“Biǎogē,” Lu Wenjing greeted him awkwardly, trying to smooth things over. “What a coincidence, running into you here, Biǎogē. What are you off to do?”

He Yanxiu lifted the curtain and looked Lu Wenjing up and down. “And what are you up to now?”

Lu Wenjing’s heart skipped a beat, then she smiled broadly. “Nothing much, just wandering around…”

“Hmm, wandering around.”

Seeing Lu Wenjing’s obsequious smile, He Yanxiu narrowed his eyes, his already piercing gaze becoming even sharper. “Wandering around? You didn’t even bring a maid with you, and you’re dressed like this. I’m afraid you’re not planning to wander around the capital but rather to go to Qinghe.”

Caught off guard, Lu Wenjing no longer hid her intentions, just chuckled, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing into slits. “I’m just a little craving something, thinking of going to mooch some food.”

“If you’re craving something sweet, go to a restaurant or call the cook at home. Just make what you like to eat. Why bother others?” He Yanxiu glanced at Lu Wenjing. “From now on, if you have nothing to do, stay home and cultivate your character. Don’t always bother Miss Su.”

This was a clear order forbidding her from eating anything delicious.

Lu Wenjing was displeased and resentful and stamped her foot. “Biǎogē is really stingy. He only allows himself to keep a mistress but won’t allow others to benefit from it.”

“Also, Biǎogē only keeps her in Qinghe and won’t even allow her to come from the capital. Does he intend to keep Miss Su as a mistress forever, without even giving her a title?”

As soon as Lu Wenjing finished speaking, He Yanxiu’s gaze swept over her like knives, startling her into stopping immediately.

She was, after all, a young lady, and it was proper not to discuss such matters casually, especially her Biǎogē’s affairs.

Lu Wenjing was annoyed because He Yanxiu forbade her to go to Qinghe to eat delicious food. In addition, after hearing her aunt complain that He Yanxiu seemed to have fallen in love with someone else, Lu Wenjing became angrier and angrier and started to speak without thinking.

Realizing she had spoken out of turn and seeing that He Yanxiu was somewhat angry, Lu Wenjing felt timid, yet still stubbornly insisted, even wanting to seek justice for the honest and upright Su Yujin. She could only retort, “I’m right…”

“Completely wrong.”

He Yanxiu frowned, interrupting Lu Wenjing. “First, Miss Su is not my mistress. Second, the reason Miss Su lives in Qinghe is that it’s quieter there…”

“Wait.”

Lu Wenjing interrupted He Yanxiu this time, her voice rising slightly. “Biǎogē, are you saying that Miss Su isn’t a mistress you keep outside?”

He Yanxiu looked at Lu Wenjing and nodded seriously. “That’s right.”

“But, but that’s not right. If she’s not a mistress you keep outside, why did you…”

Buy Su Yujin back, take good care of her, and even frequently stay in Qinghe County?

“The reason I bought Miss Su back then was because her father, Su Huaiyi, had helped me before, so we were old friends. However, the Su family later suffered a sudden misfortune, and Su Huaiyi took his whole family south to seek refuge, and then we lost contact with him.”

He Yanxiu said in a deep voice. “Years later, I happened to hear that Su Huaiyi’s daughter, Su Yujin, had ended up in a brothel, so I rescued her, settled her in Qinghe County, and took good care of her as a way of repaying the Su family’s kindness to me back then.”

“I often visit her for short stays, also because I think of her as an orphan who can’t find her family now, so I want to give her peace of mind and make her feel a little bit of support. As for Miss Su…”

“She probably feels that I saved her life, so she often serves her food and helps with daily life as a way of repaying me, and that’s all.”

“I see.” Lu Wenjing suddenly understood, nodding her head like a chicken pecking at rice.

A moment later, she tilted his head and exclaimed, “Huh? That’s not right! But I saw you sleeping in the same bed as Miss Su in her room…”

And making quite a commotion!   

The bed was practically shaking to pieces!

Ugh!

He Yanxiu clenched his fingers hidden in his sleeve, giving Lu Wenjing a disgruntled look.

Why worry about so many details?

“But…” He Yanxiu lowered his voice. “No one else knows about this matter. Not even my zǔmǔ knows.”

“It’s because years ago I fell off my horse and was seriously injured. Although I recovered, I lost my sense of taste for several years because of the injury to the back of my head. Fortunately, Miss Su is a skilled doctor and was able to treat me. On that day, Miss Su was just giving me acupuncture treatment.”

“Not only that, I often go to Qinghe not only to visit Miss Su but also to have her treat my loss of taste. Even when I went to Hedong Prefecture, it was because I needed treatment and had to invite Miss Su to come with me.”

“As a result, I got injured in Hedong Prefecture and had to bother Miss Su often…”

“I see.” Lu Wenjing nodded again and, after a moment of contemplation, looked at He Yanxiu seriously. “Biǎogē, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

He Yanxiu: “…”

This brat!

“Of course I’m not lying to you.” He Yanxiu said each word clearly and decisively.

Fearing Lu Wenjing still wouldn’t believe him, he added, “If you don’t believe me, go ask Miss Su.”

“Besides, this is the truth, so why would I need to tell such a big lie or deliberately deceive you?”

That was true.

Lu Wenjing nodded involuntarily once more.

Leaving aside the fact that lying would be easily exposed, if Su Yujin were truly He Yanxiu’s mistress, whether she were brought into the household or sent away wouldn’t be a big deal, and outsiders wouldn’t gossip about it.

Indeed, as He Yanxiu said, he did not need to lie like this.

Furthermore, since He Yanxiu dared to let her confront Su Yujin to verify the truth, it seemed that what He Yanxiu said was true.

Su Yujin was not a mistress.

And He Yanxiu was only taking care of her because of their old friendship.

“It was because the Su family had shown me kindness in the past. I helped Miss Su merely to repay that favor, but Miss Su was grateful and treated me with great respect. And because you are my biǎomèi, she also treated you with great respect. Whatever she was able to do, she fulfilled without exception.”

He Yanxiu continued. “If you frequently bother her, acting like a master, it will seem like you’re taking advantage of her kindness, which will raise questions about your upbringing and character.”

No wonder her biǎogē was so dismissive of her when she visited earlier; he was considering this. With their high social standing, they naturally attract the attention of officials and censors, and as the eldest daughter of the Lu family and the only daughter of this generation, she needed to be extra careful to avoid any criticism. Her biǎogē, having been in officialdom for so long, would naturally be even more sensitive to these matters.

“I understand,” Lu Wenjing said seriously.

Xing’an: Second Master’s ability to lie without blushing has improved lately… (whispering)

(End of Chapter)

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