Chapter 9: The Top Scholar of Yesteryear Is Nowhere to Be Found

“Son-in-law, why did you come down by yourself?” Caiyun returned, anxiously asking.

Well, I would have liked your help, but you ran off…

“I…” Lu Jin was just about to speak when he looked up and saw a middle-aged woman following behind Caiyun.

What was going on here?

“Son-in-law, these past few days it’s been Aunt Wang attending to you… for your restroom needs. I sent her,” Caiyun said, her face full of embarrassment.

Does the son-in-law think I’ve been the one taking care of him in this way these days? Oh dear…

Ah! Overthinking again.

Lu Jin was sweating. Wasn’t the first hurdle after time-travel supposed to be getting close with one’s maid? Why was it different for him? He’d even thought about taking her away…

Lu Jin, come on, be more careful. This isn’t your previous life, nor is it a novel.

But why must it be an old woman? Couldn’t it have been a man? How awkward. Luckily he’d been unconscious these days; otherwise, social death would have been inevitable.

“Son-in-law, you don’t need to go out. You’re not fully recovered yet. I’ve brought the wooden bucket,” Aunt Wang said, placing it inside the room.

“No, no, that’s not necessary. I can go out by myself.” Was she joking?

Besides, Aunt Wang, you seem to have many jobs. Will your melons ripen? Is Golden Lotus still so alluring?

Lu Jin shuffled his legs forward, every step bringing pain behind him.

Caiyun and Aunt Wang hurried over to support Lu Jin, slowly helping him walk forward…

After much effort, Lu Jin finally made it to the outhouse, then let Caiyun wipe his hands when they returned. Lu Jin didn’t want to speak anymore, retreating into himself.

After his hands were wiped, he collapsed on the bed, motionless, pretending to be dead.

Caiyun looked at Lu Jin lying on the bed and felt like laughing. This son-in-law was really thin-skinned, getting shy just from using the restroom.

“Caiyun, someone else is coming,” another voice called from outside.

“Son-in-law, get up and take your medicine,” Caiyun took the medicine bowl from the maid’s tray.

Lu Jin shivered. Aunt Wang, is this all your doing? Aunt Wang, busy outside, suddenly felt a chill.

Caiyun was startled by Lu Jin, standing there with the medicine bowl, stunned. Was she supposed to feed him herself?

---

“Ah, the son-in-law is awake!” The little maid standing behind exclaimed joyfully on seeing Lu Jin lively and energetic.

Actually, Lu Jin wasn’t familiar with them. Having just arrived through time, he was too confused to pay attention to others. Only Caiyun had always been by his side, which was why he spoke more to her.

Normally, he saw the two maids following Caiyun’s instructions, doing odd chores. Lu Jin couldn’t be bothered to manage them.

He took the medicine bowl, staring at the dark concoction, unsure if it would help.

“Son-in-law, drink slowly, careful not to burn your mouth.”

“I’ve already sent Xiaowan to notify the young lady. She should be coming soon to see you,” Caiyun said, fussing over him as she helped him drink the medicine.

“Heh, she’ll come to see me? I almost got beaten to death because of her,” Lu Jin scoffed. So that’s where the other maid went.

“Son-in-law, you’re wronging the young lady. If it weren’t for her that day, you might not have survived…” Caiyun replied softly.

“By the way, Caiyun, how did I get back?” Lu Jin asked.

“The young lady pleaded with the master, then went looking for you. When she found you, you had already fainted… She had you carried back, found a doctor for you, and that’s how you survived…” Caiyun explained, recounting the events of that day.

“The young lady didn’t even think of herself, running back and forth, getting drenched in the rain. The mistress was so worried for her,” Caiyun said, her face full of concern.

Lu Jin was silent, a shadow of that woman appearing in his mind.

As they spoke, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside, indicating someone was coming.

---

Speak of the devil, and she appears. The visitor was Shen Yanxi, the cold, beautiful lady, followed by several maids and attendants.

Lu Jin was amazed. Such an impressive entourage exceeded his imagination; one would think the Empress Dowager was visiting. But really, it was Lu Jin’s ignorance. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary man, and after time-traveling he only saw a few maids, thinking that was normal.

But as the daughter of an aristocratic family, Shen Yanxi had brought only a few attendants, hardly a grand display. She thought Lu Jin needed a quiet environment to recover, so she brought as few people as possible.

Shen Yanxi approached, scrutinizing Lu Jin. Her almond-shaped eyes were full of inquiry, but her face remained expressionless, her brows cold.

Lu Jin said nothing, leaning quietly as she observed him.

The two of them were locked in this silent standoff; the others in the room barely dared to breathe.

“Miss, the son-in-law just finished his medicine,” Caiyun said carefully, glancing at Shen Yanxi.

“Are you feeling better?” Shen Yanxi asked.

---

Lu Jin still didn’t speak, making Caiyun anxious, twisting her hands nervously. Son-in-law, hurry and answer the lady!

“Thanks to Miss Shen, I did not die,” Lu Jin replied coldly.

Shen Yanxi’s beautiful eyes swept over his face before she retreated to a chair in the room, sitting down, her eyes half-closed, lost in thought.

Now seated, Shen Yanxi entered Lu Jin’s field of vision; he couldn’t very well turn away.

Today, Shen Yanxi wore a deep grey tube skirt with a pure white wide-sleeved robe over it, solemn and elegant.

Even if she didn’t want to see him much, he couldn’t help but admire how the Creator favored this woman.

“I know you’re angry, but punishing you was not my intention,” her voice was calm and low, like a gentle breeze.

Lu Jin looked up, realizing the servants had already withdrawn. Shen Yanxi’s brows were lowered, sitting quietly.

“That day, I was truly angered by you. But thinking back, you probably didn’t mean to insult me,” her rounded lips were like jade, and as she spoke, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

“The answer you seek, I’ll tell you today. You already know most of it. I just hadn’t expected you to remember nothing.”

Lu Jin hadn’t expected Shen Yanxi to be so direct this time. Though he didn’t move, his ears perked up.

“…The late emperor once wished to summon me to the palace as a consort. I refused. Recently, my uncle wrote again, urging me. By chance, I met you, and in my desperation, I took this step to get through the crisis. If I were married, the emperor would not trouble me.”

“But…” As if remembering something, Shen Yanxi’s expression turned bitter.

“But I didn’t expect that a few days after our marriage, the emperor passed away…”

Lu Jin was furious. Of course—it was never good news. Used as a shield for arrows, but this time, a shield against the emperor? How many lives did he have? Wouldn’t the whole family be wiped out? How bold was he to compete with the emperor for a woman? How could the Shen family not know? He was doomed.

This emperor was a real oddity—on his deathbed and still thinking about women.

“After I learned you’d lost your memory, I no longer had the courage to speak. To refuse the emperor, I married at random, only for him to die right after. In the end, I became a joke. How could I bear to tell you that? I thought it would be better if you forgot,” Shen Yanxi said with a bitter smile.

But did he owe the Shen family? Was this a burden a minor scholar could bear?

And if he didn’t shoulder this burden, then none of this would concern him. What a contradiction.

Wait, why did he have to be involved at all? Wasn’t his previous life good enough? Lu Jin was completely confused.

“So I agreed to marry into your family?” Lu Jin asked, puzzled. He really couldn’t understand why a top scholar would marry into someone else’s family, taking on such a huge burden. It couldn’t be just for her beauty, could it? What was the original Lu Jin thinking?