Chapter 25 Lie down with Li and don't speak.
Tao Qingyang's breathing became inexplicably heavy. He stared at Qin Song for a long time before his eyes returned to normal.
"Are you really going? The Lei family might be waiting for you." He adopted a playful and nonchalant demeanor. "If you die, they can frame you."
Uncle Zhao then approached and solemnly dissuaded her: "Miss, don't be impulsive. This matter is of utmost importance. The capital is about to undergo a major upheaval. Master just came out of the Dali Temple, and the Imperial Guards have surrounded the Qin residence. The situation is urgent, and he has no choice but to go into the palace to mediate. Before leaving, he specifically instructed this old servant to send all the secret guards out to look for you. If they find you, they must find a way to keep you in the residence. The soldiers outside the residence are the Imperial Guards. No one can command them except His Majesty. The Qin residence is the safest place right now."
The two men blocked her way, and Qin Song calmed down a bit. She only wanted to find her father to turn the tide, but she was still careless. Although she didn't know the specific situation in the palace, since the Lei family's scheme had failed, her life was worthless.
Her greatest use now is as a scapegoat; after all, yesterday's troubles must eventually be dealt with.
Well, Yun Qian's whereabouts are still unknown, so even if she enters the palace, there's nothing she can do. Besides, her father has already entered the palace, so he certainly won't let anyone frame him.
"Sister, wait for my good news." Tao Qingyang leaned forward, using his position to block Uncle Zhao's view, and secretly pulled her collar together to cover the red mark that was showing.
Qin Song felt a ticklish sensation as his fingertips brushed against the side of her neck. She pushed his hand away, feeling that the good news he was talking about wasn't the kind of good news she cared about.
He didn't intend to explain in detail. After a brief exchange of glances with her, he turned, opened the door, and walked away into the wind.
Qin Song waited anxiously in the mansion. Who would have thought that after rushing back from the villa, he would be locked up in the mansion again? Is it possible that a woman confined to her chambers can only stay at home to be a wife and mother, longing for her husband but powerless and anxious in vain?
By afternoon, the streets were still in chaos, with patrolling soldiers searching house to house. Recalling the little eunuch's words, her heart clenched, fearing that her father would not be able to reverse the situation, and even more fearing that something might happen to Yun Qian.
Yun Qian was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes in this world. Although she was old-fashioned and timid, she was extremely kind to her and always supported her small body to protect her. She had long regarded her as her best friend, and she must not let anything happen to her!
As she was thinking this, Uncle Zhao, with a strange expression, led a man dressed as a doctor into the mansion.
The man was dressed in coarse linen clothes and carried a wooden medicine box. He was tall and slender with a straight back and a scholarly demeanor. Even though his clothes were rough, they could not hide his otherworldly air.
In her moment of confusion and helplessness, Qin Song saw an old friend who worked in the palace. It was as if she had seen a ray of light. She immediately got up and stood at the door to greet him.
Despite his displeasure, Uncle Zhao was forced to feign politeness and led the fake doctor, whom he recognized at a glance, into the backyard.
Not to mention that Qin Song was not seriously injured, even if she were, the Qin family had a doctor they regularly consulted, so there was no need to call another doctor. But this young master actually pretended to be a doctor and appeared at the door, saying that he was invited by General Tao and Miss Tao to treat Miss Qin.
His eyes, which seemed to hold something unspeakable, and his inexplicable hints left him with no choice but to invite him into the mansion to find out what was going on.
As soon as he reached the door, before he could even raise his hand, the door opened from the inside, revealing Qin Song's delicate face.
“Li Yu.” Qin Song’s eyes shone like stars.
Li Yu's heart skipped a beat. His throat tightened, and though he had a thousand words on his mind, he couldn't utter a sound when he saw the person he longed for.
After calming down a bit, he realized that this room was Qin Song's boudoir. He couldn't help but take a half step back and turn to the side to avoid the impolite act of looking directly at her.
