In the empty courtyard, Jiao Chunlu’s subordinate still had his ear pressed against the door, listening intently while shaking his head at his master. No sound emerged from within, and nothing could be seen through the dark crack of the door. Following Jiao Chunlu’s signal, his subordinate cautiously attempted to peek through the gap. Just as he pressed his face closer, the door suddenly slammed shut with a loud “bang,” followed by the sound of a bolt sliding into place.
The subordinate’s nose took a direct hit from the door, causing him to grimace in pain though he dared not make a sound. Suddenly, a light appeared through the window as a lamp was lit inside.
Jiao Chunlu exchanged glances with his subordinates, and they listened silently for a while, detecting no further unusual movements.
Inside the room, Lu Chang held a lit matchstick in one hand while his other hand firmly gripped Ming Shu’s waist, keeping her pressed against the door. In the sudden brightness, Ming Shu could see his face – his eyes were somewhat sunken with bloodshot rims, indicating sleepless nights. His chin showed stubble, unlike his usual neat and clean appearance, and the travel-worn look added a certain ruggedness to his demeanor.
Ming Shu turned her face away from his gaze—his eyes were intimidating, fierce with anger as they bore into her, his fury evident without words.
The hand on her waist burned through her clothes, making her heart flutter. Ming Shu felt as if his breath would consume her.
They remained frozen in this position for a long while until all movement outside ceased. Lu Chang finally released her and walked to the table to light the oil lamp. Ming Shu exhaled in relief and followed behind him, asking softly, “How did you find me?”
Lu Chang didn’t answer. He extinguished the match and carelessly tossed his cloak onto a chair.
“Why did you come?” Ming Shu pressed, only to see him cracking his knuckles.
The joints made crackling sounds as if he were preparing to throw a punch.
Ming Shu stared at his fists. “You… should calm down… ah…”
Before she could finish speaking, she let out a small cry as Lu Chang lifted her and placed her on the wall-mounted shelf. The pottery urn on the shelf wobbled from the movement, threatening to fall. Ming Shu quickly steadied it. Once the urn was stable, she found herself sitting high on the shelf, feet dangling, with Lu Chang standing before her, his hands planted on either side, caging her against his chest.
“You did such a thing, yet you ask me to calm down?” His voice was low, like the sky before a storm.
Unable to get down, Ming Shu could only press her hands against his shoulders to stop his seemingly advancing posture.
“What did I do?”
Seeing her feign ignorance, Lu Chang laughed, his bloodshot eyes fierce like a wolf’s: “Drugging me, secretly leaving the capital – Jian Ming Shu, you’ve gotten quite bold!” She had learned about the knockout drug from him, only to use it against him.
“I wanted to part ways amicably, but you wouldn’t allow it!” Ming Shu raised her face, her eyes full of accusation that he was the one at fault.
“Part ways amicably? Let me tell you, don’t ever hope to part ways with me in this lifetime.” Lu Chang spoke through gritted teeth, having completely abandoned his usual refinement.
“Lu Chang, why are you so annoying?” Ming Shu pushed him hard. “I’ve already said that my business, and the Jian family’s business, has nothing to do with you. Why did you follow me to Lin’an? Let me down quickly!”
As she spoke, she struggled to jump down.
Lu Chang didn’t stop her, letting her jump to the ground, but he didn’t step back. As she landed, she found herself completely in his embrace. He lowered his head, taking advantage of the moment, Ming Shu never expected to fall for such a trap, but her endless words suddenly cut short.
Lu Chang seized the opportunity and sealed her lips with his own.
The pottery urn on the shelf wobbled again, finally steadied by one of Lu Chang’s hands.
Ming Shu’s eyes widened, her mind suddenly blank.
This kiss was nothing like the previous light brush of dragonfly wings on water. Lu Chang had come with pent-up anger, pouring a month’s worth of shock, fury, and worry into it. Though it carried the force of a thousand pounds, when it fell upon her lips, it transformed into burning flames, scorching past her lips and into her mouth in an endless entanglement.
Ming Shu felt it too—that indescribable mixture of worry and anger. After her initial shock, she leaned back slightly, her spine meeting his palm, like clear water cupped in his hands.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lu Chang finally released her.
