Chapter 21 Lover

Chapter 21: Lover

Cui Chi brought the ointment but, uncertain of the situation inside the room, dared not enter rashly. He only reported from the corridor.

Wei Yan went out to receive it and, seeing the ointment in Cui Chi’s hand, his face darkened. “I told you to bring an ointment for bruises and swelling. What is this?”

Cui Chi looked down at the aphrodisiac ointment in his palm, realizing he had misunderstood Wei Yan’s meaning, and immediately tucked it back into his robe. “Forgive me, Young Master. I’ll go fetch the right one.”

Wei Yan stood in the corridor, pressing his fingers to his temples with a headache.

Sooner or later, he would take things further with Lu Jiming, but not under such circumstances. In this lifetime, he wanted Lu Jiming to come willingly, of his own free will, leaving no room for regret.

When Cui Chi finally returned with the right ointment, Wei Yan went back to the bedroom and found Lu Jiming already dressed in his inner garments, sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.

“Take your clothes off. I’ll apply the medicine for you.”

“I can do it myself,” Lu Jiming said.

Wei Yan raised an eyebrow. “How will you manage?” The wounds were on his back.

Lu Jiming fell silent. Wei Yan reached out to untie his sash, speaking softly, “Let me apply the medicine. Be good.”

Lu Jiming felt his face grow warm. He turned his back to Wei Yan and thanked him.

Wei Yan’s fingers, coated with ointment, gently traced the lines of Lu Jiming’s spine. He noticed Lu Jiming trembling, seemingly in pain, yet Lu Jiming never made a sound.

“You’re his son after all. How could he strike you so harshly?”

“I brought shame upon the Lu family,” Lu Jiming said, then immediately tried to amend, “It wasn’t because of the marriage.”

Wei Yan wasn't buying it, but he finally understood why Lu Jiming had been so resistant to their relationship in their previous life.

Even now, with a marriage arranged by elders and everything seemingly proper, it was like this. In their past life, with their relationship being secret and Lu Jiming carrying a child in the shadows, who knew how the Lu family would have treated him? Back then, Lu Jiming still had feelings for his family and naturally would have been unwilling.

Moreover, becoming Empress would have trapped him in the deep palace, rendering his ten years of diligent study meaningless. For the sake of love, it wasn’t worth it.

For the first time, Wei Yan felt he was beginning to understand Lu Jiming’s perspective. His younger self had thought that offering his heart and bestowing endless favor should have made Lu Jiming eternally grateful. He hadn’t considered the consequences of everything he forced upon Lu Jiming.

“Xuping, are you sad?” Wei Yan asked.

“I’m not,” Lu Jiming replied. “It was expected, so I’m not sad. If I were to grieve now, I fear there would be even more sorrow later.”

With injuries on his back, Lu Jiming couldn’t lie flat. The small couch he was supposed to use for the night was too narrow, so Wei Yan insisted on sleeping there himself, leaving Lu Jiming to sleep in his own bed.

He slept dreamlessly. The next day, Lu Jiming rose early. Just after washing up, he saw his cousin He Zenian enter the courtyard, accompanied by two servants carrying bamboo baskets.

“Zenian, what brings you here so suddenly?” Lu Jiming asked.

He Zenian smiled. “Cousin, yesterday Young Master Yin mentioned wanting to try Mingzhou’s fish and shrimp, so I had someone go to the fish market early this morning to buy some.”

“It’s only been a day, and you’ve already become so familiar?” Lu Jiming remarked casually.

He Zenian said, “We’re fellow townsmen, so it’s natural to feel closer.”

Lu Jiming said no more. He and this cousin had never seen eye to eye. Even as youths, they rubbed each other the wrong way; growing older wouldn’t suddenly make them click.

After He Zenian left, Lu Guanguan returned to the courtyard.

“Didn’t I give you time off? Why are you back?” Lu Jiming asked.

