Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Lin Shuyun had intended to circle the lotus pond and return to her chamber to check on the sleeping Ying Ying, when suddenly a large, calloused hand seized her wrist.

She instinctively gasped, but the man’s broad palm clamped tightly over her mouth and nose.

Her heart pounded, her limbs turned cold and stiff, and in an instant, she was dragged into a narrow room nearby. The dim surroundings intensified her fear. As she pulled out her hairpin and pressed it against the man’s chest—

“Wanwan, it’s me.”

Lu Yu’s deep voice whispered in her ear.

Lin Shuyun’s eyes widened with anger, her cheeks flushed crimson. She had been scared out of her wits. Clenching her teeth, she said indignantly, “Lu Yu, what exactly do you want?!”

The room was exceedingly cramped, cluttered with brooms and shovels behind them. Standing inside, it was difficult to even turn around.

From a distance, the two might have appeared to be embracing.

The orchid scent from Lu Yu continuously wafted into Lin Shuyun’s nostrils. She pursed her lips and edged back slightly.

As if noticing her movement, Lu Yu leaned in, making the space between them even smaller.

“Wanwan, could you smile at me too?”

Lu Yu’s sudden, inexplicable words left Lin Shuyun baffled. But then she was struck by a realization—why should she let Lu Yu dictate the conversation?

She turned her head to avoid his intense gaze and said coldly, “Back when I smiled brightly, it was the Young Master who simply didn’t cherish it.”

Lu Yu’s chest suddenly rose and fell rapidly, as if suppressing a surge of emotion. After a long pause, he said hoarsely, “Wanwan, I failed you and your two children.”

Hearing the slight tremor in Lu Yu’s voice, Lin Shuyun slowly lifted her gaze.

Today, Lu Yu wore a flowing, wide-sleeved black robe embroidered with gold-threaded auspicious cloud patterns, a green jade and gold crown on his head, and a jade belt around his waist—every inch the powerful official.

But his eyes were red-rimmed, filled with an unreadable emotion that seemed to threaten to consume her.

“Stay away from Zhou Siang from now on. He is cunning and must be guarded against.”

Only then did Lin Shuyun understand the intense emotion that had flared in Lu Yu’s eyes—it was jealousy because she had smiled at Zhou Siang.

“You are not my parents. Why should I listen to you?” Lin Shuyun retorted, looking directly into Lu Yu’s eyes.

Lu Yu sighed lightly. “He’s a widower who failed the imperial exams twice. If not for the influence of Prince Ding’s mansion and your status as a princess, why would he approach you again and again?”

“A widower? I am also a widow. My husband is dead. You are simply judging others with a narrow mind.”

At that moment, Lin Shuyun’s mind was overwhelmed by emotion; she lacked the clarity to discern what Lu Yu was truly saying.

She simply refused to listen, unwilling to hear him speak.

“Wanwan,” Lu Yu’s eyes were filled with resignation, “I’ve been in court for years. I’ve seen all sorts of shadowy figures. He pretends to be an ambitious scholar, but isn’t it all just to climb the social ladder through Prince Ding’s mansion?”

“So what if he does? He’s a widower, and I’m a widow. Besides, neither of us is married. If we were to wed someday, I would certainly invite Grand Secretary Lu to Prince Ding’s mansion for a celebratory drink.”

Lin Shuyun turned her head away, unwilling to look at Lu Yu, but her words pierced his heart like a sharp blade.

Lu Yu took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing. After a pause, he said, “Can we… go back to how things were before? To those days in the northwest…”

Lin Shuyun lowered her head, her eyes gradually reddening. Struggling to maintain her composure, she said, “What’s past is past. There’s no possibility for us anymore.”

Seeing Lin Shuyun’s cold demeanor, Lu Yu turned abruptly. As he pushed the door open, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll keep my distance from you.”

Watching Lu Yu’s retreating figure, Lin Shuyun’s eyes instantly reddened. She sniffled, clutched her handkerchief tightly, and walked away in the opposite direction.

Zhou Siang, hiding nearby, widened his eyes in shock. It had taken him a long time to find a spot where he could clearly hear their conversation.

He seemed to have overheard something about their past in the northwest, as if there were unresolved feelings between them.

He never imagined that Princess Ding’an and the powerful Grand Secretary Lu had once shared a romantic history.

As if he had stumbled upon a rare treasure, a frenzied smile spread across his face. Leaning against a pillar, he slowly knelt and kowtowed deeply toward the main hall of the Buddha.

His wish was about to come true—he would soon become a rising noble in the capital.

At this thought, Zhou Siang’s eyes filled with fervor. Trembling, he took out a handkerchief from his robe, sprinkled a strange powder on it, and with a sly grin, stealthily followed Lin Shuyun.

The lotus pond was surrounded by numerous rockeries. Lin Shuyun had walked to this area in the opposite direction of Lu Yu and was unwilling to turn back toward a shorter path.