In the candlelight, her lips glistened like flower petals in morning dew, even more tempting than before.
“Are you calm now?” he asked hoarsely.
The one who wasn’t calm was her, not him.
“You…” Ming Shu was breathing heavily, her jaw and cheeks slightly itchy from his stubble, “Shameless!”
She cursed at him.
Lu Chang raised an eyebrow, appearing unaffected, though his completely reddened ears and neck betrayed his emotions.
“I’m hungry,” he said. If she called him shameless, then shameless he would be.
“…” Color rose in Ming Shu’s eyes.
Lu Chang just stared at her steadily, watching her expression slowly change before saying, “I mean hungry! For food!”
As he spoke, he released his embrace and turned to look for the kitchen. Ming Shu stood dazed for a long while before realizing she had misunderstood, her face growing even hotter. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly followed him into the kitchen, but before she could say “Stop, don’t touch!” she saw Lu Chang already reaching for the overturned plates and bowls by the stove. Ming Shu closed her eyes—inside were her leftover meals.
“Is this what you’ve been eating these days?” Lu Chang asked Ming Shu, looking at the half piece of hard flatbread and half bowl of unidentifiable soup.
Ming Shu’s face grew even hotter—there were no restaurants in this small village, and all food had to be prepared by oneself.
“Did you make this?” Lu Chang asked again.
Ming Shu didn’t want to answer him.
“No wonder you’ve gotten so thin,” Lu Chang answered his question—the young lady who had never touched menial work might be clever in all things, but when it came to culinary skills, she showed absolutely no talent.
Ming Shu felt insulted but couldn’t find evidence to defend herself.
She had come here for revenge, how could she have an appetite? She only ate to survive, not caring about taste.
Well, it truly wasn’t delicious, but as long as it filled her stomach, that was enough. Her standards weren’t high.
“Wait outside,” Lu Chang said without further discussion, already starting to look through the kitchen.
The kitchen had some ingredients, all sent by nearby villagers, plus what Ming Shu had bought from the market that was easy to prepare—flatbread, a small bunch of fresh vegetables, several eggs, a carp kept in a tank, a small jar of pickled vegetables, but no meat.
Ming Shu had accepted all the food sent by the villagers, but since she didn’t know how to cook, they just sat there.
Now that Lu Chang had arrived, none of these ingredients would go to waste. The stove was lit, smoke curling upward, and soon, Ming Shu was presented with her first proper hot meal in quite some time.
Tender steamed egg custard, steamed carp, perfectly stir-fried vegetables—three dishes for two people, along with pickled vegetables to accompany the rice… Ming Shu had always thought Lu Chang was amazing, not because of his capabilities in the outside world, but because he had this ability to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary, making even the most difficult times bloom with possibility.
Ming Shu swallowed—she had thought she had no appetite, but it was actually because her cooking was truly inedible.
Though these were just simple home-cooked dishes, Ming Shu found them delicious.
The dishes on the table were almost completely cleaned out, yet the person who had initially claimed to be hungry barely touched his chopsticks. Lu Chang just watched her eat, his eyes filling with an acidic ache—the girl he had determined to cherish in the palm of his hand shouldn’t have to endure such hardship and bitterness.
Ming Shu, satisfied with her meal, held a cup of warm water and sipped it contentedly, feeling completely fulfilled.
“Ming Shu…” Lu Chang finally got to the point, “I actually arrived in Lin’an ten days ago, and found you five days ago.”
Ming Shu stopped drinking her water, looking up in surprise before realizing, “So… you’ve been following me for five days?”
Lu Chang nodded in admission.
Ming Shu’s pretty face darkened as she put down her cup, saying coldly, “How despicable!”
“We’re even,” Lu Chang responded indifferently. “You drugged me, I followed you. We’re square.”
She knew him too well, which was why she had succeeded in drugging him, but conversely, he knew her just as well, enabling him to find her in Lin’an and figure out her plans.
“So what do you want?” Ming Shu’s expression turned cold. Since he had followed her for five days, he must know her intentions, making further discussion pointless.
