ARC 1: The Prime Minister’s Tool Wife ✦ c1 ~ 70
✦ 63
Translator: InkyDragon (https://inkydragontranslation.wordpress.com)
Luo Chang Qing offered Lord Zhen’an a fleeting glance before departing, leaving him seething, steam practically billowing from his ears.
Yet, upon returning to his mansion, Luo Chang Qing’s buoyant mood crumbled.
“Miss Qin! Enough with your theatrics! I’ve said it before—I’m not interested in your maid! Can’t you give it a rest?” Luo Rui stormed out of the hall, with Qin Mei trailing behind, her hair dishevelled.
Qin Mei, her eyes ablaze with indignation, retorted, “If that’s true, why did you defend her? You got all riled up. Is it because you feel guilty?”
Halting, Luo Rui gazed at her, his confusion evident. “No! It’s not about guilt. I just can’t stand how cruel you are to your maid! If she made a mistake, fine—punish her or sell her. But all she did was find my jade pendant and return it. Why would you want to chop off her fingers? Are you out of your mind? The Luo family doesn’t stoop to such brutality. How can you be so heartless?”
“She’s clearly trying to seduce you! If she found your pendant, why wouldn’t she give it to me to return? She’s playing games. You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you? How could you treat me like this? I’m your legitimate wife—am I really less important than that woman?” Qin Mei’s voice was filled with bitterness.
Luo Rui’s frustration grew, his thoughts becoming a jumbled mess and his words failing him. “You… you’re being completely unreasonable!”
Qin Mei’s resentment deepened, convinced that she had hit a nerve. “Betrayal is not an option! I won’t allow any seductress to get away unpunished! Cutting off her fingers will serve as a warning to others. You promised my brother that you would treat me well. But look at what you’re doing now! Do you regret marrying me?”
As she continued her relentless questioning, Luo Rui did feel a twinge of regret for marrying her. He glanced to the side and noticed a figure standing by the door—an observer who had witnessed their entire argument.
Startled, Luo Rui’s gaze met his father’s, Luo Chang Qing, who had been observing the domestic squabble with an icy glare.
“Father!” The word slipped out of Luo Rui’s mouth, a mix of respect and shame. He and Qin Mei’s argument had spilled into the hall, a spectacle that was far from proper. His father’s disappointment was clear.
Confronted by Luo Chang Qing’s stern expression, Qin Mei’s confidence wavered. She could engage in verbal sparring with her husband, but Lord Luo demanded a level of deference that she dared not challenge. In his presence, her fiery attitude diminished and she recoiled, a stark contrast to the anger she had displayed just moments before.
Luo Chang Qing’s voice carried a weary undertone as he addressed his quarrelling children. “Couldn’t you two resolve your issues within the confines of your own courtyard? Must you air your grievances so publicly, turning our family’s discord a public spectacle for all to see?”
He felt lost. Before their marriages, his children had been paragons of virtue—intelligent, tactful, and admired by all. But now, it seemed as though they were completely different people, constantly bickering like shrews and dragging him into their drama.
Doubt seeped into Luo Chang Qing’s mind, casting a shadow over his own methods of upbringing. Had he been wrong in his teachings to his children all along? Had he failed to teach them how to handle their relationships with their spouses?
Luo Rui, with his head bowed, broke the silence. “Father, the fault lies with me. My dispute with Qin Shi was ill-considered.”
That snapped Luo Chang Qing out of his thoughts. “Indeed, you were wrong. You have only one wife, yet you can’t manage her. If you can’t clean up your own house, how can you clean up the world? Rui, don’t disappoint me. As I’ve said before, you must accept the consequences of any decision you make.”
Luo Rui felt his cheeks burn with shame as his father’s words echoed a truth he knew all too well. His own stubbornness had led him to Qin Mei’s side; now, he must endure the consequences of his actions.
Ignoring his son’s moment of realisation, Luo Chang Qing turned his stern gaze towards Qin Mei. “The Luo family has never torture their servants behind closed doors. As our newest member, we expect you to uphold our values. If you step out of line again, the Luo family will not hesitate to divorce you.”
Qin Mei’s face paled, a shiver running down her spine as she stammered an apology, “I-I’m sorry… It won’t happen again.”
“There won’t be a ‘again’,” Luo Chang Qing said coldly.
Qin Mei remained silent, too afraid to even take a deep breath.
After sorting out the spat, Luo Chang Qing went back to his study. However, he couldn’t shake off the uneasiness. A restless fire ignited within him, leading to a disheartening realisation: his children were not the geniuses he had once believed them to be.
For a father, this was a difficult admission to make. Which parent would willingly accept that their children were just ordinary? Especially Luo Chang Qing himself, a remarkable and talented genius? He had always believed that his methods of upbringing were successful and took pride in them. But alas, the facts repeatedly told him otherwise: he had been mistaken, his children did not inherit his excellence.
For him, who had always held himself in high regard, this was nothing short of a devastating blow.
In this moment of vulnerability, he withdrew into his own thoughts, a solitary figure amidst the chaos of his mind.
Shu Qi watched him with a mixture of concern and hesitation, contemplating the right words to break the silence.
After some time, he dared to suggest, “The flowers in Madam’s garden must be at their peak. Perhaps the master would find solace among them? Madam is not here, and I’m certain she would appreciate your admiration of her flowers.”
It was then that Luo Chang Qing’s clouded gaze lifted. The thought of Xu Shi Chu’s garden, with its ever-changing array of colours, sparked a flicker of interest. “Yes, that does sound pleasant.”
Without concern for propriety, Luo Chang Qing had the garden doors opened. The servants, recognizing his authority, did not dare to interfere but greeted him with the respect due.
“You don’t need to worry about me, I’m just here to take a look. I won’t do anything to Madam’s flowers,” Luo Chang Qing reassured them, his words a gentle dismissal.
As he lost himself in the beauty of the garden, a sudden commotion from the side door facing the street shattered his reverie.
With a furrowed brow, Luo Chang Qing prepared to send someone to quiet the noise. However, as he looked up, he witnessed an unexpected sight—Xu Shi Chu, accompanied by her entourage, entering through the side entrance.
The setting sun cast a golden glow over the scene, illuminating Xu Shi Chu as she stepped down from her carriage. The light enveloped her, highlighting her porcelain skin, her exquisitely sculpted features, her hair elegantly styled, and her garments dancing in the breeze. She seemed otherworldly, a celestial being gracing the earth with her presence.
In that moment, Luo Chang Qing found himself captivated, his heartbeat quickening as if to the rhythm of a distant drum, resonating with each step she took.
─── ❖ ── ☆ ── ❖ ───
( )………( )
(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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