The two of them drank the wedding wine they hadn’t managed to drink on their wedding night.
With this cup of wine, the ceremony was plete. From the perspective of marital customs, they were now truly husband and wife.
Next should be—
Lu Yuan glanced at Meng Qianqian out of the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable. Whether it was because of the wine or not, her cheeks shimmered faintly under the candlelight, radiating a peach-like allure.
His throat tightened imperceptibly.
"Grand mander."
"What is it?"
Meng Qianqian pointed at his hand. "The cup."
She had intended for him to hand the cup to her so she could put it away.
Who would have expected Lu Yuan to misunderstand her meaning? He directly took the cup from her hand and placed it back on the table.
Meng Qianqian’s heart fluttered nervously. So this is her ordering the Grand mander around now?
Lu Yuan cleared his throat and rested his hands on his knees. "As for consummating the marriage, this mander will make up for it as well."
Meng Qianqian took a deep breath, hesitated, and then decided not to speak.
Lu Yuan’s face darkened. "What? Are you unwilling?"
Meng Qianqian tilted her head back and sighed deeply. "Grand mander, Little Nine has admired you for a long time, dreaming daily of being your true wife. But precisely because of this, I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you in your vulnerable state."
Lu Yuan frowned. "Take advantage of me?"
Meng Qianqian, filled with sorrow, exclaimed, "Little Nine means that if the Grand mander wishes to turn this act into reality, it’s probably because of the pressure from Grandpa and Mother wanting to give Bao Shu a little brother or sister. Such filial piety moves heaven and earth! If Little Nine were to exploit the Grand mander’s filial heart, wouldn’t that be betraying the love of Grandpa and Mother while also sullying my feelings toward the Grand mander?"
Lu Yuan replied coldly, "After all that talk, you’re still unwilling."
Meng Qianqian clenched her fists. "If the Grand mander doesn’t mind Little Nine taking advantage of you, then tonight Little Nine... will make the rice cooked and the meal plete!"
With that, she leaned forward and pushed Lu Yuan down onto the wedding bed that was scattered with peanuts, longans, and dates.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and moved to kiss Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan pushed her away firmly, his face cold as he got up and walked out.
Meng Qianqian reached out her hand. "Grand mander! Don’t abandon Little Nine—don’t abandon Little Nine—abandon Little Nine—Little Nine—Nine—"
Once she was sure he was far gone, Meng Qianqian retracted her hand, which had stiffened from the effort, and raised an eyebrow.
"I truly am something else."
She stepped out of the stepping bed, sat at the table, and opened the snack box, grabbing some fried dough twists and eating them one by one.
"Fried dough twists, so red and crispy, mandarin duck pastries, lily cakes, unity candies..."
While eating, Meng Qianqian counted the treats in the box, the kind only served at weddings, but suddenly found the fried dough twists not so tasty anymore.
If she had known, she shouldn’t have flattered him so recklessly the first time.
And now, it’s a mess. She flattered too much and clearly went too far to cover it up.
With her current "position," she figured... it probably wouldn’t be a crime deserving death.
After pondering for a while, Meng Qianqian decided to confess to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan wasn’t in the study—he had gone for a bath.
But the water in the bath barrel had been sitting for over an hour and was already cold. He hadn’t even called for a servant to add hot water.
The autumn night carried traces of chill, cooling the heat of the day. Yet the heat from the wedding wine burned unrestrained in his chest.
Meng Qianqian traced the path from the study to the bathroom.
She waited outside the door for quite a while but didn’t see Lu Yuan emerge. She lightly knocked on the door.
"Grand mander, it’s me. I have something to say to you. Should I wait for you here or back in the room?"
There was no response from the bathroom.
Meng Qianqian furrowed her brows slightly.
He was genuinely angry now?
No, no, even if he were angry, he wouldn’t ignore her. He’d rather scold her, but he’d never leave her words unanswered.
"Grand mander."
Meng Qianqian knocked again.
Still no response.
She pressed her ear to the door crack. Not even the sound of splashing water. It was eerily quiet inside, as if no one was there.
