Chapter 80: Shield and Divorce Agreement.

The fighting outside the curtain grew more intense, with swords and knives clattering to the ground, mingling with the screams and cries of fear from the crowd. Meng Yu couldn't help but lift a corner of the curtain, wanting to look outside.

Suddenly, bang!

The window opposite was shattered by a sword, and a man in black, covered with a black cloth and revealing only his eyes, suddenly appeared in front of them.

Meng Yu was startled, but before she could regain her senses, a cold wind pressed down heavily from above. In the blink of an eye, the sword crashed through the car hood, and a large hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her outwards with force.

The dampness hit her face without any resistance, and then Lu Xiuyi's stern shout penetrated her ears from afar: "Chuze, save her."

Meng Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw the man in a black casual clothes disappear into the circle of black clothes fluttering, the cold gleam of the blade reflecting his face, which looked as if it had been splashed with ink.

The number of people who came was far more than forty or fifty.

Chuze tried to break through the encirclement, but after he fell, the black-clad men kept surging up like a tide.

In the instant she lost consciousness, Meng Yu only saw that dark dot getting further and further away from her until it disappeared from sight.

***

White light seeped through the window and into the bed curtains; the dazzling light made the person on the bed frown.

The moment Meng Yu opened her eyes, the light blue canopy, as smooth as silk, came into view, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood.

This sandalwood scent is different from the overbearing and domineering cedar scent on Lu Xiuyi. It is calming and soothing, but once you are immersed in it, you will become more and more attached to it until you can't stop.

She sat up, her head throbbing slightly, and looked around. The room was sparsely furnished. On the wall opposite the door hung a painting of lotus flowers in summer. Not far below the wall was a square table made of nanmu wood, on which sat a jade vase with several blooming lotus flowers. Opposite was a desk with writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Next to it was a small bell, which tinkled as a gentle breeze blew in through the open window.

Passing the nanmu square table, lifting the beaded curtain and walking inside, one can vaguely see a sandalwood chaise lounge in the corner, with a small bookshelf beside it, holding a few books here and there.

This is a cozy and girly private room.

Meng Yu was wondering who Lu Xiuyi had offended that would lead someone to kidnap her to threaten him.

Suddenly, there was a slight sound coming from the door, and then a familiar face came into view.

The doubt was instantly resolved.

Lu Jiayan smiled and placed the things in her hands on the table: "I figured you should be awake by now, so I had someone stew a bowl of lotus seed and lily soup for you to calm your mind."

“Young Master Lu is joking. My mind is perfectly calm and I don’t need to be disturbed,” Meng Yu quickly got off the bed and assumed a defensive posture. “Tying me up won’t threaten Lu Xiuyi at all; it will only make him furious.”

Lu Jiayan smiled faintly as he lifted the lid of the stew pot and gently stirred it: "It's enough that he's furious. Besides, how do you know that I tied you up to threaten him, instead of because I genuinely love you and want to grow old with you?"

The words of rebuttal were on the tip of Meng Yu's tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. The man's scrutinizing gaze seemed to carry a kind of almost obsessive stickiness, making her words stuck in her throat.

She barely managed to steady herself and said coldly, "Young Master Lu, although I am not from a high-class family, I still know a thing or two about propriety and morality. I am not only a wife, but also your sister-in-law in name. Please be more respectful in your words and actions."

“Sister-in-law,” as if she had heard a terrible joke, Lu Jiayan scoffed coldly, “If you truly admire Lu Xiuyi, that's one thing, but that's not the case. Why stay by his side? You might as well come to me…”

His words were swallowed up.

Meng Yu interrupted him coldly: "My dislike for him doesn't mean I want to be with you."

Her voice was unwavering. Lu Jiayan clenched his fist and asked in a low voice, "You're somewhat perfunctory with Lu Xiuyi, but you're so resistant to me? What's wrong with me compared to him? You don't even look down on me in the slightest?"

Sensing his anger rising little by little, Meng Yu sighed.

