Yining woke up early the next morning to find herself lying in Luo Shenyuan’s arms.
As a wife, things were naturally different now. Yining carefully got up and had her maid help her wash and dress simply. She arranged breakfast to be ready when he awoke. But when she finished these preparations, he still hadn’t risen. Yining went over and sat beside Luo Shenyuan, unsure whether to wake him now.
Even in deep sleep, his brow was furrowed, the lines between his eyebrows permanently etched. His eyebrows were thick, his nose straight, with a thin upper lip and full lower lip. As Yining studied him, she noticed his hand was outside the covers and moved to tuck it back in. But as soon as she touched him, he awoke. Before she could react, he pulled her into his embrace and flipped her underneath him. His body was hot and feverish in the early morning. Then the lips she had just been observing pressed against hers.
Yining stiffened momentarily, her mind reeling from his sudden masculine presence. Pinned beneath him, she was enveloped by Luo Shenyuan’s scent as his warm lips moved against hers. He gripped her waist, pressing their foreheads together as the heat between them intensified.
She began to understand the meaning of “naturally gifted,” sending a tingling sensation down her spine.
Unexpectedly, he soon came to his senses and abruptly released her.
It was Luo Shenyuan’s first time seeing her with disheveled clothes, her skin as white as snow. He helped straighten her garments. After sleeping with her in his arms all night, his judgment was clouded upon waking, leading to such a dangerous act. He moved away from her: “Alright, you should get up now.”
Yining was still dazed: “Third Brother…”
“Hm?” He turned to look at her, his features strikingly handsome. Though typically cold towards others, he had just been so intimate with her. Seeing his focused gaze, Yining inexplicably blushed, her heart skipping a beat. Regaining some composure, she said, “The food has probably gone cold. You should have them prepare it again.”
He smiled a rare occurrence, seemingly thinking of something. Then he went out to instruct the servants.
When Luo Shenyuan returned in his official robes, he saw her leaning against a small table, peeling quail eggs for him. She had peeled four or five, placing them on a small blue and white porcelain plate, each one like a perfect jade bead.
She sat cross-legged, her back straight. The late autumn sunlight fell upon her. She wore silk – a Hangzhou silk vest with clustered flower patterns in sapphire blue. Pearl stood nearby, holding a small bowl, ready to serve.
The maids and servants in the room were all aware of what had just transpired, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere. Seeing both of them uncomfortable, Daimao boldly asked Yining, “…Did the young master do it?” Upon receiving Yining’s denial, she sighed in relief. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain to the Duke of Ying.
However, Yining herself was thinking that with a man and woman sleeping in the same bed, it could happen at any time. Even someone as composed as her Third Brother could lose control, as they had just seen.
He wore the official robes of the third rank – a crimson right-lapelled robe with a cloud pattern embroidered with peacock feathers. Yining gestured for him to sit opposite her, pushing the small plate of eggs towards him. As he picked up his chopsticks and began eating, Yining watched him. The future Grand Chancellor was eating the quail eggs she had peeled – truly an honor.
Thinking she wanted to eat, Luo Shenyuan peeled one and held it to her lips.
Yining hesitated, unsure whether to use her hands or bite directly. His hand moved closer. Without thinking too much, she leaned forward and took a bite, her lips briefly enclosing his fingertip as she took the egg.
Luo Shenyuan withdrew his hand. Did this girl think he was some paragon of virtue?
“Your leg injury hasn’t healed yet, so don’t move around too much. Mother has excused you from paying respects today, so just stay in and read,” Luo Shenyuan instructed her. “Or practice the qin. I’ve had your instrument brought over.” She hadn’t taken it with her when she moved to the Duke of Ying’s residence.
Yining smiled and agreed, thinking to herself that he was quite controlling. Then she had her maid see him out.
After he left, she went to the music room and plucked at the qin for a while. But her mind was in turmoil, thinking about Lu Jiaxue’s suspicions and not knowing what he planned to do. She couldn’t focus. Instead, she had Pearl fetch some letter paper and wrote to Wei Ling, asking if he still intended to go to Xuanfu and requesting that he inform her of any new assignments.
Suddenly remembering something, Yining sat up and asked Pearl to fetch Shen Lian. He would be the one who knew Lu Jiaxue best.
Unless necessary, she didn’t want to ask for Cheng Lang’s help.
