“Wait! You’re going to take her away but you haven’t asked Ms. Zhai about this at all!” Jinxia said in a serious tone. “Whether Ms. Zhai wants to go or not, you don’t know for sure. What if you take her away, but it turns out that she wants to go back to her family, then what?”
Looking at Zhai Lanye on the bed, YangYue remained silent for a moment.
“There’s one more thing, the reason why she tried to commit suidice, you don’t even know it, yet you want to take her away? What if later when you both arrive at Gusu, she still wants to commit suicide?”
YangYue was feeling uneasy, “No way…”
“Her mind is uncertain. “ Jinxia listened to the sound of rain outside, “There’s still a little time before dawn, you should wake her up. There are things we have to understand before fixing them, otherwise our efforts will be in vain.”
YangYue hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head and said, “You go wake her up… I’m quite big and afraid that I could scare her.”
Jinxia sighed, went to the side of the bed, lightly touched Zhai Lanye, and called her several times. She never responded. Jinxia couldn’t continue this anymore, therefore she used her thumb to press, with a certain amount of strength, on the point of her philtrum, until she heard a small moan. At last, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
“Ms. Zhai, you are awake…”
The room was dim; it took Zhai Lanye a long time to distinguish Jinxia. Unable to recognize her, she said in surprise, “Miss, you are…?”
“I belong to LiuShanmen. Ms. Zhai, you were sinking in the lake and we helped you out.” Jinxia supported her up and sat on the bed, “Ms. Zhai, what’s going on with you?”
“I… Why did you bother saving me? Wouldn’t it be better to let me go like that…” Zhai Lanye slowly sighed.
“Everything is currently peaceful, why did you suddenly want to die? Sister was born with such a beautiful appearance, there must be countless envious people, why didn’t you think of that?”
“What’s the use of this appearance…” Her trembling hand touched her own face. She was feeling lost, “I’ve been waiting for him for three years, waiting for him to take me away, but in the end, he still looks down on me…”
He! Could it be that Young Master who came from the Capital?
It turned out that Zhai Lanye wasn’t harassed, she was heartbroken instead.
“There are people who don’t like you? Their standard is way too high…” Jinxia was paying attention to her expression, asking questions carefully without making her feel suspicious, “Who is it? So unlucky.”
But Zhai Lanye just lowered her head, not saying a single word.
Seeing that she could not get her to tell the name of the man, Jinxia was not discouraged and tried to persuade her, “Sister, I’m younger than you but I have seen a lot of things in this world. I advise you, whether he doesn’t like you, or you don’t like him, it just means it’s not fated between you two. Fate is something we can’t see or touch. I say, you committed suicide because of such a thing, it isn’t worth it, right? Sometimes, feelings are hard to predict, maybe things are good now, but after a couple of months or years, maybe you will be lucky… You’re so quick to let go of your life, isn’t it a waste…”
Zhai Lanye stopped her words, “You don’t need to persuade me. What you’ve said, I understand it. I almost died once, of course my mind is more open. You can rest assured, I won’t do stupid things anymore.”
Jinxia let out a sigh of relief. YangYue, who was listening, was also relieved.
“Then, does Sister want to go back to your adoptive family?” Jinxia asked.
“People like me, if I don’t go home, there are indeed no other places to go.” Zhai Lanye looked down, her hands twisting her clothes, “You must look down on me, right? You think I’m just the same as those women in the brothel.”
“No, no, no… I’ve never thought of you like that.” Jinxia reassured her, “Neither I nor Da Yang have thought that way, really!”
“Da Yang?”
“You jumped in the lake, Da Yang rescued you.” Jinxia called out, “Da Yang, come in…”
YangYue carried the lantern past the border and walked slowly inside. Zhai Lanye recognized him, “You, you were the person who represented Lu Daren and gave me the fragrance box.”
“Actually, he’s an official in LiuShanmen, but Lu Daren often orders us to do light tasks due to our low ranks.” Jinxia pretended to be defending Lu Yi, and then looked at her and said seriously, “It’s Da Yang who saved you… He has been worried about you.”
