Chapter 28 Meanwhile, in Yucheng City, Liu…
Meanwhile, in Yucheng, Minister Liu planned to continue south with his family.
They had been delayed in Qiuchuan for a long time, and Minister Liu also felt that Yue'er should be dead by now.
When they got separated from Yue'er, Yue'er only had a maid and a guard by her side.
The body of the guard had been found, so Minister Liu assumed that Yue'er was definitely gone too.
Because Yue'er only had one maidservant by his side, and in such a chaotic world, a maidservant couldn't protect him at all.
It wasn't that he wanted Yue'er to die; he loved Yue'er very much.
He is relatively calm and rational.
Compared to a young man, he felt that his own and the Fourth Prince's great cause was more important.
Now that the Fourth Prince is leading his men to vie for the throne in the capital, he has even more important things to do.
Therefore, despite the objections of his wife and eldest son, he planned to leave Qiuchuan with the others today.
Looking at the tidied carriage, the old steward of the Liu family asked Minister Liu with some concern, "Sir, are we really not taking the Madam and the eldest son with us?"
Minister Liu: "No need. They still want to go back to look for her. It's obvious that Yue'er is dead, but they just won't accept the fact. I have important matters to attend to now and must go to Yu Yang's residence first. I left them quite a few guards, so they should... be fine."
If possible, he still hopes to bring his eldest son along.
It's a pity that now that the eldest son is grown up, he's become less obedient than he was when he was a child.
The father and son also had many disagreements on political views.
Now, the matter concerns Yue'er's life or death, and the eldest son, who is also Yue'er's older brother, has been unwilling to give up searching for her.
The father and son had argued many times about Yue'er's situation.
Minister Liu didn't want to waste any more time, so he stopped trying to persuade him to come with him.
The old steward wanted to say something more, but Minister Liu waved his hand to stop him.
Seeing that Minister Liu turned around and got into the carriage without hesitation, the old steward looked back at the courtyard where they were staying temporarily, still feeling uneasy about the lady and the eldest son.
When Minister Liu left, he did not take his wife and eldest son with him, but only the two children born to his concubines.
The two concubines were surnamed Yang and Su, respectively.
Lady Yang was a boy, and she gave birth to a daughter for Minister Liu.
They have always kept a low profile and are not very noticeable in their daily lives.
Su was a woman, and she was favored after entering the household.
She gave birth to three children for Minister Liu. The first two were sons, and the third was a boy.
Because Lady Su was favored, her children were also loved by Minister Liu.
Her eldest son was always rivals the eldest son, and even though he was a son born out of wedlock, he was still highly regarded.
Her second son wasn't particularly outstanding, but he had a sweet tongue and was best at pleasing Minister Liu. So even though he was mediocre and didn't have any outstanding talents, Minister Liu always liked him very much.
Then there was her youngest son, who was two years younger than Liu Qingyue.
He was spoiled by her and became somewhat arrogant. Because they were both boys, his relationship with Liu Qingyue was not good.
From a young age, he liked to compare himself with Liu Qingyue, comparing whose father loved him more, whose brother was more capable, and whose looks were more beautiful.
There's no way around it; the situation in ancient times was different from that in later generations.
In ancient times, most boys and girls were confined to their boudoirs, and even their own brothers could not see them often.
They usually associated with young men and women.
The rule taught to them by this world is that they can only live a good life by pleasing men.
Therefore, under such circumstances, they became accustomed to competing with other men or women for the attention of others.
Seeing that his father no longer cared about Liu Qingyue, the young man and Madam Su got into the carriage and he couldn't help but say happily, "He always boasted that Father loved him more, and he used to swagger around in front of me all the time. Now that he's gone, his innocence is gone, so Father doesn't care about him as much anymore. Even if my elder brother goes through the trouble of finding him, a young man like him who has lost his innocence is better off dead, in my opinion. That way... it'll save me from having to bring shame upon myself if he comes back."
Liu Qingyue has been missing for so long, even if she were alive, she would certainly not be a virgin.
In his view, living like this was worse than being dead, at least he could have a good reputation after death.
If Liu Qingyue returns alive, not only will she be unable to find a good husband, but it will also implicate those of them who are still unmarried.
Upon hearing this, Madam Su quickly whispered, "Ayan, you can say this to me, but you can't let your father and elder brother hear it."
Although she was quite happy inside, she knew that if she showed it too obviously, it would seem malicious, which would displease the master and incur the resentment of the eldest son.
The young man, also known as Ayan, curled his lip upon hearing Su's words. "I know, I'm not stupid. I definitely wouldn't dare say such things in front of them."
...
As Qin Ren and Liu Qingyue continued their journey, Qin Ren asked Liu Qingyue, "When you asked for directions earlier, did you inquire about your family?"
Liu Qingyue had told him that his family was going to Yuyang Mansion.
They are numerous and their target is relatively large.
And going to Yuyang Prefecture would definitely involve passing through Qiuchuan, so perhaps we could find out some news about them.
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue shook her head. "I've asked around, and no one has ever seen them."
