Chapter 18 with Tao [Slightly modified] Even a dog would think it was deeply...
The candlelight on the desk flickered gently, stretching out the ambiguous atmosphere for a long time.
Before Lu Youchuan could react, Qin Song, like a child who had stolen candy, unilaterally made a deal with him: he would leave after getting the benefit.
Lu Youchuan, left empty-handed, was still sitting there, his mind buzzing, until she walked out of the room. His eyes were glazed over.
"By the way, Lord Lu."
The clear voice shattered the silence, and Lu Youchuan snapped back to reality.
Qin Song returned shortly after leaving, her jade-like hand resting on the doorframe, half her body leaning in, her smile bright and cheerful, "From now on, call me A-Song."
Upon hearing this, Lu Youchuan's stiff shoulders finally moved. When he looked at her, his eyelashes fluttered rapidly. He tried his best to appear natural, but his lips tightened involuntarily.
Qin Song didn't wait for his response at all. With a sly smile in her eyes, she lifted her skirt and walked away under the moonlight.
The doorway became empty, and the room was quiet. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Lu Youchuan slowly touched the spot where he had been kissed with his fingertips. The warmth there seemed to linger, making his earlobes turn red little by little, adding an ambiguous touch to the night.
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The carriage that had taken Qin Song to the Censorate was driven by Yun Qian to find Li Yu, so she had to walk back to the mansion.
She clutched the dossier Lu Youchuan handed her tightly, as if she had found the key to saving her father, and hurried down the dimly lit street.
After the night watchman's clapper sounded, it was already the second watch of the night, and the neighbors had all closed their doors to rest.
Qin Song, having traveled at night without cause, dared not delay and almost ran back.
As they reached Jiashui Lane, a dark figure darted out, quickly covered Qin Song's mouth, and pushed her against the wall. The back of her head hit the hard earthen wall, and the pain almost made her faint.
Before she could recover, a filthy, large hand violently tore at her clothes.
Her belt was loosened and her clothes were pulled open, and Qin Song realized with a start what was about to happen.
She finally regained consciousness, but she couldn't break free from the fierce force pressing down on her shoulders and covering her mouth.
Even with the hidden arrows, she couldn't touch her right hand with her left. She could only punch and kick, but the person pressing her down seemed like an impenetrable wall, completely unafraid of her "scratches".
She couldn't make a sound, nor could she get up.
Qin Song finally panicked. Her soul had experienced this kind of thing countless times, but those were wonderful and voluntary. This forced and terrible experience brought tears to her eyes.
She desperately wanted to die, but the man pulled her into a disheveled state, then suddenly released her and quietly retreated to the side.
Immediately following was the face of a noble-looking, impeccably dressed man, who stood in front of her, looking down at her like he was sizing up a little quail.
"You can call out now," the man said dismissively.
What should I call for? Help?
When Qin Song saw his face, she immediately calmed down and didn't even want to shed tears.
She found it ridiculous; the news had already spread throughout the capital that Lei Heyang had been castrated. What could he possibly do to her?
Instead of crying out, she calmly sat up and slowly fastened her belt.
Lei Heyang wasn't in a hurry. "If you won't call, then I'll call for you."
He calmly clapped his hands, and a dark figure burst out of the window of the building next to him, which had a sign that read "Xu's Inn". With the sound of wooden blocks hitting the ground, a burly man crashed to the ground, making a huge noise. Instantly, countless lights lit up in the surrounding buildings.
The man who had just torn Qin Song's clothes seemed to have rehearsed it all along. He dragged the burly man who had fallen from the building and disappeared into the night, leaving her and Lei Heyang behind.
Qin Song couldn't understand what was going on. She stood up, completely bewildered, and asked, "Lei Heyang, what are you doing?"
Lei Heyang didn't explain, but just grinned wickedly and leaned forward, pressing Qin Song's shoulder hard against his crotch, as if talking to himself, "Since Madam Qin herself said she would make this young master comfortable, let's continue."
What the hell? Qin Song felt inexplicably disgusted, but she couldn't push him away. She gritted her teeth and pulled open the sleeve arrow, aiming at his thigh.
At close range, the hidden arrow pierced his thigh, causing his pupils to shrink and his face to contort in pain. He gritted his teeth and cried out, then slapped Qin Song across the face. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his thigh and sweating profusely from the pain.
Qin Song's cheeks burned with pain, and he tasted blood in his mouth.
Damn it! How dare he slap her in the face!
Her eyes widened in anger, and she raised her hand to pull open the copper clasp again, but unfortunately she was too hasty and the shot went astray!
Unconvinced, she tried to aim the arrow directly at the man's chest, but the noise was too loud, and many neighbors had already opened their windows to watch.
