Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Confrontation

Chuzhou is located southeast of the Huai River. Although it is still under the jurisdiction of Huai'an and the two places are not far apart, it is densely populated and has always been a magnificent and prosperous place that military strategists must fight for. The commercial port is prosperous, the streets are bustling, and there are many merchants coming and going from all over the world. Zhe Rou and Shui Qing walked in the market. Although the two young ladies both had northern accents, they mixed in with the families of the merchants and it was difficult for them to notice anything unusual for a while.

Zhe Rou was very unfamiliar with the Jiangnan area and had not decided where to settle down. She suddenly remembered that Ye Yian had mentioned that his family lived in Chuzhou. She had previously taken the Ye family's wages and left without saying goodbye, so she should come and say hello.

The most important thing is that she has other thoughts in mind. She doesn't know many people, and Lu Chen will sooner or later find out about Ye Yian. If she can use his mouth to lure Lu Chen away, it would be the best.

Xie Yunzhou had prepared everything very thoroughly. In addition to a fake identity certificate and several blank travel passes, she also had enough silver and money, including both small change and a few copper coins for daily use, as well as Jiaozi notes that could be exchanged at the market counter. Roughly speaking, she wouldn't have to worry about her livelihood for at least half a year. Whether she went north to return home or continued to go south, it was enough for her to slowly find a quiet and stable place to settle down and live in seclusion.

Unlike the last time when she fled alone in a hurry, she now had Shuiqing and money with her, and she felt much more at ease. She slowly asked around along the way and soon found the Ye family's shop.

Lu Chen was seriously injured and could hardly walk. He also had poison in his body that had not yet been resolved. He coughed up blood at night due to the cold and could hardly get out of bed. Even though he was already extremely anxious, he could only stay in the Huai'an garrison office to recuperate and wait for the dispersed personnel to report back, enduring this torment.

Nan Heng brought in more medicine. Lu Chen glanced at him and asked in a hoarse voice, "Have you found any trace of the scattered troops? Where did the night boat go?"

Nan Heng's hands trembled, and he almost spilled the medicine in the bowl. He didn't dare to look Lu Chen in the eye, so he could only bite the bullet and answer, "We passed the Beishen Gate that night, and then the boat stopped at every ferry. Where exactly did my wife get off the boat... We need to investigate further..."

Lu Chen was silent for a while, then responded with his eyes lowered.

With Xie Yunzhou's help, she would definitely have enough food and clothing along the way. She wouldn't have to rush to pawn her belongings, nor would she have to rush to find a living in a pharmacy. She wouldn't even have to go out in person to rent a house. The usual ways of inquiring at the carriage and horse shops wouldn't work.

August is the flood season of the Huaihe River. There are checkpoints everywhere on the river. If a ship passes through the checkpoints at night, it must be inspected by river guards, and traces must be left when passing through. This is the only clue we can use to find her.

After Nan Heng left, the room fell into a dead silence once again. Lu Chen sat alone in the waterfall of light before the couch, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing the lines of the silver bracelet in his hand. He felt a chill run through his body, as if all the blood in his body was freezing into ice and piercing through his veins.

She left so cleanly, leaving nothing behind except the discarded pair of silver bracelets.

Such torture is tantamount to breaking the heart and liver and cutting into pieces.

Ever since he woke up, he often had a paranoid thought - if he had really died at the hands of the assassin that night, perhaps it would have been a clean and quick death, which would probably have made her feel regretful and sad, and she would have cried at his grave and would never forget him in her life.

Xie Yunzhou knew that Lu Chen would definitely send people to track his whereabouts. After saying goodbye to Zhe Rou in Chuzhou, he did not stop for a moment and immediately headed south, then went to Yangzhou and Jiangning. It took him three days to return to Huai'an.

Arriving outside the garrison office, Xie Yunzhou dismounted and went straight into the back office. Before he even entered the yard, he smelled a very strong bitter smell of medicine in his face, which made his lungs ache.

