The assassins came with fierce intent, their martial arts superior to hers. Dodging and weaving, she could only rely on her familiarity with the room to stall for a brief moment.
Yu Mingyue knew the dangers of officialdom, but she truly hadn't expected to die in a foreign land on her sixteenth birthday, on her very first case.
To die before solving the case, in a strange place, Yu Mingyue felt a pang of regret. She fought back with all her might, sustaining several wounds on her arm.
A sword lunged directly at her chest. Yu Mingyue knew she couldn't dodge it, but as the blade neared her clothes, its force waned. The assailant slowly collapsed.
Yu Mingyue looked up. A troop of soldiers descended like divine intervention. However, as she saw the faces illuminated by the torchlight, the joy of surviving disaster turned to disgust.
It was him.
"I saved your life!" Lu Jingxing said unhurriedly.
"Thank you!" Yu Mingyue cupped her hands in a perfunctory gesture.
Lu Jingxing scoffed and said no more. Song Yumíng and Zhu Yu had also dealt with the trouble outside.
Song Yumíng was also injured, his shoulder bleeding through his clothes. Seeing Lu Jingxing, he endured the pain and cupped his hands, smiling, "Many thanks, Brother Lu, for today. I'll treat you to drinks when we return to the capital."
Zhu Yu walked to Yu Mingyue's side. Before she could speak, her body slumped. Fortunately, Yu Mingyue was quick enough to catch her.
As she helped Zhu Yu, Yu Mingyue discovered her back was sticky with blood, soaking through her clothes.
"Zhu Yu!" Yu Mingyue's voice cracked, her entire being in a panic.
Ever since they were children, whenever faced with any difficulty, Zhu Yu was the first to stand in front of her, like her guardian. Yu Mingyue had never seen her so weak.
Song Yumíng thought Zhu Yu's injuries were superficial, like his own, and didn't pay much mind. He hadn't expected her to be so severely wounded.
Du Rui was a civilian official. Although he had seen many corpses at Dali Temple, this was his first time experiencing such a dangerous situation. His legs felt weak with fear.
However, he knew he was unharmed because Song Yumíng and Zhu Yu had protected him. Seeing Zhu Yu faint, he stumbled out, saying, "I'll go find a doctor."
He had been visiting Zhang Changsheng's neighbors these past few days and was familiar with Rong County.
Song Yumíng helped lay Zhu Yu on the bed. Her injury was on her back, so she was placed face down. After Song Yumíng and the others left, Yu Mingyue examined Zhu Yu's wounds.
The wound stretched from her shoulder to her waist, deep enough to expose bone. The skin was peeled back, a bloody mess. Yu Mingyue frantically searched for medicine, remembering that Su Mu had prepared some wound powder for her when they arrived. Where could it be?
The contents of her bundle were scattered on the floor. Yu Mingyue knelt to search, and as she looked, tears began to fall.
Du Rui dragged the doctor over. It was late at night, and the doctor hadn't even dressed properly, though fortunately, the weather wasn't cold.
"The wound is too deep, and there's been a lot of bleeding. I cannot guarantee if she will wake up," the doctor said, shaking his head.
"Save her. Use whatever good medicine you have, regardless of the cost," Yu Mingyue shoved the entire bag of silver into the doctor's hand.
"No, no..." The doctor quickly pushed the money back to Yu Mingyue. "I will do my best to save her, but I cannot guarantee her survival."
These people were clearly important figures. He, a mere commoner, couldn't afford to offend them. He feared he might earn the money but lose his life.
Yu Mingyue sighed. It was a pity the Cui family was gone. Otherwise, in this situation, they could have sent news back to the capital the fastest, and Su Mu would surely have been able to help.
"Yu Liuniang, I do know a doctor skilled in treating external wounds," Lu Jingxing's voice came from outside.
Yu Mingyue turned her gaze sharply towards Lu Jingxing upon hearing his voice, her eyes filled with coldness and suspicion.
"As long as you tell me where she is, I'll have the doctor save your maidservant immediately," Lu Jingxing said nonchalantly, adjusting his sleeve, a hint of threat in his smile.
Yu Mingyue let out a cold laugh, withdrew her gaze, and said to the doctor, "Do your best to save her."
Lu Jingxing sat down on a chair and scoffed, "It seems you don't care much about your maidservant's life or death."
Yu Mingyue was already worried about Zhu Yu, and hearing him babbling beside her, she wished she could drive him out.
But he had arrived in time tonight to save her. He had saved her life, and his official rank was higher than hers. She truly couldn't afford to be presumptuous.
The Zhao family was eager to arrange this marriage, so why was he still fixated on Youyou? He was truly a persistent nuisance.
"Commander Lu, if you have the leisure, you might as well interrogate the assassins from tonight. Perhaps the case can be solved sooner."
Lu Jingxing raised an eyebrow. "Interrogating suspects is the responsibility of your Dali Temple."
Yu Mingyue didn't want to deal with him and said, "Commander Lu, please wait outside. The doctor needs to treat Zhu Yu's wounds, and after all, there is a difference between men and women."
Lu Jingxing remained seated, unmoving as a mountain. "She's just someone who is about to die."
Yu Mingyue couldn't bear to hear the word "die." The anger she had been suppressing was thoroughly ignited by Lu Jingxing.
"Lu Jingxing, why do you think Youyou would rather go to the Jiaofangsi, rather commit suicide than marry you?" Yu Mingyue's lips curved into a warm, harmless smile, but her eyes were filled with hatred. "Because the Youyou who liked you was killed by your own hands, and she will never return."
Lu Jingxing's movements faltered. His heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp sword. He gritted his teeth, and a flicker of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he looked at Yu Mingyue.
If he could, he would have killed this Yu Liuniang.
Lu Jingxing stood up angrily and left. A moment later, another doctor entered. Yu Mingyue did not refuse. Zhu Yu's injury was paramount; everything else could wait.
Song Yumíng also felt a bead of sweat on his brow when he saw Lu Jingxing emerge. As a scion of the capital, he was well aware of Lu Jingxing's feud with the Gu family. The former fiancé of the Gu family had become the one to bring down the Gu and Zheng families.
Lu Jingxing had sent the female members of the Gu family to the Jiaofangsi, including his former fiancée, Gu Youyou.
Ultimately, Gu Youyou's inability to bear the humiliation led to her suicide, ending this feud. Although the other female members of the Gu family did not have to go to the Jiaofangsi, their status plummeted, and they suffered immense humiliation.
This man was indeed a ruthless individual, the sharpest blade in the hands of the Emperor. It was not wise for Yu Mingyue to offend him.
However, hearing the conversation touch upon Gu Youyou, could it be that this Gu Sanniang was not dead?
Song Yumíng dared not concern himself with their private affairs. As a minor official of the seventh rank, he couldn't afford to offend Lu Jingxing.
"My lord, Commander Lu has taken over this case and will be investigating jointly with Dali Temple!" Song Yumíng reminded her.
He would be seeing Lu Jingxing frequently from now on, so his superior needed to be mentally prepared and control her emotions.
Yu Mingyue almost blurted out that she was withdrawing from the case, but she held back.
This was a case she had been following from beginning to end. She had finally found a clue and caught a big fish. Why should she withdraw?
"The Military Affairs Department taking over suggests it's related to Tibetan spies. Zhang Changsheng shouldn't be a spy. These spies must have wanted something he possessed. Did the Ministry of War lose anything?" Despite her anger, Yu Mingyue's thoughts were remarkably clear.