He did not live in the Prince Chen's mansion, but in another residence, which was a reward from the Prince Chen for his previous merits. As for the merits he made in Nantai during this period, he has not yet been rewarded.
Qin Jian also had his own residence, but they had no family there, so even if they went back, it would be deserted. Therefore, they squeezed in with Lu Baichuan to live together.
However, there was still no festive atmosphere.
Qin Jian couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, so he got up to practice his martial arts and found someone sitting on the roof drinking.
Who else could it be but Lu Baichuan?
Qin Jian was instantly furious. He leaped onto the roof and said irritably, "Are you out of your mind? How many times has the doctor told you not to drink alcohol? How can you not remember?"
As he spoke, he reached out and snatched the wine from Lu Baichuan's hand.
To prevent Lu Baichuan from snatching it, he deliberately hid it behind his back.
"I didn't drink much."
Lu Baichuan felt somewhat helpless. He valued his life and knew that this was within the limits of his body's tolerance.
"What's wrong with you? You've been acting strangely lately and haven't told me anything!"
Qin Jian felt angry just thinking about it. Ever since he went to Changzhou on his own and came back, he had completely changed.
His methods were more ruthless than before, and he was also much bolder, even exceeding the tasks assigned by Prince Chen.
If it were anyone else, Qin Jian would definitely think that this person would give up even their reputation for fame and fortune, but he knew that Lu Baichuan was not that kind of person.
Although they were also after fame and fortune, they were more concerned with the greater good of the country. Moreover, they had been in Nantai for so long and brought back a lot of useful information. Even without the matter of the Crown Prince of Nantai and the Prince of Liang, they would have been rewarded upon their return. There was no need for them to risk their lives.
Lu Baichuan's unusual behavior must mean he's hiding something from him.
He just couldn't understand it. They were brothers who had gone through thick and thin together. What was there that couldn't be said? If he told them, he might still be able to help.
"nothing."
Lu Baichuan smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Qin Jian, but if he revealed this, it would be equivalent to deceiving Prince Chen back then. If the matter got out, he might be punished. The fewer people who knew, the fewer people would be implicated and punished.
"you!"
Qin Jian was so angry that he was panting through his mouth. If it weren't for the fact that Qin Jian's wrinkled face looked so miserable, he would have really wanted to punch him.
"If you're a man, just get to the point! Hurry up and say it!"
Unable to contain his anger, Qin Jian plopped down on the roof tile and, in a fit of frustration, gulped down the wine he had just snatched.
This feeling of being neither alive nor dead is so annoying!
Lu Baichuan was even more helpless: "It has nothing to do with you, you don't need to get involved."
"Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I'm a coward?"
Qin Jian raised his leg to kick him, but Lu Baichuan easily dodged it. He finally spoke up: "Find my family."
"You still have family?"
Qin Jian's eyes brightened. "Didn't you say you were the only one in the family?"
"Living on the edge of a knife, you might offend countless people, and I don't want to drag them into it."
Lu Baichuan chuckled self-deprecatingly. If he hadn't taken it upon himself to contact them earlier, he wouldn't have completely lost touch with them now.
"That's true. In our line of work, it's more suitable for a lone wolf like me... But, are you from Changzhou?"
He suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Lu Baichuan with a surprised expression.
"No wonder, no wonder you were in such a hurry to go to Changzhou! Changzhou is in such a mess, what about your family..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but he understood perfectly. No wonder Lu Baichuan had done so many inexplicable things before; it turned out he was worried about his family in Changzhou.
"Your Highness isn't in Changzhou providing disaster relief; perhaps you'll hear news about your family there?"
"It's not as simple as you think. His Highness is going to provide disaster relief. He will be in contact with officials and won't have much contact with the common people. Even if he does, he won't specifically ask for their names or anything like that."
He shook his head, having no hope for Prince Chen.
Most importantly, his father left him a message that the whole family was moving north to Anzhou. He wanted to go to Anzhou in person to see it, and then find his way back from Anzhou.
My previous trip back was rushed, and I went to Wei Yu for help, but the information he provided wasn't very comprehensive. It was mainly to protect my family's information, so he might not be able to investigate very thoroughly. I still have to rely on myself for this.
"What are your plans? I'll go with you to look for it."
Having learned the whole story, Qin Jian felt he couldn't remain uninvolved.
His brother's family is his family. Anyway, he's been alone since he was little, so it's not unreasonable for him to treat his brother's parents as his own.
"After the New Year, I will report the details to His Highness, and then I will ask for a leave of absence to go to Anzhou first, and then look for it along the way."
Lu Baichuan explained his plan, and Qin Jian looked incredulous: "What's the difference between this and looking for a needle in a haystack? Why don't you tell His Highness and have him send someone to help you find it?"
"No need to trouble yourself, please don't tell His Highness about this for now."
Qin Jian had been by Prince Chen's side since childhood and was dependent on him, always thinking of Prince Chen in everything.
But Lu Baichuan was different. He came to the palace later in life, and his relationship with Prince Chen was not particularly good. He only regarded Prince Chen as a master to whom he needed to serve. As for feelings, they had not spent much time together and had almost no feelings for each other.
It was his own family matter, and there was no reason for him to bother Prince Chen, especially since he had deceived him.
The Prince Chen is being watched by everyone now. If we really ask the Prince Chen to help find someone, his rivals will definitely find out, which would only expose the Lu family more, which is completely different from his previous idea and is not advisable.
"How long will it take you to find him by yourself? His Highness is in dire need of people, and your request for leave is not a long-term solution."
Qin Jian felt increasingly complicated, but he could understand Lu Baichuan's desire to protect his family, especially the fact that he had a family, which he hoped to keep from Prince Chen forever.
For no particular reason, just to leave myself a way out.
Someone like him, all alone, would give his life to Prince Chen, but Lu Baichuan has family, which is his weakness. Whether it's an enemy or Prince Chen, they could use his family as leverage.
One should always be wary of others.
Because he had spent so much time with Lu Baichuan, Qin Jian had started to think about many things. As soon as Lu Baichuan refused, he understood the whole story.
"Okay, I'll ask for leave with you."
Qin Jian spoke without thinking, but Lu Baichuan glanced at him indifferently and asked, "You know that His Highness is short of people. Now that we're both gone, what will His Highness do to find someone to help him?"
"..."
He hadn't really thought about that question.
Their return this time was also due to the replacement of a group of people from here, as Prince Chen's side was indeed lacking in talent.
But he wasn't comfortable letting Lu Baichuan go alone!
Especially since he hasn't fully recovered, how can he manage without anyone by his side?
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