Gazing at the white lotuses blooming in the sacred grounds and listening to the distant chanting, the turmoil in her heart refused to settle.

Suddenly, the sound of kicked pebbles came from behind. Lin Shuyun’s frustration felt like a tight grip around her heart.

She turned abruptly. “Lu Yu, what exactly do you—”

Before she could finish, her hands were seized from behind, and a sour-smelling handkerchief was pressed tightly over her mouth and nose.

Struggling to breathe, she heard Zhou Siang’s low, manic laughter from behind. “Go ahead, scream, struggle. The more you struggle, the more of the aphrodisiac you’ll inhale.”

As he spoke, Zhou Siang pressed the handkerchief harder against her face, sneering, “Princess Ding’an, I brought this most potent aphrodisiac all the way from a brothel in my hometown just for you.”

“There’s no cure except a man.”

Lin Shuyun clenched her mouth and nose, struggling futilely as the powder continued to enter her nostrils.

“Breathe it in. When your blood boils with desire, I will be your husband. Hahahaha!”

Watching Lin Shuyun’s eyes grow dazed, Zhou Siang excitedly dragged her and threw her into a cave.

“How… dare you!” Lin Shuyun gasped weakly.

Zhou Siang crossed his arms, looking down at Lin Shuyun kneeling on the ground. He bent down and tore off her veil. “When I heard that the lost Princess Ding’an had been found, I immediately thought of coming to the capital.”

“They said Princess Ding’an was ugly, a widow with two burdens. So I thought I’d condescend to become your husband.”

“Without family influence, I kept failing the imperial exams. I want power, I want to be served. I want to know the exam questions. So I planned everything carefully back in my hometown, Lin Yang.”

“Who would have thought, my dear princess, that you’re involved with Grand Secretary Lu? No matter. As your husband, I won’t mind you meeting him in secret.”

Zhou Siang grew more excited as he spoke, his eyes already envisioning a bright future.

Lin Shuyun clenched her fists, raising her head to rasp, “If you dare… touch me… I’ll kill you.”

“Kill me? Would you really, Princess?”

Zhou Siang slowly tugged at his belt with utter indifference, his eyes filled with hatred. "I had intended to build a connection with you, yet you tore up my letter."

"If you must blame anyone, blame no one but yourself. I gave you so many chances, yet you never developed any affection for me."

With that, Zhou Siang raised his hand and slapped Lin Shuyun across the face.

Lin Shuyun covered her cheek, trembling as she reached out to stab at him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Do you know how Yu Yu’s mother died?"

"I killed her by beating her. She was a frail woman with heart palpitations, couldn’t even bear a son, and yet she complained about me spending all the family’s money."

"She deserved to die."

Zhou Siang laughed madly. "After today, I am willing to swallow my pride for you, to become a live-in husband at Prince Ding’s residence, to become your consort."

Lin Shuyun stared at the man before her in disbelief. His disguise had fooled everyone in Prince Ding’s household—a poor but determined scholar had now become a madman clawing his way to power.

Her body grew increasingly weak, her vision blurred to the point where she could no longer make out Zhou Siang’s face. It felt as if her entire body were consumed by fire.

Watching the man’s figure draw closer, Lin Shuyun trembled and scrambled backward in fear.

Zhou Siang relished the sight of this noblewoman brought low before him, like a cornered rat to be toyed with.

Suddenly, Lin Shuyun grabbed a stone from out of nowhere and struck him hard on the forehead.

His vision went black instantly, warm blood streaming down his temple.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Shuyun stumbled out of the cave on weak, unsteady legs, using every ounce of her strength. But just as she emerged, Zhou Siang slapped her back into the cave.

"You bitch, how dare you hit me!"

With a thud, Lin Shuyun fell to the ground.

Fear gripped her heart like a vise.

Her means of escape were exhausted, and the unnatural fire rising within her burned through her veins, scorching her limbs.

Her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, the red patches on her face growing more prominent. Her vision blurred further, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

As Zhou Siang drew nearer, she held a golden hairpin to her own throat.

"You damn woman, how dare you—"

Just as Zhou Siang raised his hand to strike her again, Lin Shuyun shuddered and closed her eyes tightly.

But the expected pain never came. Instead, a heavy thud echoed in her ears.

"Thump—"

Then Zhou Siang’s agonized, piercing scream exploded beside her.

Trembling, she opened her eyes and saw Lu Yu, his face dark with anger, a gleaming longsword in his hand, plunged straight into Zhou Siang’s groin.

Lin Shuyun looked up at Lu Yu, and in an instant, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Wanwan, don’t cry…"

Lu Yu removed his cloak and wrapped it around her trembling body, his eyes filled with pain. He gently touched the red marks and bruises on her face, his thumb softly wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"This is all my fault. I got here too late."

The unnatural fire within Lin Shuyun flared up again, and she could no longer make out what Lu Yu was saying.