Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"So?"

Shen Anning's sarcastic, icy question made Lu Suian frown.

If he remembered correctly, this was the first time in over half a year of marriage that he had seen his wife act so sarcastic, passive-aggressive, and even... seething with resentment in front of him.

Shen Anning had always been gentle, attentive, and meticulous. Although her eagerness to accommodate sometimes irked him slightly, it had never reached the point of being truly unpleasant.

Now, with her sudden change of demeanor, he finally understood the stark difference and how it felt.

"So?"

Lu Suian was not one to wallow in misfortune. He was a typical pragmatic doer. In his eyes, what had happened had happened. Even if she had suffered grievances in the past, they were already endured. He couldn’t go back in time, return to six months ago, and prevent any of it.

Nor could he erase all the hardships she had already suffered.

Since it had already happened, the only thing to do was to focus on the present and the future.

And at present, over a month ago when he left the capital, he had already agreed to exempt her from morning and evening greetings, effectively cutting off her chances of meeting his birth mother, Fang Shi.

So, Lu Suian truly didn’t understand what she was still making a fuss about and why she was so dissatisfied.

However, looking at his wife, who now seemed distant and unapproachable, with her slightly cold expression and even a trace of biting aloofness, Lu Suian couldn’t help but recall the scene after he stormed off the previous night.

After returning to his study last night, he was somewhat displeased. Having traveled arduously for days, he was utterly exhausted, yet he still had to muster the energy to deal with matters at the palace. Under the weight of the imposing imperial court, every word had to be carefully measured—neither too casual nor too forceful, neither too shallow nor too deep. Lu Suian bore the heavy burden of the Lu family’s fifteen-year decline and the mission of revitalizing the entire family.

He had no extra energy to deal with these chaotic and trivial domestic matters. This should have been his wife’s duty and responsibility.

However, yesterday, not only had his wife Shen Anning clearly failed to fulfill her duties, but she hadn't even offered him hot food or allowed him to enter the inner courtyard.

Though displeased, he suppressed his discomfort and called Bao Gui to his side to question him thoroughly. Only then did he learn about the hardships she had endured over the past six months.

Kneeling as punishment, insults, enduring mistreatment—such incidents were too numerous to count...

Last night, Lu Suian sat alone in his study for a long time.

He finally understood the reason behind Shen Anning’s prolonged unreasonable behavior.

He believed this was something his birth mother was capable of doing.

His birth mother, Fang Shi, came from a humble background, short-sighted and lacking in vision, with nothing but a pretty face. She had no sense of the bigger picture but somehow managed to marry into a powerful family through cunning means. Extremely proud and inflated with arrogance, she was nonetheless a secondary wife, sharing a husband with another. The primary wife enjoyed a harmonious relationship with her husband, which filled Fang Shi with jealousy and resentment. These extreme emotions melded together, shaping her into the arrogant, domineering, stifled, and bitter person she was today.

She found no satisfaction in the marquis' household, so when Shen Anning married into the family, she could only assert her presence and establish her status as a mother-in-law by targeting her daily.

But what could one expect from someone who would even mistreat her own son?

Though Lu Suian understood the reasons and sympathized with Shen Anning’s grievances and difficulties, he was neither accustomed to nor skilled at comforting others. Moreover, as the wife of the eldest son of the Lu family, Shen Anning ought to have her own growth and responsibilities.

Therefore—

So—

So, Lu Suian tried his best to be patient and said patiently and thoroughly, "If you encounter difficulties in the future, you can come to me. I will naturally help you navigate and resolve them."

Lu Suian did not like to involve himself in trivial domestic matters. Today, with a gentle demeanor and patience, he felt he had gone above and beyond and handled the situation appropriately.

However, upon hearing this, Shen Anning on the opposite side instantly let out a cold laugh.

*Come to him?*

Hah.

Shen Anning, who had accumulated seven years of pain and grievances in her past life, was initially stunned by these words and then didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, and she nearly laughed until tears welled up in her eyes.

Where could she find him?

Could she even find him?

