My wife has a secret

Chapter 47 Bait
Lu Wanhe moved lightly with lotus steps, and the fabric of her plain dress showed the outline of her legs to the fullest, slender and straight.

She came to Xu Qing gracefully, bent slightly, and bowed.

"My dear, I see those soldiers from the north are starving and lacking in clothing. They are very pitiful... We don't have to be so indifferent, right?"

If it were Lu Wanhe's previous personality, she would definitely not interfere in this matter, let alone give any advice in front of Xu Qing.

But since the last trip to the Lu Mansion, Lu Wanhe's opinion of Xu Qing has changed drastically, and she is even not sure whether she has fallen in love with him.

At the moment, she regards Xu Qing as her own husband and wants to do more for the Xu family. She is afraid that the Xu family will have a deeper rift with the Second Hospital because of this incident.

Xu Qing saw that most of the people around him had dispersed, leaving only Hai Dafu who was listening attentively, so he answered slowly: "Judging from their clothes and the documents they handed to me, what these people said should be true, but..."

Xu Qing changed the subject and analyzed the doubts about the matter.

"There are tens of thousands of frontier troops stationed at Huangling Pass. The person who can seize so much food and supplies is definitely not a fourth-rank local official like Xu Zhifu, but a big shot in the capital. Even if we take a step back and help them get this batch of goods out of Suzhou, it is a long way from Huangling Border Pass, and it has to cross two states and three passes. Who can guarantee that there will be no problems?"

From the north to Suzhou, there are refugees fleeing war and disasters in every state.

In addition, the number of convoys transporting food and supplies is huge, and if the escorting guards are added, it is almost equivalent to a large army.

Their customs clearance documents had to be submitted to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, and approved by the central government and released at various levels.

"This is a hot potato. No one in Suzhou can make the decision. No matter how you think about it, you shouldn't get involved with this group of people."

Xu Qing is not a hot-blooded young man who is determined to maintain fairness and stand up for justice.

The Xu family seems to be extremely powerful and has great influence in the court.

However, after her grandson was poisoned, Old Lady Xu delayed reporting the incident to the provincial government. Instead, she thought about contacting her family in the palace to investigate privately.

This alone is enough to show that the Xu family's current status and position are very sensitive, and people outside cannot be trusted.

"My husband is really thoughtful."

Lu Wanhe's cheeks were slightly red and her head was slightly lowered.

She originally wanted to help Xu Qing and the Second Hospital to ease the relationship and persuade her husband not to be unhappy because of those past events, but now it seems that she was overthinking.

"But you came at the right time. You can take Ji Xia out to catch up with them later. Use the name of the Third Hospital to help them find a place to stay and give them some money for the journey."

Lu Wanhe raised her head slightly, blinked and looked at Xu Qing. Her snow-white and translucent skin no longer looked sickly under the sunlight, but rather a bit disgusting.

"What does this mean? Doesn't my husband want to have anything to do with them?"

"Your reputation in the Xu Mansion is almost the same as that of the second branch Yang. If you help them in your name, outsiders will only think that you are sympathizing with them and will not associate it with the Xu Mansion."

Xu Qing sighed softly, "Although I don't have a good impression of the Yang family, I still understand the principle that no one can escape unscathed when the nest is overturned. If something goes wrong at the border because of these nonsense reasons, then no one will have a good life."

No one knows better than Xu Qing what the consequences will be if the border is breached and the Hu people move south.

According to several records in history textbooks of previous lives, the Central Plains dynasties that failed in foreign wars all suffered an extremely miserable end.

Not only will the country be destroyed and the family ruined, but even people will be reduced to the other side's livestock, giving rise to derogatory terms such as "two-legged sheep".

So although Xu Qing did not want to get involved in such trouble, he was still willing to provide convenience to those border troops.

"it is good."

Although Lu Wanhe couldn't think of such a deep level, she knew that her husband had already considered the matter thoroughly, and she only needed to act according to his wishes.

"By the way, why are you here today? Aren't you usually writing and painting in your yard?"

After explaining the situation, Xu Qing finally remembered the problem that had been bothering him and looked at the other party with some confusion.

In his impression, Lu Wanhe didn't seem like a kind-hearted person.

"Master, after knowing that you were back yesterday, my young lady took me around your yard three times. This morning, I heard from the servants in the compound that you went to the front yard, so I hurried over..."

"Ji Xia!"