Qin Song finally suppressed her anger. She couldn't let anyone see her kill someone, so she had no choice but to let him go for the time being.
Lei Heyang, whose legs were almost useless, opened his bloodshot eyes, glanced around, gritted his teeth and stared at Qin Song, his eyes filled with hatred as if he wanted to tear her apart, while he was still shouting vulgar words.
"Qin Song, it was you who offered yourself to me for your father's sake, saying you didn't mind my body. What are you doing now? I've already given you countless pleasures. What? You're disgusted with me now?"
The sight of a lone man and woman alone in a dark alley late at night was already enough to arouse lustful thoughts, but this man's vulgar language was even more shocking, leaving many women speechless with their mouths agape.
Qin Song frowned, seemingly understanding Lei Heyang's sinister plan: to ruin her reputation and put her in a difficult position. And what was his purpose? Just to humiliate her? To make her the subject of gossip and slander?
She was still trying to figure out his intentions and was about to shoot him again when a sudden sound of footsteps accompanied by the clanging of armor and weapons approached.
The city guards came running at the sound.
"Who dares to make such a racket here!" a middle-aged male soldier with a gruff voice shouted authoritatively.
Qin Song turned around, bowed, and looked up to see a familiar face.
She was surprised for a moment, but she didn't know what she was surprised about.
Wearing a military uniform and a mask, Tao Qingyang's lips were pale, but his eyes were bright. He glanced at her disheveled chest, then suddenly crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at her, as if he were watching her make a fool of herself.
"Boldly lash out—"
The middle-aged adjutant was about to display his authority, but Tao Qingyang calmly raised his hand, stopping his subordinate's intimidation.
He continued to stare at Qin Song, smiling slightly as he had when they first met, and casually raised his chin at her, signaling them to continue.
Was he planning to come see the play?
Qin Song couldn't figure out his behavior. Before she could speak, a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the night.
Rehe endured the pain and pulled the arrow out of his thigh; blood had soaked his entire thigh.
He held an arrow in one hand and hugged his thigh with the other, lying on his back and screaming in agony for a long time before he calmed down. When he raised his eyes again, the veins on his forehead were bulging with sweat, but a ferocious and terrifying smile was on his lips.
Qin Song felt inexplicably creeped out.
Just then, the innkeeper rushed out in a panic, crying out, "Oh dear, my window, my window! How could this happen?!"
He looked at the broken window, then at the pile of rotten wood on the ground, and cried out in sorrow about his loss.
Lei Heyang struggled to his feet, his voice weak, but his spirit was strong: "I'm sorry, boss. Qin Niangzi and I had already gone to bed tonight, but someone secretly shot arrows and maliciously injured us. I had no choice but to jump out of the window with Qin Niangzi in my arms. I will compensate you for your losses. Please don't blame Qin Niangzi."
Bah! If I didn't know he was a hypocrite, I'd think he was quite affectionate!
The innkeeper followed his gaze and glanced at Qin Song, then immediately chimed in, "Oh dear, Madam Qin, are you alright? I saw you two go upstairs, how come this happened so suddenly?"
Another baseless accusation. Qin Song immediately realized that they were in cahoots, trying to confirm her secret rendezvous with Lei Heyang.
Qin Song sneered and glared fiercely at Lei Heyang: "Then you really deserve to die. I want your life too."
Lei Heyang's eyes were filled with malice. "How could Songniang be so heartless? You always said you were in love with me in bed, which is why I asked my father to ask the Emperor to grant us a marriage. It was your father who disobeyed the Emperor's will and prevented our good time. How can you take your anger out on me? You came to me to save your father, and I agreed. You said you would make me feel good, so you took off your clothes to serve me. Why have you changed your mind now?"
Lei Heyang's ability to speak fluently was unmatched, leaving the patrolling soldiers and local residents bewildered. Qin Song became the biggest attraction.
If she were as stubborn as Yun Qian, she would probably have been driven to the brink of despair, feeling ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die. But she wasn't like that. She didn't believe in chastity; she only believed in herself.
Amidst the rising and falling discussions, she actually understood the meaning behind Lei Heyang's words. It turned out that her father's unjust detention at Dali Temple was all the work of this guy, or rather, the man behind him.
Then she absolutely cannot panic.
She had to stay calm; she couldn't let him get her way.
Qin Song rubbed the hard, taut dart in his right arm. "How did you injure your leg?"
Lei Heyang raised his blood-stained hand, looked at the short arrow in his palm, and his violent expression intensified.
He dragged his numb, crippled leg to Tao Qingyang and gritted his teeth, saying, "General Tao, the Duke of Anguo's mansion has attacked us with a sneak attack. You will uphold justice, won't you?"
