bookrandom Chapter 129 In the dark, a lone man and woman
Chapter 129 In the dark, a lone man and woman
"Lord Lu."
After a long silence, Chu Qingyin finally broke the silence, her voice a little hoarse, and asked the question that had been on her mind: "Why did you save me?"
Lu Zhiheng was taken aback for a moment, as if he had already guessed that she would ask this question. He simply lowered his eyelids and said lightly, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
"Is that really all there is to it?"
Chu Qingyin raised her eyebrows slightly, gazing at the man's handsome features, and said, "I never knew that Lord Lu was so selfless and kind-hearted."
She is now nothing more than a concubine who relies on her beauty to serve others, and even that is only because of her face, which is extremely similar to that of the late Imperial Concubine.
What could possibly warrant a Grand Secretary risking his life to save you?
Furthermore, he finally reached this position by stepping on the Chu family; shouldn't he cherish his life even more? Why risk everything he's worked so hard for a woman who's insignificant?
Meeting Chu Qingyin's bright gaze, Lu Zhiheng looked somewhat awkward and turned his head away, saying, "Otherwise, what does Consort Qiao think?"
If this had happened before, Chu Qingyin would definitely have teased him, saying, "Does the Grand Secretary really like me?"
Having just experienced a life-or-death situation, and in the dark, with only a man and a woman by themselves, Chu Qingyin dared not do anything reckless.
She remained silent for a long time before lowering her eyes and saying softly, "No matter what, thank you."
Lu Zhiheng glanced at her: "No need to be so polite."
After a pause, he suddenly remembered something, and his deep eyes fixed on her. "I just heard you call out 'brother' in your sleep. How come I didn't know that Consort Qiao had an older brother?"
Just now, she seemed to be tormented by a nightmare, and she showed an extremely painful expression, with even a crystal tear unconsciously seeping from the corner of her eye.
With her pale face and frail appearance, it was heartbreaking to see.
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin's face darkened.
Recalling what she had just seen in her dream, she couldn't help but worry whether she had said anything else besides calling him "brother" in the dream.
Thinking of this, she became more cautious. No matter the circumstances, Lu Zhiheng was still the same Lu Zhiheng.
That meticulous and decisive man was not to be underestimated.
After calming herself down, she said sadly, "Lord Lu has also met my elder brother."
Seeing the doubt on the other person's face, Chu Qingyin continued, "It is Officer Cui from the Ministry of Justice. Lord Lu is acquainted with my father, so he must know something about my family's situation."
Although Qiao Gongquan tried his best to suppress the original owner's desire to die for a scholar, Lu Zhiheng would naturally have plenty of ways to find out if he wanted to.
Chu Qingyin smiled bitterly and said, "I was young and ignorant before, and I was deceived by the sweet words of my aunt at home. I did many wrong things, and my relationship with my maternal grandparents' family became much more distant."
"Later, she suddenly realized that she had finally gotten closer to her maternal grandparents' family and her cousins, but now she was going to die in this deep mountain... Perhaps that's why she thought of him in her sleep." She shed tears at the right moment, her emotions sincere and heartfelt.
These words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. The original owner must have felt apologetic towards that cousin Cui, but she was thinking that her brother was still in prison, and if she died, no one would try their best to save him.
"I see."
After listening, Lu Zhiheng glanced at her thoughtfully. Although the reason was somewhat far-fetched, it was not unreasonable.
After all, judging from their previous encounters, Consort Qiao and the young master of the Cui family did have a good relationship.
Seeing that he didn't press further, Chu Qingyin gave a weak smile: "Fortunately, I'm still alive and have a chance to make up for the mistakes I made in the past."
There is still a chance to rescue the brother.
Upon hearing this, the other party simply nodded and said nothing more.
For a moment, the air at the bottom of the cliff seemed to freeze, and silence fell once again.
Just then, Chu Qingyin's stomach made an inappropriate rumbling sound. She clutched her stomach, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday and was now starving.
Lu Zhiheng glanced at her, took out a pancake from his pocket and handed it to her: "Eat it."
Chu Qingyin paused for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed, but she was so hungry that she couldn't care less about anything else. In the end, she took the pancake and ate it in small bites.
After swallowing two mouthfuls of dry biscuit, she asked casually, "Why does Lord Lu carry dry rations with him?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiheng's gaze became inscrutable.
