Chapter 154 He said, all of these are for you

As Lu Ying and Yuan Niang departed, many gazes lingered upon them until their carriage completely vanished from sight.

Reluctant to become further entangled with the Yang family, Lu Ying gave orders as soon as she returned to the manor to spread the word: Yuan Niang had formed a bond with an elder sworn brother whose character and standing had already won the approval of the Recluse of Qingyuan.

Following this, she had the events of yesterday at the docks and today's interception of Yuan Niang by Lady Ji and her companions at Mingyang Temple circulated far and wide. Amidst the rising tide of discussion, the handsome youth Lu Wen officially entered the awareness of Wuhan's prominent families. Concurrently, upon learning that the Yang family was still scheming against Yuan Niang to this day, the old friends of Yuan Niang’s parents were filled with absolute fury.

Compounding this, Yuan Niang’s mistreatment within the Yang family over the years was brought to light by interested parties. Only then did the world realize that the Yang lord’s mother and sister had consistently suppressed and slandered the Yuan family. Their ultimate aim had been to drive Yuan Niang to her death so they could rightfully usurp her dowry. Short-sighted as they were, mother and daughter assumed that with Yuan Niang bereft of close kin, her death would leave her hundreds of chests of belongings entirely at their disposal. Neither of them ever imagined that the possessions brought by Yuan Niang upon her marriage were merely a fraction of her vast wealth; beyond these visible items lay an immense empire of commercial enterprises.

In the eyes of those old friends, since the Yang family had benefited so immensely from the Yuan family, treating her with utmost reverence and ensuring a life of effortless luxury was only natural. Yet, to build up an entire clan upon another's fortune while driving that person's daughter into destitution and subjecting her to endless humiliation and cold neglect—this was utterly dishonorable. By this point, the matter of Yuan Niang’s separation from the Yang lord had reached a thoroughly irremediable stage.

On the second day, the Recluse of Qingyuan sent someone to deliver a dowry inventory to Lu Ying.

Upon inspecting the list, Lu Ying finally grasped the true extent of the Yuan family’s wealth. Setting aside the five hundred qing of fertile land, the horse ranches, and the iron mines, the transport boats and cargo vessels alone numbered thirty. Additionally, there were commercial storefronts occupying an entire street, alongside fifteen estates and manors scattered across Wuhan, Hangzhou, and various other regions.

Truly, it was a fortune so immense that a hundred generations of the Yuan family could never exhaust it.

However, the Recluse of Qingyuan also noted that this inventory was a duplicate her parents had left in her keeping back then. Having long fallen into the hands of the Yang family, there was no telling how much of it remained. Furthermore, such vast assets were too great for the Yang family to swallow alone, and they had shared the spoils with several other conspirators.

She added that the dowry she had recently helped Yuan Niang reclaim consisted solely of the hundred-odd chests of gold and silver from her wedding day; as for these industrial holdings, she had not managed to secure a single one.

Understanding the Recluse of Qingyuan’s intent, Lu Ying immediately took the inventory to see the noble personage.

He had evidently returned. A row of men dressed in black stood outside the attic, while maidservants busied themselves with lowered heads, leaving the surroundings in absolute silence.

Liu Liu was the first to spot Lu Ying’s figure. From afar, he called out warmly, "Ah-Wen is here? Come right in, come right in."

No sooner had his voice fallen than Lu Ying cast a wary glance at him. Meeting him at the threshold, she let out a soft huff and whispered, "Is my lord in a bad mood?"

"How did you know?"

Lu Ying sneered, "Because whenever my lord is in a bad mood, you pray for my arrival and act exceptionally sycophantic toward me."

Before she could finish, she saw Liu Liu force a smile and call out past her, "My lord!"

Lu Ying froze and turned around.

She found herself facing the noble personage, who stood less than five paces behind her. Though barely a day had passed, he seemed even more majestic and awe-inspiring. The stagnant chill and murderous aura radiating from him made the surrounding air drop by several degrees.

As Lu Ying looked at him, the noble personage fixed his gaze upon her as well.

His eyes were intensely dark, devoid of any glint of light. Daring not to meet his gaze any longer, Lu Ying lowered her head, raised the dowry inventory with both hands, and said, "My lord, this is the inventory of Yuan Niang’s dowry sent by the Recluse of Qingyuan."

Liu Liu, standing to the side, stepped forward to take it.

After scanning it from start to finish, Liu Liu exhaled a breath of relief and sighed involuntarily, "This items list has arrived at the most opportune moment." He turned to Lu Ying and asked with curiosity, "The Recluse of Qingyuan is notoriously difficult to persuade. What method did Ah-Wen use to make her hand this over?"

After Lu Ying honestly recounted the events of the day, she concluded, "I believe the Recluse of Qingyuan made this decision for two reasons: first, she learned of my lord’s identity; and second, she witnessed Yuan Niang’s character through her confrontation with those old friends, and decided to entrust her to me."

The noble personage nodded indifferently. Putting away the dowry inventory, he said flatly, "Good." With that, he stared at Lu Ying and asked, "You wish to help Yuan Niang manage her enterprises? Which ones do you want?"

Ignoring his deep, unfathomable gaze, Lu Ying replied, "I merely wished to build some connections and acquire some knowledge through managing these personnel and properties..."

Before she could finish, the noble personage abruptly declared, "All of the Yuan family’s enterprises can be given to you."

Startled by his words into abruptly raising her head, Lu Ying stared blankly at the noble personage.

