The evening’s remaining light fell, bamboo shadows swaying, with a clear lake on both shores, galleries and pavilions, artificial mountains, and flying towers. Red and yellow lantern lights like clear water droplets, dotted here and there, hidden among the lush trees. After dark, lanterns lit up throughout the various courtyards of the Lu mansion. Halfway along his path, Second Young Master Lu Xian remembered a cousin skilled at growing flowers, so he had his servant take the flower to ask that cousin how to care for it. Second Young Master himself first returned to his courtyard, because his father, the current Left Prime Minister Lu Mao, had returned and wanted to test his studies.
While passing the great lake, amid the surrounding silence, children’s quarreling voices carried clearly to his ears:
“You’re the vixen, not my sister!”
“My mother says your sister deliberately seduces men…”
“Your mother, your mother, always your mother! Are you just an echo? No wonder your mother’s a concubine, so low-class, only knowing how to gossip behind people’s backs. Let Madam Lu know about this, hmph…”
Even though Luo Yunzhi didn’t go out much, she had heard from the maids that the Lu family’s mistress, Madam Lu, was very strict with the servants. A Madam Lu who was so strict with servants certainly wouldn’t be lenient with concubines. Fourth Young Master Lu Chang’s eyes reddened with anxiety, originally unable to argue with this cousin-sister who was a head taller than him. But when Luo Yunzhi was speaking so freely and mentioned Lu Chang’s concubine mother, Lu Chang exploded like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on: “Don’t talk about my mother!”
Luo Yunzhi: “I’ll say it, I’ll say it! I’m going to tell on you, I’m going to find Aunt, I’m going to say that your concubine mother taught you…”
As Luo Yunzhi turned to run up to the gallery, Lu Chang pounced on her from behind, eyes blood-red: “You dare!”
Luo Yunzhi turned her head to see her ferocious cousin charging at her. She hesitated only for a moment before rolling up her sleeves and grabbing Fourth Young Master Lu Chang’s arm, becoming entangled in a fight with her cousin. She didn’t think at all that she, a young lady, would lose to a young master. Lu Chang also grabbed his cousin’s hair, pinching and hitting it.
Punch after punch, the little girl and boy grunted and groaned, burning with rage, rolling and crawling by the lakeside. Sometimes they were locked in an inseparable struggle, chasing each other. No one would have imagined these usually pampered young ladies and young masters fighting like this. Unfortunately, on the cool night by the quiet lake, no servants were passing by to stop them. Soon, both children’s delicate faces were bruised and swollen…
Lu Xian raised his lantern to look and was greatly shocked: “What are you two doing? Stop!”
However, the two children, completely absorbed in their fight, didn’t hear Lu Xian’s shout.
Lu Xian ran over, the lantern’s dim light illuminating a small area, and he recognized the two fighting children. Lu Xian’s voice became more severe:
“Fourth Brother!”
“Yunzhi!”
Mere scolding wouldn’t stop the fighting children. Seeing them actually tangled together, so improper, Lu Xian became angry. Since they wouldn’t listen to words, the usually refined Second Young Master Lu threw his lantern to the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and went over, wanting to pull the two children apart: “Didn’t you hear me? No fighting!”
But Luo Yunzhi was wild at heart.
Fourth Young Master Lu had been provoked, his heart refusing to yield.
The scholarly Lu Xian, caught in the middle, actually couldn’t separate these two children who were still swinging fists and shouting. The two children still wouldn’t listen to what he was saying, continuously jumping from either side of Second Young Master’s separating hands, gesturing wildly as they lunged at the young lady (young master) opposite them.
Lu Xian was at his wit’s end, his face covered in sweat, horrified to discover that the two children were incredibly fierce, and he actually couldn’t stop them. They charged at each other again, and Lu Xian had to strain once more to separate them. The Lu family’s Second Young Master Lu Xian had always been refined and proper, he practiced literature but not martial arts, and besides the horsemanship and archery needed for social occasions, he never trained in combat. The scholarly Second Young Master never imagined he couldn’t even restrain two fighting children.
Lu Xian had no choice but to call for help: “Someone! Someone come quickly…”
Not far away, Luo Lingyu and her maids were anxiously searching for her sister. Not wanting others to think “the Luo lady is causing trouble again,” they were searching stealthily, not daring to call out loudly. They had searched through grass and woods but hadn’t seen the little lady. Now hearing Lu Xian’s calls, they were startled, and Luo Lingyu listened carefully: “Why is that Second Cousin’s voice? Hasn’t Second Cousin returned to his courtyard yet?”
Without thinking too much, Luo Lingyu led her maids toward the source of the sound.
Standing on the gallery looking down over the railing, Luo Lingyu’s chest tightened, cold sweat breaking out—she saw two children below fighting on top of Second Young Master Lu, not knowing what had happened. But she immediately recognized her little sister.
The two children fighting fiercely below once again twisted together from beside Second Young Master’s hands, not just fighting, but together pushing away the meddling Lu Xian. Lu Xian was pushed stumbling backward by these two children, repeatedly laughing bitterly. Unfortunately, his foot caught on some grass or stone, and Second Young Master’s backward momentum couldn’t be stopped.
