That Qun Qing could say such words was purely from discerning his intentions. Lu Huating’s mood seemed very good these past two days. Thinking from his perspective, if Lu Huating fell into her hands like this, she would also be pleased.
As soon as the words fell, Qun Qing felt a force pull her before him. She only felt him lower his eyes and fiddle with something briefly, and those shackles quickly loosened.
Qun Qing took the opportunity to flex her wrists.
Lu Huating’s long lashes moved slightly. Without looking at her, he gazed toward the clamorous first floor: “This place isn’t safe. Look below, at the table by the carved pillar.”
Qun Qing saw seven or eight large men surrounding that table throwing dice. Among them, a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted man inadvertently raised his head, allowing her to catch sight of his full face: “It seems I’ve seen him somewhere—he’s Cui Zhu’s illegitimate younger brother.”
“Cui Hao.” Lu Huating said.
Qun Qing remembered that the Cui family members had all been imprisoned, and also remembered that among them was one called Cui Hao who had escaped from prison carrying the key to the Cui family treasury. Meng Guangshen had received the sage’s decree to pursue him.
She observed this gambling den again—amid the liveliness, murderous intent seemed to flow: the guards at the entrance were already leaning against the door dozing, completely unaware that several people dressed in commoner clothes had mixed in, wandering around as if searching for someone.
There might be fighting in a moment—no wonder Lu Huating had released her.
However, if these people were Prime Minister Meng’s pursuing troops, why was Lu Huating running faster than Prime Minister Meng’s people, as if he knew Cui Hao’s whereabouts like the back of his hand?
After brief consideration, she said: “You deliberately let Cui Hao escape?”
Lu Huating smiled without speaking. Instead, he lifted his eyes to look at her. Candlelight reflected in his pupils, giving Qun Qing an illusion—as if nothing at the moment was as interesting to him as his curiosity about her: “Why wear a veiled hat?”
Qun Qing swept her skirt and sat across from him: “I felt this place wasn’t safe.”
“Knowing it’s chaotic yet still coming—what matter was so urgent that it couldn’t wait for me to return tonight?” Lu Huating poured wine for her.
On the table sat a plate of untouched dark rice cakes. Qun Qing had been busy for a long time and was slightly hungry. Just as she was about to pick one up, Lu Huating moved the plate away and beckoned to a maid standing nearby: “Cold food impairs the taste. Take it back to steam again.”
The maid from Eastern Eagle House was also charming and clever: “How could we neglect you so, sir? We’ll bring you a fresh serving.”
The dark rice cakes were quickly brought up, steaming with a clear fragrance.
But Qun Qing didn’t move her chopsticks: “Exactly how large a stake does the Administrator want? I’ve never seen anyone treat political enemies this way.”
Behind the steam, Lu Huating smiled upon hearing this: “Has the lady heard the story of raising venomous insects for sport?”
He said: “Legend has it there was a martial artist in the eastern part of the city who raised venomous insects in a jar and planted them on his own back to cultivate an indestructible technique. The most fierce and poisonous insects were most beneficial—he only feared them being half-dead and half-alive, causing his martial power to make no progress.”
Qun Qing listened quietly, then said: “I’ve only heard of raising venomous insects that turn on their master.”
Lu Huating’s expression paused. She had already lifted her veil and was eating the dark rice cakes.
“Where did you go just now,” Lu Huating paused, “Liu Niang?”
Hearing this name emerge from his mouth, Qun Qing’s lashes trembled slightly. She knew Wen Su must have already reported everything to him.
“I went to Gold Street to find an old acquaintance. I saw several old silk merchant families that had all, without exception, fallen into ruin. Doesn’t the Administrator find this somewhat coincidental?”
Lu Huating said: “Is the lady here to help me conduct official business?”
Qun Qing said: “What I want to tell the Administrator—do you have time to listen?”
Lu Huating lowered his eyes to look at the floor below. Those people were examining the gamblers at each table, slowly approaching Cui Hao’s table.
Qun Qing picked up a piece of dark rice cake, turned her wrist, and tossed it downward. It landed perfectly inside Cui Hao’s back collar.
Cui Hao was deeply absorbed in gambling when he suddenly felt something warm fall into his clothes. He immediately covered the back of his neck. When he turned his head, he glimpsed the wandering murderous intent. Cold sweat instantly poured down. Without bothering to find the culprit, before those people could see him, he quietly mixed into the crowd.
Seeing this scene, Lu Huating’s eyes deepened slightly. He only smiled: “Originally the lady could have talked while watching the show. Now there’s no show to watch.”
He wasn’t angry, which showed that Cui Hao was indeed bait he had deliberately released, kept in his grasp to toy with Prime Minister Meng’s people.
Qun Qing said: “I can be an obstacle, or I can be an assist. I only want to ask if what the Administrator said before still counts?”
“What did I say?”
“You said the matter at Pure Tranquility Temple wasn’t done by Prince Yan. You’re looking for the person who killed them.”
Lu Huating focused intently.