The noble personage, however, wore a look of utter detachment. He said casually, "Those horse ranches, iron mines, shipping businesses, estates, and storefronts—I will recover every single one of them that can be reclaimed. When the time comes, they will be converted into your personal property, entirely under your management."

...So casually, a vast fortune equivalent in value to an entire city was being handed entirely into Lu Ying's hands.

Lu Ying knew that his journey to Wuhan—or rather, his descent to the south from Luoyang—had a specific purpose. By all rights, these riches accumulated by the Yuan family during the chaos of Wang Mang's usurpation ought to be confiscated by the state once peace was restored to the realm.

And the noble personage represented the state. Once these assets fell into his hands, they reverted to state ownership.

Yet she had never imagined that this man would casually utter a word and decide to bestow these priceless treasures upon her...

Suddenly, realization dawned upon Lu Ying.

He was giving her this as a safeguard.

Once she became his woman and entered his inner chambers, these assets would be her capital to contend with his other women.

Lowering her gaze, Lu Ying stepped back a few paces. Slowly sinking to her knees, she performed a full prostration before the noble personage, then whispered, "Thank you, my lord, but Ah-Wen cannot accept this..."

She had only gotten this far.

She had only managed to say this much when, abruptly, a chilling coldness grazed Lu Ying’s neck! A long sword, gleaming with a murderous sheen, was pressed directly against her throat!

Amidst the flickering lamplight, the noble personage’s face was frozen in ice. He pressed the blood-red, ominous blade closer against Lu Ying’s neck, forcing her to lean backward as his chilling voice, laden with suppressed fury, slowly reached her ears: "Say it again!"

If she dared to say it again, would he show no mercy with this sword?

The surrounding air froze solid.

Liu Liu quietly retreated a few steps, hiding in an inconspicuous corner. He looked at Lu Ying with a face full of worry, his gaze a mixture of unease and exasperated reproach.

Did this woman not realize how immense this benevolence was? The lord had even considered her future path, granting her a monstrous fortune so she would have the capital to stand by his side and face anyone alongside him, yet she still wished to refuse?

The sword, resting against her throat, struck a bone-chilling cold. A faint smell of blood drifted faintly to her nose.

Lu Ying did not say it again.

Yet, she did not yield either. She merely kept her head bowed, staring motionlessly at her own reflection on the floorboards.

The blade pressing against her neck grew increasingly cold.

After a long moment, the noble personage’s elegant, resonant, and deep voice slowly sounded once more: "You may say it again."

Lu Ying dared not. Sensing his palpable intent to kill, she truly did not dare.

Yet she had no desire to submit. Those assets were far too scorching to touch, and his intentions were far too heavy—she did not want them.

She possessed the confidence in her own strength to live well on her own. She loved these magnificent mountains and rivers, and she relished this unfettered freedom. She could find no reason to compel herself to retreat into his inner courtyard to become merely one of his women.

Even if he was Liu Jiang!

In the suffocating silence, the noble personage’s deep voice drifted softly: "Nothing to say?"

Lu Ying lowered her eyes.

At that exact moment, the sword abruptly thrust forward.

With a soft, slicing hiss, the blade grazed Lu Ying’s throat, cutting a fine bloody gash. A droplet of fresh blood burst forth, instantly splashing onto the floorboards and trickling down to her collarbone and into her inner garment. In a heartbeat, white silk began to bloom with crimson flowers.

Silence descended upon the surroundings once more.

In the quiet, the noble personage’s gentle, deep, and indifferent voice whispered seductively, "Ah-Ying, say it again."

Say it again, and he would drive this sword straight through. He would end this woman—who had thrown his heart and his dreams into turmoil—once and for all in this springtime city of Wuhan...

Lu Ying remained utterly still.

With her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes cast a curved shadow beneath her lids. Even with the blade still resting against her throat and blood continuing to drip, her posture remained straight, her stance as steady as a mountain.

She dared not say it again, but she refused to yield.

She simply knelt there quietly, quietly waiting.

Waiting for his anger to mount further, or for his fury to subside.

How much time passed, she could not tell, before the noble personage let out a cold laugh. "A mere woman!" he said with revulsion. "Nothing more than a woman."

With that, he sheathed his sword with a sharp clash and turned on his heel. As he walked toward his study, his tall silhouette, backlit by the light, radiated an inexpressible desolation and self-loathing.

With his back to Lu Ying, he issued a cold command: "Get out!"

Lu Ying slowly rose to her feet.

Having knelt for so long and brushed shoulders with death, her bearing remained unchanged, her movements entirely unhurried.

With lowered head, Lu Ying slowly backed away.

She retreated all the way out of the attic and into the veranda of the courtyard.

When she finally returned to her quarters, the maidservant attending her turned pale with fright and shrieked, "My lord! Heavens, you're bleeding so much here!"

Lu Ying glanced at her, instantly cutting off the maidservant's shrill cries. Lowering her gaze, she calmly instructed, "Heat some water. I wish to bathe."

"Yes."

"Bring some healing ointment and bandage this for me first."

"Yes."

Amidst the profound stillness, Lu Ying, having just finished bandaging her wound, heard a maidservant calling from outside, "My lord, Yuan Niang wishes to see you."

Lu Ying replied mildly, "Tell her it is somewhat inconvenient right now; I shall go see her tomorrow."

"Yes." The maidservant withdrew, and silence reclaimed the surroundings.