Une jeunesse errante

Chapitre 113

"You mean He Yunya?" Madam Lu asked again, unable to believe her eyes.

“Yes, it’s He Yunya,” Zhou Lan said.

Madam Lu scolded, "That little vixen. I was wondering why she and Qingcheng hadn't had anything going on for over a year. Turns out she'd taken a fancy to Qingfeng."

Xu Yun reminded her, "Madam, in my experience, He Yunya is not to be underestimated."

Madam Lu's eyes darkened, and she remained silent.

“Miss Xu is right.” Zhou Lan hurriedly said, “After the young master came out of the plum garden, he immediately instructed me to go to the He residence to invite Miss He. Not long after Miss He arrived, the young master asked me to escort Miss He back to the residence, and then he took Lü Ying on a long trip, saying that he was going to Jingyue Nunnery.”

Madam Lu's expression changed drastically. "You have done a great service today, and I will remember it. I will allocate a piece of fine land to your family and exempt them from rent and taxes for three years."

Zhou Lan said with delight, "Thank you, Madam."

"Go ahead."

"yes."

Zhou Lan left.

Madam Lu called out loudly, "Someone come here."

A maidservant entered. "What are your orders, Madam?"

Madam Lu ordered, "Summon Xu Lan."

"Yes." The maidservant withdrew.

Xu Yun asked, "Madam, what happened?"

"Don't ask." Madam Lu lifted the covers and got off the bed. "Quickly help me change my clothes."

Xu Yun hurriedly came downstairs to help her change clothes and put on her boots. Just as they finished, Xu Lan entered and said from outside the curtain, "Did Madam call for me?"

Madam Lu said, "Xu Lan, go to Jingyue Nunnery immediately and find an old woman named Li Guilan. She is my wet nurse. Tell her that I haven't been feeling well lately and miss her very much. Ask her to come back. This must be done discreetly, so that no one else knows, especially Qingfeng. Also, Qingfeng has already set off. He is also going to Jingyue Nunnery, and his purpose is the same as yours. You must get there before him. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood, subordinate." Xu Lan left without saying another word.

Madam Lu put on her cloak and said, "Let's go."

"Madam, where are we going?" Xu Yun hurriedly fastened the straps of her cloak.

"Plum Garden".

Xu Yun stiffened upon hearing Madam Lu's cold words.

Chapter Forty-Three: The Death of Liu Mei

Liu Mei lit all the lights in the room. Staring at the empty house, she felt utterly lonely and desperate. After Qingfeng left, she used the last of her maidservants to send them away with the remaining gold and silver jewelry. She took out her best remaining set of clothes from the chest and put them on. She styled her hair, adorned it with gold hairpins and pearl flowers. The clothes and jewelry were all gifts from Qingfeng, so she couldn't bear to give them away; she wanted to take them to her grave. Then, looking in the mirror, she drew her eyebrows and applied thick layers of makeup. Sadly, no matter how much makeup she applied, she couldn't hide her unsightly haggard appearance.

She rose, dragging her extremely weak body, and pushed open the carved door to step out of the house. Snowflakes, like willow catkins, lashed against her face, the chill biting. The once bustling courtyard was now deserted and quiet, with hardly anyone in sight. Snow-laden branches in the garden resembled pear blossoms in full bloom, a hazy, dreamlike scene stretching as far as the eye could see. In her hazy, dreamlike state, she seemed to see Qingfeng, facing the wind and snow, smiling warmly as she walked towards her, holding a sprig of plum blossom.

Liu Mei rushed forward in surprise, but all she could hold in her arms was a dreamlike image. Overwhelmed with grief, she couldn't control her tears, which smeared her carefully applied makeup. The elegant plum blossoms were in full bloom, but her own plum-like charm had withered beyond recognition.

Lights appeared in the distance, swaying gently. Soon, four strong men arrived, carrying two soft bags, surrounded by four maids and two guards. After setting down the bags, Madam Lu got down, and Liu Mei smiled.

"I knew you would come. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Madam Lu immediately berated, "You brat, I spared your life, and not only are you ungrateful, you dare to plot against me behind my back."

