Chapter 11, with its passionate exchange of words, left him stunned and bewildered. ...

That damned scoundrel dared to take advantage of the chaos to molest her.

Qin Song froze. She wanted to castrate the person behind her, but she had come secretly and dared not make a big fuss, so she didn't rush to do anything.

She cautiously tugged at Li Yu's sleeve, but Li Yu's gaze remained fixed on her face, oblivious to what was behind her.

Qin Song glanced behind him, and Li Yu instantly caught the evil deed, his expression changing drastically as he furiously swung his fist, yelling, "Damn it!"

The loud shout immediately drew everyone's attention.

After seeing the man who had been beaten, everyone's eyes widened and they covered their mouths in astonishment.

"Lei Heyang? He actually...got beaten up?"

"That's incredibly audacious! Who would dare hit that scoundrel?"

Lei Heyang was a notorious playboy in the capital, a good-for-nothing who bullied men and women, yet no one dared to touch him, simply because his father was the Minister of Justice and his sister was the Empress, who was enjoying great favor. No one dared to offend him.

It was astonishing that someone dared to beat him up in public, even though everyone present was a prominent figure.

Li Yu's fist was still hurting when Lei Heyang's men immediately surrounded him and restrained him by turning his hand over.

Lei Heyang's cheeks flushed red, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. This was the first time he had ever experienced such humiliation and disgrace.

He glared menacingly at the whispering onlookers, then gave the suicidal Li Yu a sidelong glance. Suddenly, he grinned maliciously, spat out a mouthful of blood, and swung his fist at Li Yu, his eyes filled with malice. "Tie him up! Right now!"

·

Qin Song was dragged out just as Li Yu threw his punch.

Everyone crowded in for the excitement, but she was easily pulled away from the crowd by a strong arm.

The person who was holding her had a face as black as the bottom of a pot. After leaving the Gong residence, he abruptly released her, his anger simmering, without uttering a single word.

Qin Song tugged at his disheveled clothes, angrily took out the gift list from his waist, and slammed it down on his waist, saying, "Here, what you wanted."

Lu Youchuan steadied the gift list she had thrown at him and then let go, but she had already turned back.

"Stop right there." Lu Youchuan gripped the gift list tightly, his tone brooking no argument. "If you take another step forward, I'll send you back to the Taoist temple immediately."

Qin Song suddenly stopped, holding a grudge, and glared at him, saying urgently, "With everyone watching, Li Yu will only find himself in a dilemma."

"You call him Li Yu?" Lu Youchuan finally turned to look at her, his tone strange.

Qin Song met his icy gaze, stunned by his angry eyes. Her dark eyelashes trembled slightly as she quickly looked away. "Is that the point? Li Yu fought with someone because of me. If I just leave, wouldn't he be considered a troublemaker?"

"Then what will you do when you go back? How will you prove that Lei Heyang deserved to be beaten?" Lu Youchuan said sternly.

Qin Song frowned as she looked at the ground. She really didn't know how to prove that Lei Heyang had maliciously molested her. She just felt that Li Yu was wronged, so she could only suppress her anger and remain silent.

Lu Youchuan narrowed his long, narrow eyes. "You care about him a lot?"

"Yes!" Qin Song blurted out. She was afraid of being exposed, but she never expected that she would put Li Yu in a predicament.

Whether out of a desire to sleep with him or simply out of gratitude, she was very worried about him.

Lu Youchuan gripped the gift list tightly, his knuckles turning white, then scoffed coldly, "Impulsive and brainless, serves him right."

"You!" Qin Song was speechless after being choked by him, turned his head away, and stopped responding.

At this moment, Pan Chengjie and Zhang Hu, the peacocks, strode out and saw—

The young man and woman stood back to back, frozen in place, the atmosphere unusual and silent.

"Hey, what's going on?" Pan Chengjie glanced at Qin Song and then nudged Lu Youchuan's shoulder.

Neither of them spoke. Pan Chengjie circled them for a while, then stroked his chin and pretended to talk to Zhang Hu, "These two aren't flirting, are they?"

Zhang Hu's pupils dilated, and he coughed, not daring to speak at all.

Lu Qin and his companion looked even worse.

Pan Chengjie continued, "Strange, why is everything so strange inside and outside the manor? Inside the manor, although Young Master Li has turned the tide, the beauty has run away, and his mood is, tsk, not good. Outside the manor, it's even stranger. Even if I were wise enough to be wise all my life, I really can't figure out why Lord Lu is in such a bad mood."

