Chapter 57 How could he be poisoned?
"Master." Ah Qi stood up nervously.
Master Gong glanced at him indifferently and handed him a packet of medicine.
"Put this into Lu Jinlan's food and watch her take it."
"What's this?"
"Never mind that. Before sunset, bring news of Lu Jinlan's death to Daqingshan and report back to me."
Ah Qi held the packet of medicine and gave a wry smile. "What if I mess up?"
The master shook his head. "I've watched you grow up, I know you better than you know yourself. You won't make a mistake, it just depends on whether you want to do it or not."
Ah Qi took a deep breath. "Since Master understands me better than I understand myself, he naturally knows that I don't want to do it."
Master Gong sneered, "That's right, I know you don't want to, but it's not up to you."
As she spoke, she tossed a blood-stained cloth bag in front of him. "Open it and take a look."
Ah Qi suspiciously lifted the lid and looked inside, then closed her eyes in disbelief.
Inside the cloth bag was a little finger that had been cut off while the person was still alive.
Master Gong said leisurely, "These are Thirteen's fingers. Thirteen is the dumbest among you, but he thinks he's very smart. He thinks that if he doesn't tell me, I won't be able to see through him. He wanted to warn you in advance so you could escape, but unfortunately, I already knew what he was going to do the moment he rolled his eyes."
Ah Qi knelt down in despair, "Master, please release Thirteen, let me die in his place."
The master grabbed his neck and coldly refused, "No, I don't want your life, I want you to get rid of Lu Jinlan. Before sunset, exchange Lu Jinlan's death for your and Thirteen's freedom. Otherwise, you will both die."
*
When Lu Jinlan and Xiang Ruzhen arrived, Zhao Zhiyu was inside the house cursing.
The two paused, stopping outside the door. Lu Jinlan asked Yu Jifang, who was standing beside her, "Her Highness isn't usually so easily agitated. What's wrong with her?"
"Sigh, it's a long story..."
Just as Yu Jifang was about to speak, someone inside suddenly said, "Come in and speak."
The three hurried inside. Zhao Zhiyu rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "The people monitoring Daqingshan just returned and reported that the Beizhou camp will send troops to reinforce Daqingshan at daybreak."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "Isn't this exactly what we've been hoping for? Have our people tracked down the location of the tunnel?"
Zhao Zhiyu shook her head, and Lu Jinlan asked in surprise, "No? How could that be?"
Yu Jifang explained, "Because Cheng Yuanqing is very cunning, the reason she chose to send troops during the day instead of at night was that she didn't want the torches to reveal their location. She mobilized 30,000 troops early in the morning to drill around Daqingshan. The Ling family army was everywhere, and the people responsible for monitoring couldn't get close at all. These troops covered the reinforcements entering Daqingshan, and only after they completely disappeared did the troops return to the main camp."
Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth. "This Cheng Yuanqing has some brains. We've been leading her by the nose all this time, but now she finally knows to be on guard."
Zhao Zhiyu said, "If we can't find any trace of the tunnel, we'll have no legitimate reason to attack. Even if General Song brings reinforcements, it will be difficult for us to intervene."
Just then, Yan Wuxin returned.
She exclaimed happily, "Congratulations, Your Highness! General Song has agreed to lend us troops, and 30,000 soldiers are already lying in ambush near the border. They'll arrive as soon as we give the signal... Hey? Why do you all look so worried?"
After everyone explained the situation, Yan Wuxin said, "This hiding place must have been carefully selected and prepared for a long time. It certainly won't be easy for us to find it. Sigh, if only someone could lead us to the entrance of the tunnel."
Everyone was deep in thought, resting their heads on their hands and cheeks, until Turing rushed in and said urgently, "Your Highness, Master Gong just came to see Ah Qi, and it sounded like... he asked him to poison Lord Lu."
Zhao Zhiyu glanced at Lu Jinlan, "At this point, Ah Qi is no longer of any use. Such a poisonous man cannot be kept by your side. Let me torture him severely; perhaps he can still reveal something."
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "No! Please allow me to think about it, Your Highness."
Zhao Zhiyu advised, "Don't be so soft-hearted. If you like someone like A Qi, I can help you find someone later, but he is ultimately a member of the Ling family and cannot be kept."
Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, "If he can lead us to the secret passage, could Your Highness spare his life?"
