Chapter 260: Elder Brother
The hot pot meal was lively. Xiao Huan asked about the fight, and Shi Tou told everything in detail.
“Well fought!” Xiao Huan picked up some scalded mutton slices into Shi Tou’s bowl, and Shi Tou was quite flattered.
Seeing this, Yuan Yuan also stretched out her small hand and tossed a chicken leg into her uncle’s bowl.
Shi Tou felt that this fight today was not fought in vain, grinning to reveal a mouthful of big white teeth.
Steam rose mistily, the evening breeze swayed, and the lively chatter gradually faded.
“This matter cannot be left like this.” These were the first words Shang Wan said to Lu Chengjing upon returning to the room after coaxing Yuan Yuan to sleep.
“Mm.” Lu Chengjing responded softly, undid Shang Wan’s pinned-up hair, combed it out bit by bit with a sandalwood comb, then spread his ten fingers to insert into her hair and massage.
Shang Wan tilted her head back slightly. His fingertips were warm and soft, the pressure just right, making her scalp tingle comfortably.
A Nian wrote in the letter that Lu Chengyuan wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Wang Family, nearly ruining the Wang Family Miss’s reputation, and was driven out by Madam Wang, who forbade family members from associating with him further.
After Chu Xu returned to the capital city, he sent letters almost every month, telling them interesting things happening in the capital city.
He knew his Aunt Shang and the Lu Chengyuan family did not get along, so he specially wrote about Lu Chengyuan offending the Wang Family in the letter.
Lu Chengyuan had just lost his madam and already wanted to marry into the Wang Family for an added kinship; he should see if they were willing.
The Wang Family was preparing to send their daughter to be selected as Crown Princess; how could they let Lu Chengyuan pick the fruit?
Although the Wang Family only drove out Lu Chengyuan, with Lu Chengyuan committing such scoundrel deeds, Madam Lu staying at her maternal family home would still draw white eyes, so she moved out from the Wang Family with Master Lu to rent a house.
There is no wall that does not leak wind in the world. To protect their own miss, the Wang Family poured quite a bit of dirty water on Lu Chengyuan.
Was Lu Chengyuan the kind of person to sit and wait for death?
But now he still had to rely on the Wang Family’s influence; since it was indeed something he had done, he could only pinch his nose and accept it.
In this way, his socializing was immediately hindered.
Originally, those people came only for good relations with the Wang Family. If not seeing that Wang Lang intended to support Lu Chengyuan this nephew, who would bother with you, Lu Chengyuan?
However, perhaps out of consideration for past favors, the Wang Family did not take things to the extreme, otherwise Lu Chengyuan could not have returned home to take the imperial examination.
“Back then, if not for Lord Wang stepping in, Lu Chengyuan would have been jailed and exiled long ago; how could he still take the imperial examination?”
Shang Wan sneered, “Now that he has fallen out with the Wang Family, yet still wants to take advantage of the distance and delayed news to continue borrowing the Wang Family’s power to bully others, that depends on whether we buy it.”
Back then, letting Lu Chengyuan go was nothing more than their own power being weak; they could not do the foolish thing of egg hitting stone.
Now that Lu Chengyuan had offended the Wang Family, even if the Wang Family did not go all out against him, it was absolutely impossible for them to sincerely help him anymore.
Now who was the egg was not yet certain.
A chill flashed in Shang Wan’s eyes; she was just considering how Lu Chengyuan would die when her head was suddenly rubbed by someone.
She tilted her head up to look at the person standing beside her.
“Duanmu instructed that pregnant people should think and worry less, which is better for you and the child.” Lu Chengjing bent down to scoop her up horizontally, rubbing his chin gently against Shang Wan’s hair top, “Leave everything to me.”
“Can you do it?” Shang Wan was really worried that her fox would be soft-hearted.
“Niangzi, rest assured.” Lu Chengjing placed her on the bed, leaned down to kiss her flushed cheek, “Sleep.”
Fine then.
Shang Wan closed her eyes, waiting for her fox to fail to handle it before she stepped in.
