Life-saving grace
Thinking of the banished immortal-like figure in front of her hiding under the bed, Bai Miaoke couldn't help laughing and wanted to tease him again.
So she raised her eyebrows slightly, and walked closer to Lu Yu step by step, with a smile on her lips, and her tone was unprecedentedly gentle: "Didn't you say before that these assassins were not coming for you? It doesn't look like that."
Smelling a hint of danger, Lu Yu pursed his lips and stared at the woman approaching him with his bottomless eyes. When the two were still three steps away, the man said, "My enemy sent them. I have to thank you for your help. May I ask your name?"
Lu Yu could see that with her skills, it didn't take much effort to deal with these killers. If she regretted it now, it would only take a flick of her finger to kill him. He could only calm her down first and deal with other things later.
Killing those two people was indeed nothing to Bai Miaoke, but she had always worn a mask when doing these assassination missions before.
Today's attack was purely accidental. Bai Miao didn't want to admit that he was blinded by Lu Yu's beauty. When he heard the other party asking his name, he suddenly began to regret being too kind. This was a taboo for a killer.
She calmed herself down and stopped looking at Lu Yu, lest she be misled by his face again. She ignored his question and only asked, "I helped you deal with them. I wonder how you are going to thank me for saving your life?"
After saying this, she showed a sly smile, her eyes sparkling with watery light. As a businessman, she never made a loss, but she had to think carefully about what she would give in exchange for the prime minister's life.
Lu Yu's face showed no emotion, and he spoke in a low voice, "I should thank you for saving my life. What do you want, young lady?"
Seeing that the prey had taken the bait, Bai Miaoke laughed even more happily: "I want you to owe me a favor."
Lu Yu didn't expect this answer, but then he thought that the other party should be a man of the underworld, and might not really ask for anything in return, so he agreed: "Okay, if you have any difficulties in the future, come to me."
After saying that, he gave an address in the north of Beijing city.
Bai Miaoke frowned and asked, "Why doesn't the Prime Minister welcome me to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?"
A hint of surprise appeared in Lu Yu's calm eyes. He realized that the favor she just mentioned might not just be an excuse from the people in the martial arts world. Prime Minister Lu, who always schemed against others, felt that he was being schemed against...
When talking to a smart person, he only said: "Of course you are welcome to do so. I will do my best to fulfill your request."
Bai Miaoke understood that he was accepting her favor. She nodded in satisfaction and prepared to leave, grabbing the man in black in her hand.
Lu Yu hurriedly said: "Wait a minute, can you hand this person over to me?"
Hearing his words, Bai Miaoke smiled and said, "If you want to interrogate him, forget it. If I hadn't removed his jaw, he would have bitten his tongue and committed suicide."
Lu Yu had worked in the Ministry of Justice for some time, and he knew very well that there was nothing that could not be opened by those means, so he said, "Don't worry about this, young lady. I have my own way."
Bai Miaoke's grape-like black eyes rolled around, she stretched out a finger and said, "Sure, sure. Take one thousand and two taels of silver to buy him." This man saw her appearance, and in order not to reveal her identity, she was originally going to kill him directly.
It would be even better if I could exchange it for money before that. No one doesn't like money.
Lu Yu on the opposite side was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to be so...direct.
Bai Miaoke knew that as the legitimate son of General Dingguo and having served in the court for five years, Lu Yu must have some savings. This amount of money should be nothing to him.
Besides, the person was in her hands. She raised her chin proudly, certain that he would agree.
Sure enough, I saw the other party take out a silver note from his pocket and handed it to me.
Bai Miaoke reached out to take it, and found that it was still a silver note printed with the Bai family's business name, which made her even happier.
He raised his hand and threw the man in black who was tied up like a dumpling over, but he already had other plans in mind.
Lu Yu watched her throw the person with ease and thought that he should take a detour next time he saw this girl.
After finishing the job, Bai Miaoke took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her hands carefully. She heard footsteps outside, accompanied by anxious shouts, and guessed that it was his guards coming over.
So Bai Miaoke waved to Lu Yu, and turned over and left through the window before they pushed the door in.
Before leaving, he turned back to look at Lu Yu, thinking that this was not because of his lust for beauty, but just to make sure that he could recognize this guy at a glance when he came to collect debts next time.
