Chapter 60: With Lu and Li, Xiao Lu feels a deep sense of crisis.
The bed curtains swayed, and an air of intimacy dispelled the morning chill...
"What a pity, these clothes are now dirty."
Qin Song took off his sticky red nightgown, which Li Yu took and put aside. "It's alright, leave it to me."
After changing and washing up, the two stepped out of the inn; it was already broad daylight.
Before they even got close to the Qin residence, two familiar figures were coming towards them from the end of the long street.
Lu Youchuan, with his deep-set features, looked extremely ugly. He was not only haggard from not having slept all night, but also had an uncontrollable rage. He took long strides, as if he wanted to devour someone.
The frightened maid Chunhe jogged to keep up with him, barely managing to keep up with his pace.
"Miss! Miss is over there." Chunhe was overjoyed to see Qin Song's figure. She turned her head slightly to look at Lu Youchuan, only to find that his gaze was already locked on Qin Song's face.
Keep your eyes straight ahead and stride forward.
Upon seeing Lu Youchuan and Chunhe arrive, Qin Song stopped taking a step and waited for them to approach. Li Yu, as if declaring her ownership, took a step in front of Qin Song.
This small step seemed insignificant to Chunhe in the distance, but to Lu Youchuan, it was incredibly glaring, his gaze practically piercing through him.
Chunhe quickened her pace, almost running to Qin Song's side. "Miss, are you alright? You didn't come home all night, I was so worried about you."
Before Qin Song could speak, Lu Youchuan grabbed her wrist, pulled her in front of him, drew his sword, and pressed the blade tightly against Li Yu's throat, his voice as cold as ice: "Are you courting death?"
The moment Lu Youchuan pulled Qin Song away, Li Yu immediately reached out to grab her, but ended up hanging in mid-air, unable to grasp anything.
It wasn't because he was too slow, but because her hand was injured, and he didn't dare to pull her.
He withdrew his hand dejectedly, raised his head high, and calmly glanced at the cold blade. "Imperial Censor Lu, by what right do you dare to touch me?"
Chunhe was terrified by this scene. She carefully protected Qin Song and timidly reminded him, "Lord Lu, please let go of my young lady."
However, Lu Youchuan did not let go of Qin Song. Instead, he tightened his grip, his hostile gaze still fixed on Li Yu's face. "Killing you is easy. Just because you abandoned your post, just because you dared to compete with me."
Lu Youchuan didn't mention a single word about Qin Song, but the anger of the superior was obvious, clearly wanting to trample him underfoot. If he wanted to, he could slit Li Yu's throat in a perfectly legitimate way.
Chunhe gripped Qin Song's sleeve tightly, as if afraid that if the two of them fought, innocent people would be hurt.
Qin Song gave Chunhe a reassuring look, signaling her to stand further away. Then she twisted her wrist, trying to pull her hand away from Lu Youchuan's grasp, but he held it tightly, and she was unable to pull her hand away.
As he gripped her, she calmly said, "Then do it, Lord Left Censor-in-Chief."
Left Censor-in-Chief?
Lu Youchuan was stunned by her cold words and turned to look at the person next to him in disbelief. Her gaze was cold and clear, without any affection or even the cunning that might have been hidden in her eyes.
Lu Youchuan tightened his grip on the knife hilt, something slipping through his fingers. The sense of unease that had risen in Yunzhou deepened once more. He clearly felt that she was no longer the young woman who had rushed over in the middle of the night to say she wanted to marry him.
The woman standing in front of him, in terms of mentality, ability, vision, and courage, far surpassed the little girl who could only flirt with him back then.
His lips moved, but it felt like a thorn was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak.
The two men at the ends of the long sword both had their eyes fixed on Qin Song.
Qin Song wasn't very nervous. Perhaps this day would come sooner or later, but the further she went, the less afraid she was of losing anyone, whether it was Lu Youchuan or Li Yu. She wanted them to stand by her side and be intoxicated by any relationship with them, but she didn't mind if they left.
Moreover, the situation is still under control.
"The Left Censor-in-Chief is a second-rank official, in charge of investigation and correction of violations; the Junior Chamberlain is a fourth-rank official, assisting the Crown Prince. Both are high-ranking officials appointed by the court, a position that millions cannot reach. Whether it is the heavy burden on their shoulders or the benefits of wielding power, it is not something that I, a mere young lady, can concern myself with. I have important matters to attend to, so I will not disturb Lord Lu in enforcing the law."
Qin Song twisted his wrist again, attempting to leave.
Lu Youchuan loosened his grip slightly, but still refused to make a move, holding her with a strength that she couldn't break free from yet couldn't twist painfully.
His gaze swept over the red marks on the side of her neck and behind her ear, and his heart felt as if it had been cleaved open. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, trying to regain his composure before slowly speaking, his voice dry: "You chose him this time?"
"No, I chose her." Before Qin Song could speak, Li Yu interrupted, "Lord Lu, you lost."
"Shut up!" Lu Youchuan's blade drew even closer. "Don't force me to kill you."
Those wretched henchmen clung to Ah Song like bedbugs, impossible to get rid of.
If he weren't so rational, he would have really wanted to kill him.
Li Yu gave a cold laugh and moved closer to the blade. "What's wrong with killing me? You can't beat me."
Song Niang had said that Lu Youchuan was no more important than him. If Lu Youchuan killed or injured him, it would only put her in a more difficult position, and the scales of favor would shift even further in his favor.
