Chapter 52 Truth or Lie
The manor was really beautifully built. There was a large area of grass and trees in the southwest corner. It was early spring and peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, cherry blossoms, and begonias were in full bloom. Flowers and trees were scattered high and low, with petals ranging from dark red to pale white. In some places, crimson and the snow-white collided strongly, and in some places, the powder of different shades formed a continuous piece, which looked like pink clouds from a distance.
The garden arrangement was tastefully chosen, but the spring breeze did not understand its intention. A gust of wind blew, and the elegant and strong petal colors were blown off together and mixed on the ground, layering a thin blanket. Walking along the path, each step created a different scenery. It was not like a forest of flowers planted in the manor, but more like a home in a sea of flowers.
Lu Heng kept his promise, and after taking Wang Yanqing to see the flowers, he went to wash by the river. Even though Wang Yanqing had just experienced the thrilling situation of being “caught in the act”, she slowly forgot her nervousness. Seeing that Wang Yanqing was in high spirits, Lu Heng stayed in the manor for a while, before returning to the city after a meal.
After returning to the Lu Mansion, it was already Shenshi. Today, Wang Yanqing stayed by the water for a long time, and couldn’t help but wash away a layer of dust. She first went back to her room to change clothes. After she changed out of her big coat and put on her home clothes, she glanced at the sky outside and finally walked to the main courtyard.
|| Shenshi (申时) ranges 3-5 pm.
Lu Heng also changed into a dark blue round-neck robe and sat in front of his desk flipping through cases. He heard Wang Yanqing come in, glanced at the door quietly, and asked: “It’s not dinner time yet, why are you here?”
“I’m not doing anything, so I came to find Second Brother.” Wang Yanqing took off her outer cloak, handed it over to the maid, and walked towards Lu Heng, “Am I disturbing Second Brother?”
“How can that be?” Lu Heng smiled and closed the case in his hand, let the maid take it away, and said casually, “I am happy that you are willing to come and talk to me. It’s rare to have free time. How about we finish the last half of chess?”
Wang Yanqing nodded in agreement. The maid went to get the chessboard. Wang Yanqing sat on the Arhat bed opposite Lu Heng, paused for a while, and then said: “Second Brother…”
As soon as she started speaking, Lu Heng looked up, and his amber eyes caught her precisely. He didn’t say a word, his face was the same as usual, with only a pair of eyes sparkling, lingering over its target. When Wang Yanqing met those eyes, she unconsciously held her breath.
Wang Yanqing inexplicably felt that he knew what she was going to say.
Wang Yanqing never mentioned the matter at noon, she didn’t say anything, and Lu Heng didn’t ask, as if he didn’t have the slightest doubt. Wang Yanqing hesitated, wondering if she should tell what happened regarding the encounter with Fu Tingzhou.
In fact, Wang Yanqing should not have hesitated. She sent Lu Heng to the manor to avoid conflict and to save face for all three parties. When it was quiet and no one was around, she should tell Second Brother what happened. However, when Wang Yanqing was playing in the garden in the afternoon, she wanted to open her mouth several times but was stopped by her heart racing indescribably.
She felt that she seemed to have made a very important mistake. But until she got home, she couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
When she took the initiative to come to Lu Heng, she had the idea of being open and honest. But at this moment, facing Lu Heng’s eyes, she thought of Fu Tingzhou’s words again.
Fu Tingzhou said, am I not your Second Brother?
Wang Yanqing heard that Fu Tingzhou was crazy, but the more she thought about it, the more strange it became. Even if he had bad intentions and stalked her, he shouldn’t have used such a cheap excuse to deceive someone. She was not a three-year-old child, couldn’t she tell who her brother was?
But Wang Yanqing soon realized that she had lost her memory, and she really couldn’t tell the difference.
Wang Yanqing was tormented by this idea all the way. Of course, she did not doubt her Second Brother, but a sane person had their own logic in everything they did. Fu Tingzhou, as a person who could leapfrog the ranks, would not be a lunatic fool.
Why did Fu Tingzhou say that? What was his reason?
Wang Yanqing was puzzled and finally decided to approach Second Brother to find out. However, when the words came to her mouth, she hesitated again.
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After a short thought, Wang Yanqing turned around what she was about to say and said with a smile: “Second Brother, how did I and the Marquis of Zhenyuan know each other?”
Lu Heng kept looking at Wang Yanqing, the smile on his lips deepened, but there was not much joy in his eyes. At this time, the chessboard was brought, and Lu Heng spoke lightly while recovering the half-game that they played last time: “It’s very simple, it was just a matter of seeing.”
Wang Yanqing choked, that’s all? She smiled: “Really? I’m just an average person, so why did the dignified prince see and never forget me. Did something happen before?”
