"Ha?" Qian Xingzhi thought her ears were broken.
"Leave. Leave Shengjing, leave Nansheng Kingdom. I can send someone to escort you farther. Give up everything here. At least that way..." At least that way you'd live. But Lu Yu suddenly fell silent, unable to confess everything. The last time he had lost his composure like this was five years ago.
Qian Xingzhi forced calmness: "What's gotten into you? Didn't you say this position of mine is important to you?"
Yes, that was right, it was important. Lu Yu breathed heavily, as if he could ease the pain in body and heart: "That was before. Now it's different. Losing you now won't hinder me."
For a second, Qian Xingzhi was tempted.
To stay away from this place of trouble, no more fear. Maybe she could find a peaceful spot, hide away for the rest of her life, and perhaps one day open her eyes and be back in her hometown.
But she kept dreaming of Yan Zhaoshuang—so severely that she couldn't even tell who she was sometimes. She couldn't help wondering: had those thirty-odd years in the past been nothing but a fleeting dream?
If she fled now, would she be free from the obsession of that person in her nightmares? If she couldn't resolve all her doubts and forever lost the chance to return, what then?
Or maybe there was no such thing as a peaceful place in this world. Lu Yu couldn't guarantee her safety forever. When the truth came out, who would vouch for her?
"Lu Yu, there are things I have to do," Qian Xingzhi dodged his words. "Before I took office, you originally planned to make Lord Yang the Supervisor, right? Since Lord Yang could do it, why can't I?"
Because he had changed his plan.
Lu Yu couldn't say it. Ever since Qian Xingzhi took office, he had seen a more perfect plan. This mercenary, fawning little man was just the right fit for that doomed move.
But now he owed her a life. Even though Lu Yu hadn't been in a losing situation when he fought alone, she had indeed saved him from many injuries. No—those were excuses. Lu Yu knew very well that Qian Xingzhi had simply reminded him of someone else.
"If I said that the Supervisor of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in Nansheng was destined to walk a path of cursing and certain death, would you still want it?"
Qian Xingzhi raised an eyebrow: "Lu Yu, you're not the only one in this world with things you have to do. I, Qian Xingzhi, have always believed that heaven never seals off all exits. I won't admit defeat until the very last moment. I can't turn back, and I don't want to. How do you know that a dead end might be a way out for me?"
Lu Yu didn't understand. He knew Qian Xingzhi's two-faced skills and had never believed that her journey to Shengjing was a mere accident. But now she no longer seemed so despicable. Lu Yu didn't want to make the same mistake a second time.
At an impasse, Qian Xingzhi, losing patience, offered him a way out first: "The wind is picking up. Let's go inside."
Suddenly, Lu Yu thought of something: "Why haven't I seen Miss Zhixing?"
Without changing expression, Qian Xingzhi replied: "What, do you want to marry into the Qian family?"
Why did that momentary thought again link Qian Xingzhi and Zhixing as being too similar? Lu Yu inwardly regretted it—his absurd thoughts had been growing more frequent these past two days.
Lu Yu turned and slowly shuffled inside, his back looking especially forlorn.
"Lu Yu," Qian Xingzhi suddenly called him back. "If there's nothing else you can help me with, can you arrange a chance for me to return to Nanchuan?"
For Lu Yu, arranging a high-ranking official's trip back home was much harder than pulling out three hundred thousand taels.
"Fine. Today—let's pretend we never said any of this."
Qian Xingzhi felt an indescribable sadness: "Lord Lu, I understand."
Qian Xingzhi went to the side room, tossing and turning until midnight. Unusually, she didn't dream of Yan Zhaoshuang.
The next day, when Qian Xingzhi returned from her "gallivanting" outside, Lu Yu was no longer in the room. Everything had been tidied up neatly—even the bedsheets had been changed.
Apart from a note on the table reading "Thank you" and a pouch of silver ingots, there was no trace that Lu Yu had ever stayed.
Holding that lump of silver, Qian Xingzhi felt a twinge of discomfort.
Lu Yu gave no explanation, and she had no position to ask. Just as when Lu Yu probed her, she would dodge the question.
The next few days were eerily quiet. Qian Xingzhi almost had the illusion of peaceful times.
In court, it seemed no one knew about the assassination attempt on Lu Yu. Even the festival assassination case had stagnated for a long time.
It was the first day of the third lunar month—the Grand Court Session.
Jun Anche once again brought up how the princes were secretly colluding with ministers to seize the throne, which was an act of overstepping. Not only had the Crown Prince been stripped of his duties, but even the Third Prince far away in Nanchuan had lost some power, not to mention the others.
"Perhaps that assassination was destined to fail."
Qian Xingzhi suddenly remembered Lu Yu's ambiguous words. She looked at the remote dragon throne where Jun Anche was speaking so eloquently, and suddenly understood.
So it was you, old man.
A ruler gradually losing power had personally arranged the assassination candidate, staging a certain-to-fail rebellion on a grand celebration watched by all. The princes would suspect each other while he took the opportunity to strip their powers, thereby prolonging his own declining authority—the perfect beneficiary.
It was far too easy to link the palace maid with the Crown Prince. If Minister Xing hadn't promptly withdrawn from the succession struggle, he would have been disciplined by now.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Nanchuan: a mob rebellion has broken out, and the Third Prince's whereabouts are unknown."