Lu Wanhe gave a rare rebuke in a tender voice, and then she realized that what she was doing was unbecoming of a lady, so she quickly turned her head slightly to avoid eye contact with Xu Qing.

Her cheeks blushed and her posture became more reserved, like a flower bud about to bloom, making her look fresh and lovely.

Ji Xia stuck out her tongue playfully with a smile on her face.

She had been with her young lady for many years and had long known the reason why she had been absent-minded in recent days. Now that she had the chance, she naturally had to express her master's feelings.

Otherwise, given my young lady's personality, she would probably keep this matter to herself for the rest of her life.

"Ahem... well, I have something else to do, so I'll go back to the yard first."

Normally Xu Qing is like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. He likes to take advantage of others shamelessly in everything he does, but when it comes to matters between men and women, he becomes a coward.

The current situation was like putting him on the fire, so he had to find an excuse to run away.

Looking at the Young Master and the Third Young Mistress who parted in a hurry without saying a word, Hai Dafu, who stayed to listen to the whole thing, was full of confusion and slightly absent-minded.

The young master seemed to have gained some enlightenment after losing his memory and became smarter, which is a good thing.

But what about Young Madam Lu from the Third Courtyard? When did she become so concerned about the affairs of the Xu Mansion?

And looking at the way they are flirting with each other, how can they look like a couple who haven't seen each other for two years after marriage?
He was there when I went back last time. Even if the two of them had developed feelings for each other privately, it wouldn't have developed so quickly.

Could it be that something else happened to them?
"I remember that after returning from the Lu Mansion, Ji Xia had instructed the kitchen in the mansion that the Third Young Madam had caught a cold and that they should make more chicken soup and medicinal food... Longan, black fungus, jujube, longan, and mutton, etc., seem to be ingredients that can replenish blood and stabilize the fetus?"

After thinking about it, Hai Dafu thought about the night when the Lu couple slept together, and he seemed to understand something and his brows relaxed.

"I see, my Xu family has a successor... I have to report this happy event to the old lady first!"

……

In the cold and damp environment, the Suzhou dungeon is like an endless nightmare.

Here, time seems to be locked, and every moment is like a nightmare, continuing endlessly.

The pale light shines through the tall, small skylight, revealing Qin Shuying's haggard face, no longer as bright and beautiful as before.

She was wearing prison clothes and stared at the light outside the iron bars without saying a word.

Because of the special status of Qin Shuying and the execution after the fall, she was the only prisoner in the lowest level of the prison in Suzhou Prefecture, and she naturally became the topic of discussion among the guards on duty. "The one in there is the fourth young lady of the Xu family, Qin, Qin Shuying."

"Is she the dancer who makes a lot of money in the Moon Viewing Tower in the capital, and who would spend tens of thousands of taels of silver just to see her?"

The duty desk was at the entrance of the prison, far away from Qin Shuying who was at the innermost part, so not many people knew his identity, and most of them were close confidants of the supervisors under Prefect Xu.

Although the new guard had heard of Qin Shuying's name and legend, he didn't know that the person inside was the real person.

"Keep your voice down. This person's identity must be kept secret. If you discuss this now, you'll lose your head. He was the one who alarmed the Zhennan Zhongwu Army to go out on the streets to arrest people. Of course... we have to come up with another excuse to the outside world."

The old guard chewed two mouthfuls of peanuts on the wooden table and said slowly, "We are all buddies under Supervisor Zheng. It's enough for us to know what's going on."

The new guard swallowed his saliva and asked cautiously, "Can we go in and secretly take a look at the appearance of this peerless beauty? I heard that the eldest son of the Xu family has always regarded her as a forbidden delicacy. After marrying her, he has not left her yard for seven days..."

"What are you thinking about?"

The old guard picked up the chopsticks and knocked the other man on the head.

"Don't even think about it. There are two keys inside. You have to turn them together to turn the lock. They are in the hands of Prefect Xu and Supervisor Zheng. And I heard that Qin angered the daughter of the prime minister of the dynasty, the wife of the Xu family, Shen. She asked the Suzhou Prefecture to keep a close watch on her. When she is locked up, they need to provide enough clean water and don't even need to send her food."

The new guard nodded as if he understood, and before the old guard could react, two sharp rays of light flashed in his pupils.

Then there was a flash of cold light, and the old guard's body paused on the chair for a moment, then fell straight back.

The expected sound of falling did not happen, because the new guard had already flashed to the landing point, pushed it back gently, and placed it on the table.