“Thank you, Lan Ye can’t repay your kindness.” Zhai Lanye looked at YangYue.
When he saw this, YangYue nervously didn’t know where to put his hands and feet, his face turned blushing pink, “No, no… Ms. Zhai, I didn’t do it for repayment. I, I… I have absolutely no other intention, please don’t misunderstand… I was just afraid you had been harassed by others…”
Jinxia helped YangYue say, “He only worries about you, he is afraid that you will be harassed by people, and afraid you’ll try to commit suicide again. Therefore, after helping you, he came to discuss the matter with me, wanting to take you away secretly, in order to leave your adoptive family and start a new life.”
“Is that true?”
Zhai Lanye crumpled her dress against her chest, her tone sounded a little hopeful.
Jinxia said with some hesitation,“Sister, do you really not want to go home?”
Zhai Lanye shook her head, “If one could choose, who would want to live like me everyday, waiting for people who want to buy me at a high price? After all, if I stay at Zhai’s residence, how can I avoid him…”
“Sister, you rest first, I will discuss this matter with him.”
Jinxia walked around the curtain screen, and paced back and forth with irritation. In Yangzhou, if she wanted to hide people, it would be natural to ask Shangguan Xi for help, but the fact they’d just kidnapped Sha Xiuzahu together with their involvement in the lost funds case, would only have added more to their troubles. For this Zhai Lanye’s problem, Da Yang and she couldn’t take care of it themselves, she had to find someone who could help….
Master! No, not only would he send Zhai Lanye home, he would also break YangYue’s legs when he would come back.
Liu Xiangzuo was not a good choice either! That guy was afraid of causing trouble, so she couldn’t even think about him.
Lu Yi…
Jinxia took a deep breath, recalling Lu Yi’s words, ‘Don’t pay attention to Ms. Zhai’s problems, that’s not something you can intervene on.’ He obviously knew the person behind Zhai Lanye, and he didn’t want to involve himself in that matter.
Seeing her walking back and forth around the room, YangYue said with full expectation, “What’s wrong? Have you found a way?”
“You wait for me here!”
Jinxia said to him, then opened the door and walked out.
***
A bolt of lightning sliced through the sky, immediately followed by a series of thunderous sounds.
The sound of rain got heavier.
Lu Yi couldn’t sleep well that night. After turning around, he heard a voice mixed with the rain that made him open his eyes sharply. He stood up in silence, on guard…
The bolt on the door was being pry. It was unexpected but that person’s ability was so good that almost no noise was made.
After the bolt was dropped, and the door was opened, a figure slipped in quickly, accompanied by damp air..
At the same time, Lu Yi, who had been waiting for a long time, with a rapid and strong move, pressed the person against the wall. A sharp and short dagger was placed on their neck…
The two of them were only a few inches apart and, when their eyes met, they stared confused at each other.
“You…”
“Shhh… Daren, you keep your voice down. I was looking for you to discuss a matter.”
Jinxia was about to give a signal, but due to the pressure of the dagger on her neck, she couldn’t move.
Lu Yi put away the dagger, took a step back and looked at her suspiciously, “Looking for me to discuss a matter? Do you have to be sneaky like this?”
“I have no other way…” Jinxia’s unfinished words stopped right away when Lu Yi suddenly placed his hand over Jinxia’s forehead.
His hand was very warm.
“Good, the fever has gone down.” He pulled his hand back, glaring at her, “If you’d taken my medicine from the start, you wouldn’t have gotten a fever.”
‘That medicine was definitely not expensive!’ Jinxia thought to herself.
“Daren, don’t light the candle!” Seeing Lu Yi go to get a flint, Jinxia stopped him.
“…” Lu Yi put down the flint in silence and talked in a joking tone, “Are you here to discuss a matter of how to be a thief or how to dig a mine?”
She was worried. After hesitating for a while, Jinxia anxiously said to him, “Daren, Ms. Zhai was rescued by Da Yang, and she is now… in my room.”
