The carriage arrived outside Xiangyun Restaurant, and a servant from the He family went to speak with the owner of the gold and silver shop, arranging a private room for the two ladies to leisurely choose their items. At this moment, He Er Xiaojie saw her husband, Xu Shengwen, drinking with friends at the restaurant. She called out to him, straightened his collar, and chided him for not paying attention when he went out.
Yining bought a sugar figurine for Baoge’er, teasing him by letting him almost but not quite bite it. When Baoge’er was on the verge of tears, Yining finally let him lick it. She couldn’t let him hold it himself; otherwise, it would surely be a sticky mess.
Xu Shengwen, with a composed demeanor and upright posture, smiled warmly. He nodded slightly to Yining, as it wasn’t appropriate for men to speak with women in such situations, and didn’t ask who she was.
“I know, there’s no time now, I have to go upstairs!” Xu Shengwen said, squeezing his wife’s hand before leaving.
He Er Xiaojie let her husband go and entered the room with a smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting. He never pays attention to these things! Today, he has to visit Grand Secretary Luo to seek a good position now that his probationary period is over. But it’s hard to get a word in with Grand Secretary Luo, and many people are vying for his favor. I always tell him to be more attentive.”
Hearing her mention Grand Secretary Luo, Yining’s heart skipped a beat.
He Er Xiaojie suddenly seemed to remember something, looking puzzled. “Wait, I recall you married into the Luo family, didn’t you?”
Having not returned since her marriage, she wasn’t well-informed about the affairs of the capital and didn’t even know whom Luo Yining had married.
Yining lowered her head and sipped her tea. “Yes, I married into the Luo family.”
Seeing that Yining didn’t elaborate, He Er Xiaojie didn’t press further and continued talking about Grand Secretary Luo. “Luo Shenyuan is remarkable, becoming a grand secretary at such a young age, serving closely beside the emperor. Did you know that last month he cleaned up six ministries, and over forty officials were dismissed… I heard that the highly esteemed Censor-in-Chief even intends to marry his granddaughter to him. It is said that the Censor-in-Chief is very formidable, and his granddaughter is also close to the grand secretary. If Luo Shenyuan weren’t already married, he would probably have allied with the Ge family by now.”
To Yining, this felt like a dull knife cutting into her flesh, a pain she had to endure. She chose several anklet designs, planning to have a few made for Baoge’er. Handing the selected designs to the maid, she said, “I’ve made my choices, you should choose quickly so we can go back. We don’t want Yingjie to be hungry.” Yingjie wasn’t brought along; He Er Xiaojie nursed her child and hadn’t hired a wet nurse.
“You’re right!” Thinking of Yingjie, He Er Xiaojie dropped the topic of Luo Shenyuan.
At the entrance of Xiangyun Restaurant, Xu Shengwen’s colleagues were waiting for him. Seeing him approach, one joked, “Who was that calling you just now?”
Xu Shengwen, slightly irritated, replied, “Who else could it be? That’s my lawfully wedded wife! Do you think I’d keep a mistress?”
The group laughed as they walked into the restaurant. One colleague put his arm around Xu Shengwen’s shoulder and said, “I remember Brother Zhao keeping a mistress, a young girl of about fourteen or fifteen, fresh and tender.”
The mentioned colleague coughed and said, “I rescued her while on duty, she had nowhere to go, and what could she do besides stay with me? Don’t joke around, I’m going to take her as a concubine.”
The others laughed and teased him, asking about the girl.
As they prepared to sit in their private room, the teased colleague patted Xu Shengwen on the shoulder. “Brother Shengwen, weren’t you going to see Grand Secretary Luo? Isn’t that his carriage?”
Xu Shengwen looked out and saw the Luo family’s sedan chair stopping. The group moved to the window and saw Grand Secretary Luo alight, followed by Assistant Minister Song from the Ministry of Personnel. They were surprised that Grand Secretary Luo had come to Xiangyun Restaurant! “We must pay our respects, or it would be disrespectful!” said the man surnamed Zhao, and the group hurriedly tidied up and went outside.
