CHAPTER 029
Early the next morning, before the first light of dawn, the sky was still gray and overcast.
Lu Residence Dining Hall.
Lu Yun’er sat at the table, her spirit lacking, with dark circles under her eyes. She propped her chin up with her hands and let out a long sigh, lost in a tangle of thoughts.
Yes! She had suffered from insomnia last night.
It was rare for her not to have nightmares, but what she dreamed of was even more baffling and shocking.
The room was filled with flickering red candles, double happiness characters pasted on the windows, red wedding garments scattered chaotically on the ground, and within the red silk curtains, the silhouettes of a man and woman intertwined.
A scene of boundless springtime passion unfolded right before her eyes.
In the dream, Lu Yun’er seemed like an outsider, observing the familiar furnishings of the room. She realized that this was the very wedding chamber that the Lu couple had prepared for her, a room meant for her marriage.
Despite having few close friends or relatives, the Lu Residence had many empty rooms, though none had ever been occupied.
This wedding chamber was the one exception.
It remained unoccupied, yet the Lu couple had established a rule early on: the wedding chamber must be kept clean and tidy at all times, dust-free, and undamaged, until Lu Yun’er moved in.
Due to her busy schedule, Lu Yun’er had been living in the study for convenience.
She had only visited the wedding chamber once, but even then, she had been impressed by its layout and the excellent view.
The chamber was located on the south side of the courtyard, in a two-story building. The building overlooked a lotus pond, and from a distance, it seemed to be nestled within the pond. The surroundings were lush with greenery, and the fragrance of flowers filled the courtyard—truly a sight to behold.
The view from the second floor was expansive, and when one opened the intricately carved sandalwood windows, the entire estate came into view.
During the day, one could enjoy the scenery, and at night, gaze at the stars, adding a touch of poetic charm.
At this moment, the red curtains on the bed were swaying endlessly.
A series of continuous, seductive moans echoed through the room, making her feel as though she were standing beside a furnace. The intense heat surged like crashing waves, making her entire body burn.
But her curiosity got the better of her—she wanted to know who this passionate couple in her wedding chamber could be.
It certainly wasn’t her!
As Lu Yun’er drew closer to the red curtains, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, holding her breath. She discovered that the woman in the throes of passion on the bed was...
Herself!!! It was her!!!
And the woman on the bed, with her eyes half-closed in a smile, her face flushed with pleasure, seemed completely immersed in the softness and warmth of the moment.
How could this be her?! So different from how she usually was! But that familiar face—there was no doubt—it was her!
Lu Yun’er’s cheeks grew hotter as she watched the increasingly steamy scene behind the red curtains.
And the young man in red—he looked pitiful, as if he had been thoroughly tormented by her.
His long, black hair was loosely draped over his shoulders, his disheveled inner garment slightly slipping, revealing a crimson birthmark below his collarbone.
His skin was as white as snow, contrasting with the red robe, like red plum blossoms on snow—breathtakingly beautiful, making it impossible to look away.
Until the young man, his face flushed unnaturally, suddenly raised his eyes and gazed tenderly at Lu Yun’er.
His eyes glimmered like rippling water, the corners reddened, full of deep affection.
Lu Yun’er suddenly recalled the scene at Qinghua Garden that day.
Those words...
The words appeared again, as if filled with an inexplicable magic, suddenly pulling at a thought that came from who knows where. A surge of uncontrollable electricity coursed through her body.
The next moment, an overwhelming wave of desire struck her, so strong that it frightened Lu Yun’er, jolting her awake from the dream.
Afterward, she couldn’t fall asleep again, as if closing her eyes would drag her back into that dream, with its heart-pounding scenes and inexplicable shivers sweeping through her body once more.
Even now, she couldn’t figure out why she had such an unspeakable dream of springtime passion.
Moreover, it was with... The vivid scene reappeared in her mind, and Lu Yun'er suddenly covered her burning cheeks with her hands.
Oh! What was happening to her?
Could it be that her frequent encounters with this Young Master Su were causing this?
She really didn’t know how to explain this shameful dream.
Was it that her body wanted it?
Or had she been suppressing herself for so long that her body was reacting in the opposite way?
When the servants brought in breakfast, Lu Yun'er barely regained her composure, but she still ate in a daze, only taking a few bites.
During her time dining at the National Academy, she had realized that the food at home was much tastier. But even though she was home and the dishes were her favorites, she couldn't understand why she had no appetite.
After a moment of frustration.
She suddenly noticed that she hadn't seen Qiu Yi yet. Usually, when she woke up in the morning, Qiu Yi would be waiting for her outside her door, right on time, to help her wash up. At first, seeing how hard Qiu Yi worked, Lu Yun'er had even suggested that she sleep in a bit, but the next day, she was still waiting right on time.