Lu Yi didn’t say anything, but when he spoke, his tone was no longer as relaxed as before, “I remember I told you that Ms. Zhai’s affairs are beyond your control.”
“Beizhe remembers but… I also feel that if we send her home, she will seek death again sooner or later, and there may not be anyone who can rescue her.”
Lu Yi snorted, “YangYue is reluctant to send her back, right?”
“Da Yang is not someone who is easily deceived by beauty…” Jinxia was quick to explain, “He just thinks Ms. Zhai is very pitiful.”
“There are many people to pity, let him go to the west of the city, to the village that was slaughtered by the Japanese. If he wants to pity people, there are numerous places for him to do so.” Lu Yi said coldly.
“That’s what I said, but it’s not possible for us to push Ms. Zhai back into the fire.”
“She’s been in the fire for so many years, and she’s fine. Why are you suddenly worried now?”
Jinxia lowered her head. She realized that it was almost impossible for her to convince Lu Yi. As a JinYiWei and the son of Lu Bing, his heart was as hard as iron, how could she persuade him?
“The person behind Ms. Zhai is a big figure in the Capital, isn’t it?” She asked softly.
Lu Yi didn’t answer, but said: “You better tell YangYue to let go of his feelings, she isn’t someone he can touch.”
“Da Yang isn’t expecting anything from her. He doesn’t even have much money, moreover the master can’t possibly allow him to marry a Yangzhou’s skinny horse.” Jinxia understood YangYue very well. She sighed and continued, “He just wants to see her live well, then he can rest assured.”
“Everyone has their own destiny.” Lu Yi firmly said.
Jinxia said in disappointment, “Beizhe already understands, I will persuade him to bring her back home.” Usually YangYue was very calm and honest, but when he became stubborn… A bull’s head couldn’t be pulled. She didn’t know how to convince him.
Another flash of light came in from outside, and Lu Yi clearly saw the sad look on her face. He couldn’t help but become soft. Before he even thought about it, he’d already said, “Wait! You came looking for me… In your mind, what have you planned?”
Upon hearing his words, there seemed to be a hint of hope, and Jinxia promptly said, “I think, from the start Ms. Zhai is already involved with the Zhou Xian’s case, we can say that there is something suspicious about her, hence Daren can intervene and arrest her. We won’t let her go home, observing for a while to see if there is any movement with her adoptive family. If there is no movement, then we will think about it later…”
“This is an offensive job, why don’t you find Liu Daren?”
“Liu Daren is not very courageous. Knowing that Ms. Zhai’s adoptive father is the brother-in-law of Yangzhou’s prefect, he will definitely send the person home, and wouldn’t even dare to arrest her.” Jinxia also knew that this matter would be difficult for Lu Yi, “Besides, behind Ms. Zhai, there are still officials of even higher status, Daren…”
“How long do you think you can detain someone? At the end, you still have to release them.”
Lu Yi furrowed his eyebrows, remaining silent. Jinxia, who was beside him, guessed that he was thinking of a way, so she didn’t dare to make a sound, sitting quietly and listening to the sound of the rain, only feeling the cold from the outside, slightly blowing into the room.
After a while, Lu Yi opened his mouth and gave an order, “Tell YangYue to go find Shangguan Xi, to tell her this is my order, and to bring Ms. Zhai to Gusi in secret. Tell him to also remember to cover everyone’s eyes.”
“I’ve also thought about this, but I was afraid it would bring trouble to Shangguan Jie. After all, the Wu’An Gang is also involved in this case.” Jinxia said.
“It’s alright, I am here, it’s only a trouble for them to find a hiding place.”
Jinxia calmed down a little, and looked at Lu Yi gratefully, “Thank you, Daren… I, although my ability is nothing compared to yours, if in the future Daren needs my help, you’ll only have to ask and I will comply with no objection.”
Lu Yi looked at her for a moment, then said slowly, “Go tell YangYue to accompany Ms. Zhai, you guard her until the others pick her up. Don’t make any further problems.”
“Beizhe understands.” Jinxia nodded, then she walked out.
