Chapter 93 Brother, you're lying
Qingling suddenly realized that this made sense.
She nodded: "After that, I brought the people back."
It's too late; we can't get back before the city gates close.
I went out as soon as the city gates opened today, and rushed back into the city before they closed.
Because she had agreed with the old lady to do business, even if Qingling returned late, the people in the Marquis's mansion could only say a few words, but could not use it as leverage against her.
Lin Shiyuan watched as the Marquis's carriage went inside, then led his horse back to his residence.
Lin Qiao glanced at him: "Brother."
Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, said nothing, and walked slowly.
He seemed to be in a good mood.
But Lin Qiao was in a bad mood.
After calling out, he silently buried his head and walked forward.
Lin Shiyuan caught up with her: "Hungry?"
He turned to look around; it was already late, and there were no snacks being sold on the street.
He pulled a dry, hard biscuit from his pocket and gave it to her along with the water bottle.
This is his habit; when he goes out, he is afraid he won't be able to get back in time, so he carries some food and drink with him.
Lin Qiao glared at him, refusing to take the stale pancake he had made.
She stopped and said angrily, "Brother, you're lying."
Lin Shiyuan smiled at her: "How did I lie to you?"
He patted the horse's head, showing no remorse whatsoever.
Lin Qiao puffed out her cheeks, getting even angrier.
“Brother tricked me into telling the truth. You followed us and learned about Que'er Mountain and the entrance.”
Here's what happened.
While Lin Qiao was in Tongluo Lane, Yao Qingling sent someone to deliver a message saying that she was going to leave the city and asked Lin Qiao to prepare.
Lin Qiao quickly made preparations; Old Yu came to deliver a message, saying that someone was looking for her outside.
She went to the door and saw it was her brother.
Lin Shiyuan knew that Lin Qiao was going to leave the city with Yao Qingling when he saw that she was wearing a guard's uniform.
—It's safe inside the city, but it's a different story outside. Yao Qingling was willing to keep Lin Qiao because she was a child and wouldn't attract attention; Lin Qiao was skilled in martial arts and clever, and could protect her.
Lin Shiyuan knew that Yao Qingling had contact with bandits, but he did not know where they were hiding.
Last time, he followed from a distance and saw a sentry post near Que'er Mountain, so he didn't go any further.
Lin Shiyuan said to his sister, "Bandits are wild and untamed. If Madam Yao negotiates with them, it's like asking a tiger for its skin. If they go back on their word, Madam Yao will be in danger, and you won't be able to protect her."
Lin Qiao had been to Que'er Mountain and witnessed the ferocity of those people.
Those people exuded a strong murderous aura.
Lin Qiao was persuaded by her brother and agreed to let him follow behind; he even wore a guard uniform similar to hers so that the sentries wouldn't recognize him.
However, when Lin Qiao saw Lin Shiyuan carrying Yao Qingling out, Tao Ye was also safe; they were just too tired to walk the mountain path.
Lin Qiao began to have doubts.
Those bandits wouldn't harm Yao Qingling; her brother was just using words to scare and deceive her.
On the way back, Yao Qingling only talked to her brother about the Zhou family, without mentioning anything related to the bandits.
Lin Qiao listened all the way and realized that Yao Qingling was keeping the secret of Que'er Mountain from her brother.
If she allows her brother to follow, wouldn't that be going against Yao Qingling's wishes?
From that moment on, Yao Qingling stopped trusting her!
Lin Qiao was at the stage of shaping her personal beliefs, and she revered the word "loyalty".
Since she became Yao Qingling's bodyguard, she had to be loyal to her.
In particular, Yao Qingling abandoned her after she made a mistake last time.
She finally managed to get back, but she didn't want to disappoint everyone again.
Lin Shiyuan slightly curled the corners of his lips, wondering what method Yao Qingling had used to manage to tame the little girl so completely.
He gently patted her head and said, "You have to think about it. If it weren't for me, she would still be hanging on the mountainside. There are wolves and other wild beasts on the mountain. Those sentries are just small fry; they might not dare to be brave enough to rescue someone."
"By the time they send someone to rescue her, Madam Yao might have already been eaten by wild beasts, leaving only bone fragments."
Lin Qiao was not easily fooled this time. She pushed away her brother's large hand: "Brother, are you going to follow her to catch those bandits and use them as stepping stones for your downfall?"
Lin Qiao knew that her brother would not be content to be an ordinary person.
He spent so many years on the frontier, rising from a lowly soldier to a general, a feat achieved through countless life-or-death trials.
She also had a vague idea that the court would not leave him out; she had heard that the court now lacked capable military generals.
However, the court needed a catalyst to use him again.
Before Lin Shiyuan could say anything, Lin Qiao gripped his sleeve tightly: "Brother, you can't do that. Yao Qingling associates with those people. If they get arrested, Yao Qingling will get arrested too!"
Lin Shiyuan looked down at his younger sister, his dark eyes unfathomable.
He gently touched her face: "You like her a lot?"
Lin Qiao nodded and said, "She has been kind to us."
Moreover, she didn't think those bandits were bad people.
They were forced into a corner by the officials' oppression.
Lin Shiyuan looked at his sister's serious expression and remained silent for a while. Just as Lin Qiao was about to persuade him again, the man spoke up: "I can't do anything."
Lin Qiao felt relieved.
The two walked down the aisle again.
Lin Qiao asked, "So, what are you doing following us?"
"It's nothing." Lin Shiyuan felt his answer was a bit perfunctory, so he added, "You protect her safety, but I only have one sister. I guarantee your safety."
Lin Qiao believed it this time.
She only has one older brother.
The little girl smiled, but after a while, the smile faded.
She said, "Will she... stop trusting me in the future?"
"No," Lin Shiyuan replied simply, without going into details.
He walked slowly, gazing at the crescent moon in the distance.
Yao Qingling is a very intelligent woman.
She didn't have complete trust in Lin Qiao; he was her only target.
Yao Qingling had long seen through Lin Qiao's relationship with him, so he took Lin Qiao in, gave her a high monthly salary, and did everything he could to curry favor with her.
On the mountain, Yao Qingling saw him and was only slightly surprised, not angry. She even entrusted herself to him with peace of mind. After they came down the mountain, she didn't say anything, didn't turn against him, and didn't ask a single question.
By keeping Lin Qiao around, she was indirectly getting involved with him, which showed her shrewdness.
It was used, but not entirely; there was a slight distance between them.
Haha, twenty taels of silver, and you've hired two people at once.
The man thought about it jokingly, but he didn't dislike her scheming.
Even though neither of them said it explicitly, Lin Shiyuan understood what she was thinking.
He felt that they had the same tacit understanding as old friends.
Yao Qingling shared the same view.
After returning home, she washed up and went to bed.
My body is exhausted, but my mind just won't stop.
She thought about her conversation with the bandits at Que'er Mountain and the excitement of about to accomplish something great.
Then I thought of the feeling of being carried down the mountain, a little bumpy, but reassuring; from that reassurance came the man's burning body temperature, his firm muscles, and the sound of his breathing...
It also made it difficult for her to fall asleep.
But the difference is that the excitement of doing something big is that this event represents her stepping out of the inner quarters and having the means to secure her livelihood.
As for Lin Shiyuan... he was, after all, a man, and gave Qingling a different feeling than Zhan Xingzhuo.
However, she felt that this was just an instinctive thought after contact with the opposite sex, so she stopped thinking about it and stopped.
What I think about more is how well they understand each other.
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