Chapter 102: Discovery

The next morning, the dawn light was gorgeous.

As usual, Lu Yuner woke up first. She saw that her posture hadn’t moved at all, quietly looking at the young man nestled in her arms sleeping soundly, as quiet as a piece of fine, precious jade.

His eyelashes were lowered, eyes tightly closed, breathing long and gentle. His fair cheeks were flushed from sleep, with an innocent and adorable look between his brows, appearing so well-behaved.

Lu Yuner’s lips revealed a helpless and doting smile. This was not the first or second time facing Su Qingwan’s amorous actions.

Agreeing to share a bed with him had already violated social norms and boundaries, but faced with his various humble and pitiful requests, she always had a soft heart.

When you like someone, naturally you place them on the tip of your heart, doting on them in every way.

But from the current situation, their married life could be foreseen in advance. Once Su Qingwan truly experienced intimacy and tasted the sweetness of the bedroom, this sweet trouble would probably…

While pondering, the person in her arms moved slightly, and a soft, hoarse voice came from beside her ear, “Elder Sister Yuner, when did you wake up?”

Lu Yuner came back to her senses and looked down to see his eyes sleepy, skin fair and translucent, delicate eyebrows and eyes relaxed, still with some lazy charm.

The young man had a small frame and was rather thin, his loose undergarments now appearing even looser. With this movement, the collar of his clothes became disheveled, revealing quite a bit of alluring spring scenery.

Especially those lips that seemed dyed with bright flower colors, even more rosy and beautiful, inexplicably making one feel parched.

Except for yesterday when she first shared a bed with him and left before he woke, this was the first time seeing such a vivid and charming scene.

Lu Yuner paused for a moment, then resumed as usual and smiled, “I just woke up not long ago. Did Wan’er sleep well last night?”

Su Qingwan leaned into her arms again with a satisfied face, his voice light and carrying a slight childish tone, “Mm, I slept very well.”

He even dreamed of Elder Sister Yuner! All the actions from yesterday, in the dream Elder Sister Yuner didn’t refuse at all, and even…

Recalling the scenes from the dream, his face gradually began to heat up.

Given Su Qingwan’s nature, using waking up as an excuse, he lingered and dawdled in bed for a long time.

Little did they know that an unexpected guest had arrived at Qinsi Garden.

Seeing that Su Qingwan was rather thin last time and hadn’t come to Qinsi Garden to see him, Ye Cen personally brought some precious tonics to nourish him, expressing the elders’ care on behalf of the Lu family.

At this time, Qiu Yi was standing anxiously outside the door, listening to the slight sounds from inside the room, and called out urgently, “My lady, my lady, are you awake? Mu Zhujun has been waiting for you in the reception room for a long time.”

Suddenly hearing Qiu Yi’s voice from outside, learning that her uncle had come to Qinsi Garden, Lu Yuner’s eyes flickered slightly, hiding a trace of something unusual in her eyes. She said a few words to Su Qingwan, then got up first to wash up.

All the way, Qiu Yi followed behind Lu Yuner, worriedly saying, “My lady, Mu Zhujun came early this morning to bring tonics for Young Master Su. I wanted to stop him, but he still found out that you and Young Master Su were sleeping in the same room. His face changed instantly at that moment.”

Lu Yuner listened silently, her eyelashes trembling. She knew her uncle must be angry.

Qinsi Garden had always been managed by her uncle, who was familiar with everything here. As long as he came to Qinsi Garden, he would definitely know about her sharing a bed with Su Qingwan.

However… the Lu and Mu families had always been known for their strict family etiquette. Now that she and Su Qingwan were sharing a bed before marriage, it violated the propriety between men and women, and in her uncle’s eyes, it was an outrageous act.

Arriving in the reception room, she saw her uncle sitting alone in a chair with a grave expression, without any servants following.

Lu Yuner bowed and said, “Uncle.”

Ye Cen’s brow had been tightly furrowed the whole time. No wonder he hadn’t seen any other servants besides the two’s personal attendants in all this time at Qinsi Garden; it was because of this matter.

He had even specially instructed Yang’er not to disturb the two’s time together.

Upon seeing the arrival, his voice carried a hint of anger as he coldly said, “Kneel down!”

Hearing this, Lu Yuner knew the reason and knelt on the ground.

