Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Lin Shuyun found a secluded side room, far from the main sleeping quarters. She stepped inside and sat quietly at the round table, waiting.

A moment later, a maid with two braids and sun-kissed skin gently pushed the door open. A little awkwardly, she brought Lin Shuyun a cup of tea.

"Your Highness, please have some tea."

Lin Shuyun nodded and said softly, "You may go."

The maid was likely a house-born servant from the estate, her eyes as innocent as Lin Shuyun's own when she first arrived in the capital years ago.

She lifted the teacup, her thoughts drifting back five years to her first arrival at the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion.

That was her first time entering a noble household, her first time sitting on a carved rosewood chair inlaid with jade, and her first time seeing the delicate smoke rising from an incense burner.

Wrongly accused of theft, dressed in coarse hemp, and cradling a wailing infant, she had looked utterly out of place in the Marquis of Xuanping's opulent drawing-room.

A creak—

The door slowly opened, interrupting Lin Shuyun's thoughts. Her jade-smooth fingers tightened around the silk handkerchief, but her eyes remained fixed on the person entering.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Lu Yu said.

Lin Shuyun remained silent, her gaze unwavering on the man before her until the air grew thick with unspoken tension.

Lu Yu frowned slightly and raised his eyes. "Your Highness..."

"The powerful Lord Lu, newly appointed as Senior Grand Secretary—why aren’t you staying in the capital as you should, instead hiding under an assumed identity as a lowly bodyguard on this estate?"

Lin Shuyun's hoarse words cut him off abruptly.

As she spoke, her eyes remained locked on his face, unblinking.

A flicker of barely detectable surprise crossed Lu Yu's eyes, quickly replaced by calm. He lowered his gaze, avoiding hers, and said in a deep voice, "I do not understand what Your Highness means."

Lin Shuyun remained silent, her stare fixed on him. The room fell into an absolute stillness, so quiet that the sound of their heartbeats seemed deafening.

Lu Yu clenched his fingers. The moment he looked up, he saw Lin Shuyun's eyes were bloodshot, her fingers gripping the handkerchief tightly.

"Lu Yu, there's no point in lying to me now. Did you think that by pretending not to know me, all the grievances between us could be erased?"

Lin Shuyun trembled uncontrollably, tears continuously falling from the corners of her eyes. Her voice was filled with accusation, but the man before her still did not respond.

She stepped forward abruptly, her fingers reaching for his collar, but Lu Yu caught her wrist.

Frowning, Lin Shuyun looked up just as a realistic mask slowly fell to the ground, revealing Lu Yu’s familiar face.

Her body shook uncontrollably, her suppressed voice full of accusation. "Lu Yu, so you haven’t forgotten after all."

Lu Yu’s body stiffened, his fingers trembling slightly as he reached to wipe the tears from Lin Shuyun’s face, but she harshly slapped his hand away.

He paused for a moment, then slowly lowered his hand.

"From the moment I heard... the news that you and our son had died... I remembered everything."

Lin Shuyun’s tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "It’s far too late. You’re not my husband. My husband died long ago."

"He would never have made me serve others while holding a burning-hot teacup. He would never have let me and our child be wrongly accused. He would never have abandoned me alone in the freezing lake."

"Do you know how cold that water was? If not for our daughter’s resilience, she would have become nothing but a stain of blood in Mirror Lake."

Lu Yu’s throat tightened. The words caught in his throat, and all that came out was a hoarse whisper: "I’m... sorry... Back then—"

"I don’t want to hear it. Don’t disturb my peaceful life anymore. I don’t want to see you again."

Pain filled Lin Shuyun’s eyes. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to leave.

But Lu Yu reached out and grabbed her wrist, his eyes reddening. In a trembling, cautious voice, he said, "Wanwan, let me make amends, please?"

"Lu Yu, am I some worthless person? I’m throwing those words back at you now."

Lin Shuyun’s emotions gradually steadied. She took a few steps back, trying to shake off Lu Yu’s hand, but his grip only tightened.

"Don’t you touch me with the same hands that have held other women."

Lu Yu froze for a moment, then slowly loosened his long fingers.

"Lu Yu, I don’t want to see you again. If we meet again, let’s just act as strangers."

Lin Shuyun went cold all over, her throat choked with emotion. She could feel a stabbing pain in her chest as she tightly clutched her handkerchief, pushed the door open, and left.

She hurried toward the main house but gradually slowed her steps as she rounded the winding corridor. Leaning against a pillar, tears burst from her eyes, and she clutched her chest, breathing rapidly.

In no time, tear stains covered her entire face, making the red blotches on her cheeks appear even more striking.

The sweetness they shared in the northwest was not false. Their marriage vows before heaven and earth at her parents’ grave were not an act. The deep affection they shared curled up on the northwestern *kang* bed was not pretense.

The love that overflowed in the northwest was real. The repeated coldness and bitterness she endured in the capital, the hatred that almost took her life—that was also real.

A mix of complicated emotions felt like a net, tightening around her heart. Covering her face, she let her feelings pour out with her tears.

Only when her tears gradually dried did she stand up in a daze, numbly allowing Ming Yue to help her wash and clean up. Her reddened eyes gradually returned to normal.

Her children were still waiting for her.

She had nothing left to wish for.

Meanwhile, in the adjoining estate.

Officer Sun paced anxiously near the door, his eyes shifting between the ointment and bandages laid out on the table and the direction of Prince Ding’s estate.

Suddenly, with a thud, the door was violently thrown open.

