Chapter 16

After losing track of Su Qingluo, Zi Yuan was so anxious she burst into tears and immediately reported the matter to Madam Qian Wenling.

Qian Wenling was equally frantic but didn’t dare make a scene. She quietly dispatched all her servants to search. As nightfall approached and Su Qingluo was still nowhere to be found, she grew increasingly distressed.

Zi Yuan had been searching for Su Qingluo in the rain the entire time. Just before nightfall, a man in black suddenly approached her, holding a jade pendant, and asked if she was Zi Yuan. He told her to bring a clean set of clothes and follow him. She recognized the pendant instantly—it was the same one she’d seen when delivering the gift list to Lu Hengzhi.

Afraid her mistress had truly encountered trouble, Zi Yuan didn’t dare raise the alarm. Fortunately, she had brought a change of clothes just in case and hurried after the man. But the moment she entered the room, she was so shocked she nearly collapsed. Her mistress lay on the bed in disheveled clothing, her skirt missing, hair in tangles, cheeks flushed, and forehead drenched in sweat.

On the other side of the room, Lu Hengzhi stood fully dressed, calmly tying his belt.

Zi Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief—had her mistress been… Her thoughts were in turmoil. But when Lu Hengzhi’s indifferent gaze swept over her, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to let her imagination run wild. Still, her fingers trembled as she clutched the clothes.

Lu Hengzhi stepped toward the door. “Tend to your mistress’s wounds properly.”

Zi Yuan froze. Wounds?

The door closed behind him, shutting out the wind and rain.

Zi Yuan turned to Su Qingluo and finally noticed the bloodstains on her clothes. She gasped and rushed to the bedside, sobbing. “Miss, how did this happen? It’s all my fault—I should never have left your side…”

Zi Yuan’s hands were ice-cold, her entire body soaked—clearly, she’d been searching in the rain for hours.

Su Qingluo gently shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. It was Third… the Chief Minister who saved me.” She could no longer bring herself to say “Third Brother.”

Zi Yuan let out a breath of relief. Clearly, things were very different from what she had feared upon entering.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was the voice of the hidden guard who had spoken earlier: “There’s hot water outside.”

Zi Yuan quickly got up, brought the hot water in, poured it into a copper basin, and began helping Su Qingluo wash.

With Zi Yuan’s support, Su Qingluo slowly sat up and began to take in her surroundings.

Though the bamboo hut was small, it was fully furnished. Beneath the window stood a bamboo table with a complete tea set. In the corner were an incense burner and a charcoal brazier. Beside the bed was a rack holding a copper basin and clean linen cloths. The bedding beneath her was soft and warm—very comfortable.

Su Qingluo began to undress slowly. She hadn’t tended to her wounds in time, and now the fabric was stuck to them, making it difficult to remove.

Zi Yuan had no choice but to peel the clothes off bit by bit. The pain was intense, and Su Qingluo could only grit her teeth as the wounds began to bleed again. Thankfully, though there were seven or eight injuries, none were serious.

Zi Yuan had never seen anything like this. As she cleaned Su Qingluo’s body and applied wound medicine, she kept wiping away tears, blaming herself. Instead, it was Su Qingluo who kept comforting her. Once the medicine was applied and she was dressed and groomed again, night had fully fallen.

Sniffling, Zi Yuan said, “Miss, you must be hungry. I’ll go see if I can get you something to eat.”

After everything she’d been through, Su Qingluo was indeed hungry. But she touched Zi Yuan’s damp hair and said, “Your clothes are soaked. Go change first.”

Zi Yuan pursed her lips and shook her head. “I’m not cold, Miss. It’s nothing.” She was about to cry again.

Su Qingluo gently patted her hand—just as a knock came at the door. This time, it was Lu Hengzhi’s deep, cold voice: “It’s me.”

Su Qingluo quickly sat upright. “Please come in.” Thinking of everything that had happened earlier, her cheeks flushed.

Lu Hengzhi entered, carrying a food box, which he placed on the table.

“The temple’s food is light. Make do with it,” Lu Hengzhi said.

Su Qingluo was just about to rise when she heard his firm, unquestionable voice. “Sit and speak.”

She had no choice but to remain seated. “Thank you… Lord.”

Lu Hengzhi raised an eyebrow. “Lord?”

As if to ask—why that title?

Su Qingluo pressed her lips together. She had no better option. He wouldn’t let her call him “Third Master,” and in this situation, she couldn’t bring herself to say “Third Brother,” so she had to find another way.

Fortunately, Lu Hengzhi didn’t dwell on it. His tone was calm. “I’ll inform my mother. You don’t need to worry. Eat and rest well. Tomorrow, I have questions for you.” He was clearly going to ask how she ended up in such a state.

Su Qingluo nodded in agreement. After everything that had happened, she truly didn’t have the energy to recount it all tonight.

Lu Hengzhi stood, gave her a neutral glance, and said, “I’m right next door,” before leaving.

Next door.

Realizing they were only separated by a wall, Su Qingluo’s face flushed again.

Zi Yuan opened the food box. Inside were two bowls of steaming white porridge, a plate of stir-fried tofu, and a plate of sautéed bamboo shoots—clearly freshly made. She helped Su Qingluo to the table, and the two began to eat.

Zi Yuan couldn’t help but praise, “The vegetarian dishes at Shengan Temple are surprisingly good. Why didn’t I notice before?”

The tofu was tender, the bamboo shoots fresh, and the porridge had ginger shreds added to ward off the chill.

Su Qingluo said softly, “Maybe it was specially prepared for the Chief Minister.”

Zi Yuan suddenly understood. “No wonder the food prepared for the Chief Minister is different from ours.”

Su Qingluo pressed her lips together, listening to the increasingly heavy rain outside, momentarily lost in thought. Did Lu Hengzhi give up his own meal for them? Then what would he eat? She shook her head, amused by her own unnecessary worry. He was the Chief Minister—getting an extra meal wouldn’t be a problem.

*

Lu Hengzhi had no appetite. He wrote a letter and instructed Xie Tingyu’s hidden guard to send it to the capital overnight, summoning Song Wen to come immediately. Then he took an umbrella and walked through the rain to the front wing.

Shengan Temple was the largest civilian temple in the capital, serving both monks and nuns, though strictly divided by area.

The front courtyard was already in chaos. Qian Wenling was so anxious she couldn’t eat dinner. Su Qingluo was the old madam’s cherished granddaughter—she couldn’t afford to lose her. But she didn’t dare alert outsiders, so she told all the servants to search, claiming something had been lost. When she heard Zi Yuan was missing too, her panic deepened. Just then, someone reported that Lu Hengzhi had arrived. She had long lost her composure. It felt like grabbing hold of a lifeline. She immediately had him invited in and poured out the entire story of Su Qingluo and Zi Yuan’s disappearance, asking what to do.

Lu Hengzhi flicked the rain from his sleeves and said calmly, “I came to report this to Mother. She’s with me.”

Qian Wenling trembled all over, utterly stunned.