Single Man and Single Woman
Lu Yu was welcomed into the house. When Bai Miaoke walked in and looked at him, he took the initiative to lift up his veil.
Bai Miaoke's eyes, which seemed to be able to speak, widened in surprise. She immediately covered his veil with a hat and waved her hand to let the servants around her leave. Fugui also tactfully retreated to the door and stood aside.
When there were only two people left in the hall, Bai Miaoke lifted the veil on Lu Yu's head, thinking inappropriately that it was as if she was lifting the veil for her young wife...
After seeing Lu Yu's still handsome face, she finally let go of her worries and asked curiously, "Aren't you sick?"
"I'm not sick." Lu Yu managed to utter two words after a long time.
Bai Miaoke thought, could it be that he knew that she was leaving for Jiangnan tomorrow and came to say goodbye? Could this man be so tactful?
She asked directly: "So what are you doing here?"
Lu Yu took out a neatly folded handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it over: "You dropped your handkerchief last time."
Unexpectedly, it was just for this matter. Bai Miaoke felt a little disappointed for no reason. She took the handkerchief from his hand and said stiffly, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for coming here in person."
Looking at the hand still raised in the air and hearing the unfamiliar voice of "Prime Minister", Lu Yu knew that the young lady was angry again. He could probably guess the reason, but he really couldn't tell her that he would be going to Jiangnan tomorrow and that it would be very dangerous.
He said with a little helplessness: "What I want to say is, if the lady is willing, can you give me this handkerchief?"
A girl's handkerchief is considered a relatively private item. Bai Miaoke has also heard of some aristocratic ladies with strict rules whose reputations were damaged because they lost a handkerchief and it was picked up by someone, but she never cared about these things, so she didn't go looking for it the last time she found her handkerchief was lost.
She didn't believe that Lu Yu, who came from a noble family, would not know this. Then it was self-evident why he asked for her handkerchief. This time, even if Bai Miaoke was slow-witted, she understood what he meant.
Just when she was about to let him go, he actually came to her on his own. Bai Miaoke felt a little regretful because she had to go to Jiangnan tomorrow.
She never liked procrastination, so there was nothing to hide about this matter. She looked into Lu Yu's eyes and said, "I will leave for Jiangnan tomorrow, and I don't know when I will return."
A smart person only speaks to the point. Bai Miaoke didn't say the rest. Not to mention making the prime minister wait, she herself was not sure whether she would still be obsessed with this handsome face after she came back.
After hearing this, Lu Yu couldn't hide her excitement: "You're going to Jiangnan?"
Bai Miaoke nodded, not understanding why: "Yes."
Obviously he didn't know why the other party was suddenly so excited.
Lu Yu thought: She wouldn’t come here just to accompany me, right?
After calming down for a moment, he suppressed his inner ecstasy and thought about what she had been investigating. Maybe this was the reason why she went to Jiangnan.
Lu Yu, who had been looking heavy-hearted since entering the room, finally smiled and said politely, "Then it would be best if you leave before noon, or you may not be able to make it to Tianjin."
Lu Yu thought to himself: This hint is obvious enough, I'll be waiting for you in Tianjin!
Bai Miaoke raised her eyebrows, wondering why he reacted like this and suddenly mentioned the post station. And this smile, although handsome, looked like he was looking forward to her leaving, and her anger suddenly came out again.
She raised her hand and snapped his veil cap on, pressing down Prime Minister Lu's head. Lu Yu resisted the urge to rub his head and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Bai Miaoke snorted in anger and pushed the person out: "It's getting late, and it's against the rules for a man and a woman to be in the same room together."
Lu Yu thought he was a gentleman and could not refute this, but when she climbed over the wall to find him in the middle of the night last time, why didn't she mention that it was against the rules for a man and a woman to be alone together? He wisely did not say this out loud.
He just let her push him out of the door. When he went out, he saw Fugui still standing at the door with a veil on. As the door behind them slammed shut, the master and servant looked at each other.
Fugui observed his young master's expression nervously, but he didn't expect that the man who was kicked out could be seen to have a happy face even through the veil.
Fugui: ...
After leaving Bai Mansion, the two walked back to Lu Mansion along the same route. It was almost midnight.
.
At dawn in the early morning, Lu Yu and Fugui met up with the ten Jinyiwei sent by the emperor at the exit of the city outside Beijing.
Lu Yu rode in a carriage as the head of the caravan, and Fugui continued to be his servant driving the carriage for him. The other Jinyiwei followed behind the carriage on horseback, driving several carts loaded with silk. The group pretended to be a silk caravan heading south. With the fake identities and passes prepared in advance by Lu Yu, the group successfully left the city and headed south.
Lu Yu arranged for the convoy to go south along the official road so that they could rest at the post station in Jinnan in the afternoon.
Along the way, Lu Yu was looking left and right while holding up the curtains on the side of the carriage. He really looked like a wealthy young man who was traveling around.
This place was only a hundred miles away from the capital, so there would definitely not be any bandits. Under Lu Yu's instructions, the group traveled at a leisurely pace for half a day and finally arrived in Jinnan.
Fugui asked outside the car: "Sir, it's an hour earlier than expected. If we continue on the road, we should be able to reach the next town before dark."
Lu Yu still looked out the window nonchalantly and replied, "No need, just rest for one night in Jinnan and find the best inn in the city."
