Chapter 33: Her Weakness

“By the way, where’s Juzi?” Liu Lan suddenly turned her head back and asked, “How come I haven’t seen it? It should be back home now that it’s raining outside, right?”

Lu Yuner’s expression tightened, her brows furrowed, “Follow me.”

“Who did this?” Liu Lan crouched beside Juzi, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Lu Yuner explained the situation and her suspicions to her.

Liu Lan looked up at her: “So, you suspect someone from the Imperial Academy did it?”

“Mm.” Lu Yuner nodded, continuing thoughtfully: “Generally, there are two possible reasons for harming Juzi: Juzi might have eaten or taken something important from someone.”

After all, Juzi had a habit of picking up things, and had brought quite a few precious belongings with it back then. She had seen them, just some useless toys that were interesting to it.

“But from what I know of Juzi, it would never steal food from others. Plus, weapons aren’t allowed in the Imperial Academy, and knives are only used in the dining hall and martial arts hall. Secondly, if it had taken something extremely important to someone, using a knife to harm it would be inevitable. But if it really took something important, they should wait until Juzi recovers before doing anything. By then, elder sister Ranzhi will be back, and we can make a long-term plan.”

Liu Lan said seriously: “So does little sister Yuner have any thoughts right now?”

Lu Yuner’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she leaned close to Liu Lan’s ear to speak softly.

After a while, Liu Lan understood Lu Yuner’s meaning and left. The room instantly fell silent, with only a male, a female, and a dog inside, and just the pitter-patter of rain outside the window.

Now that it was raining and there was nothing to do, Lu Yuner’s gaze hesitantly turned towards the screen. In the end, she chose to sit cross-legged beside Juzi, looking at it with eyes full of distress, feeling increasingly upset and troubled.

Living in any era, safety is the most important guarantee, and how can the rules of survival in this world be compared to modern society?

“Fishing is a leisurely affair, yet it still holds the power of life and death; chess is a refined game, yet it still stirs thoughts of war. It can be seen that joyful matters are not as suitable as simple matters, and having many abilities is not as true as having none.” [1]

Striving for fame and fortune in the imperial court dazzles people’s eyes, only in the marketplace and countryside, living among mountains and waters can one be slightly at ease.

Suddenly, the sound of a porcelain bowl breaking came from behind the screen.

“What happened?” Lu Yuner immediately snapped back to attention, her brows furrowing as she walked behind the screen, her eyes carrying a faint worry.

“I’m sorry, elder sister Yuner, I accidentally broke the bowl.” Su Qingwan’s eyes darted about, not daring to look into Lu Yuner’s eyes, as he lifted the bedding intending to get up.

Lu Yuner quickly stopped him, “Young Master Su, you’d better lie down and not catch a chill, especially during your menstrual period when your body is weak. You mustn’t be careless.”

“Besides, it’s just a bowl, I’ll take care of it.” Lu Yuner came to the bed to deal with the broken pieces.

Su Qingwan lowered his eyelashes a bit embarrassedly. He had lied again.

That’s right, he had deliberately knocked over this bowl.

Ever since Liu Lan left, he had been constantly watching elder sister Yuner’s movements. Seeing that she didn’t speak or come to check on him, he couldn’t help but make some noise.

Wanting to get a bit of elder sister Yuner’s attention, yet seeing her treat him so sincerely, using such methods made him feel extremely uncomfortable and guilty.

While cleaning up the broken pieces on the floor, Lu Yuner said, “After the rain stops, I’ll send you out. You can sleep for a while now.”

“I can’t sleep.” Su Qingwan had tried, but now he was surrounded by elder sister Yuner’s scent, too excited to fall asleep. They were currently alone in the room, a rare chance to be together, and he didn’t want to waste a single second.

“Is it too painful?” Lu Yuner finished cleaning the floor and stood up to look at him, offering a suggestion, “If you can’t sleep and are bored now, I can get you a book to read.”

Su Qingwan tightly clenched his hands, and after holding back for a long time, slowly uttered this sentence: “Can elder sister Yuner chat with me for a while?”

“Chat? Sure!” It was still raining, and she had nothing else to do anyway.

Hearing the unhesitating reply, Su Qingwan lightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, a faint smile flashing across his face momentarily.

