dmims Chapter 767 After dealing with things outside, you have to deal with things at home!
Chapter 767 After dealing with things outside, you have to deal with things at home!
The husband is the heaven, and his arrival is the highest command. The wife can only greet him immediately and respectfully. There is no reason for her to let him wait outside and change clothes at her leisure. The fundamental survival of women in ancient times lies in their absolute dependence on men. In their world, there are only humble "requests" and no equal "commands".
No matter how resourceful Lu Zhi was, she had to follow this iron rule at this moment, suppress the turbulent waves in her heart, and welcome the man who controlled her destiny into her inner room with the most respectful attitude.
"You all stand down!"
Gao Yao stepped into the inner room, his voice was not loud, but it was filled with unquestionable majesty, like cold metal cutting through the silent air. He didn't even look at Lu Zhi who was crawling on the ground, his eyes casually swept over the maids standing by with their hands hanging down, and just waved his hand lightly.
"Here!"
The maids felt as if they had been pardoned, but also like frightened birds, not daring to even breathe. They immediately held their breath, bent their bodies, and retreated quickly and quietly, their footsteps so light that it seemed as if they were treading on cotton.
Not only did they leave the room, they also tactfully retreated far outside the courtyard, completely isolating the space, leaving only the flickering candlelight and the suffocating silence between the two of them.
Gao Yao walked straight to the rosewood armchair in the room, lifted his robe and sat down, his movements were steady but with an invisible sense of oppression. He still said nothing, and did not even bother to let Lu Zhi, who was still in a salutation posture, stand up. This deliberately prolonged silence, like a heavy lead block, pressed layer by layer on Lu Zhi's heart. She could clearly hear her heartbeat like a drum, and every beat was amplified in the empty silence, hitting her eardrums. Cold sweat silently soaked the back of her gauze pajamas, sticking to her skin, bringing bursts of chills. The more silent he was, the heavier the invisible pressure became, almost bending her spine.
Gao Yao reached out and picked up the warm jade pot on the table, pouring himself a cup of tea. The green tea soup was poured into the white porcelain cup, making a subtle sound of water, which was particularly clear in the dead silence. He lowered his eyes to look at the hot steam rising from the cup, stroking the smooth wall of the cup with his fingertips, but his mind was working rapidly.
How to deal with this woman in front of him? This thought kept circling. Should he really deal with Lu Zhi completely, banish her to the cold courtyard or even worse? Gao Yao felt a very complicated reluctance in his heart. This reluctance did not come from love, but from a clear understanding.
To be fair, Lü Zhi did provide him with considerable help in his rise from a humble position to the position of prime minister. Her intelligence, her skills, her help in his business and relationships were all indispensable pieces on his chessboard. If it weren't for these contributions, her previous self-willed actions alone would have been enough for him to completely exclude her from the core of power and never see her again.
However...Lü Zhi's thoughts were like the weeds that could not be burned out in spring, always spreading and growing without anyone noticing, waiting for an opportunity to "make trouble". Her desire for power and control had never really died out.
If he hadn't been secretly vigilant and quietly reduced the resources and influence she could mobilize, I'm afraid she would have caused much more trouble than this. Thinking of this, Gao Yao felt a deep sense of helplessness and a hint of anger. Raising a tiger to cause trouble? No, Gao Yao never raised a tiger. He was just... using a knife that was too sharp.
"Lü Zhi ah..." Finally, Gao Yao broke the suffocating silence. His voice was not loud and no emotion could be heard, but it made Lü Zhi, who had been on edge, tremble suddenly.
"Husband!"
Lu Zhi responded almost immediately, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice. She kept bowing and quickly and respectfully turned her body from facing the door to facing Gao Yao. The long silence just now made her feel as if even moving a finger would alarm something terrible.
"Get up," Gao Yao's voice softened unexpectedly, even with a hint of a gentle smile, "Come, come to me."
This sudden tenderness not only did not make Lu Zhi feel a bit relieved, but it was like a basin of ice water poured over her head, and the chill in her heart instantly spread to her limbs! She knew Gao Yao too well! If he was furious and scolded her harshly, it would be a good thing for her. It meant that the matter was still on the table and there was still room for maneuver. It meant that he at least had the intention of "disciplining" her, which meant that he still cared about her as "his own person". Gao Yao's severity was always directed at those close to him.
But this abnormal tenderness... Lu Zhi's heart sank to the bottom in an instant. This was the sign that Gao Yao was really angry, and even had the intention to kill! He had long been trained to not show his emotions on his face. What kind of cold calculation and disappointment was hidden under this gentle tone? A huge fear seized her, making her fingertips cold and her body a little stiff. But she did not dare to hesitate at all.
"Here..."
Lu Zhi suppressed the turmoil in her heart, responded as calmly as possible, and slowly stood up. Her knees were a little numb from kneeling for a long time, but she didn't dare to show it. She took steps that seemed calm but were actually heavy, and moved step by step to Gao Yao's armchair.
Gao Yao's eyes fell on her, especially on the knees of her thin gauze nightgown. There was some dust there from her kneeling, which was particularly glaring on the clean gauze. He stretched out his hand, and his movements could even be called gentle, gently brushing away the dust for her.
This extremely intimate action made Lu Zhi stiffen all over, as if a thorn was in her back! This was by no means caring, but more like a silent knock, a condescending scrutiny! He saw her embarrassment and her humbleness, and he was using this method to remind her of her current position. Every tap seemed to hit her heart, making her almost breathless.
"Husband, I..." Lu Zhi suppressed her fear and spoke with gritted teeth, trying to explain the "misunderstanding" of tonight, even though she knew it was pale and powerless.
"Alas..." Gao Yao raised his hand and interrupted her. His sigh seemed to contain endless complex emotions, disappointment, helplessness, and perhaps a subtle regret.
"Lü Zhi," Gao Yao called her name again, his voice low and meaningful, "Do you know why I never dealt with Lü Gong's affairs publicly? Even those members of the Lü family who were not directly involved in this matter, I only cracked down on them in secret, and did not kill them all?"
Lu Zhi's heart suddenly jumped, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly. Of course, she knew what her father and some of his clansmen had done. It was a serious crime that was enough to confiscate the family and exterminate the clan! Lu Zhi could only instinctively lower her eyelids to hide the panic in her eyes, and responded in a dry voice: "I... don't know..."