Xu Shengwen, needing something from Luo, led the way. Seeing Grand Secretary Luo and Assistant Minister Song enter, they quickly stepped forward to greet them.
Grand Secretary Luo, wearing a large cloak, walked in with a stern expression, talking to Assistant Minister Song. Noticing the young officials, he glanced at them and handed his belongings to an attendant, asking indifferently, “Xu Shengwen?”
“You still remember me, Grand Secretary!” Xu Shengwen greeted with a smile, “I was once under your supervision during my probation period, and I am grateful for your guidance.”
“Hmm,” Luo Shenyuan nodded, vaguely recalling him. Assistant Minister Song, seeing they were young officials, paid no further attention and gestured with a smile, “After you, Grand Secretary.”
Luo Shenyuan smiled and led the group upstairs. As they reached the corner, a window overlooked the street below, and Luo Shenyuan suddenly paused.
He seemed to have seen something, his smile vanishing instantly. His gaze turned strange, like a predator about to catch its prey.
Xu Shengwen, puzzled, saw his wife’s carriage, with another woman holding a child getting in. The child was wrapped in a cloak and disappeared in a flash.
Before anyone could react, Grand Secretary Luo turned and rushed downstairs. The attendants hurried to clear the way, but the carriage sped off, vanishing into the bustling street. Someone tried to ask a question, but Luo Shenyuan snapped, “Silence!” His eyes were red, and he seemed out of breath.
Calming himself, Luo Shenyuan ordered, “Fetch the owner of the gold and silver shop next door.”
The shop owner, hearing Grand Secretary Luo’s summons, hurried over, trembling with fear.
“Greetings, sir,” the shop owner bowed.
Luo Shenyuan, still unsure if what he saw was real, feared it might be another illusion. These illusions had plagued him often.
He sat in a grand chair and asked, “The two women in your shop just now, one holding a child—do you know who they are?”
Xu Shengwen, mustering courage, stepped forward and said, “Grand Secretary, the one without the child is my wife, the second daughter of the He family. The other…”
Luo Shenyuan’s intense gaze fell on him, saying nothing.
Xu Shengwen, sweating, continued, “The other woman, I heard her say she was…”
The shop owner, remembering, interjected, “I heard she was from a noble family! She bought seven or eight anklets for children in one go, quite a generous sum!”
Xu Shengwen recalled his wife had a friend from a duke’s family and wiped his sweat, nodding, “Yes, it seems she’s a young lady from a duke’s household!”
He sensed that his words made Grand Secretary Luo’s expression even grimmer. Luo Shenyuan’s grip on the chair’s armrest tightened, the veins on his hand bulging. After a long silence, Luo Shenyuan stood and said, “Assistant Minister Song, I have urgent matters to attend to, we’ll meet another day.”
Assistant Minister Song had no choice but to smile and see Luo Shenyuan off.
By now, dusk was approaching.
The bearers skillfully lowered the sedan chair, bowing as they waited.
Luo Shenyuan indifferently entered the sedan. As it moved away, someone hurriedly chased after it, calling, “Grand Secretary! Lord Luo!”
The sedan slowed, and Luo Shenyuan lifted the curtain, asking, “Did you find out?”
He had sent a servant to investigate Duke Ying’s mansion.
The servant approached and, only when close, whispered, “My lord, that carriage belonged to the Duke Ying’s mansion.”
“I had someone follow it. The woman who got out of the carriage…” the servant hesitated, “seemed to be our Third Madam. She carried a child, but I couldn’t tell how old, maybe a few months…”
Luo Shenyuan’s emotions surged wildly. Closing his eyes, he asked, “Are you sure?”
“Although she entered quickly, it should be her,” the servant added.
Luo Shenyuan released him, falling silent.