Zhao Zhiyu thought for a moment, "I remember you said that he would not harm you for his master, but he would not harm his master for you either."
Lu Jinlan: "I have my own way."
Seeing Lu Jinlan's confidence, Zhao Zhiyu agreed, "Okay, if he helps us find the tunnel, after this case is solved, I will pretend I've never met Ah Qi. All the case files will not mention a single word about him."
*
Lu Jinlan stood outside the door, her feelings somewhat complicated.
She confirmed with the system repeatedly that the antidote pill could neutralize all poisons.
So she exchanged for one hundred antidote pills, swallowing thirty to fifty before entering the room. She planned to take some more antidote pills while taking the poison later. If she felt unwell after taking the poison, she would stuff the rest into her mouth.
She refused to believe that with a 360-degree detoxification, no poison could kill her. She just hoped the detoxification pill had no side effects.
Thinking of this, she pushed open the door forcefully. Ah Qi quickly wiped away her tears, "You're back?"
Lu Jinlan pretended not to see it, "Um, I'm exhausted, quickly pour me a cup of tea."
Hurry, she was afraid the antidote pills would expire.
Lu Jinlan lay on the bed with her eyes closed, deliberately giving Aqi room to maneuver. But after waiting for a while, there was still no movement.
Lu Jinlan had no choice but to sit up and urge, "Where's the tea?"
"Right away." Ah Qi, with his back to her, poured a packet of white powder into the cup.
Seeing that he was reluctant to bring it over, Lu Jinlan simply got up and sat down at the table, taking the initiative to pick up the teacup.
"Wait a minute!" Ah Qi suddenly stopped her. "It's... a little hot. Drink it later."
Lu Jinlan smiled and touched the inside of the cup. "It's not hot."
She pointed to the snacks on the table by the window, "I'm a little hungry, bring the snacks over."
As soon as Ah Qi turned around, she quickly popped a few antidote pills into her mouth. When he came over with the snacks, she picked up her teacup and took a sip right in front of him.
Ah Qi was taken aback and stood there staring at her intently.
Lu Jinlan waved, "Come here."
Ah Qi stiffly took a few steps closer, carefully observing her expression.
Lu Jinlan casually picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite. "The taste of this pastry is a little off today, cough, cough cough..."
She suddenly started coughing, her face turning red as she bent over and fell off the stool.
Ah Qi was shocked and exclaimed, "What's wrong? Don't scare me!"
Lu Jinlan's mouth and hands were covered in blood. She pointed with difficulty at the cup of tea, "The tea is poisoned... Qilang, you are so cruel. Actually... I knew all along that you were the assassin that day, but... but I never thought you would really want me dead..."
No! I didn't want you to die! I didn't!
Seeing Lu Jinlan's pained expression, Aqi burst into tears instantly.
He held her, staring at the cup of tea in disbelief, utterly bewildered. "How could you be poisoned? That wasn't poison Master gave me, it was a sleeping potion. I just wanted to take you away, we didn't care about anything else, we just wanted to leave this place. It was just a sleeping potion, how could you become like this?"
Lu Jinlan felt a pang of panic; she hadn't expected things to turn out this way. But since things had come to this, she had no choice but to continue insisting that she had been poisoned.
"Ha, a sleeping potion? That's just... what you think it is."
Ah Qi suddenly realized, and choked up, "Could it be... that Master switched my medicine when I wasn't paying attention? But... but when did she do it? How come I didn't know at all?"
Lu Jinlan smiled sadly, "Don't think about it, it'll just be a waste of time."
Ah Qi's nose tingled with emotion. "Don't be afraid, I'll die with you."
He quickly reached for the teacup, but Lu Jinlan reacted swiftly and smashed it. "Don't do anything foolish! I... I'm not dead yet. I have profound internal energy and have sealed my acupoints. If... if there is an antidote, perhaps I can still live, and we can still be together."
"The antidote?" Ah Qi shook his head in pain. "The antidote is with Master. She hates you to the bone and won't give it to us."
Lu Jinlan said, "I have no personal grudge against her. If she saves me, I will tell her a brilliant plan to break the current predicament of the Ling family army. She wants me dead simply because she is afraid that I will interfere with their affairs. But as long as she saves me, I will wander to the ends of the earth with you from now on and will never get involved in these troubles again."
This argument was extremely tempting to Ah Qi. He barely had time to think it through. He wiped away his tears and said decisively, "I'll take you to find Master right now! If she saves you, we'll live together. If she doesn't save you, we'll die together."
