Chapter 9: Identity Exposed
Chapter 9: Identity Exposed
Lu Lingxiao was startled.
Lu Xingzhou, standing beside him, felt a headache coming on.
Why did this kid have to bring this woman to the governor's banquet?
Now, whether he admitted it or not, he was in a bind.
If he didn't admit it, how would it look for his son to bring a concubine to the banquet?
But if he did—
Before Lu Xingzhou could think of a solution, Lu Yuan changed the subject and smiled faintly, "Speaking of which, Beiliang has always been a thorn in the Great Zhou Dynasty's side. This time, with our great victory over Beiliang, General Lu's contributions are immeasurable. I, the governor, am also very appreciative of General Lu."
"Governor Lu is too kind," Lu Xingzhou's expression eased as he signaled his son with his eyes.
Lu Lingxiao reluctantly cupped his hands and said indifferently, "This victory belongs to all the soldiers at the border. I merely did my duty and dare not take all the credit."
Lu Yuan smiled meaningfully, "Lord Lu, you have a fine son."
After Lu Yuan left, Lu Xingzhou turned to his son and said, "Come with me!"
The father and son duo stepped out into the courtyard, away from the prying eyes of the guests.
Lu Xingzhou asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Where's Qianqian? What about you, huh?"
Lu Lingxiao replied, "Who knows where she went? I asked her to wait in the carriage for a moment, but she disappeared in the blink of an eye. I searched for her for a long time, thinking she was angry with me, and so I came to the banquet first. As for Wan'er, she just happened to be buying some fabric for clothing on the way here. We didn't expect the rain to start so suddenly and heavily, leaving her stranded outside. I was worried about her."
Lu Xingzhou glared at his son, his frustration evident, "And you left your wife outside, so you're not worried? If something happened to Qianqian, everyone would know that you brought a concubine to the governor's banquet today!"
Lu Lingxiao's expression turned serious, "Father, Wan'er is not a concubine."
Lu Xingzhou's voice turned cold, "Shut up!"
Lu Lingxiao forcibly held back his rebuttal and said, "Perhaps... she's already on her way here. As the eldest young mistress of the Lu family, no one in the capital would dare to harm her."
"I hope so!" Lu Xingzhou finished coldly, then called for his attendant and asked him to find Meng Qianqian immediately.
"You go too." Lu Xingzhou turned to his son and continued, "I'll tell the governor that you've returned home to attend to your mother."
Knowing he was at fault, Lu Lingxiao nodded.
The two returned to the banquet.
In the short time they were gone, Lin Wan'er had already been surrounded by a group of ladies, all addressing her as Lady Lu.
Even Lu Luo's address for Lin Wan'er had changed from 'my mistress' to 'my lady'.
One of the ladies held Lin Wan'er's hand, inquiring after her well-being.
Suddenly, she noticed the scar on Lin Wan'er's left palm and asked, "Lady Lu, what happened to your hand?"
Lu Luo quickly interjected, "My lady was injured by a stray arrow while saving Young Master Lingxiao. You have no idea how dangerous it was. If the arrow had been half an inch closer, my lady's hand might have been crippled!"
"You encountered assassins?"
"In the capital, what kind of assassin would use a stray arrow? Those are used in border battles."
Lin Wan'er quickly withdrew her hand.
Lu Luo covered her mouth.
Lu Lingxiao hurried over and said, "Ladies, my mother is unwell. We'll take our leave now."
With that, he quickly escorted Lin Wan'er and Lu Luo out.
However, just as they reached the door, they collided with a soldier who had just returned from the border.
"General Lu! Oh, Lu Luo? You're here too?"
"I..."
"And this must be Miss Lin? I almost didn't recognize you with the veil. Ouch—why are you hitting me?"
The ladies pricked up their ears.
Miss Lin?
The young mistress of the Lu family... her surname is Meng!
On the carriage ride back.
Lu Lingxiao's expression turned solemn.
Lin Wan'er tugged on Lu Lingxiao's sleeve and signed, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Did I cause you trouble?"
Lu Lingxiao held Lin Wan'er's hand and said gently, "Wan'er, don't worry. I'll handle it."
Lin Wan'er remained silent.
Lu Lingxiao asked, "Do you feel wronged, Wan'er?"
Lin Wan'er shook her head and signed, "I'm just worried about the eldest young mistress. Do you think something might have happened to her?"
Lu Luo humphed, "Mistress, the eldest young mistress won't come to any harm. Maybe she's already returned to the Lu family residence, and we're just worrying for nothing!"
Lin Wan'er nudged Lu Lingxiao.
Lu Lingxiao said, "Okay, okay, I'll go look for her. First, I'll send you back to the Lu family residence."
However, Lu Lingxiao felt that Lu Luo's words made sense. Perhaps Meng Qianqian had indeed returned home.
Where else could she have gone?
After disembarking from the carriage, Lu Lingxiao escorted Lin Wan'er up the steps to the Lu family residence. Just as he was about to knock on the door, it opened from the inside.
Ban Xia looked at the tightly embraced couple, her young master and the vixen, her blood boiling with rage, "Young Master!"
"Where's our mistress?"
"Where's your mistress?"
The two spoke simultaneously.
Ban Xia stomped her foot, "I was about to ask you the same thing! Where's our mistress?"
Ban Xia and Wu Ge'er had returned to the cloth shop after failing to find Lu Lingxiao. The shop owner informed them that the mistress had borrowed an umbrella and left.
As the shop was quite far from the governor's mansion, and the mistress didn't have a carriage, they assumed she wouldn't have gone to the banquet alone.
They quickly returned to the Lu family residence to check if the mistress had returned. If she hadn't, they planned to ask for more people from the mansion to help search for her.
"Your mistress wasn't with you?"
Now, Lu Lingxiao was truly worried.
Although he didn't love Meng Qianqian, she was still his wife and an innocent life. He didn't want anything to happen to her.
Just then, a slender figure appeared, carrying a broken oil-paper umbrella, looking as if she might collapse at any moment in the pouring rain.
The heavy rain drenched her slender figure, and even her bones seemed to be chilled to the core.
Wu Ge'er exclaimed, "Young Mistress!"
Ban Xia's expression changed, "Mistress!"
The two rushed out.
Lu Lingxiao's face was grim as he held the umbrella and stood before Meng Qianqian, questioning her, "Didn't I ask you to wait in the carriage? Why did you disappear? Where did you go?"
Meng Qianqian was frozen to the bone, her cheeks and lips numb from the cold.
She stared coldly at Lu Lingxiao.
Lu Lingxiao noticed that she wasn't wearing the clothes she had left home in, and the bundle that had fallen to the ground only made his expression colder.
"You went to buy clothes too? Wan'er bought clothes, and you did too... Must you compete with her in everything? It's fine to be willful and ignorant usually, but must you throw a tantrum at such an important occasion?"
Great villain: Try being fierce one more time! Try and you'll be dead!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