Luo Lingyu stared wide-eyed from the gallery above, crying out in horror: “Cousin—”
Before she could finish her cry, a huge splash came from behind the tangled Luo Yunzhi and Lu Chang. No longer seeing the annoying brother behind them, the water splash wetted their backs. Fourth Young Master Lu and the little miss froze, their hands still tangled together pinching each other’s faces, suddenly turning to look at the bubbling lake water behind them.
Their poor Second Young Master Lu Xian struggled desperately in the water, waving his sleeves, his vision blurred, constantly being pulled down by the water. Panic struck as his feet found no purchase, Second Young Master thrashed about, struggling to say: “Help, help… I can’t swim…”
Luo Yunzhi and Lu Chang were terrified, watching helplessly as Second Brother sank beneath the water before their eyes. Above, Luo Lingyu lifted her skirts and ran down the steps with thundering footsteps. Hearing the footsteps behind them, the two children turned their heads in panic to see the beautiful young lady running toward them.
Luo Lingyu had no time to deal with these two children, quickly instructing Lingyu who was following her to “watch these two,” then ran to the lakeside, efficiently kicking off her shoes and socks, removing her outer shawl. Lu Chang stared dumbfounded, never having seen a beauty undressing before his eyes. His face reddened, not knowing where to look, when the beautiful cousin had already thrown aside her shoes and socks, rolled up her sleeves and trouser legs, and jumped into the lake.
A group of maids held onto Luo Yunzhi and Lu Chang, the two children, watching the center of the lake anxiously, waiting nervously for the young lady. Time seemed to pass very slowly, and when their faces had turned pale with waiting, they finally saw people surface in the water, Luo Lingyu gritted her teeth as she swam back dragging someone.
The women exclaimed joyfully: “Young Lady, Young Lady, we’re over here!”
At the shore, all the maids went over together to help Luo Lingyu rescue Second Young Master Lu. Lu Xian’s face was white, his eyes closed, his long hair wet, his robes heavy with water. After Luo Lingyu exhaustedly brought him back, her knees weakened, and she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Hearing the maids’ terrified cries of “Second Young Master” “Second Young Master” beside her ear, Luo Lingyu’s lips trembled, and she pinched her leg, forcing herself to gather some strength and energy. She dragged her soaked self into the group of maids, took the unconscious Second Young Master Lu into her arms, and forcefully patted his face: “Second Cousin, Second Cousin…”
From far to near, lantern lights approached this area—it was the night patrol servants coming. Seeing this area crowded with maids, the servants rushed over. Lu Chang stumbled and fell to his knees. Luo Yunzhi wasn’t much better, now knowing she had caused trouble. Second Young Master Lu was the highest-ranking young master of the Lu family’s main line; if anything happened to him, the Lu family, the Lu family… Luo Yunzhi’s voice carried a sob: “Sister, I’m sorry—”
Luo Lingyu held Second Young Master Lu, seeing people approaching, she turned her head to look at her frightened sister and young cousin. Her sister’s tears were welling up, while her cousin was panicked but biting his lip without speaking… these two children… Lu Chang was despised by the Lu family, she couldn’t be bothered with him; but this matter concerned her sister, and her sister was so young, she couldn’t ruin her sister’s future.
After all, Madam Lu already hated her. Being hated a bit more wouldn’t matter.
Moreover, with this incident… she wouldn’t have to participate in the polo game her aunt had arranged for her, and wouldn’t have to expose her weakness. As for Second Cousin… as long as she took the blame, hoping for his mercy, he might not speak of it.
Steeling her heart, Luo Lingyu said: “Hide in the bamboo grove, don’t come out until people leave, don’t say that you pushed Second Cousin into the water.”
Lingyu realized something and said sharply: “Young Lady!”
Luo Lingyu’s expression was steady: “No one is to speak of this, just say, say… that Second Cousin and I had an argument, and I accidentally pushed him into the water.”
…
That night, the Lu mansion couldn’t sleep.
Late in the night, “Clear Courtyard” had already extinguished its lights and gone to sleep when Second Branch’s master Lu Yun suddenly opened his eyes. He sat up in his bed curtains, seeing the firelight gradually brightening outside the curtains. After a while, Lu Yun put on his clothes and got up to see the hall brightly lit, with Jin Yue gently comforting a little lady who was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
Jin Yue: “What exactly happened, won’t you tell sister? Third Young Master has already gone to bed, our master was injured before and shouldn’t get up at night. Oh, don’t cry…”
Luo Yunzhi sobbed: “Sister Jin Yue, please, let me see Third Cousin! My sister saved Third Cousin before, Third Cousin should help my sister too! The Lu family, the Lu family… I can only beg Third Cousin!”
Although their real relative was Aunt Lu Ying, with Second Young Master Lu’s incident, not to mention Madam Lu, even the Old Madam was furious. Their aunt had never cared about them and certainly wouldn’t risk trouble to protect her sister… Luo Yunzhi cried until her eyes were swollen red and her voice was almost hoarse.
The next moment, the curtain lifted, and both Jin Yue, who was comforting the little sister, and the little lady in her arms turned to see the handsome and elegant young master standing at the door.
Lu Yun’s eyelids drooped: why did she always cause trouble, always so many issues?
So annoying.