Chapter 11, the eleventh scene arrives again.
The brief silence allowed Lu Huantang to calm down and analyze the situation carefully.
If handled well, Jiang Linzhi will let go of her resentment towards Lu Huantang, since she has told the truth; but if handled poorly, Jiang Linzhi will end up holding Lu Huantang's life in her hands.
Fortunately, Jiang Linzhi didn't care at all. He straightened his clothes and snuggled back into Lu Huantang's arms. "Do you think everyone around me is loyal? I don't care about your loyalty. As long as you get things done, I'm willing to raise a pack of wolf cubs."
These words, spoken casually, sent chills down one's spine. She was greedy, politically inept, and lacked martial arts skills. Such a useless person held half of the Sui Kingdom's wealth in her hands, like a lone lamb.
Who pushed her up there?
How did she survive in the Sui Kingdom, an environment surrounded by wolves?
In that instant, perhaps out of pity, Lu Huantang hugged Jiang Linzhi tightly and whispered, "I am not a wolf, I will not bite."
Jiang Linzhi chuckled softly, his warm breath tickling Lu Huantang's heart. In the end, Jiang Linzhi couldn't resist his sleepiness and patted Lu Huantang's back to comfort him: "Go to sleep."
The next day, Jiang Linzhi dragged Lu Huantang to stay in bed. She was a restless sleeper, but she was very quiet, like a cat curled up asleep.
Seeing that it would be almost noon if she slept any longer, Lu Huantang woke Jiang Linzhi up. As soon as he helped her up, she turned over and lay back down. After a long while, she finally collapsed onto the bed.
Seeing her spineless and shameless attitude, Lu Huantang was furious, but he still chuckled and said, "Mr. Qi has a really good temper."
Jiang Linzhi was a little confused by this sudden remark. She yawned and asked, "Why?"
“Miss, it is now 1:45 AM,” Lu Huantang said.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Linzhi sat up instantly, but then realized that he was not in the Jiang residence and did not need to attend the morning meeting, so he sat back down. "I get up so early every day, and I finally get half a day off, and you come to tell me what to do."
Remembering Qi Lingjun's instructions before he left, Lu Huantang said, "If Miss doesn't get up soon, she'll get a headache from sleeping too much."
Jiang Linzhi reluctantly got out of bed and reluctantly opened her arms for Lu Huantang to dress her.
Lu Huantang had never dressed a woman before. Women's clothes were complicated and troublesome. He awkwardly tied the front of Jiang Linzhi's clothes, afraid of touching places he shouldn't. But Jiang Linzhi was swaying and he couldn't help but touch her a little.
After finally getting Jiang Linzhi dressed, Jiang Linzhi had already fallen asleep again, leaning against his chest.
Lu Huantang noticed that the sash was tied very badly, and Jiang Linzhi also noticed the problem with the sash. He tugged at his front of his shirt with sleepy eyes and said, "Men are good at taking off women's clothes, but they are not good at helping them put them on."
Such crude remarks coming from a girl in her early twenties make it seem as if she is seventy or eighty years old, living a life of extraordinary wisdom.
Lu Huantang frowned slightly, but still said respectfully, "It is my incompetence."
"No, no, no, that's not your problem. They only care about the person under the clothes, they never care that people also need to wear clothes."
Lu Huantang, a frequent visitor to brothels, understood this principle well. A playboy only ever thinks about how to take off someone else's clothes, never about how to preserve someone else's dignity.
Still too inexperienced, a night of "tenderness" had made Lu Huantang somewhat forget his guard, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is this why Miss has taken a liking to Mr. Qi?"
"You've overstepped your bounds." Jiang Linzhi said, still smiling, but speaking harshly.
Lu Huantang nodded and stopped talking, secretly annoyed at his own impatience.
Jiang Linzhi changed the subject, saying, "However, considering your pity for me last night, I can tell you that Lingjun is different from you; he is particularly good at seizing opportunities."