"Okay!" Fugui, who had thought that the journey would be full of hardships and hardships, responded happily.
After entering the city, the group went straight to the largest inn in the city. After settling their carriages and accommodation, Lu Yu found a seat by the window on the second floor, sat down and drank tea, looking out the window.
They sat there for the whole afternoon until the sun gradually set. Fugui looked at his master's expressionless and handsome profile and asked, "Sir, are you waiting for someone?"
Lu Yu glanced at the sky and did not answer his question. He just asked, "Is the city gate closed?"
Fugui went out to ask the store owner, and soon came back with a reply: "The city gate is closed, would you like to eat now?"
Lu Yu shook his head and called the leader of the Jinyiwei, Rong Qing, to ask, "Did you see a 17 or 18-year-old woman entering the city this afternoon?"
Although he didn't know why the Prime Minister wanted to find a girl as soon as he left the capital, he was ordered by the emperor to follow the Prime Minister's instructions while he was away.
Rong Qing replied respectfully: "Prime Minister, I have led people to wait at the entrance to the city and at various inns, but we have not seen any such woman entering the city."
Although he thought that the precious Miss Bai would definitely stay at the best inn in the city, the always cautious Lu Yu still sent eight Jinyiwei out to investigate, but he unexpectedly found nothing.
Could it be that Bai Miaoke was tripped up by something?
He couldn't help but frown. The journey was very peaceful and with her skills, nothing should have happened. Lu Yu, who was always very foresighted, had no idea for a moment.
Rong Qing, who was still bowing and waiting for the next instruction, looked at the Prime Minister's increasingly solemn expression and said hesitantly: "Prime Minister, I can take people to search the inns again."
Lu Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't call me Prime Minister anymore. Call me Young Master. Brothers, you have worked hard. There is no need to search anymore. Have a rest after dinner and continue your journey tomorrow."
Rong Qing took the order and withdrew.
Fugui, who had been standing nearby, only realized at this moment that his master was actually looking for a girl. He was not sure if it was the one he saw yesterday, and asked hesitantly: "Master, is it Miss Bai?"
Hearing this, Lu Yu just glanced at him calmly and said, "Let's eat."
Knowing that his master didn't like to be in crowded places, Fugui asked the waiter to deliver the food to the master's room, and he went to the lobby on the first floor to have dinner with the Jinyiwei.
As the largest inn in Jinnan, the lobby on the first floor is almost full of people at this moment, most of whom are guests staying here.
As soon as Fugui came downstairs, he saw the Jinyiwei people in cloth clothes sitting around two tables. He walked straight towards them and naturally did not notice the two slender and handsome young men sitting in the corner of the lobby.
At this time, Bai Miaoke and Chun Xing, who were dressed as women, were sitting at a table in the corner of the lobby. They claimed to be students who had failed the imperial examination and were returning south.
Bai Miaoke was considered tall among the women, so she played the eldest brother. Chun Xing was slightly shorter than her, so she played the second brother. They were both dressed in plain cloth and had slender figures, looking like thin scholars.
Chun Xing is Bai Miaoke's personal maid, and the two have a close friendship since childhood. Bai Miaoke had originally planned to go to Jiangnan alone, but Chun Xing insisted on coming with her when she heard about this. She also learned a little Kung Fu from the young lady since she was a child, so even if she can't help much, she can take care of the young lady's daily life and won't be a burden.
Bai Miaoke agreed without thinking too much. It would be nice to have someone to talk to on the road.
At this time, the two were discussing the people around them while eating. Bai Miaoke quietly pointed to the two tables of people sitting on the left and whispered to Chun Xing, "These two tables of people are definitely skilled in martial arts. Look at the bags they carry with them. They are either knives or other weapons."
Chun Xing also looked in the direction of her gaze and nodded in agreement: "Young lady, you really know a lot."
Bai Miaoke sighed, "When you go out, you have to call me big brother!"
Realizing that she had let the cat out of the bag, Chun Xing looked around nervously and found that there was a person dressed differently at the two tables - it was Fugui who had just sat down.
Chun Xing could only see the side of his face and failed to recognize him. She turned around and continued talking to Bai Miaoke.
At this time, Bai Miaoke's attention was attracted by another table of people who had just sat down. There were only five or six people at that table, but from the way they walked and their cautious expressions, Bai Miaoke could tell that they should be people from the underworld, and their activities might be similar to those of Yueying Pavilion.
There was a group of people sitting at the empty table right next to Bai Miaoke and the other two. The tall and strong man covered the two of them tightly.
After they sat down, they ordered some food and drinks. Apart from that, there was no extra communication. However, with her years of experience as a killer, Bai Miaoke still noticed that they were looking at the other two tables of people.
After a while, one of the muscular men whispered, "He's not here."
Another man said, "His personal guard is here."
The rest of the people just nodded, and the entire communication took no more than half a cup of tea.
Bai Miaoke was listening with her ears perked up, so naturally she did not miss this conversation. She was a little curious about who they were looking for, but when traveling in the world, it is always better to have less trouble than more, so she lowered her head to eat and pretended that she heard nothing.
Although she thought the other party would not attack in the lobby of the inn, Bai Miaoke took Chun Xing back to their respective rooms not long after. It was her first day out and she didn't want to get into trouble. The best way was to close the door and turn a deaf ear to it.
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