Chapter Eighty-One: All for Her

Thinking of how many people in ancient wars must have died of infection from untreated wounds, she told him that if he were injured, he must take care of it properly.

Feng Jinye stroked her hair and nodded. "Yes, I will remember. It's time to go back. I will watch you leave."

"Then... I'll go back." She nodded, reluctant, and slowly let go of his hand.

As she turned away, she understood that he did not want to watch her walk off.

Feng Jinye stood watching her figure grow smaller and farther away, and before he knew it he had taken a few steps after her, then abruptly stopped.

Unable to restrain himself, he caught up and embraced her from behind.

"Wait for me to come back."

In the end, Feng Jinye could not hold back the words.

He selfishly asked her to wait for him.

He could not bear to watch her disappear into the distance, nor could he endure a future without her.

At once, Feng Jinye released her, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

The words he had just spoken in that rough, hoarse voice kept echoing in Taizhao Qingyu's mind. In an instant, she understood, and when she turned around, she could no longer see his silhouette.

Back at the Taizhao General's Residence, Taizhao Qingyu walked in a daze, head lowered, and did not even notice Taizhao Zhantian approaching her head-on.

"Qingqing?"

Only after he called her twice did Taizhao Qingyu react.

"Father..."

Her eyes reddened again.

"There, there, don't cry, Qingyu. With Jinye's abilities, he will surely take Western Yan within three years. You can just stay home and keep your father company for a few more years. Isn't that good?" Taizhao Zhantian comforted her gently.

"Mm, yes." Taizhao Qingyu nodded quietly.

"Father asked you just now, is the jade pendant at your waist given to you by Jinye?"

"The jade pendant?" Taizhao Qingyu looked down and saw a fine warm-white jade ornament of pure, translucent quality at her waist.

It was... the one Feng Jinye had tied onto her when he kissed her moments ago.

Taizhao Qingyu glanced at Dongnuan. Dongnuan understood and said, "It is His Highness the War King's personal token."

Taizhao Qingyu nodded. "Oh, so I can use it to enter the War King's manor at any time, right?"

Dongnuan was startled, then answered, "Yes."

But Taizhao Zhantian's expression changed drastically. "Silly girl, that brat Jinye has left all his possessions to you!"

Possessions? Taizhao Qingyu froze.

She thought back over Feng Jinye's strange behavior these past few days.

Come to think of it, ever since Lu Yanran tried to assassinate her and he came to the Taizhao General's Residence, he had been off. She thought he was only worried because she had been attacked.

That very night, he swiftly dealt with all the spies of Western Yan, then fell silent and gloomy. She had thought he was saddened by memories of his deceased parents.

The day before he left for the camp, he drank...

The more Taizhao Qingyu thought, the more her heart ached.

It was all for her.

That morning, had he intended not to return at all, to leave without saying goodbye? And yet he still could not resist coming back just to see her once.

He had not even said a single warm word before sending her home, but in the end he still could not stop himself from telling her to wait for him to come back.

On this campaign, Feng Jinye must not have much chance of victory...

Taizhao Qingyu turned at once, only to find she could not take even a single step.

She did not know the way, and at such a time there was no way she could possibly go find him.

In ten days it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in a few months it would be the New Year. Taizhao Qingyu had no way of leaving her father alone.

She could only wait until after the New Year.

Ten days later, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.

The Lu family had learned of Lu Yanran's past and also learned that last year, on Mid-Autumn Festival, Lu Yanran had set her sights on Taizhao Qingyu. This year, they invited the Taizhao family and the Lin Yichu family to the marquisate to celebrate together.

Taizhao Qingyu could guess that this arrangement was meant to make her and Lu Yanran reconcile.

She thought it was unnecessary. Although Lu Yanran had been the one who struck, she had already taken revenge. Her dagger had not been poisoned, but in the end they were cousins of the direct line, and she could not truly take Lu Yanran's life.

Besides, the Taizhao family had always been protected by the Lu Marquisate. Her maternal grandfather, uncles, and cousins doted on her even more than they did the true direct daughter of the Lu family.

When Taizhao Qingyu arrived at the main courtyard of the Lu Marquisate, only the Lu Marquis, Lu Liyuan, and Lu Yanran were present. Lu Yanran was kneeling.

Taizhao Qingyu knew in her heart that her maternal grandfather and cousin appeared to be punishing Lu Yanran, but in truth they were also protecting her.

Since it had been brought this far, however, she had no choice but to give the Lu family some face and make peace with Lu Yanran.

Taizhao Qingyu set her mind at ease and went over to help Lu Yanran up. "Grandfather and Cousin need not be too harsh. Yanran was forced into it. She... not only is my direct cousin, but also my... sister-in-law by marriage. The past was all a misunderstanding. I will not take it to heart."

Lu Liyuan walked straight over, pulled Taizhao Qingyu to sit beside him, and she vaguely felt anger radiating from him.

What had happened before she came in?

"Say what you need to say, and say it clearly!" came a cold voice.

Taizhao Qingyu was somewhat startled. Those words had actually come from her cousin Lu Liyuan. In her memory, Lu Liyuan had never once lost his temper at anyone.

Lu Yanran lifted her eyes and glanced at Taizhao Qingyu. The two of them looked somewhat alike, and a very strange feeling rose in Taizhao Qingyu's heart.