Lu Jinlan nodded weakly, and Aqi quickly carried her on his back and climbed out the window.
Hiding in the shadows, Yan Wuxin wiped away imaginary tears. "It's so touching. Jinlan should really go on stage and sing."
Xiang Ruzhen: "Stop joking. I'll take some men and follow them. You go and inform His Highness. No matter who wins or loses today, there will be a bloody battle."
*
Ah Qi rode at full speed, bringing Lu Jinlan to the foot of Daqingshan Mountain.
He must have been here many times and was very familiar with the terrain. He carried Lu Jinlan up a small path, talking to her constantly along the way, afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep going.
Ah Qi: "We're almost there. Hang in there a little longer. How are you feeling now?"
Lu Jinlan: "It might be a final burst of energy before death. I don't feel so bad now."
She dared not act any harder, afraid that things would get out of control, although... things were already out of control.
After passing through a dense forest, Ah Qi placed Lu Jinlan under a tree, moved an inconspicuous rock, and turned a hidden mechanism, slowly revealing the entrance to the tunnel.
It's so well hidden that even a thorough search of the mountain would make it very difficult to find.
Lu Jinlan sighed inwardly and released the signal flare in his hand.
Bang! Propelled by gunpowder, green fireworks soared into the sky.
Hearing the noise, Ah Qi slowly turned around and found that Lu Jinlan, who had been leaning weakly against the tree, had stood up. Apart from the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth, she looked perfectly normal.
She was so composed and calm, as if everything was under her control.
Ah Qi subconsciously took a half step back, then stared at her intently as if he had never seen her before.
His throat felt constricted, and his voice was hoarse. "You lied to me? You've been lying to me all along?"
Lu Jinlan said helplessly, "Qilang, calm down, things aren't what you think."
Ah Qi shook his head. "You lied to me and used me. I won't listen to your sweet talk anymore. I'm going to kill you!"
He drew his dagger and lunged at her, but Lu Jinlan grabbed his wrist, looked directly into his reddened eyes, and slowly said, "But you also lied to me sometimes. I ask you, when you disguised yourself to get close to me, was every word you said a lie? We've been together for so many days, were all those affectionate moments just for show or from the heart? Can you tell the difference?"
Ah Qi gritted his teeth and didn't answer.
Lu Jinlan said, "I'm telling you, I can't tell the difference."
Ah Qi's voice trembled, and she choked out, "Do you really love me?"
Lu Jinlan countered with, "What do you think?"
Ah Qi shook his head. "I don't know! You completely fooled me. I have no way of knowing which of your words were true and which were false!"
Lu Jinlan suddenly released his hand. "If you think I have no sincerity towards you, then stab me now. Use my life to prove your loyalty to your master."
Ah Qi gripped the dagger tightly, his brow furrowed, and tears, like blood, rolled down his bloodshot eyes.
"You know I can't do it, so why are you forcing me? Why... are you all forcing me?"
He knelt on the ground in anguish, tears streaming down his face.
Lu Jinlan held the helpless A Qi in his arms and comforted her gently, "Listen to me, I didn't lie to you last night. I really wanted you to come back to the capital with me, and I really wanted to marry you. I already married you last night, didn't I?"
But Ah Qi didn't understand, "Then why did you trick me into coming here?"
"Because what happened here has to end. Only when everything ends can we have a new beginning."
Ah Qi shook his head. "My mind is in a mess right now. I can't think of anything."
"Then don't think about anything else, just listen to me. From now on, don't worry about anything here. Go down the mountain immediately, and don't tell anyone your whereabouts or your identity. Just pretend that Ah Qi no longer exists in this world. You no longer belong to your master, you are free. Hide well for a few days, and when things calm down, come to the capital to find me, understand?"
Ah Qi nodded reluctantly. "Could I go down there? Thirteen is still in Master's hands. He was captured because of me. If I don't show up, Master will kill him."
The resounding hoofbeats of horses could be heard in the distance. Lu Jinlan said decisively, "No! There's no time. The Song family army will be here soon, and chaos will ensue. Thirteen is that handyman, right? I know what he looks like. You go down the mountain first, and I'll help you rescue him. Trust me."
Ah Qi nodded with difficulty, "Okay, I believe you. If you can rescue him, tell him to come to the old place to find me."
