The Commander’s mansion was brightly lit late into the night, with twice the usual number of patrolling soldiers.
It was a steadily structured residence, many times larger than the Top Scholar’s mansion. There were no winding paths leading to secluded spots, no lush gardens full of vegetation—not even flower pots. Every corner exuded a sense of military efficiency and simplicity, as if a military camp had been transplanted into a home, rigid and devoid of warmth.
Ming Shu guessed this was probably because the mansion lacked a lady of the house. Since arriving, she hadn’t seen any young maids, only elderly matrons called to attend to Madam Zeng.
Upon entering the Commander’s mansion, Madam Zeng felt curious and probing gazes from everyone around her, making her uncomfortable. The doctor had examined her injury, applied medicine, and bandaged it. Though not severe, it prevented her from walking, forcing her to sit properly in the hall. Compared to her mother, Ming Shu was much more at ease, obtaining ointment from the doctor to treat the bruising on her neck herself. Only after her mother’s foot was treated did she ask Wei Zhuo, “Uncle Wei, is there any news of my brother?”
Wei Zhuo had sent men to find Lu Chang as soon as the incident occurred.
“We haven’t found him yet, but he’s reportedly entered the city,” Wei Zhuo said, then seeing their concern, he reassured them, “You needn’t worry so much. Lu Chang is skilled in martial arts and clever—even if he can’t capture his enemies when in danger, escape wouldn’t be difficult. I’ve already posted men at your home. As soon as he returns, they’ll ask him to come here.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Wei,” Ming Shu expressed her gratitude.
“You and Madam Zeng have had quite a shock today, and the danger hasn’t passed. Returning home could still be risky. I’ve had the side rooms prepared—you and your mother might as well spend the night here,” Wei Zhuo added.
Spend the night…
Ming Shu looked at Madam Zeng, who quickly shook her head, but Ming Shu said, “Thank you, Uncle Wei. We’ll impose on you tonight.”
“…” Madam Zeng remained silent.
Wei Zhuo noticed the silent exchange between mother and daughter, and a slight smile appeared on his stern face. Just as he was about to speak, a subordinate came to report: “The Deputy Magistrate Lu from the Kaifeng Prefecture has arrived…”
As instructed earlier, the subordinate had already led them to the empty courtyard outside the hall. Through the wide-open latticed doors, Ming Shu saw Song Qingzhao supporting Lu Chang as they stood outside. Without waiting for Wei Zhuo to speak, she ran out.
Lu Chang’s right arm was draped over Song Qingzhao’s shoulder, his head tilted down, his consciousness already somewhat hazy. His half-closed narrow eyes opened at the person running out. Seeing him in this state, with his chest stained with blood, Ming Shu felt as if a violent storm had erupted inside her—worse than when she had been strangled. She rushed to his side, her mind blank, still calling out: “Brother—”
“We were ambushed on the way. He was shot by an arrow but refused treatment, insisting on finding you and riding all the way here,” Song Qingzhao explained as he supported Lu Chang.
Even though the two weren’t real siblings, he couldn’t help but admire Lu Chang.
“Shot?” Only then did Ming Shu notice the wound on Lu Chang’s left shoulder, with two inches of broken arrow shaft protruding, the arrowhead buried in his flesh.
Lu Chang looked at Ming Shu, suddenly breaking free from Song Qingzhao’s support to reach out and touch her neck, pulling her into his embrace as he said, “You’re safe… that’s good…”
His voice grew weaker on the final word “good” as he closed his eyes. Before Ming Shu could react, she felt his body go limp and start to fall. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist to support him, while Song Qingzhao behind them rushed forward to help hold him up again.
Wei Zhuo, supporting Madam Zeng, came out a few steps later. Seeing her son seriously injured and unconscious, Madam Zeng anxiously pushed Wei Zhuo away, but after two steps her leg twisted again, and she was once more caught by Wei Zhuo.
“Take him to the inner hall—I have a doctor here,” Wei Zhuo immediately said, then comforted Madam Zeng, “My house physician is a military doctor, particularly skilled with external injuries. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to Lu Chang.”
Madam Zeng was distraught, able only to lean on Wei Zhuo with reddened eyes as Song Qingzhao and Ming Shu together carried Lu Chang into the inner hall.
Deep into the night, three of the nine candles were lit in the small room, illuminating it brightly. Servants held palace lanterns by the bedside to provide light for the doctor examining the wound. Lu Chang had been helped onto the bed, sitting propped against the pillows in a daze, with Ming Shu kneeling on the inner side of the bed and Song Qingzhao on the outer side supporting him.
Madam Zeng wasn’t in the room, accompanied by Wei Zhuo outside. Such a bloody scene wasn’t suitable for women to witness, but Ming Shu stubbornly refused to leave, so they let her stay to assist the doctor.
With several “snips” of scissors, Lu Chang’s upper garments were removed, revealing the mangled wound on his shoulder.
The wound was bleeding profusely, the flesh torn. Ming Shu clenched her teeth, brows furrowed, eyes full of anger and urgency, but she had to completely suppress it all.
“I need to extract the arrowhead—hold him firmly,” the doctor prepared, taking out pointed copper forceps.
Besides Ming Shu and Song Qingzhao, two of Wei Zhuo’s subordinates came in to help hold Lu Chang. Only with all four people’s combined strength could the doctor begin extracting the arrowhead.
There was a “swish” sound as the arrowhead was pulled from the flesh, blood immediately gushing forth. Lu Chang let out a muffled groan, his whole body trembling, one hand clenched into a fist while the other suddenly gripped Ming Shu’s hand.