Nan Heng happened to be walking out of the house with an empty medicine bowl in his hand. When he saw that it was him, his expression suddenly changed slightly. He stood there for a moment, as if he had no intention of greeting him at all.

Xie Yunzhou didn't take it seriously. He hooked his long fingers around the whip and twirled it twice, then raised his chin towards the house. "Where's Lu Bingyan? Is he inside?"

Nan Heng hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My dear, your injuries have not yet healed. You cannot tolerate provocation or anger. Please, young prince, please be mindful."

Xie Yunzhou calmed down after hearing this, nodded, and replied, "I understand."

Nan Heng looked at him cautiously again, then hesitantly stepped aside and let him go.

The garrison was a military office, and its decoration was simple. The interior was kept very tidy, and there was no screen blocking the view. When Xie Yunzhou stepped in, he saw Lu Chen, who was leaning against the window with his eyes closed, resting in an armchair.

It was only the beginning of autumn and the room was still bathed in sunlight, but he had already put on a thin cloak. His handsome face was pale without a trace of blood, his eye sockets were slightly sunken, and there was a tint of blue under his eyes. His palms were wrapped with several strips of gauze, and traces of blood could be vaguely seen.

It had only been a few days since we last met, but Lu Chen had obviously lost a lot of weight and looked so haggard that it was shocking.

I don’t know if it was because he had just been seriously injured and barely managed to survive, or if it was because of something else.

Seeing Lu Chen's sick and haggard appearance, Xie Yunzhou felt a little uncomfortable for a moment.

He and Lu Chen have known each other since childhood, and over the years, the relationship between them as brothers is more than just a casual one.

When he was young, he was weak and unruly, and he would inevitably suffer losses in fights. Lu Chen always stood up for him, stood by him, and even took punishment and beatings for him.

Back then, they were studying together in Zishan Hall. Li Zhen scolded his mother, a princess, for marrying a groom, and called him a bastard. He was so angry that he started a fight with Li Zhen. Others were afraid of Li Zhen's status as a prince, and they stepped forward to take sides. Only Lu Chen risked his life to help him. Although the government did not pursue the matter afterwards, Lu Chen was still beaten with three canes by the old husband Lu, and was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for seven days and seven nights. Finally, he fell seriously ill with a high fever and had to rest for more than a month before he could leave the bed.

If you think about it seriously, although he never called him cousin, he really regarded him as an elder brother in his heart.

In the past, he was envious and jealous of Lu Chen, but now seeing him so haggard, he felt that he was hateful and pitiful.

Xie Yunzhou cursed himself inwardly, then called out to Lu Chen and frankly explained, "I've already sent Jiu Niang away. I've prepared all the money and guards. She's perfectly safe out there. You don't have to worry, and don't even think about forcibly taking her back. If she wants to see you again in the future, she'll come looking for you."

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes upon hearing the voice.

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the window, and fine dust swirled in the bright beams, like the Chu River and Han River dividing the two young men. The two young men looked at each other, gazing at each other, and for a moment, no one spoke.

"Where is she?" Lu Chen opened his mouth, his voice hoarse as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, and stained with blood.

Xie Yunzhou pulled the corner of his lip and sneered: "You know I won't tell you."

Lu Chen's face grew increasingly cold and gloomy. He was already as pale as paper, and now it looked even more like a layer of winter ice had condensed on him.

He naturally knew that it was useless to ask.

But this time, for some unknown reason, he felt a sense of despair as if he had nowhere else to go.

He hated her coldness, was angry at her decisiveness, and was afraid that he would never see her again. All these emotions had been tormenting his heart and lungs for days, tormenting him like a wounded trapped beast, and he almost didn't know what to do.

Xie Yunzhou paused and continued, "You and I are brothers. I'm here today to give you an explanation. You can kill me or chop me up as you please. I'll let you vent your anger, but I will never reveal a single word about Jiu Niang's whereabouts to you."

Lu Chen remained silent, but the eyes he looked at Xie Yunzhou were as cold as ice, filled with murderous intent.

