“But,” Luo Yuandao gave her a deep look, his tone carrying a clear warning and admonishment, “remember what you said today after you marry. You are a member of the Luojia family. Only when the Luojia family thrives can you thrive. Understand?”
“Yes, daughter understands. That is exactly what daughter thinks as well.”
Having gained tangible benefits, Luo Qingwu was in high spirits, her obedient smile appearing utterly sincere: “Then daughter will not disturb Father as you go out to attend to important matters. I shall return to my courtyard to study the rules.”
With that, she performed a curtsy and turned to leave.
“Stop.”
Luo Yuandao called her back, his face stern as he scolded: “Also, I have yet to punish you for sneaking off to the General’s Mansion last night! How could an unmarried young lady from a respectable family be so brazen? What would people think if word got out?”
But Luo Qingwu acted as if she hadn’t heard, suddenly pointing toward the moon gate not far away with a look of surprise: “Father, who is that? They look like someone from the yamen, and they seem quite urgent.”
Luo Yuandao instinctively turned to look.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Qingwu, nimble as a rabbit, lifted her skirt and swiftly slipped away, leaving only a string of crisp words behind: “Father, please attend to your business first. Daughter takes her leave!”
By the time Luo Yuandao turned back, he only saw a receding figure.
“No sense of propriety! Truly a wild girl from the countryside!”
Luo Yuandao frowned and cursed, yet there was not much anger in his eyes. Instead, a trace of a contemptuous smile flickered across them.
Precisely because she was from the countryside, with shallow vision, a little sweetness would make her grateful and devoted, her mind fixated only on dowry and climbing the social ladder.
This kind of person, with a bit of petty cleverness and greed, easy to manipulate—as long as sufficient benefits were given, she would instead become the most useful blade.
…
Meanwhile, Luo Qingwu had already scampered all the way back to her own dilapidated courtyard.
“Brazen?”
She closed the door and scoffed: “This is considered brazen? If he knew what I plan to do to his future son-in-law, wouldn’t he be so angry he’d have a heart attack on the spot?”
Luo Qingwu shook her head. She was forced into this, for the sake of saving her life—nothing to be ashamed of.
As soon as she returned to her room, that sense of urgency surged up again.
Having dealt with her father, the next challenge was that even more difficult Lin Lang.
“If I want to cook the rice, to conceive a child to secure my life… forcing it definitely won’t work.”
Luo Qingwu recalled the excellent feel of those abdominal muscles last night and the explosive strength in the man’s body. He looked to be over 1.85 meters tall, with that physique—how could a weak woman like her possibly overpower him?
“It’s a pity this is ancient times. If only I could get some sleeping pills or muscle relaxants…”
She sighed, but her gaze suddenly fell on the simple distillation apparatus at the corner of the table.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
Although there were no chemical agents, alcohol was a natural nerve paralytic!
As long as the concentration was high enough and he drank enough, even the toughest man would turn into a weak-kneed mess.
“That’s it!”
Just as Luo Qingwu was pondering how to trick Lin Lang into drinking this blackout-inducing liquor, the steward’s voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
“Eldest Miss?”
Luo Qingwu hurriedly pulled over a quilt to cover the table full of bottles and jars, then smoothed her hair and walked out: “Steward Uncle? Is something the matter?”
The steward wore a smiling face, his attitude noticeably more respectful than usual: “The master has instructed that Eldest Miss move to Yunxi-Yuan immediately. It is spacious there and close to the main courtyard, perfectly suited for Eldest Miss as she prepares for marriage.”
With that, he added another sentence: “Actually, this courtyard has been reserved for you all along. It’s just that it’s too large and hasn’t been properly tidied up until now. Today, as soon as it was cleaned, the master urgently asked for you to move in.”
Hah, what a load of nonsense.
Luo Qingwu saw right through it.
Yesterday, she was a pitiful little thing no one paid attention to; today, after the terms were settled, she instantly became the apple of their eye. The winds in Luo-Fu changed faster than flipping a book.
This was the first sweet treat Luo Yuandao gave her, and it was also a way of showing Lin Lang his attitude: Look, how much I value this daughter.
“Then I’ll trouble you to wait a moment, Uncle Steward. I’ll pack my things.”
Luo Qingwu turned and entered the room, dismantling the distillation equipment and hiding it away. Along with a few changes of clothes, everything fit into just one small wooden chest.
The steward looked at the lonely chest, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Eldest Miss… is this all you have?”
For the daughter of a prefect, her belongings were so meager that they couldn’t even compare to those of a second-class maid.
But Luo Qingwu smiled calmly and patted the chest. “Worldly possessions—quality matters more than quantity. Let’s go!”
Yunxi-Yuan was indeed impressive.
With pavilions, terraces, towers, and lush flowers and trees, it was countless times better than her drafty, dilapidated courtyard.
However, as Luo Qingwu looked at the towering courtyard walls and the bustling maids and servants coming and going, she felt a bit troubled.
This place was too close to the main courtyard, with too many eyes around. If she wanted to sneak out over the wall in the middle of the night to do something in the future, the difficulty level would skyrocket.
Her old, rundown courtyard had been much more comfortable.
Just after seeing off the steward, before she could even warm her seat, a commotion erupted at the courtyard gate.
“Luo Qingwu! Come out here!”
Immediately afterward, a figure in pink stormed in angrily—it was Luo Jin’er.
Luo Qingwu raised an eyebrow and leisurely toyed with the teacup in her hand.
News traveled fast.
This wasn’t a younger sister coming to visit her elder sister; it was clearly a creditor coming to collect a debt.
As soon as Luo Jin’er entered, seeing Luo Qingwu’s relaxed demeanor, her anger flared even more.
Her bright, watery eyes filled with tears as she gritted her teeth and said, “Luo Qingwu, what kind of bewitching potion did you give Father? I begged him for Yunxi-Yuan several times, and he never gave it to me. Why did he give it to you as soon as you asked?”
“Not only that, I also heard Father plans to give you half of the dowry that was originally meant for me? How dare you!”
Luo Qingwu blew on the tea foam, looked up, and flashed her a brilliant smile. “Why? Probably because… I’m his biological daughter?”
This jab was precise and deadly.
“You!” Luo Jin’er’s face paled, and she trembled with rage. “Don’t get too smug! Even if you have mountains of gold and silver for your dowry, so what? Brother Lin Lang doesn’t like you at all!”
She cursed venomously, “His heart belongs only to me! Even if you marry him, you’ll just be a decoration! He won’t even glance at you. You’ll just wait to live out your days as a lonely widow!”
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.”
Luo Qingwu nodded perfunctorily, but she couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
Oh, my foolish little sister.
That Brother Lin Lang you’re so infatuated with is currently scheming about how to kill your dear father.
By extension, you’re also the daughter of his enemy.
If he were to marry you, that would truly be a ghost story.
“However,” Luo Qingwu set down her teacup and stood up, looking down at Luo Jin’er from above, a meaningful curve lifting the corner of her mouth. “As long as I am the lawful wife, as long as I step through that door, whether his heart is with me or not doesn’t matter. What matters is…”
She leaned close to Luo Jin’er’s ear and whispered softly, “As long as he is with me, you will forever remain an outsider. Understand, dear sister?”