My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 25

“Ah! Ah! A ghost!”

 

Lu Jiazheng, who had been bristling with anger just moments before, had intended to show the woman inside the room his courage. But as soon as he opened the door, he was met with a ghostly face, pale as death, with unnaturally rosy cheeks. The sight terrified him so much that he fell flat on his back, howling and wailing like a ghost himself.

 

Hearing the commotion, the woman inside hurriedly wrapped herself in a blanket and rushed out. Yet the moment she caught a glimpse of the face outside the door. She let out a shriek and dashed back into the room to hide.

 

“Ah! A ghost!”

 

Cheng Yi hadn’t expected the effect to be this good. She had thought teasing Lu Jiazheng might take more effort.

 

“I’ll take your life!” Cheng Yi stretched out her hand and stepped into the room, as if she intended to grab Lu Jiazheng and drag him down to the underworld.

 

Lu Jiazheng had never encountered such a scene before. Terrified, he scrambled backward before dropping to his knees, pleading desperately, “Ghost Sister, I don’t even know you! Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”

 

“How dare you deny it! Wasn’t it you who sent someone to pretend to be a ghost and scare people at the shop on the street corner?” Cheng Yi closed in on him step by step. “You even dared to frighten my great-granddaughter. Do you really think our family is easy to bully?”

 

Lu Jiazheng’s face twisted as if he had swallowed something bitter, and tears nearly streamed from his eyes. “Great-Grandma, I was blind and foolish. Please be magnanimous and forgive this insignificant one. I won’t dare do it again. Never again!”

 

“Hmph! Do you think the Cheng family is so easily dismissed? Today, I’ll teach your Lu family a lesson!”

 

“Great-Grandma! Spare me, please! I won’t dare anymore. I swear I’ll never trouble your great-granddaughter again. Please, have mercy!”

 

Cheng Yi stood before Lu Jiazheng, putting on a convincing show. In truth, she had no intention of actually touching him. What if he felt the warmth of her hand and realized she wasn’t a ghost?

 

Outside the door, Lu Jiahe was secretly eavesdropping. He feared that if Cheng Yi dragged the act on any longer, her disguise might be exposed. So, pinching his nose to disguise his voice, he called out, “Old Lady Cheng, return at once!”

 

The voice from behind startled Cheng Yi, but after a moment of careful listening, she recognized it as Lu Jiahe’s and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

 

“Hmph! I’ll let you off this time,” Cheng Yi said coldly. “But if anyone from your Lu family dares to bully Cheng Yi again, I’ll drag you down myself and have your tongue torn out!”

With that, she took advantage of Lu Jiazheng’s confusion, darted out, grabbed Lu Jiahe, and the two of them fled. Leaving Lu Jiazheng sitting on the ground, bawling like a child.

 

Hats pulled low, the group ran back to the shop and bolted the door tightly, terrified that anyone might catch sight of them.

 

“I didn’t know you had such talent,” Cheng Yi remarked, taking a sip of tea and praising Lu Jiahe, completely forgetting that she had been angry earlier. “If it weren’t for your shout, I wouldn’t have known how to make my exit.”

 

?

 

Lu Jiahe felt a playful impulse.

 

“No, I didn’t make a sound,” Lu Jiahe frowned, pretending to know nothing.

 

Cheng Yi’s hand, holding the teacup, paused. “It wasn’t you who shouted?”

 

“No.”

 

“Didn’t you hear a voice?”

 

“No.”

 

Frowning, Cheng Yi scrutinized Lu Jiahe’s expression closely. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, she turned her gaze to Lu Anhe and Guo’er.

 

“Was it not her who shouted? Didn’t you hear anything either?”

 

Sigh!

 

The two turned their backs to Cheng Yi. How were they supposed to answer? The question was a trap for them. No matter whether they said yes or no, they would offend one of the two. And these were not people whom mere servants like them could afford to displease.

 

Cheng Yi knew the answer as soon as she saw the two of them turn away. With a sharp clatter, she set her teacup down on the table and stood up, heading straight for the backyard.

 

 

Lu Jiahe hadn’t expected her to react so strongly. She glanced at the two who were pretending to be uninvolved bystanders, hesitated for a moment in her chair, and then got up to follow Cheng Yi to the backyard.

