Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Hahahaha, I’ve long suspected you were aloof."

Lin Shuyan, the Crown Prince of Ding, fanned himself with a folding fan, roaring with laughter.

"As expected of a palace matron, she spotted your problem in just a few days. True professionals are indeed different..."

Lin Shuyan watched Lu Yu’s expression darken, his voice growing softer. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop."

"I always dream of a girl."

Lu Yu’s words struck Lin Shuyan like a cannonball, leaving him somewhat dazed, his eyes wide. "What? What? What? I didn’t mishear, did I?"

Lu Yu picked up his wine cup and drained it in one swallow, stating frankly, "Whenever I’m near her, I dream of her. In the dreams, she clings to me like some mountain spirit or demon, and I feel completely out of control."

Lin Shuyan, ever the charming one, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Which young lady is she?"

"She..."

Lu Yu had always been open with Lin Shuyan, but after pondering for a long time, he still didn't know how to introduce her. The words lingered on the tip of his tongue before he fell silent for a long moment and finally said, "My chambermaid."

"..."

"Oh, so she’s already your chambermaid, and you’re telling me this?"

Seeing Lin Shuyan’s speechless expression, Lu Yu took a deep breath and explained, "It’s not what you think... On the fifteenth of this month, Auntie Yao wants me to consummate the marriage with her..."

Lin Shuyan tapped his folding fan against his palm, his eyes full of confusion. "Does that even need to be taught?"

Lu Yu felt like he was talking to a brick wall. Prince Ding was a prince not of imperial blood, and in his household, one could only take concubines after reaching forty without an heir. Nowadays, aside from the princes in the palace who still followed this rule, no one understood him.

He had no choice but to recount everything that had happened since Yun Wan arrived in the capital to Lin Shuyan, watching as his friend’s mouth gradually dropped open.

By the end, Lin Shuyan sighed, "What a pitiful girl. If she were my sister, I’d have both you and her husband chopped to pieces."

Lin Shuyan drained a jug of wine, his eyes reddening as he said, "You’re just fixated on her physically day and night. In a few days, you’ll get what you want. I don’t understand why you’re so upset."

Lu Yu suddenly looked up at him.

"Burp... You’re not like me..."

"I’ll never forget how Shu Yun called me ‘brother.’ She was fragile and never suffered much, yet she’s been missing all these years because of me. I often wake up from dreams calling out her name. When I first got married, my wife thought I had a mistress outside."

Lin Shuyan was a man of deep feelings. Usually, he was a charming and elegant nobleman fanning himself with his folding fan, but whenever he drank and talked about his sister, he would become emotional.

"Chengyu, my sister has never once appeared in my dreams. It’s been fourteen years since she went missing. I don’t know if she’s doing well or if she’s suffering. If she hadn’t pushed me away, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

Lu Yu lifted his wine cup, looked down, and said calmly, "It’s not entirely your fault."

Back then, the Prince Ding's children were kidnapped by bandits during the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. One was five years old, the other three.

While the bandits were demanding ransom from the prince’s household, the siblings secretly escaped.

Lin Shuyan could never forget the scene that day.

The bandits’ coarse voices shouted in the night, their sharp blades cutting through the dense weeds as startled birds cried out in alarm.

Limping on one injured leg, he tightly held the trembling Shu Yun and said shakily, "Yun’er, if you follow this path, you’ll find your way back to the prince’s mansion. Do you remember?"

Shu Yun’s small face was covered in mud, the vermilion mark between her eyebrows hidden by dust. Gripping his arm, she nodded tearfully.

"You go back to the mansion to find Father. I’ll divert them."

"When I count to three, we’ll separate."

"One, two..."

Lin Shuyan never reached three. Shu Yun had already broken free from his hold and run toward the bandits. Her small, frail body charged forward, and with his injured leg, he only managed to grab a corner of her clothing.

He never expected that his delicate, petite sister would protect him so courageously.

The road back to the prince’s mansion that day felt like the longest path of his life. The cloudy sky flashed with lightning and thunder. By the time Prince Ding’s soldiers arrived to search, the bandits’ hiding cave was empty, Yun’er gone without a trace.

