Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 110

In the past, he chose not to make an issue of it, Chen Rou’s behavior, her pretentious airs, none of it had anything to do with him. But now that she was bullying Yu Jiao, that was another matter entirely.

Chen Rou and Chen Ying were both stunned. For a long while, they didn’t react, simply standing there dumbfounded. It wasn’t until Yu Qizhe walked off into the distance that Chen Ying finally stomped her foot in frustration.

“What does that even mean? Sister Rou, you were just kindly worried about his health. How could he treat you like that?”

Chen Rou felt deeply unsettled. She never imagined she would one day hear such words come from Yu Qizhe’s mouth. It was hard to accept. Though Yu Qizhe had always had a cool temperament, he had never treated her with anything but courtesy and warmth. 

She had always believed he harbored deep feelings for her. How had he suddenly changed so completely, speaking to her that way over Meng Yujiao, a girl so beneath their station she was only brought into the house to bring him luck?

Chen Rou’s delicate, refined features could no longer maintain their softness. Her expression turned grim. After a long pause, she stiffly said, “He and Miss Meng are husband and wife. Naturally, he’ll protect her. I’m just an outsider now. Ying, let’s go home.”

“He’s no good either, clearly,” Chen Ying fumed. “You grew up with him, childhood sweethearts, and now he just turns his back on you like that. Sister, don’t bother with that heartless man anymore.”

While Chen Rou and Chen Ying left in frustration, Yu Qizhe had already quickened his pace, catching up to Yu Jiao at the base of the mountain. Yu Jiao heard footsteps behind her and turned around, frowning as she saw Yu Qizhe. Her expression was full of concern.

“What are you doing here? And without an umbrella? You know your health can’t handle this, you’ll catch a cold again. Do you want to get sick?”

Despite her scolding, Yu Qizhe didn’t look the least bit annoyed. In fact, he was secretly delighted. A warm, somewhat silly smile appeared on his otherwise elegant face. “I didn’t feel right letting you go up the mountain alone. I came to keep you company.”

Yu Jiao’s heart softened at his words. Her tone gentled noticeably as she held her umbrella over his head. “You still shouldn’t be out in the rain. Your body is so fragile, just a bit of coldness and you’ll be laid up again. You didn’t even think to bring an umbrella?”

“It’s alright. I’m dressed warmly,” Yu Qizhe said, lifting his sleeve to show her that he had layered on multiple coats.

Yu Jiao couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you an idiot? Getting soaked in all those layers will only make it worse. The wet fabric will stick to your skin, and the cold will seep right in.”

She shoved the umbrella into Yu Qizhe’s hand. “Go home. I’ll be fine on my own, stop worrying over nothing.”

Yu Qizhe caught the umbrella, his fingers brushing against her palm. Noticing how cold her hand was, he gently tucked it into the wide sleeve of his robe. Holding the umbrella over both their heads with the other hand, he said softly, “I’m not leaving. I’m going up with you.”

Yu Jiao’s emotions were mixed. Her palm rested against the warmth of his arm, and after a moment she muttered, “You really are sick in the head.”

Yu Qizhe chuckled as he led her up the mountain. “Doctor Meng isn’t wrong, I am sick, and I still need your expert treatment.”

Yu Jiao couldn’t help but laugh too. Her fair face, glistening in the misty rain, looked particularly bright and beautiful.

She had been to the mountain several times and knew the paths well. Out of consideration for Yu Qizhe, she chose an easier route and slowed her pace, avoiding any detours for other herbs. She headed straight for the cliffs where the Yao grass grew.

It took them an hour to reach a steep cliffside. Yu Jiao handed the umbrella to Yu Qizhe and asked him to wait while she took off her shoes and began searching barefoot on the slick rocks.

Unfortunately, her luck wasn’t good that day. After combing through most of the crevices along the cliff face, she still hadn’t found the herb. Turning around, she saw that Yu Qizhe was already soaked through from the rain. She sighed softly.

“No luck. Let’s go back.”

Yu Qizhe had never gone herb gathering with Yu Jiao before, but he’d heard from Yu Zhixing that she often searched for a particular medicinal plant whenever it rained. It grew on rocky cliffs, and each time she came, she’d scour nearly the whole mountain.

Seeing her give up so soon, Yu Qizhe realized she was worried about his health. A smile touched his eyes. “There’s still time. Let’s check another spot.”

He hoped she would find the herb this time. Otherwise, she’d come out again the next time it rained, too exhausting.

“No, the path’s too difficult. Let’s go down,” Yu Jiao said, trying to make an excuse.

Yu Qizhe handed the umbrella back to her and crouched down, picking up the shoes she had taken off and gently started putting them on her feet.

Yu Jiao stiffened in surprise when he grabbed her cold, muddy foot. “You… you don’t need to… I can do it myself!”

But Yu Qizhe had already pulled out a handkerchief and was carefully wiping the dirt off her feet. Once they were clean, he slipped her shoes on with the utmost care. Yu Jiao’s breath caught. She looked down at his clean, handsome face, her heart stirring like ripples across spring water, unexpected and unsteady.

After he finished, Yu Qizhe held out his hand to her. This time, he covered his palm with his sleeve, as though afraid the hand that had just touched her feet might still carry some dirt.

That small gesture made Yu Jiao’s heart melt like cotton. She placed her hand in his and let him help her up from the rocks.

“Let’s keep looking. You’ve been nursing me back to health for so long, my body’s not as weak as it used to be.” Yu Qizhe said gently as he took the umbrella back and held it over them again.

Yu Jiao bit her lip. With Yu Qizhe treating her so well, she didn’t know how to respond. She only thought that the sooner she found the Yao grass, the sooner she could fully restore his health. So she nodded. “Alright.”

They crossed another hill and reached a new cliffside. Yu Jiao bent over to search while Yu Qizhe stood quietly beside her, holding the umbrella, never once taking his eyes off her.

He knew she was resilient, but he hadn’t realized just how much. Here she was, in the pouring rain, scouring a dangerous cliffside for hours. Even most men wouldn’t endure this kind of hardship.

They searched from the south side of the cliff to the north, but there was nothing, just wild weeds, no sign of the Yao grass. Yu Jiao looked up at Yu Qizhe, wiping rain from her face, a flicker of guilt in her heart. She’d dragged him out into the storm for nothing, and of course she was disappointed.

Yu Qizhe walked up to her, the basket on his back and umbrella in hand. Seeing her soaked through, her hair clinging to her cheeks, his heart ached.

“Let’s go back. We don’t need that herb. Maybe I’ll recover just fine without it.”

Yu Jiao shook her head and glanced at the last section of the cliff. Her voice was steady. “We’ve come this far. Let’s finish looking.”

Yu Qizhe stared at her calm, determined face, feeling a strange surge of emotion in his chest. Right now, soaked to the skin and looking like a drowned cat, she wasn’t pretty in the traditional sense, but to him, she was glowing, radiant in a way he couldn’t look away from.

He followed her step for step, holding the umbrella over her, unwilling to let her search in the rain alone any longer.