The Empress stepped forward and placed a hand on Liu Meng Han’s, offering comfort. She had never liked Feng Ruoyan, and if not for worrying that Xi’er wouldn’t be able to accept it at once, she would never have allowed Feng Jin to save Feng Ruoyan.
It was better this way. Even if she lived, she would only be a sickly person, unable to stir up any great storms. It would be best to let her recover properly for a few years.
“Mother, your concubine is just worried that His Highness would not be able to bear it. In His Highness’s heart, his elder sister is the most important…”
Liu Meng Han’s words were those of a perfect white lotus. First, she expressed her kindness, and then she incited trouble with the Empress against Feng Ruoyan. This made the Empress dislike Feng Ruoyan even more.
“Empress, Royal Consort, there are still matters to attend to at my residence, so I shall not bother you further.”
Having no mood to continue watching these people act, Feng Jin found an excuse and wanted to leave quickly.
The Empress’s train of thought was interrupted by Feng Jin’s words, so she had to give up and turn her gaze to Feng Jin, “Young Madam Ling, thank you for your trouble this time. When we return to the palace, I will bestow another reward upon you.”
“It is a small effort and hardly worth mentioning. This concubine dare not take credit, nor dare she accept the Empress’s reward.”
“Young Madam is too modest. It is not too late, and there are children waiting at home. Guizhi, you will escort Young Madam back to her residence.”
The woman standing to the Empress’s left, who was slightly older, nodded in agreement, then moved to Feng Jin’s front. “Young Madam, please…”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Feng Jin followed behind, leaving with hurried steps. She did not wish to linger in this place of trouble for even a moment. When she reached outside the mansion gate, just as she was wondering how to refuse Guizhi’s escort, she heard the sound of urgent hoofbeats.
Turning her head, she saw Ling Mohan on horseback at a glance. Feng Jin’s lips immediately curved into a smile.
“Why are you here?” Looking up at the man sitting on the horse, Feng Jin’s tone was exceptionally gentle.
“I heard from the people at the mansion that you came to the Third Prince’s residence. I waited for you at home for a long time, so I came to find you. Mount the horse, and I will take you home.”
Feng Jin looked at the hand the man extended to her and clasped it directly. She was lifted onto the horse by the man.
“Lu Shi, escort these two back to their residence.”
After dropping his words, Ling Mohan directly spurred his horse and galloped away.
“Misses, I will send you back by carriage.”
Lu Shi, who was left to do the menial labor, looked at Cai Qing and Chu Qing with a hint of helplessness and said.
“Let’s go, Chu Qing, we’ll go back by carriage.”
Cai Qing pulled Chu Qing’s hand and walked directly to the carriage, without paying any extra attention to Lu Shi.
She was indeed still angry about the previous incident. Even though Young Madam had explained it clearly to her, she still felt unhappy that Lu Shi hadn’t proactively explained things to her.
“Sister Cai Qing, I think Master Lu truly knows he was wrong. Look, he didn’t even dare to make a sound just now. Why don’t you stop being angry with him and just forgive him this once?”
As an outsider, Chu Qing felt a bit wronged seeing Lu Shi like that.
Chu Qing really couldn’t stand it anymore, so she spoke up for Lu Shi.
“Which side are you on? Have you forgotten? Helping an outsider is too much!”
Cai Qing’s tone was tinged with anger. She really didn’t know how Lu Shi had become so capable, and when he had won over Chu Qing, it was too much.
“Of course I’m on your side. I just feel that Master Lu looks a bit wronged. Look at how he wanted to talk to you just now, but hesitated to speak. He looks quite pitiful…”
“Pitiful… what’s pitiful about him? He brought it upon himself. If he had told the truth from the beginning, would it have come to this!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. It seemed she would have to wait a few more days before dealing with Lu Shi.
Chu Qing looked at Cai Qing’s angry face. Why did it seem like the more she persuaded, the worse it got? It would be better for her to remain silent.
The carriage traveled to the Ling residence. Chu Qing still didn’t dare to speak, fearing that she would mess things up further, which would be too ungrateful for Lu Shi’s many days of care.
“We’re here, get off the carriage.” Lu Shi’s voice sounded outside the carriage. Chu Qing immediately reacted and ran down like she was escaping, rushing into the mansion.
Cai Qing only saw a figure flash before her eyes. By the time she came to her senses, Chu Qing was already gone. Such speed… was she rushing to escape for her life?
She raised her eyelids and saw Lu Shi’s suddenly enlarged face appear before her. Cai Qing was stunned for a moment. “What are you doing here? Get out of the way, I want to go back.”
Lu Shi seemed not to hear her and continued to block Cai Qing firmly, with a conflicted expression. His mouth opened slightly, but he still couldn’t say anything.
“Hurry up and get out of the way, if you don’t, I’ll call for help!”
