"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 36

 Lu Ying was brave and scheming…and had breasts, she was actually a girl.

Lu Ying cleverly used the rules, best two out of three on stage, she had deliberately put the rod and sword competition first, the last round would have been close contact combat.

Wang Da Xia’s physique wasn’t bad, and he was also sly, he would have used tricks, when the two of them touched, they would definitely have started wrestling.

Lu Ying would most likely have won the last round. 

However, even if she bound her chest even tighter, under close contact wrestling, it was very likely Wang Da Xia would realise (feel) them. That’s why under the understanding of Wang Da Xia’s laziness, he had lost two rounds in a row and even if there was a chance he would win the third round in close combat against Lu YIng, and at least win one round so he wouldn’t completely lose his dignity, he would be too lazy to do so.

Because Wang Da Xia simply didn’t care about dignity, most people who practised martial arts had big egos, after losing two rounds out of three, they would have tried their hardest to fight in the final round, to redeem a bit of dignity, at least a bit of respect not to completely lose.

Wang Da Xia wasn’t a normal person, a lazy person like him, it was more important to be comfortable than to have dignity. If he could sit he wouldn’t stand, if he could lay down he wouldn’t sit, losing two rounds in a row, after knowing the outcome, he simply didn’t think about fighting  in the third round for dignity.

It actually showed Lu Ying’s scheme was flawless, she had a firm grip on Wang Da Xia’s weakness.

After Wang Da Xia lost twice in a row he really did concede and drop out, not fighting hand to hand in  the last round, that’s how she avoided being discovered as a girl!

Yet, no matter how much she planned, Lu Ying made a mistake— even though she was strong, she was, after all, still made of blood and flesh.

Her chest was bound by white cloth, it was already very hot but she had her robes buttoned up to the neck, under the dangerous summer sun she had spent all her energy to fight two rounds, even if her body was made of iron it wouldn’t be able to bear it.

That’s why, Lu Ying suffered from a heatstroke, falling over after her victory.

Lu Ying was carried to Wei Cai Wei’s room, Wei Cai Wei chased the embroidered uniform guards out, waving her crutch, under the explanation of too many people making the air stuffy.

Only Wang Da Xia refused to move like a plaster stuck on the floor.

Wei Cai Wei waved her crutch to chase them away, everyone else had left, afraid to be hit, only he was like a reef in water, not moving at all.

“Didn’t you hear me? Leave, don’t delay me in my treatment of leader Lu.” Wei Cai Wei said.

Wang Da Xia vow meant nothing, just last night he had sworn he wouldn’t talk to her, he immediately broke it, he said: “If I go, what a scandal it would be leaving a woman and a man alone? I’ll stay here, I can help you remove his clothes and clean his body.”

Wei Cai Wei saw Lu Ying’s lips were as white as paper, she was very worried, she pushed open the window and called for a guard, “Drag him away, leader Lu’s treatment cannot be delayed.”

“You…” Wang Da Xia had lost twice today, then he was driven away by Wei Cai Wei, he had suffered three time.

She only wanted to spend time alone with Lu Ying, Wang Da Xia became a dish of pickled fish, both sour and sad and unneeded. 

Wang Da Xia’s heart was ashened, four guards came in, each of them picking up a limb, similar to a plaster being torn in all directions, finally he was torn apart.

There was a water jug in the room, ice cubes were piled in with steam coming out, it immediately became cooler.

Wei Cai Wei undid Lu Ying’s clothes and her binding, only a thin cotton blanket covered her, dissolving a heatstroke relieving pill she fed Lu Ying it.

Lu Ying’s instincts to survive even when passed out what was very strong, she subconsciously swallowed it, only a little bit slipped out from the edge of her lips.

Wei Cai Wei helped her wipe her body to cool down, mixing salt and sugar into water, she continued to feed her, one bowl went in her when someone knocked at the door, “Doctor Wei, open up.”