"People cannot be compared. Besides, I don't need to evaluate your value or merits. If you feel inferior to Lu Xiuyi because of my words today, what about tomorrow? What if you meet someone who is slightly inferior to you in terms of talent, family background, and appearance? Wouldn't you feel even more superior? Whether you are excellent or bad, it all comes down to placing yourself in other people's evaluation system."

Lu Jiayan didn't speak, but his expression softened slightly.

Meng Yu then said gently, "But the world is so vast that even leaves are not exactly the same. Besides, people's mouths are their own, how can you control them? You are not necessarily worse than Lu Xiuyi, and Lu Xiuyi is not necessarily worse than you. They are independent individuals, and there is no comparison between them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiayan sneered, "Anyone can talk about principles. We are all just ordinary people in this life. If I were so open-minded, why would I be so attached to you? I would have become an immortal long ago."

He stopped speaking there, his gaze scrutinizing Meng Yu with a naked intensity.

Meng Yu felt uncomfortable under his gaze and was about to do something to break the silence.

He suddenly spoke: "I suddenly understand why Lu Xiuyi could never win your heart, because your heart is colder than frost and snow, harder than stone. Meng Yu, what do you care about?"

As he said those last words, his eyes held a mixture of inquiry and doubt. Meng Yu lowered his gaze and changed the subject: "You don't need to know what I care about. Capturing me won't do you any good. You'd better release me quickly, lest Lu Xiuyi come knocking with his sword and smash up the house you finally got."

From the eldest son of the Marquis of Jiangyang to a down-on-his-luck scholar in Linghua Lane, and then from a down-on-his-luck scholar to the now-glorious Inspector, Meng Yu had heard a great deal about the hardships he had endured along the way.

Lu Jiayan pulled out a chair and sat down, lazily glancing up at her: "You think I care about these things?"

Meng Yu did not avoid his direct gaze: "Of course you don't care about this house, you care about what outsiders think of you, and you care about how to beat Lu Xiuyi."

He should have lived openly and honestly in the sunlight, but because of Lu Huaiyuan's selfishness and greed, he was raised as an adopted son in the Marquis's mansion. Meng Yu could empathize with his bitterness and resentment to some extent.

A barely perceptible hint of pain flashed in the other person's eyes: "Do you think I brought you to my side to beat Lu Xiuyi?"

The two brothers were so alike, even asking the same questions. Meng Yu smiled: "Sincerity is mixed with pretense. What you say now may be true, but that doesn't mean your initial approach was without ulterior motives. Since it was wrong from the start, how can you expect the ending to be as beautiful as you wish?"

Lu Jiayan suddenly stood up, his expression showing some excitement: "But you didn't fall into my trap in the first place, so this assumption is unfair to me."

Meng Yu's face turned cold: "I didn't fall into your trap because I have good judgment, but that doesn't mean you're without fault. In other words, if I had fallen into your trap, our meeting wouldn't be as peaceful as it is today."

Hearing her blunt and cold rejection, Lu Jiayan lowered his head and remained silent for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with coldness: "It's okay. In time, you will change your mind about me. The lotus seed and lily soup is getting cold. You'd better drink some."

After saying that, he immediately turned and left.

The sunlight was blocked out of the door, and the faint sound of the lock being locked could be heard.

Meng Yu neither cried nor made a fuss, but secretly mocked herself, wondering what kind of constitution she had and why all the men she encountered were not quite normal.

Fortunately, she had breakfast at the military camp and wasn't very hungry now.

She absolutely dared not eat the food that Lu Jiayan brought her.

However, less than two hours later, Meng Yu was proven wrong. The two steamed buns she had eaten in the morning were not enough to satisfy her hunger, and she was so hungry by the afternoon that she picked up a soup bowl and started drinking it.

After filling her stomach, Meng Yu listened carefully outside, but it was still quiet, without a single human voice.

She wanted to bang on the door, but was afraid of attracting Lu Jiayan. After thinking for a long time, she could only place her hopes on Lu Xiuyi.

***

Bang!