Qun Qing said: “I have relatives who died at Pure Tranquility Temple, and other relatives who may have died at the hands of Prince Zhao and Prime Minister Meng. I want to personally investigate clearly. Since what you and I seek overlaps, why not cooperate?”
Lu Huating was somewhat surprised. After a long while he said: “You want to return to the palace?”
Qun Qing ate her dark rice cake, her tone calm: “Isn’t this what the Administrator wants?”
Lu Huating then knew why she cared so much about Xuzhou’s affairs. She was accumulating stakes to exchange with him. Yet her face was hidden behind the veil so her expression couldn’t be seen clearly. For some reason his heart felt displeased, and his fingers tightened around the teacup.
“The Crown Prince is suspicious. I need the Administrator to help me resolve this. As for Xuzhou’s official business, I’ll help the Administrator resolve it.” Qun Qing said. “May I ask if the stakes are sufficient?”
“Not sufficient.” Lu Huating drained the wine in his cup.
Hearing this, Qun Qing was momentarily speechless. She only took from her sleeve the Jade Boiling Elixir wrapped in a silk handkerchief: “I’ve also brought something for the Administrator. Adding this item, it should be enough now.”
As she spoke, she lifted the wine pot on the table to fill Lu Huating’s cup.
During the consultation, that woman had mentioned that Xuzhou silk merchants were popular for drinking “Jade Boiling Wine.” She didn’t know how Jade Boiling Elixir and wine were combined. Qun Qing looked at the Jade Boiling Elixir in her hand and directly dropped it into the wine cup.
Who knew that once the Jade Boiling Elixir entered the wine, it would rapidly dissolve, immediately producing wine foam that seemed to boil, and a rich, deep fragrance emerged with it.
What Qun Qing hadn’t expected even more was that when this fragrance dispersed, passing servants, standing maids, and even several gamblers hurrying by all turned their gazes over.
Those were viscous and greedy gazes that made Qun Qing’s back crawl with discomfort.
Before long, an even more beautiful maid emerged from the shadows and suddenly said respectfully to the two: “Are you, sir and madam, traveling merchants from afar? My master invites you both to join him.”
Qun Qing looked toward Lu Huating. Lu Huating also glanced at her. Clearly he hadn’t anticipated this situation either. Without changing expression, he lifted the cup, blew away the foam, and took a sip: “Who is your master?”
Qun Qing’s knuckles immediately turned white. Lu Huating glanced over indifferently, as if to reassure her.
Seeing him drink a mouthful, the maid lowered her eyes: “My master’s surname is Song. He’s the owner of Xuzhou’s largest silk trading company now, and is waiting with wine in the adjacent Flower Moon Tower.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Huating stood up and extended his hand toward Qun Qing.
The two thus changed locations. Going upstairs, Lu Huating brushed his sleeves: “I heard Eastern Eagle House is Young Master Song’s private property. I came specifically to wait for an audience with him, but never encountered him once. I didn’t expect that drinking a cup of wine would actually provoke Young Master Song to actively invite me.”
The maid immediately said in alarm: “You jest, sir. My master merely knows the owner of this Eastern Eagle House. I don’t know where such false rumors came from—Eastern Eagle House has absolutely no connection to Young Master Song.”
Qun Qing thought to herself, Da Chen prohibits gambling. If it truly were private property, naturally he wouldn’t admit it.
The gambling den owner was Song Wen. She felt somewhat regretful in her heart. She shouldn’t have let Cui Hao escape just now. Tonight Lu Huating had probably originally intended to create an incident to arrest Song Wen. She worried that with one Jade Boiling Elixir, she had alerted the enemy.
But being able to meet Song Wen, Lu Huating naturally wouldn’t give up such an opportunity.
Entering the private room, the first thing they saw was a table full of river delicacies—dishes at the edges nearly falling off the table. Yet Qun Qing had no appetite, because that deep fragrance was also in the room. Even holding her breath was useless.
“I heard from outside—so brother already knows Song?” Song Wen was young with a thin appearance, dressed in silk garments. He cupped his hands in greeting to the two. He didn’t look like a merchant but rather like a scholar.
However, this person also had dark circles under his eyes, reminding Qun Qing of Meng Guanlou.
Then she heard Lu Huating say: “My humble surname is Meng. I’ve brought my wife from Jiannan Circuit to buy silk. As the common saying goes, even a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. The first thing upon entering Xuzhou was to inquire who the largest silk merchant in Xuzhou is. In the future we’ll still need to rely on Boss Song.”
After speaking, he even took from his sleeve a box of pearls and handed it to Song Wen.
Song Wen understood. Smiling, after inviting the two to sit, he looked at Lu Huating: “So you’ve come to purchase goods—that’s easy to discuss, isn’t it? Song happens to have a batch of patterned-weave double crepe…”
Only a cold voice came from beneath the veil: “We’re selling to Hu merchants. Hu merchants are fierce at forcing down prices to begin with. Double crepe is too expensive, let alone patterned-weave. We can’t make money.”
Song Wen paused: “Then there’s also the ancient fragrant satin that Xuzhou produces in abundance…”
“The Hu merchants said that this year, with the ceasefire with Western Fan, the palace sent large quantities of ancient fragrant satin into Western Fan. I’m afraid it also won’t fetch a good price.”
