Chapter 35 Chapter 35 House Arrest
It was almost late at night when I returned to the courtyard. The moonlight was as deep as frost, and its bright light poured all over the ground.
The courtyard was shrouded in mottled shadows, and it was silent and still. The wooden basin she had used for washing clothes was still scattered across the yard, unput away. Lu Chen glanced at it indifferently, then walked up the stone steps and pushed open the door to enter the house.
Zhe Rou had something on his mind and was not feeling well. He did not sleep well at night. When he was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Not long after, he heard faint rustling sounds coming from the kitchen, which made him feel uneasy.
She managed to sleep for a while longer, and then she heard Lu Chen walk into the bedroom. Then the edge of the couch sank slightly, and an arm stretched out and hugged her waist. After a pause, the hot palm moved down to her abdomen, stroking it back and forth.
The little sleepiness he had was gone in an instant. I wonder if he was still thinking about the unfinished sex or the lost child.
No matter which one it was, it made her feel sad.
Zhe Rou closed her eyes and endured for a moment. She was really annoyed that Lu Chen was so out of line. In a daze, she grabbed his wrist and tried to push him aside.
Unexpectedly, Lu Chen pulled her into his arms and half-forced her cheek to turn over.
Zhe Rou couldn't help but frown slightly and asked vaguely: "...what are you doing?"
Lu Chen did not respond, and the next moment, the warm and slightly cool porcelain bowl touched his lips.
Zhe Rou was stunned.
Lu Chen lifted her up from behind, his voice cold and filled with indescribable fatigue: "Drink this bowl of honey ginger drink before you go to sleep."
In the past, the weather in Taozhou was bitterly cold. If she didn't pay much attention to that month and caught a cold after touching cold water, she would inevitably suffer during her period. Later, Lu Chen learned this recipe from her, and as long as he was not in the army, he would make it for her on time.
In fact, her period had passed today, and she had just made an excuse out of desperation. She didn't expect him to take it so seriously. He came back late at night and still wanted to make a bowl of ginger soup for her.
Zhe Rou's throat suddenly felt choked, and she couldn't tell what she felt in her heart. She gripped the quilt with such force that her fingertips turned white.
The ginger soup is boiled to the right temperature, hot but not scalding, and some brown sugar and locust honey are added, so it doesn't taste too spicy. After drinking it, you will sweat a thin layer, which is very effective in warming the body and dispelling the cold.
After drinking the ginger soup and taking a rest, Lu Chen pulled her into his arms again and let her snuggle up to him and fall asleep.
Zhe Rou slept deeply that night. When she woke up the next day, Lu Chen was gone and there was no one beside the bed. She reached out and touched the pillow, and found it was cold.
It was as if everything that happened yesterday was just a dream she had.
However, the moment she stood up, opened the door, and saw the people in the yard, she knew she was not dreaming.
Nan Heng was guarding the steps with a knife in his arms. When he saw her come out, he hurried forward and bowed, saying, "My dear, you've gone out to do some work. He said he'll be back around noon. Please wait a moment, my lady."
Zhe Rou nodded and wanted to go out, but was stopped by Nan Heng.
He was rather embarrassed. He looked up at Zhe Rou and said with a stiff upper lip, "My lady, my husband specifically told me to wait for him to come back before he left."
Zhe Rou was stunned for a moment, then understood.
This means putting her under house arrest.
Although she had vaguely expected it, she still laughed in anger when she saw it come true.
Lu Bingyan was really capable. When she was about to start feeling hesitant and uneasy, he would give her a blow at the right time.
Last night's moment of weakness was a joke. What did he think of her? A flower or bird kept in the backyard?
He fed her well, took good care of her, and cared about her, but he was also arrogant and domineering, completely disregarding her wishes.
She was filled with resentment, and when Lu Chen came back at noon, she ignored him and just sat quietly beside the couch, reading the book in her hand with her head down in the sunlight that came in through the window.
The sunlight was cut into exquisite diamonds by the window panes, illuminating half of her white jade-like cheek. A few strands of hair hung down lightly, and she felt calm and peaceful. In a trance, it seemed as if she had returned to Taozhou.
Lu Chen's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he couldn't help but step forward and pull her into his arms. He peppered her neck with hot kisses and whispered hoarsely, "妱妱."
As soon as he came over, Zhe Rou realized that something was wrong with him. His whole body was burning hot, and it was obvious that he had a high fever.
Lu Chen's arms around her waist slowly tightened, but Zhe Rou ignored him and remained stiffly silent.