For a husband who had only shared intimacy with her twice in over half a year of marriage, met her no more than a dozen times, and spoken fewer than a hundred words to her, where was she supposed to find him? How could she possibly find him? Moreover, what use would it be even if she found him?

Wouldn’t it just end with a dismissive "come to me," as it did now? What would follow? Would there be any follow-up at all?

No!

In her past life, Lu Suian was often absent for at least half a month, sometimes over twenty days, or even an entire month. He spent his days staying at the Dali Temple. Even when there were important matters at home and someone was sent to the Dali Temple to find him, it was often futile—he was frequently out investigating cases. How was she supposed to find such a busy man?

If even important matters within the household couldn’t locate him, what chance did she have with those so-called trivial domestic issues that he looked down upon?

What good would it do?

So, she could only endure grievances as they came.

Swallow the bitterness as it was.

But if someone died, would it just be over?

If that were the case, what was the point of him apprehending so many important criminals? For fun?

The cold sneer in Shen Anning’s eyes was unmistakable. Seeing this, Lu Suian’s thin lips tightened into a straight line once again.

Shen Anning, who had shared his bed, was all too familiar with this expression. Clearly, this was a sign that Lu Suian’s patience had run out.

See, his patience only went this far. How could she expect anything more from him?

The carriage fell into silence once again.

Lu Suian found communicating with his sulking wife utterly exhausting, far less smooth than before. After a long silence, his patience was nearly spent. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Anning cut him off and suddenly asked an entirely unrelated question: "Husband, I have a question for you."

Shen Anning closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she had reined in all her emotions and asked calmly and composedly.

Lu Suian looked at his wife, whose moods changed as quickly as flipping a book, remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Ask."

In truth, before his wife’s outburst today, Lu Suian, though emotionally reserved and taciturn, had always granted her every request and answered all her questions.

Although they didn’t share many common topics, he would at least give her the dignity she deserved and never openly embarrass her.

Lu Suian thought his wife had adjusted her emotions and returned to her usual self, so he also resumed his usual demeanor and spoke calmly.

Then, Shen Anning stared into his dark, profound eyes and suddenly asked, "Husband, do you know what it means to be husband and wife?"

Shen Anning’s peach-blossom eyes fixed intently on him.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Lu Suian’s expression froze. Then, his narrow, stern gaze lifted slightly and met Shen Anning’s direct stare once again.

In her memory, Shen Anning was reserved and shy, never daring to make eye contact with him. Whenever he looked at her, she would lower her head bashfully, her cheeks flushing red.

Yet now, those luminous peach-blossom eyes were piercing and intense, fixed intently, with a determined, almost predatory gaze.

But what exactly did "husband and wife" mean?

Lu Suian clearly had no intention of answering such a childish and pointless question.

Marriages had always been arranged by parents and matchmakers, as the saying goes, and theirs was even more so—solely the Emperor's decree. There had never been any room for personal choice, and dwelling on it now was meaningless.

Shen Anning watched Lu Suian, his face slightly tense and silent, and let out a bitter laugh inwardly while her face unconsciously took on a distant, dazed expression.

Indeed, what kind of answer could she possibly expect from him?

Perhaps even Shen Anning herself did not know what answer she was seeking.

It was only because Mother Yao’s words from the morning—about husband and wife being one—had suddenly flashed through her mind in a flash.

Suddenly, she could not suppress her curiosity and wanted to ask him, to ask her husband beside her, what he thought of those two words.

Did Lu Suian truly not know the answer, or did he simply not wish to respond?

Abruptly, she recalled the scene earlier at the second gate, where Lu Anran had gazed with yearning in his direction through the sparse crowd.

Perhaps the answer was simply that he did not want to give it to her.

In the days after waking from that nightmare, Shen Anning had felt resentment and hatred more than once. She had wanted to hysterically and heart-wrenchingly demand an answer from him—why?

Why did he marry her if he was unwilling?

If his heart already belonged to someone else, why hadn’t he spoken up when the Emperor arranged their marriage? She hadn’t been set on marrying him back then.