The woman who looked so much like her entered Duke Ying’s mansion. If it wasn’t her, who could it be? She was truly back.
But what about the child? Was she carrying someone else’s baby? It was possible. The other possibility… he didn’t dare consider.
Yining had returned, but why hadn’t she come to find him? Instead, she went to the Duke Ying’s mansion. Could it be that she had fallen for Lu Jiaxue, even bearing his child, and thus refused to return to him? Even though Lu Jiaxue was likely dead at the border due to his schemes.
She had unexpectedly returned. If they hadn’t met by chance today, would she have kept him in the dark indefinitely? Luo Shenyuan had long been suppressing his longing, and it had become extreme. Since she hadn’t come to find him upon her return, he decided to take matters into his own hands. She was his wife, and therefore, she belonged to him. Even if she had borne someone else’s child, she was still his wife.
“To the Duke of Ying’s residence,” Luo Shenyuan commanded, his tone remaining calm.
His attendant was taken aback, so Luo Shenyuan repeated, “To the Duke of Ying’s residence to bring the third lady back. Since she has returned to the capital, she should come home.” His voice was low and slow.
The attendant quickly obeyed and instructed the bearers to lift the sedan chair.
When Luo Yining first returned, she was also startled. While out with Miss He, she saw Luo Shenyuan’s sedan chair on the street. She panicked, having just returned without seeing him yet, unsure of what to say. Seeing him on the street, she hurriedly urged her carriage to move faster. She vaguely felt someone was chasing them, but the carriage sped away. Once back at the Duke of Ying’s residence, Wei Old Madam was waiting for her for dinner and asked, “Why do you look like you’ve been chased by a ghost?”
Yining said it was nothing and sat down to eat.
Wei Old Madam fed little Bao some egg custard. He had eaten a few spoonfuls today and wasn’t drinking much milk. After a while, Yining coaxed him to sleep and placed him in his small bed, where he curled up and slept.
Wei Old Madam called her over to warm herself by the fire and chat with Madam Xu. Madam Xu was quite amusing, gossiping about noble families with Wei Old Madam while nibbling on sunflower seeds. Yining joined them with some seeds. Madam Xu suggested roasting sweet potatoes, reminiscing, “I had roasted sweet potatoes once when I was young at a countryside estate and never had them again.”
Yining responded, “If you want to eat them, you can.” She then called the kitchen to bring a basket of sweet potatoes for roasting. Madam Xu looked at her more fondly, and Wei Old Madam was also interested. The three women, despite their age differences, busied themselves roasting sweet potatoes.
Just as the sweet potatoes were placed on the stove, a maid came in and reported, “Old Madam, Luo Ge Lao… the master is here! He says he’s here to take the young lady home. He’s waiting in the flower hall.”
Luo Yining was startled. He had indeed seen her earlier!
He had come in person!
Wei Old Madam snorted, “He sent his wife to Baoding when she was ill, didn’t know she had returned to the capital, and now he finally comes to find her. It’s not too late. Yining, I’ll go with you to meet him.”
“Grandmother… this…” Yining was nervous, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. She felt something was amiss.
He was waiting in the flower hall, likely drinking tea calmly. Should she go see him immediately?
Madam Xu hurriedly said, “Old Madam, wait!”
Wei Old Madam paused, not knowing what Madam Xu intended. Yining was relieved. Madam Xu walked over, saying, “It’s been a while since the couple last met. Although Yining is naturally beautiful, shouldn’t she dress up a bit? She’s been preoccupied with the child and hasn’t paid much attention to her appearance.”
Wei Old Madam agreed, nodding, “You have a point. We shouldn’t lose face.”
She then called in the maids to groom Yining. Yining pressed into the dressing chair, protested, “No need to redo my hair or put on makeup. Just let me wash my face.”
It was already late. Should she meet him with a neat hairdo and delicate makeup?
It was… indescribable.