“The person who was just following you was Jiao Chunlu, Jiao Chunfa’s brother,” Lu Chang said.
Ming Shu was clever; she had studied the Jian family’s case files thoroughly, memorizing all the intricate relationships within. This overlooked Jiao Chunlu was one of them. Lu Chang had considered the mountain bandits angle before, but firstly, after the incident, Cao Hai and Gao Shi had joined forces to suppress the bandits to find a scapegoat, with the only bandit leader who knew the truth, Jiao Chunfa, being killed. The bandits were either recruited or scattered, impossible to track down. Secondly, they didn’t know at the time that Cao Hai was one of the true culprits, focusing only on Gao Shi, so they hadn’t invested much effort in investigating the bandit connection.
The group of bandits led by Jiao Chunlu outside Jiangning was likely one of Cao Hai’s private armies. To avoid drawing attention from the imperial court, only Jiao Chunlu knew of their relationship with Cao Hai, taking orders directly from him. With Jiao Chunlu’s death, no one would know of Cao Hai’s actions, hence the bandit suppression campaign.
During the campaign, Jiao Chunfa’s brother Jiao Chunlu had escaped by luck and quickly gathered a new force using Jiao Chunfa’s reputation, now hiding around Lin’an to avoid official pursuit.
Jiao Chunlu’s name was on the wanted list in the case files, which she had memorized.
“You came to Lin’an not just because it’s Cao Hai’s hometown, but also because you inquired about Jiao Chunlu’s whereabouts through the Weishun Escort Agency,” Lu Chang said.
They were friends made during their journey to the capital, barely contacted since, yet Ming Shu had remembered them.
Zhao Tingyun from Weishun Escort Agency, who spent years escorting valuables through jianghu, operating mainly in the Jiangnan region, naturally had better intelligence than officials and likely dealt with these bandits. He probably knew something of Jiao Chunlu’s whereabouts and owed Ming Shu a big favor—he would help when she asked.
“Since you’ve investigated so thoroughly, why ask?” Ming Shu leaned back in her chair, speaking flatly.
She really… didn’t want to discuss these things with Lu Chang.
“I’m somewhat curious how you convinced Jiao Chunlu to help you?” Lu Chang maintained a casual air as if making small talk.
Ming Shu removed her gold bracelet, twisting it open before him to extract a small key: “I must thank you for letting me keep this bracelet. I simply told him this was the key to the Jian family treasury, containing thirty thousand taels of gold. Plus, he wanted revenge too, so we quickly reached an agreement.”
“Thirty thousand taels of gold?” Lu Chang was slightly surprised.
“I lied to him… how could my family have so much money? Even Zhao’s payment for the empty escort job came from silver I brought from the capital. This key… is to my mother’s dowry drawer,” Ming Shu said offhandedly.
“…” Lu Chang fell silent—she was truly daring, deceiving a fierce bandit like Jiao Chunlu with just a small key and empty words. He wasn’t sure whether to call her too clever or Jiao Chunlu too foolish. If Jiao Chunlu had harbored even slight suspicion, she would have lost her life.
“So, your true targets are the Cao family members?” Lu Chang asked again.
With this question, the room’s atmosphere plunged to its coldest. He could sense Ming Shu’s sudden change in breathing, as a smile slowly appeared on her face.
Like Tang Li.
“Lu Chang, since you already know, why force it into the open? Why not let me remain your young lady a while longer?” Ming Shu said.
She didn’t want him to see her in such a dark state, even she despised it utterly, yet she couldn’t control it.
“Why did you follow me? Wouldn’t it be better to let me remain forever as the Simple Ming Shu, the Lu Ming Shu in your memory?” Ming Shu avoided Lu Chang’s gaze.
He was still the brilliant Top Scholar, but she could never again be that carefree, bright-hearted Simple Ming Shu. Hatred had corroded her heart, leaving her sleepless day and night. When she closed her eyes, all she saw was her father’s tragic death. This short month felt like torture in endless hell, nothing but suffering upon suffering—she could never return to before.
“You always have been,” Lu Chang said firmly.