Why had he wasted half her life like that?

Yet all her questions and grievances vanished in that moment, as she met his cold, bewildered gaze.

At that instant, Shen Anning’s heart became still as still water; not a ripple of emotion remained within.

Because the 23-year-old Shen Anning from her past life would never find a satisfactory answer from the 21-year-old Lu Suian in this life.

Her heart felt hollow and adrift.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling.

Though Lu Suian had no desire to dwell on such an impractical topic, seeing his wife’s suddenly fragile and broken expression softened his heart inexplicably, and he couldn’t help but offer a comforting word: "You haven’t been married into the family for long. There’s still a long future ahead—no need to worry too much."

After a moment of thought, Lu Suian spoke these words, as if trying to give her some peace of mind.

Shen Anning seemed as if awakening from a dream. After a long while, she set aside all the emotions and grievances from her past and present lives, and a faint, wry smile touched her lips as she replied softly, "You’re right. There’s still a long way to go. The future… we’ll take it slow. There’s no hurry."

She said thoughtfully.

Seeing Shen Anning smile again, as if she had returned to her usual self, Lu Suian felt a slight sense of relief, as if he had finally resolved a thorny issue.

He only hoped that life would quickly return to normal.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his wife’s smile was somehow different from before.

As he turned to look again, the carriage suddenly slowed. Lu Suian, ever alert, quickly lifted the curtain. Chang Li, his attendant, immediately approached and reported, "Young Master, Xuanwu Street is under lockdown."

Lu Suian looked out.

Every intersection was heavily guarded.

It turned out that a grand banquet was being held in the palace today—the largest since the Emperor of Wei's accession.

Last year, when the Emperor of Wei took the throne, the court was unstable, state affairs were in disarray, and public sentiment was chaotic. The new emperor had kept things simple. This year, marking the first full year of his reign, though undercurrents still stirred in the court, the overall situation had just barely stabilized.

The Emperor of Wei had taken the opportunity of Empress Zhang’s 30th birthday to summon all the garrison commanders from the borders and important local officials to the capital.

For the royal family, personal and state affairs were always one and the same.

Today, all court officials gathered in the capital, which was under strict lockdown. Officials had to disembark their carriages at Xuanwu Street for inspection, then again at the imperial city, before being escorted into the palace for the banquet.

The conversation between Shen Anning and Lu Suian ended here.

This chapter was finally closed.

Shen Anning knew that pressing further would yield no answers.

The Lu Suian of this life could not solve the puzzles of Shen Anning's past life, nor would he give her the answers she sought in this life. Yet, life had to go on.

For now, nothing was more important than today’s banquet.

So Shen Anning put all thoughts of Lu Suian aside, braced herself, and devoted herself to navigating the day’s events.

Though the Lu family had arrived early, the multiple inspections and the sprawling imperial grounds delayed their entry into the palace by an hour. Once inside, they had to wait for Empress Zhang’s summons, which took another hour.

Earlier, a palace eunuch had specifically instructed the Lu family to wait outside the hall, as Empress Zhang intended to personally receive the women of the Lu family, with special emphasis on meeting Shen Anning. This honor filled the entire Lu family with pride.

However, their wait outside the hall dragged on with no result. The other members of the Lu family grew increasingly anxious, while only Shen Anning maintained her dignified composure.

She knew they would not receive an audience with Empress Zhang at this time.

Too many officials had arrived, and the womenfolk were gathered in large numbers. Empress Zhang, who had been confined to the imperial mausoleum with the then-Crown Prince for fifteen years shortly after their marriage, was now reuniting with the court officials and was naturally overwhelmed.

By the time it was the Lu family’s turn for a private audience, it was already time for the sacrificial rites. Naturally, they could not delay the auspicious hour. It was precisely for this reason that Empress Zhang later singled out Shen Anning for an audience during the birthday celebrations—an audience that would lead to her utter ruin and nearly cost her her life.

Author's note: Everyone, I’ll be updating a bit later tomorrow as the book is being featured.

Thank you all so much for your support. I’ll keep working hard!