treasure
Lu Chang knew about Jing Wan's past with Qin Ziyou. When Jing Wan was determined to leave him, he felt jealousy and disgust towards Qin Ziyou.
But by now, Lu Chang no longer cares.
Jingwan loves him, and he loves her deeply too. The past is insignificant now. Jingwan is in his hands, and he only hopes that Qin Ziyou will not hurt her.
Upon receiving the letter, Lu Chang selected more than twenty elite soldiers, changed into civilian clothes, and went with him to Yongye.
Before he set off, Chen Min repeatedly tried to dissuade him from taking the risk, but Lu Chang did not say much. He only ordered him to station his troops in Mianzhu and wait for his orders.
He rushed towards Yongye, crossing mountains and passes as if flying, wishing he could see her one last time to see if she was alright.
While Qin Ziyou was still at the military headquarters, a maid from Ruyuan came to report that the princess had taken Jingwan away.
"The princess came with soldiers, and the guards at home couldn't stop her."
Qin Ziyou threw down his pen, rode his horse toward the Prince's mansion, the whip striking the horse heavily, and the passersby around him were like double images.
As soon as he dismounted and arrived at the gate of the Prince's mansion, a servant said, "General, you've arrived? The Prince asked me to invite you in! He's waiting in the study!"
He tossed the riding whip to the young servant and strode off, the servants behind him having to jog to keep up.
Upon reaching the study door, he impatiently waited for the soldiers to announce his arrival and barged in. He immediately saw Jingwan standing in the open space in the middle of the study. She glanced back at him, showing neither surprise nor disgust, her expression calm and indifferent.
Qin Ziyou walked over quickly, looked her up and down, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright.
Seeing her so distressed and anxious, Li Changying smiled dismissively.
Qin Ziyou took Jingwan's hand and was about to lead her away when Changying said first, "Wait!"
She stood up, as if in a show of defiance, and said to Qin Ziyou, "Aren't you going to introduce her to my father?"
Qin Ziyou's eyes narrowed, and he whispered, "Don't go too far!"
Li Changying sneered, then quickly turned to face Li Ling and said, "The Gao family has a concubine's daughter, born to Gao Yun's mistress. She has a very close relationship with my husband, so close that they want to elope together."
At this point, Qin Ziyou stared at her, surprised, and asked, "Who told you that?"
Chang Ying didn't turn back, and continued, "Later, this woman returned to the Northwest, but was never seen again. Qin Ziyou searched for her in vain, but never gave up, until he received news of her. It turned out that this woman had been staying..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Ziyou flew into a rage and yelled, "Shut up!" He then reached for Changying's hand, preventing her from continuing.
He grabbed Changying's hand, trying to take her away. Changying, acting like a madwoman, shouted, "Father, what does the Gao family mean to Lu Chang! You should use this woman in front of you to threaten him. She is Lu Chang's true love! He suddenly raised an army in the northwest just for this woman!"
Qin Ziyou struck Li Changying with his palm, and Li Changying fell to the ground, covering her reddened right cheek and crying, "I told you, if I'm not having a good time, you won't either. Even if we go to hell, I'll drag you down with me!"
Li Ling's gaze towards Jing Wan changed instantly.
Originally, she was just someone to admire like a plaything, but after learning about her relationship with Lu Chang, her plans changed completely.
He looked directly at Jingwan, but asked Changying, "Is what you said true?"
Changying said, "Aren't the Gao family members here? Why don't you call them over to identify them?"
Jingwan never imagined that she would see Bojun again in such a situation. Both were prisoners in a cage, and their meeting was filled with sorrow. Even without words, they could see each other's predicament from their eyes.
Bo Jun had lost a lot of weight. He wore a thick blue robe and a moon-colored robe over it, which made him look even thinner. His face was pale and his eyes were dark. Only when he saw Jing Wan did he regain some of his vitality.
But the thought of Jingwan being at Li Ling's house made Bo Jun realize something was wrong.
Li Ling asked him if this woman was from the Gao family.
He nodded and said, "She's my cousin."
Li Ling laughed and said, "Your cousin has a close relationship with Lu Chang. I heard that Lu Chang is most fond of her."
Bo Jun forced a smile: "Your Highness misunderstands. We are just cousins. Lu Chang is not close to the Gao family, and he is even more distant from this sister."
"Oh, so estranged that you're with them every day?"
Bo Jun suddenly coughed, and after a long while, he finally caught his breath and said, "Jing Wan Yun Ying is still unmarried. Your Highness's words are ruining her reputation."
Li Changying said, "If that's the case, then let's cut off one of her hands and send it to Lu Chang to see if Lu Chang and this sister are estranged."
"How dare you!" Qin Ziyou roared.
Bo Jun glanced at Jing Wan, his eyes conveying a sense of reassurance.
"If Your Highness wants to negotiate with Lu Chang, then there will be no possibility of further negotiations."
Li Ling pondered for a while before looking up at Jing Wan and saying, "Keep her here for now and have Qin Gang come over."
Jingwan and Bojun were escorted away from the study by soldiers. Qin Ziyou clenched his fists and stared at Jingwan.
She didn't look at him again, but instead helped Bo Jun walk slowly.
The Gao family was all settled by Li Ling in a small courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. Including servants, more than a dozen people lived together in one place, which was crowded and noisy, and they were treated like commoners.