Madam Xu regretfully watched as Yining barely changed anything, then took a pearl and gold hairpin from her hair and placed it in Yining’s.
Yining felt slightly more confident, and with Madam Xu supporting Wei Old Madam, they headed to the flower hall.
The closer she got, the more nervous she became. All her mental preparation vanished, and her heart pounded. She had to calm herself down, trying to maintain a composed appearance.
As they approached the flower hall, she finally saw him.
Luo Shenyuan, wearing a cloak, sat upright on a Grand Tutor chair, his attendants standing by his sides. He indeed held a teacup, but it seemed he hadn’t drunk any. The steam rose and dispersed in the dim yellow candlelight. The snow outside emitted a faint glow, reflecting off the deep blue sky.
He slowly raised his head and met her gaze.
Yining immediately looked away, avoiding his expression entirely. She felt his intense stare, making her legs weak. Softly, she called, “Third Brother.” But she didn’t see his nod or response.
Wei Old Madam led Yining over, greeting him with a cold smile, “It’s rare for Ge Lao to visit.”
Luo Shenyuan stood up and took a few steps towards them, bowing respectfully, “No need to call me Ge Lao, Grandmother. Just call me Shenyuan. I’m here to take Yining home. She hasn’t been home for a long time.”
Yining only noticed his spotless boots and the patterns on his belt. His voice remained deep and magnetic.
Wei Old Madam sighed, “It’s not that I’m making things difficult for you. Yining was alone in Baoding recovering, and you didn’t even inquire about her. You haven’t seen the child since he was born. How can you call yourself a father?”
Luo Shenyuan paused for a long moment, looking directly at Yining before calmly replying, “I failed to care for her. I was busy with court affairs and couldn’t get away. But I’m here now to bring her back and fulfill my duties as a husband and father.” He even smiled slightly.
Yining looked up to find he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else, just staring at her!
“Yining…” Wei Old Madam turned to her.
Yining sighed inwardly. It had to be addressed sooner or later! “Grandmother, it’s late today. Let’s have Third Brother stay the night.”
Wei Old Madam agreed, nodding, “I’ll arrange a guest room. If you want to see Bao now, you can, but it might be better to wait until morning. Waking the child might make him hard to settle.”
“No rush. I’ll stay here tonight,” Luo Shenyuan said lightly. “But no need to arrange a room. I’ll stay with Yining.”
He looked at her, smiling, “Is that alright, Meimei?” His voice softened at the end.
Usually, couples slept separately at the wife’s family home. But perhaps this was an opportunity for them to talk. If he had been indifferent to Yining before, maybe this was a chance to improve their relationship. Harmony between husband and wife mattered more than strict adherence to rules.
Wei Old Madam said, “That works. Yining, have your Third Brother stay with you. It saves me the trouble of arranging another room.” She discreetly signaled Yining to make the most of the opportunity.
Yining inhaled sharply, then stood up with a smile, “Alright.” She added, “Third Brother, come with me.”
It was getting late, and he must be tired from the journey.
Luo Shenyuan responded and followed her through the dark corridors. She felt him moving closer, almost close enough to touch. His footsteps sounded near as if he could embrace her at any moment.
She quickened her pace to keep some distance. When they reached her room, the maids bowed to her. She opened the door, intending to call for water, but Luo Shenyuan stopped her, “No need. Everyone, leave.”
Before Yining could respond, he pressed her hand, and the door closed behind them!
With a swift motion, he extinguished the lamp, plunging the room into darkness.
Unable to see anything, Yining felt a surge of fear. She retreated but was quickly caught by him, tripping over the bedding and landing on the soft mattress. His hot, heavy body pressed down on her. Their breaths mingled, his more intense.
Yining struggled but found herself trapped in the bedding, unable to move. “Third Brother, what are you doing?”
His voice, cold yet burning with passion, whispered, “Meimei, it’s been so long. Do you still remember your husband?”
His closeness made her weak. His voice, so magnetic and near, sent shivers through her.