The whole process takes extremely fast, almost less than three seconds.

Qin Shuying in the cage raised her eyes slightly, and there was a strange look in her eyes.

Because the "new guard" tore off the skin covering his face, revealing not a human face, but a patterned mask with a white background and red edges.

He walked briskly, as if flying, and the strong lock on the guard's mouth seemed to have no effect and opened with a "bang".

"White mask, it seems you are the Yaoguang Star Lord that Yang Liu mentioned."

There was no surprise on Qin Shuying's face. Although time was passing silently and water was dripping in the corner, she still remained very clear-headed.

"The fourth young lady is indeed smart."

Yaoguang Star Lord stopped in front of the iron railing and made a strange, hoarse, and indistinguishable sound.

Qin Shuying frowned slightly, and could tell that the voice must have been specially processed. Because she had some achievements in vocal music, she knew that the human voice could never be so low, hoarse, weird and unpleasant.

"I am a dying man, why would the White Lotus want to kill me?"

Yaoguang Xingjun shook his head and said, "Anyone who has contributed to the great cause of our Holy Church is one who has gained the opportunity of the Heavenly Dao, so our mission is not to kill you... but to help you ascend to heaven."

"Ascension to Immortality?"

Qin Shuying bit her thin lips lightly, her face full of confusion and puzzlement.

Then she suddenly realized that the people of the White Lotus Sect seemed a little abnormal, and the things they were muttering were all related to the legendary longevity and immortality.

"The great cause of Shinto will be accomplished, and the Holy Church will observe the world with impartiality. It is your blessing to be among the immortals at this time."

After saying this, Yaoguang Xingjun pushed open the prison door and walked slowly towards Qin Shuying.

The footsteps stepped on the straw, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, making a rustling sound.

"You White Lotus Sect are so arrogant."

Facing the aggressive Yaoguang Star Lord who hid a sharp blade in his sleeve, Qin Shuying showed no panic on her jade-like face. Instead, she showed her usual graceful manners and elegant temperament.

Her jade fingers clenched lightly, and her eyes followed the movements of Yaoguang Xingjun's legs and feet.

Yaoguang Xingjun suddenly stopped and turned to look at the prison door. Then he found that two figures appeared at the door which should have been quiet and deserted.

One of them was tall and strong, and ran straight to the deepest cell.

The other figure was slender and prominent. Even though one could not see the other person from a distance, one could still feel a sense of cold pride.

"Shen Shuangxu?"

Yaoguang Xingjun stepped on the haystack, rose up, and came to the ventilation window like flying.

Then he moved as fast as lightning, shrinking his whole body to the outside of the window that was less than half a arm's length away, and disappeared without a sound, leaving only a pile of messy clothes floating down.

"Damn, this guy."

The tall and strong figure who hurried to the prison door revealed her face. It was a sturdy woman with a square appearance.

Qin Shuying recognized the other person and knew that she was Mingzhu, the coachman beside Shen Shuangxu.

This woman is half Kunlun slave, so she is born with the strength of an ox and is a famous strongwoman in the capital.

"Miss, let him run away."

The graceful figure in the distance moved lightly and said calmly, "I know."

Shen's voice was beautiful, but her tone was extremely calm, revealing a coldness that kept strangers away.

"Then if we leave the team early and hurry on, won't all our efforts be in vain?"

Mingzhu was a little discouraged. She was unwilling to accept the fact that the cooked duck was flying away in front of her.

"No, the bone-shrinking technique is a trick used by tomb raiders, and is passed down to males, not females. We can get clues about the man's family background and his master from this. And looking at the light footprints on the water stains in the dungeon and the size of the ventilation window, his weight and height should be no different from a seven or eight-year-old child. He is a dwarf who never grows up."

"Dwarf? But I just saw that he was very tall!"

"Those fallen cloths and clothes are what he uses to fill out his body and disguise himself as an adult."

Mingzhu listened to Shen Shuangxu's analysis and checked the things that fell when Yaoguang Xingjun escaped. She found that they were all the same as her mistress's analysis, which were thin pieces of cloth. Some of them were specially painted, almost to the point of being indistinguishable from the real ones.

Shen Shuangxu calmly analyzed: "When he entered the cell just now, the sound of his feet stepping on the straw was light and heavy, and his steps were a little unstable. He should be a lame man with some inconvenience in his left leg. Let them follow these clues to find him."

(End of this chapter)