Chapter 47 Breaking Through the Dust: Her fingertips touched Xie Qinghe's fingertips one by one...
Ning Lu hadn't expected him to accept it so quickly and apply it so directly.
Looking into his affectionate phoenix eyes, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
His expression at this moment was too similar to that of the Ji Amin she knew.
She instinctively wanted to speak, offering a comforting smile. But as the words reached her lips, she recalled everything that had happened since arriving in Changzhou, and she found herself at a loss for words.
Xie Qinghe is a very good actress, and she knows this all too well.
Even Yu Lanzhou repeatedly reminded her that Xie Qinghe's greatest skill was to retreat in order to advance.
She couldn't tell whether his words contained genuine or feigned intentions, or the proportion thereof.
His wrist moved slightly in his palm, and he hooked his hand around her sleeve.
She happened to catch a glimpse of the wound on his palm.
Ning Lu softened her tone without any cowardice: "Lord Xie is of noble status. I am not afraid, but respectful."
Upon hearing this, the tension on his sleeves suddenly loosened.
Xie Qinghe smiled and lowered his eyes.
They were so close that Ning Lu immediately and keenly noticed the change in air pressure.
He seems a little different today.
Are you tired?
The room was dark, so to see Xie Qinghe's expression clearly, you had to get close to him.
Ning Lu tilted her head to examine him by the moonlight and thought his complexion was indeed not good.
"It's getting late, why don't you get some rest?"
Seeing that he was staring at her stubbornly again, she had no choice but to change her tactics and coaxed him like a child, saying softly, "Lord Xie, look, your wealth is right here. Not to mention someone like me who has never seen the world, even Pan Xingxue would be afraid of you."
"Give me some more time to adjust."
The characters for "oppression" have never changed in their strokes throughout history.
The only difference is that in ancient times, people bowed to power, while in modern times, everyone can be their own boss.
Ning Lu had never held a regular job, yet she was adept at the art of being humble and subservient, and of winning people over with kindness and gentleness.
She comforted him while feeling sorry for herself.
Xie Qinghe, however, frowned slightly upon hearing the word "adapt," as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.
"How long was that...?"
It was just a perfunctory reply; I never expected him to ask follow-up questions.
Sensing the subtle expectation in his tone, and even feeling that he was acting like a child begging for candy, she couldn't help but click her tongue.
He pretended to think seriously for a moment, then tentatively asked, "A month?"
Xie Qinghe lowered his eyes in disappointment, his chest sinking.
"That half month?"
Xie Qinghe remained silent, leaving Ning Lu in a dilemma. After weighing her options, she could only continue to lower her stakes.
Sensing her difficulty and reluctance, Xie Qinghe nodded silently and slowly before she offered an even shorter timeframe.
How could he not know the high-sounding reasons she gave...?
As Prince Jing said, the Qinghe River is neither clear nor unclear.
His reputation was already utterly ruined.
Asking her to accept it would be tantamount to forcing her to do something she shouldn't.
But it is precisely because he knows this that he deceives himself day after day, prolonging the time that can be called Ji Amin.
Before Ning Lu could even feel smug after receiving his approval, she caught the disappointment and self-mockery in his eyes.
He's really acting strange today!
I've never heard of vomiting blood damaging the brain...
Ning Lu gritted her teeth, hating her own keen observation and empathy.
"Xie Qinghe, you look terrible. Where are your pills? Shall I feed them to you?"
He stared at her blankly, his gaze drifting along with the opening and closing of her lips.
He was in a daze and unable to speak.
Ning Lu had a bad feeling, but she didn't want to alert the people outside the door, so she buried herself in searching all the places where he might have put the medicine.
She was lucky; she actually found a white jade porcelain bottle in her usual fox fur coat.
She poured out the last one and brought it to his lips.
His neck was tilted back without any effort, and his eyes stared blankly at her.
The already thin lips, tinged with purple, parted slightly, as if trying to cooperate, but swallowing still seemed difficult.
"I told you so. Your frail body can't take any more strain. Even with proper care, you're already sick from the wind. How could you possibly handle being so busy every day?"
She poured him some warm tea and brought it to his lips. Seeing that he was still relatively obedient, Ning Lu couldn't help but start nagging again: "There's an old saying, 'Eating little and doing much' isn't a good sign for long-term success. Not to criticize you, but...
"You rascal."
The long-awaited nagging was like a timely rain after a drought, pouring down on the parched land.
