ng Qianqian experienced for the first ti the inconveniences brought by being unfamiliar with the area.
No matter how financially strained the Lu Family was, they were still aristocrats of the Capital City. Putting aside the elderly master's contributions to the Supre Emperor, Lu Xingzhou held a position in the Ministry of Industry, and Lu Lingxiao had just achieved military honors. For a small rchant girl, alone and without connections in the Capital, to leave the Lu Family unscathed was near impossible.
"Little Nine, survive..."
"Father—"
In the dead of night, ng Qianqian was startled awake by yet another nightmare. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples, soaking her black hair.
"Hah, plenty of won want to climb into my bed. Soone desperate to call 'Father'? You're the first."
Lu Yuan's leisurely tone drifted into her ears, sending a chill down her spine.
ng Qianqian hurriedly released his purple sleeve and calmly sat up. She glanced at him and said, "Does the Grand Commander so love barging into ladies' chambers?"
"I go wherever I wish!"
Decency, morality, ethics—none of these applied to the Grand Commander!
Lu Yuan lounged lazily against a tiger-skin chair, his long legs crossed, resting on an exquisitely crafted footstool.
Haitang Courtyard certainly didn't possess such luxurious rosewood furniture.
ng Qianqian caught sight of the brazier nearby, noting that the ordinary silver charcoal had been replaced by premium red vermilion charcoal, the kind only used by the nobles of the Imperial Palace.
He truly knew how to enjoy life.
Lu Yuan flipped a page in his book and scoffed, "Do you won only read this nonsense?"
She didn't particularly enjoy reading novels herself; it was sothing she did solely to entertain the elderly lady.
ng Qianqian replied, "This humble woman lacks grand ambitions, making a fool of herself before the Grand Commander."
Lu Yuan turned another page. "Who is Little Nine?"
ng Qianqian said, "In my family, I am the ninth child."
"Wah!"
From the basket ca an angry little cry.
Only then did ng Qianqian notice the small, demanding little creature within.
She couldn't be blad; the Grand Commander's dominating presence had entirely overshadowed everything else.
ng Qianqian pulled the little one out of the basket.
The child flinched, and ng Qianqian, sensing trouble, swiftly extended the child outward.
"Achoo!"
The little one sneezed hard!
Lu Yuan set aside the book he used to shield his face, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
ng Qianqian blinked innocently.
The baby, its nose bubbling with snot, appeared utterly clueless.
ng Qianqian quickly fed the child milk and wiped its nose clean.
The baby's appetite wasn't affected at all; it drank greedily, soon sweating profusely and turning rosy-cheeked.
ng Qianqian suddenly asked, "What's your daughter's na?"
Lu Yuan responded indifferently, "Baozhu."
The baby seed to understand the sarcasm from Lu Yuan and cried out fiercely, "Wah!"
The Grand Commander chuckled. "You're the one who caught the pig yourself."
Others might grab abacuses, gold, silver, or brushes—but when she crawled during the grabbing ceremony, she headed straight for the kitchen to snatch a roasted piglet.
ng Qianqian thought for a mont and seriously said, "Are you trying to eat at? You're too young to eat at."
The child opened its mouth, proudly showing off its tiny budding teeth.
ng Qianqian said, "Even with teeth, you can't eat at yet."
The baby whimpered reluctantly, "Wah."
Just as ng Qianqian was convinced that Lu Yuan wouldn't bother sharing the baby's real na, Lu Yuan casually flipped another page and said nonchalantly, "Bao Shu, nickna Zhaozhao."
Bao Shu, now full and satisfied, played with her little toes before falling asleep.
ng Qianqian glanced at Lu Yuan without revealing her emotions.
Lu Yuan had only a few pages left in his book. Without looking up, he remarked in a bland tone, "You've been sneaking glances at all night. If there's sothing to say, just say it outright."
This man was far too perceptive—whether it was discovering her in the alley earlier, or now, seeing right through her.
In any case, she had no better option. She might as well take her chances.
ng Qianqian spoke composedly, "This humble woman wishes to propose a trade with the Grand Commander."