Ye Cen stood up and came before her, speaking earnestly, “Yuner, you come from a military family, have been well-versed in poetry and etiquette since childhood, and have always been mature and steady. I, your uncle, have never worried about you doing anything illegal or overstepping bounds. But now… how could you do such a foolish thing… Ai!”

“Although you and Young Master Su are engaged, as long as you’re not yet married, you must not do anything that violates propriety. If others were to find out, where would the Lu family’s reputation be? What of Young Master Su’s face?”

Lu Yuner was about to reply, “I…”

Suddenly, she was interrupted by someone’s voice, “Uncle, if you want to punish someone, punish me!”

Lu Yuner turned back, “Wan’er.”

Ye Cen looked at Su Qingwan in confusion, “Qingwan?”

Su Qingwan knelt down alongside Lu Yuner, glanced at her, and said to Ye Cen, “Uncle, this isn’t Elder Sister Yuner’s fault. It’s me… I was the one pestering Elder Sister Yuner. I couldn’t resist…”

“Wan’er.” Lu Yuner interrupted him, taking his hand and looking at him deeply, signaling him not to say more, fearing he might speak carelessly. After all, as a man, such shameful words would damage his reputation.

Ye Cen raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming to notice something. His scrutinizing gaze moved between the two. He understood Yuner’s personality, but as for Young Master Su… and what he just mentioned…

Ye Cen spoke, “Both of you stand up! I want to talk to Qingwan alone about this matter. Yuner, go out first and close the door.”

After everyone else had left, Ye Cen walked closer to Su Qingwan and asked with concern, “Qingwan, tell me the truth, don’t cover for her. If Yuner really bullied you or went against your wishes, I absolutely…”

Su Qingwan immediately grabbed her sleeve, “No, Elder Sister Yuner didn’t bully me.”

“Really?” Ye Cen cast a half-believing, half-doubting gaze over him. “She really didn’t bully you?”

Su Qingwan shook his head with utmost sincerity.

Ye Cen asked seriously, “When did you and Yuner start sharing a bed?”

Su Qingwan said shyly, “It was just the first day we came here that we started sleeping together.”

The first day? That would be when Yuner went to the accounting room. No wonder the two had a falling out that day.

Ye Cen held his hand and asked solemnly, “Sharing a bed, but did you share a room?”

Hearing the words “share a room,” Su Qingwan averted his gaze, lowering his eyes in embarrassment. He certainly wanted to! But after all, they weren’t married yet.

Su Qingwan spoke, “No… we didn’t share a room.”

Ye Cen immediately let out a sigh of relief. He led Su Qingwan to sit down and began to fulfill his duty as an elder.

Outside in the courtyard, Lu Yuner stood alone, lost in thought as she gazed at the tightly closed door.

Although her uncle valued formalities, he had always doted on her immensely. Regarding her matter with Su Qingwan, he would only verbally reprimand her a few times, not truly punish her severely.

If she guessed correctly, keeping Su Qingwan behind was just to give some words of advice.

Not far away, under a tree, Qiu Yi looked relaxed, already knowing the outcome of the situation. Seeing Xiao Yuan beside her looking uneasy, thinking he was worried about Su Qingwan, she comforted, “Don’t worry! Mu Zhujun won’t give your Young Master a hard time, let alone let him suffer any grievance.”

In matters between men and women, it was always the men who suffered losses. How could Mu Zhujun not understand this?

Xiao Yuan glanced at her. Of course, he knew his Young Master wouldn’t suffer any grievance. He knew the cause and effect of this matter best. If it weren’t for his Young Master…

Thinking of Mu Zhujun’s unsightly expression, Xiao Yuan said sympathetically, “I’m worried about your lady.”

“Worried about my lady?” Qiu Yi frowned, her eyes flashing with surprise for a moment. Then she glanced at her lady in the courtyard and smiled, “You don’t need to worry about that either. Mu Zhujun and my lady have an extraordinary relationship, as close as father and daughter. He won’t punish my lady for this matter. Besides… isn’t your Young Master there to protect her?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief, though the worry on his face hadn’t faded. In his heart, he hoped that Young Master and Lady Lu would return to the capital soon. Only then would this matter truly be over.

After about half an hour, the door finally opened. Ye Cen called Lu Yuner in. As soon as she entered, she saw Su Qingwan coming towards her with a flushed face, even his movements somewhat coy as he shyly said, “Elder Sister Yuner.”

