Chapter 13: Li and Lu seemed to be holding her in their arms.
Today is a day off, and Li Yu could have gone to Taixu Temple.
However, the Duchess of Anguo ordered her servants to surround his house tightly, preventing him from leaving even a step.
He tried everything but couldn't get out. At noon, the Duchess of Anguo personally brought him lunch and sat down at the table in the outer room: "Eat your lunch. Before you marry Shuling, don't even think about stepping out of this courtyard unless it's for official business."
Li Yu sat upright at her desk, holding her book without moving, and replied resolutely, "Mother, don't bother. I will never marry Shu Ling."
Lady Anguo, clutching her handkerchief, suddenly stood up and glared at him angrily. "I think you've gone mad. Who do you think you hit? That's Lei Heyang, the eldest son of the Minister of Justice and the Empress's younger brother. If he weren't your uncle, you'd be in jail by now."
"So what? I'm responsible for my actions. He can't possibly kill me, can he?"
"You! You unfilial son! What kind of bewitching potion did that Qin girl give you? Ever since you saw her at Taixu Temple, you've become a completely different person. She's the daughter of the Prime Minister Qin, is she someone we can just mess with? Besides, that day she appeared in your courtyard dressed so lightly, her intentions were obvious. I will never allow you to have anything to do with her." The Duchess of Anguo no longer cared about her demeanor, and her voice rose high.
Li Yu knew, of course, that she had done it on purpose that day, but he was just a mortal. After only a few brief encounters, he was already unable to control his feelings. He was extremely grateful that she came to find him, and no matter what the reason, he was eager to be with her.
Li Yu finally put down his book and looked directly into his mother's eyes: "I have no romantic feelings for Shu Ling. Even without Miss Qin, I would never marry her."
"Nonsense! You and Shuling have known each other since childhood, always laughing and talking. How could you not have feelings for each other? Is it just because of what that scoundrel from the Lin family said? I believe in Shuling. She would never do anything out of line."
Lady Anguo spoke with great conviction, but Li Yu did not want to argue with her. He would never say a word about his cousin, but he knew very well that he could not go against his mother's wishes. There was no need to get entangled with her. He could simply go up the mountain after his shift tomorrow.
Seeing that he was no longer arguing with her, the Duchess of Anguo softened her tone. She placed the food on Li Yu's desk and said, "Don't be angry. Lei Heyang is in trouble. At this critical juncture, even a pig-brain would suspect that you are seeking revenge. If you go out, you will be in great danger. I will arrange for more guards to accompany you in the coming days..."
"Something happened to Lei Heyang?" Li Yu asked in surprise.
"There's no mistake. The Lei family searched everywhere for a doctor, and your uncle found out by questioning a doctor who treated him. Apparently, he's already... crippled."
Lady Anguo spoke evasively, and Li Yu instantly understood what she meant by "disabled," and he couldn't listen to anything else.
If Lei Heyang is castrated and in danger, Qin Song is definitely not safe either.
No, he has to go out.
After dealing with his mother like a puppet, Li Yu summoned A Zhao, his trusted confidant since childhood, and spent some time helping him escape the eyes of the servants.
Upon arriving at the backyard, the two untied their horses, left the stables, and spurred them on to ride up the mountain.
·
The back mountain of Taixu Temple.
After Qin Song was recognized, a group of people surrounded her with malice.
"You dare show your face here? What? To admire your father's masterpiece? Or were you involved too?"
Seeing that the person was up to no good, Yun Qian quickly spread her arms in front of her and raised her neck to retort, "Nonsense! Without any evidence, why do you say that my master did it? My young lady never cares about politics, how could she be involved in this matter?"
However, the agitated pilgrims wouldn't listen to her explanation at all. "Hmph, you say it's unrelated, then tell me, who else could it be but the Qin traitor? Looking across the court and the country, who else could do something so heinous?"
"It's only Qin Daoji! It's him. A treacherous minister, a villain who has committed countless evils. So many heroic souls are restless, how can you bear to stand here? If I were you, I would be ashamed to live in this world."
