Chapter 158 Entrusting One's Life Thus

Liu Jiang stared at Lu Ying with a blank expression.

After a long moment, he replied indifferently, "Very well."

What?

Lu Ying, who had never expected him to agree, froze on the spot. The movement of her teeth biting the corner of his lip stiffened, and the seductive allure on her face halted.

A warmth wrapped around Lu Ying’s waist as Liu Jiang stretched out his arm to embrace her. Looking at her dazed expression, the corners of his mouth twitched into a mocking, half-smile. "Very well. If you wish to be a kept mistress, then a kept mistress you shall be. I recently took one-third of Wuchang’s wealth, and I originally intended to give all of it to you. I even thought of making Wuchang the foundation of your Lu clan for a century to come. Since you do not want it, I will give it to others instead."

He closed his eyes, not even bothering to look at Lu Ying anymore, and simply commanded, "Someone come here."

"Lord," a guard rode closer.

Without opening his eyes, Liu Jiang said lazily, "Have someone move Young Master Lu’s belongings into the chamber next to mine. Tell the people in the estate that the young master is my personal companion from now on, and treat him with courtesy."

This officially brought their relationship out into the open. The guard glanced at Lu Ying, lowered his head, and replied, "Yes."

Listening to the sound of the guard retreating, Lu Ying finally snapped back to her senses.

She looked at Liu Jiang.

Just moments ago, she had reached an agreement with him. From then on, she would be his woman kept outside, sharing his bed and bearing his children, yet lacking any official status.

That was right; she was the one who had refused the status.

In the silent stillness, Lu Ying lowered her gaze and remained motionless for a long time.

Liu Jiang raised his head, glanced sidelong at Lu Ying, and asked, "When you enter my quarters tonight, shall we hang lanterns, drape red silks, and play celebratory music?"

This man, who always commanded absolute obedience, was actually leaving this decision up to Lu Ying.

In this remote place, with no one knowing, and without the blessings of relatives or friends, her entire life was being decided just like that. Even the hanging of lanterns and draping of silks was casually tossed out as a question to her.

Lu Ying met Liu Jiang's gaze.

His eyes were pitch black, without a single ray of light filtering through, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lu Ying knew he wanted to provoke her.

What was the most important thing in a woman's life? Was it not a place to belong?

He had casually settled her destination, casually preparing to complete her transition from a maiden to a woman in some secluded corner...

...Without blessings, without status, without tender affection or lingering love.

Yet wasn't all of this what she herself had asked for? Which of the women who wanted to follow him did not use every possible scheme and method to obtain his promise and status? Which family did not exhaust all its resources to prepare a dowry, allowing the woman who married him to do so with grace and glory?

Only her. He respected and cherished her, and throughout this arduous journey, he had done nothing but personally prepare her property and dowry.

Such behavior was actually quite improper, quite absurd. Ever since the Han dynasty, imperial relatives holding power were taboo, and every effort was made to suppress them. But look at him—he was so infatuated with a woman that he wanted to carve out a foundation for her with his own hands, helping her establish a clan of her own. Not only was it not enough to give her his favor, but fearing this ruthless woman would be bullied, he was willing to violate ancestral traditions to give her a powerful background!

Since she did not understand these things and did not want them, he was spared from hanging his head in shame before his ancestors.

If she was willing to follow him in this nameless, statusless fashion, then follow him she would.

—In this matter, he would be exceedingly, exceedingly "respectful" of her!

Beneath Liu Jiang's pitch-black gaze, Lu Ying lowered her eyes. Pouring herself a cup of wine, she drank a few sips before shaking her head and saying, "No need."

At this, she teased, "My Lord truly treats me differently now. Previously in Chengdu, and even on the passenger ship leading to Jiangzhou, My Lord once summoned me to attend your bed, wanting to take me so casually. It is wonderful now that My Lord is even willing to light lanterns for our wedding night."

