The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 96: Keeps Himself Too Clean

"It’s nothing. Go have fun," Lu Zhan said, rising to his feet.

"Yes, sir." Zhi Wan replied. Seeing him go inside, she eagerly returned to her own cabin. She picked up her brush and began to paint the scene she had just witnessed.

By the time she finished her drawing, night had fallen outside.

She stretched lazily and was about to get up and move around when she heard a commotion outside. She could faintly make out people saying someone was floating in the water.

Zhi Wan’s curiosity was piqued. Just as she was about to open the door and take a look, Nanny Fang and Shuang’er walked in with her dinner.

"What’s happening outside?" Zhi Wan asked.

"Someone was found floating in the water. The Princely Heir has ordered them to be brought out," Nanny Fang replied.

"It looks like a woman," Shuang’er added.

After setting out the dishes, Nanny Fang urged, "Miss, you should eat first. The wind on the river is strong, and your food will get cold quickly."

"Alright," Zhi Wan agreed.

She had eaten a lot of grilled food at dusk, so she was still rather full. She only drank a little soup before setting down her chopsticks.

"Miss, why have you eaten so little? Please have some more." Seeing that the dishes were barely touched, Nanny Fang couldn’t help but urge her.

"Nanny Fang, I can’t eat another bite," Zhi Wan said, rubbing her stomach. "I ate all the grilled food Junior Minister Duan gave my cousin earlier. I’m still stuffed."

Hearing this, Nanny Fang didn’t press her further.

Zhi Wan said, "You and Shuang’er can have it. I’m going to go take a look."

"Yes, Miss," Nanny Fang replied.

When Zhi Wan pushed the door open and stepped out, she saw that a large crowd had gathered on deck. The voices were a jumble, but she could make out phrases like "not dead."

She was very curious, but since the crowd consisted entirely of men, she hesitated to approach.

Just then, Ouyang Zhenzhu ran over, grabbed her hand, and said excitedly, "Wanwan, that girl—I was the one who found her!"

"What?" Zhi Wan didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Ouyang Zhenzhu caught her breath before continuing, "Just now, Xi’er and I were standing by the rail watching the river, and we saw someone floating in the water! I thought it was a dead body, but I never expected this—the doctor on board just checked her and said she’s still alive. I actually saved someone!"

It all clicked for Zhi Wan.

So, Zhenzhu was the one who had discovered the rescued girl.

"How is she? Is she awake?" Zhi Wan asked.

"Not yet. She’s still unconscious. Mr. Lu has already had her taken to one of the lower cabins to be settled in," Ouyang Zhenzhu said.

As the two were talking, Chen Jiu suddenly approached them.

"Miss, the Princely Heir requests that you spare a set of clothes for the young woman. He also asks that Nanny Fang and Shuang’er go and help her change."

Zhi Wan noticed he was soaked from head to toe and realized he must have been the one who’d pulled the woman from the water. She nodded. "I understand. I’ll have Nanny Fang bring the clothes over shortly. You should go get cleaned up."

"Yes, Miss." Chen Jiu bowed and excused himself.

"Why do you think that girl was in the water? Do you think she despaired and threw herself in, or was she thrown in by someone?" Ouyang Zhenzhu mused, following Zhi Wan into the cabin.

Zhi Wan shook her head. "I don’t know. But I suppose we’ll find out when she wakes up and we can ask her."

"That’s true," Ouyang Zhenzhu agreed with a nod.

Zhi Wan picked out a set of her own clothes, then took Nanny Fang and Shuang’er to the cabin where the young woman was staying.

Ouyang Zhenzhu, bored and with nothing to do, tagged along.

When they arrived, Lu Zhan and Duan Ling were outside the cabin speaking with the doctor. They stopped their conversation when the women approached, but not before they overheard snippets like "...already pregnant..." and "...incredibly lucky..."

Zhi Wan suppressed her shock, stepped forward, and curtsied. "Cousin."

Lu Zhan nodded, then said to Nanny Fang, "You and Shuang’er go inside and help the young woman change into some dry clothes."

"Yes, sir," Nanny Fang answered respectfully before leading Shuang’er into the cabin.

Staring at the newly closed door, Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t hold her tongue. "What were you talking about just now? Is that young woman really pregnant?"

Duan Ling faltered for a moment, then said with a sigh, "Ouyang Zhenzhu, that is not a question for an unmarried young lady like you to ask. You should go back now."

Ouyang Zhenzhu pouted. "What’s the big deal? Fine, I won’t ask." She then turned to stare at the physician. "Doctor Wang, what’s her condition? How many months along is she?"

Doctor Wang stroked his beard and chuckled. "The young woman has a strong constitution. Although she swallowed some water and is still unconscious, I estimate she should wake up by tomorrow morning."

Ouyang Zhenzhu rolled her eyes at him. "You’ve said a whole lot of nothing."

"What more would you have this old one say? Didn’t you already hear everything just now?" Doctor Wang said with a cheerful laugh.

Ouyang Zhenzhu rubbed her chin. Just as she was about to say something else, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. She paused, turned her head, and met Lu Zhan’s gaze.

She blinked, perplexed. "Is there a problem, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Zhan’s gaze shifted from her left hand. His brow relaxed, and ignoring her completely, he said to Zhi Wan, "It’s getting late. You should go back and rest."

"Alright," Zhi Wan replied obediently. She grabbed Ouyang Zhenzhu, who looked like she wanted to ask more questions, and quickly led her away.

Once they were a safe distance away, Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t help but ask, "Why was your cousin staring at me?"

"Was he looking at you? I didn’t notice," Zhi Wan said, looking puzzled.

Ouyang Zhenzhu said with certainty, "He was. He was definitely looking at me." She glanced down at her own hands and wondered aloud, "Could it be that my hands are so beautiful they’ve captivated him?"

Zhi Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Oh, stop being so vain."

Ouyang Zhenzhu laughed too. "You’re right. Your cousin is so cold and passionless, it’s unlikely he’ll ever be attracted to a woman in his entire life."

"That’s not necessarily true. He just hasn’t met the right person yet," Zhi Wan countered.

"Maybe he likes men. That’s why he’ll never like a woman," Ouyang Zhenzhu whispered in her ear.

Zhi Wan was speechless.

Although she had initially wondered the same thing, her cousin had always been good to her, and she felt obligated to defend him. She feigned anger and said, "Don’t talk nonsense!"

Ouyang Zhenzhu grinned. "We’ll see if it’s nonsense in the future. I’ll bet you: if he isn’t married by the time he’s thirty, then he either has a secret ailment or... special tastes."

Zhi Wan couldn’t help but retort, "Your brother and Junior Minister Duan are around the same age as my cousin, and they aren’t married either. Does that mean they have problems too?"

"Those two are perfectly fine. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be out carousing with courtesans every other day. But Mr. Lu is different. He’s far too self-disciplined. That’s how you know something’s wrong," Ouyang Zhenzhu said with absolute certainty.

Zhi Wan was speechless.

The two chatted on deck for a while longer before returning to their respective cabins.

A short while later, Nanny Fang and Shuang’er returned. "How is she?" Zhi Wan asked.

Nanny Fang’s expression was full of pity. "That poor girl has been through something awful."

"What do you mean?" Zhi Wan asked, her brows furrowed.