Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lu Ying’an and I returned to his small courtyard.

The gu poison spread quickly. The moment we reached his room, his legs gave out and he collapsed into a wooden chair. His beautiful eyes blazed at me as he forced out an angry question.

“Why… why did you put a gu in me?”

Guilt weakened my voice. “I only came to watch the parade. I never meant to infect you. You were the one who took my pouch.”

“You held it right in front of me!” His chest heaved with fury.

That made me angry too. “Other girls offered you things as well. Why did you have to take mine?”

He stiffened. After several deep breaths, he realized arguing was pointless and said coldly, “Remove it.”

I rubbed my fingers together and looked away. “…I can’t. I don’t have the antidote.”

It was the truth. Mother had given me only the love gu, never mentioning an antidote. In her opinion, this particular gu did not need one.

Even the fastest message to the Southern Frontier would take three to five months.

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Tormented by heat, he tugged at his collar, baring a pale collarbone and a patch of chest. He was on the verge of breaking.

I dared not look. Turning away, I thought of the only remedy and felt my face grow hot.

The gu had been fed with my blood. No other woman could help him.

But I had a husband!

Granted, my husband did not like me.

“It… hurts…”

The strangled sound behind me made me whirl around. Lu Ying’an had lost nearly all awareness. His eyes were unfocused, sweat beaded his brow, and if this continued, the gu would torture him to death.

He was the newly crowned top scholar! A future pillar of the empire!

My conscience condemned me. To save his life, I could only steel myself and step forward.

“I’m rather pretty, so you aren’t losing out. Think of it as one night of passing pleasure.”

With that, I bent down on trembling legs and kissed him.

His lips were warm and soft, carrying the fruity fragrance of wine. The unexpected kiss restored a sliver of his reason. His dark eyes flew open, and his handsome face turned scarlet.

“You… you shameless woman!”

I bit him.

As if I would have agreed if it weren’t to save his life!

Lu Ying’an struggled at first, but the gu soon overwhelmed his reason, and he seized control. We stumbled onto the bed together.

The curtains fell.

I became a little boat tossed upon a stormy sea. His young body was hot, hard, and powerful.

…

When the clouds finally dispersed, I left the courtyard supporting my aching waist. There was still daylight left, so I hurried back to the general’s residence.

I thought dinner would be long over and my mother-in-law already asleep. Instead, the moment I had changed clothes, she sent someone to summon me.

My guilty heart pounded as I entered the front hall. Then I noticed the dishes still set on the table.

“This daughter-in-law greets Mother.”

I performed the formal salute I had learned in the capital. My mother-in-law hurried over and covered my hand with her warm one.

“Why have you returned so late? Did something happen on the road? Nanny Cui, take the dishes back and warm them!”

Nanny Cui immediately hurried off.

Warmth spread through my chest, and my shame deepened, but I still denied anything was wrong. “No…”

“Good. Dinner will be ready again soon.”

She led me to the table. I sat there on pins and needles, unable to taste a bite.

Seeing my distraction, Mother assumed I was still hurt that Zhou Hanchuan had abandoned me for the battlefield immediately after our wedding. She sighed.

“Hanchuan is simply stubborn. Once he returns and spends time with you, he’ll see how good you are and learn to care for his home.”

My lashes trembled. Truthfully, I did not mind his absence.

When a woman married, she did not marry only a husband. She married his entire family.

With a mother-in-law like this, what more could I ask for?

Remembering what had happened that day, I tentatively asked, “What if he still doesn’t like me?”

“Then you and I will live together. I will never let you suffer for him.”

Her decision was final.

Hope stirred in me again.

Perhaps Zhou Hanchuan not liking me was actually a good thing.