Xie Yunzhou frowned slightly, glanced at him and said, "I advise you not to look for her again. Now that Wang Zhonggan is dead, Xu Chong will never trust you easily again. If he wants to clear himself, he will definitely find a way to drag you into the water. When you and I return to the capital, there will be unrest in Shangjing City.

Even if you can find her and forcibly hold her by your side regardless of the consequences, when Xu Chong and you become enemies, you will probably have to go to the Imperial City Office yourself, and how will you be able to spare the time to protect her safety?"

Xie Yunzhou looked at Lu Chen and continued, "I don't need to say much about what a beastly bastard Li Zhen is. If people knew that she was our weak spot, would Li Zhen use her to make trouble? And on that canal boat, the pirates once set their sights on her. Have you forgotten?"

In this situation, it would be better to let her go so that no one can find her. She can live happily and peacefully."

Lu Chen was silent for a while, then slowly tightened his grip on the armrest of the chair, his joints crackling with the force. "Since I want to find her, I can naturally protect her."

"Protect her well?" Xie Yunzhou seemed to have heard something funny. He held his breath for a moment, but couldn't help but sneer, "Lu Bingyan, do you really believe what you said? She was such a good girl. She happily married you and went to the capital with you. And what happened? Less than three months later, she left the capital alone and nearly lost her life! Is this what you call protecting her well?!"

As if finally being touched in a sore spot, Lu Chen could no longer suppress his anger. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "You speak so grandly, but I want to ask you, by getting so entangled between me and Meimei, how much of your concern is that I can't protect her, and how much of it is for your own selfish reasons? If you hadn't intervened, how could she have left like this?!"

Xie Yunzhou laughed in anger for a moment, "She wanted to leave because of me? It's all because of you! She was not living happily with you, so she wanted to leave.

I also want to ask you, Lu Bingyan, how many bad things have you done to hurt her so much that she is so determined to break up with you?"

After a pause, he looked at Lu Chen, raised his chin, and said word by word, "Yes, I do have selfish motives. In the past, when you treated her well, I treated you as brother and sister-in-law, and never overstepped the boundaries. But now that you treat her badly, I will be the one who treats her well.

Lu Bingyan, I just like her, what's wrong?"

Lu Chen's face became even paler and uglier, and cold sweat kept dripping down his temples. The two looked at each other for a moment, and he suddenly turned his head away, clenched his fists and coughed violently a few times, then spread out his hands, revealing a palm covered in blood.

Seeing this, Nan Heng's expression suddenly changed. He took a few steps forward, stood in front of Lu Chen to protect him, and looked at Xie Yunzhou with a hint of anger.

Lu Chen suddenly raised his hand, signaling him to leave.

Nan Heng gritted his teeth, and after a while, he finally obeyed the order and retreated.

There was no one else around, and the room was silent for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the two men's slightly rapid breathing.

A magnificent waterfall of light slanted in from the window. Half of Lu Chen's face was reflected in the sunlight, while the other half was hidden in the darkness. His already pale face looked even more gloomy and uncertain.

After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Miss Mi has always been soft-hearted and can't stand being treated well by others. If you can't give her peace of mind, then don't harm her, and don't seduce her."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunzhou took a step forward, leaned over and stared at her, and said angrily in a cold voice: "Lu Bingyan, if you can't protect her yourself, stop throwing dirty water on me. What can't I do?"

Lu Chen seemed to have heard something funny. He raised his deep, dark eyes and looked straight at Xie Yunzhou. A hint of sneer appeared on his lips: "What can you do? Can you marry her? Can you marry her in a formal ceremony and make her your Princess?"

Xie Yunzhou's eyes were already red with anger, and he could not help but sarcastically said, "Why not? As long as she agrees today, I can treat you to a glass of wedding wine tomorrow. Don't refuse to come then."

"Really?" Lu Chen suddenly sneered, as if he had a plan in mind. He spoke slowly and confidently, "Mingqi, have you forgotten where your title of Duke came from?"

His dark eyes were calm and composed, but the words that came out of his mouth were like thunder. "Should I call you Xie Mingqi, or... Li Mingqi?"