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墨書 Inktalez
"Damn it!" Qing Luan exclaimed, and Xuanyuan Rui immediately understood what was about to happen. Furrowing his brows, he said heavily, " Luan'er, I might not be able to go to the capital with you." There were too many emotions tied to that place—not only because of his father's death but also due to his encounters with Qing Luan, making it hard for him to let go.
"No, you can't go," Qing Luan quickly denied his decision, cautiously adding, "If you go, you'll disrupt their plans. In the end, it will be for nothing!" Prime Minister Huang would surely have a foolproof method in mind; if Xuanyuan Rui showed up, who would dare to cause trouble?
There was a chance that in desperation, they might resort to underhanded tactics and eliminate Xuanyuan Rui under the guise of piracy, which would be a loss for everyone. In the past, she had been unaware and had caused the death of General Xuanyuan; this time, she could not let anything happen to Xuanyuan Rui. Otherwise, her conscience would never forgive her.
"But if I don't go, those innocent civilians will suffer!" At that moment, he wasn't thinking about anything else; all he could think of was how innocent people might lose their lives because of Prime Minister Huang's schemes.
"No, I won't let anything happen to them," she declared. Since she couldn't personally handle the situation regarding Qingyuan, she would send someone else to resolve it. Even if it meant killing those responsible, she would not hesitate. Why should the innocent always be the ones who suffer? Deep down, Qing Luan harbored a deep resentment towards those people, viewing them as the murderers of her village.
After discussing with Xuanyuan Rui, Qing Luan instructed Chimera and two other elites from the Merchant Alliance to head to the fishing village and hide out at Uncle Ma's place. They were to secretly prepare defenses for the village and inform Uncle Ma about certain matters—over the years, Uncle Ma had resisted numerous outside temptations and had consistently supported her in the fishing village. She trusted him completely; he would never betray her.
Once everything was settled, Qing Luan felt significantly lighter in spirit and even managed to show a hint of a smile.
"Where will we stay when we return to the capital?" Li Yunluo asked casually while riding alongside Qin'er.
"We'll stay where we should," Qin'er replied tersely. She was worried about her mistress and had little patience for anything else.
"Is Sister Qin'er feeling unwell?" Li Yunluo asked gently without taking offense at her irritation. "As for our master's matters, we servants have no right to know. We should just be patient; when the mistress is ready to speak, she will."
Qin'er felt frustrated by her words. How could anyone guess what her mistress was thinking? Damn it! I'm just a maid; who are you to say anything? This strange person—do I even know you well enough?
She cursed inwardly but maintained a helpless and wounded smile on her face as she sighed softly, "That's true; we are just maids..."
"The lives of maids are cheap; just take care of yourself so that you don't provoke the mistress... When she's angry, it's quite terrifying!" Li Yunluo subtly stirred up concern between them. A glimmer of light flashed in her eyes but was quickly masked by an expression of grievance.
Sister Yun rode behind them, catching every word of their conversation. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Li Yunluo's back for a moment. When Li Yunluo glanced back at her, Sister Yun lowered her head as if deep in thought and let out a heavy sigh...
Li Yunluo noticed that she was being ignored, so she turned her head back to continue chatting with Qin'er. Sister Yun, upon seeing her turn away, lifted her head and thought to herself: What keen senses! She can tell I’m staring at her. She must have some impressive skills. What purpose does the young lady have in keeping someone like her around?
If something were to go wrong, it could harm the young lady. No matter what schemes might be uncovered later, it wouldn't be worth it—this is something I need to discuss with the young lady. We must ensure this woman leaves; otherwise, she will make both the young lady and Qin'er uncomfortable, and there will be things we cannot say.
Sister Yun's protests were not heeded by Qing Luan. She warned Sister Yun, "Don't be fooled by her gentle demeanor. Regardless of whether she has martial skills, she knows Xuanyuan Rui very well. If there are schemes afoot, I'd rather have her close by so we can keep an eye on her. If we let her go, who knows what she might do? We would be caught off guard!"
Li Yunluo's hostility towards her stemmed entirely from Xuanyuan Rui's kindness towards her, which struck Sister Yun as strange. Throughout their journey, Li Yunluo had taken every opportunity to flirt with Xuanyuan Rui and ingratiate herself with him; it was clear she was after him. This piqued Sister Yun's curiosity about Li Yunluo's background. Her appearance seemed too well-timed; otherwise, how could there be so many coincidences?
Sister Yun pursed her lips, feeling powerless against her and could only silently remind herself to keep a close watch on the young lady's safety and not let Li Yunluo find any opportunities.
They traveled through wind and rain, pushing their horses hard, returning to the capital two days earlier than planned, which pleased Qing Luan greatly.
At the Jade Pavilion, business had plummeted since Qing Luan took all the jewelry and valuables away; there were hardly any customers left now. When Qing Luan arrived, the maids inside were gathered together in boredom discussing something, completely oblivious to their entrance.
"Miss," Little Luo came out carrying tea and excitedly called out upon seeing the figures entering.
The Plain Grandmother turned around and saw Qing Luan; smiles broke out on their faces as they rushed over to ask questions. However, they were gently interrupted by Qing Luan.
She exchanged a discreet wink with the Plain Grandmother before introducing Li Yunluo. "This is Miss Li Yunluo. We rescued her on the way; she’s an orphan and quite pitiful. She will be staying here from now on, so please take good care of her."
"Rest assured, Miss. We will take good care of Miss Li," said the Plain Grandmother warmly after receiving Qing Luan's hint. "Miss Li, my young lady is a good person. Once you’re here, it will feel like home. If you need anything, just let me know; you can call me Plain Grandmother!"
"Thank you, Plain Grandmother," Li Yunluo replied softly with a bow, timidly saying, "If I do anything wrong in the future, please bear with me!"
"No need for formality! Come on, I'll show you to your room," said the Plain Grandmother politely as she took Li Yunluo by the arm and led her inside. Even if Li Yunluo was unwilling, she didn’t dare refuse openly.
"We're going upstairs and closing the main door," Qing Luan called to Qin'er and the others as they ascended, then ordered the door to be tightly shut. At this moment, she wanted to avoid any unnecessary complications.
In the secret chamber.
A-Song had been waiting with Xuanyuan Rui, as Qing Luan and the others arrived a bit late due to matters concerning Li Yunluo.
"Is everything arranged?" Xuanyuan Rui asked directly upon her entrance.
"Yes, I had Plain Grandmother hold her back; there won't be any issues!" Qing Luan replied after sitting down. "A-Song, what's the current situation?" She kept him in the capital to observe the unfolding events there.
"Qiu Mingqi found Qingyuan Girl at the Zhu Family. He told Chen Xiaode that the girl he married before wasn't a Chen Family member, so he wants Qingyuan to marry him as a concubine. Otherwise, if this matter escalates, he will insist..." A-Song recounted the situation, then scoffed, "He said he would tell the emperor that it was the Chen Family who deceived him, claiming that Fourth Miss Chen was not the one he married!"
"This despicable man, can he be any more vile and disgusting?" Qing Luan laughed in anger, mocking him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The golden medals from everyone left Lazy feeling embarrassed, but truly busy; his head was spinning with stress...
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