Then several guards broke in, led by Lu Yu's long-time attendant Fugui. He had been serving Lu Yu since he was a child, and his face was full of anxiety at the moment.
He circled around Lu Yu nervously and found that his master was not injured except for his clothes being a little dirty and wrinkled.
He let out a long breath and said, "Sir, are you okay? A lot of the guards were injured just now. The rest went to chase the assassins. They were very skilled in martial arts and we were no match for them. We were unable to capture them alive."
Hearing this, Lu Yu's face darkened. He knew in his heart that the other party had spent a lot of money to kill him. A name popped up in his mind - Ma Hongzhe, the current Taifu.
Lu Yu has been the prime minister for two years. When Emperor Li Huai ascended the throne only a few years ago and did not have a stable foundation in the court, Lu Yu used thundering means to stabilize the government for him.
Many people opposed Lu Yu. They simply believed that Lu Yu had a close relationship with the emperor since childhood, so he was promoted frequently and that he was probably not capable of taking on a big responsibility.
In fact, it was the emperor who privately persuaded Lu Yu for a long time before he agreed to be the prime minister, a job that was thankless.
On the one hand, he wanted to help this good friend who was constrained in every way, but the bigger reason was that he wanted to implement new policies to make the Great Qi rich and strong. But no one would believe this, as everyone thought he was a powerful and treacherous official. I'm afraid only His Majesty knew his sincere ambitions.
Over the years, Lu Yu has made great achievements in government affairs. The voices of opposition have gradually disappeared, and no one questions his ability anymore.
However, the things he did on behalf of the emperor, such as changing taxes and punishing corrupt officials, harmed the interests of many aristocratic families and made him many enemies.
The most difficult one among them was the Grand Tutor Ma Hongzhe, who had assisted the previous emperor in his early years and was highly trusted by him, and had many disciples in the court. After the new emperor ascended the throne, his wolfish ambitions were gradually exposed, and the aristocratic families headed by him were intertwined, and it was not an exaggeration to say that they occupied half of the court.
Lu Yu guessed that the assassination was most likely the work of this master. As long as he could pry open the killer's mouth, he would have evidence. Even if he couldn't punish Ma Hongzhe, Lu Yu would be able to make him lose a layer of skin.
He asked the guards to keep an eye on the man in black, and without paying any attention to the officials who had dinner with him today, he got on the carriage and went home.
The Lu Mansion is located in the north of the imperial city, and its vermilion gate is solemn and majestic.
This house was a reward given to Lu Yu's father, Lu Weiang, after he followed the late emperor into battle.
When Mr. Lu was young, he fought many battles in the east and the west, made great military achievements, and was named the general guarding the country.
However, he suddenly resigned when Lu Yu was fourteen years old, and since then he has lived a retired life of daily urging his son.
The moon was already high in the sky when he got home. Lu Yu walked through the corridor back to his yard and told Fugui to lock up the man in black in the cell in the backyard.
On the wall of the Lu Mansion, Bai Miaoke was staring at the man in black being taken away below, and saw clearly the exact location where he was being held.
That's right, she came here to kill and silence the witnesses.
She took one thousand taels of silver to let Lu Yu take the person away, but the man in black might have recognized her identity, and that was not something that money could solve.
So she turned around and went to the Lu Mansion. Many of the guards at the Lu Mansion had followed Grandpa Lu to the battlefield, and it took Bai Miaoke some time to avoid them.
She squatted on the wall and listened to Lu Yu arrange everything, then watched him enter the inner room.
He ordered his servants to prepare water, took off his outer robe that he had rolled around on the ground with, and threw it aside in disgust.
After a while, the sound of water was heard. Bai Miaoke, who was about to do her business, paused and approached the inner room as if possessed.
She thought to herself: Now that I'm here, it's not too much to take a look. Prime Minister Lu is so handsome. She just made a mistake that all women in the world would make.
Thinking this, she climbed in through the back window.
Lu Yu's room looks simple and tidy.
There was a step-out bed, an antique display stand, and a desk with some papers neatly stacked on it. Bai Miaoke was not interested in any of these.
She slowly moved towards the screen in the inner room, and the sound of water splashing came from behind.
