HLnovel Chapter 255 Why Not Offer Yourself in Return?
Chapter 255 Why Not Offer Yourself in Return?
The Lu family villa, located in the mountains outside the city, is almost completely isolated from the outside world.
Lu Zhiheng was also deliberately concealing the news that had happened in the capital, so Chu Qingyin was completely unaware of the recent events.
At this moment, she leaned against the railing, idly tossing fish feed into the pond.
The colorful fish swam over joyfully in an instant, vying for the food and splashing up ripples.
"Xueqing, has Lord Lu said when he will return?"
She patted the remaining crumbs off her hands and turned to look at the maid in blue standing to one side.
"Replying to your question, young lady, the master is busy with affairs in the capital and has not mentioned when he will return."
Xueqing pondered for a moment, then whispered, "With the court in turmoil, you will be even more unable to extricate yourself."
Chu Qingyin keenly grasped the meaning behind the girl's words, and her brows furrowed involuntarily. "What happened in the court?"
Realizing she had misspoke, Xueqing's face showed a hint of panic. She quickly lowered her head and stammered, "This servant doesn't know. The master forbids us from inquiring about these things. Please, young lady, don't ask any more questions."
Her voice was pleading, and her body trembled slightly, clearly out of fear of being punished for speaking out.
Seeing her so frightened, Chu Qingyin was puzzled, but she couldn't bear to make things difficult for her any further.
"Never mind."
She waved her hand and said, "If you don't want to say, I won't ask anymore."
Even so, I felt uneasy, as if a cat had scratched my heart. Various speculations churned in my mind.
She knew that if the situation in the court became chaotic, many people would be implicated, and she didn't know if it would affect her brother...
Her brother is now the only person she cares about in this world.
Before we knew it, night had fallen, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and all was quiet.
Chu Qingyin tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
The cold, clear moonlight outside the window spilled onto the bed, adding to the loneliness.
Suddenly, a soft footstep sound came from outside.
Startled, she quickly got up and put on her clothes.
By the bright moonlight, she saw a familiar figure walk into the courtyard; it was Lu Zhiheng.
The man was wearing a dark green cloak embroidered with bamboo leaves. He looked travel-worn, his hair was a little messy, and there was some dew on the cloak, indicating that he had rushed here.
"Lord Lu, you're finally back."
Chu Qingyin went to greet him, took the cloak from his hand, and asked with concern in her voice, "What urgent matter has caused you to rush here in the middle of the night?"
"Did I wake you up?" Lu Zhiheng looked at her, noticing that she was only wearing a light blue robe over her snow-white undergarment, clearly indicating that she had just gotten out of bed.
"It's okay, I wasn't asleep anyway."
Chu Qingyin turned around and brewed a cup of hot tea for Lu Zhiheng. The fragrant aroma of the tea instantly filled the room.
Holding a teacup, she walked to Lu Zhiheng's side: "Have a cup of tea to soothe your throat first."
Lu Zhiheng took the teacup, took a small sip, and then slowly began to recount the events of the past two days.
Finally, he said in a low voice, "Pei Yuanling has already sent people to chase after your brother. If they can't find him, he'll definitely suspect you faked your death..."
Chu Qingyin's heart skipped a beat, and her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
She knew Pei Yuanling's methods well; if her brother were caught, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Seeing this, Lu Zhiheng quickly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I will definitely protect you and your siblings."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin's expression changed slightly.
Although Lu Zhiheng claimed that he rescued him in order to cooperate with his brother, his every move over the past few days has revealed his genuine care.
"Pei Yuanling just has trouble accepting my departure; he doesn't truly love me."
Chu Qingyin murmured softly, lost in thought.
Looking back, Pei Yuanling knew perfectly well that his elder brother had no intention of colluding with the enemy or betraying the country. With his abilities, he could have easily protected his brother's safety, yet he still chose to imprison his brother and exile the Duke of Chu's mansion.
Ultimately, the root cause was nothing more than the growing prestige of his elder brother in the army, which made Pei Yuanling feel threatened, and he took the opportunity to weaken the power of the Chu family.
Looking back now, Pei Yuanling may have wanted to use himself as leverage to appease his elder brother and prevent future rifts.
However, he never expected that he would be poisoned by Empress Wang's people.
The so-called deep regret is nothing but a hypocritical facade put on for the world to see.
As for his escape from the palace, Emperor Pei Yuanling naturally could not tolerate his betrayal.
After all, she was once the person he "loved most".
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin felt even more ridiculous. She had been so naive to think that there was genuine affection even in the imperial family.
Judging from what Lu Zhiheng just said, Pei Yuanling is now planning to take action against the Wang family.
Even the Empress Dowager can no longer restrain Pei Yuanling. Pei Yuanling is merely using his "death" as an excuse to conduct a large-scale search and, incidentally, to find out how to eliminate the Wang family's power.
Composing herself, Chu Qingyin slowly looked at the man before her and said softly, "Lord Lu, what should we do in this situation? Under the whole sky, all land belongs to the king. Even if I hide here, he will eventually find me."
Lu Zhiheng noticed the worry in Chu Qingyin's eyes and gently comforted her, "I have arranged for a large number of people to guard this villa. As long as you don't leave, Pei Yuanling will definitely not be able to find you."
He paused, then stared intently at Chu Qingyin.
The woman before me had delicate features and wore a light green long coat, which made her skin appear even whiter than snow.
Lu Zhiheng's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Moreover, I will never let you live such a life of hiding forever."
The man's tone was firm, as if he were making a solemn promise.
Chu Qingyin put on a grateful expression and said softly, "Lord Lu has gone to such great lengths to help me; I really have no way to repay you."
As she spoke, she lowered her head slightly, as if expressing gratitude, yet also as if she were holding back something.
Seeing her like this, Lu Zhiheng's heart stirred.
He couldn't help but reach out and pinch her chin, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, "Since you have nothing to repay me with, why not offer yourself to me?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of panic flashed in Chu Qingyin's eyes, and she subconsciously tried to avoid Lu Zhiheng's gaze.
“Lord Lu is joking. I was once Pei Yuanling’s concubine, and I am now a withered flower. How could I be worthy of Lord Lu, who has a promising future?”
She turned her face away, the strands of hair falling down her temples perfectly concealing the evasiveness in her eyes.
"The past is the past. You are now Chu Qingyin, the sister of General Chu, a proud person. How could you be unworthy of her?"
Lu Zhiheng said, "Don't say such self-deprecating things again."
In his view, if Pei Yuanling hadn't hurt her so much, how could she, with her original pride and arrogance, have ended up in such a cautious state?
Chu Qingyin was momentarily stunned upon hearing his words.
Looking at the man before her, whose expression was solemn and showed no sign of disdain, she pursed her lips, broke free from Lu Zhiheng's grasp, and said softly, "Lord Lu, please don't say such things anymore. I really can't bear such a burden."
"Chu Qingyin..."
Lu Zhiheng's eyes dimmed slightly. He wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Chu Qingyin.
"Lord Lu, how is my elder brother doing now?"