"It's good that they died. Their deaths are a small consolation to the tens of thousands of heroic souls."
...
A cacophony of voices, the power of gossip, quickly turned speculation into a fait accompli, with the intention of sending them to hell.
"Nonsense! This is slander! My master is not as bad as you say!" Yun Qian protected Qin Song and retreated to the corner of the wooden fence, her shoulders trembling with anger, but she couldn't come up with any substantial rebuttal.
As Li Yu ascended the solemn mountain, he saw a group of people who had cornered the person he longed for. Li Yu immediately wanted to rush forward to rescue her.
But before he could take a step, Qin Song had already pulled the fuming Yun Qian behind him.
"That's right, I am Qin Daoji's daughter. I have indeed been here for a long time, but I'm sorry, I will not die of shame and indignation. If you all think I deserve to die, then please let the righteous Imperial Censor Lu, whom you all speak of, judge me. If I am guilty, the execution platform will take my head. You don't need to worry about me."
Qin Song remained composed and fearless, calmly finishing his statement before glancing around at the menacing crowd blocking their way. "What, still not letting us through?"
The crowd still surrounded them completely, and one of them raised his arm and shouted: "How high and mighty! Your father is in a high position and has great power, so why would he be afraid of not being able to protect you? You just know that no one can do anything to you, so you act recklessly."
"Oh? You know my father is powerful and influential? You know no one can do anything to me?" Qin Song looked at him with disdain. "Then why don't you get out of my way?!"
The group's momentum visibly weakened, but they didn't budge an inch: "Hmph! Threatening us? As expected of the daughter of the Qin traitor, just as arrogant and cold-blooded."
Yun Qian was intimidated by the other party's aura and grabbed Qin Song from behind, feeling timid and fearful.
Qin Song was also feeling uneasy. She swallowed hard and, before more people followed suit, put her index finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh! This is a place of quiet cultivation for Daoists. No noise is allowed. Instead of stopping me, you might as well go and offer incense to the brave soldiers. As I said before, you are welcome to come and find me, God of Justice."
Since they were all believers, they naturally did not want to cause trouble at the Taoist temple. In addition, her father had power and influence, so they might act recklessly in the heat of the moment. However, once they calmed down, they did not dare to do anything to her. Their boiling emotions gradually subsided, and Qin Song stepped forward calmly, exuding an imposing aura.
The crowd was intimidated by her imposing manner and held their breath as they made way for her.
"Young master, Miss Qin is truly courageous, fearless in the face of danger, not at all like a delicate young lady." Ah Zhao stood behind Li Yu, watching Qin Song's departing figure.
Li Yu was moved silently, her soul restless.
After getting away from the crowd, Qin Song's legs trembled. He supported himself on his knee with one hand and reached out to Yun Qian with the other: "I can't take it anymore, quick, help me up."
Yun Qian quickly helped her to sit down on a stone stool nearby, and said nervously, "Seeing how calm Miss is, I thought you weren't afraid."
Nonsense, this is the first time she's ever seen anything like this. Before, she only needed to activate her skills in bed, but now she has to face this kind of situation.
“However, Miss, how can you let them send Imperial Censor Lu to investigate the Qin family? It would be terrible if we got entangled with him. Even Master has a hard time dealing with him. If something happens to Master, our Qin family will be in trouble…”
Yun Qian stopped mid-sentence, and Qin Song also stopped massaging his legs. In truth, she had overlooked something. While the daughter of a powerful minister was indeed glamorous, if her father was a wicked and treacherous official, then it was as if a knife was hanging over her neck, and she could be exposed at any time, leading to the execution of her entire family.
Does the system's requirement for her to be a qualified female lead include crisis self-rescue? First, resolving the survival crisis?
"Just how many heinous things has my father done?" Qin Song asked Yun Qian anxiously.
