Chen Qingwan's doubts deepened, and she grabbed a passerby and asked:
"May I ask, sir, where is Lord Lu's newly built residence?"
The passerby sized Chen Qingwan up and down.
Seeing that she was dressed in rags, like a beggar, he spoke with a hint of disdain:
"Lord Lu? Which Lord Lu? There's only one Lord Lu in Shannan Prefecture, and that's Prefect Lu!"
"He's our great benefactor! Why are you looking for him?"
Chen Qingwan cursed inwardly:
nonsense!
Besides Lu Yan, who else is Lord Lu in Shannan Prefecture?
I've come all this way, not to listen to your nonsense!
But she put on a smile and said:
"Brother, I have something to ask Prefect Lu. Please enlighten me."
Seeing Chen Qingwan's sincere attitude, the passerby's tone softened somewhat:
"Oh, I see."
"Lord Lu recently built a new mansion in the east of the city. It's quite impressive!"
"If you keep walking east along this road, you'll see it."
Chen Qingwan thanked the passerby and, dragging her weary body, headed east of the city.
Lu Yan's new mansion was indeed magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, and was as resplendent as a palace.
However, the mansion gates were tightly closed and heavily guarded, giving the impression of keeping people at arm's length.
Chen Qingwan stepped forward and knocked on the door, and a guard came out.
He looked her up and down, his tone icy:
"Who is making such a racket here?"
Chen Qingwan suppressed her anger and said:
"Please inform him that an old friend requests an audience with Lord Lu."
The guard scoffed:
"Old friend?"
"Lord Lu is extremely busy; how could he possibly meet with just any Tom, Dick, or Harry?"
"Leave now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Chen Qingwan was burning with anger and was about to lash out.
Suddenly remembering the purpose of his trip, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and say:
"This matter is of great importance. Please inform them that... inform them that my old friend, Miss Chen, requests an audience."
Seeing Chen Qingwan's insistence, the guard hesitated for a moment and said:
"You wait!"
Having said that, he turned and went into the mansion.
...
Inside the mansion, Lu Yan was drinking and making merry with Lu Fei, Li Kui, Tu Rong, and others.
"Come, come, Brother Tu, let me toast you! You're something else, managing to come out of Jianmen Pass alive."
"He even brought so many brothers to join me, he's truly a talent!"
Lu Yan raised his glass and laughed heartily.
Tu Rong was flattered and quickly raised her glass in return:
"Lord Lu, you flatter us. If it weren't for your brilliant foresight in sending people to meet us in advance, we would probably be dead by now!"
"Haha, we're all brothers, no need to be so polite!"
Lu Yan drank it all in one gulp and then poured Li Kui a full glass of wine.
"Xiao Kui, have a drink too! You've really done a great job lately!"
"You caught that spy from Beixiang Kingdom red-handed, you really made me proud!"
Li Kui scratched his head and smiled憨厚ly:
"Hehe, it's all thanks to the adults' excellent teaching! I was just lucky to run into them."
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Yan suddenly thought of Chen Qingwan, and a question arose in his mind:
This girl has turned the capital into complete chaos.
How could she possibly have the leisure to run around like that?
I wonder how she is now...
"Someone come here!" Lu Yan summoned a servant.
"Go and find out if there's been any news about Miss Chen lately."
The servant obeyed and left, returning shortly afterward to report:
"My lord, Miss Chen is requesting an audience outside the mansion."
Lu Yan was startled:
"What? Speak of the devil and he appears? Quick, invite her in!"
He quickly got up and walked towards the gate of the mansion.
...
Chen Qingwan waited outside the mansion for a long time, her heart filled with anxiety.
The lives of the people in the capital were hanging by a thread, and she could not afford to waste a single moment.
Just as she was about to lose patience, the gates of the mansion finally opened.
Lu Yan walked out with a smile, and upon seeing Chen Qingwan, he asked with concern:
"Miss Chen, what brings you here? You must be tired from your journey. Please come in!"
Chen Qingwan was overjoyed to see Lu Yan and was about to speak.
But he grabbed her and dragged her into the mansion without saying a word.
"Hey, you..."
Before Chen Qingwan could finish speaking, Lu Yan pulled her to a pavilion.
"Come, come, Miss Chen, sit down and let's talk."
Lu Yan warmly invited Chen Qingwan to sit down and then instructed the servants to serve tea and snacks.
Chen Qingwan was anxious and had no appetite for tea and snacks.
She grabbed Lu Yan's hand and said urgently:
"Lu Yan, the capital..."
"Hey, don't rush, don't rush,"
Lu Yan interrupted her, smiling as he pointed to the tea on the stone table.
"Have some water first. You must be exhausted from rushing around like this."
Chen Qingwan didn't care about anything else and picked up the teacup, gulping down a whole bowl of tea.
Tea dripped down his chin, soaking his clothes.
She wiped her face haphazardly, and was about to speak when Lu Yan interrupted her again.
"What happened to you? How did you get yourself into this state?"
"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a refugee."
Lu Yan looked Chen Qingwan up and down, marveling at her.
Travel-worn and disheveled, she had lost all trace of the elegance of a noble lady from the capital.
He knew perfectly well why Chen Qingwan had come looking for him in such a hurry.
It's probably because of matters in the capital, after all, she's a close confidante of the Empress.
The capital is in complete chaos right now. I guess the Empress sent her to demand that I release the people?
After all, the people he had detained were all quite influential.
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