Then the two began to chat casually, until the rain stopped near evening, and they finally stopped. Lu Yuner didn’t notice that this young Master Su was quite talkative. Afterwards, when Su Qingwan felt better, they each sat in their own carriages and returned to their residences.

Today is Qingming Festival.

In the morning, a light drizzle fell from the sky, and it wasn’t until noon that the sky briefly cleared.

“Qiu Yi, is everything prepared?” Lu Yuner stood by the window, dark circles still visible under her eyes.

“My lady, everything is ready, we can set off,” Qiu Yi stood to the side, secretly observing her lady’s expression. “My lady, did you not sleep well again last night? Did you have some strange dream?”

Lu Yuner sighed lightly: “Mm, I’ve been having these strange dreams lately, disturbing my sleep.”

Qiu Yi’s eyes widened with curiosity: “What kind of strange dreams?”

“Well…” Lu Yuner turned her head to look at her, seeing her serious and surprised expression, she changed her tone, “It’s nothing, maybe it will get better after a while. Let’s set off!”

She really wanted to know if the effect of that incense was reliable or not.

After a brief disappointment, Qiu Yi said with concern: “My lady, why don’t you skip visiting the graves this year, I can go on your behalf. I’m worried that on the way you might suddenly…”

“That won’t do. As the only legitimate daughter of the Lu family, sweeping the graves and paying respects to the ancestors is a big deal. How can I not go? Besides, I know my physical condition, we’ll go early and return early.”

Qiu Yi no longer tried to stop her: “Alright.”

About half an hour later.

Lu Yuner sat in the carriage looking at the scenery outside. Green mountains and clear waters, layer upon layer of mountains, various wildflowers blooming on the hillsides, and occasional bird calls from the forest. Away from the bustling and prosperous capital, it was especially relaxing.

“On this fine Qingming day, peach and plum trees smile, while wild fields and desolate graves bring sorrow. Thunder shocks heaven and earth, dragons and snakes hibernate, rain softens the outskirts and plants grow lush.” [2]

Along the way, they encountered many common people going out to sweep graves and pay respects to ancestors. The road was already crowded with carriages and horses.

After another half incense stick’s time, they arrived at the Lu family cemetery.

All the sacrificial items were laid out, Qiu Yi and another servant Xiao Chun removed the weeds around the tombstones. Lu Yuner began to burn incense and paper money, bowing respectfully to pay her respects. Looking at the grave before her, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

It is said that once you enter the tomb, you embark on the journey home.

Could she step onto the journey back home?

About half an hour later, after finishing sweeping the graves, they set off to return home.

In the carriage, Qiu Yi saw that her lady didn’t look well, “My lady, are you starting to feel unwell?”

“It’s nothing.” Lu Yuner looked out of the carriage, suddenly catching a glimpse of a familiar figure, and instructed the carriage to stop.

Qiu Yi followed her gaze out the window and asked, “My lady, what’s wrong?”

“I’m going out for a moment, you wait here.” Lu Yuner stood up and lifted the curtain to walk out.

Lu Yuner came to where that figure had left, and as she approached, she saw it was a grave. There were no weeds around, indicating someone must come to sweep it regularly. When Lu Yuner saw the words carved on the tombstone, her expression suddenly changed.

A moment later.

“My lady, why did you go there just now?” Qiu Yi saw that her lady had already walked back and asked curiously.

Lu Yuner lowered her eyes, her emotions unclear: “I just saw someone I know paying respects at a grave, so I wanted to greet her. It’s nothing now, let’s go back.”

Just as Lu Yuner lifted the curtain, she heard continuous cries for help from behind, “Miss, please save my husband! Please save him…”

“What happened?” Lu Yuner looked towards the sound and saw a woman in plain clothes rushing over, her face covered in sweat, hurriedly saying, “Today is Qingming Festival, and just now I was visiting graves with my husband who is almost eight months pregnant. Suddenly he started having stomach pains, and it looks like he might be about to give birth! I beg you to save my husband!”

Qiu Yi frowned: “What? Isn’t it said that pregnant men should avoid visiting graves on Qingming?”

