“夫人，你怎么来了？” Lin Qingge, seeing the person who suddenly appeared beside him, became even more flustered. “I clearly instructed Constable Yan to have Ling Han return after delivering the meal, to hide in the shadows…”
Leng Ningyue shot him a reproachful glance with her beautiful eyes, visible beyond her veil, and chided him impatiently, “I heard from Constable Yan that you had matters to discuss with Ling Han tonight and asked him to stay by your side without revealing himself. I guessed you were probably doing something that would put yourself in danger again, so I got worried and told Ling Han to go back and watch Mo’er. I decided to come myself.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingge immediately gave the person beside him a big bear hug. “Wife, you are too good to me! I have nothing to repay you with except offering myself!”
Leng Ningyue raised her hand and tapped Lin Qingge on the forehead. “You silver-tongued rogue! I’ll deal with you when we get back!”
…
At this moment, Lian Chengyi, who was feeling inexplicably bloated despite the cold wind blowing late at night, finally reacted. His gaze was sinister as he said, “Lord Lin, are you scheming against this general?”
“Young General Lian, how can you call it scheming? Isn’t this clearly preparing for a rainy day, waiting by the stump for the rabbit?”
Hearing that infuriating voice, Lian Chengyi looked up. Upon seeing the figure fanning himself with a folding fan, he gritted his teeth. “It’s you?”
After speaking, Lian Chengyi’s gaze fell on the person also smiling at the corner of his mouth, and he seemed to realize something. “Your target wasn’t those bandits. From the very beginning, your target was this young general? All of this was a trap you set for me?!”
“Well, you’re not entirely stupid then.” Lin Qingge readily admitted. He then looked at the peacock-like figure who had walked to stand beside him and said with disdain, “Master Hua, why are you here too?”
“Lord, this student was worried about your safety! Although Madam Lin has peerless martial arts, as the saying goes, ‘Even the best boxer can’t fight with two fists against four hands.’ After I finished arranging matters over there, I rushed over here immediately.”
Feeling goosebumps from the overly frequent wavy lines, Lin Qingge moved closer to his wife and unceremoniously exposed him, “Master Hua, are you sure you didn’t just come to watch the show?”
Hua Jinrong did not deny it, but simply fanned himself and said with a smile, “Although interrogating criminals is quite interesting, beating a dog that has fallen into the water seems even more amusing.”
…
Lian Chengyi, being compared to a dog, twitched his mouth fiercely. Seeing that he was outnumbered, especially with Madam Lin, the great destroyer, present, he weighed his options. Without another word, he turned and fled.
However, as soon as he exerted his Qinggong to escape, a deafening sound erupted from behind him. Immediately, his left arm, which had only recently healed, sent a jolt of pain through him again. Unprepared for such a formidable hidden weapon from the opponent, Lian Chengyi had no choice but to stop his forward momentum. He clutched his injured arm with one hand and turned back.
But to his surprise, the formidable hidden weapon had come from Lord Lin, who appeared to be the most delicate of the three! Could it be that this Lord Lin, like his wife, was a hidden master of incredible skill?
Lin Qingge, unaware of the tempest he had stirred in Lian Chengyi’s heart, blew on the muzzle of the gun, which was still emitting white smoke, and said with feigned solemnity, “Young General Lian, it’s a dark and windy night, where are you rushing off to? The road at night is difficult, perhaps this official should light a fire for you to see. However, this is my first time using this firearm, so my aim might not be very good. If I happen to hit you, Young General Lian, please bear with me!”
Already struck, Lian Chengyi endured the pain and coldly watched the person in front of him, who was smiling like a cunning fox. He gritted his teeth and said, “Since things have come to this, Lord Lin, this young general no longer wants the treasure map fragment. Can you let me leave now?”
But Lin Qingge shook his head repeatedly. “Young General Lian, what does this have to do with the treasure map fragment? Putting aside how much harm you have done to this official’s fragile heart by attempting to assassinate me, your temporary bodyguard, instead of protecting me. Just the fact that you intended to assassinate a court official, and a dignified Prefect of the fourth rank at that, a frenzied, stone-hitting-an-egg act like this, is enough for this official to apprehend you and charge you with the crime of harming a high-ranking court official!”
Lin Qingge declared righteously, then gestured to Hua Jinrong beside him. “Master Hua, according to the laws of the Great Xia Kingdom, what is the punishment for harming a court official?”
“Reporting to my lord, by law, it is execution. If someone pleads for mercy or the circumstances are less severe, they may be exiled to the frontier, and all their descendants will be reduced to slavery.”
Looking at the Prefect, whose skin hadn’t even been scratched, Lian Chengyi uttered two words with difficulty through clenched teeth: “You dare!”
“Young General Lian, since you dared to act, this official naturally dares to arrest you! However—the law is not without mercy. After all, this official and Young General Lian have met before. I don’t wish to see you lose your head, so I’ve thought of a more compromising solution for you. How about this, Young General Lian? This official can choose not to apprehend you, but you will have to serve under me for twenty years, working for free. Of course, this official can still provide free room and board.”
“Dream on!”
“Young General Lian, don’t rush to refuse. Think about it, exchanging a mere twenty years for not losing your head is a huge bargain, isn’t it? After twenty years, you’ll only be in middle age and can still pursue your ambitions and endeavors. If that’s really not acceptable, out of consideration for our acquaintance, this official can even give you a fifty percent discount. Ten years, is that acceptable?”
Deceived once, Lian Chengyi remained silent. Lin Qingge continued unhurriedly, “Young General Lian, this official has always convinced people with virtue. But if you continue to refuse to cooperate, this official doesn’t mind resolving this in other ways.”
As Lin Qingge finished speaking, Leng Ningyue took a step forward, understanding his intent. Lian Chengyi, his hair standing on end, retreated warily. But upon seeing the dagger that the other party was now holding, he grudgingly changed his tune. “One year!”
“Deal!”
???!!!
Lian Chengyi, who had intended to bargain further, froze as if his pause button had been pressed. At this moment, he couldn’t tell whether his heart was filled with more regret or more smugness… However, when he saw Master Hua, who was fanning himself, pull out a pre-written IOU from his懷, the fleeting smugness instantly vanished.