In her memory, the original owner of this body once saw a slender figure wearing a bamboo hat and a veil hurrying out of the back gate on the day she entered the estate with the steward. That person had even bumped into her.
If her memory served her right, a pea-green pouch embroidered with dragonflies playing in the water had fallen to the ground. Just as she picked it up to return it, the person had bolted as if fleeing for their life.
Thinking back on it now, it must have been the heroine fearing that her escape would go awry, leaving her with no time to retrieve her belongings.
He stared at her intently, not letting go until she was struggling to breathe.
"If I discover you are lying, the outcome will be far worse than a sword through the heart."
The Heir had seen combat on the battlefield. His gaze was filled with murderous intent, and had Wu Weiwei not undergone high-altitude special training in the modern world, she likely would have collapsed in a heap.
Yet, while the fear was real, so was the excitement blooming within her.
Seeing her body lean slightly forward, her red lips parted as if in hesitation, and her curious gaze fixed on him—it didn't look like fear, but rather as if she had seen something that stirred her.
At this, Lu Hanting’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
She was not afraid of him?
Seeing this, Wu Weiwei knew he had dropped his guard.
With a sultry, alluring look in her eyes, she said softly, "Heir, you are drunk. Let me help you to the bed to rest for a while."
He had indeed drunk too much that night, which was why he had Liuyun summon Wu Weiwei, who bore a striking resemblance to her.
His hazy eyes remained locked on her. Reason told him to keep his distance, but his body yielded to her as she guided him toward the bed.
Once she finally settled him down and rose to pour herself some tea to quench her thirst, the Heir suddenly grabbed her from behind, calling out passionately:
"Yan'er, my Yan'er... why must you be so cruel!"
"Heir, I am not the young mistress..."
Wu Weiwei tried to break free, but men are naturally stronger than women, and the Heir was trained in martial arts to boot.
Unable to break away, Wu Weiwei gave up the struggle and simply let him hold her in his arms.
"Heir, look closely. I am not the young mistress. I am Wu Weiwei. I know you don't actually want to sleep with me."
"Who says? You are my Yan'er, the prized concubine I intend to bring into the Marquis Estate."
Wu Weiwei’s heart skipped a beat.
She wondered if she should take advantage of his intoxication to lure him into promising to marry her. But then she reconsidered—could the words of a drunkard ever be trusted?
Looking at his handsome face, as if carved by a master artist, she had to admit he was the most attractive man she had encountered in her twenty-eight years.
She had tasted simple porridge and fine delicacies alike, but she had never tasted a noble of this ancient era—especially one like Lu Hanting, a man who was both cold and wickedly charming.
She recalled the plot: did the Heir ever sleep with the heroine?
It seemed not.
To verify the truth, Wu Weiwei asked cautiously, "Heir, have you ever slept with a woman?"
The man holding her from behind lifted his eyes, finding his "Yan'er" strangely peculiar today, wondering why she would ask such a bizarre question.
However, the alcohol was powerful, and in his muddled state, he pulled her closer and drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, the man began to act on his impulses. At first, Wu Weiwei refused him, but it seemed the more she resisted, the more determined he became.
She didn't even know if he realized who he was holding or who he was sleeping with.
Watching the days slip by, with the return of the heroine drawing ever closer, Wu Weiwei decided to go all in.
If she didn't sleep with him, how would she climb the social ladder? And without status, how could she compete with the heroine?
Forget it, she would make an exception today!
She would just treat it as being bitten by a dog and take the loss once.
Since she had decided to become the most powerful woman in the Dingguo Marquis Estate, sleeping with him was an inevitable step in her rise to power.
At daybreak.
"Mm..."
She twisted her body, trying to pry the heavy hand resting on her waist away.
The man's hand was steady and powerful, as if it had grown into her very skin; she couldn't shake it off.
After several attempts, the man was startled awake. He opened his eyes, and a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over her.
"Why are you here?"