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves. Qian Xingzhi glanced at Lu Yu sitting diagonally ahead, pondering the truth of the matter. Was it a real rebellion, or just a pretext to go to Nanchuan?
The Censor-in-Chief spoke up: "I believe this rebellion in Nanchuan is no small matter and must be suppressed in time. Your Majesty should select a new Governor of Nanchuan to take control of the situation."
After a moment's thought, Jun Anche appointed the second son of the Grand Minister of the Guard, Wei Yang, as the new Governor of Nanchuan, along with the General Who Pacifies the North, to proceed immediately to Nanchuan, mobilize the Suzhou army, and ensure they suppressed the rebellion and brought the Third Prince back safely.
If such a candidate was available, why hadn't he been appointed earlier? Just as Qian Xingzhi was hesitating whether to step forward and find an excuse to go to Nanchuan, Lu Yu said: "Your Majesty, I have heard that Lord Qian is skilled in divination. Perhaps we could invite Lord Qian to perform a divination, giving Governor Wei and General a clearer direction."
Qian Xingzhi went with the flow, feigning reluctance: "Your Majesty, if we need to divine the location, it will take at least seven days. Shengjing and Nanchuan are far apart, making the divination even less precise. I fear it would delay the gentlemen's journey."
Jun Anche was very "cooperative": "If you accompany them, would it work?"
Qian Xingzhi pretended to think it over: "Your Majesty, it would indeed be feasible. However, the assassination case remains unresolved. If I leave the capital..."
"No matter. You will go with them. You must find the Third Prince for me," Jun Anche paused. "Minister Lu, you shall go as well."
Why did Jun Anche send Lu Yu too? Qian Xingzhi sensed something unusual.
On the second day of the third month, the southern expedition set out in a grand procession. Even under the best circumstances, reaching Nanchuan would take fifteen days.
Qian Xingzhi recalled the situation in Nanchuan before she had come to the capital, wondering if the epidemic had eased. The disaster had been delayed for months, making a civilian rebellion all but expected. She had no idea how formidable this army was, and dared not casually assert whether the suppression would succeed—especially since the Third Prince might already be under duress.
Even the name of Nansheng Kingdom was unlucky—'Nansheng' sounded like 'hard to win.'
Before they had even traveled ten miles, Qian Xingzhi's carriage broke down. Though it was still usable, it was terribly bumpy. After being tossed about like a stir-fry several times inside, Qian Xingzhi couldn't take it anymore. She rolled out of the carriage and dry-heaved for a while.
She wasn't familiar with Wei Yang or the General Pacifying the South. After an intense mental struggle, she reluctantly climbed into Lu Yu's carriage.
"Lord Lu, sorry for the intrusion."
Lu Yu only nodded, then closed his eyes to rest.
Why did it feel like a cold war? Qian Xingzhi was extremely awkward. Whenever she felt awkward, she liked to make small talk. Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, she tried to strike up a conversation: "I'm a bit curious—why did His Majesty send you along, Lord Lu?"
Lu Yu sat upright without opening his eyes, looking especially distant and cold: "I don't know."
"Lord, do you really have to be so distant with me?"
Finally Lu Yu looked at her. Seeing Qian Xingzhi rubbing her hands together, smiling ingratiatingly, looking very obedient, he forced himself to reply: "You wanted to return to Nanchuan. Now it's done. We're even."
Qian Xingzhi's smile froze: "I didn't save you just to return to Nanchuan. Even if we were complete strangers, I would still have saved you."
Lu Yu turned his face away, no longer meeting her eyes. He had already schemed once for this ungrateful subordinate—the offer wouldn't come again. From now on, he would only go back to the original plan: mere exploitation.
Still, teasing Qian Xingzhi was amusing.
With that thought, Lu Yu smiled again and looked at her, speaking in a leisurely tone: "Speaking of which, Lord Qian, you really don't know why His Majesty sent me along?"
Qian Xingzhi, not understanding his sudden change of mood, quickly played along: "Oh? What makes you say that, Lord?"
"Five years ago, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the thirty-eighth year of Yong'an, I traveled with my parents to Nanchuan..."
As soon as she heard 'five years ago,' Qian Xingzhi's heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble.
"On the return journey, some villain hired assassins. My parents were killed in Luo County. My younger brother and I narrowly escaped with our lives, but the villain wouldn't stop. He kept sending people after us. By the time I returned to the capital, I was the only one left of the Lu family."
Qian Xingzhi's throat tightened; she couldn't utter a single word. She stared dumbfounded at Lu Yu speaking with a faint smile, as if telling a story unrelated to him.
"Lord Qian was about thirteen at the time, wasn't he? As a native of Luo County, Nanchuan, surely you would know of this?"
Lu Yu was well aware that this was an old wound, seemingly scabbed over after many years. But deep down, the scar festered and ulcerated in secret. As long as he couldn't personally kill the one who inflicted it, the pain would slowly erode his soul until he could no longer recognize himself.
Now, he maliciously tore open a gap, provoking the chess piece he didn't need to bother with.
Since you said you would save me, how do you intend to dress this wound?