Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Empress Dowager Bestows a Marriage, the Final Straw

"Is your mother planning to find me a wife?" Lu Wu frowned.

Jinju and Qingzhu, who were nearby, stopped what they were doing and stared at Lu Wu, eager to see his reaction.

"Yes, my mother is the Queen Dowager of Wu now, so isn't it a good thing that she's bestowing a marriage upon you? Besides, she even asked me to come and ask you what kind of woman you prefer, just because she's afraid you won't be satisfied," Ke Lie said as if it were only natural.

It went without saying that the Lu family was merely a merchant family that had only just stepped into the ranks of the nobility, with the mud from the fields still drying on their heels. Even among the established nobility, hearing of a marriage bestowed by the Queen Dowager would usually make one leap for joy. Furthermore, to be asked in advance what kind of wife he preferred—as if she were offering a bespoke service—was a level of favor rarely seen.

Truth be told, even for Ke Lie’s own marriage, Lady Mingji might not have been so considerate. As for "what kind of woman you prefer"? That was utter nonsense; one usually married whoever their lineage dictated. Did he really think he could be picky?

Lu Wu remained silent for a long moment before letting out a long sigh. "A prophecy fulfilled. It seems my good days have truly come to an end. Qingzhu, go call Qiutong back. Jinju, go fetch Yulan and Hongmei; I have something to say."

"Hey, Brother Lu—" Ke Lie felt a sense of foreboding.

"This doesn't concern you. I have things to discuss with these girls. You should go back. I'm not in the mood today, so I won't be keeping you."

"Wait, wait, Brother Lu, Brother Lu! Did I say something wrong? Please, don't scare me." Ke Lie was taken aback and stood up hurriedly, trying to salvage the situation.

"It has nothing to do with you. Just go back." Lu Wu waved his hand, signaling for Ke Lie to clear off.

Ke Lie dared not vent his anger and left Wutong Manor, looking back every few steps. What exactly had gone wrong? Why was this god of slaughter so displeased? Had he said something inappropriate? How was he supposed to explain this to his mother? That he hadn't just failed to build a rapport, but had actually soured the relationship?

"Young Master, that General Lu is being far too insolent, daring to chase you out like that?" Feng Xian, seeing Ke Lie looking dejected, hurriedly stepped forward to console him.

"Get lost, and keep your bad ideas to yourself! Brother Lu is capable of defeating a martial arts grandmaster while surrounded by the Golden Guard, and he took the head of Prince Jiu. What's the harm in him telling me to leave early? He has the right! If you could do what he does, I’d put you on a pedestal too!"

Ke Yuan only had two sons, and since he hadn't ascended to the throne yet, he had time to carefully cultivate and discipline them. Consequently, Ke Lie hadn't yet had the chance to become a spoiled playboy, nor had he developed a temper of that sort. Of course, even if he had, he would still need to know who he was dealing with. If anyone else had dared to issue such an order to dismiss him, Ke Lie would have certainly lost his temper—after all, he was the greatest playboy in Wu, and even if they didn't respect him, did they not fear his brother?

But he had seen it with his own eyes: this man, who now lay lazily on a lounge chair, was only a year older than him. He had been like a demon god, mounted on a black horse and wielding a long halberd, slaughtering his way through the ranks with nothing to stop him. He had marched into the midst of thousands of soldiers and killed Prince Jiu over a mere disagreement. Prince Jiu was Ke Lie’s uncle and had been only a half-step away from the throne of Wu. Regardless of status or power, he far exceeded Ke Lie, and he had been surrounded by elite soldiers, experts, and a martial arts grandmaster as a bodyguard—yet he still ended up headless.

***

"Young Master, what happened?" Qiutong hurried back. Seeing Hongmei, Yulan, and Qingzhu gathered around Lu Wu’s lounge chair with grave expressions, she was startled.

"My good days are over. I’m running away from home," Lu Wu said, concise and to the point.

"What—?"

All five maids were shocked. They had been somewhat prepared, thinking that their usually lazy young master had finally reached his limit with the busyness of the past few days and was ready to flip the table. But they hadn't expected him to go this far—running away from home?

"Young Master—" Qiutong started to speak.

"No need to persuade me. I’m just telling you all. Any of you who are willing to come with me, come. For those who aren't, I will leave a letter behind and at least secure you a position as a retainer," Lu Wu said impatiently.

"I’ll go with you, Young Master," Qingzhu stood up and said firmly.

Among the five maids, only Qiutong and Qingzhu had lost both parents before being assigned to Lu Wu. Although their young master was often unconventional, he was truly good to them. As long as they weren't in front of the master or mistress of the house, the six of them would eat at the same table and sleep in the same room—it was only as they grew older that they began to sleep in separate quarters. Even Lu Wu's monthly allowance was theirs to spend, and he never concerned himself with it. While they were called maids, they lived no differently than their masters within the scope of Lu Wu’s authority.

"I’ll go with the Young Master, too!"
"Me as well!"
"And me!"

They all looked at Qiutong, who hadn't spoken yet. Qiutong was the eldest among them; because Lu Wu was lazy, she was responsible for managing external affairs, including his private treasury and the servants' duties.

Qiutong smiled. "If you all go, why would I stay behind?"

"I knew Sister Qiutong would come with us!" Hongmei rushed over to hug her, cheering happily. Jinju, Yulan, and Qingzhu joined the embrace, laughing together.

After a moment of merrymaking, Qiutong was the first to calm down. "Alright, alright. Since we are leaving, we must pack some travel funds and supplies. None of us have ever traveled far, so the more complete our preparations, the better, so as not to cause the Young Master any hardship on the road." As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Wu, signaling that this young master was the biggest burden of the entire escape.

"Hmm, there are many bad people out there, so we must bring weapons and armor," Yulan said, biting her finger.

"We need a top-tier carriage, or what if the Young Master wants to sleep halfway?" Jinju added.

"Not just one. I’ve heard that sometimes you can't find an inn, so we'll have to camp in the wilderness. We need a place to sleep."

"We have carriages. When the Young Master brought back those three cartloads of treasure last time, those carriages were excellent, with steel axles and frames. Let's just use those three."

The three cartloads of treasure Lu Wu had brought back from the Yuan estate were his private property, so they had been brought to Wutong Manor. Those carriages were from the estate of Prince Yuan and were naturally high-quality vehicles built under the supervision of the royal family of Wu; they were worlds apart from the Lu family's own carriages. Even if the Lu family's vehicles were decorated more gaudily, those who knew quality could tell the difference at a glance.

"Three carriages? Doesn't that mean someone has to sleep with the Young Master? Hee hee—" Hongmei giggled.

"Then you can go sleep with the Young Master!" Qiutong glared at her fiercely.

"I will if I have to. We're all going to be the Young Master's concubines anyway," Hongmei said, not the least bit shy.

The five maids were actually all slightly older than Lu Wu. Meilan Zhuju were one to two years his senior, and Qiutong was three years older—which was only right, or who would be taking care of whom?

"We must bring horses to pull the carriages. We can let Black God choose them, and we should bring our own horses too." Although the five maids' horsemanship in battle wasn't yet refined, they each had their own mounts.

"We need to bring enough money."
"And dry rations; if we miss an inn, we won't have food on the road."
"We must bring quilts, or it won't be comfortable to sleep."
"And medicine for mosquitoes and insects."
"Don't forget the antidotes and wound medicine."
"And we need to bring chamber pots and toilet paper—"
"Should we bring a few more capable hands? Otherwise, we'll have to scrub the chamber pots ourselves."

The five girls began to discuss everything in a flurry of voices.