"That cup of tea at the poetry gathering two years ago was drugged by me!" Lu Yanran said angrily. "I only used a stupefying powder. How could you possibly have fallen ill and lost your memory? You're really shameless!"

Taizhao Qingyu was stunned. Before she could react, Lu Liyuan slammed his hand on the sandalwood table, frightening Lu Yanran so badly that she trembled.

Still shocked, Taizhao Qingyu clearly remembered how, when she awoke, the physician had looked at her in astonishment, repeatedly exclaiming in wonder that there was still poison left in her body and she had somehow lived through it.

Taizhao Qingyu had explained that she had simply eaten something wrong and then drunk some tea, which happened to make her vomit.

Suddenly, Taizhao Qingyu raised her eyes to look at Lu Yanran, and in a tone as sharp as Feng Jinye's said, "For now, I believe you."

"But remember this: if you truly did poison me with something lethal, then just wait for me to make you drink it down and see whether you can, like me, vomit it back up!"

Taizhao Qingyu was furious. She valued loyalty and sentiment; she cared deeply about her ties with the Lu family. She could not bring herself to strike down her own blood relatives. But every rule has its exception.

If others wanted her dead, and she still clung to sentiment, that would not be kindness, but stupidity.

Lu Yanran was stunned by Taizhao Qingyu's aura and took a long moment to recover before shouting sharply, "How many times do I have to say it? I used stupefying powder! Stupefying powder!"

"Taizhao Qingyu, you're a member of the Taizhao family. What are you being so smug about in the Lu family?"

"You are nothing but a thief. I am the true eldest daughter of the Lu family. Everything you have gained in the Lu family over the years was supposed to be mine! What right do you have to accuse me?!"

Lu Yanran was so overcome with rage that she lost control. She was also filled with grievance; what she had endured over these years had nearly made life unbearable for her more than once.

Suddenly shaken, Lu Yanran became too agitated and fell backward.

Lu Liyuan reacted with lightning speed, rushing forward to catch her. "Someone, summon a physician!"

Taizhao Qingyu also hurried over and took Lu Yanran's wrist to feel her pulse. After a pause, she said, "She... is pregnant!"

Taizhao Qingyu felt remorseful. She had gone too far just now. If she had known earlier that Lu Yanran was with child, she would never have acted so harshly. After all, the child in the womb was innocent.

Because Lu Yanran was expecting, the servants of the Lu family suddenly became busy in a flurry.

Taizhao Qingyu and Lu Liyuan sat in the pavilion outside Lu Yanran's courtyard, watching the servants bustle about.

"Cousin..." Taizhao Qingyu suddenly called to Lu Liyuan.

"Call me brother!" Lu Liyuan said solemnly.

"All right, brother. Don't you think this is a little exaggerated?" Taizhao Qingyu asked softly, feeling that such a commotion would be terrifying if it ever happened to her.

"Not exaggerated."

Lu Liyuan muttered the words under his breath.

Taizhao Qingyu smiled and nodded. Though strict, he clearly doted on Lu Yanran. If he did not truly care, how could he have caught her in that split second just now?

Lu Liyuan, being watched by Taizhao Qingyu like that, seemed a little embarrassed and stiffly said, "She... did not seem to be lying just now. The poison probably was not something she did."

"Heh, she is your own sister, so of course you'll speak up for her!" Taizhao Qingyu said with a smile.

Lu Liyuan casually broke off a branch from a tree and tapped Taizhao Qingyu on the head with it. "Silly girl, aren't you also my sister? Your name is engraved in the Lu family genealogy. Not only are you her direct cousin, in the Lu family you are also her eldest direct sister."

Taizhao Qingyu was dumbfounded. She had only meant it as a joke, yet Lu Liyuan had responded so seriously and at such length.

"Yes, yes. Cousin is right." Taizhao Qingyu changed the subject. "Why have you returned, cousin?"

Lu Liyuan frowned at that.

Taizhao Qingyu thought to herself that the frontier was under urgent alert; Feng Jinye had not even been away for half a month, so why had the deputy commander guarding the border returned?

"Father sent word home about what happened in the manor. I was worried, so I came back to take a look, and to see you as well..." Lu Liyuan did not mention that, in his father's letter, he had learned that she had been injured, and that when he went to ask Feng Jinye about it, Feng Jinye had not deigned to pay him any mind.

"Is the War King treating you well?" Lu Liyuan asked instead.

"Not bad." Taizhao Qingyu answered absentmindedly.

"Silly girl, your husband swept through the battlefield and captured the city ahead in less than ten days. At present, both sides have called a truce. Western Yan fears the God of War and will not rashly start anything..." Seeing Taizhao Qingyu worried, Lu Liyuan immediately comforted her.

"Brother, I was guarding the neighboring city at the frontier too, and I only returned to Yue Capital because I was assigned to carry the correspondence..." As he spoke, Lu Liyuan took out a letter. He had secretly switched places with Night Eleven to take on this delivery duty.

Taizhao Qingyu's gaze fell on the envelope. It was Feng Jinye's handwriting. She could not help glancing at Lu Liyuan, feeling that something about this was rather strange.

Taizhao Qingyu did not linger long at the Lu Marquisate. She left after dinner, yet she could not shake the feeling that the atmosphere there had been odd all day, and faintly sensed it might have something to do with Lu Liyuan's return.

Was her cousin not on good terms with the family?