Once Lu Tingchen had left, Lu Liangwei turned to Long Yang. “Just now, Your Majesty asked your humble servant why she said that you should consume medicine that would nourish your health. Your humble servant will now explain to you why. Apart from your humble servant being about to…”
Long Yang heard Lu Liangwei continuously referring to herself as his humble servant, and the repetition left him feeling slightly dizzy. He could not help interrupting her. “Lu Liangwei, I now give you special permission to ignore such formalities in the future when you present yourself before me.”
Lu Liangwei, “…”
She blinked a few times before reacting to his words, immediately kneeling to express her gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for this honor!”
Long Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly, massaging the space between his eyes with his slender fingers. “That’s enough. Continue what you were saying.”
“Very well.” Lu Liangwei had to think for a moment before she could remember where to pick up from her previous words.
“… The effect of the detoxification pills that your humble servant will be distilling is quite strong. Based on Your Majesty’s current health, I fear that your body will not be able to bear it. That is why your humble servant customized the prescription—to help your body adjust to the strong effects of the detoxification pills when the time comes.”
Once she had finished explaining, she saw the Emperor’s gaze fixed on her and was taken aback. “Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”
“Lu Liangwei, you have ignored my words.”
Lu Liangwei, “…”
She realized what the Emperor meant, however, once she gave it some thought. “Oh, your humble servant… I misspoke. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.” When she finished speaking, she stuck her pink tongue out, looking quite cheeky.
Long Yang’s eyes grew slightly more enigmatic. Suddenly, he reached out to pinch her smooth, rosy little face.
Her cheeks felt so soft and silky to the touch that he was somewhat reluctant to let go. He wanted very much to pinch them a little longer, but in the end, he did practice some self-control.
Lu Liangwei had not expected that Long Yang would suddenly reach out like that, and she stiffened slightly. She lifted her eyes and shot him a glance, but he had already pulled his hand back, and his expression remained the same as usual. It felt as if an older member of a family were doting on a younger member; there was no indecent intention to the gesture.
Lu Liangwei felt somewhat unsettled, but she decided to let the incident pass.
Long Yang did not stay long. He left the holiday home soon after, escorted by Lu Tingchen.
Lu Liangwei set this odd incident at the back of her mind and proceeded to forget about it. Instead, she set about distilling the detoxification pills for Frostbite.
She stayed in the holiday home for another three days. By then, Zhu Yu’s wounds had finally healed. Coincidentally, the detoxification pills had finally been distilled as well, so Lu Liangwei decided to return to the Duke Mansion.
Once she arrived home, the first thing she did was to head to Longevity Hall to see the Dowager Duchess.
Unfortunately, when she went over, Lu Yunshuang was present, having come for a visit. She was having a conversation with the Dowager Duchess.
Lu Yunshuang’s eyes glinted when she saw Lu Liangwei.
However, the Dowager Duchess appeared to be delighted. She quickly had Lu Liangwei come forward, sizing her up from head to toe for a moment before grumbling in a slightly vexed tone, “You naughty girl, didn’t you say you would be vacationing at our holiday home for only a few days? It’s been ten days now. If you hadn’t come back still, I would have personally headed there to drag you home.”
Lu Liangwei stuck her tongue out and hung onto the Dowager Duchess’ arm. Coquettishly she replied, “I was worried Grandmother would get tired of me—that’s why I stayed a few more days at our holiday home. That way, you can enjoy some peace too.”
The Dowager Duchess tapped Lu Liangwei’s nose and scolded her fondly, smiling, “You must have been having so much fun there that you didn’t want to come home. Here you are, using me—an old lady—as an excuse.”
“I’m telling the truth. Of course I’m not using Grandmother as an excuse.” As she spoke, Lu Liangwei took a box from Zhu Yu’s hands.
“Grandmother, this is ginseng that I bought from one of the commoners. It appears to be quite aged, which was why I bought it specifically for you to nourish yourself. Have a look and see, Grandmother.”
Lu Yunshuang, who had been ignored for quite a while now, watched from the sidelines with hatred and jealousy.
Why was it so easy for Lu Liangwei to earn their grandmother’s love?
She would never have dared to act so coquettishly at their grandmother, even at the height of the Dowager Duchess’ affection for her.