It was actually Lu Bing’s voice! How quick was he to get up and see his daughter? He had recovered much too quickly!

Others didn’t know Lu Ying was a girl, as a father there was no way Lu Bing wasn’t aware.

Wei Cai Wei opened the door, she saw Lu Bing sitting in a wheelchair at the door, his personal guard pushing him, the noisy embroidered uniform guards, including Wang Da Xia, in the courtyard had been chased away, it was very quiet.

It turns out when Wei Cai Wei discovered Lu Ying had fainted, after she was brought into the room alone, Lu Bing knew Wei Cai Wei found out about his daughter’s little secret. That’s why he instantly ordered his guards to chase everyone else away— his illness was a secret, absolutely no one could see his weakened state in a wheelchair.

Lu Bing asked: “What happened to her?”

Lu Bing actually cared a lot about his daughter, but after his stroke his facial muscle control had yet to recover, he was as expressionless as a block of wood.

Wei Cai Wei said: “Let me push Lord Lu in to see leader Lu.”

The personal guard was a man, and the unconscious Lu Ying was practically naked, only a thin blanket covered her.

Lu Bing nodded, letting Wei Cai Wei push the wheelchair.

Wei Cai Wei then mixed another bowl of sugar and salt water, continuing to feed Lu Ying, “She had sweat a lot, her clothes were soaked, if there had been a further delay, the outcome would  have been unthinkable.”

Lu Bing silently watched Wei Cai Wei feed Lu Ying water until the bottom of the bowl could be seen, then he said: “I have seven children in total, she has the most similar personality to me, as long as she set her mind to it, she won’t change her mind, even if she’s tired she’ll bear it.”

When Wei Cai Wei poured the fourth bowl of water, Lu Ying began to wake, she first touched her chest, then saw Wei Cai Wei and her father sitting in a wheelchair, she immediately understood her identity as a girl had been exposed.

Wei Cai Wei said: “Don’t worry, only I know.”

Wei Cai Wei understood why Lu Ying who had acted in a strict manner at the start of last night’s “three judge court”, then forgave her for pretending to be a widow to make a living. 

It was because Lu Ying was also in disguise, dressing as a man, Wei Cai Wei could sympathise with her. They were both women, she understood far too well there was no other choice.

There was no point in hiding it from Wei Cai Wei anymore, Lu Ying said: “My name is Lu Ying, Ying from the word jade like stone and not actually Ying from the word hero…I’m the fourth young lady of the Lu family.”

Lu Ying had a hard life, he had married four wives, one was his former wife, three were second wives, all were dead, not a single one was alive, his wives gave him four sons, his eldest and second son had died prematurely, his third son Lu Yi and fourth son Lu Cai were still alive.

Lu Bing’s four wives had died consecutively, only his concubine madam Li remained alive and well, she had given birth to five daughters in a row for him, all of them were alive, Lu Ying was the most pampered fourth young lady.

That’s why after Lu Ying’s fourth second wife madam Zhao passed away, he didn’t want to bring harm to another family’s daughter, he handed over the management of the household directly to his concubine madam Li, presiding over the food, giving up the idea of remarrying.

Lu Ying looked the most like her father, long legs and slender waist, she walked like a crane, from a young age she didn’t like dressing up but martial arts, and she was her father’s favourite, he agreed for her to train as a boy from a young age, when she grew up Lu Ying was no longer satisfied with just training at home, working on her skills alone, she hoped she could succeed her father as a girl, reaching some achievement in the embroidered uniform guards.

Originally there were some positions in the embroidered uniform guards which a woman could hold, such as a spy or a secret agent, as well as being placed in a foreign country as a scout and so on. 

However the secular view was there would be no female embroidered uniform guards in a public situation, even though Lu Ying was under the protection of her father Lu Bing, she still needed to comply with the demands of the world, portraying herself as a man.

