Chapter 85: Attack
The next day, Jiang Ran finally went.
She had rabbit-like eyes and was pulled out of the quilt by Lu Weiqing. She almost fell asleep while he was washing her.
Lu Weiqing still didn't let her go. He picked her up, stuffed her into the carriage, and went to the Imperial College.
Because he was leading the way, no one dared to stop her.
Fortunately, there were a few young ladies who had long heard of Mr. Qi's talent and asked their fathers and brothers to bring them along to join in the fun, so Jiang Ran did not seem out of place here.
When Qi Xin saw her coming, he raised his hand to signal her. Jiang Ran glanced at Lu Weiqing's face out of the corner of his eye and alarm bells rang in his heart.
Fortunately, there were many people here, so he gave her some face, held her hand with his lips pursed, and found a seat in the back row.
A faint scent of citrus wafted from his surroundings, and Jiang Ran collected his thoughts and focused on listening to Mr. Qi's lecture.
After not seeing each other for a long time, Mr. Qi's knowledge has improved. He speaks eloquently and livens up the atmosphere. Jiang Ran is no longer sleepy and listens intently with his left hand on his chin.
Suddenly, a bony hand rested on her wrist, and with a little force, it pulled her hand onto her knees.
With his sleeves crossed, Lu Weiqing pinched her wrist and rubbed and twisted it gently.
The memories of last night flooded into Jiang Ran's mind, and his face immediately turned red to his ears. Mr. Qi's voice was sometimes far away and sometimes near. He could hear it in his ears, but he had no time to think.
She struggled slightly and whispered, "Stop it."
Lu Weiqing did not let go, but even moved it upwards, rubbing the soft flesh on the inside of her forearm with a thin callus on the side of his finger.
Jiang Ran was not going to let him knead her either. With evil intentions, she pinched the muscles on his legs with her backhand and instantly noticed that his whole body tensed up.
She winked triumphantly, then relaxed her grip, signaling him to cease fighting.
Lu Weiqing was not someone who would give up easily. He twisted her lightly and drew circles on her, making her even more distracted.
Jiang Ran was afraid of being seen, so a layer of mist appeared in her eyes. She looked at him timidly, begging for mercy silently.
He didn't want to make anyone cry, so he stopped immediately, shook hands with Jiang Ran politely, and began to listen to Qi Xin's lecture.
After listening for more than an hour, he had to admit that this man had some insights. With time, he would definitely be an extraordinary person.
After the lecture, many people still gathered around Qi Xin to ask questions, but his eyes would drift towards Jiang Ran from time to time.
Jiang Ran wanted to say hello before leaving, but he was worried that Lu Weiqing would get sick again, so he was undecided.
Unexpectedly, he was so magnanimous at this time and signaled Jiang Ran to go over and say goodbye to him.
Jiang Ran glanced at him in surprise, "Then I'll go—"
Lu Weiqing nodded, but the moment she turned around, he stuffed a small object into her hand.
Jiang Ran raised her hand and saw that it was the small fan pendant that Qi Xin had given her yesterday. She couldn't help laughing.
He was not afraid of being laughed at and made no secret of his possessiveness towards her.
"Would you like to go with me?" Jiang Ran asked, raising his eyebrows.
"No need, I'm not such a stingy person." Lu Weiqing blurted out two words against his will, leaning against the door and staring at her back.
Jiang Ran walked up to Mr. Qi and exchanged a few words with him. He then generously returned the fan pendant, thanked him for his kindness, and trotted back briskly.
"Going back?"
Lu Weiqing pursed his lips and didn't answer. He took her hand and walked out, his steps a little hurried.
When they were in a less crowded area, Lu Weiqing came over and whispered in her ear, "Madam, are you still attracted to me?"
Hearing these words, the temperature on Jiang Ran's face, which had just dropped, instantly rose again.
At the end of last night, he insisted on forcing her to admit that she loved him.
Jiang Ran was really sleepy later, and was so dizzy after being fooled by him that she said she liked him without knowing why.
Lu Weiqing savored the thought for a long time before letting her go to sleep.
She was sleepy at that time and was at home, so she didn't feel embarrassed.
But it was still early, and he said this. Jiang Ran bit her lip and refused to answer him.
"Madam, are you still in love with me?" Seeing that she was unwilling to say, he did not get angry and asked again slowly.
Jiang Ran was shocked by his thick skin. She covered her ears and tried to run away, but he exerted force and held her in his arms.
Lu Weiqing bent down, rested his chin on her shoulder, and glanced at her aggrievedly.
For a moment, she had an illusion, as if the aloof wolfhound that had been kept at home for a long time had suddenly turned into a pitiful big golden retriever.
He knew that Ah Ran would fall for this trick, so he asked again in a soft voice.
"Aran, are you still happy with me?"
Jiang Ran had no choice but to open his lips and say "Yue Yue Yue" three times in a row.
I don't know how he became so clingy. If I don't answer him, I'm afraid I won't be able to go home today.
Lu Weiqing finally got the answer he wanted. He quickly kissed her behind the ear and excitedly said he would take her to a nice place.
Jiang Ran never expected that the good place he mentioned was actually a bookstore specializing in travel notes.
While choosing books, Lu Weiqing also asked her attentively which place's scenery she liked.
"How about Luoyang? The soil in Luoyang is most suitable for flowers, and the peonies are especially unique in the world."
"How about Liangzhou? The Hexi region stretches for thousands of miles, with beautiful mountains and rivers, and has always been a battleground for military strategists."
"Jinling? The beautiful land of Jiangnan, Jinling is the imperial city. Green waters meander along the river, and red buildings rise in the distance."
Seeing how enthusiastically he was teasing her, Jiang Ran curled her lips stiffly and said, "Very good."
It’s really great that he can choose the chopping board for the fish on it. It’s amazing that he is so thoughtful.
Although she had no objection, Lu Weiqing selected the books very carefully and put back any mistakes or omissions in them.
Jiang Ran stared at him in a daze, his mind inevitably drifting away.
She was wondering how long it would take for her elder brother to reach Chang'an. The neighboring countries might not be willing to allow Southern Chu to negotiate peace with the Great Zhou, and she didn't know whether the journey would be safe.
After worrying for a while, she came back to her senses. She heard that there was an army specifically to protect Princess Nanchu, so she should be fine.
If she knew that her elder brother was facing a group of assassins who were trying to kill the princess, she would be horrified.
Because they had not yet left the southern border, they thought no one would dare to act recklessly here, so everyone was not very vigilant, and the princess's ceremonial regulations were not concealed.
The official road they were walking on had a gravel path in front of them on the right. A caravan was driving an ox cart and was joining the official road from the path.
This group of assassins were quite attentive. They pretended to be tea merchants, painted their faces black, wore conical hats, and exuded the fragrance of tea.
Jiang Yi could tell at a glance that something was wrong with these people.
If the cart was carrying tea, the wheel tracks couldn't have been so deep. The oxen were struggling, panting as if they were dragging heavy stones.
Chu Li also noticed it, looked at Jiang Yi, and was about to step forward to stop the group of people.
The assassins became alert and immediately took action. They untied all the ropes of the carriage in a few seconds and whipped the cattle to drive them towards the princess's carriage.
Because the carriage was brightly colored, the cattle were stimulated and rushed around, and were about to knock the carriage over.
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