"Then leave now." Lu Jinlan wiped away his tears and gave him a comforting kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Go quickly!"
Ah Qi picked up the dagger again, took a few steps, then turned back and warned, "You must be careful!"
Lu Jinlan smiled and nodded.
Ah Qi was clever; he descended the mountain in another direction. The path the two had taken to ascend was quickly crowded with people. Seeing the signal, everyone immediately followed the marks left by Lu Jinlan.
Xiang Ruzhen arrived first with two hundred elite soldiers she had brought from the capital. Shortly after, Yue Chan, Song Jingxiao's deputy general, arrived with eight thousand cavalry.
The narrow path was quickly trampled into a wide road. Plants on both sides were crushed and low-lying trees were cut down. The vanguard advanced swiftly, clearing a broad passage for the main force.
With reinforcements arriving, Lu Jinlan tossed the blood pack from her sleeve onto the ground. "Let's go down and meet them."
She and Xiang Ruzhen led two groups of people into the tunnel. Not far inside, they encountered two forks in the road, one to the left and one to the right.
The two split up and continued their advance, soon encountering small groups of resistance. However, the enemy was caught off guard and outnumbered them, making them no match for them.
Lu Jinlan arrested some people and asked Yue Chan to send people to guard them, while she continued to walk inside.
As Lu Jinlan passed by a room, she heard screams coming from inside. She kicked open the door and saw Thirteen being tied to a wooden stake and whipped.
"Stop!" Lu Jinlan snatched the executioner's whip and kicked him away. Two other people who rushed over were also slammed against the wall by her two slaps, unable to move.
She cut the ropes with her sharp dagger and said succinctly, "Thirteen, I promised Seven I would save you. How are you? Can you still walk?"
Thirteen gritted his teeth and said, "No...it's nothing, just superficial injuries."
Although they were all superficial wounds, he was covered in blood, and there probably wasn't a single unscathed spot on his body.
Lu Jinlan was thinking about how to get rid of him when the person she had just kicked aside suddenly said, "Lord Lu, we meet again."
Lu Jinlan looked closely and vaguely remembered him; he was probably a captain in the Northern State camp. She had met him during their meeting.
The captain clutched his chest in pain and said disdainfully, "I thought you were so upright, but it turns out you're just like us, prone to favoritism. You've been letting criminals go free, and if it gets out, that's a serious crime too. Don't think you can climb the ranks just because you have a good mother-in-law. I'm going to expose you."
Lu Jinlan sneered, "Yes, I often have moments of favoritism. But we're different. You've killed countless innocent lives in Beizhou for your own selfish reasons. My favoritism, on the other hand, was simply saving a life. As for suing me, do you think I'll let you live long enough to even open your mouth?"
A flicker of panic crossed the captain's eyes. "You want to silence me? We're both captains. I haven't even been interrogated yet, and you haven't gotten my testimony. How can you kill me?"
Lu Jinlan turned around and glanced at Yue Chan, who was following closely behind her, and the group of elite Song family soldiers that Yue Chan was leading behind her.
Lu Jinlan asked in a low voice, "Are all the people you brought here trustworthy?"
Yue Chan glanced at the captain and replied loudly, "Please rest assured, sir. Knowing that we are to serve you, we have chosen only our trusted confidants. In addition, General Song gave me a piece of advice before she left. She said, 'The Song family army is currently under the Song family name, but will be under the Lu family name in the future.' So, we sisters know what to say and what not to say, who is the master and who is the outsider. Although we are generals, we are also family retainers, so you don't need to worry."
Lu Jinlan nodded with satisfaction and casually drew Yue Chan's sword. Touching the sharp blade, she smiled and walked towards the captain.
"Today, all the major generals of the Ling family army in Beizhou City will be arrested. Losing your confession won't make a big difference. I don't like the way you talk, but you're right about one thing: I do have a good mother-in-law."
Lu Jinlan swiftly finished off the three men with two swift strokes, then casually pushed Thirteen to Yue Chan, saying, "Find someone to send him down the mountain, but don't let anyone find out. Also, everyone should agree on one thing: these three were killed because they resisted arrest."
Thirteen was already dumbfounded. Lu Jinlan reached out and patted his face, her eyes fierce as she said, "Including you, you're not allowed to say a word, understand?"
Thirteen nodded vigorously in fright. Lu Jinlan said, "Seven is waiting for you at the usual place. Go ahead."