Qin Ren's eyes darted around. "Your father left because of the affairs of the capital, so he probably won't reveal his true identity to outsiders. For example, your family's surname is Liu, but they might not say that their surname is Liu. It will be very difficult for you to find out their whereabouts. How about this, when you get to the next town, you can use your personal maid's name to leave a trace in the town. If they are still looking for you, they will know that you are still alive."
As for why she wasn't named after the third young master of the Liu family, it's mainly because Minister Liu is likely on the side of the fourth prince. It's still unclear whether the fourth prince will win or lose the struggle for the throne, so it's also inconvenient to reveal Liu Qingyue's identity.
He couldn't use the names of a maid or a guard, though.
He would leave some trace to tell the Liu family that he had gone to Yu Yang's residence, so that his family wouldn't worry too much.
Liu Qingyue's eyes lit up when he heard this; he thought Qin Ren's idea was quite good.
Using the maid's name will prevent others from knowing that the third young master of the Liu family is missing, thus avoiding any impact on his reputation.
After that, whenever they passed through a town, they would leave a message in the name of Liu Qingyue's maid.
Then they slowly made their way south, leaving messages along the way indicating that he was still alive.
To Liu Qingyue's surprise, Qin Ren's method actually worked.
Because more than half a month later, guards from the Liu family tracked him down based on the information he had given them.
The two guards who came after them were both Liu Qingyue's brother's men.
Liu Qingyue knew one of them, so there was no impersonation involved.
Liu Qingyue was extremely excited. He looked at the two dusty guards in front of him and asked, "If you're here, is my brother also nearby?"
The two guards exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and Guard A said, "Reporting to the Third Young Master, the Eldest Young Master and his wife returned half a month ago in search of you."
Upon hearing that her brother and mother had returned to the north, Liu Qingyue couldn't help but exclaim anxiously, "Then, then let's hurry and go find them!"
Guard B: "No, the young master instructed us beforehand that once we find you, we should take you to Yu Yang's residence."
"But... the north is in chaos now, and Mother and Brother will be in danger."
He couldn't bear to see his brother and mother in danger because of him.
Guard A: "No, when the eldest young master parted ways with the master, the master gave him many guards. Please, third young master, come with me to Yu Yang Mansion to meet the master first."
It wasn't until this point that Shen Wanying realized Liu Qingyue's identity was not simple.
While Liu Qingyue was talking to the two guards, he carefully nudged Qin Ren beside him with his elbow.
"He used to call you brother, so I thought you were brothers. Now it seems you're not from the same family after all."
More than half a month later, Qin Ren was able to understand some fragments of words.
He understood the difference between "brother" and "not brother," and guessed what Shen Wanying was talking about.
He was probably referring to the time he and Liu Qingyue pretended to be brothers.
Liu Qingyue talked to the two guards for a long time, but seeing that they were still determined to leave and take him to Yu Yang's residence, she had no choice but to return to Qin Ren's side with a reluctant expression.
"Could you come with me to Yu Yang's residence?"
Qin Ren was a little surprised to hear this. "Aren't they your guards? They have horses, so they should be rich too. Isn't it enough for them to escort you?"
Liu Qingyue looked back at them. "They are indeed my family's guards. It's not that I'm worried they can't protect me; it's just... I trust you more. I don't feel at ease if you're not with me."
Of course, besides feeling uneasy, he also had to take Qin Ren to meet his family, as he had promised to give Qin Ren gold.
After his family gives Qin Ren the money, they will discuss the matter of the door.
Since that door involved Qin Ren's home, it would be better for them to discuss it carefully beforehand.
Qin Ren also felt that it was too hasty to separate now, as this was a chaotic world, and chaotic times are very cruel.
If those two guards were to harbor ill intentions on the way, Liu Qingyue would definitely not be able to handle them alone.
Since he'd already gone through so much hardship, he didn't mind delaying things a little longer for him.
Qin Ren: "Alright, let's go together then."
Shen Wanying: "T-Can I come along too?"
Liu Qingyue glanced at Shen Wanying, "Okay."
Afterwards, they went to a town, where they first bought a comfortable carriage and then bought a fine horse for each of Shen Wanying and Qin Ren.
They bought some dry food and continued their journey that evening.
Qin Ren wasn't very good at riding horses, and he suffered a bit on the way to learn.
He had a bicycle, and could have traveled by bicycle.
However, bicycles are fine for short distances, but horses are better for long journeys.
The two guards were in a hurry to send Liu Qingyue back to report, so they were not very willing to wait for Qin Renxue on the way.
Seeing this, Liu Qingyue wanted to suggest that Qin Ren should stop learning to ride a horse and just ride in a carriage with him.
But things are different now. Liu Qingyue is an unmarried young man, and those two guards are his elder brother's men. They will not agree to him riding in the same carriage as Qin Ren.
Even though they knew in their hearts that the Third Young Master was still alive and well only because of this short-haired man.
For the sake of the Third Young Master's reputation, and also for Qin Ren's life, they couldn't allow the Third Young Master to get too close to the other party.
By this time, they already knew that the short-haired man who had saved the Third Young Master was a merchant of foreign descent.
In Da Yong, merchants held a low social status, ranking them among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
No one, whether an adult or a young master, would be willing to let the third young master marry such a lowly merchant.
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