Lu Zhi came home early today, the sky still bright.
He refused without hesitation, frowning. “Is your mind on this sort of thing all day long?”
Yu Xi immediately let go of his sleeve, fine, no kissing then, and now he was lecturing her again too.
She pretended not to understand and stood up. “I’ll go now, husband, you’ve had a long day, rest well!”
“Stay where you are.”
Lu Zhi rubbed his temple, a headache coming on. Women her age were generally expected to have thoroughly studied the Women’s Rules and Women’s Precepts, and to know proper conduct, but Yu Xi didn’t seem to have read any of those books at all.
Lu Zhi tried to speak as calmly as he could. “Go back and copy out the Women’s Precepts three times. I’ll check it when I return tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Yu Xi, leaning against the doorframe, wanted to act cute and wriggle out of it, but looking up and seeing Lu Zhi watching her coldly, she couldn’t get the words out no matter how she tried.
“I, I…” she stammered, a little afraid inside, and said quietly, “Can I copy it two fewer times?”
Lu Zhi stood up, his tall figure instantly looming over Yu Xi’s small frame. Displeased, his brow was heavy, faint creases pressing down over his eyelids.
“I’ve indulged you many times already,” his voice was cold. “Your conduct is too erratic. Since you’ve made a mistake, go copy out the Women’s Precepts. If you try to win my favor with more antics in broad daylight again, I’ll confine you to your quarters, and you can properly reflect on yourself.”
Hearing “confine,” Yu Xi’s heart jolted, and she looked at Lu Zhi in disbelief, her eyes instantly welling with tears.
She bit her lip and said quietly, “Understood.”
As she spoke, she wrinkled her nose and glanced up secretly, but found no trace of pity on Lu Zhi’s face, and her heart sank further.
“Can I go now?” Yu Xi’s voice was listless.
Lu Zhi said “Mm,” watching her retreating figure with a heavy gaze.
Endless indulgence would only make Yu Xi worse and worse. She’d been married in for some time now; Lu Zhi wasn’t going to keep spoiling her.
Even if she couldn’t be a virtuous wife, she needed to at least try to learn, otherwise, once children were born, they absolutely couldn’t be left in her care to raise.
·
Yu Xi’s mood was terrible. She drooped her eyelids and walked all the way back to the rear courtyard, plucking off who knows how many leaves along the way, without feeling the slightest bit better.
Xique watched beside her, feeling upset too, but couldn’t think of any comforting words to say right now, after all, for someone like Lu Zhi, their young lady’s temperament was simply too innocent and carefree.
Aside from divorce, Xique truly couldn’t think of any way forward for the two of them.
“Miss, I’ll have someone prepare some sliced duck, you’ll feel better after eating and getting some sleep.”
“Don’t want it,” Yu Xi said glumly. “Xique, I suddenly feel like the parts in romance novels where the male lead scolds the female lead aren’t good at all.”
She used to love those scenes, after all, the misunderstanding would be cleared up soon enough and the two would make up, their bond growing even stronger.
Now that it was her own turn to be scolded, Yu Xi had learned her lesson, and no longer wanted to read that kind of novel ever again.
Xique, torn between laughing and crying, said sincerely, “Miss, you really should read fewer novels. If it really doesn’t work out, let’s just go back to the marquis’s residence.”
Yu Xi hesitated, she hadn’t finished basking in the glory of being a cabinet minister’s wife yet, and Lu Zhi really was so handsome, she couldn’t bear to give it up.
Seeing her say nothing, Xique understood, her young lady would need a few more scoldings before this would sink into her head properly.
Suddenly, Lu Fan darted out from a side path, yelling “Boo!” right at Yu Xi. “Hahaha, scared you, didn’t I!”
Having laughed, he saw Yu Xi looking at him blankly, and stopped laughing too. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so awful?”
Yu Xi huffed. “Your eldest brother yelled at me.”
“That’s normal,” Lu Fan waved a hand. “Just bear with it, he doesn’t yell at people every day.”
