ended in failure because she was schemed against. Her second marriage, marrying down to Fan Yulin, where she wholeheartedly planned and strategized, also ended in betrayal.
Look what marriage has done to her.
It's better to live freely on her own.
Having figured this out, Cheng Yian's regrets instantly vanished.
She even felt lighthearted enough to joke with Lu Xusheng.
"Didn't you get promoted to Grand Marshal? How did you end up back here?"
Lu Xusheng paused slightly, holding his wine cup, and admitted, "I was ambushed on the way and died from an arrow."
Cheng Yian rubbed her forehead, pitying him.
Wait, Lu Xusheng died and then came back. What about her? Wasn't she living just fine? What happened to that adulterous couple? What about her house, her land? She hadn't even kicked the Fan family out yet!
Cheng Yian's heart itched with curiosity.
Seeing Cheng Yian break the silence first, Lu Xusheng decided to be straightforward and asked her,
"What about you? What are your plans?"
Cheng Yian was momentarily stunned. She temporarily suppressed her resentment from her past life and, thinking about the chance to live the life she wanted after being reborn, her expression relaxed.
"I won't hold you back. Let's go our separate ways, shall we?"
She was determined to divorce again.
Lu Xusheng felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest.
Still thinking about that pretty boy from the Fan family.
Forget it, why should he force her?
He hummed in acknowledgment, turned his face away, and though the wine cup was still in his hand, half-full, he didn't drink any more.
After a tiring day, Cheng Yian's body was utterly exhausted. She yawned and got up to head to the bathroom.
Lu Xusheng didn't like having maidservants close to him, so even on their wedding night, there was no one else in the bathroom to attend to them.
Cheng Yian quickly bathed, wrapped herself in her clothes, and entered the bed with curtains.
Lu Xusheng caught a glimpse of the swaying curtains out of the corner of his eye, and soon there was no sound from inside.
Sitting around was dull, so Lu Xusheng also got up to bathe. After a while, he came out, the red candle had burned down halfway, and the bridal chamber was quiet, lacking any festive air.
He walked to the side of the bed with curtains, looked around, and saw that the arhat bed—a type of daybed—was filled with brocade boxes, and there was no couch in the outer room. Where was a man of his stature supposed to sleep?
Of course, he wanted to sleep on the bed, but Cheng Yian had just made her attitude clear. A gentleman should not gaze upon what is improper, so he should not cross the boundary.
But this was his domain; why should he heed Cheng Yian?
"Cheng Yian, you just mentioned wanting a divorce. This is a marriage bestowed by the emperor. Without special reasons, how can we divorce?"
He absolutely refused to admit that he was trying to make Cheng Yian back down.
To his surprise, the person inside the bed reluctantly rubbed her eyes and poked half of her pretty face out from behind the curtain, with a bit of displeasure at being woken up,
"How did you convince the emperor in your past life? Just do the same this time."
In her previous life, after that incident happened to Cheng Yian, her reputation was damaged. To protect the reputations of the Lu and Cheng families, she sent Lu Xusheng a divorce letter, which he promptly signed, and then went to the palace to persuade the emperor.
Despite his youth, Lu Xusheng was the first scholar to trade his pen for a sword and lead troops into battle during a crisis.
He was not only admired by scholars but also trusted by military officers.
At a young age, he held high prestige in the court.
Even the emperor had to show him some respect. There was nothing in this world that Lu Xusheng couldn't accomplish.
Hearing Cheng Yian say this, Lu Xusheng was left speechless.
He suddenly felt that Cheng Yian's slap was justified.
He deserved it.
Originally, he thought that since he and Cheng Yian knew each other well and were both reborn, marrying her this lifetime would be the most suitable and convenient.
Now it seemed that his wishful thinking had fallen through.
Lu Xusheng resigned himself to piecing together some long chairs outside the bed with curtains, making do for the night.