As he spoke, Pan Chengjie tilted his head to glance at Lu Youchuan, whose brows were furrowed, but unexpectedly, the girl behind him turned around happily and tilted her head to look at him, "You mean Li Yu is alright?"

Pan Chengjie looked at Qin Song, feigning confusion, "Miss Qin, are you so concerned that you're confused? Don't you know about the relationship between the young master and the governor's mansion?"

The young lady of the Gong family is the young master's cousin. The second son of the Lin family, naked, clamored that the young lady of the Gong family was seducing her. The young lady of the Gong family's reputation is hard to clear. Governor Gong will definitely try his best to protect the young master and make him the son-in-law of the Gong family. Do you think he will be in trouble?

Besides, the Junior Chamberlain is a member of the Crown Prince's faction. Even if he were to take action, it wouldn't necessarily be to the Ministry of Justice; the Court of Judicial Review or the Censorate could also be involved.

After saying that, he carefully examined Qin Song and grinned wickedly, "But Miss Qin is indeed beautiful. No wonder Lei Heyang, who spends all his time in the world of pleasure, would have designs on you—"

"Alright, it's time to go." Lu Youchuan suddenly spoke, interrupting Pan Chengjie, and took a long stride ahead.

Pan Chengjie shrugged and turned to Qin Song, inviting her, "Let's go, Miss Qin."

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Qin Song shouldn't be here. He can't act recklessly. He can only follow Lu Youchuan's steps and walk back.

After walking for a while, Qin Song couldn't help but frequently turn back to look at the Governor's Mansion.

Another day of wasted effort. Not only did I fail to make any connections with the harem, but I also ended up making Li Yu the son-in-law of the warlord's mansion. What a loss!

She was dejected and in a very bad mood. She went to Pan Chengjie's residence to drink with several colleagues from the Censorate, but she was still dejected.

"Thank you, Lord Pan, for inviting us to drink again." A minor official raised his wine bowl and respectfully toasted Pan Chengjie, and the other brothers followed suit.

After a few opening remarks, Zhang Hu raised his glass again, "Brothers, let's also toast Lord Lu. It's been so many years, and this is the first time I've drunk with Lord Lu. I'm really not used to it."

"Yes, respectfully, Lord Lu." The other minor officials followed suit, raising their wine cups.

Lu Youchuan's expression didn't change much; he remained calm throughout. However, he didn't refuse his brothers' toasts, filled his glass, and drank with them.

Having put down their cups, the minor officials had completed the preliminary preparations and began to drink in twos and threes.

Qin Song sat next to Lu Youchuan, neither drinking nor ordering food. He rested his elbows on the table, propped his chin on one hand, and poked at the white rice in his bowl with chopsticks in the other.

Pan Chengjie's gaze shifted from Lu Youchuan to Qin Song, then back to Lu Youchuan. After scrutinizing him for a moment, he suddenly smiled, as if he had figured something out.

He moved closer to Qin Song and asked, "Miss Qin, are you married?"

Qin Song casually replied, "No."

"That's wonderful." Pan Chengjie straightened his clothes and smiled even more ostentatiously. "I will go to the Qin family tomorrow to propose marriage. As for me, I come from a prominent family in Zhangzhou, with a wealthy background. I am the legitimate son of the main wife. Although I am a good friend of this ice block, I am witty, humorous, and chivalrous. I am definitely more suitable as a husband than him. What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other brothers lost their appetite for drinking and all stared at Qin Song and Pan Chengjie to join in the fun. Only Lu Youchuan remained unmoved, his face still cold.

Qin Song looked up and sized up Pan Chengjie. He was tall and well-proportioned. Although his features were not as refined as Lu Youchuan's, his black hair was slightly curly, his expression was relaxed, and he had an alluring and flirtatious charm. He was humorous, witty, and shrewd. Apart from his questionable aesthetic sense, he was indeed quite good-looking.

However, Qin Song was not pleased. "You've slept with other people?"

Everyone present froze for a moment, and Lu Youchuan's eyelids twitched as he glanced at Qin Song out of the corner of his eye.

Pan Chengjie wasn't particularly surprised. He quickly recovered and smiled easily, "Miss Qin, do you also think I have considerable charm?"

Qin Song said expressionlessly, "You still have hickeys on your neck."

The audience burst into laughter, all looking at Pan Chengjie as if they were witnessing an anecdote.

Pan Chengjie remained calm and composed, deliberately tugging at his loosely clad collar, and chuckled, "You can even notice such details, Miss Qin, you really do pay attention to me. Don't worry, Miss Qin, I'm very good at serving women. If you come with me, I will never touch another woman again. What do you say?"