Lu Jinlan was lucky; just after having Thirteen sent away, she stumbled upon the disaster relief funds.
Several hundred boxes of official silver filled several rooms. Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Send someone to keep an eye on them. Also, go and tell Lord Xiang that the disaster relief silver has been found."
Before he could finish speaking, several wounded soldiers rushed over in a panic, "Lord Lu, Lord Xiang has encountered a large number of Ling family troops, two or three thousand of them, and we can't hold them off!"
Lu Jinlan said angrily, "Useless! Even if you can't hold her up, you can't just leave her there alone! Where is she?"
Lu Jinlan rushed in the direction the wounded soldier pointed, and saw thousands of Ling family soldiers stubbornly resisting in a circular hall.
Meanwhile, Xiang Ruzhen was in the middle of the battle, fighting fiercely with Master Gong.
This guy surnamed Gong is indeed worthy of being the assassin coach hired by the Ling sisters at great expense; he possesses profound inner strength and is ruthless in his attacks.
Lu Jinlan said to Xiang Ruzhen, "You rest for a while, let me deal with her."
Xiang Ruzhen stepped aside, and Master Gong immediately attacked. Lu Jinlan raised her palm to meet the attack. The two clashed with their internal forces, causing the air around them to ripple and making their wrists ache. They both retreated seven or eight steps.
The man surnamed Gong was greatly shocked. He never imagined that Lu Jinlan could possess such profound internal strength at such a young age. What was going on? Did she practice for twelve hours a day without rest?
Master Gong swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and gritted his teeth, saying, "Little brat, you've got some skill."
Lu Jinlan immediately retorted, "Old man, you'll have to make do."
She protested verbally, but then turned to Xiang Ruzhen and said, "Let's go together!"
The two had barely exchanged a few blows when Yan Wuxin led the Ling family army from the outer perimeter in from the exit. Just as they arrived, Lu Jinlan struck Master Gong in the chest with a palm strike mid-air. Master Gong vomited blood and fainted.
Lu Jinlan immediately shouted, "Ling Family Army, listen up! Your situation is hopeless, stop struggling. Put down your weapons, and you still have a chance to live."
Alas! Someone in the crowd sighed, and swords clattered to the ground; the outcome was decided.
When they captured Daqingshan, Song Jingxiao had already taken over the Beizhou camp with 20,000 troops, and Zhao Zhiyu had also captured Ling Xia and successfully taken over the garrison.
With witnesses and physical evidence in hand, what followed was a lengthy trial, court hearings, and final verdict. The case was then urgently sent to the capital to await the Emperor's instructions.
However, none of the three participated much in this tedious paperwork. Seeing their lack of interest, Zhao Zhiyu delegated it all to Cui Mingfei, Yu Jifang, and others.
The three of them managed to steal a moment from their busy schedules and finally had a chance to rest properly. Xiang Ruzhen said, "I have already informed His Highness that I will go home early tomorrow morning and return for dinner."
Xiang Ruzhen's home was in the neighboring Mianzhou, a round trip that could be made in half a day by fast horse.
On a whim, Lu Jinlan said, "Then let's visit your house while we're at it. We've come all this way to this area, and I'm afraid we won't have this opportunity again."
Xiang Ruzhen thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's set off after breakfast tomorrow."
The next day, the three of them set off for Mianzhou as the sun rose. They enjoyed the vast autumn scenery of the northern lands along the way, and soon arrived at the gate of a dilapidated farmhouse.
Although Yan Wuxin had prepared herself mentally, she was still greatly shocked when she confirmed that this was Xiang Ruzhen's home.
Lu Jinlan was alright; after all, she had lived two lives, participated in poverty alleviation work, and was well-informed. But Xiang Ruzhen's house was indeed more dilapidated than the poorest house she had ever seen.
Xiang Ruzhen's father was in his forties, had poor eyesight, was almost blind, and was holding a baby who was a little over one year old in his arms.
Hearing that Ruzhen had returned, her father was very happy. "Your mother took your three younger sisters into the mountains to hunt yesterday, and they probably won't be home until tomorrow. Your eldest and second eldest brothers are still serving at Master Cui's house and haven't been back for half a month."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jinlan sighed inwardly: "They're even more like impoverished households now, poor yet eager to have children—a perfect example."