Lu Yuan turned a page, his tone still flat. "Don't think that feeding my daughter a few tis gives you the right to negotiate with ."
ng Qianqian said directly, "Beiliang spies have infiltrated the Capital City."
"I know that."
"But the Jinyi Guard hasn't uncovered their whereabouts, and they never will."
"Oh?"
Lu Yuan finally showed a hint of interest, closing his book, his captivating phoenix-shaped eyes fixed upon her.
His gaze carried not only a hint of amusent but also a chilling, boundless killing intent.
ng Qianqian t his eyes head-on. "The Beiliang spies are hiding in Wanhuaflou."
Lu Yuan's lips curved slightly. "Did Lu Lingxiao tell you this?"
ng Qianqian said with an unflinching expression, "Overheard it by chance. He's uncertain and doesn't dare investigate, but I thought, the Grand Commander surely would. After all, there's no place under heaven the Jinyi Guard wouldn't dare enter on behalf of the Grand Commander."
"Do you know the consequences of deceiving ?"
"This humble woman does not dare."
"I haven't agreed to your trade, yet you tell this. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you and deny the arrangent?"
"The Grand Commander may not be a good man, but he is certainly no petty one."
Lu Yuan chuckled aningfully. "What do you want?"
In the next few days, heavy snow blanketed the Capital City. ng Qianqian stayed at Haitang Courtyard under the guise of recovering from illness, diligently managing the household accounts.
She no longer indulged the people in the estate—cutting down on extravagances, stopping the elderly lady's supply of bird's nest, and curbing several other excessive expenses.
The old matriarch was livid, demanding that ng Qianqian co for a scolding, but ng Qianqian refused.
One advantage of the snow was that the elderly lady wouldn't risk slipping and falling by coming to Haitang Courtyard herself.
The matriarch considered having Lu Lingxiao discipline his wife, but alas, Lu Lingxiao was absent.
At Wanhuaflou in the Capital City, the Jinyi Guard captured three Beiliang spies on the spot, while two others managed to escape.
Lu Lingxiao, who had once infiltrated Beiliang and was familiar with their thods of disguise, was busy aiding the court in catching spies, leaving him absent from the residence for several days.
The matriarch, seething with anger and lacking an outlet, had sores break out around her mouth.
Finally, when the snow eased, the matriarch's relatives arrived.
"Madam, the matriarch requests your presence."
Ban Xia entered the room to inform her.
ng Qianqian had just finished reviewing the last of the chaotic records, marking the errors with a vermilion brush.
"Madam, shall we go?" Nanny Li asked worriedly. "I hear the Zhao family has arrived. No doubt they're here to take advantage again."
The matriarch had long fed and indulged her family, their behavior so shaless it even disgusted Nanny Li.
ng Qianqian closed the account ledger and remarked, "Good, it's ti to settle the accounts."
After exploiting her for years, it was ti they paid every cent back!
The visitors from the Zhao Family included the matriarch's sister-in-law and grandnephew.
As ng Qianqian approached the door, she overheard Zhao Old Madam crying and pleading, "Elder Sister... You must help Heng... He's your own grandnephew... Please save him..."
The Second Madam sneered, "Of all people, he picked a fight with the Commander of the Imperial Guard. What can we possibly do?"
Zhao Old Madam replied, "What about asking Xiao to plead for rcy?"
The matriarch said, "Xiao... Xiao isn't ho these days."
Not ho? Clearly, they lacked a connection with the Jinyi Guard to intervene!
Zhao Old Madam sobbed, "Heng drank too much... He didn't intentionally harass her... Besides, he didn't know the girl was the Lord Commander's sister... If we pay twenty thousand silver, this will be resolved... Otherwise, they'll kill Heng..."
The Second Madam paled. "Twenty thousand silver? Where would the Lu Family get that kind of money!"
Zhao Old Madam said, "Didn't the ng girl have money? Just ask her for it!"
ng Qianqian lifted the curtain and entered. "Great Aunt, not only do I lack that much silver, but even if I had it, I wouldn't use it to fill the Zhao Family's bottomless pit, would I?"
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