After closing the door, Lu Yi massaged his head and sighed
“Wait! You’re going to take her away but you haven’t asked Ms. Zhai about this at all!” Jinxia said in a serious tone. “Whether Ms. Zhai wants to go or not, you don’t know for sure. What if you take her away, but it turns out that she wants to go back to her family, then what?”
Looking at Zhai Lanye on the bed, YangYue remained silent for a moment.
“There’s one more thing, the reason why she tried to commit suidice, you don’t even know it, yet you want to take her away? What if later when you both arrive at Gusu, she still wants to commit suicide?”
YangYue was feeling uneasy, “No way…”
“Her mind is uncertain. “ Jinxia listened to the sound of rain outside, “There’s still a little time before dawn, you should wake her up. There are things we have to understand before fixing them, otherwise our efforts will be in vain.”
YangYue hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head and said, “You go wake her up… I’m quite big and afraid that I could scare her.”
Jinxia sighed, went to the side of the bed, lightly touched Zhai Lanye, and called her several times. She never responded. Jinxia couldn’t continue this anymore, therefore she used her thumb to press, with a certain amount of strength, on the point of her philtrum, until she heard a small moan. At last, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
“Ms. Zhai, you are awake…”
The room was dim; it took Zhai Lanye a long time to distinguish Jinxia. Unable to recognize her, she said in surprise, “Miss, you are…?”
“I belong to LiuShanmen. Ms. Zhai, you were sinking in the lake and we helped you out.” Jinxia supported her up and sat on the bed, “Ms. Zhai, what’s going on with you?”
“I… Why did you bother saving me? Wouldn’t it be better to let me go like that…” Zhai Lanye slowly sighed.
“Everything is currently peaceful, why did you suddenly want to die? Sister was born with such a beautiful appearance, there must be countless envious people, why didn’t you think of that?”
“What’s the use of this appearance…” Her trembling hand touched her own face. She was feeling lost, “I’ve been waiting for him for three years, waiting for him to take me away, but in the end, he still looks down on me…”
He! Could it be that Young Master who came from the Capital?
It turned out that Zhai Lanye wasn’t harassed, she was heartbroken instead.
“There are people who don’t like you? Their standard is way too high…” Jinxia was paying attention to her expression, asking questions carefully without making her feel suspicious, “Who is it? So unlucky.”
But Zhai Lanye just lowered her head, not saying a single word.
Seeing that she could not get her to tell the name of the man, Jinxia was not discouraged and tried to persuade her, “Sister, I’m younger than you but I have seen a lot of things in this world. I advise you, whether he doesn’t like you, or you don’t like him, it just means it’s not fated between you two. Fate is something we can’t see or touch. I say, you committed suicide because of such a thing, it isn’t worth it, right? Sometimes, feelings are hard to predict, maybe things are good now, but after a couple of months or years, maybe you will be lucky… You’re so quick to let go of your life, isn’t it a waste…”
Zhai Lanye stopped her words, “You don’t need to persuade me. What you’ve said, I understand it. I almost died once, of course my mind is more open. You can rest assured, I won’t do stupid things anymore.”
Jinxia let out a sigh of relief. YangYue, who was listening, was also relieved.
“Then, does Sister want to go back to your adoptive family?” Jinxia asked.
“People like me, if I don’t go home, there are indeed no other places to go.” Zhai Lanye looked down, her hands twisting her clothes, “You must look down on me, right? You think I’m just the same as those women in the brothel.”
“No, no, no… I’ve never thought of you like that.” Jinxia reassured her, “Neither I nor Da Yang have thought that way, really!”
“Da Yang?”
“You jumped in the lake, Da Yang rescued you.” Jinxia called out, “Da Yang, come in…”
YangYue carried the lantern past the border and walked slowly inside. Zhai Lanye recognized him, “You, you were the person who represented Lu Daren and gave me the fragrance box.”
“Actually, he’s an official in LiuShanmen, but Lu Daren often orders us to do light tasks due to our low ranks.” Jinxia pretended to be defending Lu Yi, and then looked at her and said seriously, “It’s Da Yang who saved you… He has been worried about you.”