Lu Chen didn't seem to be feeling well either, burying his head in the crook of her neck and silently hugging her for a long time. Zhe Rou gradually felt uncomfortable with the warmth of his body, and just as she was about to reach out and push him away, she suddenly felt her shoulder sink.
She was slightly startled and called out softly, "Lu Bingyan?"
No one responded. Lu Chen couldn't hold on any longer, leaning against her shoulder, and passed out without realizing it.
Recalling the bloodstains on his waist and abdomen yesterday, Zhe Rou felt a tightness in her heart. She stood up and called Nan Heng in, asking, "Is Lu Chen injured?"
Nan Heng was a little surprised when she asked this. "Why didn't you mention this to me? Not long after I left, you were assassinated in the capital."
Hearing the word "assassinated", Zhe Rou's heart trembled slightly. After a while, she calmed down and nodded in response: "It is probably a recurrence of the injury. He has a high fever now. You should take him to the hospital."
Nan Heng was startled and said hesitantly, "My wife is knowledgeable in medicine, isn't she?"
Zhe Rou pursed her lips and said nothing.
Anyone who is confined for half a day would feel resentful. She was already annoyed at Lu Chen's rude behavior, so how could she have the mind to take care of him?
Gazing at her expression, Nan Heng vaguely guessed the reason. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and spoke bluntly, "My lady, you may not know this, but your husband has been searching for you non-stop since leaving the capital. We've walked hundreds of miles, been on horseback for days, and my wounds have ruptured countless times, causing them to recur. My lady... could you really bear to leave me alone?"
Hearing the faint resentment in his words, Zhe Rou couldn't help but find it ridiculous. With her eyelashes drooping, she whispered, "So I should thank him for ignoring his serious injuries and chasing him all the way here to force him to do this, right?"
Nan Heng realized she had misunderstood and quickly spoke up to defend her husband, "My dear, please don't misunderstand me! My dear, I mistakenly thought you were kidnapped by pirates. I was worried about your safety, so I rushed all the way to Guide Prefecture and received a tip-off that you had not fallen into the hands of the pirates. That's why I stopped to rest. It was definitely not for any other reason!"
Zhe Rou fell silent, looking down at Lu Chen's pale and haggard face, her heart filled with hatred and pain. After a while, she sighed secretly and reached out to untie his clothes.
After removing his inner clothes, Zhe Rou saw that his waist was casually wrapped with several pieces of thin cloth, with large bloodstains seeping out layer by layer. The edges had turned dark and black. It was obvious that he had not been properly treated on the way. At most, the medicine was hastily changed a few times. By now, it was probably red and ulcerated.
Zhe Rou gritted her teeth, turned around and told Nan Heng to fetch some warm water, some strong liquor and a clean handkerchief.
Seeing that she was willing to take over, Nan Heng quickly responded and turned to fetch water and medicine.
Zhe Rou washed her hands carefully, carefully removed the blood-stained fine cloth, and cleaned and bandaged him with strong liquor again. Lu Chen was awakened from his drowsiness by the severe pain. He gritted his teeth and panted softly, barely prying his eyelids open. His dark eyes were soaked with sweat and slightly wet, and he looked at her without blinking.
Zhe Rou felt uncomfortable with his look and stood up to leave.
Lu Chen grabbed her sleeve and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't go."
"The knife wound hasn't healed yet, don't move. I'll go get you some medicine."
Hearing this, Lu Chen paused for a moment, then unconsciously put on a smile in his voice, turned his eyes to find hers, "Miss, are you worried about me?"
Zhe Rou pulled her sleeve out of his hand and whispered, "I am a doctor. Even if I am a stranger, I will not leave him alone."
His heart suddenly sank again. Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice cold: "In your eyes, I am just a stranger on the street, huh?"
Zhe Rou pursed her lips and did not respond.
Lu Chen withdrew his hand that was frozen in mid-air, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and turned his head away.
Neither of them spoke anymore. Lu Chen had a fever intermittently for half a day, and it was not until the evening that the temperature showed signs of subsiding. However, he was still in a coma and had not fully awakened.
Zhe Rou no longer cared about him, changed her clothes, and went out.
When Nan Heng saw her come out, he immediately became alert and stood up straight, "Madam?"
Zhe Rou glanced at him and said calmly, "Today is the Ghost Festival. I want to give my child a river lantern. Is that not allowed?"
Hearing her mention the child, Nan Heng was stunned. After hesitating for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Then I will go with you, my lady."