 

Earlier that day, while tidying up, Cheng Yi had specifically instructed that several rooms be prepared so that when the shop opened, she, Lu Jiahe, and the servants would have a place to rest when tired.

 

When Lu Jiahe reached the backyard and saw candlelight flickering in one of the rooms, she hurried over and knocked on the door.

 

Knock, knock, knock!

 

“Miss Cheng? Are you in there?”

 

Hearing the voice outside, Cheng Yi glanced at the door but ignored it, focusing instead on wiping the makeup from her face as she looked into the bronze mirror on the table.

 

“If you don’t say anything, I’m coming in?”

 

Lu Jiahe stood outside for a long while. When no response came from inside, she slowly pushed the door open a crack and peeked in.

 

“I’m coming in?” Lu Jiahe bit her lip, watching Cheng Yi wiping her face in front of the bronze mirror. Seeing that Cheng Yi seemed not to have heard her, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She pulled up a round-backed chair and sat down beside Cheng Yi.

 

Cheng Yi showed no reaction to her words, as if Lu Jiahe weren’t even there.

 

“Don’t be angry. I just, I just.” Lu Jiahe frowned deeply, unsure of how to explain herself.

 

Seeing the flustered and anxious expression on Lu Jiahe’s face, Cheng Yi tossed the handkerchief she had been using to wipe her face onto the table. “Just what? Lu Jiahe, have you grown bold? I haven’t even settled the score with you for tricking me into going to the brothel, and now you’re trying to scare me?”

“I’m sorry,” Lu Jiahe mumbled, hanging her head in apology.

 

Cheng Yi wasn’t angry because Lu Jiahe had deliberately frightened her. What angered her was the deception. She had already warned Lu Jiahe back at the brothel, yet this girl seemed to have learned nothing.

 

“Explain yourself. What were you doing at the brothel?”

 

Lu Jiahe looked up, her expression pitiful. “It wasn’t my idea. Third Brother and Eldest Brother said they were taking me to read.”

 

“Hah!” Cheng Yi scoffed coldly. “Reading at a brothel? Lu Jiahe, is there even a shred of truth in your words? Do you really think I’d believe that?”

 

“It’s true!” Lu Jiahe gripped the chair tightly. “I thought we were going to a bookstore. When we reached the brothel’s entrance, I wanted to leave, but Eldest Brother ran into an acquaintance, someone from the royal family. If I hadn’t gone in with them, I was afraid it would cause trouble for my family.”

 

“Someone from the royal family?” Cheng Yi seized on this detail, thinking to herself that it was unlikely for a member of the royal family to appear so casually in such a place. If discovered, wouldn’t it bring shame upon the emperor?

 

Lu Jiahe nodded. “Eldest Brother was his study companion when they were young. He invited us in.”

 

“Can I trust you? Are you telling me the truth?”

“Yes, you can. It really is the truth. I’m not lying to you,” Lu Jiahe insisted, nodding repeatedly.

 

Cheng Yi shot her an exasperated look. “Fine, I’ll believe you this time. But if you ever lie to me or scare me again, you’d better watch your hide.”

 

“I’ll remember. It won’t happen again.”

 

After Lu Jiahe finished speaking, Cheng Yi had no intention of engaging further, but Lu Jiahe showed no sign of leaving.

 

“Aren’t you going to bed?” Cheng Yi asked, having finished washing her face and noticing the other girl still sitting in the round-backed chair.

 

“I am. I’ll sleep with you.”

 

?

 

Cheng Yi crossed her arms and looked at the person in front of her. “There are so many rooms in this courtyard, why do you insist on squeezing into the same bed with me?”

 

“I’m scared.”

 

“What?”

Lu Jiahe looked at her apologetically. “I’m scared. I’m afraid there might be ghosts at night.”

 

Cheng Yi rubbed her temples, thinking she should have just taken this person back to the Lu residence earlier.

 

Forget it, forget it. She’s from ancient times and believes in ghosts and spirits.

 

Cheng Yi kept comforting herself inwardly, then closed the door and brought two quilts to the bed.

 

“Do you want to sleep on the outside or the inside?” she asked, after making the bed, glancing at the “young master” beside her who had already taken off his outer robe.

 

“The inside,” Lu Jiahe replied, then took off his boots and settled into the inner side of the bed.

