eurekapd Chapter 125 Tang Qini's Scheme
Chapter 125 Tang Qini's Scheme
Lu Mubai and Lu Fuqing arrived at the Minister's residence again. The gatekeeper respectfully invited them into the reception room, and soon a maid came over: "Madam Lu, Duke Zhenguo, the Old Madam requests that you go to the backyard for a chat."
Passing by a lotus pond, Lu Mubai heard cries for help coming from ahead. He instinctively wanted to rush over, but Lu Fuqing stopped him, saying, "Mubai, you mustn't!"
Lu Mubai finally realized that he had come to annul the engagement, not to play the hero and save a damsel in distress. If he were to be implicated for saving someone, the annulment would be pointless.
"Help! Someone please save the young master!" The desperate voice carried a hint of panic.
Lu Mubai's expression softened slightly. It was a boy who had fallen into the water; rescuing him shouldn't cause him any trouble. He said in a deep voice, "Second Aunt, please wait a moment. I'll be right back."
With that, he darted away with the agility of a swallow. The boy who had fallen into the water thrashed about, getting further and further from the shore. Lu Mubai saw two servants anxiously handing bamboo poles to the pond, calling out urgently, "Young Master, please come a little closer!"
Without a second thought, Lu Mubai nimbly skimmed across the water to the middle of the pool, grabbed the boy's belt, and pulled him out of the water.
In the blink of an eye, the boy who had fallen into the water suddenly turned around and clung to Lu Mubai like an octopus.
Upon seeing the earring in the boy's ear, Lu Mubai was completely stunned. A girl! He'd been tricked! Splash! The two of them fell into the pool together.
At that moment, Minister Tang, accompanied by several friends, happened to arrive at the lotus pond. Seeing the two people embracing in the water, he shouted angrily, "Save them! Quickly, save them!"
A small boat was quickly placed in the pond, and two servants rowed it swiftly to Lu Mubai's side, pulling them both onto the boat. A moment later, the servants leaped into the pond, pushing the boat to the shore.
"Ni'er, it's you? Stop fooling around," Tang Shangshu said, a fleeting smile crossing his face as he saw Tang Qini, unconscious and clinging to Lu Mubai.
Upon hearing that it was Tang Qini who had fallen into the water, Tang Shangshu's friends quickly turned their backs to Lu Mubai and Tang Qini. Lu Mubai, with a gloomy face, pried Tang Qini's fingers apart and left dejectedly.
Lu Fuqing, who arrived at the lotus pond later, saw Lu Mubai, who was covered in water and looked distraught, and Tang Qini, who was lying on the ground covered with a quilt. Knowing that the marriage could not be called off, she smiled and said, "Minister Tang, farewell!"
Feeling resentful at being schemed against, Lu Fuqing didn't mention Tang Qini on the ground at all. She bid farewell and followed Lu Mubai's figure, leaving the Tang residence.
Upon returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion by carriage, Lu Fuqing learned that Lu Mubai had not returned. She quickly went to see Lu Zhenggang and explained to him the whole story of how Lu Mubai had been tricked by Tang Qini at the Tang residence that day, how he had gone into the water to save someone, and how he had had physical contact with Tang Qini.
Lu Zhenggang sighed: "It is the will of Heaven that Tang Qini is to become the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo. Second son's wife, why don't you take some time to go to the Tang family and discuss the wedding date with the old lady of the Tang family?"
Leaving the Tang residence, Lu Mubai rode his horse aimlessly through the streets. Before long, he arrived at Wen Yuxia's house. After a slight hesitation, Lu Mubai dismounted and went to ask the gatekeeper to announce his arrival.
Upon learning of Lu Mubai's visit, Wen Yuxia instructed Nan Er to invite him in. After the guests and host were seated, Wen Yuxia noticed the water droplets dripping from Lu Mubai's clothes, and also saw the dejection, loss, and utter despair on his face.
Wen Yuxia softened her voice and said, "Brother Mubai, let Nan Er take you to change your clothes first. We can talk about it later, okay?"
Lu Mubai nodded and followed Nan Er out. A moment later, Lu Mubai returned, dressed in a black training uniform. He went back to his seat, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.
Lu Mubai slowly said, "Sister Yuxia, I admire you... Will you marry me? Don't worry, I will never spend my life with any other woman but you..."
Lu Mubai let out a long sigh of relief. Having voiced his thoughts, he felt much lighter. Now, he just had to wait for Wen Yuxia to make the decision.
Wen Yuxia was devastated. Leaving the legal wife with a child for protection while keeping her as a concubine was not particularly harmful, but extremely humiliating.
She used to have a pretty good impression of Lu Mubai, but who would have thought he was such a scumbag? He confessed his feelings to her before even becoming the wife.
Wen Yuxia's faint smile vanished, and she said coldly, "Duke Zhenguo, Shenyan. Nan Er, see the guest out!"
The three servants, Bei Yi, Bei Er, and Nan Er, who were standing by serving, were all furious at Lu Mubai's words. Upon hearing "Show the guest out," the three of them simultaneously walked towards Lu Mubai.
"Duke Zhenguo, farewell," Nan Er said coldly, extending his right hand in a gesture of invitation. Bei Yi and Bei Er beside him wore angry expressions, their demeanor suggesting they'd resort to force if polite invitations failed.
Wen Yuxia desired a lifelong monogamous relationship. In the Great Xia Dynasty, it was common for powerful men to have multiple wives and concubines; very few men would remain devoted to only one woman for their entire lives.
Lu Mubai's confession to Wen Yuxia, and his revelation of her being schemed against by Tang Qini at the Tang residence, was also a gamble. He was betting that Wen Yuxia would be moved by his words, "We will stay together at Pingyuan Pass and never touch another woman again."
Wen Yuxia did not respond, and Lu Mubai did not press the matter. He said in a hoarse voice, "Sister Yuxia, I misspoke. I'm sorry, please forgive me. Goodbye!"
Looking at Lu Mubai's lonely figure, Wen Yuxia suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for this young general who guarded the border so that the people of Great Xia could live and work in peace.
She softened her voice and said to Lu Mubai's back, "Brother Mubai, I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said. We're still friends."
Lu Mubai paused, slowly nodded, and then continued walking out, silently murmuring, "Sister Yuxia, in this life I will treat you like my own sister, and in the next life I hope we can continue our bond."