Chapter 13 Hold it down. You have no shame.
"how?"
Lu Songyuan had been lying down for a day and a night, and his body was very stiff. He sat up, twisted his neck, and turned his head to look at Jing Hui.
Jing Hui glanced at him and asked, "Did anyone come to report on the celestial phenomena today?"
Lu Songyuan said, "Yes, today is probably the last rain of autumn, and it will rain all day."
"Oh no!" Jing Hui exclaimed, her face full of worry.
Just two days after the explosion at the gunpowder depot in the deep mountains, she was ill yesterday, and no one has yet reported any news from the area, indicating that there is no good news.
Today's heavy rain might trigger flash floods in the mountains, destroying the site of the explosion and leaving no evidence at all.
Heaven did not favor them.
As if knowing what Jing Hui was thinking, Lu Songyuan stretched out his arm and lifted one side of the bed curtain, letting some of the dim light pour into the curtain.
"Yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister sent someone over, saying he had something to report."
Lu Songyuan looked at Jing Hui and said, "It's a pity that His Highness was delirious with fever at the time. I sent someone to tell them to come back when you're feeling better."
"There's nothing to do now, quickly summon the person here."
As Jing Hui spoke, she was about to get out of bed. She was sleeping on the inside of the bed, and to get out, she would have to step over Lu Songyuan.
She leaned over Lu Songyuan's thighs, stretched out one leg to step on the edge of the bed, and was about to call for help when Lu Songyuan's large hand covered her forehead.
Jing Hui struggled to wave his hand away, but couldn't push him away.
He glared at him angrily: "What are you doing!"
Lu Songyuan used force to push Jing Hui back onto the bed.
When Jing Hui woke up from her illness, she was weak all over. When Lu Songyuan pushed her like that, she sat down and leaned her head back. Just as her head was about to hit the bed, Lu Songyuan suddenly reached out and grabbed Jing Hui's wrist, pulling her up into his arms.
"Lu Songyuan!"
After falling into a deep sleep that night, Jing Hui had no memory of what happened afterward.
Being pulled and dragged around by Lu Songyuan like a rag doll, Jing Hui was furious and her face turned half red.
She punched Lu Songyuan in the chest with her fist, "What are you doing!"
Lu Songyuan remained expressionless. Ignoring Jing Hui's struggles, he picked up a bowl of warm medicine from a nearby table and held it to her lips, saying, "This is medicine sent by your father. Drink it before you go."
Jing Hui glared at Lu Songyuan, "I haven't eaten yet!"
"It's alright."
Lu Songyuan raised his chin and repeated, "Drink it first, then go."
After staring at each other for a long time, Jing Hui finally accepted the medicine bowl.
The medicine was dark in color, but it smelled sweet. It entered the mouth smoothly and flowed into the chest, making Jing Hui feel much more comfortable all over.
After drinking her medicine, she handed the bowl to Lu Songyuan. As she got out of bed, she viciously stomped on Lu Songyuan's leg.
-
After a quick meal, Jing returned to the front hall to receive the visitors.
Sitting in the main seat, Jing Hui was served tea. After taking a small sip, she looked up and saw Lu Qingyue pushing Lu Songyuan in.
Jing Hui looked puzzled. "I have something to do. What are you doing following me in?"
Lu Qingyue pushed Lu Songyuan to another seat next to Jing Hui, moved the ebony chair aside, and left through the door.
Lu Songyuan glanced at Jing Hui, picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. He then picked up a book from beside his wheelchair and said, "It's raining heavily outside. I have difficulty walking and can't go to the study, so I can only read here for a while."
Jing Hui said, "There's plenty of floor space inside the sleeping quarters..."
"I can't concentrate on my studies in my bedchamber."
Before Jing Hui could finish speaking, Lu Songyuan interrupted him, "Your Highness, please continue with your conversation. I don't mind your noise."
Upon hearing this, Jing Hui frowned angrily. She even thought he was in her way!
