Chapter 60: The Helper Becomes a Rival
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Madam Xu stood in the courtyard, her sleepless eyes fixed on the snow-covered ground.
Snow piled on her shoulders, but she remained unmoving, deaf to the cold.
“Madam, please come inside,” Deng Zhi knelt in the snow, pleading for her to return to the warmth of the house.
Madam Xu felt her entire body grow numb with the chill, but she knew she could not leave.
A young maid, trembling with fear, hesitated before speaking. “Last night… the Marquis called for water three times.”
Madam Xu’s face turned ashen, though it was impossible to tell whether it was from the cold or from heartbreak.
The entire manor was unnervingly quiet.
When Lu Yuan Ze opened his eyes, the sight of a delicate woman nestled in his arms instantly sobered him. Even Su Zhi Qing’s breath hitched in shock. This wasn’t a dream.
Last night wasn’t a dream.
Her face went deathly pale as her gaze fell on the bruises marking her body. A wave of horror and self-loathing overwhelmed her, leaving her trembling uncontrollably.
[This is wrong.]
[This is all wrong!]
Her throat felt as though it had closed, leaving her drowning in fear.
Initially annoyed, Lu Yuan Ze’s frustration faded when he saw her panicked state. Gently, he pulled her into his arms. “I will explain everything to Madam. Don’t be afraid. This is my fault.”
“You don’t need to worry. Last night… I lost control,” he added, lips tightening as he recalled the fleeting happiness that had briefly eclipsed his troubles.
Su Zhi Qing’s tears finally broke free. She felt as though her entire world had collapsed. The plans given to her by Pei Jiao Jiao were meant to win the Lu family’s favor, not to steal someone else’s husband.
But the commanding aura of Marquis Lu was irresistible—a stark contrast to the naïve boys like Lu Zheng Yue or Lu Jing Huai.
From outside, a maid’s voice broke through the silence. “Marquis, Madam has been standing in the courtyard all night. Please, go see her. She’s freezing in the snow.” Her tone cracked with tears.
Lu Yuan Ze scrambled out of bed, hastily throwing on his clothes. “Qing Qing, I will give you an explanation.”
Su Zhi Qing could feel the disdain in the maid’s gaze, as though needles were piercing her skin. Her fear deepened, for her heart did not belong to Lu Yuan Ze but to Lu Jing Huai.
[I am Jing Huai’s woman. I cannot marry Lu Yuan Ze!]
The secret she carried would ruin her if exposed, leaving her without redemption.
Lu Yuan Ze rushed out without even wearing socks, making his way to the main courtyard. Sure enough, there she was—a woman cloaked in snow.
Madam Xu’s posture wavered, her expression eerily calm as she looked at him.
Panic flickered in Lu Yuan Ze’s heart. “Shi Yun… last night, I went into the wrong room.”
“I thought she was you.”
Shi Yun’s body seemed frozen solid, her voice raspy and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Marquis, you have stood by me for almost twenty years. I should not be so selfish. Please, let me cool my head for a while.”
Deng Zhi helped support her mistress, brushing off the snow as it fell in clumps. Just as they turned, Madam Xu’s knees gave out, and Deng Zhi cried out, “Madam!”
Lu Yuan Ze started forward, only for Deng Zhi to block his path, her tone sharp with anger. “Marquis, please do not aggravate Madam further!”
“She has been waiting since you entered Miss Su’s chambers. She stood in the snow all night.” With that, she carried Madam Xu into the house.
Inside, Shi Yun slowly opened her eyes. The maids silently moved to help her change into warm clothes and soak her feet in hot water. After drinking ginger tea, warmth finally returned to her frozen limbs.
Lu Chao Chao’s little eyes were red with distress as she hugged her mother’s cold hands against her own face.
“Hiss…” The little one shivered.
Shi Yun quickly withdrew her hand. “Silly girl, don’t let your face freeze. Mother is fine. I was only putting on a show for him.” Without this performance, how else could she ensure Su Zhi Qing’s place in the household?
Deng Zhi peeked through the doorway. “Madam, the Marquis has left.”
He had lingered at the courtyard gate for half an hour but left hurriedly upon hearing news that Su Zhi Qing was threatening to hang herself.
“Madam, you calculated everything perfectly. That Su girl has indeed shifted her sights to the Marquis.”
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled with admiration. [My mother is so smart!]
Shi Yun couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not that I’m smart. It’s my Chao Chao who is blessed.”
“Lu Jing Huai may have talent and potential, but he has yet to mature. Compared to a man like Lu Yuan Ze, he still falls short.”
Moreover, her snow-covered vigil and the rumors of a single night spent with Lu Yuan Ze had spread through the manor. This effectively severed any chance she had of returning to the Marquis’s household. Now, her only lifeline was to cling tightly to Lu Yuan Ze.
Seeing her mother’s bright eyes despite her fragile state, Lu Chao Chao felt reassured.
By afternoon, Su Zhi Qing, dressed in peach-red, came to Listening Wind Courtyard to apologize. Yesterday, she had still been garbed as an unmarried maiden, but today her radiant appearance betrayed her inner triumph.
“Madam, she still has the audacity to come?” Deng Zhi fumed.
Shi Yun chuckled softly. “Why wouldn’t she? The Marquis is backing her, after all.”
Su Zhi Qing bit her lip, her frail steps unsteady as she entered the courtyard. Kneeling upon entering, the bruises on her neck were prominently displayed.
“Madam, this is all Qing Qing’s fault. It has nothing to do with the Marquis…”
“This morning, I realized my grave mistake and intended to take my life in repentance,” she whispered, looking like a flower battered by the storm. “But the Marquis stopped me.”
Shi Yun, eyes glistening with tears, subtly smiled. Every detail about Su Zhi Qing—her demeanor and attire—perfectly aligned with the Marquis’s tastes.
[Pei Jiao Jiao, you went to such lengths to groom Su Zhi Qing to charm the Lu family. Yet in the end, she competes with you for the Marquis.]
Shi Yun stood, her tear-streaked face sincere as she helped Su Zhi Qing up. “Miss Su, you are from a good family. I would not wish to make you suffer.”
“But…” Her tone turned hesitant. “Your connection with Brother Zheng Yue…”
Su Zhi Qing froze, a flicker of stiffness crossing her face. “I only regard Zheng Yue as a friend. We have never acted improperly.”
[The one who crossed the line… was Lu Jing Huai.]
A chill ran through Su Zhi Qing as she shuddered.
“Then that’s good,” Shi Yun exhaled as if relieved. “I’ve been married to the Marquis for many years. He’s a devoted man, never taking a concubine or bed maid. To think Miss Su would be the first.”
“I’ve borne him three sons and a daughter. I no longer have the strength to care for him as he deserves.”
“You and the Marquis seem to be fated. There’s no need to feel uneasy. The Marquis’s household is straightforward and clean. Once you enter, take good care of him. If you can give him another son or daughter, he will surely be delighted.”
Shi Yun patted Su Zhi Qing’s hand gently, and the latter shyly nodded in agreement.
“You saved Zheng Yue’s life. It would be unjust to make you a mere concubine.”
Su Zhi Qing’s head snapped up, her nails digging into her palms, but Shi Yun pretended not to notice.