The woman looked helpless, “I was originally a matrilocal son-in-law. My husband and father-in-law had relied on each other since childhood and were very close. Unfortunately, he recently passed away due to illness. My husband misses his father terribly, so…”

“Alright, saving people is the most important thing now.” Lu Yuner understood the woman’s intention in seeking help and immediately got off the carriage, instructing, “Qiu Yi, you and Xiao Chun drive the carriage and follow this woman to take her husband into the city to find a doctor and a midwife. Remember not to delay.”

Qiu Yi said worriedly: “My lady, what about you? Have you forgotten that in case…”

“Don’t worry, there are people coming and going on this road to visit graves. I can easily find a ride into the city at any time. Besides, it’s not far from here to enter the city, and I remember the way back. You first help this woman’s husband onto the carriage, let Xiao Chun take them into the city, then you come back to find me.”

Seeing that she was still hesitating, Lu Yuner continued with a hint of anger in her voice: “Qiu Yi, go quickly! A life is at stake, this is no joking matter.”

These are two lives at stake, we can’t be careless. Moreover, we changed to a smaller carriage when we left today, which can accommodate three people, but a pregnant man counts as two people, so we can’t risk any bumps or jolts.

The woman, hearing that this was a high-ranking official, had tears in her eyes from gratitude and repeatedly bowed in thanks: “Thank you, my lady, thank you, my lady…”

“It’s just a small gesture, go quickly! Saving people is urgent.”

Qiu Yi looked at Lu Yuner with a serious expression, “Yes, my lady. I’ll come back to pick you up.” She handed an umbrella to Lu Yuner as she spoke.

“Go quickly!” Lu Yuner took it with one hand, smiling slightly to show she wasn’t worried.

Watching the carriage leave, Lu Yuner then quickly set off.

On another mountain path.

“Young Master, put on this outer garment, don’t catch a chill.” Xiao Yuan came forward and draped the outer garment over the young master’s shoulders, thoughtfully tucking in the collar so not even a wisp of cold wind could get in.

Seeing the young master staring blankly out the carriage window, silent with a calm expression.

Today was Qingming Festival, but unfortunately, the young master had his period and wasn’t suitable to personally visit graves. He could only watch from afar, and his heart must be feeling a bit sad.

Suddenly, Su Qingwan’s eyes lit up instantly, and he said eagerly: “Huaying, stop the carriage!”

The expressionless Huaying received the order and immediately pulled tight on the reins.

Xiao Yuan was like a clueless monk, not understanding: “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

Su Qingwan excitedly lifted the curtain and hurriedly got off the carriage, running towards the figure ahead, “Elder sister Yuner! Elder sister Yuner!”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan’s face broke into a smile.

So it was Lecturer Lu! No wonder the young master suddenly became so energetic.

At this moment, Lu Yuner was walking forward holding an umbrella. Hearing a familiar voice coming from another path, she turned her head to look back, smiled, and said, “Young Master Su, have you come to visit graves today?”

She suddenly remembered that the royal nobility had a special cemetery in the suburbs.

“Mm.” Su Qingwan ran up to Lu Yuner and stopped. Lu Yuner saw that his hands were empty, and since it was drizzling at the moment, she stepped forward with the umbrella to shield him from the rain.

Seeing this, Su Qingwan suppressed the upward curve of his lips: “Elder sister Yuner, why are you alone here?”

Lu Yuner: “I just finished visiting graves and sweeping tombs. Qiu Yi had some urgent matters to attend to, but she’ll be back soon to pick me up.”

Just as she finished speaking, a sudden piercing pain struck her. Lu Yuner’s hand gripping the umbrella handle involuntarily tightened, and her face began to turn pale.

Perhaps because Lu Yuner appeared too calm, Su Qingwan didn’t notice her change at all, and carefully suggested to her: “Why don’t you ride in my carriage and we can go into the city together?”

Just then, a deafening thunderclap resounded, “Boom—”

Lu Yuner suddenly felt as if her heart was being tightly squeezed, even breathing became difficult, and the scene before her eyes gradually blurred.

Su Qingwan finally noticed Lu Yuner’s unusual state. As the umbrella fell from Lu Yuner’s hand, Su Qingwan reached out to grab it, while supporting Lu Yuner with his other hand. Seeing cold sweat beading on her fair forehead, he said in panic: “Elder sister Yuner, what’s wrong?”