Xiang Ruzhen said to her father, "It's nothing. I'm in Beizhou on business and just came back to visit. I'll be back for the New Year, and we'll see each other then."
She rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'll go tidy up the yard. You two sit for a while."
Her father said happily, "You even brought a friend back? That's great, it's rare for you to make friends."
Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin quickly put down the various gifts they were carrying and went to introduce themselves to the old man.
Her father asked, "Are you Ruzhen's classmates or friends?"
Lu Jinlan said, "We are classmates, friends, and good friends."
Her father smiled and said, "She's stubborn and inflexible; she must have caused you a lot of trouble."
Yan Wuxin laughed and said, "It's alright. We're not exactly good people either. Let's just trouble each other."
After chatting and laughing with the old man for a while, Xiang Ruzhen's father coaxed the child to sleep and sent Xiang Ruzhen inside so he could cook. Although he was blind, his hands and feet were very nimble, and he was very skilled at stir-frying and chopping vegetables.
The two men tried to go out to help, but were both sent back. The three of them then stood around the sleeping child in the cradle, talking in hushed tones.
Yan Wuxin couldn't help but ask, "Did your father give birth to all these children?"
"No, my mother had a son, and two of her younger sisters were born to him. But a few years ago, that son passed away."
Lu Jinlan thought to herself: Five children wouldn't be too few. And to dare to have children at this age—that's considered advanced maternal age. To survive under these conditions and in this medical environment—she must have a body of steel. No wonder Ruzhen has superhuman strength; perhaps their family genes are a bit strange.
Ruzhen's father stewed a chicken. As soon as the steaming chicken soup was served, perhaps due to the heat, a piece of plaster from the rickety ceiling fell off and landed precisely in the soup.
The old woman couldn't see, and Xiang Ruzhen was still washing cucumbers outside. Yan Wuxin was instantly stunned; she had never eaten such a meal in her life.
Lu Jinlan quickly waved her hand, signaling Yan Wuxin to keep quiet. She hurriedly used a ladle to scoop out the plaster from the wall, but before she could find a place to dump it, Xiang Ruzhen had already entered the room.
Lu Jinlan could only silently ladle the soup into her own bowl, "Haha, I love chicken soup."
Yan Wuxin watched as she ladled out a few more spoonfuls, and with a stiff smile, he forced himself to say, "Share some with me, I like it too."
Xiang Ruzhen was taken aback. "There's still some in the pot."
Yan Wuxin: "No, I just love taking what's in other people's bowls."
After finishing their meal, the three prepared to return home. Before leaving, Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin gathered their cash and slipped two hundred taels of silver to Ruzhen's father, saying, "This is a token of our respect to you, please accept it."
Her father refused, saying, "How can this be? You're still in school, where would we get the money? Everyone has their own difficulties, our family doesn't care about these things."
Xiang Ruzhen smiled and, unusually, agreed: "Keep it. If you don't, they'll find a way to keep it."
Before leaving, Xiang Ruzhen tidied up the house before mounting her horse.
The three of them rushed back to Beizhou, and soon an imperial decree arrived from the capital. The Emperor first rewarded Yu Jifang, elevating her to the first rank and doubling her salary. Other meritorious individuals would be rewarded separately upon their return to the capital.
Of the 400,000 taels of silver recovered for disaster relief, half was left in Beizhou, and the remainder was transported back to the capital. The main criminals were escorted to the capital, while the rest were to be dealt with by Yu Jifang according to the law.
The Ling family army in Beizhou City will be temporarily placed under the command of Song Jingxiao, and will be dealt with after all cases are closed.
Zhao Zhiyu was overjoyed; her first official mission had been a resounding success. On her way back to the capital, Yinuo gave the Akhal-Teke horse to Lu Jinlan.
The large group headed towards the capital, chatting and laughing all the way. Their mood was completely different from when they left, as if they were enjoying a leisurely trip.
Halfway through the journey, a fast horse charged towards the group, shouting, "Young Master! Young Master! Something has happened at home!"
The guards quickly stopped her, and Lu Jinlan looked closely and saw that the person was Xi Mo.
She quickly said, "Let her come over here. This person is my housekeeper."
Xi Mo dismounted and rushed to Lu Jinlan, panting, "Young Master, Young Master Song has been assassinated!"
Lu Jinlan's heart tightened. "What?"
-----------------------
Author's note: This is the final chapter of the Northern Continent arc, so it's a bit long. I really want to improve.
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