Liu Mei smiled faintly, "Actually, the day Qingfeng came back, I didn't want to live any longer. I always wanted to commit suicide to atone for my sins against Qingfeng. But I was unwilling. Back then, if you hadn't desperately tried to win me over and seduce me, how could I have betrayed Qingfeng, and how could I have ended up like this today? Tong Fengxian, I hate you."

Madam Lu sneered, "You brat, you've wronged me! You should blame your brother. He offered you to Qingcheng for wealth and status. You should blame yourself even more. If you had remained steadfast, no matter how much I tempted you, you shouldn't have been moved. But you foolishly dreamed of gaining my current status, and it was for that reason that you abandoned Qingfeng for Qingcheng, only to end up being abandoned as well."

Liu Mei sarcastically said, "You're right, I shouldn't have been so delusional. What's so great about your status? Your son, Lu Qingcheng, can't even bear to look at you. He'd rather trust and dote on Qing Jianyue, whose origins are unknown, than believe you. What's so great about your status that I need? How can it compare to Qingfeng's love for me?"

Madam Lu was furious and lunged at her, raising her hand to slap her hard across the face, but Xu Yun pulled her away at just the right moment. Xu Yun grabbed her arm and whispered, "Madam, you mustn't. The servants are watching. It will be beneath your dignity." Madam Lu had no choice but to suppress her anger and said hatefully, "That wretched girl, even now she doesn't know how to repent."

"I regret it. Not a single day goes by that I don't regret it. If there were a pill to undo regrets, if I could do it all over again, but even if I regret it, it's all in vain." Tears streamed down Liu Mei's face. Her voice was calm, yet it conveyed a heart-wrenching pain.

The pain felt like a knife was twisting inside Xu Yun's heart, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

“I hate it so much, I hate my greedy brother who’s like a wolf. First, he gave me to Qingfeng to curry favor with Master Yan, and then he gave me to the Lord of the Fortress to curry favor with you. I hate myself even more for betraying Qingfeng. I don’t have a single day without regret. I hate myself so much, I hate myself so much.” Liu Mei choked up and said, “Qingfeng truly loved me. There is no one else in this world who loves me like he does.”

Madam Lu's previously bright and cold eyes, filled with anger, gradually dimmed. She said coldly, "Yun'er, help me inside. Liu Mei, you come in too."

Xu Yun hurriedly and secretly wiped away her tears, helping her into the room. Upon entering, both were startled by the empty room. Liu Mei slowly entered. Madam Lu asked, "What happened here?"

"I made them take all the valuables. Anyway, I can't afford to pay them, so it's better to let them go." Liu Mei said coldly, as if she were talking about someone else's business.

Madam Lu sighed and didn't ask any further questions. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall crumbles, everyone pushes it down. Her brother, Liu Jianhua, had been killed by Lu Qingcheng, and she had been divorced; who would care about her anymore? Lu Qingcheng hadn't kicked her out of the Plum Garden, which was already out of consideration for Qingfeng.

Xu Yun pulled up an embroidered stool in front of the dressing table and invited Madam Lu to sit down. Madam Lu scolded again, "Since you regret it, why are you still spouting nonsense in front of Qingfeng?"

“I have always felt remorse and guilt towards Qingfeng, so I want to do one thing for him before I die.” Liu Mei met her sharp gaze without fear. “I will never allow you to hurt him again.”

Madam Lu snorted, "You self-righteous brat, what do you know? What did you say to him?"

"Mrs. Lu, you can be afraid too?" Liu Mei sneered.

Madam Lu said dismissively, "Speak quickly, I don't have time to waste with you."

Liu Mei smiled sadly, "Yes, I don't have time to argue with you. Every extra minute I live means more suffering for me."

Madam Lu demanded sharply, "What exactly did you say to Qingfeng?"

Liu Mei ignored her and instead looked at Xu Yun, smiling sadly, "Fool, turn back now, don't let her use you. Tong Fengxian won't let another woman steal her son's heart. She can't control those two men's hearts, so she wants to control her son's. But her son is just like those two men, he refuses to be her puppet."