Ming Shu stood up, pushing back her chair, and walked to the tightly closed window with her back to him, saying: “Not anymore. Before, I couldn’t understand Tang Li’s actions, nor comprehend Madame Lü’s choices, why they let hatred blind their eyes. I sympathized with them but couldn’t agree, until now… Whether we accept it or not, I’m becoming Tang Li. Lu Chang, I truly don’t want you to see me like this.”
Tang Li had said before her death that she would wait, wait for her to become another version of herself…
At the time, Ming Shu couldn’t understand what that meant, until it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Lu Chang remained silent as Ming Shu continued muttering almost to herself: “Lu Chang if you’ve come to dissuade me, don’t waste your effort. All those grand principles—before making this decision, I’ve already tried to convince myself countless times…”
She had lost count of how many times she had talked to herself in the darkness, like a madwoman, her heart torn in two, arguing with herself—one half desperately wanting revenge, the other half desperately trying to convince herself not to become as deranged as Tang Li… The long nights passed as she struggled until dawn.
She understood all the reasoning, and precisely because she understood everything, it was even more painful.
She couldn’t find release.
“I know the Cao family is innocent, I understand the Jian family’s tragedy has nothing to do with Cao Hai’s family, I also know I shouldn’t misdirect my anger at others, but as Tang Li said… who isn’t innocent? The Cao family is innocent, but what about the thirty-seven lives of the Jian family—did they deserve to die at Cao Hai’s hands? Why? Lu Chang, tell me, why? I just want him to understand what it means to have his family and home destroyed, I just want him to watch his loved ones die before his eyes while he lives—that would make me feel better…”
Ming Shu grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, her eyes reddening, tears threatening to spill yet forcefully held back.
Lu Chang walked up behind her, slowly spreading his arms to embrace her.
“So, Lu Chang, don’t waste your breath trying to persuade me. It won’t work. If it would, I would have convinced myself already.” She didn’t struggle, allowing his embrace, drawing a bit of warmth from it to temporarily ease the constantly surging coldness in her heart.
“Ming Shu, I’m not here to dissuade you,” Lu Chang finally spoke. “This past month, I’ve worried about your safety every moment. I feared you might encounter villains on the road, that you might rashly confront Cao Hai and be captured, that you might not even make it to Lin’an… I’ve never been so afraid in my life. I wondered what I would do if something happened to you. I think… I too wouldn’t spare anyone who hurt you, be it Cao Hai or others. I would flay them inch by inch. Though this fear and hatred don’t amount to even a tenth of your Jian family’s hatred, I think there are similarities. So, I understand your choice.”
Lu Chang paused, kissing the back of her head before continuing with extraordinary determination: “I will stay and help you take revenge.”
Just this one sentence made Ming Shu’s heart contract.
She had been listening in a daze, but upon hearing these words, she turned around as if struck by lightning and pushed him away forcefully.
“No! I don’t need it!” She shook her head like a madwoman.
She had left Bianjing alone for Lin’an precisely to keep Lu Chang from becoming involved.
Colluding with bandits to destroy the entire Cao family—even if Cao Hai deserved it, she couldn’t emerge unscathed, nor did she intend to survive. This path of no return—she alone was enough; she didn’t want Lu Chang to die with her.
His early years had been difficult enough, spending ten years in cold studies to finally earn the honor of Top Scholar. He should have had a brilliant future, successful in his official career. How could she let him throw it all away for her? He should have his world, whether becoming a good official benefiting the people or a powerful noble like his father—either would be fine… That was the path he should take.
“Lu Chang, I don’t need it, don’t need it! Go back to Bianjing, Aunt Zeng is still in the capital…” Her tears could no longer be held back, streaming down her cheeks as she spoke.
Compared to her agitation, Lu Chang was very calm: “I’ve entrusted Mother to Uncle Wei. In this life, even if I’m an unfilial son, I’ll have to disappoint her.”
“…” Ming Shu shook her head in horror as she backed away, unable to utter a word.
Lu Chang reached out and pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight.
“If you want revenge, I’ll help you; if you’re going to hell, I’ll accompany you.”
From the moment he saw her, he had already decided.
This path—he would walk it with her to the very end.