 

Cheng Yi closed her eyes and shook her head helplessly. “Kids will be kids.”

 

In the middle of the night, Cheng Yi grew impatient listening to the constant rustling and turning from the other side of the bed.

 

“Lu Jiahe.”

 

Hearing his name, Lu Jiahe turned to face her. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Cheng Yi lay on her back, staring at the bed canopy overhead. “I think we need to set some ground rules.”

 

??

 

“What’s the matter?” Lu Jiahe’s brows gradually furrowed, wondering if she was acting this way because of what happened earlier that day.

 

Cheng Yi let out a long sigh and thought for a long while before speaking. “Because you don’t listen.”

 

As a modern person, Cheng Yi didn’t care whether her partner was male or female. She believed everyone had the right to love, regardless of gender or appearance.

 

But Lu Jiahe was different. She was from ancient times, raised with the belief that men were superior to women. She had probably never even heard of same-sex love, let alone understood what it felt like. Like now, clinging to her like this, maybe Lu Jiahe thought nothing of it, but Cheng Yi couldn’t help overthinking and growing attached.

 

“I won’t do it again,” Lu Jiahe said, unaware of Cheng Yi’s true thoughts, still wanting to defend herself.

 

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

 

Nighttime was when emotions ran high, and Cheng Yi didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. She brushed off the topic and soon fell asleep.

Lu Jiahe, confused by her vague words, lost all desire to sleep. She couldn’t decipher what Cheng Yi meant and could only replay their recent interactions, wondering if she had done anything inappropriate.

 

The next morning, Cheng Yi woke to the sound of birds chirping outside. She stretched her arms and, glancing to the side, accidentally met the wide-eyed gaze of a “panda” staring right at her.

 

“What are you doing? You scared me half to death!” Cheng Yi frowned, pressing a hand to her racing heart. Noticing the dark circles under the other’s eyes, she asked, “Did you not sleep at all last night?”

 

Lu Jiahe propped herself up and nodded.

 

“Why? Insomnia?” Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow, curious about what had kept her awake.

 

Lu Jiahe remained silent, still staring and nodding.

 

“If you don’t say anything, I won’t want to know anymore.”

 

“I can’t figure out why you want to set ground rules with me.”

 

“So, you stayed up all night thinking about it?”

 

Lu Jiahe lay flat on the bed and stretched her arms. “Yeah, couldn’t sleep until I figured it out.”

 

“Tsk!” Cheng Yi shook her head at this, thinking to herself how much the other person acted like a little girl. What if someone outside discovered her true identity?

 

“Alright, get up for now. We’ll discuss the details in full once we return home.” With that, Cheng Yi stood and went out.

 

After the four of them finished breakfast at the shop and returned, they heard that Lu Jiazheng had run home the previous night howling like a ghost, insisting that Lu Jiahe and Cheng Yi must marry, no matter who tried to stop him.

 

At first, Diao Yuqing thought her son had been bullied by them, but then Lu Jiazheng’s words shocked her to the core. Early in the morning, she summoned the most expensive and skilled Taoist priest in Bianjing to examine him.

 

“Lady Lu, there is no foul presence on your son. It’s likely he’s been frightened from walking too many night roads recently.”

 

Lu Zhengliang, standing nearby, frowned upon hearing the old priest’s words. His son spent his days studying at the academy. When would he have had the chance to walk night roads? “Priest, my son attends the academy daily. How could he have walked night roads and attracted such a ghostly thing?”

 

The old Taoist shook his head. “That is something you must ask your son. If you’re still concerned, you can send someone to my shop to fetch a calming remedy.”

“Get it, get it!” Seeing the priest about to leave, Diao Yuqing quickly ordered her maid to follow him and retrieve the medicine.

 

Lu Zhengliang pondered the priest’s words carefully before asking sternly, “You unfilial son, have you been skipping school again?”

 

“Father~” Lu Jiazheng lay in bed, gazing at his old father, certain the man could already guess the answer.

 

“Hmph!” Lu Zhengliang snorted, flinging his arm out in anger.

“You beast! I sent you to study, and you’ve been out fooling around?”

 

“Father! I-it was Cheng Yi’s ancestors who came for me!”

 

Just recalling the ghastly face from the previous night made Lu Jiazheng’s whole body tremble.

 

“What?”