“I… I…”
He was not eloquent to begin with, and at this moment, he didn’t know what to say. The words stuck in his throat and he didn’t know how to express them.
“If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out of the way and don’t block the road!”
Cai Qing shouted angrily. After stuttering for so long, not a single word could be uttered. Her good temper had also vanished, leaving very little.
“I have something to say…” Lu Shi forced out a few words with difficulty, rubbed the back of his head, and with a look of embarrassment, took out an exquisite pink box from his sleeve and swiftly stuffed it into Cai Qing’s hand.
“I was wrong about what happened before. This… this is a token of apology. Since you… since you’ve accepted it, then this matter is considered over. I’ll be going back now!”
After saying this, without waiting for Cai Qing to respond, Lu Shi hastily got off the carriage and disappeared without a trace.
Cai Qing looked at the box in her hand. Lu Shi’s figure was nowhere in sight…
He was really a blockhead, unable to even speak properly. He was truly quite笨.
Inside the pink box in her hand, a pair of exquisite red agate earrings lay quietly.
At first glance, it was obvious that the earrings were not cheap. With Lu Shi’s meager salary, how much would be left after buying these earrings? In an instant, the earrings felt as heavy as ten thousand pounds in her hand.
…
“Why did you bring me to the Jing Prince’s residence? Are we going home?”
Feng Jin’s brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the words ‘Jing Prince’s Residence’ on the plaque. She asked the man who had brought her here, wondering what he wanted by bringing her to the Jing Prince’s residence.
“I have some matters to attend to, and it’s convenient to come by, saving a trip and wasting time.”
Ling Mohan dismounted, helped Feng Jin down from the horse, and they walked hand in hand towards the Jing Prince’s residence.
As soon as they entered the front hall, Lin Yuwei’s figure appeared. She walked towards Feng Jin with a smile, completely ignoring Ling Mohan who was blocking the way, and grabbed Feng Jin’s hand. “Sister Feng Jin, why did you come at this time? You should have said something earlier so I could prepare. Otherwise, you should stay here for dinner tonight, and we can talk together.”
Feng Jin glanced at Ling Mohan behind her. She was also here for accompaniment, and the main thing was to listen to Ling Mohan’s opinion.
Leaning in and whispering into Lin Yuwei’s ear, Feng Jin said softly, “Ling Mohan brought me here. He must be looking for the Jing Prince for something. I’m not sure when we’ll leave…”
“It’s alright, I’ll speak for you.” Lin Yuwei’s eyes were filled with a smile, and she turned to look at Ling Mohan behind her, saying with a smile, “General Ling, could you let Sister Feng Jin stay a little longer so we can talk?”
Ling Mohan nodded lightly in agreement, then skillfully went to Chu Chenyi’s study.
He found the study empty, but a calligraphy piece on the desk caught his eye. As soon as he picked it up, the door behind him was pushed open from the outside.
“Why are you here during the day? Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
Normally, he visited late at night. This time, it was strange that he came during the day.
“Today, they can’t spare attention to monitor you, and Feng Jin came along, which provides a plausible reason. Where have you returned from looking so disheveled?”
Ling Mohan’s gaze remained fixed on the calligraphy piece in his hand, and he didn’t even look at Chu Chenyi directly.
“When you speak to me, can’t you look at me? You have to look at this calligraphy piece.”
This feeling of being ignored was truly annoying. He felt as if Ling Mohan was talking to the calligraphy piece, making him extremely uncomfortable.
He reached out and snatched the calligraphy piece, throwing it onto the table nearby.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a common shrew at the门口, bickering over trivial matters.”
Ling Mohan glanced at Chu Chenyi with disdain. If he could bicker over such minor things, how could he achieve anything great?
“How is the investigation of the matter I assigned to you? Have you made any progress?”
“Your esteemed mother-in-law is indeed a spy from Xiliang. However, she hasn’t done anything while lying low in Dongchu all these years. It was only when Baili Xi arrived in Xiliang this time that she took action, aiming for the good border defense troop deployment map in Feng Yuanping’s possession. Unfortunately, she didn’t get what she wanted, and then she died.”
“Currently, the most lively place is the Third Prince’s residence. A funeral and a celebration are being held together. Feng Ruoyan is crying her heart out, begging Chu Yanxi to preside over justice for Madam Sun, insisting on finding the murderer of Madam Sun. You need to be careful and clean up your act so as not to leave any traces, otherwise, this King cannot protect you.”
He had just returned from watching the excitement at the Third Prince’s residence. He had to say that such a spectacular event was a rare sight in many years, and he never expected to encounter it today.
“Shouldn’t the Princess of Jing be doing this? What fun is it for a man like you to be out in the open doing such things? Aren’t you ashamed?”
Even for such matters, he, a grown man, went, not only without shame but even taking pride in it. He was truly shameless!