Chapter 53 Closeness to Lu Yuan is only natural
He sneered, "I didn't expect Lord Lu to have so much free time. After saving someone, you still have the leisure to sit here and burn incense. Anyone who didn't know better would think you and Miss Jiang had some kind of relationship."
Faced with his provocative words, Lu Yuan remained expressionless, only narrowing his eyes at him, "Judging from Young Master Xie's tone, he seems to be quite familiar with Miss Jiang. However, as far as I know, Lord Xie had no interaction with Miss Jiang before returning to the capital this time. I wonder when the two of you met?"
Xie Qi tightened his grip on the sword sheath.
He and Jiang Zhi first met at this Puzhao Temple. At that time, Lu Yuan was in the open while he was in the shadows, and the arrow scars on his body that haven't completely faded yet are thanks to him.
Xie Qi twitched the corner of his lips. "It has nothing to do with Lord Lu."
Lu Yuan was not offended by what he heard. He released Jiang Zhi's hand and lit an incense stick in front of her mother's memorial tablet.
Seeing that he treated him like family, Xie Qi couldn't help but feel competitive. He took an incense stick from the side, lit it, bowed, and inserted it into the incense burner.
Turning her head, she saw that Lu Yuan had actually returned to stand next to Jiang Zhi, the two of them leaning close together, with Lu Yuan's hand supporting Jiang Zhi, their posture extremely casual and natural.
Jiang Zhi did not back down at all, as if her closeness to Lu Yuan was a matter of course.
His face stiffened, a lump formed in his throat, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Men and women should not touch each other. Doesn't Lord Lu know what it means to avoid suspicion?"
Lu Yuan followed his gaze to his own hands, then chuckled, "I'm truly sorry, Miss Jiang has unfortunately sprained her ankle and needs assistance. If Young Master Xie really wishes to blame me, please consider it my frivolous behavior and do not implicate Miss Jiang."
"Sprained ankle? Is it serious? Have you applied any medicine?" Xie Qi was no longer concerned about Lu Yuan's sarcastic tone and was anxious to go forward and check.
“Everything has been taken care of,” Lu Yuan said, leading Jiang Zhi away from his approach. “Young Master Xie, men and women should not touch each other. Please be respectful.”
If Jiang Zhi hadn't been there, Xie Qi would have definitely drawn his sword against Lu Yuan.
The world fears the Embroidered Uniform Guard like tigers and wolves, but this does not include Xie Qi.
Xie Qi felt uneasy whenever he thought about how Jiang Zhi was saved by Lu Yuan.
He regretted not receiving the news sooner, and for not keeping a close eye on Jiang Zhi's movements, which led to her being in such a dangerous situation.
Even though he knew perfectly well that her life in the Jiang family was like walking on thin ice, he still let his guard down.
He suddenly thought of something else.
"This temple is full of monks, and there are no other women. Who applied the medicine to Miss Jiang?"
Lu Yuan didn't speak, he just stared at him coldly.
The answer is self-evident.
A nameless rage surged within Xie Qi, and he could no longer resist drawing his sword, the tip pointing directly at Lu Yuan's face. "You dare!"
This is utterly absurd!
How dare Lu Yuan! Doesn't he know the difference between men and women, and the importance of respecting propriety in such situations?!
Lu Yuan, however, did not back down at all. "Is Prince Xie raising his voice so loudly because he's afraid the others in the temple won't know?"
Xie Qi's hand gripping the sword was bulging with veins, and the murderous aura in his eyes was as cold as a dark cloud pressing down on a city, as if he wished he could cleave Lu Yuan in two with a single sword strike.
There was an undercurrent of tension between the two, and neither was willing to back down, resulting in a stalemate.
"Enough!" Jiang Zhi said angrily. "Even if Young Master Xie has a grudge against Lord Lu, he cannot come to my mother's coffin and make a scene. My mother loved peace and quiet and could not stand noise. If you have anything to say, please leave this hall and do not disturb my mother's eternal rest."
She knew why Xie Qi harbored such hostility towards Lu Yuan.
The first time I met him, he was being chased by Lu Yuan and his men, and he was even shot in the chest by an arrow from Lu Yuan, so naturally he wouldn't have a pleasant expression.
She didn't expect the two of them to speak calmly, but she absolutely couldn't disturb her mother.
Xie Qi was startled, and the boiling blood in his body immediately calmed down.
After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and sheathed his sword, but his face was still very ugly. He said to Jiang Zhi, "I'm sorry, I was rude."
He didn't even glance at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's eyes revealed a look of understanding.
This young master Xie usually appears young and arrogant, and it's rare to see him so obediently listening to being reprimanded.
It seems his feelings for this Miss Jiang are quite special.
As dusk fell, a young novice monk came in to report, "Lord Lu, people from the Jiang family have arrived at the temple gate. They are subtly inquiring about Miss Jiang. Should we ask Miss Jiang to come out?"
Lu Yuan glanced at him. "What should we say when the people from the Jiang family ask? I don't need to repeat myself, do I?"
The young novice immediately put his hands together in prayer. "Amitabha, monks do not lie. Miss Jiang has been offering incense in our temple all day and has not left. The abbot is aware of this, so it cannot be faked."
Even if it violates the Buddha's precepts, Puzhao Temple would not dare not cover up this lie for Jiang Zhi.
This Lord Lu Yuan brings people to Puzhao Temple to investigate cases every few days. When he was searching for the assassins, he detained several monks. Even after the assassins were captured, he didn't stop, causing panic throughout the temple, with everyone fearing that they might get into trouble and be imprisoned in the imperial prison at any time.
Moreover, this was to protect Miss Jiang's reputation, and it wasn't considered an evil deed. As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, and the abbot knew how important reputation was to a woman. Even if Buddha knew, he would understand.
"Puzhao Temple truly lives up to its reputation as a sacred pilgrimage site. I felt deeply apologetic for disturbing the monks' meditation while capturing the assassin. Upon returning to the palace, I will certainly speak to His Majesty and request that he issue an order to renovate the temple," Lu Yuan said with a smile.
The young novice was overjoyed. "This humble monk thanks Lord Lu in advance."
After the young novice monk left, Lu Yuan asked Jiang Zhi, "Miss Jiang, would you like to go down the mountain now?"
"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Lord Lu." Jiang Zhi nodded.
Lu Yuan handled things extremely well. Not only did he save her, but he also persuaded everyone at Puzhao Temple to testify on her behalf. Otherwise, I would have had to spend a lot of time explaining myself when I got back.
It turned out that she was right to hand over Yan Wenkang's evidence to him.
He is a person who reciprocates kindness and values relationships.
At this moment, Xie Qi stepped forward to stop them, "Wait, Miss Jiang's foot is still injured. Does Lord Lu intend to ride down the mountain with her? If someone sees this and tarnishes her reputation, can Lord Lu bear the responsibility?"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "What does Young Master Xie intend to do?"
Xie Qi finally got the upper hand and couldn't help but feel triumphant. "I knew Miss Jiang would need it, so I had a carriage prepared before we set off. It must have arrived by now. If Miss Jiang doesn't mind, please take a ride down the mountain in my Xie family's carriage."
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