Yining gazed out the window at the crabapple tree heavy with fruit, lost in thought.
Outside the Zhida Gate, there were covered walkways with connecting ridges along both sides of the imperial road. Beyond the thousand-pace corridors were the vermilion palace walls. The palace was divided into east and west walls, with the Ministry of Works located outside the eastern palace wall’s thousand-pace corridor. Five of the six ministries, along with the Imperial Clan Court, the Directorate of Astronomy, and other government offices, were situated here. Outside the western palace wall were the Five Chief Military Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review, among other military offices. Luo Shenyuan’s office was in a courtyard just past the thousand-pace corridor, in a north-facing wing room. Outside was a guard post, with window shutters propped open. Inside, a stove was heating wine.
Gu Jingming was there, warming wine to drink.
Luo Shenyuan was reviewing official documents, using an abacus to calculate with his other hand. His long, slender fingers moved deftly, producing clear, crisp sounds from the abacus beads.
The fragrance of heated wine wafted through the air. Gu Jingming poured two cups and asked, “Won’t Lord Luo have a drink?”
Without looking up, Luo Shenyuan replied, “What’s the point of drinking in the office? If you want to drink, go outside.”
Luo Shenyuan approached official matters with extreme diligence and focus. It was arduous work; Gu Jingming had been sitting there for half a day without seeing him take a break. How could the pressure not be immense for such a young vice minister? Add to that the fact that the Minister of Works was old and frail, and the other vice minister position was temporarily vacant. Two stacks of documents piled on his desk, and it was unclear when he would finish reviewing them all.
Having finally cleared one volume, he had a moment of respite. He asked Gu Jingming, “What’s the matter? Have you come to my office to hide?”
Gu Jingming originally had a leisurely position with little to do. Especially after Lin Mao left for Shandong, he had even less to occupy his time.
Gu Jingming explained, “My mother brought my grandfather to the capital and arranged a marriage for me. Now that he’s here, all his former students in the capital want to pay their respects. Even the Emperor has inquired about him several times. I’d rather not be at home. Fortunately, he’s going for tea with Grand Secretary Xie tomorrow, so I can have one day of peace.”
Continuing to review another volume, Luo Shenyuan said, “I’m indebted to your grandfather for his guidance back then. I should pay him a visit in the coming days. Prepare some wine and refreshments.”
This reminded him that he also needed to take Yining to visit Xu Wei. Xu Wei was his mentor, and Luo Shenyuan owed much of his current position to Xu Wei’s help, though there was some self-interest involved. But Luo Shenyuan always felt that as long as something benefited him, he didn’t mind being used. Besides, Xu Wei was a very witty and amiable person.
Gu Jingming found him uninteresting: “You’ve only been married to my cousin for a few days. Don’t you have any newlywed joy? I see you’re still cold-faced as ever. Doesn’t my cousin mind?”
“I’ve watched Yining grow up since she was little. What newlywed joy?” Luo Shenyuan raised an eyebrow and replied coolly. Then he called in a subordinate, tossing him several documents and instructing, “Summon these people for questioning.”
Gu Jingming saw that Luo Shenyuan was wearing mismatched socks and shoes today – one side with a dark bamboo leaf pattern trim, the other with a hundred-fortune pattern trim. He wondered what could have happened at home to cause the usually meticulous Lord Luo to wear mismatched footwear.
As several directors from the Ministry of Works arrived, Gu Jingming took his leave, thinking to himself that he wouldn’t point out the mismatched shoes, letting Luo Shenyuan embarrass himself.
Luo Shenyuan was an elite trained in the Court of Judicial Review. Several calculations for granary repairs and mining operations in the Ministry of Works had discrepancies. He had personally verified them all. Leaning back in his grand chair, he took a sip of tea and let the officials look over the documents. The directors initially paid little attention until Luo Shenyuan set down his teacup and said, “The stones and timber used for the granary repairs in Wanping came from Shanxi. The mining operations, which should be a collaboration between the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Revenue, using corvée labor or convicts, have been outsourced to a merchant surnamed Jia in the capital. I find this inappropriate. What do you gentlemen think?”
“Naturally, we’ll follow the Vice Minister’s instructions,” one of them said with a smile, bowing. “We have no objections. Whatever the Vice Minister deems appropriate.”