Uncle Zhao quickly persuaded Qin Song to return to the inner room, and then arranged for someone to place a coarse gauze screen in the room before welcoming the fake doctor Li Yu into the room.
The door was wide open. Qin Song sat on a small couch behind a screen, while Li Yu sat on a wooden stool next to a small table in the outer room. Zhao Bo stood not far from the door, keeping watch without leaving for a moment.
"What exactly happened in the palace? Have you seen Yun Qian?"
Qin Song's anxious voice came from behind the screen, and Li Yu couldn't help but turn her head and peek inside. The graceful and hazy figure looked like a dream.
The wooden window was slightly ajar, and the bright but not glaring afternoon sun shone through. The winter plum blossoms along the window frame were adorned by the sunlight, adding fragrance to Li Yu's vision.
He disguised himself and traveled everywhere until he finally met the person he had been longing for. She was safe and sound and had returned home safely. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down.
Li Yu's response was a little slow, but Qin Song's anxiety only grew. Her keen senses alerted her to something amiss.
His clean scent was mixed with a strong smell of blood and the muddy smell of dried sewage.
Qin Song immediately stood up and went behind the screen, trying to see his condition through it. "Are you injured?"
Sitting in Qin Song's boudoir, Li Yu appeared very reserved. Her figure suddenly approached, startling him so much that he immediately looked away, his breathing becoming erratic: "Miss Qin, don't worry, I'm fine. However, Yun Qian is injured, and I can't bring her back immediately. I just wanted to come and see you, and I'll be relieved to see that you're safe."
After saying that, he greedily turned his head back and dared to look at the beautiful figure behind the screen, in order to ease his longing.
If it weren't for the screen, Qin Song would have been able to see the fiery love in his eyes, even more blatant than the suppressed undercurrent of Lu Youchuan.
It's easy to believe that even if he were asked to pluck the stars from the sky for her, he would pursue her with madness and passion.
His affections were met with Qin Song's endless questioning of Yun Qian: "I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine. Tell me quickly, what happened to Yun Qian? How did she get hurt? How badly is she hurt? Where is she now?..."
Li Yu shouldn't have stayed at the Qin residence for long, but his selfish desires got the better of him. As long as Uncle Zhao outside didn't urge him, he wanted to stay by her side. So he patiently told her about Yun Qian.
"Don't worry, she's just unconscious, her life isn't in danger..."
Yesterday, after parting ways with Qin Song, Yun Qian finally found Tao Yao in the women's area. Upon learning that Tao Yao had reserved a seat for her mistress, she quickly went out to look for Qin Song.
But as soon as she came out of the women's area, someone covered her mouth and dragged her into the inner palace. It turned out that the other party had planned to use Yun Qian to lure Qin Song out alone.
Yun Qian was imprisoned in an abandoned palace. Upon learning of their plans, she was both anxious and afraid. Fortunately, there was always a way out. When the Crown Prince presented a gift to His Majesty, he accidentally broke a jade disc that symbolized the dragon vein. The imperial family was furious and banished him from the palace banquet, punishing him to reflect on his actions at the Fengxian Hall.
He happened to be passing by where Yun Qian was being held, heard the commotion inside, and kindly rescued her.
However, in this round, the Crown Prince was also their target. Before the Crown Prince could send Yun Qian out of the Imperial Garden, a group of Imperial Guards shouted to capture the rebels and attacked the Crown Prince with deadly force. The Crown Prince was unable to react in time and was shot in the leg.
Left with no other choice, Yun Qian grabbed the Crown Prince and jumped into the moat.
Yun Qian could swim, but the river water was too cold. Before she could swim out of the palace, she was exhausted and almost drowned.
"After I secretly left the palace banquet, I accidentally discovered His Highness and his companion, who were on the verge of death. The palace quickly descended into chaos, and with the gates under martial law, I had no choice but to pull them out of the palace." Li Yu swallowed hard, her eyes filled with immense apology. "I'm sorry, I came here to find you... I..."
