Chapter Forty-Seven: The Second Round

Several maidservants were clearly stunned, each one staring wide-eyed at Lu Ying in silence. Lu Ying, after casting a glance at the nobleman who sat with his eyes closed, unmoved, continued to leaf through her book. “A gentleman helps others achieve goodness, not evil. A petty man does the opposite. To err and not correct, that is the true mistake.”

…You are detaining my brother, wanting to possess me—a woman of only average beauty, restless at heart. This is a mistake. Why not correct it? Please, just correct it. Correct it.

The nobleman shot her a sidelong glance, and the room fell into utter stillness.

Lu Ying recited again, “When paths differ, there is no ground for dialogue.”

…Our positions and destinies diverge completely; there’s no reason for us to sit together and discuss anything. So, just send my brother out and I promise I’ll leave quietly and smoothly!

Still, the nobleman kept his eyes closed, ignoring her.

“To impose upon another what you would not choose for yourself is unjust.”

…Don’t force upon others what you yourself would not wish, do you understand?

Yet he remained motionless.

Having exhausted all her carefully selected quotations, and the meaning she wished to convey, Lu Ying slowly closed her book. Lifting her head, she cast a glance at the silent nobleman, then bowed deeply and declared in a clear voice, “Sir, the spring air is still cold. It’s not wise to sleep.” Her voice was muffled and heavy, and a sense of frustration pressed against her chest.

How could she not be frustrated? Had she not made herself clear enough? Had she not said enough? Yet this man showed no reaction at all.

With a long sigh, Lu Ying stepped back twice, then knelt formally before the nobleman, her voice chilling as she said, “I wonder how my recitation fares? Might I trouble you for some advice?”

You should give me an answer! It’s time for you to respond!

Very well, if you won’t speak, I’ll just wait.

Bathed in the gradually setting sun, Lu Ying knelt motionless before him, determined to force an answer. The air grew heavy and still. The four maidservants exchanged uneasy glances and lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

No one knew how much time passed before the nobleman’s deep, magnetic laughter suddenly broke the silence. It was abrupt, yet so melodious. Hearing that low chuckle rumble from his chest, Lu Ying lifted her head, her dark, clear eyes glaring at him in annoyance.

At last, the nobleman stood up.

He strolled over to her, then slowly crouched down before her, reaching out a hand to stroke her jet-black hair. With a low laugh, he asked, “Do you truly wish not to follow me?”

Lu Ying had already said all she could. She merely bit her lip stubbornly, saying nothing more in mockery or resistance.

His slender fingers slid from the silk of her hair to her fair cheek, then traced the graceful line of her nose, finally coming to rest on her soft lips.

His index finger lingered there, as though reluctant to part, his deep, tranquil eyes watching her face flush a deeper and deeper red, and her gaze blaze with growing anger.

Finally, when her cheeks were so red they seemed about to bleed and her shame and fury were almost murderous, the nobleman laughed again.

His laughter low and rich, he straightened and called, “Xie San.”

A man in blue responded, “Master.”

“Go, find the real Lu Yun and send him back to the Lu estate.”

As Lu Ying’s face broke into a radiant smile, the man in blue departed to carry out the order.

Lu Ying bowed deeply to the nobleman, then rose joyfully to her feet. With utmost respect, she said, “Thank you for your magnanimity, sir. I take my leave.”

The nobleman lounged lazily, head tilted. When Lu Ying had walked ten paces away, he called out slowly, “Lu Ying…”

“Yes!” Lu Ying turned back at once, bowing her head in salute.

He sauntered over, gazing down at her delicate face for a long moment before laughing quietly. “You intrigue me even more now. What am I to do?”

Swish!

Lu Ying’s face turned as pale as snow.

Seeing her stricken expression, the nobleman could no longer contain his laughter. After a while, he sobered, speaking languidly, “So, you finally understand me, Lu Ying.”

He leaned in, gently breathing into her ear, and called in a low, husky voice, “Yingying… Don’t go agreeing to anyone else’s proposal, and don’t get too close to those young men. Do you understand me?”

Lu Ying froze.

The nobleman, trying not to laugh, reached out and caressed her ear, fondling the cool lobe as he sighed, “If only the timing were right, I truly wouldn’t want to let you go… Go on now, and be good. If you ignore my words again, your brother won’t come back so easily next time. Do you understand?”

Lu Ying didn’t understand, so she made no reply. Instead, she glowered, performed a stiff salute, and bolted away, disappearing from his sight like a gust of wind.

Lu Ying had barely been home a quarter of an hour when a knock sounded at the door. She dashed out and flung it open. Sure enough, her pale, delicate younger brother stood before her.

Their eyes met, and Lu Yun rushed forward, embracing his sister tightly. “Sister, I missed you so much,” he cried with joy.

Lu Ying glanced at the two men in blue who were already striding away, then shut the courtyard gate and asked, “A Yun, where have you been these past two days?”

“I don’t know either,” Lu Yun replied, a bit glum. “Someone told me you’d been detained at the Ping residence. I got worried and asked my teacher for leave to come home. But as soon as I stepped out, I fainted. When I woke up, I was in a beautiful courtyard, full of books and endless paper, brushes, and ink. But—” His cheeks flushed as he muttered, “But the maids there were shameless, always teasing me.”

He looked up, worry in his eyes. “Sister, I’ve missed two days of school. Will my teacher scold me? What if my classmates ask? And you look so thin—have you been searching for me all this time? Who were those two men? They said you sent them to rescue me?”

His questions tumbled out one after another. Lu Ying answered a few absently, then instructed, “A Yun, if your teacher or classmates ask tomorrow, just say you spent these two days at a place called Harmony Garden, where you played chess and read with a very distinguished gentleman. Remember, no matter who asks, give them this answer.”

She thought: how many in Hanyang, both openly and secretly, are watching that nobleman? She had entered and left his residence under her brother’s name, all for this very day! When people ask, they’ll hear, “Lu Yun played chess with the nobleman,” “Lu Yun studied the classics before the nobleman.”

And what manner of man was that nobleman? His interest in “Lu Yun” would be enough to awe the petty-minded, and to make others regard Lu Yun in a new light.

Hmph. Since a few words from him had placed her in such a quandary, she would use his name to pave a path to glory for her brother!