Yun Qian, who was squatting down to massage Qin Song's legs, looked up in surprise. "Miss, do you also think that Master is as they say? Although Yun Qian doesn't know anything about officialdom, I believe Master is definitely not a bad person. He leaves early and returns late, and is diligent in his duties. In his early years, because he had no time to care for his family, he considered giving you up for adoption to a friend. It was only because Madam refused that he gave up the idea. After Madam passed away, Master never remarried, and he never beats or scolds the servants. How could such a good person be a treacherous minister?"
Yun Qian spoke with absolute certainty, even showing a hint of admiration for the family head, but Qin Song felt a chill run down his spine as he listened. No matter how busy he was with politics, would he really give his own daughter away to someone else? How could such a large and powerful family only have one daughter?
There is only one possibility: he knows he is guilty of a grave sin and, in order not to burden his family, he simply chooses not to have any more children, and it would be best to give away his daughter as well, so that he can act recklessly and cause trouble.
The crime of treason is heinous. If it was really her father who did it, she deserves to be implicated.
What bad luck! I haven't even managed to get one concubine yet, and my head is already in danger?
Qin Song looked up at the sky and sighed. The dark, overcast sky felt incredibly oppressive.
What should she do? She couldn't very well ask her father if he was a treacherous official, could she?
"By the way, what's General Tao's background?" Didn't he find the spy? He might know the inside story. If we ask him, we might find out something.
"Miss, what's wrong with you lately? You don't remember this at all." Yun Qian was a little puzzled. "General Tao's real name is Tao Qingyang. He is the brother of Miss Tao Yao, the second young lady."
Qin Song gave an awkward laugh. So, who is Tao Yao?
"I've had headaches lately since I injured my head last time, and I often can't remember things from the past. Could you tell me more about the two siblings?" Qin Song pretended to rub his forehead.
Yun Qian had no more questions and quickly got up to massage her temples: "Miss Tao is the most dashing young lady in our capital. After you saw her at the royal hunting grounds, you pursued her and became her close friend. Later, you learned many spear and staff techniques from her. When she heard that the military situation in Danzhou was critical, she secretly went to join the army. You couldn't resist going with her, but your father stopped you. However, you were determined, and even after your father tried to stop you several times, you..."
Yun Qian fell silent at this point, but it was easy to guess that what followed was her attempt to commit suicide, which resulted in her body being possessed by another.
Why did Qin Song inexplicably feel ashamed when the original owner of this body turned out to be a straightforward and emotional person?
She lowered her eyes, lost in thought. Yun Qian continued, "Miss Tao left for Danzhou on her own before you arrived. I wonder how she is now. I didn't see her in the soldiers' procession either. She wouldn't... she wouldn't..."
Yun Qian's voice grew softer and softer, until it trembled slightly, and she didn't dare to continue.
Qin Song understood Yun Qian's worries, and even she herself had some doubts. From the moment her original world collapsed, she knew that her original life had been planned by the author, and she only needed to navigate among the eight concubines with ease.
But she was an outsider in this world. She didn't know what the plot was like, nor did she know what fate awaited those like her, or those soldiers with flesh and blood standing before the mountain gate, who were outside the plot.
She suddenly felt lost. Did she need to increase the number of concubines in her harem as soon as possible? Or was there another task?
Is the current public opinion crisis one of the problems she has to face? I wonder if Lu Youchuan will be able to clear the Qin family's name once he gets that gift list.
Qin Song was lost in thought when Yun Qian suddenly spoke up: "Miss, why don't you rest here for a while? I'll go and find out what's going on."
With that, Yun Qian turned and left.
The sky darkened, and rain soon began to fall. Qin Song quickly got up to take shelter from the rain. A moon-white robe steadily covered her head, and the cool masculine scent filled her nostrils, bringing her a long-lost sense of comfort.
In the blink of an eye, that familiar, gentle figure stood beside her, holding up his outer robe with both hands, covering their heads as if encircling her in his arms.
Author's Note: ----------------------
This chapter delves a bit into the plot; in the next chapter, sparks will fly between Li and Lu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