Liu Jiang seemed to stiffen. A moment later, he sneered, closed his eyes, and ignored her altogether.

The air inside the carriage grew somewhat stagnant.

After a while, Lu Ying called out to the driver, "Stop for a moment."

As the carriage wobbled and prepared to halt, Liu Jiang's cool voice came, "What are you going to do?"

Lu Ying turned her head back to look at him, let out a soft sigh, and murmured, "Since I am getting married, my heart is fluttering with anxiety, and I want to speak with Yuan Niang to relieve my boredom."

This woman always dressed her evasive words in grandiose terms, yet turned around with a heart of iron.

Liu Jiang stared at her and allowed her to step down from the carriage.

When Lu Ying climbed into the Yuan family's carriage, Yuan Niang was both surprised and delighted. She quickly put down the embroidery in her hand, took Lu Ying's hand to pull her down to sit, and called out, "Elder Sister, why have you come over?" Just as she finished speaking, she noticed Lu Ying's poor complexion and asked in a low voice, "Big Brother, are you unhappy?"

Lu Ying shook her head, tilted her head against the side, and closed her eyes.

She was just feeling a bit nervous about handing over her entire life in such a sudden manner... Perhaps not her entire life; that was the beauty of being a kept mistress—the day Liu Jiang lost interest, she would be free to leave.

Seeing Lu Ying continually massaging her temples with a troubled and distressed expression, Yuan Niang said cautiously, "Big Brother, if you have any difficult matters, you can tell me about them."

"It's nothing," Lu Ying replied calmly after a moment. "Just some minor trouble with official business, which should be resolved in a couple of days."

"Oh," Yuan Niang actually believed her.

Lu Ying looked at the embroidery in her hands and smiled, saying, "What, still embroidering?"

Yuan Niang truly had no talent for such things, and Lu Ying could not fathom how she managed to persist.

Catching the teasing tone in Lu Ying's words, Yuan Niang blushed slightly. She lowered her voice and said, "When I have something to work on with my hands, my heart feels very calm."

That was true enough.

Setting aside her own troubles, Lu Ying frowned and said, "I have personally vetted everyone managing your dowry, and the vast majority of the people arranged are trustworthy. Even if there are those who cannot be trusted, I have assigned dedicated supervisors." Not knowing why she suddenly brought this up, Yuan Niang raised her head in surprise.

Lu Ying continued, "In the future, you will stay by my side first. If you don't like things like zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, or embroidery, don't force yourself. Try them one by one, and you will eventually find something you truly love."

Yuan Niang blinked her eyes and asked with curiosity, "Big Brother, why should I find something I truly love?"

Lu Ying looked at her and explained, "When a person is immersed in something they enjoy, they feel immense joy. Yuan Niang, you will never have to worry about food or clothing in this life, but I also want you to be truly happy. Even if you remarry one day and have your own passions, you will no longer pin all your hopes on a man, nor will you be easily hurt again."

Yuan Niang listened in a daze. When Lu Ying mentioned remarrying, a trace of sorrow crossed her face. Knowing that the wounds of her past were still fresh and she had no thoughts of marriage for the time being, Lu Ying closed her mouth and dropped the subject.

Before long, the carriage entered their destination—the Qi residence.

Night had already fallen, and the Qi residence was currently bustling with noise and excitement. Endless lines of carriages were parked in the plaza.

As soon as Lu Ying stepped out of the carriage, she walked over to stand by Liu Jiang's side.

Looking at the distant lanterns and colorful banners, Lu Ying glanced around and asked, "My Lord, is Executive Liu not here?"

Liu Jiang cast a sidelong glance at her and said indifferently, "Your presence is enough."

Lu Ying said nothing more.

The two of them had arrived relatively late. Whether it was the nearby gardens or the distant pavilions, everything was brilliantly lit with figures moving to and fro amidst the bustling commotion.