After all, Lu Guanguan was born into the Lu family’s service, with his parents and siblings all part of the household. If Lu Jiming’s relationship with the Lu family were to completely sour in the future, it might become difficult for Lu Guanguan to see his family as easily as he could now. He would likely have to wait until he held an official post, as in their previous life, to bring his parents to live with him.

That’s why, upon arriving at the Lu residence, Lu Jiming had sent him away. Every extra day he could spend with his parents was precious.

Lu Guanguan was different from him—he had family who cared for him.

Lu Guanguan laughed. “Young Master, you know my father. Seeing that I wasn’t by your side serving properly, he scolded me thoroughly. My mother argued with him, and the two of them made such a fuss. It’s better for me to come back.”

Seeing this, Lu Jiming didn’t insist that Lu Guanguan return home.

Two more days passed like this. Lu Jiming spent his days cooped up in the courtyard, venturing out only in the morning to pay respects to his father in the front hall. During this time, He Zenian visited once, but no other outsiders came.

At first, the kitchen still sent food. However, after Cui Chi repeatedly refused, using the Imperial Guard’s internal regulations as a pretext, the Lu family stopped sending meals. All provisions for the two courtyards were now purchased independently by the Imperial Guard.

Wei Yan kept an eye on Cui Chi’s progress but found himself in a difficult position. The Imperial Guard was unfamiliar with the area, and their investigation into the pirates had made little headway. Wei Yan was troubled. He remembered that in their previous life, some local officials in Mingzhou had colluded with the pirates, but he couldn’t recall exactly which ones.

Until the mole was identified, Wei Yan couldn’t risk having the Imperial Guard seek cooperation with the local yamen, lest they alert the pirates and give them a chance to flee.

On this day, just as Wei Yan was about to go discuss matters in detail with Cui Chi, he encountered He Zenian again.

Wei Yan genuinely couldn’t muster much goodwill toward He Zenian. He always felt that in He Zenian’s eyes, he wasn’t a person but a piece of juicy meat to be devoured. The other man might as well have written “I want to hook you” on his face.

To be precise, it wasn’t about hooking Wei Yan himself—it was about marrying Yin Yuxie.

“Young Master Yin, haven’t you been out these past few days? I was thinking of playing host and taking you out for a stroll.”

He Zenian still wore a smile on his face. Unlike Lu Jiming’s fox-like, charming smile, He Zenian’s grin seemed more sincere and harmless. If Wei Yan were truly the inexperienced Yin Yuxie at this moment, he might have been fooled.

“I appreciate your kindness, Young Master He, but I am here on His Highness’s orders to accompany Lord Lu back to his hometown. It wouldn’t be right for me to abandon Lord Lu and go out to enjoy myself, don’t you think?”

“That may be so, but Cousin went out today. I heard he even made plans with someone,” He Zenian said. “Why didn’t he invite you along?”

Wei Yan truly didn’t know. Before leaving, Lu Jiming had only mentioned going to pay respects to his father and hadn’t elaborated on his plans afterward.

Seeing that Wei Yan seemed unaware of Lu Jiming’s whereabouts, He Zenian’s smile deepened. “Young Master Yin, you actually like my cousin, don’t you?”

Wei Yan chuckled lightly. “So what if I do?” Whether in public or private, he had never concealed his regard for Lu Jiming. Even while using Yin Yuxie’s identity, he hadn’t avoided showing it. He Zenian, paying attention to him, would naturally notice.

He Zenian sneered. “My cousin is quite skilled. In the capital, he caught the eye of the Crown Prince, and he’s even managed to bewitch you, Young Master Yin. But what neither of you know is that in Mingzhou, my cousin has a mutual love.

“Their affair has long been no secret among the circles of Mingzhou’s young gentry. It’s only because the Lu family forbids sons from marrying out or taking male spouses that they couldn’t have their way. But my cousin still holds some affection for the past. Isn’t that why, as soon as he returned, he couldn’t wait to go see that person?”

Wei Yan’s face instantly paled.

After paying respects to his father, Lu Jiming had Lu Guanguan prepare a horse and went to see Xu Cifeng.

--

Lu Jiming was not naturally sociable. Aside from necessary interactions with classmates and colleagues, Xu Cifeng was his only friend.