The rain was as heavy as fog, and she couldn't really kick Lu Songyuan out. Jing Hui looked around, grabbed the chair armrest, and with a "whoosh," spun the ebony chair halfway around, turning her back to Lu Songyuan.
She really annoyed him!
Jing Hui grabbed the cup, took a big gulp of tea, and slammed the cup down. "Let him in."
"yes."
A moment later, the messenger entered; he was a retainer from the Prime Minister's residence.
Jing Hui recognized her and was surprised that it was her.
"Your humble servant Bai Zhi pays his respects to the Princess. The Prime Minister is concerned about you. May I ask if the Princess is well?"
As her name suggests, Bai Zhiren, though a woman, was tall, nearly eight feet, and wore a half-updo hairstyle. Her demeanor was one of serene composure cultivated from being surrounded by books.
"Get up."
Jing replied, "Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister. I am fine. How are you feeling?"
Bai Zhi seemed surprised by Jing Hui's question, paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I'm much better."
"This matter is not worth asking too many questions about," she said. Jing Hui then asked, "What brings you here?"
"It's something that happened deep in the mountains."
Bai Zhi glanced at Lu Songyuan, and seeing that Jing Hui had no further instructions, he slowly said, "After the princess left that night, the prime minister personally led the people left behind by the princess to search the mountain inch by inch. Later, several princes also brought people to search the mountain."
"Um."
Jing responded, signaling Bai Zhi to continue.
Bai Zhi said, "The Prime Minister guessed that the search of the mountain was so large that the person who lit the gunpowder would not risk escaping. Sure enough, they were found in a cave deep in the mountains in the middle of the night."
"who are they?"
Jing Hui asked.
"They are the Camel Wind People."
"What?" Jing Hui asked in surprise.
That day in the Imperial Garden, the Camel Wind Man kidnapped her, wanting the Tagan in Lu Songyuan's possession.
After injuring her, Emperor Jingwen had already sent people to have the Tuofeng people executed by slow slicing and sent back to Tuofeng territory. So how could these people appear in the deep mountains?
What was the purpose of detonating the gunpowder?
Jing Hui asked Bai Zhi, "Have you interrogated those people?"
"It has been reviewed."
Bai Zhi said, "On that day, when the Tuofeng people followed General Lu to the capital to pay tribute, they also hid several other people in the boxes containing the tribute. After arriving in the capital, they took the opportunity to escape and disguise themselves as locals, all in order to find the location of the gunpowder depot within the territory of our Great Liang."
"And then?"
"They searched extensively within the capital city and eventually pinpointed the location to the deep mountains. They frequently gave gold and silver jewelry to a hunter at the foot of the mountain, asking him to take them up the mountain to scout the exact location of the gunpowder depot. The hunter could not resist the temptation and eventually had his own brother, who was guarding the depot, take them up the mountain to scout the location on several occasions."
“The hunter,” Jing Hui said.
The deep mountains reeked of gunpowder from top to bottom, and there wasn't a single living creature within a hundred miles. Where would a hunter come from?
Bai Zhi said, "The hunter's house is now empty, and all the furnishings are new."
As expected.
Jing Hui asked, "Who ordered them to blow up the gunpowder depot?"
Bai Zhi pursed her lips and glanced at Lu Songyuan.
"They said that everything was under General Lu's orders. General Lu was dissatisfied with His Majesty's refusal to provide gunpowder to the Northern Territory, so he coerced them into going to blow up the gunpowder depot. The fact that there was gunpowder in the deep mountains was something General Lu had told them about in the Northern Territory. The person who guided them was one of General Lu's men, and even the person who gave them the escape route was one of General Lu's men."
The rain had stopped sometime earlier, and the house was as quiet as if no one was there.
Jing Hui paused for a moment, then looked at Lu Songyuan.
A smile played on her lips, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes. "What did General Lu say?"
There is nothing else of note, but colluding with foreign enemies is absolutely unacceptable.
"slander."
