She took a deep breath and stepped forward to knock on the door of the government office.
"Who is it?" a rough voice came from inside.
"This humble woman has urgent business to discuss with Lord Lu!" Qiao'er announced loudly.
The door opened, and a burly soldier appeared in the doorway, sizing up Qiao'er:
"Does Lord Lu allow just anyone to meet him? Who are you? What brings you here?"
"This humble woman is... from Jingzhou City. I have urgent military information to report to Lord Lu!"
"Qiao'er said urgently."
The soldier looked at her suspiciously:
"Military intelligence? What military intelligence could you possibly have?"
"This concerns the safety of Jingzhou City. Please inform them immediately, sir!"
Qiao'er's tone was anxious, almost pleading.
Seeing her so anxious, the soldier didn't want to stop her any longer, so he said:
"Wait here, I'll go and inform them."
The soldier turned and went into the government office, leaving Qiao'er waiting anxiously.
After a while, the soldier came out and said to Qiao'er:
"Lord Lu is not in the government office. Please come back another day!"
Upon hearing this, Qiao'er was struck dumb:
"What? Lord Lu isn't here? Where did he go?"
The soldier said impatiently:
"How would I know? You should leave now, don't waste time here!"
Qiao'er was extremely anxious, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Lu Yan was not at the government office, and the soldiers refused to let her in.
With Jingzhou City on the verge of collapse, the safety of His Majesty was of utmost concern to her.
Just as I was at a loss, a series of orderly footsteps approached from afar.
Qiao'er looked up and saw a group of soldiers patrolling along the street, led by Li Kui.
"Captain Li!"
Qiao'er, as if grasping at a straw, rushed forward without hesitation.
Li Kui recognized Qiao'er at a glance and was taken aback:
"Qiao'er, what are you doing here? Weren't you in Jingzhou City?"
Qiao'er, not bothering to explain further, grabbed Li Kui's arm and said urgently:
"Captain Li, please, save my daughter! Jingzhou City is besieged, with 200,000 enemy troops... my daughter..."
Li Kui was taken aback upon hearing this, and without thinking of anything else, he quickly said:
"Quickly, come with me to the government office!"
Li Kui led Qiao'er into the government office, sending people to search for Lu Yan while inquiring in detail about the situation in Jingzhou City.
Qiao'er told Li Kui everything about the enemy's siege of Jingzhou.
Li Kui frowned upon hearing this.
"An army of two hundred thousand..."
Li Kui muttered to himself, inwardly realizing something was wrong.
He knew Lord Lu's feelings for Miss Chen, and if Jingzhou City were to be breached, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Before long, the soldiers sent to find Lu Yan returned, saying that Lord Lu was inspecting the military camp outside the city.
Li Kui dared not delay and immediately took Qiao'er to the military camp.
At this moment, Lu Yan was standing on the high platform, looking at the new recruits training below, his brows furrowed.
Since capturing Yunyang City, the army in Shannan Prefecture has expanded considerably.
However, the varying quality of the new recruits caused him considerable headaches.
"Sir, Captain Li has brought a young lady to see us."
A soldier ran up to report.
Lu Yan waved his hand impatiently:
"I won't see him! Tell him to talk about it tomorrow."
"Sir, the girl said she came from Jingzhou City and has urgent military intelligence to report."
"Jingzhou City?"
Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, a sense of foreboding flashing through his mind.
"Let her come up."
Upon seeing Lu Yan, Qiao'er immediately knelt down, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.
With choked voices, he recounted in detail the perilous situation of the siege of Jingzhou.
The 200,000 enemy troops swarmed across the land like locusts, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities. Jingzhou City was in imminent danger!
Lu Yan listened with an indifferent expression, and even yawned.
He picked at his ear and said casually:
"The Empress is under attack? What does that have to do with me? Two hundred thousand enemy troops, how many of my brothers will die? This is not a worthwhile deal!"
Upon hearing this, Qiao'er felt a chill in her heart, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She hadn't expected Lu Yan to be so indifferent. Did he really not care about Miss Chen's safety?
Didn't he know about Miss Chen's feelings for him?
Thinking about this, Qiao'er felt wronged and angry.
She suddenly raised her head, glared at Lu Yan, and said loudly:
"Lord Lu, if you don't go to the rescue, Her Majesty will marry someone else!"
In her haste, Qiao'er blurted out the answer, forgetting Li Mu's instructions.
Lu Yan was stunned for a moment, then chuckled:
"What does it have to do with me that the Empress marries someone else? I'm not one of her lovers!"
Qiao'er gritted her teeth and said:
"The Empress is..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qiao'er suddenly remembered Li Mu's instructions: they must not reveal His Majesty's true identity.
She quickly changed her tune, saying, "The Empress is the ruler of Da Tong. How can you stand by and watch Da Tong perish? Are you going to just watch Da Tong perish?" Lu Yan waved his hand impatiently.
"Alright, alright, you can go back now. I'm not going. My brothers in Shannan Prefecture have finally had a break, how can we let them get dragged back into the war?"
"Besides, why should I save her? What benefits has she given me? Does she expect me to repay her with my body?"
Qiao'er never imagined that Lu Yan would be so ruthless, so mercenary, and so greedy!
She stood outside the Shannan Prefecture government office, utterly desperate, her heart filled with grief and indignation.
Should she just go back like this? She wasn't willing!
His Majesty is still waiting for her! The people of Jingzhou are still waiting for her!
She can't give up like this!
Immediately, she knelt down outside the city with a "plop," completely unconcerned about the pointing and whispering of those around her.
Even if I have to kneel here and die, I still demand that Lu Yan send troops!
The sun gradually set in the west, and the sky grew darker.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Qiao'er, making her slender figure appear long.
Qiao'er remained kneeling at the city gate, unmoved by the wind and rain.
Passersby pointed and whispered among themselves.
"What did this girl do wrong? Why is she kneeling here?"
"Who knows? Maybe they offended some big shot."
"Judging from her appearance, she might kneel until tomorrow and no one would pay attention to her."
As night fell, the biting wind lashed at Qiao'er's face like a knife, making her shiver.
Qiao'er's body trembled slightly, but she stubbornly remained kneeling there, refusing to leave.
...
Night had fallen, and a cold wind was howling.
Inside the mansion, Lu Yan was drinking and making merry, with the sounds of string and wind instruments never ceasing.
Li Kui rubbed his hands together and reported in a muffled voice:
"My lord, that girl is still kneeling outside the mansion; she has been there for two hours."
Lu Yan waved his hand impatiently:
"So what if they kneel? There are tons of people asking me for favors every day, how can I possibly help them all?"
"Let her kneel, she can kneel for as long as she wants, I don't care!"
Li Kui scratched his head:
"My lord, this... isn't that a bit inappropriate? What if she freezes to death at the gate of our mansion? If word gets out, it will damage your reputation."
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