Tao Qing was extremely tall, and Lei Heyang was unable to support himself due to his leg injury, so he couldn't look at him directly, only glancing at the arrow he was holding.
Beneath the mask, his captivating eyes conceal vivid emotions, making it impossible to discern his true feelings.
He stared at the blood-stained arrow for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and stared at Qin Song with an ambiguous look. His eyes gleamed in the firelight, and he gave a light sneer with a half-smile: "Could it be Young Master Li?"
From the moment Lei Heyang pulled out that arrow, Qin Song realized that Zhang Hu had once said that Li Yu's hidden arrow could be traced back to its source. He guessed that Lei Heyang's sinister smile meant that he was thinking about how to take revenge on Li Yu.
Qin Song, unaware of why Tao Qingyang had deliberately singled out Li Yu, ignored his question and instead asked, "Gentlemen, do you think I, a frail woman, could still stand here unharmed after falling from a second-floor window?"
Tao Qingyang stared at her somewhat disheveled yet stubborn face, remaining silent.
The soldiers behind him looked up at the area from the broken window to the ground and shook their heads one after another, saying, "It's probably already damaged his internal organs."
Qin Song smiled and stared intently at Lei Heyang and the innkeeper, whose expressions had changed slightly. "So, with Young Master Lei's crippled body, such a fall would probably cripple him, but you can still stand and speak, and I am also unharmed. Therefore, your argument falls apart on its own."
As she spoke, she turned to the squinty-eyed innkeeper: "And this innkeeper, if you're blind, you can gouge your eyes out, anyway, you're not good-looking."
The onlookers and city guards, who had been awakened in the dead of night, were already engrossed in watching the spectacle. Now that they realized the situation had changed, they frequently turned their attention to Qin Song.
The elusive Tao Qingyang also slightly raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.
The innkeeper was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, but Lei Heyang still held his nose up, showing no fear. "So what does that prove? If Madam Qin hadn't stayed with me at the inn, she would have violated the curfew. I wouldn't have been willing to punish her with whipping or caning."
Tsk, there's also the curfew!
It is absolutely unacceptable to subject her to torture.
Her mind started racing.
Nearly a hundred eyes were fixed on her. No matter what, today's events would affect her reputation. She didn't care about her reputation, but she did care about having her fate controlled by it.
Lei Heyang went to such great lengths to try and tie her reputation to him, probably because he wanted to force her to marry into the Lei family.
Based on what he just said, if her father was detained in Dali Temple only for her marriage, it was clearly just a warning, and he would be released peacefully soon. The Qin family would still be the same Qin family. Therefore, Lei Heyang wanted to gain the Qin family's power through her marriage.
There are only two paths to take: either find irrefutable evidence to prove your innocence, or tie your innocence to someone you want.
Proving her innocence is impossible unless she performs extraordinary feats; otherwise, people would rather say she is a corrupt official, which is more worthy of discussion.
So, focusing on her "illicit affair" partner, there are two ready-made targets: first, reveal the hidden arrow to make it clear that she and Li Yu are having an affair; second, seduce Tao Qingyang and use him to reverse the situation.
Damn it! Why wasn't it Lu Youchuan who showed up?! He's the best choice for her right now!
She bit her lip, lost in thought, when a deep voice broke the silence: "Whether or not it violates curfew is up to me."
Tao Qingyang finally stopped standing by and watching. His tone was calm and composed, but his presence was overwhelming. Everyone present fell silent and looked at him.
Qin Song held his breath and waited for him to continue.
His ambiguous gaze shifted from Lei Heyang's face to meet Qin Song's eyes, and he strolled towards her.
Tao Qingyang's peach blossom eyes were so captivating that even a dog would believe it was being treated with deep affection; it was truly easy to lose one's senses.
Qin Song's eyelashes trembled slightly as his tall figure stood beside her. The streetlights shone on him, casting a shadow that enveloped her entirely.
His gaze swept over her cheek, which had been injured by Lei Heyang, then turned to look at the innkeeper kneeling on the ground. His expression suddenly turned cold. "Drag him away and gouge out his eyes."
The innkeeper's face changed drastically, and he kowtowed and begged for mercy. Lei Heyang's gaze also froze for a moment, but he didn't care about the innkeeper's life or death at all. He kicked away the old man who came to grab his leg and stared intently at Qin Song, "General Tao hasn't said how Miss Qin will be dealt with yet."
Tao Qingyang smiled and openly put his arm around Qin Song's shoulder, "What crime have those who travel with me committed?"
Lei Heyang's face turned horrified: "General Tao, are you going against the Lei family?"
Tao Qingyang remained calm and composed: "What does this have to do with the Lei family? It's all because the innkeeper's eyesight is poor, he fooled Young Master Lei. You should cut off his head..."
A note from the author:
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