Zhe Rou was really just sad, thinking about releasing a river lantern, and she had no intention of escaping. It would not be a problem if someone followed her, so she did not refuse.
Seeing this, Nan Heng felt relieved. He waved to call a guard and told him to wait for the man to wake up and report the details. He then followed Zhe Rou out of the courtyard.
Although Suzhou is not as prosperous as the Jiangning area, it is also an important commercial port on the Bian River with a large population and is very bustling.
Tonight, there were a lot of people releasing river lanterns on both sides of the river. There were crowds of people everywhere, and the scene was bustling. Candlelight flickered on the water, and hundreds of lanterns were connected like a starry river. Zhe Rou barely found an open space, bent down, and sent the river lantern in her hand into the water.
One for the parents, one for the child I have never met.
Not without guilt.
Indescribable sadness and bitterness were entangled in her heart. As a new mother, she had cruelly abandoned the child who was connected to her by blood, and she was not able to completely break off her ties with Lu Chen. Thinking about it now, it was just ironic.
She was quietly watching the lotus lanterns swaying and drifting away on the water. Just as she was about to lift her skirt and stand up, a masked man suddenly jumped out from nowhere. He was so swift that before Zhe Rou could react, he grabbed her firmly in his arms, stepped on the tiptoes, jumped over the crowd, and flew away.
"My wife!"
The sudden change caught Nan Heng off guard. He was horrified and suddenly came to his senses. He immediately ran after him, but a crowd suddenly rushed around him and pushed and entangled him. He was just two steps slower and was left behind.
The masked man held Zhe Rou tightly in his arms, quickly flew to the river surface, and jumped onto a nearby boat. The people on the boat immediately rowed and hid deep into the bridge hole.
Nan Heng was so anxious that his eyes turned red. He no longer cared about anything else and attacked the person who was in the way. He rushed left and right among the crowd along the shore, but he could only watch the small boat drift down with the wind and could not catch up at all.
Seeing the boat about to disappear into the darkness, away from the clamor of the crowd, Zhe Rou was terrified. She struggled to remove the hairpin from her head and was about to struggle when she heard someone behind her calling out urgently, "Nine Lady! It's me! Don't be afraid."
Hearing this familiar voice in panic, Zhe Rou couldn't help but pause in shock. After a long while, he hesitantly called out: "Mingqi?"
Xie Yunzhou responded and placed her steadily on the deck. He raised his hand to pull up her lower garment and gave a wry smile. "Lu Bingyan guards me like a thief. I wanted to look for you, but I waited all day without a chance. Finally, I waited until you left the courtyard, and this is the only way I could do."
Zhe Rou was startled. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Xie Yunzhou looked at her and explained, "Nine Lady, I never revealed your whereabouts to him."
Unexpectedly, he still remembered this. Zhe Rou couldn't help but smile, "I know you won't."
Xie Yunzhou smiled and sneered, "I'm very familiar with Lu Bingyan's bad temper. Now that he's chasing you, he'll definitely force you back to the capital."
After a pause, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he raised his handsome eyes, looking at Zhe Rou steadily, and said seriously: "But if you think it through and really don't want to be with him anymore, I will send you away and find another place for you to settle down."
The warm summer night breeze blew across the river. Zhe Rou looked at the young man's clear and pure eyes, and was moved for a moment after hearing these words.
But the more this happened, the more she had to make some things clear to him. She couldn't accept his kindness so comfortably. Zhe Rou frowned and thought for a long time, then spoke hesitantly: "Ming Qi..."
"Jiu Niang, you don't have to think too much." Xie Yunzhou suddenly interrupted her. Looking at her slightly stunned expression, he curled the corners of his lips in self-mockery, "Just think of it as my way of repaying you for saving my life in Taozhou that year."
Zhe Rou was startled, pursed her lips, and wanted to nod in agreement.
At this moment, there was a sudden "clang" sound, and a steel-feathered crossbow arrow shot out from somewhere. The sharp arrow head pierced into the space between the two of them, barely half an inch away from Xie Yunzhou's feet. The arrow body penetrated most of the deck, and several pieces of fine wood chips flew up in an instant. The arrow feathers were still buzzing and vibrating.
Zhe Rou was startled and instinctively took a few steps back. Her footing was unstable for a moment and she was almost tripped by the boat rope. Fortunately, Xie Yunzhou reached out in time, held her steady, and protected her behind his back.
Before she could turn around, a voice that tried hard to suppress anger sounded coldly on the shore not far away.
"Miss, come back."
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