Bo Jun kept coughing, his voice hoarse and muffled. Jing Wan asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Why is he coughing so badly?"
Because of the severe coughing, Bo Jun's face flushed slightly when he stopped.
"It's just a cold that hasn't gotten better, but I've started taking medicine, so don't worry."
He fell ill on his way from Runan to the Northwest. Every time he was about to recover, the fatigue of the journey would cause his old illness to relapse, and he had been coughing for two months without getting better.
Jingwan was worried and carefully helped him walk. She glanced at his hand and saw that his knuckles were bony and he was as thin as a woman.
They were led to a small courtyard, and Jingwan was stunned when she saw the not-so-spacious central courtyard.
The courtyard was completely dug up, revealing a large pit. Large chunks of soil were exposed around it, and several apricot trees, uprooted, lay scattered on the soil.
Bo Jun was already used to it: "This used to be Lu Chang's residence. Li Ling said he was looking for some treasure, so he dug up everything in this house that he could. No one lived here before, and no one was asked to fill it in. It's just been left like this."
"What treasure?" Jingwan asked, looking at the large pit.
"I don't know. It seems to have been left behind by Lu Chang's mother. They searched for it for months but couldn't find it. It's probably just a rumor." Bo Jun spoke slowly, his voice weak and feeble.
Jingwan stared at the large pit, lost in thought.
"Hurry up and go!" The soldier pushed Jingwan. Perhaps because he was of some value to the other members of the Gao family, Li Ling locked Jingwan up in another place and guarded her alone.
Before parting with Bo Jun, Jing Wan felt a weight on her body and was startled. It was Bo Jun who had taken off his moon-colored robe and draped it over her shoulders.
She tried to take it off and return it to him, but he took a big step back.
“Jingwan—” Bo Jun called out to her.
Jingwan looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but all she saw was him give her a gentle smile.
If Qin Ziyou's smile has long lost the pure beauty of a young man, then Bo Jun's smile remains as calm and approachable as ever.
"Take care—" he said, his eyes reflecting an emotion that Jingwan hadn't understood at the time. "Take care, really—".
He watched her leave. When she turned to look at him, she saw the overwhelming sadness in Bo Jun's eyes, and Jing Wan's heart skipped a beat.
Dust swirled around the small house. As soon as Jingwan entered, she couldn't help but sneeze a few times. The door closed, and even the last bit of light disappeared.
The room was chilly, and Jingwan huddled in a corner, wrapped tightly in her moon-colored robe, breathing warm air onto her hands.
She looked at the floor covered in a thick layer of dust and pondered what to do next.
Her cousin would definitely come to rescue her, but she couldn't estimate how much he would have to pay or how much risk he would have to take.
She didn't want him to be in danger.
Li Ling was on high alert, with soldiers stationed every three steps in the entire mansion, making it virtually impossible to rescue her.
Even if they manage to rescue her, what about Bo Jun? What will he do?
Jingwan leaned against the door. The room was empty and quiet, with only her heavy breathing audible.
She couldn't tell if she was panicked or scared, but things had come to this point, and she could only accept it, just as Lu Chang had taught her: there's always a way out.
She liked to read miscellaneous books, which were written in plain language and easy to understand, without any obscure characters. There was always one or two of them by her bedside, all of which Lu Chang had bought for her.
Sometimes, after finishing his official duties, he would like to put his arm around her and watch together. If there was anything she didn't understand, she would ask the "gentleman" beside her for personal instruction.
There's always a way out. If she only superficially understood this phrase back then because she was trying to comprehend miscellaneous books, now she can somewhat understand how Lu Chang got to where he is today by relying on this phrase.
She accompanied him in Lingnan, watching him cultivate the land step by step and conquer all directions. She only thought he was incredibly talented, but she never thought deeply about what kind of mood he was in as he walked this dead end after being brought to Pingdu by the Gao family.
Until they turned this dead end into a way out.
That's why I'm even more unwilling to become a stumbling block for him.
Jingwan was locked up for three days. Two meals were delivered to her every morning and evening. She counted the meals and kept track of the days.
On the third night, Jingwan, who was already a light sleeper due to the cold room, was awakened by the woman's cries.
Her eyes were still hazy from just waking up. When she listened carefully to the sounds outside, she vaguely heard the words "Bo Jun" mixed in with the woman's cries.
Jingwan was jolted awake. She scrambled to her feet and threw herself against the locked door, pressing her ear against it to listen to the crying outside.
It's the Duchess's voice!
Jingwan grew increasingly panicked until she heard the clear "Bo Jun" in her ear, confirming that she hadn't misheard.
Why is the Duchess crying in the middle of the night, and why is she calling out Bo Jun's name?
She pounded on the door and shouted, "Let me out! Let me out!" Dust fell from the door, but the soldiers outside ignored her and stood guard at the door with expressionless faces.
She didn't know why she started crying too, and when tears covered her face, Jingwan's hands turned red.
The crying outside grew louder and louder, first from the Duchess, then from others. Footsteps sounded, hurrying past her, probably entering the Gao family courtyard. A short while later, more footsteps sounded, and several people ran out of the courtyard...
What on earth are they doing?! What happened to Bo Jun?!
She refused to give up and continued to cry and pound on the door, but no one paid any attention until she shouted, "Go find Li Ling! I know where Madam Lu's treasure is hidden! Quick, go find him!"
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