Chapter 53: Witnessing It With His Own Eyes
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
As the wine flowed freely, Lu Zheng Yue found himself increasingly intoxicated. He clapped Lu Jing Huai on the shoulder, his voice slurred as he hiccupped, “Hic… Brother Jing Huai, you… hic… understand me best.”
“To have a friend like this, what more could one ask for?” Lu Jing Huai sighed lightly. “But to my shame, Brother Zheng Yue, while you were away from the capital, I’ve had some misunderstandings with the Marquis’s household over the past few months.”
“My mother has a fondness for jewelry, so she often buys rare trinkets. Who could have expected that the Marquis’s servants would steal Madam Xu’s dowry to sell off, only for my mother to unwittingly purchase it? It caused an uproar at the yamen.”
“My servant boy, scolded by my mother recently, held a grudge and directed his malice elsewhere—he set the Marquis’s estate on fire. Now, Jing Huai is left with no way to explain himself, even if I’m in the right.” Lu Jing Huai sighed deeply, a melancholy shadow passing over his refined features.
Lu Zheng Yue, swaying in his drunken haze, draped an arm around Lu Jing Huai’s shoulder. “Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
“You and I, we’re brothers… hic… brothers.”
“That jewelry… If you like it, I’ll get it for you.” He laughed drunkenly. “What’s ours is ours. We’ve been good brothers for years! Forget jewelry, even the heirship of the Marquis’s estate is something you deserve!”
His ramblings amused Lu Jing Huai, who indulged in a few more cups of wine himself.
“Zheng Yue, you’re drunk and spouting nonsense. The title of heir belongs to Yan Shu. Young Master Yan Shu is exceptionally gifted—who in the capital hasn’t heard his name?”
Lu Zheng Yue snorted dismissively. “He’s nowhere near your level.”
“Not… hic… not even close.”
“Father… hic… Father always scolds me for being… useless. Hic… If you were my real brother, that title… hic… would rightfully be yours.”
Lu Zheng Yue staggered, his steps faltering as Su Zhi Qing hurried forward to support him.
“Lu… Young Master Lu, you’re drunk. Let me help you to bed.” Su Zhi Qing stumbled slightly under his weight, her delicate face tinged with concern. Lu Zheng Yue collapsed onto the bed, snoring softly, completely unconscious.
Blushing, Su Zhi Qing turned to Lu Jing Huai. “Young Master Lu, could you summon a servant? He’s had too much to drink…” Her tone was reserved, yet her gaze lingered on Lu Jing Huai, tinged with melancholy.
Lu Jing Huai’s lips curved into a sly smile. With a single motion, he pulled the flustered Su Zhi Qing into his arms. “Still calling me Young Master Lu? Why so distant? If you keep this up, I’ll have to punish you.” His lips pressed firmly against hers, leaving her face flushed.
Stealing a glance at the snoring Lu Zheng Yue, Su Zhi Qing whispered, “I’m afraid he’s feigning drunkenness, lest he ruins your plans.”
Lu Jing Huai chuckled dismissively. “We’ve known each other for years. Do you think I don’t know him?”
“He trusts us completely.”
“Not just him, even his mother is naïve. For seventeen or eighteen years, she’s never suspected a thing. On the night of his father’s wedding, he spent the first half with Madam Xu in the bridal chamber and the latter half in the room of my mother.”
Thus, Lu Jing Huai and Lu Yan Shu’s birthdays were but a few days apart.
“Aunt Pei is gentle and kind, always understanding. If not for Madam Xu’s noble lineage, Madam Pei wouldn’t have endured so much over the years.”
“Good thing you, Jing Huai, have ambition, securing all of this for her.” Su Zhi Qing clung to him, casting aside the pretense of modesty she had shown Lu Zheng Yue.
Lu Jing Huai tilted her chin with a finger. “Has he touched you? Hm?”
“Did he kiss you here? Or here? Or perhaps… here?” His finger trailed suggestively across her skin.