Ink spilled all over the floor, the ink seeping into the ground and slowly flowing out of the curtain. The atmosphere around them was as still as a stagnant pool, and everyone held their breath, not daring to utter a word.

After the street assassination, Lu Xiuyi petitioned Emperor Jinghuai to seal off the city and search for Meng Yu. However, even after a thousand people searched for half a day, they could not find a trace of her. There was not even a clue about what the murderer who kidnapped her looked like or who ordered him.

Chu Ze hesitated for a moment, coughed lightly, and couldn't help but cup his hands and suggest, "Young Master, how about we sneak into Prince Rui's residence tonight?"

Lu Xiuyi, supporting his throbbing head, said coldly, "If this was truly the work of Prince Rui, do you think he would be completely unprepared after the Yang Tieshou incident? I'm afraid he has already laid a trap, just waiting for us to jump in."

Chu Ze was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

After a moment of silence, Lu Xiuyi suddenly looked up: "Has Lu Jiayan investigated?"

Chu Ze immediately replied, "I've checked, and there's nothing suspicious about it."

Lu Xiuyi frowned: "I remember he bought a house two months ago, it was...where was it again?"

The soldier next to him immediately chimed in: "It's in Yue Tong Lane on East Street. It's a remote place, and few people usually pass by. Also, because of a murder that happened three years ago, most of the residents in the vicinity have moved away."

Lu Xiuyi's expression hardened, as if he had guessed something, and he suddenly stood up: "Take the troops there immediately."

The night was as dark as if it had been soaked in ink. There were no lights in the room, and the faint moonlight seeped in through the windows.

Using this little bit of light, Meng Yu managed to touch the sugar water that Lu Jiayan had just handed over. She quickly picked it up and took two sips. The sugar water moistened her throat and temporarily relieved her thirst.

Lu Jiayan didn't leave her any water, and after being thirsty for half a day, she drank the whole bowl of sweet soup in one go.

But the moment it went down into my stomach...

Bang!

Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, knocking over the chair behind her.

Realizing that there was something wrong with the bowl of sweet soup, Meng Yu tried to stand up with the help of the chair, but her body was so weak that she couldn't even lift her hands.

A chill ran through her heart.

Just then, bang bang bang!

Suddenly, several kicking sounds came from outside. Since it was made of wood, it couldn't withstand repeated kicks, and the door was kicked open in no time.

Several torches stretched into view in the distance, and a familiar, stern voice pierced the ears: "Search for them! Don't miss a single corner!"

Meng Yu was originally terrified of this voice, but now, hearing it, she felt a strange sense of peace.

She saw soldiers carrying torches rushing towards her, the intense flames dispelling the darkness along the way. She couldn't help but smile, and was about to lower her eyes in relief to await rescue.

Who knew what would happen next?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the soldier carrying a torch, looking hurried, and running past her without the slightest hesitation.

Meng Yu's eyes widened in shock, a wave of overwhelming fear washing over her. She wanted to scream, to get up and pound on the door, but her body was so weak she could barely lift a finger.

She stared wide-eyed, her face filled with terror, as she counted the people who walked past her.

One, two, three, ten, twenty...

They walked by without any expression on their faces.

It was as if they hadn't seen the door at all, or even her at all; their expressions were as if they had passed through a wall.

A wall...

Meng Yu's expression changed, and her gaze fell on the opposite side. Seeing the moonlight shining through the window, she instantly understood.

What she was facing was not a door, but a wall.

A movable wall.

The hope that had been so easily rekindled was abruptly extinguished by this thought, and Meng Yu closed her eyes in disappointment.

“General Lu, this is my private residence. You have broken into my residence and conducted a large-scale search without prior notice. This is going too far.”

Lu Xiuyi was standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back when a clear, crisp voice suddenly came from behind him, accompanied by a flurry of footsteps.

He turned around with a nonchalant expression.

The newcomer led dozens of armored soldiers who surrounded them in a circle.

Lu Xiuyi looked around and raised an eyebrow: "Having taken over Yunzhou and gained real power, he is indeed different from the Lu Jiayan who used to only hide in his shell."