This was an attempt to muddy the waters, assuming Luo Shenyuan couldn’t do anything about it. They were underestimating him due to his youth and perceived lack of authority.
Luo Shenyuan smiled. “In that case, gentlemen, you may return for now. I’ll make the decisions.”
The officials bowed politely and withdrew.
Luo Shenyuan then summoned the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Works and handed him the documents. “Go and report to the Emperor, impeaching these individuals for dereliction of duty and corruption. Request that they be dismissed from office and investigated.”
The Supervising Secretary was startled and cautiously asked, “Lord Luo, isn’t this… punishment too severe? If the Emperor blames me…”
“Not only will the Emperor not blame you, but he will also reward you,” Luo Shenyuan said, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the table. He smiled again, “If you’re asked for evidence of their corruption, come back to me.”
The Emperor had long been troubled by the lack of leadership in the Ministry of Works and the complacency of its officials. That’s why he promoted Luo Shenyuan to Vice Minister against much opposition, tasking him with managing the ministry. Now, with people defying him just as he arrived at the ministry, it was a direct challenge to his authority. The punishment would be harsh. Moreover, Luo Shenyuan held evidence against many officials in the ministry. The officials of the Ministry of Works were all extremely wealthy; he could easily target any of them.
The Supervising Secretary saw Luo Shenyuan’s face bearing a faint smile in the autumn haze. He suddenly remembered the rumors that Lord Luo was exceptionally skilled in interrogation, with methods said to be cruel and inhumane. Once, when Grand Secretary Xu Wei had called him to assist in an interrogation, he was originally just there to record the confession. When the criminal became uncooperative and others couldn’t extract information, this lord set aside his writing brush and, taking up a dagger, threatened to cook and feed the man his ear. It nearly drove the criminal mad, forcing him to confess in detail how many people he had killed and where.
Judging by appearance alone, Lord Luo could be described as extremely elegant and refined. The Supervising Secretary suddenly felt afraid to look at him and lowered his head in agreement.
Luo Shenyuan stood up and put on his cloak. Outside, a sedan chair was already prepared. Seeing him emerge, they lowered the door respectfully, waiting for him to enter.
Sometimes, Luo Shenyuan wondered if this truly was what his deceased birth mother had left him. The old Madam Luo was right: dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the offspring of rats know how to dig holes. He was indeed very much like his birth mother, a blood-deep similarity – heartless and vicious.
Just as he was about to step into the sedan chair, a guard came to relay a message that someone wanted to see him.
The meeting place was at the Chief Military Commission. As soon as he entered the compound, he saw weapon racks lining the spotlessly swept path, with strict security measures in place. Just as Luo Shenyuan crossed the threshold, he noticed the sky suddenly darken, with black clouds pressing down. The jujube trees along the path swayed relentlessly in the wind. Luo Shenyuan quietly instructed his attendant, “Wait outside.”
Lu Jiaxue stood with his hands behind his back by the window, overlooking the vermilion palace walls and glazed tile roofs, with the distant, undulating gray mountain silhouettes beyond.
Luo Shenyuan entered the room, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting: “Governor Lu has summoned me. May I ask what matter requires my attention?”
Luo Shenyuan was habitually reticent but knew how to adapt and not make others uncomfortable. At least when social niceties were required, he wouldn’t refuse. His alcohol tolerance had been built this way. Reclusive geniuses became masters, like Wang Yangming’s school of mind. He sought power, so he had to engage with the world; no one could reach the top by holding their head high alone.
Lu Jiaxue turned around, seeing Luo Shenyuan’s posture as straight as a pine tree, his features refined.
Lu Jiaxue knew that Luo Shenyuan was also extremely ruthless and ambitious.
But for him, power had been in his grasp for too long. When you’ve held something in your hand for too long, you lose the feeling of it.
This man had married Luo Yining. They spent their days and nights together, doing the same things he and Yining once did.
Lu Jiaxue closed his eyes briefly. Why had he only noticed so many clues after Luo Yining’s marriage? If it was her, it was almost as if he had personally handed her over to Luo Shenyuan.
If not for wanting to please him, the Empress wouldn’t have asked Yining to become the Third Prince’s consort. He wouldn’t have spoken up for Wei Ling, and he even approved of Cheng Lang marrying her to strengthen the relationship between their families.
“Lord Luo has finally arrived.” The sky outside was gloomy as Lu Jiaxue poured him tea.