Su Zhi Qing glared at him, feigning anger. “This body is yours. How could I let him touch me? He’s not worthy.” Lu Zheng Yue, who would blush just holding her hand, treated her like a treasure too precious to offend.
Yet Su Zhi Qing felt a flicker of discomfort, unwilling to remain in the room any longer. “Let’s go next door?” she suggested.
But Lu Jing Huai pulled at her robes instead. “No, right here. In front of him. It’s not the first time.”
“Last time, when he fell off the cliff and was unconscious, you were far more daring.”
“Qing Qing, show me your skills.” His eyes burned crimson with desire, the memory of that day igniting him further. He had intentionally humiliated Lu Zheng Yue, choosing to torment Su Zhi Qing while Lu Zheng Yue lay unconscious.
But Lu Zheng Yue had woken up, forcing Su Zhi Qing to leap onto the bed in panic while Lu Jing Huai watched, hidden behind the door, his satisfaction growing as Lu Zheng Yue unwittingly fell deeper into the trap.
Lu Jing Huai bit Su Zhi Qing’s lip hard, making her cry out softly before covering her mouth in panic. Tears welled in her eyes as she murmured, “How could I not miss you? I’ve given you everything, haven’t I?”
“But you… you’re already betrothed to Miss Jiang.”
Lu Jing Huai’s expression turned cold. “Jiang Yun Jin? She’s nothing but a block of wood. How could she compare to you?”
Su Zhi Qing’s face flushed crimson. “Really? Have you touched her?” she pressed.
Lu Jing Huai pinched her cheek. “Why would I? She’s a legitimate daughter of a noble family. She would never stoop to such things.”
His scheme was simple: to pit Lu Zheng Yue against the Marquis’s household over Su Zhi Qing. Lu Zheng Yue, ever loyal and grateful, would never allow Su Zhi Qing to be wronged.
“Even my mother thinks highly of you. She only sees you as her daughter-in-law.” His words left Su Zhi Qing’s heart soaring with delight.
Drunk and lying on the bed with his back to them, Lu Zheng Yue slowly opened his eyes. A chilling glint flashed within them.
They knew him well—perhaps too well. Without his sister’s heartfelt words, he might have spent his entire life in the dark.
The faint sound of movement behind him and the suppressed sobs of Su Zhi Qing stirred no emotion in his heart. His so-called salvation had been nothing but a ruse—a conspiracy from start to finish.
Lu Zheng Yue coughed softly, startling the pair behind him. They froze in place, as though doused in cold water. He muttered incoherently, his body limp on the bed as he peeked through slightly opened eyes. Their forms were entwined tightly.
“Mm… Qing Qing…” he murmured her name, sending shockwaves through the two. They dared not move a muscle.
Lu Jing Huai quickly sobered, realizing he had almost jeopardized everything. He subtly pushed Su Zhi Qing away and dressed swiftly. Trembling, Su Zhi Qing hastily pulled on her gown, the two of them exiting the room one after the other, disheveled and flushed.
Across the hall sat a group of elderly scholars who eyed them with disapproval.
“Such a disgrace to decorum, engaging in such shameless acts in broad daylight!”
“This is an inn, not a tavern. How indecent,” another grumbled disdainfully.
These men were none other than the Censors of Northern Zhao, responsible for maintaining moral and political order. Their criticism extended even to the emperor if necessary. Some had even died protesting in the Golden Luan Hall.
“Was that not the famed young prodigy, Lu Jing Huai?” one of them remarked, frowning. “Flaunting such behavior in public—truly contemptible.”
None noticed the still figure of Lu Zheng Yue lying within the room.
“Soaring Elegance Academy places great importance on him. If he achieves the Triple Crown of Excellence…” One of the elderly scholars raised an eyebrow. “The emperor might appoint him as the crown prince’s tutor.”
The group fell into silent disapproval, each silently recording the incident in their hearts.