"It wasn't just for the plan..." Lu Yu said abruptly.
"What?" Qian Xingzhi didn't even have time to react.
"Saving you wasn't just for the plan," Lu Yu felt his throat go dry. "Don't take it to heart."
Qian Xingzhi felt something was off. Could Lu Yu be secretly gay? Or had she teased him too much?
She pretended to be normal, forcing a smile. "Those words were for others to hear. Even if you were indeed just using me, the medicine I drink prolongs my own life. I have no reason to take it to heart."
This comment twisted Lu Yu's discomfort into a whole new dimension. What was Qian Xingzhi thinking? One moment she seemed to love him, the next she was just teasing him. He didn't want to spend any more energy on these inexplicable matters. For a moment, there was silence.
Yuan Qing came back in with the freshly boiled medicine. Seeing the two sitting awkwardly facing each other, he wasn't sure whether to put on a smile, so he said solemnly, "The medicine is ready."
As soon as Qian Xingzhi saw Yuan Qing, she couldn't stay calm. She instinctively pointed at him: "You... you're Zhu Qing?"
Only then did Yuan Qing put on a smile. "Yes, that's right. You gave me quite a start too, Lord Qian. I'd like to learn a thing or two from you when I have the chance."
Learn what? Since Zhu Qing was Lu Yu's man, why hadn't he reported to Lu Yu that she was a woman? Did Lu Yu already know? No wonder he had seemed less resistant to her lately. But if that were the case, hadn't he been laughing at her all along?
Qian Xingzhi's face cycled through shades of blue and white as she tentatively asked Lu Yu, "Big brother... you knew?"
Lu Yu was a little puzzled. He shoved the medicine into Qian Xingzhi's hand. "I've known for a long time, haven't I? Don't think you can weasel out of taking your medicine by changing the subject. Drink it while it's hot."
Known for a long time? Qian Xingzhi's brain short-circuited for a few seconds. Did these master and servant both think she was some cross-dresser? What a pair of idiots.
Qian Xingzhi clicked her tongue, took a sip, and was immediately tamed by the bitterness. "Heavens, I'll die from bitterness before the disease ever kills me."
Lu Yu suddenly remembered the first time Qian Xingzhi had come to the Lu Mansion, kneeling in the courtyard and saying she had been raised in a vat of medicine. The pity came belatedly, and Lu Yu turned his face away awkwardly.
In the end, it was all his fault for seeing his younger brother Lu Qian every time he looked at her. Otherwise, why would things have become so tangled today?
While Qian Xingzhi grimaced from the bitter medicine, it suddenly hit her: The news about the Third Prince's visits to Full Moon Tower had been leaked to her by Zhu Qing. Since Zhu Qing was Lu Yu's man, that meant Lu Yu had ordered the information to be passed to the Qian Mansion.
Why? Had Lu Yu been certain she would make trouble for the Third Prince? Or was he just drawing her attention to the matter early, waiting for the right time to use her as a tool to stab the Third Prince?
That way, even if she was exposed, the fire wouldn't reach Lu Yu.
Thinking further, the Full Moon Tower affair had already been exposed, leading to the Third Prince being "exiled" to Nanchuan. No wonder Lu Yu could use the secret passage to take him hostage—everything fell into place.
The only variable was whether Jun Anche would definitely banish the Third Prince to Nanchuan. But as a trusted minister of the emperor, Lu Yu had the means to influence Jun Anche's decisions.
Qian Xingzhi broke out in a sweat, whether from the medicine or something else.
She looked at the conflicted man before her, recalling the words he had said to her, and suddenly didn't dare to carefully distinguish which were true and which were false. With such careful and meticulous planning, he must be a born actor. And she had just been fantasizing that Lu Yu might have feelings for her—she shuddered at the thought.
"Thank you, my lord."
All day long, it had been "big brother this, big brother that," but now she suddenly switched to "my lord." Lu Yu found it strange. "What, did the medicine make your tongue too stiff to speak freely?"
Qian Xingzhi covered up: "It really did stun me with bitterness. But calling you 'big brother' was indeed presumptuous. I'll stick with 'my lord.'"
Lu Yu felt uncomfortable. The words "there's no need" were already on his lips, but he swallowed them back. "As you wish."
Qian Xingzhi steadied her mind. It was better to keep her distance from Lu Yu. Mutual use was a perfect relationship; adding anything else would only make things messy.
"Yuan Qing, pack up the prescription and several doses of medicine for Lord Qian." Lu Yu gave the order to Yuan Qing, then instructed Qian Xingzhi: "Yin Tan has been waiting outside. If you feel well enough, go back with him. Get plenty of rest. If anything comes up, I'll have Yuan Mo arrange it."
Qian Xingzhi acknowledged each point. "Thank you, my lord."
Just call me big brother.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lu Yu hesitated and couldn't bring himself to say them.