Shen Ning knew Lu Qing was going to die, so she had Yu Liu'er lead a group of people to follow him back to his hometown, keeping a watchful eye on him from the shadows, and rescue Lu Qing before anything happened, while also capturing the culprit and bringing him to Lu Qing's side.
She didn't do good deeds anonymously; instead, she made sure that the Imperial Censor Lu Qing knew that it was she, Shen Ning, who had saved him, and that he had to repay her kindness.
Having been immersed in officialdom for many years, Lord Lu's insight was naturally astounding. He could tell that Shen Ning had ulterior motives, and upon meeting her again, he was even more certain that she was not a simple and naive young girl.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and her shrewd calculations were all hidden in them. However, compared to those schemes and plots, she was very open and honest, and had no malice.
That's why he asked her what she intended to do.
Although they were both officials in the same court, he and Shen Shuyuan were merely nodding acquaintances. Why would his daughter go to such lengths to save him?
The main reason he wanted to see Shen Ning was that he knew some of the inside story of Shen Shuyuan's death. He owed her a debt of gratitude and would repay it, but he couldn't let anyone use him for this.
It was understandable that Shen Ning could see through his wariness.
As the saying goes, "Those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves."
It is only right that the Censor-in-Chief acts with caution.
"Uncle, there's no need to be nervous. The main reason I intervened in this matter wasn't because of you, but because of the Wei family..."
Shen Ning recounted her story with the Wei family in detail, adding certain details that Lu Qing could not possibly know.
"My first reason for taking action was to prevent Wei Changgeng from succeeding in his scheme. The second reason was that my father always mentioned my uncle before he died, saying that you were a rare and upright official in the court, who spoke frankly and remonstrated with the emperor, and was proud and unyielding. It was only because of people like you that the court was able to maintain a clean and upright atmosphere and a righteous spirit. Such a rare and good official should not be ruined by these underhanded schemes and tricks."
She sighed softly, "I didn't mean to ask anything of you, Uncle, but if you're willing to give me face, please don't let the Wei family father and son stand in the court in the future. Also, please don't mention me about this matter, Uncle. I would be very grateful."
To leave a good official behind and cut off the Wei family's future path—that was Shen Ning's purpose.
As for expecting a return on a favor? That's a really low-level tactic.
Lu Qing could tell whether Shen Ning was telling the truth or lying. He always harbored some suspicion towards people, but he believed Shen Ning's words to a great extent.
His gaze suddenly became somewhat complicated, as if he hadn't expected that he could escape a disaster because a little girl couldn't stand someone else's smugness.
Shen Ning may not know how many people besides Wei Changgeng want him to die in his hometown and never return. He acted rashly without fear of bringing trouble upon himself.
It's probably too late to tell him to avoid mentioning it to avoid suspicion now.
“I agree to your request.” Lu Qing thought for a moment and then added, “I remember your father’s favorite wine was the five-grain wine from Rongzhou. I have a few jars that have been stored for more than ten years. Go to your aunt and get two jars to send to your father.”
Does this mean she should associate with the Lu family?
Shen Ning was surprised for a moment, then smiled slightly: "Thank you, Uncle. Although my father's alcohol tolerance is average, he loves this kind of drink. He will definitely enjoy it."
Lu Qing sighed again, waved to Shen Ning, and got into the carriage: "This place is remote, so don't stay too long. Go back quickly."
Shen Ning: "Okay, let's go now."
As the vehicle turned, Lu Qing could still see Shen Ning standing there, stamping her feet in the cold. She looked dignified and intelligent, but in reality, she was just a young girl.
Although Shen Shuyuan didn't have much of a relationship with him, there was no enmity between them either. It wasn't easy for the couple to die and for the family to have such a young girl to support them.
He wouldn't have taken on any trouble before since it had nothing to do with him, but since someone saved him this time, he couldn't just pretend nothing happened.
As a high-ranking official, he could certainly protect a young girl.
Liu Ying adjusted Shen Ning's hood, wishing she could wrap her up like a dumpling. The snow wasn't heavy, but the wind was really cold. She had just been in the rain for a while; she hoped she wouldn't catch a fever when she got back.
"Miss, hurry back to the car and warm up. You've already been exposed to a lot of snow and wind today."
Shen Ning obediently went back with her. Liu Ying and Yu Zhu applied hot compresses and rubbed her hands, afraid that she might catch a disease later.
Shen Ning was initially a bit cold, but after a while, they rubbed her until she was sweating.
"I'm fine now, I feel much better."
To be honest, Shen Ning was quite familiar with this feeling of weakness. In her previous life, after Liu Ying died, she was sickly and weak, and finally died in the snow and ice.
In this life, Liu Ying didn't have any problems, but her body became weaker earlier than in her previous life.
Shen Shu's life has been affected, but now it has mysteriously returned to its original track. Although Liang Zhuo does not seem to be wholeheartedly devoted to Shen Shu, Wei Congwen has obtained the memories of his past life. It is unknown whether he will continue his relationship with Shen Shu.
Shen Ming and Shen Changlin died, but Fang Shiyan and her son survived, as did the Imperial Censor, proving that fate can be changed.
Shen Ning felt a pull from both sides, but there was no answer until the very last moment.
She refused to accept her fate and wanted to live a healthy life. But if fate was truly irreversible, there was only one thing she didn't want to do: die in winter, because it was just too cold.
"Miss, who was that gentleman just now?"
Seeing that Shen Ning had warmed up, Yu Zhu finally asked the question that had been bothering her.
Shen Ning: "Grand Censor Lu."
"So he deliberately waited for Miss here? When did he meet Miss?"
Yu Zhu's eyes were filled with: How come I didn't know anything about this?
Shen Ning patted her head: "Don't ask so many questions. You just need to know that he is a good person."
Turning to look at Liu Ying, he said, "Prepare an extra New Year's gift this year, and I will personally deliver it to the Lu family."
Liu Ying immediately understood that her young lady had made contact with the Lu family.
Miss Du's husband is the son of Minister Ye, Young Master Li is the young master of the Li family, Princess Chang Le is the daughter of Prince Qi's mansion and also the daughter-in-law of the Luo family. Now there is also the Lu family. And this is only on the surface. Every year, the eldest young lady asks her to prepare at least thirty gifts, and the place where each gift is sent is a place of high status.
Most importantly, at least 30% of these people are people that Miss can definitely get her to do whatever she wants. As for the others, she believes that Miss is not wasting money. When Miss needs to use these connections, Miss will definitely have a way to get them to help.
The thought of this terrifying network of connections filled Liu Ying with resentment. Why wasn't Miss a man? If she were, she would surely rise to the top and become an official even more powerful than Master.
"OK."
I heard that Wei Congwen has been trying to find connections everywhere to get a government position through an introduction, but he has been met with setbacks at every turn.
He probably never imagined what he had given up back then, but it's for the best, the young lady is not worthy of a scumbag like him.
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