Qun Qing said: “Currently fashionable in the Western Regions is precisely the new material from a few years ago. We want figured gauze—I wonder how the price compares to previous years?”
Song Wen thought briefly: “One bolt would be fifty taels of silver.”
“Too expensive. Compared to Suzhou and Hangzhou, the price is higher—especially high this year.” As she spoke, she stood up and tugged at Lu Huating’s sleeve.
Song Wen hurriedly stopped them, looking toward Lu Huating: “In household business, it seems the lady is in charge.”
Lu Huating glanced at Qun Qing: “How embarrassing.”
Song Wen leaned back in his chair, no longer daring to look down on this veiled lady. In that test just now, this woman knew silk raw materials and prices like the back of her hand. Looking again at her fierce appearance when bargaining, his father-in-law had also sent a letter saying someone from Chang’an had come to investigate a case—he had probably become overly suspicious.
“It’s just a batch of figured gauze. If I can make friends with Brother Meng, what’s the harm in giving it to you?” Song Wen changed tack. “However, Song is curious—where did the lady obtain her Jade Boiling Elixir?”
Qun Qing thought for a moment: “When we were inquiring about silk merchants, we met a lady who was raising money because a family member was ill. She said this item could strengthen the body and was quite popular among silk merchants. She sold the Jade Boiling Elixir to us, but we just don’t know how to consume it.”
“This item can indeed strengthen the body.” Song Wen smiled, showing his canine teeth. “Your method of drinking it is not wrong—it’s just that using ordinary wine is rather wasteful. Since Song is entertaining today, why doesn’t the lady try some?”
As Song Wen spoke, he opened a box and used a silver spoon to place a Jade Boiling Elixir into a wine cup, then respectfully offered this cup of wine bubbling with deep fragrance to Qun Qing, watching her with both eyes.
Qun Qing hesitated without accepting. A hand with distinct sinews and bones extended from beside her and intercepted the wine cup. Lu Huating glanced at the wine and drank a mouthful: “The lady doesn’t usually drink.”
He had just taken one sip when Qun Qing suddenly gripped the wine cup. As the two exerted force against each other, Lu Huating looked at her through the veil.
Song Wen only saw that veiled lady’s slender, soft, white hand exert force so that the wine cup couldn’t advance an inch. He couldn’t help but laugh: “Brother Meng is even controlled when drinking?”
“I don’t drink, so he can’t indulge either.” Qun Qing seized the wine cup and dipped her pinky nail in it. “What I find strange is that Boss Song urges people to indulge like this—don’t other men’s wives intervene?”
Song Wen had already poured himself a cup. His cheeks were now slightly flushed. He exhaled a long breath, then smiled at her words: “Madam jests. Since it strengthens the body, it also greatly benefits bedroom matters. Other men’s wives are too delighted—they can’t be happy enough.”
Neither spoke. Qun Qing only felt the surroundings seemed to have grown a few degrees colder.
In this silence, the clamor of weapons and shouting from outside the building became apparent. Song Wen had just recovered from the wine’s effects when the door was burst open. A servant said: “Something’s happened at Eastern Eagle House—assassins, there are assassins inside killing people! So much blood—the others panicked and are all running outside.”
Song Wen said in a low voice: “What about the servant woman?”
“The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review just arrived with his men and ran into them. I don’t know why the county post station didn’t notify us. He says he’s going to seal off Eastern Eagle House—I’m afraid you’ll be implicated, Boss…”
“People from the Court of Judicial Review?” Song Wen suddenly sobered up completely. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. Without time to take proper leave of Lu Huating and Qun Qing, he only perfunctorily cupped his hands: “Brother Meng must contact Song when you have time. Forgive me for not seeing you out.”
Qun Qing followed Lu Huating out and got into the donkey cart. Juan Su and Wen Su emerged. Qun Qing sat far to one side: “He drank a mouthful of the wine.”
Juan Su exclaimed “Ah,” only looking toward Lu Huating. Seeing he showed no abnormality: “Then let’s quickly find a medical clinic.”
“No need.” Lu Huating said indifferently. “It was only one sip. If I didn’t personally taste it, how would I know how Song Wen gradually emptied others’ family fortunes bit by bit?”
Returning to the inn, the group encountered head-on an old man carrying a lantern. Upon seeing Qun Qing return, his expression finally changed from anxiety to joy: “Liu Niang, are you all right?”
Zhu Su followed closely: “I really couldn’t stop him.”
Qun Qing reassured Physician Li. She asked for a porcelain shard, scraped the wine from her pinky nail, and handed it to Physician Li: “Master, I went to seek out Jade Boiling Wine. This wine harms people—please examine what this substance is.”
At this moment, she remembered something and grabbed the sleeve of Lu Huating, who was about to go upstairs: “Master, check his pulse.”
Physician Li was just about to move when Qun Qing was suddenly seized by the wrist by Lu Huating instead. This force pulled her upstairs, drew her into the chamber, and pressed her against the closed door.