Lanting

Capítulo 14

The candlelight in the corridor flickered. Ever since that slap, the pain in my right hand hadn't subsided. The wind whistled in my ears. Yes, his heart belonged only to his innocent eighth sister-in-law, while I was merely a venomous woman he had married with resentment, ruining their lifelong happiness. How could I be so despicable…

I crashed into a pillar, feeling as if all my strength had been drained away, leaving me feeling weak and limp.

A hand supported me.

Take a quick look—

His face remained as cold and aloof as ever, yet it seemed to hold profound emotions.

"Fourth Master—"

The small room felt exceptionally warm. I took the hot tea from his hands. His hands were rough and stiff from years of wielding a sword.

"It's so cold," I chuckled softly.

He remained silent, staring blankly to one side.

"Does Fourth Master also think I'm that kind of woman? That kind of woman who's exceptionally scheming... So, Fourth Master, you shouldn't take such good care of me. Aren't you afraid that I'm just using you, trying to harm you..." My smile was tinged with coldness, and my eyes were moist.

He turned his head sharply to look at me, his lips trembled, and his voice was low, "You... are not."

I froze, and sighed, “Fourth Master, you may appear cold and aloof, but you still have a few warmths in your heart. But he… may appear gentle, but his heart is as cold as ice.”

Fourth Master stared intently at me, then slowly rose, took out a purse from his robes, and handed it to me. "When I went on this long trip, your fourth sister-in-law instructed me to bring gifts for each branch of the household. I've sent the rest. This is yours..."

Opening the purse, there was a cyan jade bracelet. Its soft, gentle light caught my eye. I seemed to have seen Fourth Sister-in-law wearing this bracelet recently, and Qing'er also had one.

I smiled and looked into his unfathomable eyes. "Fourth Master, you didn't come back with a bundle on your back, did you?"

He paused, then coughed slightly. "...Do you like it?"

He managed to utter these simple words only after his face turned red.

"Of course I like what Fourth Master gave me." That's absolutely true. Putting aside the price of the gift, the sentiment alone is enough to move me. It's rare to find someone in the Prince's mansion who still treats me like family.

A flicker of joy flashed in his eyes, fleeting yet etched in my memory. I knew of Fourth Master's feelings. These feelings were deeper than those of other masters, but how deep, I wasn't sure. As long as they didn't cross any lines, I could always accept them with equanimity.

"Master, aren't you going back? Your fourth sister-in-law must be looking for you by now." I stopped my affectionate words at the right moment and just pretended to be confused as I looked at him.

He nodded slightly, walked to the door, and paused. "I know you're not that kind of person, and Lao Qi also... knows. I think he's just worried that you'll cause some trouble and be criticized."

As I watched that figure gradually disappear into the darkness, I trembled slightly, and the resentment I had long since suppressed welled up in my heart. Since she knew… it wasn't that she didn't know…

Through my teary eyes, someone pushed open the door and came in. They sat down by my bedside and remained silent for a long time before finally sighing. They reached out and turned my face towards them, wiping away my tears with a handkerchief.

I froze, speechless. Instinctively, I backed away, thinking, "What right does a woman like me have to let you touch me, sir?"

He smiled faintly, let go of me, threw the towel in his hand on the table, and looked at me calmly.

Looking at the smile on his lips, and thinking of the humiliation in the pavilion, my eyes welled up with tears again.

"So aggrieved?" He coughed twice and handed over a handkerchief. "If a legitimate wife can't even handle this little bit of grievance, how can she keep order in the whole family? You didn't come for dinner, and Mother kept asking you about it. Wipe your face and come back to Mother with me so we can go back to the mansion. You've been exhausted all day."

I turned my face away. So he had come to find me to report back to the Empress Dowager. "Go back by yourself."

"What a joke." He slowly stood up and looked the room up and down. "If you don't go back, where else can you go? You can't possibly go back to Lao Ba's Luo Garden, can you?"

“You—” I bit my lip, my anger flaring up.

He shook his head and laughed, "What did I say that made you glare at me again? Shouldn't I be the one glaring at you in this situation?!"

"You know what this is about, yet you just stare at me like that." I rolled my eyes at him, showing no politeness whatsoever.

He raised his eyebrows. "You really hurt Lao Ba badly this time. He got completely drunk at the dinner table. I'll have to bring you to apologize tomorrow."

"Putting aside the fact that he scared me and embarrassed me in court, I'm his sister-in-law, so there's no reason for me to apologize to him." I said, looking unhappy.

"If you had said you were his sister-in-law earlier, none of this would have happened," he smiled faintly, his gaze drifting elsewhere. "Or did you do something wrong that you're afraid to let him know your identity, and you're also afraid to see him?"

I deflated, my voice growing weaker and weaker, "He saved me when I went to a brothel. If he finds out that his seventh sister-in-law went to a place like that, and it gets out, I don't know how I'll lose face!"

He sighed and looked at me with a helpless expression, "A brothel...playing...Seventh Master's legitimate wife is indeed extraordinary."

I glared at him, cursing inwardly, "It's so satisfying to scold me, it seems it's made me feel better too."

After returning to the Empress's residence and leaving the Prince's mansion, Lu Li drowsily leaned against the carriage and fell asleep.

I took out the jade bracelet that Fourth Master had given me from my purse and rubbed it with my hand. The jade was smooth and had a faint coolness to the touch. My fingers traced the inner wall of the bracelet and paused slightly.

The inner wall has tiny, rough marks, about the size of a thumb, unlike any other texture...

Busy stuffing the bracelet back into his purse, Lu Li raised his eyes and looked at the purse. "Oh, you've taken it too? Fourth Brother has really gone astray. He's never sent any gifts to the other families before, but this time he brought a whole bunch and is giving them to each one. It's obvious he's not Fourth Brother anymore."

"Don't let his cold exterior fool you, at least Fourth Brother has some heart, unlike some people." I glanced at him.

He closed his eyes and smiled, "How do you know I didn't bring anything back?"

What did you bring back?

When I turned to look at him, he had fallen asleep without making a sound. I sighed, and my hand unconsciously went to the smooth, fine scratches on his waist...

Back in my room, I could barely keep my eyes open when someone knocked on the door and came in carrying something.

"Master, our master sent this to you." It was Lu Li's follower, Xiao Si, who spoke.

I lifted the curtain and saw the brocade box in the plate. I slowly opened it and was stunned.