---

Chapter 54: Knife

Zhao Shu did not guess the relationship between the Qin family and King Cheng.

Naturally, this kind of thing was not even something that Lu Songnian and Lu Ke, the two smartest members of their family, would think of.

If Qin Rong had been of a different gender, they might have suspected something.

However, people had heard of women disguising as men, but never of men disguising as women.

It wasn’t like performing in a traditional Chinese opera, and even in such a context, men were generally more robust, and without makeup, one could still tell who they were.

The difference between men and women was so vast; a man mingling among women—how could anyone not notice?

It was just that Qin Rong was so beautiful and petite, making her age difficult to discern.

At this moment, Zhao Shu and Lu Songnian, as a couple, were sympathizing with the Qin family, and no one thought much about it.

Thus, when Qin Rong was sent back, Zhao Shu just looked at her and sighed.

“Good child, go on, go back to the old lady. When she wakes up, remember to greet her. She’s been thinking about the Qin family and your sister these past few days.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Rong’s eyelids twitched slightly, her long eyelashes hiding the emotions in her eyes. No one could tell what she was thinking.

Qin Rong bowed to Zhao Shu, then left her room.

Coincidentally, she ran into Lu Jin Nian, who was coming to speak with Zhao Shu.

When Lu Jin Nian saw Qin Rong, his face froze, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in his face.

Usually, his mouth was obedient, and when he saw the maidservants in the old lady’s room or the elder’s room, he always called them “sister” or “sister” with respect.

But when facing Qin Rong, he couldn’t even muster a smile.

He knew she was not someone easy to deal with, so after being slapped that one time, Lu Jin Nian never took the initiative to greet her again.

Qin Rong, of course, couldn’t be bothered to care about him. She merely stepped aside for him to pass, then quickly walked away.

Lu Jinnian entered the room, his expression still not entirely natural.

When he saw his sister-in-law, his mood improved slightly.

Unlike Qin Rong’s indifference, Zhao Shu was very friendly towards this younger brother-in-law: “Why are you here? Not studying today? Did you finish your homework?”

“I finished everything.” Lu Jinnian regained his composure and smiled obediently. “Sister-in-law, I need to go out for a while. I might be back late, so I won’t be having dinner at home. Please tell mother for me later.”

Zhao Shu, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but ask further: “Where are you going? Who are you going with?”

Lu Jinnian, aware that he had a “criminal record” and that people might not trust him, explained: “A friend just passed the imperial examination. He says the temple he visited was effective, and now he wants to go to thank the gods. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, so he invited me to go on a trip. Don’t worry, sister-in-law, he is an honest man.”

Zhao Shu still felt uneasy: “You’re such a good young man, and so smart. If there hadn’t been an incident last time, you might already be a scholar.”

“You must be careful. The old lady got angry and slapped you last time. Your brother didn’t punish you because he felt sorry for you. If there’s another time, even I won’t be able to stop him. You need to think things through and not go down the wrong path.”

After giving this advice, Zhao Shu got to the main point: “It’s dangerous to go out in the afternoon, especially if you’re coming back late. Just a few days ago, the old lady mentioned there are thieves near the old house in the village. You should take a few people with you.”

Lu Jinnian had plans of his own and naturally wasn’t keen on bringing anyone along.

“I’m just going out with my friend. What would it look like to bring so many people along? Besides, it’s right on the edge of the city. Who would steal under the Buddha’s nose? I’ll just bring the usual little servant who follows me.”

Zhao Shu was still uneasy, about to speak further when Lu Jinnian said, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry about me. I remember the last time I was beaten. Do you think I’d dare make a mistake in front of the old lady now?”

Indeed, he wouldn’t dare make a mistake under her watch.

Zhao Shu saw that Lu Jinnian was insistent, so she didn’t say more. However, if the old lady were awake, she would have sent someone to follow him. But now that the old lady was resting, Zhao Shu couldn’t push it.

Lu Jinnian saw that Zhao Shu was uncomfortable, so he changed the subject: “You don’t need to focus on me right now. There’s someone else at home who needs attention.”

“What? Are you talking about… your eldest brother or your third brother?” Zhao Shu found herself more and more confused by the Lu family brothers.

“My eldest brother is always proper, I’m talking about the third brother,” Lu Jinnian replied.

Zhao Shu laughed, thinking Lu Jinnian was joking, “He’s always well-behaved, what could he be up to?”

“Sister-in-law, if you really want to know, just go to his room and catch him in the act. Everyone in his courtyard knows about his relationship with Fen’er. Who knows what kind of improper activities they’re up to right now?”

Zhao Shu frowned slightly: “The old lady has already asked him about it. They may be a little ambiguous, but they haven’t done anything over the line. The third brother has already clarified it. Even Fen’er was questioned by the old lady.”