Lu Songyuan pressed his fingers on the corner of the book on the table and looked into Jing Hui's eyes. "Tuofeng is our dynasty's sworn enemy. Moreover, apart from this trip back to the capital to report on my duties, I have never been to the capital before, let alone known that there is gunpowder in the deep mountains."
Jing Hui and Lu Songyuan exchanged glances for a moment, then Jing Hui turned to Bai Zhi and asked, "What does the Prime Minister think?"
"We have only asked Tuo Feng and his companion in general terms, and the Prime Minister cannot yet determine whether they are true or false."
Bai Zhi paused for a moment, then brought up another matter, saying, "After His Majesty woke up that night, he was very worried about this matter and sent out many people. After the Second Prince arrested the people, the Prime Minister also entered the palace to report. His Majesty already knows the whole story of what happened that night."
Lian Zhong found the person, but Jing Ao kidnapped him.
Even a hair's breadth would tell you what happened. Jing Hui didn't hide her disgust, "Thank you, Prime Minister, on behalf of this princess."
Everyone in the court knew that Lian Zhong was standing behind Jing Hui and followed him into the palace, so naturally he wouldn't let Jing Ao take all the credit.
"yes."
"Go and investigate the hunter's own brother, as mentioned by that camel-like person."
Jing Hui instructed, "Also, you personally lead a group to re-examine those Tuofeng people for me, and Jing Ao is not allowed to interfere."
Jing Hui paused for a moment, then said, “If Jing Ao gets in your way, tell him that I am doing this to clear my husband’s name and that he should get out of my way. If he still refuses, then go directly to my father, the Emperor.”
Lu Songyuan was drinking tea when he heard the word "husband," and his hand holding the teacup paused. He frowned and looked at Jing Hui.
"Your humble servant obeys."
Bai Zhi bowed respectfully and said, "This humble official takes his leave."
After Bai Zhi left, Jing Hui leaned back in the ebony chair, frowned, and closed her eyes in thought.
One should not completely believe everything a camel-wind man says, nor should one completely disbelieve him.
Lu Songyuan's words should not be completely disregarded, nor should they be entirely believed.
Lu Qingyue's appearance was too coincidental, and after Lu Songyuan came to the capital, he was indifferent to everything except the explosion.
Jing Hui has always been good at judging people. Lu Songyuan knew more or less about or was involved in the gunpowder explosion. It's just unknown whether he was the one who led the way or the mastermind behind it.
Jing Hui opened her eyes and turned her head to meet Lu Songyuan's gaze.
Lu Songyuan's eyes were always extremely bright, like cold stars falling into a dark pool. When you looked into his eyes, it seemed like you could see right into his heart. But Jing Hui knew that it was just a perfect disguise.
Having spent many years immersed in the palace, she has always preferred sincere people. Dealing with someone like Lu Songyuan, who is shrouded in mystery and disguised with layers of venomous words, is truly exhausting.
"Is your wound any better?" Jing Hui asked.
Lu Songyuan rarely saw Jing Hui like this, and found it novel, his eyes fixed on Jing Hui's face.
"Thanks to Your Highness, I'm much better."
"That's good then," Jing replied.
After the words were spoken, no one spoke for a long time. Outside, it started raining again, and the rain gradually intensified.
Jing Hui was worried about the deep mountains, and Lu Songyuan followed Jing Hui's gaze to the door.
He looked at the torrential rain outside, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions.
"The soil on the top of the mountain is not sandy soil, so even if there is an explosion, it is unlikely to cause a flash flood. Your Highness, please rest assured."
Jing Hui glanced at Lu Songyuan sideways, "How did you know?"
"Lu Qingyue dared not disobey His Highness's order, and had just returned from the deep mountains not long ago."
"puff."
Recalling the instructions given that night, and seeing Lu Songyuan's strange tone, Jing Hui couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She rested her hand on her chin, propped it on the armrest of the chair, and asked Lu Songyuan with a smile, "Are you upset that I tormented your people?"
Lu Songyuan raised an eyebrow, his large hand stroking the red jade pendant at his waist, and said casually, "Now that we are married, my people are naturally your people too, and you can do as you please."