Without hesitation, Meng Qianqian kicked the door open, rushed into the bathroom, and ran to the tub—only to find Lu Yuan submerged under the water.
Her expression changed immediately as she hurriedly pulled him out. "Lu Yuan!"
Lu Yuan’s face was purple, his body icy cold, and he had no pulse.
Meng Qianqian carried Lu Yuan out of the bath and laid him flat on the ground.
Kneeling beside him, she pressed down on his chest with all her strength.
Still, Lu Yuan showed no sign of waking up.
Meng Qianqian grew frantic. "Lu Yuan, wake up! Who has a wedding night and then abandons their bride? Do you want me to bee a widow again?"
Whether it was her words or the effect of her pressions, Lu Yuan suddenly expelled a mouthful of water and finally regained his pulse and breath.
But his consciousness remained hazy. He was like a frozen figure of beauty, his body radiating faint cold air.
"How did it e to this?"
Meng Qianqian had known Lu Yuan for so long but had never heard of him suffering from cold syndrome.
Suddenly, Meng Qianqian thought of the Red Ganoderma from the Governor Mansion.
The Red Ganoderma was used to treat cold syndrome. When Lady Yan used Red Ganoderma to save her, Meng Qianqian had only marveled at how wealthy the Governor Mansion was to possess something so rare, never considering why they had it.
It made sense now. Those Red Ganoderma were his medicine.
He had given his medicine... to her.
Meng Qianqian wrapped her outer robe around him and carried him back to the wedding room. She took out some blankets from the cabinet and covered him up.
"Red Ganoderma..."
The Governor Mansion’s Red Ganoderma had all been consumed by her, but fortunately, Grandpa and Mother had brought more when they came to the capital.
She ground a few of the Ganoderma into powder.
Meng Qianqian opened a drawer, retrieved a small bottle of powdered Red Ganoderma, poured it into Lu Yuan’s mouth, and brought a bowl and spoon to his side. Just as she had coaxed Bao Shu before, she patiently spoon-fed him the remedy little by little.
The Ganoderma’s effects weren’t immediate.
Meng Qianqian kicked off her shoes, climbed into the bed, and nestled under the blanket beside him. "Grand mander, are you stupid? Why wouldn’t you tell me you have cold syndrome?"
If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have consumed so much of the Red Ganoderma herself.
Lu Yuan groaned, "Meng Xiaojiu, you’re so noisy."
Meng Qianqian was overjoyed. "You’re awake?"
Lu Yuan’s face remained pale. "Not yet."
Then, his consciousness faded again.
"Meng Xiaojiu, are you a ball of fire? You’re burning this mander alive."
Meng Qianqian took a deep breath. It’s because you’re freezing, dear husband.
She suspected she’d given him too much Red Ganoderma powder in her impatience.
In the latter half of the night, once the cold syndrome abated, his body began to burn with heat, radiating warmth from the inside out.
Suddenly, he sat upright, steaming like a freshly baked pastry, and declared earnestly, "Meng Xiaojiu, what time is it? This mander needs to attend court!"
Meng Qianqian stammered, "It’s... still early."
"Xun Yu’s schoolwork isn’t finished yet. If it’s not pleted, he won’t get to eat and will be beaten."
"Last time, the teacher broke my hand. Afterward, I got clever and supported myself with the other hand—it doesn’t break as easily, see?"
Meng Qianqian stared dumbfounded at the hand he stretched toward her.
His hand... had been broken before?
Lu Yuan scratched his head, his gaze suddenly resembling that of an eleven or twelve-year-old child. "I knelt all night in the heavy snow; it hurt so much. I couldn’t tell Uncle Cen, though—he’d be worried."
Meng Qianqian stared at him intently. "They... did that to you?"
Lu Yuan abruptly grabbed his leg, his face contorting in pain. "They said if my leg became crippled, I wouldn’t be able to take the exams. But as long as I helped Xun Yu win the top scholar title, I’d still have a chance to be an official."
Meng Qianqian wrapped her arms around him tightly.
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