Just thinking about it made him excited, but unfortunately the wound from the knife against his skin wasn't deep enough to make her feel enough pity for him.
Qin Song frowned slightly as he looked at the blood seeping from Li Yu's neck, then looked up at Lu Youchuan: "Lord Lu, you are a smart man, you should know what I want."
Qin Song's situation seemed dire, and the hidden guards around him tried to surround him, but Qin Song gave them a look, stopping them from moving.
Lu Youchuan was aware of the Qin family members around him, but he paid them no heed, his mind solely focused on Qin Song's words.
He knew; he had already guessed it.
She wanted his position, and the censorate's identity that would protect her.
He was willing to give her everything, as long as she chose him.
But why... why did she choose a mere fourth-rank official, from a declining family with a weak foundation?
Could it be because... he's younger?
Lu Youchuan became increasingly restless, confused, and insecure.
He looked up at Li Yu again, a torrent of intense emotions churning within him, more exhausting than any official document processing.
"Lord Lu, have you made up your mind?"
Qin Song looked at him slyly, certain that he wouldn't let her go, nor would he impulsively kill someone, at least not in front of her.
Lu Youchuan met her gaze, as if suddenly snapping out of his reverie, "I never go back on my promises."
She grabbed his hand again, glared fiercely at the defiant Li Yu, and finally slowly withdrew the knife, leading her back in a long stride.
After taking only two steps, Mr. Qin hurriedly went out with several servants and happened to run into a group of people on the street.
His face was beaming with joy, oblivious to the unusual atmosphere around them. "Found it! Found it! Found the solution!"
Qin Song was also overjoyed, "Uncle, don't worry, have you found a way to detoxify?"
Holding a prescription, Mr. Qin said excitedly, "I found it! Although the ingredients of these four poisons are rare, they are easy to neutralize on their own. However, when they are mixed together, the effects become very complicated. I prepared more than thirty prescriptions overnight and tried them one by one as soon as possible. Finally, I found the correct prescription. After taking the medicine, Master Shen has basically recovered."
Qin Song was overjoyed, her dimpled smile brighter than ever. "That's wonderful! The teacher won't have to suffer anymore. Is Uncle in a hurry to buy medicine?"
There are quite a few people in the city suffering from serious illnesses, and finding a cure requires purchasing a large quantity of medicinal herbs.
Mr. Qin nodded in agreement, then looked up at Li Yu, expressing his admiration for the young man who had brought the poison powder.
"I would like to trouble you, Young Master, to come with me to gather herbs. Once all the herbs in the city are gathered, you can bring them back to Yunzhou, which will surely relieve Yunzhou's urgent needs."
"Yes." Li Yu glanced at Qin Song with reluctance in her eyes, but considering the bigger picture, she followed Mr. Qin and left first.
Lu Youchuan knew he had no advantage whatsoever, but he felt a sense of relief when Li Yu left.
The feeling of unease lingered, and he didn't even dare to face Qin Song's response directly.
He silently grasped Qin Song's left hand, trying to regain his composure and pretending nothing had happened, changing the subject: "Those two northern barbarians revealed the location of the poisoning. I have already notified the government to secretly seal off those water sources. The Qingze disease will soon be under control."
Qin Song hummed in agreement, but this time he didn't pull his hand away. He followed him back to the Qin residence and asked, "What do you think should be done with those two northern barbarians?"
“Bring them back to Yunzhou to lure the snake out of its hole.” Lu Youchuan analyzed rationally, “The two mentioned Xue Ci. Xue Ci is a very suspicious person. He went to great lengths to come here and asked me to thoroughly investigate important matters in Yunzhou. However, he secretly colluded with the Northern Barbarians to poison people. It’s really hard to figure him out. I have already secretly notified Pan Chengjie to thoroughly investigate this person.”
The two walked back to the Qin residence in the south of the city, talking occasionally but mostly in silence. Most of the people in the residence had been sent out to buy medicinal herbs, making the residence seem empty and quiet.
Master Shen was indeed in great condition, but due to his advanced age, his illness was progressing slowly and he was still not very agile. After meeting Lu Youchuan, the two talked for a while, and this time he was not urged to return to the capital in an emergency.
After everyone had breakfast together, Qin Song ordered Chunhe to buy provisions for the return journey. Only then did Master Shen sigh as he looked towards Yunzhou, "There aren't many people poisoned in Qingze City. Now that we know the poisoning point, and with several powerful families in charge of Qingze, there's no major problem. But how these two northern barbarians were able to enter Qingze, and even Rongyang, is no coincidence. You two should know the answer. The situation in Yunzhou is urgent, and we must hurry back to Yunzhou."
Qin Song and Lu Youchuan both nodded solemnly.
Master Shen stroked his beard and looked at the two of them: "You two interrogated those two northern barbarians all night. Go and rest first. Once the Junior Chamberlain returns to his residence, we need to get back to Yunzhou as soon as possible."
His words implied that he was going to take Lu Youchuan with him to Yunzhou.
Qin Song listened silently, not disturbing their resolve.
After serving Master Shen back to his room, the two left side by side.
"Aren't you going back to the capital?" Qin Song asked on the way back to his room.
Lu Youchuan's heart tightened for no reason, and he swallowed hard. "Do you want me to go back?"
Qin Song stopped in his tracks: "Do you know what I want to do?"
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