Fu Rou pressed her face closed to his neck as she nodded. She had missed his warmth. Sheng Chumu started to become cocky. “You actually really like me, right?”
“Yes, I like you.” In the past, she had always pretended to be strong. However, her heart had gone to him a long time ago.
“Of all the men in the world, who do you care about the most?” He was nervous.
“Sheng Chumu.”
“Are you only going to listen to what Sheng Chumu says?” He looked into her eyes.
“I will only listen to what Sheng Chumu says.” She did not hesitate at all. He was very satisfied and held her hand as they walked forward.
Sheng Chumu was most afraid of Fu Rou not having feelings for him. She was unlike other girls and did not stick or rely on him. She was very independent and smart such that she was able to solve difficult situations by herself. It was hard for him to appear as a hero in front of her. However, she was not good at saying sappy things. Hence, he felt assured with what she had said.
Lu Residence.
Fu Tao was holding onto Fu Yin’s shoulders as he shook her vigorously. He gritted his teeth. He never thought that there would be a day where his younger sister would meet their family’s enemy, much less become their concubine.
“Third Brother, calm down.” Fu Yin tried to shake off Fu Tao’s hands.
“Calm my ass! You can take revenge but why must you give your innocence away to the son of our enemy? If Mother was alive, she would have been driven to death because of you.” He tried to grab her hand. “Come, return with me!”
All of a sudden, Fu Tao realised something was off. There was a shadow at the corner and there seemed to be a person hiding there.
“Who is behaving so suspiciously?” His gaze was sharp.
Lu Hanxing was confident in the information that he had gotten as he stood up without fear. “Stop shouting, we are all in the same boat. Lu Yunji is your enemy and mine as well.” He pulled up his sleeves to expose the scars from the rope that bound his wrist. “Lu Yunji, that old geezer, does not even recognise kinship. I must be super unlucky to be his nephew. Xi Tao, no, Fu Tao, let’s collaborate. We can burn this grand and majestic Duke Chen Residence to ashes like the Fu Residence.”
Fu Yin glared at him with hatred. “Third Brother, don’t listen to him. He was the one that set fire to our house and killed our mother!”
“So it was you!” Fu Tao bellowed. He punched Lu Hanxing, causing Lu Hanxing to see stars. Fu Tao jumped onto him and took out his dagger, about to pierce his heart.
Lu Hanxing shouted, “Wait! Let’s talk! That’s right, I was the one that set the Fu Residence on fire but do you know who was the one that ordered me to do so? It was Lu Qi! It is the bastard father of the child in your sister’s stomach!”
Fu Yin was in disbelief. “You are lying!”
“Your Second Sister saw the hidden valuables that the Lu Residence was sending back to their family house. In order to keep it a secret, Lu Qi asked me to eliminate your family completely and to set everyone with the surname Fu on fire.” Lu Hanxing was simply acting on orders.
Fu Yin shook her head as she cried. “That is not it. You are lying! You are lying!”
“Sheng Chumu!” Lu Hanxing said a surprising name as he laughed. “You can ask Sheng Chumu. On the night that the Fu Residence was set on fire, who invited him out for a drink? Lu Qi accompanied Sheng Chumu to drink while scheming and thinking when the Fu Residence would be burned to ashes. After the incident, Lu Qi told me that he could see the smoke rising into the air from their window where they were drinking. The blaze of the fire was exciting and went well with their alcohol! I had no choice but to do as I was told while Lu Qi was the true mastermind. Lu Qi was the one that killed your mother. Yet, you are helping him to give birth. What a good daughter! What a filial daughter!”
“You better shut up...shut up! Stop talking!” Fu Yin lost control of her emotions as she snatched the dagger from Fu Tao’s hands and stabbed Lu Hanxing. Lu Hanxing cried out in pain. He had never thought that Fu Yin would stab him.
Fu Yin had lost all reason as she stabbed him a few times. Even after Lu Hanxing had stopped breathing, she still did not stop. Fu Tao hugged her tightly. “Stop it! He is already dead!”
Fu Yin looked at how Lu Hanxing was drenched in blood. She froze. She had killed someone!
“Third Brother, you should leave.” She heard a cold voice coming out from her own mouth. It was completely unlike her.
“I can’t leave you behind.” Fu Tao was extremely worried as he looked at Fu Yin.
“You can leave me here to finish what I have to do or you can carry my corpse back right now.” She pointed the dagger in her hands at her own throat. Fu Yin was expressionless. “Choose.”
Fu Tao was anxious. “Don’t do anything foolish. I will listen to you.” He gritted his teeth and jumped over the wall.
At this moment, the guards that were searching for Lu Hanxing found them. As they saw the mangled state Lu Hanxing was in, they hurriedly called Lu Qi. He slowly walked towards Fu Yin, who was sitting paralysed on the floor.
“Yin’er.” Lu Qi pushed away Mo Li, who was supporting him.
Fu Yin’s gaze was lifeless. “Lu Hanxing, he...suddenly jumped out from the corner. He wanted to...I was unwilling and he wanted to kill me...I didn’t know how…”
Lu Qi kneeled and embraced Fu Yin. At the same time, he took the dagger from her hands. “Don’t be afraid. I am here.” He carried Fu Yin and walked while scolding the guards. “A bunch of useless shits! You can’t even watch a criminal and let him run and hurt others. Luckily Fu Yin is bright and knows how to defend herself. If anything happens to the child in Fu Yin, I will get rid of you! And Fu Yin is wrong. I was the one that killed this person. If my father asks, you have to reply with this. Anyone who dares to say anything more shall die!”
Chapter 50.2: Request
Lingxiao Palace.
Prince Zhou was reading Cao Yuan’s statement of confession as Concubine Yan walked in. She had brought him some nourishing soup.
She sat down and watched her son drink the soup obediently. She glanced at the table and acted indifferently. “How has the case on Cangshan Mountain been going?”
“Cao Yuan admitted to clashing with Lu Qi but fervently denies exposing the return route to Chang’an. He said that Lu Qi only released the planned route to the troops just before they set out. Lu Qi even expressed that the return route will only be shown on the day that they were to set off. Unexpectedly, Cao Yuan’s leg was injured and he was not able to lead the troops. He did not even get a chance to see the second half of the planned route. I also found it weird. Cao Yuan is a minister with contributions and is favoured. Why would he collude with bandits just because he doesn’t like Lu Qi?”
“There is something fishy here.” Concubine Yan fell silent for a while. “It is rare that your Imperial Father is relying on you, you have to dig deeper. There is also someone you have to take note of.”
“Who?” Prince Zhou asked.
“Fan Zhang.” Concubine Yan smiled. “Fan Zhang happened to fall sick right before the Empress set off. He is the reason why Lu Qi had the chance to take over and lead the troops. Could Fan Zhang have known that someone was going to attack the Empress and pretended to be sick?”
“General Fan is an old minister trusted greatly by His Majesty and the Empress. He has always taken charge of the Royal family’s safety on trips. If he has intentions to betray, then things will be serious. Mother, your reminder is right. I will check up on him. Imperial Father’s safety is the most important. Without concrete proof, he is still innocent. I will have to convince Imperial Father to consider another person to lead the Imperial Guards.”