Wu Weiwei had just woken up herself. A moment ago, she had assumed her little "puppy" was just being clingy, his hand pawing at her as usual.
"Heir, you were the one who had Liuyun call me here last night. You were drunk..."
Wu Weiwei stopped mid-sentence, letting him fill in the blanks himself.
Lu Hanting rubbed his temples. The fragmented memories of the previous night came rushing back like a tide.
He remembered drinking heavily to drown his sorrows, and hearing the servants in the estate gossiping that this Wu Weiwei was merely a pale imitation of Yan'er.
He only remembered scolding her severely, and then she had helped him to bed...
He had mistaken this Wu Weiwei for Yan'er.
The atmosphere remained silent for a long moment.
"Get up," he said, clearing his throat in a deep voice.
Wu Weiwei looked at his emotionless expression, wondering if he would treat her like a fling and deny everything after having his way with her.
Before long, the servants, hearing movement, brought in two basins of water.
As the Heir's former personal maid, it was Wu Weiwei’s duty to help him dress.
"Ouch..."
With a light gasp, Wu Weiwei clutched her waist, looking as fragile as a willow in the wind.
Lu Hanting arched an eyebrow at her.
"My waist seems to have been strained from overexertion last night. I thought a night’s rest would heal it, but servant..."
Wu Weiwei looked at him, feigning distress. She was usually the one being served; she had never served a man while dressing.
"Go rest. Let Xinyue serve me," Lu Hanting said, frowning at her.
He thought to himself that women were truly fragile creatures.
Long after the Heir had left, Wu Weiwei began to dress herself.
As she walked from Qingsong Courtyard back to the servants' quarters, she was seen by many in the estate.
"I heard she spent the night at Qingsong Courtyard. Could it be the Heir favored her?"
"Look at the way she’s walking—isn't it obvious?"
"She’s flown onto a branch to become a phoenix. It looks like our Marquis Estate will have a new mistress soon..."
"What mistress? With her status, she’s nothing more than a bed-warmer at best!"
Several cleaning maids giggled, mocking Wu Weiwei’s lowly standing.
Qiushui Pavilion.
The Heir was rarely seen joining the Marquis's Lady for breakfast.
Looking at the delicacies brought out by the servants, the Heir seemed to have little appetite.
"I heard you were drunk again last night?" the Marquis's Lady asked with concern.
Lu Hanting didn't even lift his eyelids, saying only, "I just had a few cups too many."
Seeing his listless state, Madam Liu said with a pained heart, "The dead cannot return to life; let the past be the past! You carry not only the weight of the Marquis Estate on your shoulders but also the Emperor's expectations."
Ting'er had not attended court for a full month. If this continued, the Emperor might decide he was no longer fit for the position, and someone else would take his place.
"I have my own plans for this, Mother. You need not worry."
Seeing that her son had things under control, Madam Liu felt relieved.
As breakfast was coming to an end, Madam Liu remembered the gossip among the servants today.
"I heard about what happened last night. How is that girl?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you satisfied with her?"
Lu Hanting finally understood what his mother meant. He suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Adequate."
His words were brief and crisp, just like his style of doing things.
"How do you intend to settle her?"
At the mention of her, a pure, exquisite face—lightly powdered—flashed through his mind.
After spending the night together, he realized he wasn't as repulsed by her as he had thought, though she was a bit lazy.
"You handle it, Mother!"
Lu Hanting finished the last of his porridge and stood up. "I am off to court."
Watching her son’s fast-departing figure, the Marquis's Lady said to Mammy Qiu beside her, "It seems this Wu Weiwei truly has some talent."
"Indeed, my Lady. Who would have thought that in just one night, the Heir would pull himself together and return to court."
If Wu Weiwei heard this, it would surely make her laugh until her teeth fell out.
She likely didn't even know that the Heir's sudden motivation had anything to do with her.
"Mammy Qiu, what status do you think I should give her?"
"My Lady, the Heir has yet to take a wife. By tradition, before a proper wife enters the house, the Marquis Estate should not be taking in concubines."