“How could it be her?” Lu Changqing’s brows furrowed into a deep crease.
Why did it have to be Lady Fang, of all people? He had just reprimanded her earlier. If he were to ask for her help now, that woman would surely spare no effort in humiliating him.
But Miaoyan’s illness could not be delayed. Watching the woman he loved suffer was more unbearable than death itself.
Xiuqiu quickly knelt and kowtowed. “This servant should not have spoken out of turn! The young lady repeatedly warned me not to say anything. It was my slip of the tongue—I deserve to die!”
Lu Changqing fell silent for a moment before asking, “Did the Spirit Sparrow from the Medicine King Valley truly say that only Lady Fang’s Heart’s Blood can cure Miaoyan’s heart condition?”
Xiuqiu replied, “If it weren’t absolutely certain, even with a hundred times the courage, this servant would never dare to disrespect the Second Madam!”
“Did Miaoyan know about this all along?”
Xiuqiu nodded tearfully.
Lu Changqing gazed at Xu Miaoyan’s sleeping face, feeling increasingly moved by her kindness and selflessness. To avoid harming Lady Fang, she had kept this from him all along, enduring the pain of her heart condition day after day.
“Stay here and watch over your young lady. I will go fetch the medicine for her.” With that, the man rose, his elegant figure disappearing through the doorway.
The family banquet had ended unhappily due to Xu Miaoyan’s sudden heart attack. Fang Qianxue had also eaten little before returning to Plum Blossom Pride.
It was early spring, and the crimson plum blossoms in the courtyard had not yet fully withered. Leaning against the window, she gazed at the plum blossoms under the moonlight, recalling that these trees had been planted by Lu Changqing himself when she first married into the Xu family.
“Madam, the Second Master is here!” Suiqiong hurried in, her face beaming with joy.
Fang Qianxue, however, showed little excitement and said calmly, “Please invite him in.”
Lu Changqing entered, shaking off the chill from his cloak.
Fang Qianxue did not rise to take his cloak as she used to, so he casually handed it to a maid.
“Suiqiong, go prepare hot water. I will stay here tonight.”
“Yes!” The young maid bowed and withdrew.
“What brings the Second Master here tonight?” Fang Qianxue remained reclined on the soft couch by the window, glancing up at him.
Lu Changqing had just turned thirty, the prime of a man’s life. Handsome and carefree in demeanor, she had lost her heart to him at first sight all those years ago.
Five years had passed, and the couple had never quarreled. Like any ordinary husband and wife, they had borne children, and he had once held the newborn Yuan’er and Yao’er in his arms, genuinely overjoyed.
Love was a vexing thing.
“Since you fell ill before the New Year, we haven’t spent much time together,” Lu Changqing sat on the soft couch opposite her, taking his wife’s hand, his voice gentle. “Upon reflection, I realize I have neglected you these past few months.”
Fang Qianxue had long been helplessly in love with him. As long as he showed the slightest kindness, that woman would surely offer her Heart’s Blood.
“To hear such words from the Second Master today feels rather unfamiliar,” Fang Qianxue lowered her gaze, a glimmer of tears at the corner of her eyes.
Before the New Year, she had fallen ill with a cough due to grief over her family’s affairs. Not only had Lu Changqing offered no comfort, but he had also moved to the study under the pretext of being busy with official duties. Later, when her elder brother encountered trouble in Jiangning… he had gone to Jiangning.
From that moment on, she knew this man was cold-hearted at his core. Even though she had given him her all and managed the household tirelessly, he had likely seen her as a burden back then, perhaps even wishing she would die from her illness.
“Qianxue, we’ve been apart for so long, don’t you miss me?” Lu Changqing held her hand with one hand while stroking Fang Qianxue’s cheek with the other. “I was too heavy-handed that day. Let me make it up to you properly tonight.”
Fang Qianxue withdrew her hand and said, “If Second Master has something to say, you might as well speak directly.”
She had already awakened, knowing full well why he had come today.
Back when she was under house arrest, Lu Changqing had come to flatter her in order to obtain Heart’s Blood for Xu Miaoyan. After a night of intimacy, Fang Qianxue foolishly agreed to have her blood drawn.
Who could have known that the iron nail used to extract Heart’s Blood was as thick as a little finger and a full three inches long? Every morning it was driven into her chest, and Fang Qianxue writhed in excruciating pain. Clutching Lu Changqing’s hand, she begged him to spare her, but the man merely said it was only three drops of blood. He promised to set her free after a month and told her not to be so dramatic.
Yet before the month was up—just after twenty days—Fang Qianxue could no longer endure the torment and took her own life.
Truly, she was nothing but the cannon-fodder original wife.
“What? We’re husband and wife. Isn’t it normal for me to come to your room?” Seeing her withdraw her hand, Lu Changqing’s expression turned somewhat annoyed.
This woman—he had humbled himself to come sleep with her, yet she put on such a cold, indifferent face. It was truly hard to stomach!
“As husband and wife, we should be honest with each other,” Fang Qianxue lowered her head and swirled the long-cold tea in her cup. “Second Master’s heart now belongs entirely to that Miss Xu. Why not go sleep with her tonight?”
“…” Lu Changqing was momentarily speechless. Clenching his fist, he forced himself to remain calm. “Why must you harbor such hostility toward her? There is no intimacy between Miaoyan and me, and she is not as casual as you imagine. Unless it is a proper marriage, she would never agree.”