The sarcasm came straight at him, but Lu Jiayan was not angry at all. He just smiled and said, "General Lu, your love has been rejected, so you've come to my territory. I advise you, General Lu, that forced love is never sweet. Perhaps Miss Meng was kidnapped willingly."

He kept calling her "Miss Meng," which made Lu Xiuyi's face darker than the night.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Chu Ze clenched his fist, about to cough lightly, when the person beside him suddenly lowered his head and sneered. When he looked up again, he had a cold smile on his face and said provocatively, "It's a pity that Lord Lu is an observer who worked hard to earn his position by writing a single stroke of the pen, yet he doesn't even know this basic etiquette. You need to understand one fact: Meng Yu was brought into this family by me with eight sedan chairs and proper ceremony. She is no longer an unmarried girl. We have the witness of Heaven and the blessing of Earth. You should call her 'Madam Lu'."

His address of "Madam Lu" inexplicably overlapped with the "sister-in-law" in his mind. Lu Jiayan could no longer control the expression on his face, his eyes as cold as frost and snow: "Instead of searching this place extensively, you might as well go to the outskirts of the city and search the abandoned temples and ponds there. After all, how many people hate you? She has been kidnapped for so long, and it's said that her body has been left to rot in the wilderness..."

The sword blade reflected a sharp light in the darkness, and upon seeing this, the surrounding soldiers drew their weapons at Lu Xiuyi.

Chu Ze immediately drew his sword to protect his master.

A chill seeped from his neck into his limbs. Lu Jiayan stopped talking and shrugged: "What I said was just the truth. What? Are you embarrassed..."

His words were muffled in his throat, and Lu Jiayan frowned slightly.

The white and red colors formed a stark contrast. Lu Xiuyi's hand gripping the sword hilt was bulging with veins, and his face was terrifying: "If you open your mouth again, this general can't guarantee that my hand won't tremble."

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, with soldiers constantly reporting back that they had found nothing.

Each time, Lu Jiayan became more and more smug, which only made Lu Xiuyi's face darker and darker.

Hope had sunk to rock bottom. Chu Ze wanted to persuade Lu Xiuyi to put away his sword, but in the instant he turned his head, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that a small crack had appeared in the wall directly opposite him.

Then, the gap widened, and Meng Yu's face was suddenly revealed.

"Young master, the lady is there."

Chuze was overjoyed and immediately pointed to the opposite side and blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiuyi turned around abruptly.

But in that very instant, before he could sheathe his sword and turn to rush over, that annoying face blocked his way.

Two soldiers ran over and dragged Meng Yu to their side.

Lu Jiayan crouched down, gripping the sword, its cold blade pressed against her fair neck: "Hand over Yang Tieshou, and I'll release her."

Lu Xiuyi then took a closer look at Meng Yu and saw that she could not even stand up straight, and was slumped in Lu Jiayan's arms in terror.

He frowned, suppressing his anger: "What did you do to her?"

"What do you think?" Lu Jiayan held a sword in one hand and gently stroked her chin with the other, slowly lifting his eyes. "I love her. What do you think I would do to her?"

Lu Xiuyi stared intently at his hand, his eyes seemingly spitting fire: "Is your love to hold a sword to her neck and shoulder, putting her in danger?"

"No, no, no," Lu Jiayan's slender fingertips traced her collarbone, as if he were going mad. "It was you who put her in danger, not me. If you hadn't invited Yang Tieshou and touched other people's interests, how could things have escalated to this point?"

Lu Xiuyi sneered: "Others? I think it's Prince Rui!"

Lu Jiayan did not deny it, but simply smiled and repeated: "Hand over Yang Tieshou and I will release her; otherwise, I will go to the Yellow Springs with her and become an inseparable ghost couple."

Lu Xiuyi chuckled: "You're quite the romantic."

“No, I know my own limitations,” Lu Jiayan’s hand moved down her collarbone, his face growing increasingly crazed. “If I killed her, would you let me live?”