Just when Chu Qingyin thought he wouldn't speak, the man's deep voice rang out, "I've been hungry before, so I developed the habit of carrying some dry food with me when I go out."
Chu Qingyin paused, her hand holding the pancake still.
Starving?
She didn't know much about this Chief Minister Lu. If he hadn't been constantly opposing the Chu family, she wouldn't have paid any attention to him at all.
But as far as she knew, although the Lu family had suffered some setbacks, they were still a noble family.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how badly the family is defeated, it shouldn't be enough to make the eldest grandson of the main branch suffer from hunger and develop a habit of carrying his own food.
"Feel sorry."
"He who eats another's food is bound to him," and having touched a sore spot, Chu Qingyin pursed her lips and remained silent.
Before she knew it, the night had grown deeper, and she drifted off to sleep by the campfire.
Lu Zhiheng stayed by the campfire, adding firewood from time to time.
The firelight illuminated the woman's tired face. She was wearing a light purple riding outfit, which had been torn by the cliff wall when she fell. It was covered in dust, and her bruised and purple skin was faintly visible. She was in a sorry state.
Chu Qingyin lay on the bluestone slab covered with reeds, feeling sore all over and unable to find a comfortable position no matter how she tried. She twisted her waist and turned to her side, finally finding a more comfortable position.
However, with this posture, it's hard not to notice her slender waist. Lu Zhiheng measured it with his eyes and found it to be less than a handful.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice without him realizing it.
He took a deep breath, his face tense, and turned his head to one side.
Do not look at what is improper, do not speak what is improper.
Chu Qingyin's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she were dreaming about something. Her brows furrowed, and she slept very restlessly.
***
The next day, the morning sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves.
When Chu Qingyin woke up, she found Lu Zhiheng already standing at the cave entrance, observing the situation outside.
"Lord Lu, have you found a way out?" Chu Qingyin helped herself sit up.
Her ankle was still swollen, and every step she took was excruciatingly painful.
Lu Zhiheng turned around and shook his head: "Not for now, but we need to leave this place as soon as possible."
Two days have passed and no one has found this place yet. It seems they have lost their way. There are countless wild beasts in the mountains, and it would be extremely dangerous for them to stay here any longer.
Furthermore, both of them were injured, and leaving them in the same place would easily attract wild beasts from the mountains with their blood.
"Okay." Chu Qingyin tried to stand up, but the pain in her ankle made her hiss and fall back down. She frowned and looked rather unwell.
She probably won't be able to walk anymore. Given Lu Zhiheng's personality, will he just leave her here and ignore her?
The thought had barely formed when the man at the cave entrance stepped forward.
Meeting Chu Qingyin's surprised gaze, he reached out his hand to her, "Let me carry you on my back."
Chu Qingyin was even more taken aback.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally grabbed the man's arm and leaned against his back.
Right now, she couldn't care less about the differences between men and women; such etiquette and rules were insignificant in the face of life and death.
Lu Zhiheng's back was broad and strong, and she felt a strange sense of security when she leaned on it.
The two searched for a way out along the bottom of the cliff, stumbling and struggling along the way.
They had walked along the cliff for some time but still couldn't see a way out. It was already noon, and the sun was blazing. Although the dense foliage blocked some of the sun, it still felt like being in a steamer, making them very uncomfortable.
Watching Lu Zhiheng struggling to carry her forward, Chu Qingyin's dark eyelashes trembled involuntarily.
If it weren't for him, it would have been much easier for him to escape alone.
Memories of her past life kept flashing through her mind, but the Lu Zhiheng in front of her seemed to be different from the one she remembered.
She felt a little guilty about being carried around all the time.
"Lord Lu, please put me down."
Chu Qingyin said softly, then struggled to get down, saying, "I can walk by myself for a while."
Feeling the soft, fragrant body on his back, Lu Zhiheng suddenly stiffened.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable irritation in his heart, and said in a cold tone, "I'll carry you, just don't move around."
Chu Qingyin: "...?"
This person is really strange. She was kind and considerate of his hard work, so why did he suddenly become so fierce?
However, he didn't mind the hard work and was happy to be her "slave," and she was too lazy to make things difficult for herself, so she just carried it.