 

Diao Yuqing, who had originally intended to persuade her husband to calm down, suddenly grew furious upon hearing that the Cheng family had frightened her son.

 

“The Chengs dared to bully you? How outrageous! They must have a death wish!”

 

“Mother! They, they weren’t human!”

 

Lu Jiazheng burst into sobs, trembling violently on the bed.

 

“What?” Lu Zhengliang looked incredulous. Though people of this era believed in ghosts and spirits, as the head of the Lu family bank, he had traveled far and wide and prided himself on being a man of reason.

 

“Father,” Lu Jiazheng said shakily, sitting up in bed. “Please! Just let the two of them marry quickly! Otherwise, Old Lady Cheng won’t let me go!”

 

He leaned forward, clutching his father’s arm as tears streamed down his face.

 

Lu Zhengliang looked at him with undisguised disgust, pulling his arm away and forcing his son to sit properly on the stool.

 

“Enough. Tell me everything that happened last night.”

 

Lu Jiazheng stared at his father. If the man ever found out that he ran a brothel and spent every night there, he’d surely be beaten half to death. But compared to being haunted by a ghost, staying alive was still the better choice.

 

With no other way out, Lu Jiazheng recounted every detail of the previous night’s events to his father.

 

“You beast! That’s your own brother! How could you dress up as a ghost to scare him?”

 

Lu Zhengliang raised his hand to strike Lu Jiazheng’s head, and if Diao Yuqing hadn’t swiftly stepped in to stop him, her son might not have been fit to be seen for days.

 

“If you hadn’t provoked others, why would their ancestors be so enraged as to come for your life?” Lu Zhengliang gasped, clutching his chest as he sat down heavily on a stool to calm himself. “You unfilial son! You unfilial wretch!”

 

Though Diao Yuqing also wanted to scold Lu Jiazheng, the pitiful sight of her son. Her own flesh and blood, born after ten long months of hardship, softened her heart.

 

“Enough! Stop blaming the child. Why not call them in and ask for clarification?” Diao Yuqing, heart aching for her son, stood up and helped him back to bed to rest.

 

To get to the bottom of the matter, Lu Zhengliang decided to hold a family meeting after lunch in Old Madame Lu’s quarters.

 

Cheng Yi and Lu Jiahe showed little concern upon hearing the rumors spreading through the mansion about what had happened to Lu Jiazheng the previous night. Even if they were summoned, they felt no fear. After all, their actions had been forced upon them. And without evidence, no one could hold them accountable.

 

“Have you all heard about what happened to Zheng’er last night?” Old Madame Lu reclined on her wooden couch, her gaze sweeping over the assembled family members.

 

This important family meeting should have been presided over by Lu Zhengliang, but because of Cheng Yi’s presence, an outsider whom he could not easily control. He had asked the eldest and most authoritative member of the Lu family, Old Lady Lu, to take charge.

 

Everyone in the room nodded in response.

 

Old Lady Lu fixed her gaze specifically on Cheng Yi. “Miss Cheng, would you care to explain where you were last night?”

 

Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this. Was she being suspected?

 

“Yesterday, after organizing the shop with the household staff, I stayed there with Jiahe to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings.”

 

Lu Jiahe, seated beside Cheng Yi, observed her every move. Seeing that Cheng Yi showed no signs of guilt even after speaking, Jiahe’s lips twitched involuntarily.

 

“Jiahe, is what she said true?” Old Lady Lu shifted her gaze to her granddaughter.

 

Although Lu Jiahe usually obeyed Old Lady Lu the most, she was now firmly on Cheng Yi’s “pirate ship” and couldn’t betray her. “It’s true.”

 

“But Miss Cheng, Zheng’er mentioned seeing your great-grandmother last night. I wonder how she is doing now? And why would she come after our Zheng’er?”

 

“Old Lady, you may not be aware, but since childhood, I’ve lived abroad with my family,” Cheng Yi said evenly, meeting Old Madame Lu’s gaze without the slightest hint of guilt. “My great-grandmother was particularly fond of foreign witchcraft. She even took a master to learn from in her youth, all so that after her passing, she could seek justice for any Cheng family member who was wronged.”

 

The room fell silent.

 

Even Lu Jiahe was speechless. Everyone’s thoughts aligned perfectly. If the living could anger someone so thoroughly, it was no wonder the dead might return to claim vengeance.

