ng Qianqian finished repairing the roof for the old lady, and it was almost noon. Tan’er was still sound asleep, so ng Qianqian checked her pulse.
"Is she alright?"
Nanny Li asked worriedly.
"She’s fine." ng Qianqian replied with a smile.
Nanny Li felt relieved, folded Tan’er’s clothes, and said, "This girl eats a lot but never seems to grow taller."
ng Qianqian tucked the blanket kicked away by Tan’er. "Perhaps it’s not the ti for her growth spurt yet."
After lunch, ng Qianqian headed to the Book Pavilion.
The first floor was already organized, so she began to move to the second floor.
Previously, she had only focused on tidying up and had never ventured upstairs. Today, she decided to take a stroll through all seven floors of the pavilion.
Lu Yuan, wielding great power and overseeing the Jinyi Guards, had kept many case files here—so originals and so copies.
She wanted to see if there were any files related to Chu Grand Marshal and the Black Armor Guards.
The second floor was quite similar to the first floor, filled with bookshelves and books. From the third floor onward, paper books beca scarcer, replaced entirely by bamboo scrolls.
She couldn’t go any higher—the upper floors were locked.
ng Qianqian asked the young servant on duty, nad Ah Fu.
Ah Fu responded respectfully: "Miss ng, the keys are with Steward Cen. We don’t have them. If you want to go upstairs, you’ll need to ask Steward Cen for them."
Having just finished organizing the first floor, it would seem too eager and perhaps suspicious to ask for the keys right away. Although it was indeed her goal, she couldn’t make her intentions too obvious.
With a smile, ng Qianqian said, "There’s no rush. I’ll wait until I start working on the fourth floor to ask Steward Cen for the keys."
Lu Yuan had agreed to let her offset part of her debt in exchange for organizing all seven floors of the pavilion. Thus, she reasoned that she should be able to obtain the keys eventually.
She stayed in the Book Pavilion for nearly two hours. By the ti she erged, the evening sun was already casting its glow.
She walked through the Governor Mansion and exited through the front entrance.
After making a turn, she ran straight into Lu Lingxiao, whose expression was incredibly complicated.
Lu Lingxiao had been waiting there specifically for her. He had watched her leave the Governor Mansion with his own eyes, and his face grew even colder.
"I went to Feng Shui Alley, but you weren’t there. Nanny Li and Ban Xia refused to tell where you went, so I guessed you’d co here. And I was right!"
"Why are you here?"
ng Qianqian asked flatly.
Lu Lingxiao clenched his fists tightly. "That’s a question I should be asking you. What are you doing at the Governor Mansion? What exactly is your relationship with Lu Yuan? Did you two already... at the border..."
He couldn’t bear to finish the sentence.
ng Qianqian found it amusing. "What do you think?"
In Lu Lingxiao’s eyes, her response was as good as a confession.
Lu Lingxiao felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation. "ng Qianqian! Do you even care about morals and decency?"
ng Qianqian countered, "What do my morals and decency have to do with you? Who are you to ? My father? My brother? My husband? None of the above. So go as far away as you can!"
Lu Lingxiao was so furious that he nearly choked. "Do you even know what kind of man Lu Yuan is? And yet you dare to get involved with him? He’s cruel and infamous. Even if you want to anger , you don’t have to stoop to such levels as to associate with Lu Yuan!"
Actually, ng Qianqian beca more amused. "You think too highly of yourself. Why would I bother trying to upset you?"
Lu Lingxiao thought back to the night she had gotten drunk, clinging onto Lu Yuan’s sleeve and calling herself the wife of the Grand Commander. That scene haunted him like a bad spell. He himself didn’t even understand his own feelings.
"Then tell —why are you degrading yourself like this?"
"The real degradation was enduring five years of humiliation in your Lu Family."
Her retort left Lu Lingxiao’s veins boiling with anger.
He watched as ng Qianqian walked away without looking back, gritted his teeth, and said, "You stood by and let Linglong die—I didn’t even hold it against you. But now, you dare—"
ng Qianqian took a deep breath and turned around. "I stood by and let her die? Oh, are you referring to the incident when she tried to push Miss Zhou but failed, accidentally falling into the lake herself? Half a year ago, she pushed into the water, leaving with chills and a lingering illness. And now you expect to save soone who once tried to harm ? Lu Lingxiao, what an amazing brother you are!"
Lu Lingxiao was rendered speechless.
That wasn’t exactly what he had intended to say, but when emotions took over, words often betrayed their true aning.
ng Qianqian returned to Feng Shui Alley. Nanny Li inford her that Lu Lingxiao had been there earlier.
ng Qianqian took a sip of tea to quell her anger. "I just ran into him."
"He ca to deliver a letter," Nanny Li said.
ng Qianqian paused, a bit surprised by this revelation.
Nanny Li placed a letter on the table. "It’s from You State, presumably a family letter from the ng Family."
The ng Family was unaware that ng Qianqian had severed ties with Lu Lingxiao, so they had sent the letter to the Lu Family.
ng Qianqian opened the letter, and as expected, it was indeed a family letter. "It’s from my second uncle. He says everything at ho is well. Grandfather is still recovering from illness, and they’ve inquired about the Lu Family’s situation, asking whether Lu Lingxiao truly returned alive."
Nanny Li was worried. "The ng Family doesn’t yet know about your estrangent with the Lu Family. Should we write to inform them?"
ng Qianqian shook her head. "If they find out, they will certainly send soone to bring back to You State. For now, I cannot leave the Capital City."
Nanny Li had wanted to ask why she didn’t return to You State and what unfinished business she had in the Capital City.
But every ti her eyes t ng Qianqian’s calm gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Nanny Li said hesitantly, "Keeping this hidden forever isn’t a solution either."
ng Qianqian replied coolly, "I will keep it secret for as long as I can. As for the Lu Family, I’ll speak to Mrs. Lu and ask her to keep an eye out for correspondence from the ng Family."
Nanny Li hesitated. "What about Lu Lingxiao..."
ng Qianqian said, "He won’t say anything himself. He wouldn’t dare lose face over this."
At the Lu Family’s Feng Courtyard.
After Lu Linglong’s incident, Lin Wan’er was harshly scolded by the Second Madam, who called her a vixen and accused her of being restless despite her pregnancy. The Second Madam blad Lin Wan’er for tagging along when Lu Lingxiao took his sister out to admire the lanterns, which led to Lu Linglong falling into the water.
Back when ng Qianqian attended the banquet at the Governor Mansion, Lin Wan’er had similarly monopolized Lu Lingxiao’s ti. At that ti, however, the Second Madam had only reprimanded ng Qianqian for overreacting.
Indeed, people never realize how painful it is until the brick hits their own foot.
"The Second Madam is being too unreasonable. How can she bla Miss Lin? It’s clearly the eldest young lady’s own fault for running around recklessly!"
Lu Luo voiced her indignation on behalf of Lin Wan’er.
Lin Wan’er didn’t reply directly, instead asking, "Where is the General?"
If anyone else had been present to hear this, they would have been shocked, for Lin Wan’er had finally spoken.
Lu Luo said softly, "The General... went to find ng Qianqian."
Lin Wan’er’s delicate hand clenched.
Lu Luo continued, "The ng Family sent a family letter, and the General personally delivered it."
Lin Wan’er leisurely picked up a hairpin. "ng Qianqian is ng Elder’s most beloved granddaughter. When she got married, he gave her most of his fortune. If the ng Family learns that ng Qianqian has already severed ties with the Lu Family, do you think they’d bring her back to You State? Write a letter to the ng Family, informing them that ng Qianqian has divorced Lu Lingxiao."
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