Seeing Yu Xi’s mood still bad, Lu Fan pulled a piece of candy out of his pouch. “Here, eat this, it’s spun sugar candy, really good.”
“Don’t want it,” Yu Xi looked with distaste at his grimy hand. “Where did you get all that dirt, go wash your hands.”
“What dirt, this is ink, it won’t wash off easily,” Lu Fan stuffed the candy into her hand anyway. “Really, try it, this candy’s so good.”
Yu Xi looked at it for a moment, peeled off the oiled paper, and popped the candy into her mouth. Her eyes lit up slightly. “It really is good. Where did you buy this? I’ve never had it before.”
“You can’t buy this outside,” Lu Fan popped one into his own mouth. “This is made by my cousin Zhengyu’s family cook, boiled the sugar herself… hey, hey, why are you spitting it out?”
Before he finished, Yu Xi had already spat the candy out of her mouth with a “ptooey.”
Yu Xi pulled out a silver ingot and handed it to him, acting the picture of generosity. “Here, go buy candy, whatever you want, and if that’s not enough, come ask me for more.”
Lu Fan immediately caught the ingot in both hands, flattering her. “Sister-in-law, you’re the best sister-in-law in the whole world, you’re my boss from now on.”
Yu Xi lifted her chin, feeling considerably better. “Of course!”
“I’ll save up a lot more money, and when Cousin Zhengyu comes in a couple of days, I’ll treat you and her to a restaurant meal!”
As soon as he said this, the silver ingot was snatched right out of his hand.
“Give the money back!”
Lu Fan startled. “Sister-in-law, didn’t you say this money was for me!?”
Yu Xi glared at him. “No. I’d rather feed this money to a dog than give it to you!”
With that, she stormed off angrily, but after a couple of steps, stopped and turned back to look at Lu Fan. “Gao Zhengyu is coming? When?”
Lu Fan thought there was still a chance to fix things, and hurried over to affectionately take her arm. “Should be another four or five days. My mother said she’s reached marriageable age, so she’s bringing her to the capital to look for a match, didn’t you know?”
Yu Xi’s brows knitted tightly, she’d just been at Madam Lu’s courtyard that morning, so why hadn’t Madam Lu mentioned any of this to her?
If Lu Fan hadn’t told her, she probably would have been kept completely in the dark until Gao Zhengyu actually arrived.
Yu Xi couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling, only that her chest felt tight again. She asked Lu Fan, “Do you think your cousin is better, or me?”
Lu Fan answered without a moment’s thought. “You’re better, you’re the best in the whole world.”
Yu Xi handed the silver ingot back to him. “Fine, I won’t hold it against you.”
Watching Yu Xi’s retreating figure, Lu Fan sensed her mood was off. He wanted to say that getting scolded really wasn’t a big deal, but before he could speak, Yu Xi had already walked far away.
Never mind, he’d buy her a box of pastries later, hopefully that would cheer her up a bit, and she wouldn’t hold too much of a grudge against his old fuddy-duddy of a big brother.
…
Yu Xi cried several times that whole evening, crying while copying out the Women’s Precepts, the paper stained all over with tear marks.
In the end, she hadn’t even finished copying two pages before crying herself to sleep.
Xique sighed, draped a robe over her, and quietly began packing things up.
Their young lady had gotten this upset, there was no time to lose in going back to her family home!
Hopefully, after this, their young lady would understand, however handsome and talented the young master was, he simply had no understanding of romance, far too old-fashioned and rigid. He truly wasn’t a good match!
Lu Zhi was well aware of everything happening in Yu Xi’s courtyard.
Hearing that Yu Xi had spent the whole evening crying while copying the book, he said nothing, straightened his court robes, and strode off toward the palace.
By evening, the sky was streaked with rosy clouds.
After leaving the palace, Lu Zhi first went home to change into casual clothes, then headed to Prince Qi’s residence. By the time he left, stars already hung at the edge of the sky.
Prince Qi saw him off to the gate, saying with a smile, “Minister Lu, now that you’re married, you’re not the lone bachelor you used to be, you really ought to make more time for your little wife at home.”
