Chapter 62.1 - Reopening a wound
The next morning, when Lou Qingwu had just gotten up, there was someone reporting to Leaning Wind Pavilion that the empress wanted to see her.
Lou Qingwu received the news and went to change into a palace outfit to prepare to enter the palace.
Just as she was about to leave her courtyard, the housekeeper Uncle Liu reported that Lou Qufeng wanted to see her.
Lou Qingwu first went to the garden pavilion and from far away, she saw him with his back facing her.
His back was bent as he walked back and forth nervously, he looked extremely anxious.
She lowered her eyes, hiding a flash of coldness.
She didn’t need to wait for Lou Qufeng to speak to guess at the reason why he asked her to come see him.
What happened last night was too sudden but even with the pressure from his colleagues who witnessed the event, it would be too easy for Ruan Zhen to persuade him through what happened in a single night.
“Father.”
She stood at the doorway of the garden pavilion as she lowered her eyes and called out.
Lou Qufeng immediately turned around and when he saw Lou Qingwu, his eyes flashed brightly.
He immediately welcomed her, “Qingwu, you’ve come! Come, sit down.”
It was hard for Lou Qufeng to be so friendly.
If it was her in her past lifetime, she definitely would’ve been overjoyed but now …
“What does father want to see your daughter about?”
“That …” Lou Qufeng rubbed his hands.
The events that were stirred up by last night’s events were spoken about by the hundred court officials to the emperor and to the point where his face already had no more skin left.
So, he followed his second madam’s advice to push all of the blame to Lou Qingwu.
Now that he’s seeing her face to face, his old face felt a bit embarrassed.
“Father?” Seeing him not speak, Lou Qingwu narrowed her eyes.
She raised her head and called out to him, her expression questioning.
Lou Qufeng coughed, “That, ah, Qingwu. When you enter the palace, if the empress or anyone else asks you … you, could you help your father out?”
“Help with what?”
“.... it’s about Lian’er.”
Thinking about Ruan Zhen’s crying and tantrums, and how he’d already spoken, he gritted his teeth and continued, “Qingwu, can you admit that you were the one who schemed against Lian’er last night?”
“En?” Lou Qingwu suddenly raised her head up.
Her pair of bright eyes first froze before slowly widening, revealing disbelief.
“Father, what are you saying? What do you mean, admit that I schemed against second sister?”
“......” Lou Qufeng’s old face reddened, but he didn’t have any other methods.
He could only let this eldest daughter suffer.
“After, after all, what happened that year, your reputation is already … you already can’t marry into a good family. But Lian’er’s different, she can still marry. Even though last night, it was assistant general Li, but, but the difference between committing adultery and being schemed is different.”
“ Just think of it as father begging you. Help your Lian’er little sister. Afterwards, she still has to be someone. After this, how will she see anyone after marrying into the Li family?”
Lou Qingwu’s throat tightened, her hands to her sides slowly gripped together.
Even though she’d already guessed that Lou Qufeng would stand on Ruan Zhen’s side.
But to guess was one thing, to actually hear it was another.
So angry that she began laughing, she calmed down.
But her whole body was starting to go cold.
She slowly looked at him, staring straight at him.
“Father, you know that Lian’er little sister won’t be able to be someone afterwards, but if I admit to this, how will I be someone after this?”
“This …” Lou Qufeng became nervous.
“If, if worse comes to worse, father will find you a distant relative to marry you off to! I definitely won’t let you unable to marry anyone!”
Lou Qingwu sucked in a deep breath to suppress the urge to turn around and walk off in anger.
Seeing her not speak, Lou Qufeng became even more anxious, “If that’s not good enough, when the time comes, ask Lian’er to ask Li Jingsheng if he’ll take you in as a concubine!”
As long as Lian’er could sit steadily as the legitimate wife, Qingwu marrying in wouldn’t be a problem.
*
TL note:
Who is thoroughly disappointed in Lou Qufeng right now?? He wiped out that last bit of hope that I didn’t even know I had for him.
Leave a comment and for more disappointment re: LQW's father xx
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