Jiang Linzhi really didn't shy away from such a private matter. Jiang Linzhi touched the blush on Lu Huantang's earlobe and smiled, "So, you should work hard, and one day you will definitely be able to replace him."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the people Qi Lingjun had sent to fetch Jiang Linzhi arrived. Qi Lingjun was supposed to attend the morning meeting for her today, so why was he here so early?
Sure enough, the servant said, "Mr. Qi is waiting for Miss at the southern foot of Guanshan Mountain, saying he has important business to attend to."
Before leaving, Jiang Linzhi touched Lu Huantang's face in front of everyone and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "This is all I can do to help you. I'm leaving this to you. Remember, you must not let anyone except the Regent know about the existence of this gold mine."
Fortunately, Qi Lingjun remained expressionless throughout, while Lu Huantang calmly accepted Jiang Linzhi's "caresses".
Lu Huantang watched the carriage disappear into the distance and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But before they could even catch their breath, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, with several small black dots clinging to its trail.
Lu Huantang frowned, picked up the binoculars and took a look. He was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately ordered his men to rush out.
The group in the distance were none other than Jiang Linzhi and his party, who had left a stick of incense earlier. Qi Lingjun, who had been shot in the shoulder blade, carried the blood-covered Jiang Linzhi and galloped towards the nameless village. However, the horse was also injured and staggered along, thick white breath mixed with blood foam coming out of its mouth.
Once the horse dies, the lives of the two people on its back will also come to an end.
The horses chasing the group were noticeably stronger, and they were only about seven or eight zhang away. They would catch up in no time.
Lu Huantang was surprised by the high frequency of the assassinations and immediately rode off at top speed.
The attendant behind him, though anxious, muttered, "It's so far, how could we possibly make it?"
Lu Huantang ignored their complaints and drew his bow to meet the enemy.
Those men were dressed in incongruous clothes, and their martial arts skills appeared to be quite high, with complete and well-structured moves, clearly indicating an organized group. They used iron chains to trip Qi Lingjun's horse, and in an instant, countless spears and curved blades came fiercely slashing down, about to cleave Qi Lingjun in two.
With a whoosh, Lu Huantang's arrow pierced the wind, coming from more than ten feet away, and went straight through the leader's eye, stunning the assassins.
Taking advantage of the assassins' momentary lapse in concentration, Lu Huantang fired several arrows, blocking their path. He then dismounted and stood in front of Qi Lingjun, saying, "Take Miss back first!"
Lu Huantang raised his hand to block the attacks of several people. Only after confirming that Qi Lingjun had safely carried Jiang Linzhi into the village did Lu Huantang release his grip.
He gripped the sword in reverse, slashed at several men without killing them, then quickly knocked them unconscious and had them taken away.
After finishing, Lu Huantang followed the trail of blood. Seeing so much blood, Lu Huantang's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He had just changed owners; he couldn't be allowed to die.
The room was brightly lit all night. When Lu Huantang changed out of his blood-stained clothes and went in, Jiang Linzhi was still being treated in the inner room. He only saw Qi Lingjun without anesthetic powder, biting a handkerchief as the doctor removed the arrow and bandaged her.
Qi Lingjun was tall and thin, and although he had some muscles when he took off his clothes, he was still rather frail compared to the ordinary Sui people who were known for their martial spirit.
However… the doctor swiftly drew his arrow, and Qi Lingjun's veins bulged, large beads of cold sweat pouring down his face. He only let out a muffled groan, and then made no further sound. This courage to remove the arrow without using any sleeping pills was something most people couldn't match.
The metallic clanging continued in the basin until the fourth arrow was pulled out. Lu Huantang couldn't help but admire him. For a male concubine to achieve this level was truly... a waste of talent.
Lu Huantang handed Qi Lingjun a soft cushion to lean on and asked, "Those people have been captured. What should we do with them?"
Qi Lingjun endured the pain, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes sinister. "Interrogate him tonight."