Lu Heng half lowered his eyes to restore the chess game, and the jade pieces fell on the board, making a crisp collision sound. His voice sounded in this inexplicable rhythm of jade: “Qing Qing, do you know why he insists on marrying you?”
Wang Yanqing took a deep breath and looked at Lu Heng seriously. Lu Heng put the last chess piece down, and lightly picked up the handkerchief on the side to wipe his hands: “Because he thinks he can use you to hold me hostage. Seeing appearance is one aspect, after all, what man is not lustful? But considering leverage is another aspect.”
When Lu Heng said this, Wang Yanqing suddenly realized it. So it turns out that this is the case. She always felt that wanting to marry after just one look was awfully ridiculous. After seeing Fu Tingzhou herself, this statement was even more understandable. If there was a political element to it, it made sense.
Wang Yanqing’s doubts were dispelled, no wonder Fu Tingzhou was so persistent, so this was it. But this still couldn’t explain his abnormality. Wang Yanqing could see it clearly today. When he heard her mentioning Second Brother, his pupils dilated and his eyelids lifted, which was a real surprise.
This kind of physical reaction could not be faked. As Wang Yanqing thought for a while, Lu Heng knocked on the chessboard and said: “It’s your turn.”
Wang Yanqing grabbed the chess piece subconsciously, and when she touched the cold, round jade, she realized that Lu Heng had restored the entire game of chess while talking without any help.
Even Wang Yanqing’s misplaced chess pieces were reproduced perfectly. Wang Yanqing was speechless: “Second Brother, do you have such a good memory?”
Lu Heng gave a faint hum, and said casually: “It’s not bad.”
Wang Yanqing thought to herself that this was more than not bad. She didn’t remember her reasonings from last time, so she thought about it for a while, and then placed her piece in a corner: “Second Brother, what kind of grudge do you have with the Marquis of Zhenyuan?”
“There is no hatred, we just don’t enjoy each other’s company. The estrangement has accumulated more and more, and slowly it has become what it is now.” Lu Heng held a chess piece between his fingers, suddenly raised his head, and glanced at Wang Yanqing with a smile, “Why didn’t you call him Fu Thief when you went out?” ”
Wang Yanqing’s body froze, thinking that Lu Heng had discovered something, but after Lu Heng finished speaking, he continued to play chess, as if he was just asking casually. Wang Yanqing didn’t dare to try him again. She lowered her head and smiled, and covered up: “I guess I didn’t.”
Wang Yanqing was not focused and played very slowly. Lu Heng sat opposite, without rushing her, and quietly waited for Wang Yanqing’s move. He watched for a while, and then asked in a drawn-out manner: “Why did you suddenly mention him?”
Wang Yanqing didn’t dare to say the reason, and said vaguely: “It’s nothing, I was just asking.”
“Just asking?” Lu Heng held a black chess piece between his fingers and tapped it slowly on the edge of the chessboard, “Since you came in, you have spoken seven sentences, three of which were asking about him. This makes me think that wanting to come to talk with me was a lie, and the truth was that you wanted to take the opportunity to ask about him.”
Wang Yanqing didn’t pay attention to how many words she said. She didn’t expect that Lu Heng’s memory was so good that he could even remember trivial things that she said momentarily. Wang Yanqing panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down and said: “Why, I came here to find Second Brother.”
“Then that’s good.” Lu Heng put his arms on his legs naturally, his posture relaxed, with a thin smile in his eyes, he looked at her calmly, “I don’t like listening to you talk about another man in my presence. Especially when you and I are alone.”
Lu Heng smiled, but Wang Yanqing immediately realized that he was angry. Wang Yanqing lowered her eyes, not daring to mention Fu Tingzhou again, thinking silently about where to move next. Because of this mess, Wang Yanqing couldn’t mention the meeting with Fu Tingzhou, even more.
Some words, once you hesitate, can’t be said.
In the end, when Wang Yanqing left, she did not tell Lu Heng the truth about today. After she left, the fragrance in the house faded, and the room returned to silence. Lu Heng put his hand on the edge of the table, watching the fire jump in front of him, and thought coldly that she did not confess. It seemed that she no longer believed his words.
Did she recover her memory, if she did, how much did she recover.
·
Fu Tingzhou returned to the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion with a livid face. Chen Shi originally wanted to ask if he went to the Yongping Marquis Mansion today, and if he had a romantic trip with Hong Wanqing, but when she saw Fu Tingzhou’s face, she was inexplicably panicked and didn’t dare say a word.
When entering the gates, it was a courtesy to go to the elders’ house for a greeting. After Fu Tingzhou finished the process, he strode back to his courtyard. As soon as he entered the door, without delay, he immediately said: “Call the imperial physician.”
The butler was startled when he heard this, and quickly asked: “Marquis, are you injured?”