As he was about to reach under Meng Yu's clothes, Lu Xiuyi's hand holding the sword bulged with veins, and he almost gritted his teeth: "Fine, I promise you. Chu Ze, go and bring Yang Tieshou here."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chuze immediately agreed and left.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiayan withdrew his hand, raised his head, and sneered: "If only I had known..."

His words were swallowed up.

"Yu'er".

At the same time, Lu Xiuyi shouted and rushed over, grabbing Meng Yu from Lu Jiayan's arms with one hand.

A tingling sensation spread throughout his body, and Lu Jiayan was momentarily paralyzed. By the time he came to his senses, Meng Yu had already been carried back by Lu Xiuyi.

"Catch them all, don't let a single fly escape!" Lu Jiayan staggered to his feet, clutching his shoulder and neck, and shouted sharply.

The soldiers waiting outside immediately rushed in, a dark mass surrounding them.

The soldiers who were searching the backyard rushed back upon hearing the noise and saw Lu Xiuyi surrounded. They immediately drew their weapons and confronted him.

"You think you can capture me?" Lu Xiuyi coldly ordered, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Inspector Lu Jiayan is plotting rebellion and defying his superiors. I, the general, will lead troops to suppress him and restore order to the court. He will be executed without mercy."

At his command, the sounds of battle resounded through the sky.

The clash of weapons produced a piercing sound. Lu Xiuyi held Meng Yu in one arm and dealt with the soldiers who were attacking with the other. However, there were too many soldiers, and gradually he began to run out of strength.

Meng Yu was swayed from side to side by him, and her originally clear head became dizzy. She seized a gap and pulled hard on his chest with all her might, saying intermittently, "Put me down, put me down. Lu, Lu Jiayan won't kill me. Hold me, okay? I can't move easily."

Hearing that she was finally able to speak, Lu Xiuyi breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm fine, don't worry."

Although Meng Yu had used acupuncture, the effects of the medicine had not yet worn off, and she had great difficulty speaking. Knowing that Lu Xiuyi would not put her down easily, she could only say, "I, I don't want to be a widow. Please put me down quickly and have two people come over to protect me. You, you listen to me."

The last three words struck Lu Xiuyi's heart like a thunderbolt, slowing down his parry. He glanced down at her and could only nod.

He took advantage of a lull to find a place that seemed relatively safe to put Meng Yu down, and then had three soldiers come over to protect her.

At this moment, Lu Jiayan had already broken through the crowd and charged over.

Lu Xiuyi's face turned cold, his eyes instantly filled with murderous intent, and he immediately picked up his sword to meet the attack.

The sword light, like a cold moon and frost, pierced the last trace of silence, pointing directly at the throat of the person opposite. Lu Jiayan held his sword and blocked it head-on.

The cold light clashed, the sword energy was like a rainbow, and the two figures were intertwined, neither giving an inch.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Lu Jiayan suddenly turned around and rushed towards Meng Yu.

Lu Xiuyi didn't have time to retract his sword.

Blood splattered all over his face.

The sword in his hand suddenly pierced Lu Jiayan's back, and on the cold blade was an arrow that had struck him squarely in the heart.

***

The sounds of fighting seemed to be extremely far away, and the entire courtyard seemed to fall into silence. The change came too suddenly, and Meng Yu didn't even have time to make an expression. She only felt that those sorrowful eyes were like a bottomless abyss, instantly engulfing her.

Her face was completely drained of color.

Slowly look upwards.

The arrowhead pierced his heart and was now curved as it hurtled toward her.

That arrow should have hit her.

The man watched as she smiled slightly, then leaned to one side and fell. Meng Yu suddenly snapped back to reality, breaking free from the drug's effects, and rushed over to catch him steadily in her arms.

Large tears soaked his face. Lu Jiayan slowly raised his hand and smiled faintly: "Don't cry. I have only ever seen your stubborn face. I have never seen you admit defeat to anyone. This is what I am willing to do. Don't feel burdened."

Meng Yu let him touch her face, tears falling silently: "I... I'm not worth you doing this."