"Yeah?"
Jing Hui laughed, "Then you are also one of my people. If I give you these orders, will you do as I say?"
Lu Songyuan paused in his touch of the pendant, glancing at Jing Hui. "As long as Your Highness wishes."
Realizing what he had said, Jing Hui's smile suddenly froze.
What is she saying to a person with a disability?
"Cough, I..."
"Princess."
Under the eaves, Ah Yu led a person to the door and bowed, saying, "The imperial physician has arrived."
Jing turned her head and said, "Come in."
"Your subject pays respects to the Princess and the General. May the Princess and the General be well."
Jing Hui said, "No need for formalities, please trouble the imperial physician to examine the wound on his waist."
"yes."
It was inconvenient to examine the injuries here, so everyone returned to their sleeping quarters.
Lu Songyuan lay on his side on the bed, supporting his head with one hand and pressing down on the hem of his clothes with the other to make it easier for the imperial physician to examine his injuries.
Jing Hui's eyes were filled with mixed emotions as she stared intently at Lu Songyuan's chest.
That night, the forest was extremely dark. Although she applied medicine to Lu Songyuan, she did not see Lu Songyuan's body clearly.
At this moment, his chest, waist and abdomen were almost covered with a complex and overlapping pattern of old and new scars, deep and shallow, which looked quite horrifying.
It's hard to imagine how many near-death experiences were behind these scars.
"These are the points to note. Although the general is in good health, we cannot take them lightly."
The imperial physician, intimidated by Lu Songyuan's presence, wiped his sweat and said, "Otherwise, these aftereffects will cause a lot of trouble when you get old."
How many people like them in history have lived a peaceful and long life?
"When I get old."
Lu Songyuan repeated, raising the corner of his lips slightly, and said, "Thank you for your kind words."
"ah?"
The imperial physician paused, his hand poised to apply the medicine, looking puzzled.
Looking up, she met Lu Songyuan's gaze, then lowered her head again, saying, "General, you're too kind."
Jing Hui, who was listening nearby, frowned. She sighed softly, walked to the imperial physician's side, took the medicine from his hand and said, "I will apply this medicine for him. Imperial Physician, you should go back as soon as possible."
The imperial physician was overjoyed. After teaching Jing Hui how to apply the medicine, he quickly slipped away.
The room was somewhat dim, so Jing Hui instructed someone to light a lamp and place it by the bedside. She also had A Yu bring over a low stool and sit in front of Lu Songyuan.
Lu Songyuan remained in the same position, watching Jing Hui's movements with great interest.
In a casual tone, he said, "Your Highness is of noble birth; it would be better if someone else treated this minor injury."
Jing Hui remained silent, pressing his hand firmly against the wound as he applied the medicine.
"hiss--"
Lu Songyuan couldn't help but hiss before she looked up and said, "It's really strange that a small injury can cause you this much pain."
The light flickered in her eyes, creating ripples. Lu Songyuan looked at Jing Hui's bright red lips and reached out to touch her forehead.
Don't burn it.
Jing Hui was taken aback. She impatiently brushed Lu Songyuan's hand away, muttering a string of words, "Thank you for saving me, but life is hard-won. I finally escaped, why say such things? If you suffer lifelong consequences from this wound, wouldn't that be my fault..."
The stinging pain of the wound gradually turned into a tingling itch, and the heat sprayed onto his abdomen. Lu Songyuan stared at Jing Hui's opening and closing cherry lips, and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, his tone turned cold. "Alright, no need for medicine anymore. Thank you, Your Highness."
Jing Hui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said angrily, "You're simply..."
She looked at Lu Songyuan, only to see him tugging at the clothes piled around his waist.
Layers of fabric were neatly piled at the waist, with only one inexplicable bulge.
"Lu Songyuan!"
Jing Hui was shocked. She quickly stood up and took a few steps back. Her eyes widened in disbelief for a moment, and a blush crept up her cheeks. "You have no shame!"
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