That day, he lost his sister for good, and his leg injury never fully healed.

"Whenever I think of the suffering she must have endured all these years, my heart aches. If some scoundrel deceived her, I’d surely cut that person down with my sword."

Lu Yu watched as Lin Shuyan, drunken and agitated, poked his folding fan against his chest. With two fingers, Lu Yu moved it away. "I’m not the heartless villain who betrayed your sister."

In an instant, Lin Shuyan seemed to lose all support, about to lean on Lu Yu the next moment.

Lu Yu quickly sidestepped, shifting aside. With a "thud," Lin Shuyan collapsed to the ground like a vagrant.

Lu Yu dusted off his sleeves, his face full of disdain. "You’re dirty."

Lin Shuyan pushed himself up, about to scold Lu Yu, but then sighed and said, "The fifteenth of this month is Yun’er’s birthday. I plan to go to the Protectorate Temple to pray to Buddha that I might find my sister."

Lu Yu turned the prayer beads in his hand, lost in thought.

---

"The heir won’t be here tomorrow. The matter of consummation can wait until he returns."

Auntie Yao suddenly appeared at Yun Wan’s door, speaking coldly.

Yun Wan was taken aback for a moment before lowering her gaze and replying softly, "Alright."

After watching Auntie Yao leave, Yun Wan’s eyes instantly reddened. The grievance she had been holding back burst forth at that moment, tears rolling down one by one onto the brocade quilt.

Her husband had not only forgotten her but now disliked her and even avoided her. He truly didn’t want to be close to her.

Lu Yu usually ate outside and often stayed overnight in the study. She didn’t even have a chance to speak with him.

Since coming to the capital, she felt as though she were walking alone on a rainy autumn night. Her clothes grew heavier, and the cold wrapped tighter around her heart.

This damp clothing was impossible to remove, and she couldn’t escape this long, dark autumn night.

On top of that, Auntie Yao always taught her rules about serving others with humility and subservience.

The bitterness in her heart enveloped her tightly, as if she were submerged in an endless river, with no way to break free or escape.

She had no choice but to accept it.

Though Yun Wan often shed tears, her heart remained as resilient as tough grass. But today, her gloomy emotions overwhelmed her. She wanted to cry without restraint but kept telling herself it was okay—she would find a way to connect with Lu Yu again.

Meanwhile, in Prince Ding’s carriage.

Lin Shuyan’s eyes were full of gratitude as he held Lu Yu’s hand and sighed deeply. "Between us brothers, I don’t even know how to thank you."

Lin Shuyan said with emotion, "Thank you for coming out with me."

Lu Yu's eyes flickered with discomfort, though his expression remained composed. "It's fine, I had nothing to do in the manor anyway."

Unease, perhaps?

Most likely because he didn't know how to face Yun Wan.

Standing before the main hall of the Guardian Temple, Lu Yu gazed at the solemn and compassionate statue of the Buddha, finding a moment of peace in his heart.

He opened his eyes and looked at Lin Shuyan, who was kneeling in prolonged prayer on the prayer mat, then gathered his robes and knelt beside him.

Lu Yu raised his head to look at the majestic sacred image of the Buddha and slowly closed his eyes.

His mind kept flashing with Yun Wan's soft, gentle voice; the cinnabar mole between her eyebrows was particularly striking.

"Young Master, what would you like to eat?"

"Please, let me serve your meal. My heart hurts terribly."

......

Was it his own delusion? What should he really do?

Suddenly, an elder's voice sounded from outside the door, accompanied by the distant rhythm of a wooden fish and deep chanting:

"All conditioned phenomena are like stars, a fault of vision, a lamp, an illusion, a dewdrop, a bubble, a dream, a flash of lightning, a cloud. Thus, they should be perceived."

--

Three days later, Lu Yu returned to the manor in time for dinner.

Aunt Yao stood respectfully before Lu Yu and advised, "Since Young Master has returned to the manor, we may proceed with the marital relations tomorrow."

Yun Wan's fingers trembled suddenly, and the vegetables held by her blackwood silver-inlaid chopsticks fell into the dish.

After a moment of silence, Lu Yu said, "Alright."