“Thank you, Lan Ye can’t repay your kindness.” Zhai Lanye looked at YangYue.
When he saw this, YangYue nervously didn’t know where to put his hands and feet, his face turned blushing pink, “No, no… Ms. Zhai, I didn’t do it for repayment. I, I… I have absolutely no other intention, please don’t misunderstand… I was just afraid you had been harassed by others…”
Jinxia helped YangYue say, “He only worries about you, he is afraid that you will be harassed by people, and afraid you’ll try to commit suicide again. Therefore, after helping you, he came to discuss the matter with me, wanting to take you away secretly, in order to leave your adoptive family and start a new life.”
“Is that true?”
Zhai Lanye crumpled her dress against her chest, her tone sounded a little hopeful.
Jinxia said with some hesitation,“Sister, do you really not want to go home?”
Zhai Lanye shook her head, “If one could choose, who would want to live like me everyday, waiting for people who want to buy me at a high price? After all, if I stay at Zhai’s residence, how can I avoid him…”
“Sister, you rest first, I will discuss this matter with him.”
Jinxia walked around the curtain screen, and paced back and forth with irritation. In Yangzhou, if she wanted to hide people, it would be natural to ask Shangguan Xi for help, but the fact they’d just kidnapped Sha Xiuzahu together with their involvement in the lost funds case, would only have added more to their troubles. For this Zhai Lanye’s problem, Da Yang and she couldn’t take care of it themselves, she had to find someone who could help….
Master! No, not only would he send Zhai Lanye home, he would also break YangYue’s legs when he would come back.
Liu Xiangzuo was not a good choice either! That guy was afraid of causing trouble, so she couldn’t even think about him.
Lu Yi…
Jinxia took a deep breath, recalling Lu Yi’s words, ‘Don’t pay attention to Ms. Zhai’s problems, that’s not something you can intervene on.’ He obviously knew the person behind Zhai Lanye, and he didn’t want to involve himself in that matter.
Seeing her walking back and forth around the room, YangYue said with full expectation, “What’s wrong? Have you found a way?”
“You wait for me here!”
Jinxia said to him, then opened the door and walked out.
***
A bolt of lightning sliced through the sky, immediately followed by a series of thunderous sounds.
The sound of rain got heavier.
Lu Yi couldn’t sleep well that night. After turning around, he heard a voice mixed with the rain that made him open his eyes sharply. He stood up in silence, on guard…
The bolt on the door was being pry. It was unexpected but that person’s ability was so good that almost no noise was made.
After the bolt was dropped, and the door was opened, a figure slipped in quickly, accompanied by damp air..
At the same time, Lu Yi, who had been waiting for a long time, with a rapid and strong move, pressed the person against the wall. A sharp and short dagger was placed on their neck…
The two of them were only a few inches apart and, when their eyes met, they stared confused at each other.
“You…”
“Shhh… Daren, you keep your voice down. I was looking for you to discuss a matter.”
Jinxia was about to give a signal, but due to the pressure of the dagger on her neck, she couldn’t move.
Lu Yi put away the dagger, took a step back and looked at her suspiciously, “Looking for me to discuss a matter? Do you have to be sneaky like this?”
“I have no other way…” Jinxia’s unfinished words stopped right away when Lu Yi suddenly placed his hand over Jinxia’s forehead.
His hand was very warm.
“Good, the fever has gone down.” He pulled his hand back, glaring at her, “If you’d taken my medicine from the start, you wouldn’t have gotten a fever.”
‘That medicine was definitely not expensive!’ Jinxia thought to herself.
“Daren, don’t light the candle!” Seeing Lu Yi go to get a flint, Jinxia stopped him.
“…” Lu Yi put down the flint in silence and talked in a joking tone, “Are you here to discuss a matter of how to be a thief or how to dig a mine?”
She was worried. After hesitating for a while, Jinxia anxiously said to him, “Daren, Ms. Zhai was rescued by Da Yang, and she is now… in my room.”
