To Marry the Elder Brother of One's Late Husband - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Lu Changji, Be Gentler…

Jiang Shu put on her sleeping robes and stepped into the flower hall while drying her hair.

The multi-branched lamps illuminated the hall as bright as day. Lu Changji sat in a high-backed chair, his dark eyes fixed on Jiang Shu like a predator waiting to strike.

“Sister-in-law, why do you need such a long bellyband?” His cold voice exploded in her ears like a sudden thunderclap.

Jiang Shu froze. Only then did she notice water stains on Lu Changji’s cuffs. Scanning the room, she saw no sign of her maid, Zhu’er. The person who had handed her the clothes behind the screen just now was…

Although her “pregnancy” was still in its early stages and she wouldn’t be showing yet, it was better to appear a bit fuller. Thus, Jiang Shu had wrapped layers of cloth around her chest. She never expected that, by some stroke of ill luck, Lu Changji would discover it.

Recalling that long binding cloth draped over the screen, Jiang Shu felt a chill run through her body. Her fingers, hidden inside her long sleeves, clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Given Lu Changji’s intellect, the moment she admitted she wasn’t pregnant, he would surely deduce that the woman who had been with him at Qingyang Monastery was her.

No, she could never admit the pregnancy was a sham. She could not be buried with Lu Changyi, nor could she allow Lu Changji to see through her scheme.

The best response now would actually be to turn the tables and question why he had entered the washroom unannounced, but with a guilty conscience, her reactions were several beats slower than usual.

Jiang Shu straightened her posture and forced a smile, feigning a relaxed tone: “Since the Young Lord passed away, I haven’t been able to let go. I grieve day and night, which has taken a toll on my health. Even though it’s only early autumn, I constantly feel an unbearable chill, so I wear a bellyband for warmth.”

Knowing this explanation was flimsy, she added, “The Third Brother and the Young Lord always had friction. Now that the Young Lord is gone, there’s no guarantee Third Brother won’t harbor improper thoughts. At a time like this, I must remain composed. Fearing he might discover my weakness, I wrapped the cloth to mislead him.”

With just a few words, Jiang Shu poured ice water over Lu Changji’s fervent emotions. He rubbed the thumb ring on his hand, his expression unreadable.

He had originally thought Jiang Shu’s marriage to Lu Changyi was a matter of helplessness, but it seemed her bond with Lu Changyi was unshakable. Now that Lu Changyi was gone, he had taken half of her heart with him.

Lu Changji had entered officialdom as a youth, rising rapidly and orchestrating everything with precision. She was the only one who had introduced “accident” into his life.

This long-lost feeling of losing control birthed a flicker of trepidation within him. Realizing he was actually capable of feeling such fear, he found himself unsure of what tone or attitude to use with her.

Without another word, he strode out of Xinchun Court.

The autumn wind brushed against his face, its bleak chill helping him reclaim his reason. He looked at his attendant and commanded in a low voice, “Have Physician Wen go to Jianan Courtyard.”

…

This was the first time Physician Wen had met Lu Changji alone. The pressure radiating from the man in power made him tremble with unease.

Lu Changji looked at him and asked, “How is the Second Young Mistress’s health? Is the fetal pulse stable?”

Physician Wen, accustomed to treating noble families, had developed a cunning mind. He always thought thrice before answering a high-ranking official. Everyone knew Jiang Shu’s pregnancy was “stable”; if everything were truly fine, Lu Changji wouldn’t be asking.

After a moment of deliberation, the physician said vaguely, “The Second Young Mistress’s pregnancy is not in grave danger, though the fetus is slightly weak in spirit. If she takes care…”

Lu Changji interrupted, “And her? How is her own body?”

Since her husband had just passed, it was only natural for a wife to be consumed by grief. The physician weighed his words: “The Second Young Mistress suffers from a deficiency of qi and blood, and her mind is burdened by worry. She needs meticulous care.”

Physician Wen’s careful wording happened to align perfectly with Jiang Shu’s excuse.

Lu Changji no longer suspected a fake pregnancy; instead, he felt an overwhelming pity for her. Pregnancy was difficult enough for a woman, yet she was suffering through a weakened constitution. He looked at his subordinate, Cheng Yong: “Send that century-old ginseng bestowed by the Empress Dowager to Xinchun Court.”

…

The next day, Zhao Yingyun invited Jiang Shu to play leaf cards (a traditional card game) with Lu Changying to “cheer her up.” During the game, Lu Changying gleefully shared news that the Third Brother, Lu Changfeng, had been beaten up the previous night after causing trouble at a brothel.

During the gathering, Zhao Yingyun claimed her inner garment’s drawstring had come loose and asked Lu Changying to help her fix it in the inner room, leaving Jiang Shu alone in the hall for a few moments.

That evening, Jiang Shu was summoned to the main hall by Madam Zhao. Lu Changying sat there with a dark face, accusing Jiang Shu of stealing a precious jade pendant—a gift from the Empress Dowager—that had gone missing from the hall during their card game.

Though Madam Zhao initially defended Jiang Shu, Zhao Yingyun suggested searching Jiang Shu’s courtyard to “prove her innocence.”

The search was conducted by Nanny Zhou. While she claimed in front of everyone that nothing was found, she privately presented the jade to Madam Zhao once the others were dismissed. It turned out Nanny Zhou had indeed found it but hid the fact to protect the family’s reputation.

Believing Jiang Shu had “shallow eyelids” and had resorted to theft, a furious Madam Zhao ordered her to kneel in the ancestral hall and transcribe the Tao Te Ching to reflect on her virtues.

…

On the cold, rainy night, Jiang Shu knelt in the ancestral hall, shivering and falling ill with a high fever.

Meanwhile, Lu Changji returned home and learned of the incident. To save her, he produced a second, identical jade pendant (he had been gifted a pair by the Empress Dowager) and had his attendant tell Madam Zhao that he had “found” the lost pendant on a path, suggesting Lu Changying had simply dropped it.

Realizing she had wronged Jiang Shu, Madam Zhao sent a maid to release her. However, Lu Changji’s guards were already stationed at the ancestral hall. They turned the maid away, claiming the Second Young Mistress had already been sent back.

In reality, Lu Changji had entered the hall himself. Finding Jiang Shu unconscious and burning with fever, he carried her back to his own quarters, Jianan Courtyard.

As he used a cold towel to wipe her brow and shoulders to bring down her temperature, Jiang Shu, lost in a fever dream of her wedding night with Lu Changyi (where, in reality, she had been with a disguised Lu Changji), began to mumble in her delirium.

“Big Brother… Lu Changji… be gentler… spare me…”

Her soft, pleading voice drifted from her lips.

Lu Changji’s body stiffened. It felt as if ten thousand brilliant fireworks had exploded in his mind.