Seeing this, Lu Yuner felt a sense of confusion in her heart. What had they talked about? Why was his little face so red?

At this moment, Ye Cen spoke, “Yuner, you must treat Qingwan well. After your aunt’s birthday tomorrow, you should return to the capital with Qingwan soon to prepare for the wedding. Your aunt, Yang’er, and I will all come to congratulate you then.”

“I’ve been out for so long, I should go back and see how the preparations for your aunt’s birthday are going. I’ll leave first.”

Ye Cen walked towards the outside. Seeing the two coming to see him off, he said, “You two don’t need to send me off.”

He looked at Su Qingwan again, “Qingwan, remember what your uncle told you. Don’t see me off.”

After sending off her uncle, Lu Yuner asked, “What did uncle say to you?”

Su Qingwan opened his clean and bright big eyes, deliberately teasing, “Want to know?”

Before Lu Yuner could react, the next moment, Su Qingwan pulled her hand towards the dining hall, “Elder Sister Yuner, come with me to eat first! I’m hungry.”

What her uncle said to him were all private matters between men and women. Even if he wanted to say it, he couldn’t bring himself to. Lu Yuner didn’t force him to answer.

After finishing the meal, the two didn’t go out. They stayed in Qinsi Garden for another morning, only leaving when the night was deep.

At this time, the moonlight was hazy, pouring silver light.

The streets were crowded and lively. Vendors in the alleys were setting up stalls and calling out to sell, various street performances drew constant cheers, and people strolling leisurely on the streets were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Faced with the tide-like flow of people, Lu Yuner unhesitatingly took Su Qingwan’s hand, “Wan’er, let me take you to see what’s ahead.”

“Mm.” Su Qingwan gripped her hand tightly and followed her.

Although Xiao Yuan, following behind, had seen dazzling array of goods in the capital, he was still a young man after all, and his youthful heart was attracted by the novel ornaments around.

After being fascinated for a while, in the blink of an eye, he lost sight of the Young Master. Being unfamiliar with the place and with so many people around, he stood alone in the crowd, his tone filled with panic and worry: “Where’s the Young Master? What should I do? I’ve lost him again?”

“Don’t worry! I know where my lady took Young Master Su! Follow me,” Qiu Yi appeared beside him and said.

She was most familiar with the delicious food and fun places in Jinling Prefecture. Given her lady’s personality, she would surely take Young Master Su there.

Plus, she had been following too closely earlier and was afraid of disturbing her lady and Young Master Su’s date.

Qiu Yi’s walking pace had always been large strides. Realizing she was walking too fast, she would glance back with her peripheral vision every so often, and slow down when she saw someone hadn’t caught up.

Xiao Yuan naturally noticed this and silently followed behind her. Suddenly, at this moment, something brushed against his buttocks again. Something had just touched him earlier, which he thought was unintentional, but now it seemed someone was doing it on purpose.

Xiao Yuan looked back with an embarrassed and angry expression. He saw a woman with a crooked mouth and monkey-like cheeks deliberately getting close to him, taking advantage of the crowd. He immediately felt disgusted and quickened his pace forward, but that woman shamelessly followed him closely.

Seeing that woman about to approach again, suddenly a strong force pulled him over, and he fell into a warm embrace. At the same time, a voice full of heroic spirit sounded in his ear, “Liu Wai Zui, long time no see! Harassing innocent men again! Didn’t you get beaten enough last time? Is your skin itching for more now?!”

Xiao Yuan’s eyes were slightly stunned. This was the first time he had seen Housekeeper Qiu so imposing and stern.

As soon as the words fell, the woman called Liu Wai Zui’s face suddenly changed, and she fled in panic without looking back.

Seeing Liu Wai Zui fleeing in disarray, Qiu Yi unconsciously laughed, “She runs so fast!”

As her gaze returned, it collided with Xiao Yuan’s. Realizing she was still touching him, Qiu Yi instantly let go and explained, “The one who ran away is a notorious lecher in Jinling Prefecture, always doing sneaky and indecent things. I’m sorry about just now, I…”

“It’s alright, I should thank you for helping me chase that person away,” Xiao Yuan said, staring at her with a slightly red face, somewhat embarrassed.

At this moment, on the other side, they encountered an old acquaintance.