“If anything really happens, he can just marry Fen’er. It’s not like…,” Zhao Shu was about to mention Lu Jin Nian’s affair with a minor official, but decided not to embarrass him in front of her, so she simply said, “He’s not like the second brother, who’s out partying in low places.”

Lu Jinnian sneered: “Don’t be fooled by his good behavior. He’s actually the most scheming one in the family. Right now, he’s too afraid to tell the old lady the truth. Do you think it’s because he’s just scared? He’s afraid that if the Lin family finds out, they won’t let him marry their daughter.”

Zhao Shu was speechless after hearing this.

If what Lu Jinnian said was true, it did make her uncomfortable.

But since this was a matter concerning the Lu family, and since Lu Ke didn’t want the old lady to know, she as a sister-in-law couldn’t just expose it.

She guessed Lu Ke probably planned to marry the Lin family’s daughter first, then figure out what to do with Fen’er later.

It was just a matter of when, not a big deal.

So, Zhao Shu changed the subject: “Alright then. If you’re going, go ahead. Is it to Longxing Temple?”

“Yes.” Longxing Temple was the most famous one in the county.

Zhao Shu nodded: “Our family went there last time. I asked the monks to bless Qing Ge’er’s longevity lock. It hasn’t been delivered yet. I plan to pick it up next time. If you’re going there, please tell the head monk for me.”

That way, she could check when she went next to see if Lu Jinnian was lying.

He said he was going to Longxing Temple—she hoped he wouldn’t be going off to some other place for mischief.

Lu Jinnian, feeling no guilt, readily agreed: “Got it.”

“Go ahead.” Zhao Shu smiled.

Lu Jinnian left, but he wasn’t going with any friends. He only brought along the little servant who usually followed him.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Wen Ruyu was sleeping. Some of the maidservants were either out playing or doing chores.

Only Qingxue remained, worried that the old lady might wake up suddenly, and she stayed by the bed to attend to her.

When she saw Qin Rong return, Qingxue hurriedly greeted her, “You’re back. Sit here, I’ll go get a pattern for the young lady and be right back to keep you company.”

Without waiting for Qin Rong’s response, Qingxue quickly stood up and left the room.

Since Qin Rong was usually silent, when anyone needed her help, she would just say a word and leave quickly.

Qin Rong was a little strange; she didn’t like physical contact, so she rarely stopped anyone.

But because she served the old lady, only the four main maids in the old lady’s room dared to order her around.

The other smaller maids didn’t dare to bother her.

Qin Rong watched Qingxue leave but didn’t stop her. Instead, she walked to Wen Ruyu’s bedside.

Wen Ruyu was just waking up from her shallow nap.

Qin Rong walked without trying to control her footsteps, and since Wen Ruyu was in a light sleep, she started to stir.

When she slowly woke up and saw a figure standing by the bed, she was startled and thought it wasn’t one of her maidservants.

Wen Ruyu lifted the curtain and saw Qin Rong’s cold expression as she stood there, staring at her.

Wen Ruyu, startled, caught her breath.

Qin Rong stood up, walked over to Wen Ruyu’s bed, and held a short knife that gleamed coldly, pressing it against Wen Ruyu’s throat.

“Ah!” Wen Ruyu couldn’t help but cry out in fear.

“Don’t scream.” The young man’s voice was hoarse, probably due to the onset of puberty, or because he hadn’t spoken in a while.

Wen Ruyu tried to calm herself down. “Rong… Rong’er?”

The two of them fell into silence. Wen Ruyu slowly regained her composure.

Feeling the chill against her neck, Wen Ruyu’s expression also became cold.

“No matter what, the Lu family has been your benefactor. Is this how you treat your benefactors, Young Master?”

“Before the old lady knew who I was, I was a benefactor. Now that you know my identity, if the old lady wants it, a benefactor can turn into an enemy.”

Even people who would sacrifice their relatives for righteousness existed. How could he be sure that Wen Ruyu wouldn’t report him to the court?

“I don’t intend to report you. It wouldn’t benefit the Lu family.” Wen Ruyu said this sincerely.

Right now, the court was chaotic, and the aristocratic families treated the people like grass.

The Wen family was just a humble family, without connections or power.

If Qin Rong were handed over by them, it might be safer and more sensible to deal with the Lu family than to release them, especially considering the Lu family’s ties to King Cheng.

At this point, the Lu family was already in danger.

They had been forced to take sides, and their interests were now entangled with Qin Rong.

Upon hearing this, Qin Rong’s grip on the knife loosened slightly.

Wen Ruyu could also tell that Qin Rong didn’t really want to hurt her.

---