Xie Qinghe strained to open his eyes and looked at her, a faint smile silently curving his lips.
Laugh at yourself for desperately seeking any treatment, and laugh at him for his clumsy, hasty, and reckless actions in order to gain attention and pity.
My eyelids felt heavier and heavier, and the dull pain in my chest became increasingly sharp.
Under the influence of the drugs, her body gradually became weak and limp.
Ning Lu pulled a handkerchief from under his pillow and gently wiped away the cold sweat from his temples.
As time passed, his breathing gradually became even and shallow, and she silently breathed a sigh of relief.
This breathing rhythm was familiar to her.
I suppose she's asleep.
He spread out his unconsciously curled fingers, turned them upwards, revealing the large cut on his palm.
The wound had stopped bleeding, so it wasn't bandaged, but its color contrasted sharply with his fair skin, making it a shocking sight.
Ning Lu felt a little scared and looked up at the face that was still unconsciously frowning in its sleep.
Perhaps it was because he was too weak and harmless at the moment, or perhaps it was because she was too familiar with his sleeping face, that tension in her mind caused by his identity loosened slightly.
Regardless, she was still very happy that he said those words.
It even made things much easier.
She was just terrified, seeing threats everywhere.
It's just that I've been scammed so many times that I'm on edge.
But when she's alone sometimes, she can still taste the bittersweet flavors of life.
Just as she clearly understood, neither Xie Qinghe nor Ji Amin had ever done anything to harm her.
Her fingertips touched Xie Qinghe's fingertips one by one.
The touch of fingertips sent a tingling, numbing sensation through my heart; a thin thread tugged at my heartstrings.
Ning Lu wrinkled her nose and muttered softly, "I didn't mean to say such harsh things that day."
"You saved my life too, and it wasn't anything particularly bad."
The long, slender fingers beneath his palms trembled silently as they lightly closed.
Ning Lu yawned, leaned over the bed, and pulled that cold hand into her arms.
"I'll stay with you a little longer since you're so lonely."
Ning Lu rubbed her pale, slender fingers and patted them twice in a soothing manner.
Then I turned to comfort myself, reminding myself that people in this world aren't textbooks; you can never fully grasp them like you would for an exam. Focusing on the present is the right approach.
I slept soundly all night and felt completely refreshed.
I haven't slept this soundly in a long time.
Ning Lu subconsciously stretched and rolled over, only to hear a thud as she fell to the ground.
Face down, pressed against the ground, gaze slowly upwards...
It wasn't her bedroom.
She shifted, her attention drawn to the warmth on her back.
She sat up and realized that she was still in Xie Qinghe's room.
The bed was already empty.
He huddled in his cloak and moved to sit on the bed, recalling what had happened the night before.
I originally wanted to stay with him a little longer before leaving, but then I felt my eyelids were stuck together and I couldn't open them no matter what I did.
He buried his head in his fox fur coat and took a deep breath.
It's this faint medicinal scent.
It smells good.
This guy, you could say he's a gentleman, since he sees her sleeping right next to him and just lets her be; you could also say he's not a gentleman, since he at least knows to put a coat on her.
Unpredictable and hard to fathom.
Ning Lu reached her hand under the covers.
It's cold. It seems I've been gone for quite some time.
...
It's none of her business.
Ning Lu tightened her fox fur coat and rubbed her head against it.
It smells so good, it feels so comforting.
She can't take the coarse cloth clothes she bought with her, so can she at least borrow this one for a while?
She hadn't slept well for several days and was extremely tired.
The little body was curled up lazily by the bed, its head resting against the bed rail, its eyes closed as if about to fall asleep.
"Master, we've found out."
Wei Zhan's voice came from outside.
Ning Lu lifted her eyelids.
"Prince Jing promised Liu Yunying two thousand taels of silver. According to the scouts, half has already been paid, and the other half will be settled after the matter is completed."
Liu Yunying...
"Two thousand taels?"
Wei Chun's voice came from outside: "So Liu Yunying is after money?"
No, that's not true.
Yu Lanzhou said that Liu Yunying did it for her friend.
Ning Lu snorted lightly, saying that the dog was looking down on people.
etc……
Are they talking about Liu Yunying?
She suddenly opened her eyes, sat up straight, and looked warily towards the door.
