Chapter 165: Family Bliss
Chapter 165: Family Bliss
Lu Yuan played a round and lost, then another, and another ten, losing all ten. Finally, Meng Qianqian couldn't bear to watch anymore and said to Li Mammy, "Mammy, why don't you play? I'll teach my husband how to play."
While it was true that a beginner's luck was important, there was also a possibility that he was just terrible at the game.
"This... wouldn't that be inappropriate...?"
Li Mammy had never played a game of cards with her master before.
"Go ahead, Li Mammy," urged Manager Chen with a smile.
"Hurry up! Start dealing the cards!" The Old Dowager urged.
Li Mammy had no choice but to sit down, feeling a bit nervous.
To be honest, after watching for a while, she was already itching to play.
They played their game, while Baoshi and Tan'er sat on the bed playing their own version of the game, which was chaotic and noisy, with the girls relying more on their loud voices to intimidate each other than their actual card skills.
Meng Qianqian walked up behind Lu Yuan. "It's your turn to draw a card."
"Hm?" Lu Yuan replied absentmindedly, extending his long, jade-like fingers to draw his card.
The night lighting was not as bright as daytime, so in order to see his cards clearly, Meng Qianqian had to bend down and lean close to him.
The sweet fragrance of the young girl instantly enveloped Lu Yuan's senses.
She examined his cards carefully, and a gentle breeze blew, tousling her soft hair. The scent of her hair, along with a hint of warmth, tickled his face.
Lu Yuan's throat bobbed, and the tips of his ears turned slightly pink.
"Oh my," Meng Qianqian exclaimed in surprise.
"What is it?" Lu Yuan asked, his voice calm and aloof as ever.
Meng Qianqian's head drooped. "Your luck... it's really quite bad..."
Indeed, she had never seen such terrible cards. Despite her exceptional gambling skills, she couldn't turn his luck around.
As she drooped her head, her forehead bumped gently against his shoulder.
Lu Yuan's body stiffened.
Meng Qianqian quickly lifted her head and rubbed her forehead, asking, "Did I bump you too hard?"
"It hurts," Lu Yuan replied.
"Oh?"
"Do you not know how heavy your own head is?" Lu Yuan said coldly.
Meng Qianqian turned serious. "I am a martial artist, so I do have a bit of strength. Shall I give you a massage?"
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Mm."
Meng Qianqian extended her delicate hands and began to massage the Great Governor's shoulders with great concentration.
She was serious about being a loyal sidekick!
Her soft fingertips danced across his shoulders, and wherever they touched, a warmth spread through his body. He clutched the cards in his hand, and the noise around him seemed to ebb and flow.
"Great Governor, it's your turn to play a card," Meng Qianqian reminded him.
"Which one should I play?" he asked expressionlessly.
"This one," she said, pointing to a card in his hand. "With such bad cards, we can only rely on my superb gambling skills to save the day!"
She played the card.
"I win!" Li Mammy exclaimed joyfully.
Lu Yuan glanced at Meng Qianqian. "Is this what you call your superb gambling skills?"
Meng Qianqian blinked, a little guiltily, then spun on her heel and pointed at his ear. "Great Governor, your ears are red."
Lu Yuan: "..."
The family played cards late into the night. The Old Dowager won big and was thrilled, while Manager Chen and Li Mammy also won a substantial amount, their smiles stretching from ear to ear.
Meng Qianqian had won at first, but ever since she started teaching Lu Yuan how to play, he had been losing continuously, and she had lost everything.
Lu Yuan thought seriously for a moment and said, "Let's play again next time."
Meng Qianqian's delicate body trembled. No, please!
Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan returned to the main courtyard. As for Tan'er... she was asleep and couldn't be roused, so they decided to let her stay the night at Tinglan Courtyard.
"I'm going to bed now. Good night, Great Governor."
Meng Qianqian's face was ashen as she finished speaking, and she walked into the house like a soulless puppet.
Lu Yuan, in a good mood, strolled leisurely towards his room with his hands clasped behind his back.
Ceng, the estate manager, smiled and said, "Lord Governor, it's been a long time since I've seen you this happy."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Am I really that happy?"
Ceng smiled faintly. "After such a major incident, I thought our household would be in low spirits for quite some time."
He was speaking the truth. He had witnessed Lu Yuan's journey and everything he had endured.
He was not a relative of the Governor but a man who had once desired death until he met Lu Yuan when he was just eight years old. Over the next decade, he watched the boy grow up, watched him treat himself cruelly, and watched him learn voraciously. He had his bones broken and was thrown into a tiger cage, yet he survived, like a fierce wolf cub destined to become the wolf king. But each time he neared success, an unstoppable force would drag him back down to hell. Time and again, he carved his own path through blood and fire, only to have it taken away.
He could bear the burden, but that didn't mean he wasn't in pain.
However, this time, he didn't have to bear it alone. He now had someone by his side who would never leave him.
"Ceng," Lu Yuan said, stopping at the door to his room. "Why don't you leave me?"
Ceng's face was calm as he replied, "Lord Governor, have you forgotten? This old servant needs your help with something, and only when you are powerful enough can you fulfill my request. I am waiting for that day to come."
Lu Yuan arrogantly declared, "That day will come."
Ceng smiled. "I believe in you, Lord Governor."
The Governor did not believe in sincerity; he only valued worth and gain. So, he had to always appear to have an ulterior motive so that the Governor would be at ease.
For three consecutive days, Lu Yuan did not go to court. Rumors spread like wildfire, with some saying he was scared sick by the Prime Minister, others claiming he was being held captive by the Grand Emperor, and yet others whispering about his secret plot to usurp the throne. In any case, no one believed he was simply enjoying himself at home.
It was hard to call it "enjoyment," though, with a troublemaking wife who constantly set traps for him, requiring him to be vigilant every moment.
When she wasn't causing trouble for Tan'er, she was targeting Yu Zichuan.
"Yu Zichuan!" Lu Yuan called out, sitting in his study as the roof caved in above him.
Exasperated, he exhaled a mouthful of dust and asked, "Did you dismantle things like this in the past?"
"Yes," Yu Zichuan replied nonchalantly.
"How come I don't know about it?" Lu Yuan questioned.
"Because by the time you returned from court each day, I had already fixed everything," came the calm response.
Lu Yuan was left speechless.
He couldn't even wallow in his sorrow for a moment without something happening.
On the fourth day, when Lu Yuan still didn't go to court, Xun Yu paid him a visit.
"Third Brother," Lu Yuan greeted, receiving Xun Yu in the flower hall.
Xun Yu glanced around at the servants, his eyes landing on only one familiar face—Ceng, who was standing guard at the door. He was one of the few who knew about Lu Yuan's connection to the Prime Minister's estate.
"I heard you were ill, so I came to see you. Are you truly unwell?" Xun Yu asked gently.
Lu Yuan smiled wryly. "Perhaps I caught a chill from the wind that night on the mountain."
Xun Yu noticed his pale complexion and sighed softly. "Don't blame Father for that night's events. The Grand Emperor intended to execute you, but Father pleaded for your life, and you were spared. You should be grateful to him, not blame him."
(End of Chapter)
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