Fu Tingzhou glanced at them coldly. The butler was frightened and didn’t dare to ask again. The servant hurriedly bowed and was about to go out to ask for the imperial doctor, when he was stopped by Fu Tingzhou again. Fu Tingzhou thought for a while with a sullen face, and said: “Forget it, call a local doctor.”
The Marquis was obviously in a bad mood, and the servants were very quick to do things. Soon, a local doctor was taken to the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion. Fu Tingzhou dismissed his servants and asked in the room, alone: “Do you know any medicine that causes someone to have delirium?”
The doctor was dazed by this strange description: “Delirium?”
Fu Tingzhou described it differently: “For example, a mistaken memory. Matters that should have been associated with someone, but are now mistakenly associated with someone else.”
The doctor frowned and thought for a moment, then hesitantly said: “This kind of medicine is unheard of. I have been practicing medicine for many years, and have never encountered such a case.”
There is no such medicine? Fu Tingzhou frowned, he suddenly thought of something, and asked: “What about in falling from a height?”
The doctor thought for a while, twirled his beard, and nodded slowly: “If you accidentally hit your head when you fell, you may have memory confusion. You may not recognize people and remember things. Marquis, is anyone injured in the mansion?”
Fu Tingzhou’s face was cold and solemn, and he had no intention of talking to the doctor at all. When he saw Wang Yanqing, he felt strange, and later, he was absolutely sure that something was very wrong. At first, he thought that Lu Heng had used some drug to control Wang Yanqing and keep her by his side like a puppet, but this drug was too mysterious, and Wang Yanqing’s performance today did not look like she was being manipulated. Most likely, she accidentally hit her head when she fell off the cliff, losing part of her memory.
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In this way, everything made sense. No wonder Wang Yanqing didn’t respond when she saw Fu Tingzhou. She turned a blind eye to him several times, took the initiative to get close to Lu Heng, and called Lu Heng, Second Brother.
A nonsense Second Brother, what kind of brother was Lu Heng?
Fu Tingzhou was dizzy with anger directed at Lu Heng. He thought he already knew Lu Heng, but every time Lu Heng did something, Fu Tingzhou’s cognition was refreshed. This immoral thing actually took advantage of Qing Qing’s identity confusion to replace him as her elder brother.
Fu Tingzhou didn’t even know how to describe this kind of behavior. He had eight lifetimes of great virtue and he couldn’t think of such an idea?
After the doctor asked his question, Fu Tingzhou’s reply couldn’t be heard for a long time. He bravely glanced upwards and saw that the young, heroic, and dignified Marquis was sitting behind the table. His face was cold, his eyes were cold, and his whole body was sharp enough to turn a knife.
The doctor was frightened and quickly lowered his eyes. Fu Tingzhou controlled his emotions, and managed to suppress them so that he could speak normally: “Can this disease be cured?”
The doctor looked embarrassed. He had never seen such a case before, he only heard about it in medical books, and it was a strange story, mentioned only in a few words. What was the cure for a disease that had no previous cases?
But the doctor didn’t dare to say that. He felt the atmosphere in the room and intuitively knew that if he told the truth, the Marquis would definitely tear him apart. The doctor thought about what to say several times and said carefully: “When seeing a patient, I am seeing, hearing, and asking. Before seeing the patient, I would not dare to prescribe medicine…”
Fu Tingzhou was silent and his face gradually returned to calm. He waved lightly to signal the doctor to step down. After they left, he sat on the seat for a long time, suddenly sighed wearily, and leaned his head on the back of the chair.
In front of him, the scene of the day seemed to appear again.
She ran away from him without even turning her head, ran to another man, and shouted sweetly: “Second Brother.”
She still loved him, but she has forgotten that the person she loves is him. When he heard the sound of “Second Brother”, it was like a thunderbolt had struck him from a blue sky.
How could Lu Heng dare to occupy the magpie’s nest, steal their ten-year friendship, and squeeze himself into her heart despicably? How could she forget that he was her second brother.
·
After entering the third month, the weather was getting warmer, the spring breeze blew over the green shores, and there was vitality everywhere. But one day, Empress Jiang’s condition suddenly took a turn for the worse and deteriorated irreparably.
Empress Jiang didn’t know where she heard that Lu Heng had taken a wife and was also building her a golden house, but Empress Jiang was very happy. Her spirits improved greatly, and she wanted to meet Lu Heng’s family.
Lu Heng had a terrible headache, but this was Empress Jiang’s last wish before she died. He couldn’t bear to do it, but he couldn’t shirk it. Lu Heng had to bite the bullet and take Wang Yanqing into the palace again
He felt that he might not have to wait for Wang Yanqing to recall her memory, seeing that soon he would be revealing it himself.
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