Wei Zhan said in a deep voice, "Su Yun of Yanchunlou is worth two thousand taels of silver. Moreover, after Liu Yunying came to the capital, Yanchunlou was taken over by Zhao Yue's trusted men. This should not be a coincidence."
"Two thousand taels of silver. Prince Jing is confined to his villa in Changzhou, yet he still spends so lavishly. It's clear he cares deeply for our lord."
Wei Chun started to tease.
"If Prince Jing were willing to pay two thousand taels of silver, we probably wouldn't have met Zhao Yue at Siyun Mountain."
Whenever Wei Zhan recalled the events at Siyun Mountain, he still felt a chill run down his spine, glancing at Xie Qinghe's pale face.
Ning Lu listened from behind the door and felt that Wei Zhan seemed much smarter when talking about official business than when he was on guard duty. She peeked out through the crack in the door.
"If it weren't for your good fortune, sir, that woman might have really succeeded."
That incident was so dangerous that even Wei Chun, who loved to joke and tease, turned serious.
"Upon hearing of your injury, the Emperor sent several edicts urging you to return to the capital to recuperate. He also said... to thoroughly investigate this matter..."
A thorough investigation? Investigate whom?
"Investigate what?"
Xie Qinghe, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. His tone was no longer as tender as it had been the night before, but rather cold and businesslike, even somewhat... disdainful.
Wei Chun and Wei Zhan exchanged a glance, but neither of them could respond.
When Prince Xian rebelled, everyone with eyes could see that Prince Jing was involved, yet the emperor did not impose any severe punishment.
At this moment, Xie Qinghe is seriously injured, and the witnesses and evidence point directly to Liu Yunying. Since someone can take responsibility for this, the emperor probably won't directly implicate Prince Jing.
"The Miss Ning in the east wing..."
Fearing that Wei Zhan might say something outrageous, Wei Chun quickly interrupted, "Only your subordinate and Zhao Yue know the relationship between Miss Ning and Liu Yunying. We await your instructions on how to proceed."
His gaze fell on the thin letter in his palm.
A single sheet of paper, light as a feather, contained the account of two thousand taels.
Xie Qinghe gripped the light fur coat on his shoulder and looked at the tightly closed door.
The doctor said she wasn't insane, nor did she seem to have amnesia.
The Taoist priests at Yongning Temple gave vague and cryptic answers.
He didn't believe a word they said.
"All those involved have been dealt with." He glanced at Wei Chun: "What about the Emperor..."
Before the second half of the sentence was uttered, Wei Chun already understood.
"Understood."
He leaned on the table to get up, his movements noticeably slow.
Wei Chun and Wei Zhan instinctively lowered their heads to avoid eye contact.
It was no secret that he was such a proud man that he disliked being helped by others. The two of them could only bow their heads lower and lower, following behind him cautiously.
Xie Qinghe's steps were unsteady, and he walked very slowly with each step.
During this time, the three seemed to bring up some cases from the dungeon again, but Ning Lu didn't hear a word of it.
His mind was filled with questions: Did he know about her relationship with Liu Yunying? Or how much did he know?
What does it mean that even the emperor wants to investigate her?
Also, if Prince Jing prepaid one thousand taels of silver, where is that silver? Is it related to the key she received from the old man yesterday?
She turned her back, clutching the fox fur coat on her shoulders, and took two difficult steps forward.
The door opened behind her, and Ning Lu subconsciously turned around to see Xie Qinghe standing by the door in plain clothes and a blue robe, with two people behind him having different expressions.
What is she doing here?
Wei Zhan glanced at Wei Chun in surprise, and seeing his calm demeanor, his eyes widened instantly.
"You heard everything?"
Xie Qinghe didn't take it to heart, looked at her helplessly, and slowly walked into the room.
"close the door."
His voice was hoarse, revealing a faint hint of exhaustion.
Ning Lu realized that he was looking at her, and then belatedly realized that his words were meant for her. She turned around and closed the door, bumping straight into Wei Zhan.
Sensing the murderous intent surging in his eyes, she shivered and looked back at Xie Qinghe.
He just told her last night not to be afraid of him, so he's not going to suddenly change his mind and try to kill her today, is he?
The man sat down at the table, raising his eyebrows slightly. Wei Zhan and Wei Chun immediately stepped back.
"I'm sorry."
He forced a smile, feigned apology, slammed the door shut in front of the two door gods, and turned to look at Xie Qinghe with an air of nonchalance.
"You knew all along?"
"Know what?"
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