Qun Qing closed her eyes, then opened them. Before her, Juan Su pressed his lips together, looking at her carefully. “Is Miss Qing alright?”

“I’m fine,” Qun Qing said.

Perhaps from bowing her head all day, Qun Qing’s vision was a bit blurred. She forcefully pinched the back of her neck, only feeling dizzy and muddled. Fortunately, Lu Huating’s ox cart was quietly parked in the back of the street, even its lanterns extinguished. Clearly, this was to avoid letting Master Duo’e know of their relationship.

Seeing no one around, she quickly climbed into the cart. Disregarding the faint wine smell that rushed at her face, she leaned against the soft cushion.

“Let’s go.” Lu Huating quietly instructed Zhu Su to drive. Qun Qing leaned against the carriage wall, her peripheral vision catching Lu Huating’s jade-white fingers stretching in the gloom. He was applying medicine to the wounds on his fingers, silently listening to Juan Su’s report.

Juan Su said, “Within Yunzhou’s borders, there is indeed a gambling house, actually registered under Liu You’s name. This eldest young master also goes there to play occasionally. At the Xin Family Money House, there’s a stairway leading underground—go down and that’s the gambling house. The silver flow is very large, and the stakes are high too.”

“How high?”

“There are gamblers who risk everything—they probably stake their very lives there. It’s just not easy to get in.”

Lu Huating only nodded.

Juan Su lowered the carriage curtain.

Qun Qing asked, “Since the Great Chen laws prohibit gambling, why do gambling houses seem even more numerous than during the Chu Kingdom era?”

Lu Huating replied, “What noble families call private treasuries, like that Lu family private treasury in Meng Guangshen’s hands, are not treasures buried underground, but rather circulating silver. To hide this silver in plain sight without the authorities knowing, it’s safest to conceal it in the income and expenses of taverns and gambling houses.”

Qun Qing endured her dizziness. “The gambling houses in Yunzhou and Xuzhou are actually part of the Lu family private treasury? The money from Siye Tower and Xuzhou has been recovered—if this goes smoothly, how much will still be missing?”

Lu Huating said, “I believe little remains of the Lu family private treasury. If that weren’t the case, Yunzhou wouldn’t have embezzled disaster relief funds and diverted them north to help the Crown Prince with his disaster relief.”

He suddenly leaned slightly closer to Qun Qing’s ear. “Thanks to the young lady’s gift, I have no patience to spend another four years.”

His voice carried a tangled coldness. Qun Qing knew in her heart he was referring to how in her previous life, her poisoning had caused his efforts to fail. This rebirth was indeed more meaningful to her, but what use was bringing this up now?

Qun Qing’s expression remained blank. She never dwelled on things that couldn’t be undone.

Lu Huating’s expression became slightly focused. He suddenly noticed the skin near Qun Qing’s ear had turned red, along with her entire neck flushing, and he withdrew without showing emotion.

“How much cloud brocade is still needed?” Lu Huating asked.

“Still twenty bolts short,” Qun Qing said. “I keep feeling this matter is too coincidental—first Yunzhou tributes inferior fabric, then Liu Sijun bought up all the cloud brocade in the city ahead of time. This batch of cloud brocade happens to be on the trade ledger, and searching the entire city yields nothing. It’s almost as if someone is deliberately toying with me.”

Lu Huating turned his eyes, staring at her fixedly.

When this person scrutinized others, his gaze was so bright it felt like being pressed against by a blade. She stared steadily back at him, and only then did he smile slightly. “The young lady knows that Yunzhou borders Nan Chu and has repeatedly reported friction with Nan Chu, requesting reinforcements from the palace. But both I and Prince Yan believe the friction is false—the request for troops and money is real.”

Qun Qing said, “You think Liu Sijun may have connections with Nan Chu, and collecting the cloud brocade is one move to sabotage the peace talks?”

She immediately realized that when he stared at her just now, he was judging from her expression whether Nan Chu had given her any assignment.

For a moment, a ball of anger surged in her heart, rising to her head, and produced another spell of top-heavy dizziness. Then she closed her eyes and didn’t want to open them again.

Lu Huating froze. “Young lady?”

Seeing Qun Qing had no response, he immediately touched his fingertip to the artery at her throat, only then noticing her entire face was flushed red in the lamplight’s reflection.

“Chief Administrator?”

“Go get some sobering soup and bring it here.” Smelling the wine, Lu Huating withdrew his hand. That cup of “incense ash water” probably contained strong liquor. Though she hadn’t swallowed it, just having it in her mouth had made her drunk.

Lu Huating slowly helped Qun Qing to the couch. Seeing her sit upright, he turned and locked the door firmly.

Then he removed his outer garment and went to the inner room to bathe.

Given his fastidious habits, having wet clothes was truly intolerable. Even with injuries on his body, bathing immediately was his first priority.

When he came out, Lu Huating froze slightly.

Under the lamplight, Qun Qing was actually still quietly embroidering the prayer flags. If not for her face still being crimson, he would have thought she was clearheaded. Seeing him, Qun Qing put down her needle and thread, raised her eyes, and gazed at him steadily.

When she usually looked at people, her gaze contained hidden wariness. She rarely looked at people so unguardedly. This pair of eyes reflected by the lamplight appeared extremely pure, concealing trust and longing.

