Chapter 2 My stepsister ate really well in my past life
The jade hairpin barely pierced her skin before a calloused, strong hand easily gripped her wrist.
Lu Yuan's narrow eyes were as deep as a cold pool, but his tone remained flat. "What would I do with Miss Jiang's life? It was my rudeness. Please, Miss Jiang, change your clothes first. I will wait outside."
With that, she flicked her wrist, and Jiang Zhi's jade hairpin broke in two, falling into the bathtub.
After leaving the room, Lu Yuan ordered his men to surround the meditation room completely, including the roof, so that not even a fly could escape.
Jiang Zhi was left alone in the house, worrying.
Where could such a big person hide without being discovered?
"Come in."
Just as Lu Yuan was getting impatient and was about to break down the door, a sound finally came from inside.
Lu Yuan pressed down on the Embroidered Spring Knife at his waist and pushed the door open again.
But Jiang Zhi was already dressed and sitting upright to one side, her moonlit embroidered brocade robes piled up at her feet.
A beautiful woman emerges from her bath, the candlelight dim. If it weren't for the menacing Imperial Guards outside, it would truly be a scene of moonlight illuminating a flower-filled forest, a picture of tranquil beauty.
Lu Yuan searched the bathtub without looking to the side, and then searched all the places in the room that he had already checked.
Still nothing.
But his men couldn't have been mistaken; there must have been something they missed.
"Lord Lu, look carefully. Do I have the assassin you're looking for here?"
Lu Yuan pursed his thin lips habitually and frowned, but he could only give up for the time being. "I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Miss Jiang."
His gaze fell on Jiang Zhi, who was sitting upright. A thought flashed through his mind, but he couldn't grasp it in time.
“Lord Lu is also on official business, and I dare not complain,” Jiang Zhi turned her neck to expose her injury to the candlelight. “I wonder if Lord Lu could take a look and see if my injury will leave a scar?”
These daughters of officials, pampered and spoiled in the inner quarters, were extremely concerned about their appearance.
Lu Yuan, unsuspecting, bent down to take a look before turning his gaze away. "Don't worry, the wound isn't deep, it won't..."
Before I could finish speaking, everything went blurry.
A crisp "snap" sounded.
He actually got a solid slap across the face!
"You!" Caught off guard, Lu Yuan was caught off guard and she succeeded. His right hand instinctively reached for the hilt of the knife, but he restrained himself.
Jiang Zhi, however, remained gentle and sweet, a smile playing on her lips: "Lord Lu was so rude tonight. I was just angry and wanted to collect some interest. You are a magnanimous man and will certainly not hold a grudge against a weak woman."
The world fears the Embroidered Uniform Guard as if they were tigers and wolves. This is the first time Lu Yuan has been slapped, and the one who did it was a woman from the inner quarters.
Lu Yuan's cold gaze fixed on her. "What if I insist on arguing?"
"Then let's go before His Majesty and have a proper discussion to find out who was at fault first."
Since no assassin could be found, she was never in the wrong.
Lu Yuan realized that he really couldn't do anything to her.
She didn't hit hard, and her face didn't hurt much.
And before the slap arrived, there was the delicate fragrance of orchids, moist from her bath.
She was fiercer and more vengeful than the average young lady.
"If Lord Lu has nothing else to say, I'd like to retire for the night," Jiang Zhi said, signaling him to leave.
He snorted coldly, "Farewell."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The Imperial Guards standing guard outside the door exclaimed in surprise, "Boss, who did this to your face...?"
Lu Yuan glanced at him sideways, and the man immediately lowered his head and dared not say another word. The group of people also retreated like the tide.
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her back was soaked with cold sweat.
In his previous life, when the Earl's mansion was raided, Lu Yuan also had this cold and unapproachable demeanor, standing guard at the gate like a jade-faced Yama, coldly watching his subordinates search and raid the place.
The servants scattered and fled. Jiang Zhi was pushed and thrown out. One of her men, seeing her beauty, had wicked thoughts and was about to drag her into the woodshed to commit atrocities when Lu Yuan's Embroidered Spring Blade flew over and chopped off the man's finger.
"There are all kinds of women in brothels, but if anyone dares to break the rules during a case, don't blame me for being ruthless with my blade."
Without even glancing at the disheveled Jiang Zhi on the ground, he kicked the wailing subordinate hard and ordered his men to drag him away.
Jiang Zhi knew he was making an example of someone to warn others and to discipline Wei Ji, and she wouldn't care whether the person being humiliated was a concubine or a maid from an earl's mansion.
But Jiang Zhi knew that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who inspired fear and could stop children from crying at night, was not a petty and despicable person.
The slap I gave him was just to distract him and prevent him from noticing the abnormality in his lower body.
A slight movement came from beneath the wide hem of her skirt.
Xie Qi was tall and strong, and he was injured. He was curled up in the small space and didn't move. He must have reached his limit.
But Jiang Zhi pressed down on his shoulder through his clothes and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Let's wait a little longer."
Lu Yuan has always been suspicious, and now is not the time to let his guard down.
Sure enough, not long after, Lu Yuan returned and barged in again, ignoring the maid's attempts to stop him.
"I was careless and left the scabbard in Miss Jiang's room. It was truly impolite." His eagle-like gaze swept around the meditation room before he picked up the scabbard that he had deliberately placed in the corner.
"Lord Lu, you must check carefully to make sure you don't miss anything," Jiang Zhi said calmly.
Lu Yuan's expression hardened slightly, and for the first time, he began to doubt his years of experience in handling cases.
Despite numerous attempts to probe him today, that person has vanished without a trace, like a clay ox disappearing into the sea.
It seems he had indeed misunderstood Miss Jiang.
He ignored the sarcasm in Jiang Zhi's tone and took his leave again.
Only when there was absolutely no sound outside the door did Jiang Zhi dare to let Xie Qi come out from under her skirt.
"Thank you very much for your help today, Miss Jiang." Xie Qi's voice was hoarse.
He was struck in the chest by an arrow; the fletching had been broken off, leaving only the arrowhead inside his body.
If I hadn't grown up in the military and gotten used to bleeding and getting injured, I probably wouldn't have lasted this long.
Jiang Zhi noticed that his night clothes, which he had just taken out of the bathtub, were still damp and clung tightly to his firm chest, outlining the distinct contours of his abdominal muscles, which further accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, height, and long legs.
Yet, she was born with a pair of captivating, almond-shaped eyes that exuded a touch of romantic charm.
Even with his injuries, his elegant and refined demeanor remained undiminished.
No wonder he is General Xie, who can attract a whole brothel full of beautiful women and make all the women in the capital flock to him.
My stepsister must have had a really good life in my past life.
Jiang Zhi took out the medicine box she had prepared beforehand and let Xie Qi take off his outer robe to apply the medicine himself, while she turned around to avoid suspicion.
A rustling sound followed by a suppressed groan. When Jiang Zhi turned around, Xie Qi had already cleanly and efficiently dug out the arrowhead, applied the best medicine, and bandaged the wound.
“Miss Jiang’s kindness is something I will never forget. I will do anything to help you.” He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said earnestly.
Jiang Zhi nodded, "I'll help you because there's something I need you to do for me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
