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“I don’t know how her father is, but this girl is quite righteous and not bad.”
A group of fools! Zhao Bin sneered in his heart.
Lu Songli and Zhao Bin confronted each other, looking calm and composed. Even when hearing the comments of the people around her father, she remained unfazed, as if they were not talking about her own father.
Qin Sheng tightened the grip on the reins, looking at Lu Songli with a strange gaze. This woman was daring and reckless. He didn’t know what she was relying on to provoke Zhao Bin like this. Wasn’t she afraid that Zhao Bin would lash out at her in anger?
At this moment, Qin Heng casually approached, breaking the standoff between the two. “Zhao Bin, aren’t you on urgent official business? It’s not good to delay any longer, right?”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Bin deeply glanced at Lu Songli, then said to Qin Heng, “Forget it, for your sake, I will not argue with you all this time.”
He then looked at Qin Sheng and commanded, “Let go!”
Qin Sheng raised his chin towards Lu Songli, and she understood instantly. She quickly pulled her mother away from Zhao Bin. Qin Sheng waited until they were far enough before releasing the reins.
Taking back the reins, Zhao Bin snorted coldly, then cast a dark gaze over Lu Songli, Qin Sheng, and Qin Heng before mounting his horse and leaving.
After Zhao Bin left, the crowd dispersed on their own. The man with the child came over to thank the Qin brothers again, and Qin Sheng comforted him before letting him leave with the child.
Qin Heng walked towards the mother-daughter pair of Lu Songli and Madam Jiang, gesturing for Qin Sheng to follow.
Qin Heng walked over with a smile and praised Lu Songli as his first words to Madam Jiang, “Aunt Lu, Miss Lu, thank you so much for speaking up for us just now. Otherwise, Sheng might have been in trouble.”
“Oh, not at all. Both of you brothers also helped save the person. It’s only right for my daughter to speak up a few words.” After Madam Jiang finished speaking, her gaze shifted to Qin Sheng. “I saw it just now, this child is really skilled.”
Lu Songli looked helplessly at her mother.
Qin Heng’s smile deepened, inviting them to the second floor of Sanwei Pavilion.
Seeing her mother about to agree, Lu Songli quickly called out, “Mother, we’ve been out for a long time. It’s time to go back, right? Father must be worried at home.”
Afraid that her mother might not come to her senses, when she looked over, Lu Songli frantically hinted with her eyes. Oh, her dear mother, you’ve been a mother-in-law before, why act hesitant when there’s a good opportunity?
“I know you’re happy with Qin Sheng, but the Qin family is not a good place to be. The entire Qin family has been uprooted, some arrested, others exiled. With such serious charges, your daughter’s delicate health wouldn’t be able to withstand this.
But the Qin family is the ultimate winner, even if their victory was hard-won. We should try our best not to offend them. So she leaned close to her mother’s ear and whispered, “Mother, don’t forget the Lu, Xie, and Zhao families are still in chaos. We absolutely cannot make any mistakes and give others a reason to attack us.”
The last time the Qin brothers visited, she noticed their keen senses. She believed they could hear her words this time as well.
Lu Songli’s reminder was helpful. Jiang shi hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s getting late. Nephew, we must return.”
Qin Heng’s smile remained unchanged, as if he didn’t notice the subtle disapproval in the mother and daughter’s expressions. “Very well. When you have time, Aunt, we’ll host you for tea. Or, when my wedding comes around, I hope you’ll come and share a toast.”
Jiang shi paused, her face filled with surprise. “You’re taking a second wife?”
“Yes. I welcome you to attend the ceremony.”
Lu Songli couldn’t help but wonder, was there such a scene in the original work?
“Congratulations! Our Lu family is looking forward to your wedding invitation.” Madam Jiang thought to herself. She planned to attend if she could, or send a congratulatory gift if she couldn’t.
After exchanging pleasantries, they parted ways.
On the carriage ride home, Madam Jiang kept glancing at her daughter, Lu Songli noticed and looked at her mother in confusion, “Mother, do you have something to tell me?”
“Just now, the Qin family’s heir mentioned taking a second wife. Do you have any thoughts on that?”
Qin Heng? No, why would her mother ask about him taking a second wife? Lu Songli was momentarily confused, and when she realized, she couldn’t help but smile wryly. Could her mother still be worried about the joke she made a few days ago? The Qin brothers had visited after she fell into the water, and her parents had a good impression of the Qin family. They had jokingly suggested considering Qin Sheng after breaking off the engagement with the Xie family. At that time, she had casually mentioned that marrying Qin Heng would be better than marrying Qin Sheng. She hadn’t taken that joke seriously, but could her mother still be concerned about it?
Lu Songli quickly reassured her mother, finally putting an end to her unfounded worries.
……….
Zhao Residence
Zhao Bin hurried back to the residence.
Upon arrival, he dismounted and knocked on the door. After the gatekeeper opened the door, Zhao Bin handed over the reins and quickly walked towards the inner courtyard.
Lately, the Zhao family had faced many unfortunate events, creating a tense atmosphere in the residence. The servants were all on edge, greeting Zhao Bin with lowered heads as he passed by.
The first thing Zhao Bin did upon his return was to visit his sister. Still in his military attire, he didn’t have time to change. “Elder sister!”
“Fourth Brother!” Seeing her valiant younger brother return, Zhao Yutan was pleasantly surprised. The slight worry on her beautiful face disappeared, revealing a long-lost smile. “Why have you returned?”
“With such a major incident happening, how could I not come back!” Zhao Bin walked straight to her bedside, stopping her from getting up. “Elder sister, why are you so despondent? And why have you let yourself become so haggard?”
At this moment, Zhao Yutan looked worn out, facing numerous setbacks and feeling mentally exhausted. Coupled with blood loss, her complexion naturally looked pale.
At this moment, Zhao Yutan was holding his hand, and Zhao Bin naturally sat down beside her.
“Fourth Master, you have no idea how much our miss has been tormented lately.” Zhao Yutan’s personal maid, Hongdou, held a bowl of medicine and began to complain about her mistress’s grievances.
The more Zhao Bin listened, the darker his expression became. “You’re talking about Lu Songli, right? The girl who was always following you?”
Listening to Hongdou’s account, Zhao Yutan also felt wronged. Hearing her brother’s question, she softly hummed in agreement.
Zhao Bin snorted coldly, “She’s truly a sharp-tongued one.”
His words made Zhao Yutan realize that they had met before. “You’ve met her?”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll take care of it.” As he spoke, he stood up.
“No, Fourth Brother, what are you planning to do? Don’t put yourself in danger!”
“Don’t worry, I have my ways. It won’t involve myself.”
“Hongdou, you go out.”
Zhao Yutan waited until Hongdou had left and closed the door before whispering a few words into his ear.
After hearing her, Zhao Bin nodded. “Alright, I won’t make a move on her in the next few days, but she bullied you so much before; we can’t just let that go. Big sister, I’ll head back to freshen up first, and I’ll come see you later.”
As she watched his figure fade into the distance, even with his assurance, Zhao Yutan still felt uneasy. But she thought she might be overthinking it; after all, her fourth brother was a Wuqiyi (martial officer) of the Fifth Army Camp. Lu Songli was just a weak woman—if the two clashed, her brother would surely come out on top. Yet, there was something too strange about the Lu family. Ever since she decided to plot against Lu Songli, nothing had gone smoothly. Sometimes she even wondered if she was defying fate by trying to change the course of events.
“Miss, don’t worry! This time, Fourth Young Master will definitely get back at her for you!” Hongdou, who had just come back in, said with her hands on her hips.