Lu Huating lowered his eyes. He had already changed into dry clothes, only his jet-black wet hair remained unbound, curling and scattered by his cheeks. Being gazed at like this, he actually felt the embarrassment of being improperly dressed.

However, this thought was quickly suppressed. He slowly approached her, his fingertips gently lifting her chin, appreciating this unguarded face.

After watching for a while, Lu Huating suddenly smiled. He only regretted that when this woman was sober, she couldn’t see herself like this.

The door was knocked on. Juan Su passed in the sobering soup. Lu Huating said, “Bring paper and brush.”

Juan Su acknowledged and made another delivery.

Zhu Su said, “What does he need paper and brush for so late?”

“Perhaps the Chief Administrator has figured out the gambling house’s defensive layout,” Juan Su turned over. “That place is small and hidden. To conceal people there will probably take some effort.”

Zhu Su nodded.

Inside the room, Lu Huating spread the paper on the table. His brush tip traveled across the paper, occasionally raising his eyes, swiftly sketching out a human form. Seeing Qun Qing about to rise from the bed, he said softly, “Don’t move, young lady.”

So Qun Qing sat for a while longer.

Before his brush strokes finished, there was a rustling of garment hems. Lu Huating turned his head to see Qun Qing had squeezed beside him, looking at that painting.

The young lady in the painting had clothing and hairstyle similar to hers—Yunzhou style—only the facial features hadn’t been added yet.

“Young lady, does it look good?” Lu Huating glanced sideways, deliberately asking her.

Qun Qing stared at it for a while, then actually smiled faintly.

This smile was like winter plum blossoms blooming, making Lu Huating momentarily stunned. She wanted to pick it up for a closer look. Reaching out, she knocked over the candle stand, startling herself. Lu Huating immediately steadied the candle stand, but bright red wax had already dripped all along the surface.

Lu Huating had just wiped the wax from his hands when he saw her dip her finger in the wax on the table and, with great interest, smear it on the painting, insisting on turning the beauty’s lips into a chaotic mess.

Lu Huating forcibly rolled up the painting. Qun Qing couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

His heart stirred slightly. He retrieved a box of rouge from the luggage, opened it and dipped his finger in. Seeing it was exactly a deep red color, he turned Qun Qing toward him and dabbed it on her lips.

His fingertip was slightly cool. Qun Qing’s lashes trembled once, but she actually didn’t dodge.

This behavior greatly stimulated Lu Huating’s mischievous streak.

He lowered his lashes again, dipped more, and like concentrating on a painting, bit by bit covered her lips with the red color.

Qun Qing normally never used such vivid colors—he didn’t know what she would look like. The blood-bright red made her skin appear even more like snow. She gazed at him with pitch-black eyes, possessing a heart-stopping, bewitching quality.

Lu Huating stared at her for a moment, then suddenly took out a plain handkerchief and wiped her clean.

He turned to leave. Qun Qing suddenly grabbed his hand.

Her hand was ice-cold like jade shoots. The coolness surged past the sting of the small wounds on his hand, spreading like electricity to his heart. Lu Huating lowered his eyes, gazing fixedly at her hand gripping his.

Qun Qing had completely forgotten the boundaries between men and women, pulling at him tightly like a child trying to keep a playmate from leaving.

He didn’t pull away, only led her to the table, looked at the sobering soup for a moment, and said, “Drink it.”

Qun Qing held the bowl and finished drinking, then grabbed his hand again.

Lu Huating paused, then slowly clasped hers in return. With her hand held, the uneasy expression between Qun Qing’s brows gradually faded. Lu Huating led her to sit on the edge of the bed. Neither spoke.

He gazed at their clasped hands. It was like a lock, locking him in place, making him unable to move, unable to think.

“Chief Administrator, we just received news.” Suddenly the door was pushed open. Lu Huating abruptly raised his eyes. Juan Su said, “The magistrate’s mansion probably can’t keep up the pretense anymore.”

“I heard three Nan Chu assassins snuck into the magistrate’s mansion and went straight to the guest room. A sword was thrust into the ‘Princess Consort’s’ belly, only to discover it was a pillow inside. Old Cai the Sixth and the others were scared out of their wits and fled overnight with their bedrolls. Right now the magistrate’s mansion is brightly lit, supposedly searching for assassins, but actually, Liu Sijun has already left by carriage to visit His Highness and the Princess Consort.”

“What about Liu You?” Lu Huating asked.

Juan Su said, “Still at the gambling house. He goes there to stay for a few days every mid-month. The gambling house has many matters and many people—he probably doesn’t know about this yet.”

“Go now. There’s no time to delay.” Lu Huating grabbed his outer robe and felt under the table for a bundle of short arrows. Looking at the sharp arrowheads, he arranged them neatly with one hand. “You two mobilize all the guards to the Princess Consort’s side. Go immediately.”

Lu Huating observed Qun Qing’s expression. “Where did this sobering soup come from? It’s not working.”

Zhu Su said urgently, “This is already the strongest! The incense ash water was unusual—probably not ordinary wine. It will take more time for her to slowly come around. Chief Administrator, why not leave Miss Qing behind?”

“This inn—Liu Sijun’s people will come searching shortly. How can she stay like this? Being with me is what’s safe.” Lu Huating tightened his grip on Qun Qing’s hand, first helping her into the carriage. “Let’s go meet Liu You.”