The first time he touched her soft face, it was indeed the warmth he had imagined. Satisfaction crept onto his pale face: "You said that people cannot be compared. Since life cannot be compared, how can there be a question of whether it is worth it or not? This matter is something I can do as long as I am willing."

Meng Yu burst into tears and could not utter another word.

With no leader, Lu Jiayan's men were so shocked by the sight that they all stopped what they were doing.

Lu Xiuyi glanced at the blood-stained sword, stood frozen in place, and dared not step forward.

He never intended to actually kill him.

Just then, several men in black on the rooftop fired arrows at once. Without time to think, Lu Xiuyi's expression hardened, and he quickly shielded Meng Yu behind him, deflecting the arrows.

But arrows rained down, and there were too many of them; he couldn't kill many of them.

Screams pierced the sky as Lu Xiuyi watched helplessly as his soldiers were shot down one by one, unable to retaliate.

The cold moonlight spread out, and blood flowed like a river to his feet. Caught off guard, Lu Xiuyi was slashed in the arm by an arrow.

They thought they were about to die, but the massacre didn't last long. After all the remaining soldiers were shot dead, the group of men in black suddenly retreated.

In less than a quarter of an hour, only Meng Yu and Lu Xiuyi remained alive in the courtyard.

Just as the two were looking at each other in bewilderment, a group of soldiers suddenly surged in from outside the door, the leader of whom came in with a menacing manner.

Before Lu Xiuyi could speak, Prince Rui coldly said, "By imperial decree, General Huaiyuan Lu Xiuyi, for personal gain, privately executed Inspector Lu Jiayan. He shall be immediately imprisoned to await trial."

***

"Girl, be careful with the plate."

A sharp shout came from behind, instantly pulling Meng Yu back from her wandering thoughts. She lowered her eyelids and saw the plate in her hand about to slip from her grasp.

Countless goldfish are cheering and waiting below with their mouths wide open.

Meng Yu quickly took the plate back and placed it on the table.

Zhi Mian brought over a bowl of sea cucumber and chicken soup and earnestly advised her, "Even if you have no appetite, you should at least eat something. If you continue like this, Miss Ning and I will only worry more."

The chicken soup, with its wisps of steam rising, slowly disappeared into the void.

Meng Yu sat back down on the stone bench and sighed silently: "I wonder if Ning Sui has seen him?"

Five days have passed since Lu Xiuyi was imprisoned on the day of the incident, but the Emperor has yet to deliver a verdict. She has tried to visit him several times, but has been refused entry each time.

She had also inquired with Chuze, but he only replied coldly, "Young Master said that Madam need not worry, just take care of yourself."

yes!

How could he not be indifferent?

Lu Xiuyi was framed by Prince Rui because he was trying to save her.

Otherwise, why would he be in prison?

"I can't eat it. Besides, this sea cucumber was originally given to you by Huaiyin to help you recover. Why did you cook it for me?"

Meng Yu pushed the chicken soup a little further away.

After that day, Zhi Mian was released. It turned out that she had not been severely tortured. Lu Xiuyi had simply locked her up in a manor on the outskirts of the city and had people guard her.

Zhi Mian pushed the chicken soup in front of her again: "My leg is almost fully recovered. If I drink such nourishing soup, I'm afraid I'll get a nosebleed. Even if you can't eat it, please have a couple of sips."

She has been unable to eat or sleep well for the past few days.

Zhi Mian felt truly heartbroken when she saw this.

Meng Yu shook her head, about to refuse, when she saw Ning Sui walking towards her. She quickly got up and jogged over to meet her: "How is it? Did you see him?"

Ning Sui looked at her with a solemn expression and nodded: "I saw her."

Meng Yu clung to her hand, her expression anxious: "How is he? Is he alright?"

"fine."

Ning Sui lowered her head, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating.

Meng Yu vaguely guessed what was going on: "If he's alright, why are you acting like this?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Sui slowly raised her hand from behind her back to face forward, revealing an envelope with three large characters written on the cover: Divorce Agreement.