With another heavy thump, the man barely had time to straighten up before collapsing heavily against the door.

Officer Sun hurried forward and saw that Lu Yu had removed his mask, his eyes frighteningly red, his face pale, his entire body filled with palpable grief.

He quickly supported him, saying anxiously, "Your ribs were broken last time, the bruises and wounds on your back haven’t healed, and last night you endured it again in the river—"

"It’s fine. It’s no less than I owe them..."

Lu Yu’s hoarse voice cut off Officer Sun’s words. When Officer Sun looked up, Lu Yu had already fainted.

In a panic, Officer Sun helped Lu Yu onto the bed, but as he reached out, he touched his feverish forehead.

He hurriedly opened Lu Yu’s clothes and saw that the angry red wounds on his back had swollen and whitened from being soaked, with thick, yellowish pus oozing out.

Gritting his teeth, he could only heave a helpless sigh.

---

Since Lingshui County was nearly flooded, Lin Shuyan left the capital early on a fast horse to bring them home.

Before stepping into the carriage, Lin Shuyun scanned the crowd—Lu Yu was already gone.

She lowered her gaze, turned, and entered the carriage. Zhang'er rushed into her arms, murmured, "Mother, why didn’t we see Qin Yi?"

Lin Shuyun lowered her eyes and said gently, "He probably had business to take care of and left early. I’ll find you a new teacher another day, alright?"

Zhang'er nodded uncertainly and whispered, "Okay, we mustn’t delay his affairs."

"Good child, get some rest if you’re sleepy."

Ying Ying, holding Xiao Hei, curled up in Lin Shuyun’s lap, her eyes also puffy and red. Just as Lin Shuyun thought she might also ask about Lu Yu,

the little girl burst out crying and hugged her. "Mother, will Grandmother kick Xiao Hei out of the house?"

Lin Shuyun chuckled.

Back when Father brought the fawn home, it upset Mother. She had since ordered that no other living creatures were allowed in the estate.

Now that the little girl was older, she understood Princess Consort Ding’s authority in the household.

Lin Shuyun gently stroked Ying Ying’s soft hair. "She won’t. Zhang'er and I will both ask Grandmother to let Xiao Hei stay. If that doesn’t work, we’ll ask your uncles to help plead too. How does that sound?"

The little girl, tears still in her eyes, giggled. "Okay, Auntie and brother Lin'er should come too."

"Yeah, everyone will go."

Hearing the laughter and chatter inside the carriage, Lin Shuyan’s sleepless-night anxiety gradually eased.

The disaster at the cliff five years ago had left a mark not only on Yun Er and Zhang'er but also on their entire family.

During this flood, Father and Mother had also stayed up all night, sending him early on a fast horse to fetch them. Power and wealth meant nothing compared to human lives.

---

At court,

Chief Grand Secretary Lu, back from his leave, once again upended the court’s dynamics.

His first act upon returning to the capital was to file a sealed memorial to the Emperor, urging a thorough investigation into the Eldest Prince’s mother’s family—the Li family of Lingshui, relatives of Consort Shu.

They had seized farmlands from Lingshui County peasants, allowed their descendants to bully the locals, commit murder and robbery—even officials in the capital prefecture showed them deference, as if laws meant nothing.

The Eldest Prince angrily denounced this in court, but Lu Yu presented evidence to the Emperor.

The Emperor looked at the pile of evidence in his hands, his sideways glance taking in Lu Yu’s growing maturity, a faint trace of satisfaction flickering in his gloomy eyes.

He was already aware of the Li family’s crimes, but as a qualified son, Lu Yu needed to be tested and hardened.

One flower doesn’t make a spring; only through rivalry can a true ruler’s mettle be revealed.

The Emperor said lightly, "The Li family of Lingshui has always been virtuous since ancient times. It seems unlikely they would oppress the people. Let’s set this aside for now. We’ll discuss it again after Lu Yu investigates further."

The Eldest Prince smirked, his eyes full of provocation as he looked at Lu Yu.

But Lu Yu merely bowed slightly and said, "As Your Majesty commands."

---

Lin Shuyun, still shaken in Lingshui County, took several days to calm down after returning to the estate.

One day, as Lin Wangshu got back from the Imperial College and was about to take Ying Ying to a restaurant for a meal, Lin Shuyun stopped him.

"Save your money—I’ll treat you both. Let me taste how delicious restaurant food is too."

Lin Wangshu cheered, "You’re the best, sis!"

Ying Ying mimicked, "Mom’s the best!"

Lin Shuyun shook her head helplessly. Zhang'er had gone with his new teacher to practice martial arts, and she didn’t want to stay alone in the courtyard, so she had no choice but to join them.

But as they reached the estate gate, they saw a scholar who seemed uneasy, accompanied by a three-year-old girl in tattered clothes.

The little girl’s hair was disheveled, her face pale, and she was barefoot.

The guards, noticing their approach, hurriedly reported, "Miss, Third Young Master, this scholar keeps insisting he knows the Prince and says he has something to show him."

There were many relatives seeking favors, but few from the Lin family’s hometown made it to the capital, as arrangements had long been made for them back home.

Hearing the guard address her as "Miss," the destitute scholar’s eyes reddened, and he seemed about to speak.

But the little girl beside him quickly clung to Lin Shuyun’s leg, her eyes red as she cried out, "Mother."

Lin Wangshu’s jaw dropped. "Mother?!!!"

In a carriage parked near Prince Ding’s estate, the man seated in the main seat flinched, crushing the porcelain cup in his hand instantly.