He suddenly shifted the topic to Qin Song, leaving her still reeling from Yun Qian's harrowing experience that night, completely bewildered. "You secretly left the table to find me?"
Li Yu did not respond immediately. Qin Song only felt that the blurry figure sitting outside the screen seemed somewhat helpless. She touched the screen with her hand and said gently, "You saved Yun Qian, which is the same as saving me. I am equally grateful to you."
"No need, you never need to thank me." Li Yu looked earnestly at the person behind the screen, almost unable to suppress the urge to cross it.
He looked away, glancing at the winter plum blossoms on the windowsill. "Yun Qian is temporarily out of danger, but the Lei family had planned this all along. They fabricated evidence of the Crown Prince's involvement in treason, falsely accusing him of colluding with the enemy and plotting rebellion. They also falsely accused Yun Qian of poisoning the Empress's unborn child, using this as an opportunity to implicate the Qin family. Now, the entire city is searching for Your Highness and Yun Qian. If you show your face, you could be beheaded at any moment. It's fortunate you left the palace beforehand, otherwise..."
Li Yu didn't continue speaking. He couldn't imagine that if she hadn't escaped the palace, Yun Qian would be the one bearing the blame now. She might even have been murdered before she even escaped the palace, leaving no one to testify against her.
Qin Song could guess what he was going to say next, and she was also extremely alarmed. In fact, the palace had already summoned her, and her father had also entered the palace, but no order to arrest him had been issued. However, the situation was far from optimistic.
Of course, the most dangerous one is Yun Qian. "Is Yun Qian at the Duke's Mansion now?"
Li Yu pursed her lips. "The Duke's mansion isn't safe either. If Tao Qingyang hadn't ordered the city defense troops to surround the Duke's mansion, the Lei family would probably have already retaliated against it. I'll temporarily settle them in a farmer's house. With the Crown Prince missing, the Chamberlain's Office will have less to do. I'll stay with them for the next few days."
Is it really safe in a farmer's home?
Even if farmers were willing to take the risks, they couldn't stop the Imperial Guards from searching them one after another. What would happen if they were caught?
Qin Song became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it, and couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
"Butler Zhao, has Miss Qin woken up?" At this moment, a shrill voice suddenly came from the courtyard, and the three people inside and outside the house tensed up at the same time.
Zhao Bo rushed into the room, taking two steps at a time. "Miss, don't delay, Eunuch Li from the palace is here again."
Li Yu immediately stood up, picked up his medicine box, and prepared to leave. "Eunuch Li greets me. Miss Qin, take care. I'll be going now."
We must not let him find any unnecessary leverage against us, which could bring trouble to the Qin family.
"It's too late, he's already inside." The footsteps in the courtyard grew closer and closer. Qin Song couldn't care less about anything else. He went around the screen, grabbed Li Yu's wrist, and led her into the inner room.
Before Li Yu could react, Qin Song had already snatched the medicine box from his hand, stuffed it under the bed, and pushed him down onto the bed.
"Lie down and don't talk." Qin Song quickly took off his outer robe and lay down next to him.
The soft quilt exuded a fresh osmanthus fragrance, just like the one on her body. The bed was cool, but her warm body temperature radiated out, making one's heart flutter. It seemed that Li Yu only then realized that they were so close, close enough to share a bed.
His heart pounded like a drum, his breath quickened, and he was filled with anxiety. The fingers pressed beneath her, he was afraid of hurting her but couldn't bear to pull away. It was the most normal position, yet a surge of pleasure rose from his fingertips...
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Author's note: Tao is still not ready to be served, but Li Yu will be the one to take the lead in the next chapter!
——
Was the pacing of this chapter a bit fast? I'm just guessing that everyone probably prefers the female lead and the male lead's family of four living a good life, so I pushed the plot forward a bit faster.
But: The female supporting character's prominent scenes will still be developed somewhat. [Dog head with rose in hand]
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