That night, Cheng Yian slept exceptionally soundly. The thought of breaking free from the shackles of marriage gave her a sense of rebirth. She had sweet dreams until dawn, stretched lazily, and opened the curtains...
Lu Xusheng was already sitting at the opposite desk drinking tea.
Expressionless, his demeanor cold.
There was an innate sense of oppression.
Thanks to her past life's experience, she was no longer afraid of this person.
She even took an interest in admiring his tall and straight figure, the smooth lines, his long spine like a bow, sitting there with an invisible strength and beauty.
Hmm, quite the sight.
"Good morning, Second Master. Did you sleep well last night?"
In the Lu Duke's mansion, Lu Xusheng was the second son. Others either called him the Young Master or Second Young Master.
Lu Xusheng looked at Cheng Yian, who was beaming with joy, and scoffed silently.
How could she have the nerve to ask?
With his tall frame barely fitting on a few chairs, how could he possibly stretch out comfortably?
What's worse, the curtains were occasionally swayed by the wind, wafting the unique fragrance of a young lady. He was neither naive nor inexperienced, and as a young man in his prime, it was his wedding night.
Sleeping well would have been a miracle.
Lu Xusheng, ever composed, responded calmly,
"Very well." Then he shifted his gaze and continued reading.
Cheng Yian, satisfied, got up from the bed and called for her maid to prepare for her bath.
In her previous life, Cheng Yian had two trusted maids, Ru Lan and Ru Hui.
Ru Hui was steady and managed her household affairs, while Ru Lan was straightforward and bold, often accompanying her to social events.
These two maids were fiercely loyal, holding her life above their own. The three of them were closer than family. Upon being reborn, seeing their youthful faces once more, Cheng Yian was overwhelmed with emotion.
In her past life, they had followed her to the Fan family, tirelessly working and worrying, aging prematurely with wrinkles. Now, their faces were vibrant and charming, filling Cheng Yian with a deep sense of comfort.
She was certain she had truly been reborn.
This life must be lived well.
Ru Lan handed her a damp cloth, her cheeks slightly flushed.
The young maid assumed she was embarrassed about the wedding night.
Cheng Yian pinched her cheek.
Ru Lan blinked, "Miss, why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"
Cheng Yian rolled up her sleeves, took the damp cloth to wash her face, and said seriously,
"Nothing, just noticed you've gained some weight."
"Really?" Ru Lan panicked.
Cheng Yian laughed.
Ru Hui sighed, first glaring at Ru Lan, then scolding softly, "Now that you're married, you mustn't call her 'Miss' anymore." Then she tiptoed to personally wipe the water droplets from Cheng Yian's face,
"Second Mistress, it's getting late. We must hurry to the main hall to greet the elders and serve tea."
Cheng Yian's smile faded as she remembered she still had to deal with her mother-in-law, the Second Mistress of Lu Duke's mansion.
This Second Mistress was from the prestigious Wang family of Langya, her husband being the emperor's most trusted advisor, and she had given birth to an outstanding son like Lu Xusheng. She was a formidable character, always looking down on others.
Cheng Yian sighed inwardly, thinking she must escape this predicament soon.
Shortly after, Cheng Yian returned to her room to dress up. When she stepped out, Lu Xusheng was already waiting at the door, dressed in a festive robe.
Beneath the bright autumn sun, the man stood tall and striking in his crimson robe beneath the corridor, his gaze deep and commanding, radiating an intimidating aura.
The two maids immediately bowed their heads and curtsied.
Cheng Yian was surprised as she looked at him. In her past life, Lu Xusheng hadn’t waited for her here. After his martial arts training and changing his clothes, he thought women took too long and went to the study room to read for a while. Eventually, the couple ran into each other on the corridor outside the main bedroom.
So much so that the servants whispered behind her back that Lu Xusheng didn’t care for her.
Lu Xusheng felt uneasy under her wide, almond-shaped eyes staring intently and tilted his chin forward.
"Let’s go."