Lu Yi didn’t say anything, but when he spoke, his tone was no longer as relaxed as before, “I remember I told you that Ms. Zhai’s affairs are beyond your control.”
“Beizhe remembers but… I also feel that if we send her home, she will seek death again sooner or later, and there may not be anyone who can rescue her.”
Lu Yi snorted, “YangYue is reluctant to send her back, right?”
“Da Yang is not someone who is easily deceived by beauty…” Jinxia was quick to explain, “He just thinks Ms. Zhai is very pitiful.”
“There are many people to pity, let him go to the west of the city, to the village that was slaughtered by the Japanese. If he wants to pity people, there are numerous places for him to do so.” Lu Yi said coldly.
“That’s what I said, but it’s not possible for us to push Ms. Zhai back into the fire.”
“She’s been in the fire for so many years, and she’s fine. Why are you suddenly worried now?”
Jinxia lowered her head. She realized that it was almost impossible for her to convince Lu Yi. As a JinYiWei and the son of Lu Bing, his heart was as hard as iron, how could she persuade him?
“The person behind Ms. Zhai is a big figure in the Capital, isn’t it?” She asked softly.
Lu Yi didn’t answer, but said: “You better tell YangYue to let go of his feelings, she isn’t someone he can touch.”
“Da Yang isn’t expecting anything from her. He doesn’t even have much money, moreover the master can’t possibly allow him to marry a Yangzhou’s skinny horse.” Jinxia understood YangYue very well. She sighed and continued, “He just wants to see her live well, then he can rest assured.”
“Everyone has their own destiny.” Lu Yi firmly said.
Jinxia said in disappointment, “Beizhe already understands, I will persuade him to bring her back home.” Usually YangYue was very calm and honest, but when he became stubborn… A bull’s head couldn’t be pulled. She didn’t know how to convince him.
Another flash of light came in from outside, and Lu Yi clearly saw the sad look on her face. He couldn’t help but become soft. Before he even thought about it, he’d already said, “Wait! You came looking for me… In your mind, what have you planned?”
Upon hearing his words, there seemed to be a hint of hope, and Jinxia promptly said, “I think, from the start Ms. Zhai is already involved with the Zhou Xian’s case, we can say that there is something suspicious about her, hence Daren can intervene and arrest her. We won’t let her go home, observing for a while to see if there is any movement with her adoptive family. If there is no movement, then we will think about it later…”
“This is an offensive job, why don’t you find Liu Daren?”
“Liu Daren is not very courageous. Knowing that Ms. Zhai’s adoptive father is the brother-in-law of Yangzhou’s prefect, he will definitely send the person home, and wouldn’t even dare to arrest her.” Jinxia also knew that this matter would be difficult for Lu Yi, “Besides, behind Ms. Zhai, there are still officials of even higher status, Daren…”
“How long do you think you can detain someone? At the end, you still have to release them.”
Lu Yi furrowed his eyebrows, remaining silent. Jinxia, who was beside him, guessed that he was thinking of a way, so she didn’t dare to make a sound, sitting quietly and listening to the sound of the rain, only feeling the cold from the outside, slightly blowing into the room.
After a while, Lu Yi opened his mouth and gave an order, “Tell YangYue to go find Shangguan Xi, to tell her this is my order, and to bring Ms. Zhai to Gusi in secret. Tell him to also remember to cover everyone’s eyes.”
“I’ve also thought about this, but I was afraid it would bring trouble to Shangguan Jie. After all, the Wu’An Gang is also involved in this case.” Jinxia said.
“It’s alright, I am here, it’s only a trouble for them to find a hiding place.”
Jinxia calmed down a little, and looked at Lu Yi gratefully, “Thank you, Daren… I, although my ability is nothing compared to yours, if in the future Daren needs my help, you’ll only have to ask and I will comply with no objection.”
Lu Yi looked at her for a moment, then said slowly, “Go tell YangYue to accompany Ms. Zhai, you guard her until the others pick her up. Don’t make any further problems.”
“Beizhe understands.” Jinxia nodded, then she walked out.
After closing the door, Lu Yi massaged his head and sighed