Xu Cifeng was the young master of a coastal merchant guild. They had met when he accidentally saved Lu Jiming’s life in their youth.

Being from a merchant family, Xu Cifeng had traveled widely and seen much of the world. Lu Jiming, confined to his studies, had only read countless books. Xu Cifeng happened to be able to share many strange and wonderful tales with him.

Over time, they grew closer.

Lu Jiming’s father, owing to Xu Cifeng’s life-saving favor, did not prevent Lu Jiming from befriending him.

In their previous life, after Lu Jiming brought Lu Luan back to his hometown, he initially raised Lu Luan outside the estate. Unable to leave the Lu residence often, he relied on Xu Cifeng’s help to care for Lu Luan, ensuring the child’s safety.

Thus, to Lu Jiming, Xu Cifeng was a friend he trusted more than his own family. Over the years of serving as an official in the capital, their correspondence had never ceased.

"I heard about it—what bizarre twist of fate did you hit to be chosen as the Crown Prince's bride?" Xu Cifeng sat opposite Lu Jiming, resting his chin on his hand and studying him with a wry, amused look.

When Xu Cifeng smiled, his eyes disappeared into narrow slits, which at first glance resembled Lu Jiming's. But they weren't entirely the same.

Lu Jiming had smiling eyes that naturally curved downward when he laughed, while Xu Cifeng had rather small, single-lidded eyes that vanished when he smiled, making them hard to see clearly.

Yet he wasn't unattractive; instead, he had a different kind of allure.

"This wasn't something I could decide," Lu Jiming sighed. "Wouldn't expect less from a merchant guild's young master. Your network is as sharp as ever."

"Your family must be quite lively right now," Xu Cifeng remarked.

Lu Jiming gave a cold laugh and shook his head, unwilling to discuss his family matters with Xu Cifeng.

But Xu Cifeng wasn't about to let it go, pressing further, "I bet your uncles are in an uproar?"

"Whether they're in an uproar or not, it's already done. They can't very well defy an imperial decree," Lu Jiming replied.

He understood Xu Cifeng's implication. If he had insisted on marrying an ordinary man, the only one truly furious would have been his father. But the problem was, he was to become the Crown Prince's consort.

Becoming the Crown Prince's consort wasn't the main issue. The problem lay in the fact that the Crown Prince wouldn't remain Crown Prince forever—he would one day become emperor, and barring any accidents, the Crown Prince's consort would become the empress.

To prevent the excessive power of the empress's family or the risk of the empress seizing control of the court and altering the dynasty, early in this dynasty's history, a rule was established: members of the empress's family were not allowed to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations and could only seek official positions through imperial favor.

Even if they became officials, without passing the imperial exams, they wouldn't be considered legitimate. They would face exclusion from colleagues and rarely hold real power.

If he became empress, it would effectively cut off the entire Lu family's path to the imperial examinations. The Lu family had always prided itself on being a lineage of upright officials and scholars. With this, how could the entire clan not resent him?

No one said it outright, but everyone understood it clearly.

"Enough about me. How have you been?" Lu Jiming asked. Over the years, Xu Cifeng had taken over the family business and, having started his own family, had become increasingly busy. The last time they met was when Xu Cifeng delivered goods to Bianjing and made a special trip to see Lu Jiming.

Xu Cifeng glanced at his abdomen and said, "Not bad, just recently started having frequent backaches." He was over five months pregnant, and his robes could no longer conceal the bulge of his belly. Lu Jiming had already noticed earlier, so there was no need to hide it.

"The reason I wanted to meet today was I had some matters I hoped you could help with, but seeing you like this, I feel too embarrassed to bring it up," Lu Jiming said.

"What's the big deal?" Xu Cifeng took a sip of water. "You only ever seek me out for information. I have people for that; it doesn't require me to do it personally. There's no inconvenience."

Hearing Xu Cifeng say this, Lu Jiming didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "Regarding the pirates causing trouble at sea in recent years, can you find out their details?"

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