The next day, a plaint was delivered to the county yamen.
Lu Chengyuan accused Shi Tou of unprovoked assault on him and demanded the county magistrate punish Shi Tou.
The county magistrate was troubled, pacing back and forth in the back hall with hands behind his back.
“Master, you have a letter.” The steward hurried over holding a letter.
The county magistrate had no time to read letters now? He waved his hand to dismiss the steward, but the steward advised: “Master, you should still take a look. The messenger said this letter can resolve your urgent issue.”
Hearing this, the county magistrate immediately reached out to take the letter, asking while reading: “Who delivered it?”
“Don’t know.” The steward shook his head, “I didn’t have time to ask before the person ran off.”
“This letter…” The county magistrate frowned at the paper; could he believe what was written?
After reading the letter back and forth four or five times, the county magistrate pondered for a moment and beckoned the steward: “Come closer.”
The steward did not dare look around and approached with eyes lowered.
“You…” The county magistrate whispered two sentences in the steward’s ear, “Go handle it quickly.”
“Yes.” The steward accepted the order and was about to leave when the county magistrate called him back, “Tell the people up front that I caught a chill from the wind last night, am confined to bed and unable to rise, and will not ascend to the hall today.”
“Yes.”
·
“Not ascending to the hall?” Lu Chengyuan’s thoughts turned a few times, and he cupped his hands to the secretary, “Since Lord is ill, naturally recover from illness first. I wish to visit briefly; I wonder…”
Before Lu Chengyuan finished, the secretary said: “Lord instructed no outsiders. Lu Juren, please return first; everything will wait until Lord recovers.”
Lu Chengyuan pursed his lips, about to say more, but the secretary excused himself and left.
Darkness added to his eyes, and Lu Chengyuan snorted coldly, turning with his guards to leave.
Entering the carriage, Lu Chengyuan lifted the cloth curtain and instructed the guards: “Go inquire if any outsiders visited the county yamen this morning.”
How could it be so coincidental to fall ill; this was clearly an excuse to brush him off.
The guard accepted the order and left.
The carriage headed to the inn where Lu Chengyuan was staying. He irritably raised his hand to rub his nose bridge, suddenly touching the thick gauze, making his face even uglier.
A tiger fallen in the flat fields bullied by dogs; he would not let that kid go!
As he was thinking, the carriage suddenly braked sharply.
Lu Chengyuan was unprepared and pitched forward directly, his injured nose bridge hit again, pain making stars burst in his eyes and tears flow uncontrollably.
He endured and endured, finally stopping the tears, and suppressing his anger asked: “What happened?”
The coachman’s voice came: “Someone blocked the carriage.”
Lu Chengyuan frowned, lifted the cloth curtain to look out, and met a pair of narrow, long eyes seemingly holding frost and snow.
“It’s you.” His heart suddenly jumped, inexplicably feeling panicked, “Why are you here?”
Lu Chengjing’s lip corner hooked a shallow arc, “Many days no see; brother, won’t you catch up with me?”
“You…” Hearing Lu Chengjing call him brother, Lu Chengyuan felt a daze; how many years since hearing ‘brother’ from this person’s mouth?
“Brother?”
Lu Chengyuan came back to his senses from the call, scrutinizing the person standing by the carriage.
Plumper than before, features even more handsome; it seemed his younger brother was indeed doing well.
Thoughts turning, Lu Chengyuan’s lip corner also raised a similar smile, “If you are willing, then come up.”
Lu Chengjing lifted his robe hem and boarded the carriage; Lu Chengyuan naturally shifted inside.
With one foot stepping into the compartment, Lu Chengjing suddenly asked: “Brother not worried I am plotting mischief?”
Lu Chengyuan was stunned by the question, then laughed loudly, “If you’re not afraid, why should I be?”
The words were pointed, but Lu Chengjing’s expression remained normal, only the chill in his eyes deepening.
He murmured lowly: “In that case, I hope brother does not regret it.”
The voice was too soft; Lu Chengyuan did not hear clearly, but he did not mind.
What could a sickly weakling like Lu Chengjing do to him?