This might be her first time doing this. She was able to remain calm no matter what dangerous situation she faced, but now she felt a little nervous.
She looked at the vague outline behind the landscape screen and was surprised that this thin-looking man had such a good figure.
He sat in the bathtub, revealing only his broad shoulders and narrow waist, with his black hair draped over his shoulders. Bai Miaoke touched her slightly hot face, suddenly feeling guilty, and didn't dare to continue watching.
He secretly cursed himself for being blinded by lust and jumped out of the back window as if trying to escape.
She carefully avoided the guards and successfully reached the cell in the backyard of the Lu Mansion. She knocked out two guards and entered the cell.
The inside was better than Bai Miaoke had expected, simple but generally clean. She put on her mask, ignored the people in other cells, and walked straight to the cell where the man in black was locked up. In the man's horrified eyes, she didn't even open the cell door, but threw a dart to kill him.
After finishing the job, he quickly climbed over the wall and left, quickly disappearing into the night.
After Lu Yu finished washing up, his long-time attendant Fugui came to report that no trace of the woman in red was found near Lanyue Tower.
Although she said that she was her savior, Lu Yu didn't believe that the mysterious woman with great martial arts skills was just passing by and doing a good deed.
What's more, the other party is very clear about his identity.
So as soon as the guards came, he sent people to track them down, trying to find out their identities, but unfortunately there was no gain.
He waved his hand with a hint of regret, wondering if he should hire some more powerful guards.
Fugui suddenly had an idea and asked, "Sir, you want to find this girl. Could it be that she has caught your eye?"
Lu Yu rolled his eyes at him and said, "I am already worried about the things happening in the court. I don't have time to think about those things now."
Wang Fu scratched his head and said, "But the master and the mistress are urging me to start a family."
Lu Yu got a headache when he mentioned this matter. His father was not satisfied with playing chess, playing with birds and accompanying his wife at home. He urged him to get married as soon as possible every other day, saying that when he was his age, he had already been married. His words showed a hint of contempt for Lu Yu.
Mr. Lu, who was born into a military family, had a straightforward temper. Lu Yu's mother, Yu, was very gentle, and Mr. Lu always listened to his wife's words.
The two have had a good relationship for so many years. The Lu family precepts do not allow taking concubines, and Mr. Lu has never had such an idea.
Moreover, his parents were surprisingly unanimous in urging him to get married. They both felt that it was pitiful that he was already 26 years old and still had no close friend.
Whether it is Lu Yu's family background, appearance, talent or ability, he is one of the best in the capital, and there are many noble ladies who are attracted to him.
People all say that he is not interested in women, but in fact he just has neither the time nor the energy to talk about love, so he has never had any close women in all these years.
He collected his thoughts, asked Fugui to get ready, and turned to go to the cell. He would not feel at ease until he found out who wanted to kill him.
Who would have thought that when he approached the cell, he would find the guard lying unconscious on the ground. He thought something was not good and hurried in, only to find that the man in black that he brought back tonight was already dead.
Looking at the dart that pierced the opponent's forehead, the image of the girl in the red dress immediately appeared in his mind. Thinking of the one thousand taels of silver that the girl had asked for from him, he was so angry that his veins were throbbing.
Fugui and others had already finished examining the body and came forward to report, "Sir, there are no other wounds on the body. The dart on the forehead should be the fatal wound. It looks like the murderer is very skilled in martial arts, and the force was very strong and hit right between the eyebrows."
Lu Yu asked; "Is there any mark on the dart?"
Fugui replied: "No, but it is the same as the one found in Lanyue Tower tonight, so it should be the same person."
Lu Yu's already gloomy mood became even worse. What a lifesaver! Now this swindler had tricked her. It would be best if she didn't meet him again next time, otherwise she would never let this female thief off.
He turned and went back to the study.
Although there was no evidence of the assassination today, Lu Yu could not let it go so easily. He picked up his pen and wrote a memorial, clearly listing the names of corrupt officials that had been found out some time ago, somewhat to vent his anger.
Since we haven't found out who did it, let's give them all a lesson, especially the Grand Tutor.
After doing all this, the unfortunate Prime Minister Lu finally fell asleep with a frown on his brow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