 

Old Lady Lu was momentarily at a loss for words. After all, it had been her own grandson who had first sent men to pretend to be ghosts and frighten Cheng Yi.

 

“In that case,” she said at last, her expression darkening, “bring in the two men who dressed as ghosts last night!”

 

At her command, the elderly maid by the door bowed and hurried off. Moments later, two men in coarse linen entered, faces pale and trembling.

 

Lu Jiahe’s heart clenched when she recognized them. The one with panda-like dark circles under his eyes, and the other missing a tooth. Her hand gripped the edge of her chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

 

“Greetings, Old Lady, Master Lu, Lady Lu,” the two knelt and kowtowed.

 

When they lifted their heads and caught sight of Cheng Yi and Lu Jiahe, both sucked in a sharp breath.

 

Seeing their reaction, Diao Yuqing’s suspicions flared. She rose slightly and snapped, “Speak! Do you know this woman? Was my son’s fright last night her doing?”

 

“Lady Lu, even if they are servants, there’s no need to keep them kneeling here.”

 

Cheng Yi cast a calm glance at Diao Yuqing before standing and walking toward the two men. Looking down at them, she spoke gently, “You’ve done nothing wrong. You were only following your master’s orders. Why demean yourselves like this?”

 

Panda Eyes and Missing Tooth exchanged bewildered looks, uncertainty flickering in their eyes. They feared she might be setting another trap.

 

“Come, stand up,” Cheng Yi said, reaching out a hand. “All people are born equal. We are merely bound by this outdated hierarchy. If others refuse to see you as human beings, must you also deny your own worth?”

 

She helped them to their feet. She knew that, before so many onlookers, the two would likely be too frightened to speak freely. So she chose to soften them instead.

 

The pair had never been treated with such dignity in their lives, least of all by someone of Cheng Yi’s standing, the young madam of Bianjing’s wealthiest family.

 

“Lady!”

 

Overwhelmed by her kindness, both men fell to tears, scrubbing at their faces without any thought for decorum.

 

“There’s no need for such formality,” Cheng Yi said softly. “Just tell us what happened last night. Don’t fear retaliation. As long as I’m here, I won’t allow anyone to wrong you again.”

 

With that, she cast them one last sympathetic look, eyes glistening as though moved to tears herself, before returning gracefully to her seat beside Lu Jiahe.

 

 

Lu Jiahe watched the scene unfold speechlessly. Had she not known the truth about last night, she might have been moved by Cheng Yi’s words as well.

 

Unlike the others, Lu Zhengliang and his two sons turned ashen-faced upon hearing Cheng Yi’s remarks. Her words directly challenged their social standing, but given Cheng Yi’s formidable nature, they refrained from speaking out.

Deeply moved by Cheng Yi’s compassion, Panda Eyes and Missing Tooth proceeded to embellish their account, revealing how Lu Jiazheng frequented brothels instead of attending the academy, neglected his studies, and even incited them to intimidate Lu Jiahe.

 

Lu Zhengliang’s temples throbbed with anger as he listened. He shot a fierce glare at Lu Jiazheng, silently warning him that retribution was imminent.

 

After hearing their testimony, the Old Lady Lu had made up her mind. Even if Cheng Yi had pretended to be a ghost to frighten her grandson last night, it was only because her grandson had erred first.

 

“Enough, you may leave now,” Old Lady Lu signaled the old matron to escort them out.

 

“Old Lady Lu, we have an impertinent request. We beg for your approval,” Panda Eyes shook off the old matron’s hand and knelt with a thud before Old Lady Lu.

 

“What is it?” Old Lady Lu glanced almost imperceptibly at Cheng Yi.

 

“Old Lady Lu, we wish to leave the eldest young master and follow the young mistress and her son. We two brothers are willing to work like oxen and horses for the young mistress and her child.” Having said this, Panda Eyes tugged his gap-toothed younger brother down to kneel and kowtow to Old Lady Lu.

 

A faint smile touched the corners of Old Lady Lu’s lips. She truly hadn’t expected Cheng Yi to be so capable, to make servants who had followed her grandson for years switch their allegiance after just one meeting.

“He’er, what are your thoughts?” Old Lady Lu turned her gaze to her granddaughter.