Lu Huantang had just received the order and was about to leave when Qi Lingjun stopped him, "Let someone else go. I'm injured. You stay here and watch over her."
People are easily moved by those who have saved them, but Qi Lingjun didn't care whether Jiang Linzhi would only see him when she woke up, and seemed to genuinely care about Jiang Linzhi's safety.
Qi Lingjun sat fully clothed on the soft couch, while Lu Huantang leaned against the bed frame, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere. After the doctor inside finally left, Qi Lingjun almost staggered to his feet, dragging his weak body to confirm that Jiang Linzhi was alright before returning to the soft couch outside to rest.
His tension instantly eased, and he slumped listlessly on the soft couch like a wilted vegetable leaf.
Jiang Linzhi was rescued.
In just a few months, Jiang Linzhi has been near-death and injured three times, not including those times when he was stopped in advance.
Following a master like that is a gamble with your life hanging by a thread. There's no hope of advancement, so why bother?
However, Lu Huantang had no right to ask others at this moment; he had been forced into this situation and had no other choice.
As sunlight streamed in, Lu Huantang noticed the dried bloodstains on Jiang Linzhi's hands. Just as he reached out to wipe them away, Qi Lingjun opened his eyes alertly. To avoid embarrassment, Lu Huantang asked, "Why is Mr. Qi following Miss?"
"Are you going to say that with my family background, I can go anywhere and don't need to be here living in fear?" Qi Lingjun chuckled. "My family was punished for failing to help General Dingguo destroy Zhu Yan. To show mercy, the late emperor pardoned me alone. Many people pretended to be heartbroken, but if they really felt sorry for me, why didn't they petition for my family? Why did no one take me in?"
Qi Lingjun's face was full of sarcasm. "They want to show their loyalty to the emperor, and they want to be morally righteous. All they give me are sighs and empty words, telling me to live well. How can someone whose entire clan has been wiped out live?"
Qi Lingjun's gaze fell on the curtain, as deep as a well. "She's the only one who gave me food and shelter. If you were in her shoes, what would you choose?"
Lu Huantang did not answer, and Qi Lingjun did not want anyone else to answer his life story. He continued, "People at the top don't know that a person can live on a stone of food and a gourd of water."
Before the mocking smile had faded, Qi Lingjun continued, "The Regent is warlike and advocates the survival of the fittest. He's good at leading troops, but really bad at governing the people. Half of the snuff bottles are monopolized by officials. Officials have money, power, and land, while the common people can only starve. If it weren't for the fact that the people couldn't cross the border, they would have fled long ago. Outsiders always say she's a cunning merchant, dissolute by nature. She's certainly not some kind of bodhisattva, but she needs manpower everywhere she goes in her business, and the gold mines also need manpower. As long as these people have work, they can survive and won't cause trouble. Anyway, everyone knows that buying and selling snuff bottles is unethical, and everyone is turning a blind eye. What difference does it make who I follow?"
Anyone with eyes could see what was going on. Lu Huantang felt no admiration, only a slight shock. This young girl should have been living a carefree life, pampered by her elders, but now she was being pushed forward to shield the royal family, risking her life for them, and enduring the scorn of thousands. In other words, to survive all this was truly remarkable.
Lu Huantang washed the handkerchief clean and wiped the bloodstains from her face. "Miss and gentleman are very righteous and admirable."
Qi Lingjun looked at Lu Huantang, whose behavior was perfectly proper, and seemed to finally feel relieved. He leaned back slightly and said, "Righteousness? If the Jiang family doesn't sell this stuff, how can they compete with merchants backed by the Regent? Rely on integrity? Or on righteousness? Ha, it's all about living superior. Who is more righteous than whom? You're quite good at making polite remarks. I almost believed you."
Lu Huantang and Qi Lingjun exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with truth. Lu Huantang smiled on the surface, but thought to himself: This man, I'll get rid of him sooner or later. Otherwise, if I keep him by Jiang Linzhi's side, he'll eventually get in his way.
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