Lu Youchuan coughed lightly, but Qin Song didn't take it to heart and immediately replied, "I'm sorry, Lord Pan, I don't want things that others have used."

The sounds of clinking glasses abruptly ceased, and seven or eight pairs of eyes stared intently back and forth between Qin Song and Pan Chengjie.

Pan Chengjie remained neither angry nor embarrassed. He glanced at Lu Youchuan with ill intent, then shook his head dejectedly: "Alas, heartless young lady, you actually rejected such a good man as me. Then tell me, what kind of gentleman do you desire? I will definitely help you find one you are satisfied with."

A group of minor officials also stared at Qin Song with gossip, waiting for her to say something earth-shattering. Only Lu Youchuan silently poured himself a glass of wine, his fingers twirling the cup back and forth without uttering a word.

Qin Song's eyes lit up. Could there really be such a good thing? Without hesitation, she stated her requirements: "First, it must be clean, and second..."

Qin Song glanced at everyone and said, "As long as he looks as Lord Lu, that's fine."

As soon as he finished speaking, the clerks all sighed in unison. Pan Chengjie also stared at Lu Youchuan and laughed, "Miss Qin, why don't you just say you admire our Imperial Censor Lu? There aren't many people in the entire Great Yu Dynasty who look like him, are there?"

This... does seem a bit difficult, but of course, lowering the requirements a bit is also an option.

Just as Qin Song was about to discuss it further, Lu Youchuan suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go."

What a jerk! Why are you ruining her plans at this crucial moment? Are you in such a hurry to send her back?

Qin Song was indignant, but he didn't dare to show it openly in front of his subordinates, so he could only get up sullenly.

But before she could take a step, Zhang Hu suddenly raised his wine glass. "Sir, Miss Qin helped us capture Feng Jin and also found the banquet menu for Governor Gong. She deserves a lot of credit. Please allow us to toast her."

Wow, this brother is sensible.

Qin Song didn't even look at Lu Youchuan's expression. He bowed to pick up the wine cup, only to find that the cup in front of him was full of tea. So he tilted his hand and picked up the wine cup in front of Lu Youchuan, politely saying "You're too kind," before drinking it straight down.

Lu Youchuan raised his hand halfway to try and stop her, but she had already tilted her head back and finished drinking.

He reluctantly withdrew his hand, but a strange feeling was spreading through him. The cup her lips had touched was the one he had just used...

"Cough, what is this? It tastes awful, cough cough..." Qin Song stuck out his tongue in pain, feeling as if his throat was being scraped by a knife.

Lu Youchuan regained his composure, subconsciously picked up the water on the table, poured it into her cup, and she drank it all in one gulp.

He then put down the cup with disdain and followed Lu Youchuan out the door.

Just as they got into the carriage, Zhang Hu followed them out again.

Qin Song quickly lifted the carriage curtain and saw Zhang Hu standing outside the carriage holding a bag of food. "Miss Qin, I see you haven't eaten anything. Take this with you and have something to eat."

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because her stomach rumbled as soon as she did. Qin Song smiled and accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you, you're so thoughtful."

The carriage started moving, and Qin Song opened the oil paper bag, inside which lay two fragrant chicken legs. She rolled up her sleeves and started eating them directly.

Her snow-white arms were completely exposed, swaying incessantly in front of Lu Youchuan.

Who is this pose trying to seduce?

Lu Youchuan's brows furrowed, and he deliberately looked away. Qin Song suddenly screamed, "Ahhhhhh!"

He quickly turned around and saw her holding a chicken leg in one hand and using the other hand to mimic a small fan, fanning her burning lips and tongue: "So spicy, so spicy."

What kind of chicken leg? It wasn't spicy at first, but after a few bites, the aftereffects were so strong it felt like he was breathing fire; Qin Song's mouth was practically on fire.

She frantically searched for something to relieve the spiciness, but there was nothing in the carriage except for a strange-looking man staring at her.

"If you can't eat spicy food, then don't eat it—"

Whose lips are opening and closing here? It's so tempting! Qin Song ignored it all and kissed them directly.

Lu Youchuan's cold words were cut short when his mouth was covered by someone's lips and tongue, leaving him stunned and bewildered.

A note from the author:

----------------------

Dear readers, the word count for this week's ranking has been reached. The author is currently working hard to reach the VIP chapters, and will update as needed before then. The next chapter will be released after next Thursday. Please don't abandon me; I promise I'll keep writing!

——

Just a heads-up for the next chapter: Xiao Lu will kiss the little girl, and then take things to the next level with his dreams—he's completely lost in them! [Heart emoji]