Lu Zhi thought again of what Xuanyu had told him that morning, about Yu Xi crying through a whole evening of copying, and shook his head. “I married for someone to manage the household and handle domestic affairs, not to indulge in romantic sentiment. If Your Highness has nothing further, I’ll take my leave.”
“Go on, then.”
Prince Qi sighed. With a temperament as lively and carefree as Lu Zhi’s wife had, staying with him for the long run would surely mean swallowing plenty of grievances.
·
Prince Qi’s residence wasn’t far from the Lu family’s. Having spent the whole day in council, Lu Zhi chose to walk home.
Passing by the crispy pastry cake shop, still open, Xuanyu spoke up as if casually. “Sir, isn’t this the shop with the pastry the young mistress likes? Still open, business must be good.”
Lu Zhi paused his steps and said to Xuanyu, “Go buy three packages of crispy pastry cake.”
Xuanyu’s heart lifted with delight, and he hurried off, he truly hoped his master and the young mistress would grow close soon, and have a few little young masters and young ladies of their own.
A few people were still in line ahead of Xuanyu. A woman who had just finished buying turned to check on her daughter waiting nearby, and saw a lantern under the eaves swaying precariously.
Before the woman could think much of it, the lantern tipped over, and as it fell, the flame tilted sideways, setting the whole lantern ablaze into a ball of fire.
Before the woman’s startled cry could even leave her mouth, she saw a long arm scoop her child aside.
Lu Zhi handed the frightened, crying child back to the woman, frowning. “There are a lot of child abductors around these days. You must hold your child’s hand firmly whenever you’re out shopping from now on, to avoid a terrible accident.”
The woman thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you so much, I’ll definitely remember!”
By then, the child in the woman’s arms had stopped crying, and held out a handful of peanuts to Lu Zhi. “Here, have some peanuts, thank you for saving me.”
Lu Zhi patted the child’s head, his voice gentle. “Remember to hold your mother’s hand tightly from now on.”
Just then, Xuanyu came over too. “Sir, are you all right!?”
Lu Zhi supported his left hand. “Back to the residence first.”
Only after they got back did Xuanyu realize Lu Zhi’s arm had been burned by the fire, a large patch scorched.
“This servant will go find medicine right away!” Xuanyu said, anxious and worried. “You were just… ai! You’re just too kind-hearted for your own good.”
Lu Zhi walked toward the study, rolling up his sleeve as he went, his voice flat. “There was no time to think it over. If I hadn’t acted, that child would have surely been burned. She looked only four or five years old, better me burned than her.”
Xuanyu had nothing to say to that. Their master seemed cold and sharp-tongued on the surface, but was truly kind-hearted underneath, fortunately, the injury wasn’t too severe.
Before Lu Zhi even reached the study door, he spotted a small figure crouched by the entrance.
He paused. “Yu Xi?”
Yu Xi had been debating whether to head back already, when she heard his voice and immediately stood up. “Husband, you’re back.”
She shuffled over with small steps, without the affection of the past couple of days. “I finished copying it. Do you want to check?”
Lu Zhi nodded slightly. “Come inside and talk.”
Yu Xi followed behind him, thinking that since she’d been so diligent this time, surely he couldn’t still be angry.
Once inside, the lamp was lit, and Lu Zhi sat down by the table. Yu Xi walked over holding her completed copy of the Women’s Precepts, and only then noticed his left sleeve was rolled up.
Yu Xi looked closer, and saw a large burn on Lu Zhi’s lean, strong forearm, along with several blisters.
She gasped, all thoughts of what Lu Zhi had said completely forgotten, grabbing his arm and asking anxiously, “Husband, what happened to your arm? How did you get burned like this!?”
“It’s nothing,” Lu Zhi tried to pull his arm back. “Just an accident.”
Suddenly, he felt a cool touch on his arm, it was a tear falling from Yu Xi, who was still holding onto his hand.
Yu Xi, eyes reddened, blew gently on the burn several times. “Whoosh, whoosh, husband, let me blow on it, it won’t hurt once I blow on it.”