At the noisy and clamorous pavilion, aristocratic scions and officials' family members from Wuchang were constantly entering and exiting. These people all fell silent when they saw Lu Ying and Liu Jiang walking over.

Everyone present here was a local power in Wuchang. They were well aware of the turbulent undercurrents in the city lately, and they knew that all of this had been brought about by the two people before them. To turn Wuchang upside down quietly without causing any major panic—the scale of such influence was imaginable.

After a brief silence, several middle-aged men strode out to greet Liu Jiang. Seeing them approach, Lu Ying, standing to one side, suddenly said, "My Lord, I will go accompany Yuan Niang."

Liu Jiang didn't even spare her a glance, merely replying with a faint "Mn." Once he finished, he coldly commanded, "Call me husband from now on."

Lu Ying raised her head, meeting his expressionless face. She did not answer, instead stepping back in silence.

After searching for a moment, she spotted Yuan Niang's figure. At that moment, Yuan Niang was being led toward the garden by two maidservants.

Lu Ying watched Yuan Niang's retreating figure, slowed her pace, and walked leisurely toward her while observing the scenery.

Soon enough, Lu Ying followed Yuan Niang into a dense thicket of trees. As soon as she got close, she saw Lady Ji, who had been waiting there all along, suddenly lunge toward Yuan Niang, throw her arms around her, and burst into loud sobs.

...What kind of scene was this? At this, not only Lu Ying, but even Yuan Niang was stunned.

Lady Ji held Yuan Niang tightly, wailing bitterly until she was completely out of breath, before finally being coaxed by the maidservants to pull Yuan Niang down to sit on a nearby wooden corridor.

In the dim lamplight, Lady Ji wiped her tears, her voice exhausted and hoarse as she asked, "Yuan Niang, do you hate me?"

Before Yuan Niang could answer, Lady Ji gave a desolate smile and murmured, "Of course you hate me, you should hate me... Yuan Niang, do you know? Retribution has come for me!"

What?

Yuan Niang raised her head in astonishment to look at her.

Under the dim lamps, Lady Ji, who had grown visibly much thinner, clutched the hem of Yuan Niang's robe tightly, crying and laughing as she said, "Yuan Niang, you must not know why I harmed you back then, right? It was because my parents committed a crime and were thrown into prison, and my husband told me that if I was willing to step forward, he would beg someone to help my parents... A few days ago, my husband threw a letter of divorce at me, saying I was unvirtuous, lacked propriety, had improper conduct, and was a bad person... Yuan Niang, the moment he saw my parents lose power, he divorced me immediately! Do you know how righteous he looked when he divorced me that day? He said he was blind to have misjudged me, and that someone who would frame even her good friend was not fit to be his wife. Yuan Niang, don't you find it laughable? It was he who wanted me to harm you in the first place, yet in the blink of an eye, every single thing I did has become the excuse for him to cast me aside!"

Lady Ji cried bitterly, clutching Yuan Niang's hand with helpless paleness.

Yuan Niang looked at her, but could no longer find any of her former reluctance or sympathy; there was only indifference.

After Lady Ji cried for a while, Yuan Niang asked softly, "What do you want me to do?" Look at that—how long had she been following Big Brother? She had already learned to ask things in such a straightforward manner.

Hearing Yuan Niang ask this, Lady Ji jerked her head up, gripped Yuan Niang's hand tightly, and said with a trembling voice, "Yuan Niang, I know the new Big Brother you recognize is a great figure from Luoyang. His partner is very powerful and terrifying; my parents were arrested by that person. Will you please beg your Big Brother for me? Help me ask them to let my parents go." Lady Ji's eyes shone with a bright, agitated light. "Yuan Niang, you will help me, won't you? You know it—only when my parents recover their former status and wealth will my husband take back his decree of divorce. You surely don't want me to become a cast-off woman, do you? Yuan Niang, you are also a cast-off woman now, you know my suffering, right?"

She pressed Yuan Niang step by step, her tone completely self-righteous. (To be continued)