Fortunately, her father was Lu Bing, he could use his influence to fulfil his daughter’s wish, he informed emperor Jia Jing and reported this matter, changing Lu Ying’s name from Lu Ying to Lu Ying, and arranged for her to work in the embroidered uniform guards.

Emperor Jia Jing had already not attended court for over thirty years, he wasn’t someone who followed the rules, of course he agreed to his nursing brother’s pampered daughter’s request, like he was just making a youngster happy.

Lu Bing felt putting his daughter right under his nose made it easier to control and protect her, there shouldn’t be a problem.

However accidents happen, Lu Ying was headstrong, eager to tame Wang Da Xia, to fight him on stage.

Wang Da Xia: Is that my fault?

Lu Ying recounted her life experience, Wei Cai Wei listened, feeling pity silently for Lu Ying.

Because in the previous life, the fourth young lady was the one who had the worst life out of the Lu family’s five young ladies.

Lu Bing was a compassionate father, he had arranged his daughters’ marriages clearly and with purpose, like a metal bucket protecting the futures of the Lu family’s daughters. He married his eldest daughter to the heir of the established and wealthy Duke Cheng, Zhu Shi Tai, his eldest daughter later became Duchess Cheng, her son also succeeded the title without a hitch, his descendents all were noble dukes.

He married his second daughter to the grandson of the cabinet grand secretary Yan Song, Yan Shi Bo’s son Yan Shao Ting.

His third daughter was married to the son of the cabinet minister Xu Jie, Xu Ying.

As everyone knows, Xu Jie and Yan Song had different political views, coming to ahead at times, they were considered the leaders of the two biggest opposition parties in court, mutual conflict, Lu Bing had married his daughters to political opponents, so that in the future no matter which side wins, the Lu family had at least one daughter who could protect her maternal family.

The future was proof of this, Lu Bing using his daughters’ marriages as an equilibrium was truly too brilliant, this meant that when the Lu family faced a calamity in the future and was swaying from the trials and hardships, he used his daughter’s influence as a wife to protect the Lu family to pass the darkest times until the family recovered its position. 

The first three daughter’s marriages were all political to stabilise the Lu family, Lu Bing was very picky in selecting a husband for his favourite fourth daughter, he was the young son of Nanjing’s director of board of rites Sun Sheng, Sun Xiang.

The Sun family were a famous family of Yuyao, incomparable in nobility, the family were favoured, Sun Sheng was ranked second in the Han-lin examinations, Sun Sheng’s older brother was the top scorer in the palace’s military examination.

Sun Sheng had five sons, each were amazing at studying, four of them became successful candidates in the highest imperial civil service examination, amongst them three eventually became high officials.

Such a family with deep foundations, it would never fall apart, the place Lu Bing chose for Lu Ying to call home should have been the most secure. However, what Lu Bing didn’t foresee was Sun Xiang who he had chosen would have a short life, he had fallen ill and died before even entering the imperial examination, he was the only son of the Sun family who did not pass the highest imperial civil service examination, the year Lu Ying married was the year she became a widow!

Lu Ying then became a nun, lighting an oil lamp before the statue of Buddha for the rest of her life.

Nature played with people, as the most favoured daughter of Lu Bing, she however ended up the most miserable, commented by people in the palace, that’s why Wei Cai Wei knew of the Lu family’s fourth young lady’s fated troubles and misfortunes, it left a deep impression on her.

In this lifetime, Wei Cai Wei got to know the legendary fourth young lady Lu, she didn’t expect her to be so self-reliant, brave and good looking, an outstanding woman as dazzling as a rose in full bloom would later marry then become a widow, rapidly withering, disillusioned with human society, taking refuge in religion, reduced to a pitiful topic of conversation for others, leaving no other trace behind in the world.

In this new life, not only do I have to stop Wang Da Xia from castrating himself, should I do a lot more, to do my best to prevent more people from reaching a tragic end? Change lives?