It was similar to the feeling of getting up early out of habit during the first few days of winter or summer break, but while the feeling was similar, it wasn’t exactly the same.
Qiu Yi had served the original Lu Yun'er for nearly twenty years! This habit had been ingrained in her since childhood.
So it was strange that today, thinking Qiu Yi had slept in for once, Lu Yun'er had decided not to call for her, but now, there wasn’t even a trace of her?
Something was off!!!
"This early in the morning, have any of you seen Steward Qiu?" Lu Yun'er asked the other servants while sipping her porridge with a spoon.
The other servants exchanged glances, and one respectfully replied, "Steward Qiu left the residence early this morning."
"What! She left early this morning?" Lu Yun'er was visibly surprised. She put down her spoon with a clatter and asked, "Do you know where she went?"
The servant answered honestly, "Steward Qiu didn't say, but she did mention that she was going to prepare a surprise for you."
"A surprise!?" Lu Yun'er raised an eyebrow, her slender, fair fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as she curiously asked, "But it’s not a holiday or a festival! Oh, wait! It's not even my birthday this month, is it? It's still several months away. Isn’t it a bit early to be preparing for that?"
The servant added, "Steward Qiu didn’t say what the surprise was, but she said you would definitely like it."
"I’ll like it? What is Qiu Yi up to? So mysterious!" Lu Yun'er muttered in confusion. "Well, since it’s supposed to be a surprise, I won't press her about it. Otherwise, it’ll ruin the mystery. But I'm really curious about what kind of surprise she’s preparing."
That afternoon, there was a polo match. After finishing her breakfast, Lu Yun'er decided to bring some treats for Juzi, so she packed two large bags and headed back to the National Academy early.
Just as Lu Yun'er had left, Qiu Yi hurried back to the residence, clutching several sandalwood boxes tightly in her hands as she entered.
Upon returning, Qiu Yi immediately asked, "Did the master show any changes when she woke up today?"
"The master didn't seem very well today. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she didn’t sleep well last night. During breakfast, she seemed distracted, like she was still caught in a nightmare," a servant replied obediently, but with a puzzled expression added, "But her face was slightly flushed. She kept covering her face with her hands, sighing now and then, and her expression was rather complicated."
"What? Like she was caught in a nightmare! This isn’t right!" Qiu Yi furrowed her brow. She had spent the whole night and a large sum of money to buy the enchanted incense. The seller had said it was made from rare ingredients and that its effects were guaranteed, or she’d get her money back. That was why she had purchased it.
She wondered if she had been tricked, but when she thought about what the servant had said at the end, she considered the possibility that the incense had been used too late in the night, so the time wasn't enough? Or maybe she hadn’t used enough of it, which led to the unclear results?
Qiu Yi set aside her doubts and reminded the servant, "By the way, did the master mention me? And have you checked all the items I asked you to prepare for her?"
The servant replied, "The master did ask about you, but after we followed your instructions, she didn’t ask anything further. In the end, she even said she was looking forward to the surprise you prepared. As for the items, don’t worry, Steward Qiu, we’ve checked everything thoroughly, and there were no omissions. We also replaced the master’s usual incense with the one you had prepared, just as you instructed."
Qiu Yi nodded in satisfaction and carefully stored the sandalwood boxes in her room's cabinet.
Since the master had shown some reaction, this must be a precious treasure!
After thinking for a moment, she instructed, "Since there were no mistakes, I’ll go out again."
With that, she hurriedly left the residence again.
National Academy.
Not far away in a pavilion, a sudden, sharp voice called out, "Look over there, isn’t that our National Academy’s only female Scholar?"
The other two female students in the pavilion put down their books and stood up, lifting their heads to look in the direction of the voice. One of them said, "It really is Scholar Lu! But what’s she doing with those two large bags?"
Qin Yaxue glanced at Lu Yun'er in the distance, then turned back, sitting down with a sneer. "Tsk, tsk, tsk! She may be a Scholar at the National Academy, but look at her now, carrying those big bags. If I didn’t know better, I’d think a beggar had come to the Academy looking for food! A teacher should be a model for others. Where’s the dignity in that? No wonder there’s a hierarchy of status and class; commoners will always be commoners, crude and vulgar!"
The other two female students exchanged uncomfortable glances.
Their families were less influential than Qin Yaxue’s, and her words made them feel as if she was criticizing them as well.
Though they felt aggrieved, they had to remain deferential to her. After all, her mother was the Minister of Rites.
"Hey! Isn’t that Young Master Su?" one of the female students exclaimed, pointing into the distance.
At the mention of Young Master Su, Qin Yaxue immediately stood up, her gaze fixed on that elegant and noble figure.
She hurriedly tidied her clothes, grabbed her book, and walked away.
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