The unconscious grip was extremely powerful—Ming Shu felt as if the bones in her hand might break.
How much pain must Lu Chang be in for someone so capable of enduring to shake all over?
Ming Shu’s hand hurt terribly, and her eyes gradually reddened, but she still didn’t speak or move, using all her strength to assist the doctor until the wound was completely treated and Lu Chang was helped to lie down. Only then did she wipe her eyes and get down from the bed.
The room was in disarray, with the medicine apprentice cleaning up blood-stained rags from the floor while the doctor carefully considered the prescription. Only then did Madam Zeng and Wei Zhuo enter to see Lu Chang. Fortunately, the arrow had missed vital areas and wasn’t poisoned, so Lu Chang’s life wasn’t in danger—he was now in a deep sleep.
Only after learning Lu Chang wasn’t in danger did Madam Zeng let go of her suspended anxiety. Wei Zhuo urged her to rest, as she was exhausted from the day’s ordeals, but she refused, insisting on staying to care for Lu Chang.
“Mother, you’re injured and your health is delicate. If you fall ill because of this, how would Brother feel when he wakes? With Uncle Wei’s arrangements, please go rest first. I’ll watch over Brother,” Ming Shu gently persuaded.
Under the joint persuasion of Wei Zhuo and Ming Shu, Madam Zeng finally compromised and was convinced to go rest.
“Ming Shu, don’t worry too much. Lu Chang will be fine,” Song Qingzhao finally came forward to comfort Ming Shu. Seeing her reddened eyes, his heart ached faintly, but unlike Madam Zeng’s fragility, her self-possession left him unable to express his tender feelings.
Ming Shu nodded and said, “Thank you for today. If it weren’t for you, he…”
She swallowed the terrifying latter half of the sentence. Song Qingzhao patted her shoulder in comfort and was about to offer more consolation when someone came to request: “Editor Song, the Commander requests your presence.”
“Go quickly, don’t worry about me,” Ming Shu knew Wei Zhuo wanted to ask Song Qingzhao about the ambush, so she urged.
Song Qingzhao looked at her twice more, sighed lightly, and took his leave.
Only she and Lu Chang remained in the room.
The seven-tiered candelabra had been extinguished, leaving only two parchment lamps on the desk, their dim light illuminating Lu Chang’s face with his eyes tightly closed. Ming Shu moved a stool beside the bed and wrung out a cloth soaked in warm water while watching him.
Given her personality, she should have been desperate to stay by Wei Zhuo’s side to hear Song Qingzhao’s detailed account and then investigate the attackers’ identities, but now, for some reason, she didn’t want to think about anything else—she just wanted to stay by Lu Chang’s side.
Song Qingzhao had said that after breaking off the arrow, he had ridden from the ambush site to home, then from home to the Commander’s mansion, thinking only of her the whole time.
In the past, she might have been moved by such brotherly devotion, but now…
She leaned forward to gently wipe his face and neck, then carefully undid his hair topknot to make him more comfortable.
Previously, it had always been Lu Chang taking care of her injuries and illnesses; now it was her turn to watch over him.
Dawn arrived without notice, and when Lu Chang’s eyes opened a crack, he found the yellow candlelight had been replaced by daylight. Throughout the night, he hadn’t been completely unconscious—the tearing pain of the arrow’s removal was still fresh in his mind, and he seemed to recall someone whispering by his ear: “Brother, don’t be afraid, I’m here… I’m here…”
That was Ming Shu’s voice.
Thinking of Ming Shu, yesterday’s events surfaced in his mind, and he immediately wanted to confirm her and Madam Zeng’s safety, but as he turned his head, he saw Ming Shu sleeping with her head pillowed near him, her other hand still held in his grasp.
Soft, delicate, and warm, like her entire being.
The morning light gently illuminated her features—her long eyelashes, elegant nose bridge, and lustrous lips—all within his reach.
Lu Chang didn’t want to wake her and lay still, turning his head to quietly watch her, but Ming Shu suddenly startled awake, mumbling “Medicine, it’s time for medicine,” as she rubbed her eyes and sat up—the doctor had instructed that medicine should be given every few hours, and she had remembered firmly.
Ming Shu had never cared for someone before and was inevitably somewhat flustered, unlike Lu Chang’s composed handling of such situations. She could only force herself to stay awake, and even when dozing would quickly startle awake, just like now.
“Medicine…” Ming Shu patted her head—she was being silly, it hadn’t been long since the last dose.
“How did you get those injuries on your neck?” A voice suddenly asked.
Ming Shu’s sleepy eyes flew wide open, all drowsiness vanishing.
“Brother, you’re awake?” She looked down and met Lu Chang’s gaze.
Lu Chang had already noticed the ring of bruises on her neck. He tried to sit up. Ming Shu quickly moved to help him rise slowly, the thin summer blanket sliding to his waist. Lu Chang was focused only on her injuries and didn’t notice anything amiss, but Ming Shu was dumbstruck after helping him sit.
When they’d cut away his clothes last night to treat the wound, they hadn’t put on new ones, so he was currently shirtless, with only white bandages on his left shoulder. His shoulder and arm muscles were clearly defined, and with his hair undone, the soft long strands falling naturally, framing his pale handsome face after the injury, he somehow appeared bewitching.
“I asked you a question?” Lu Chang was still concerned about her injury, and seeing her frozen like a wooden chicken, he pressed further.
Ming Shu closed her eyes, covered her nose and mouth, and turned away.
Seeing her face completely red and her strange behavior, Lu Chang suddenly felt the coolness on his body, looked down, and his handsome face also flushed as he quickly grabbed the thin blanket to cover his chest, his voice wavering: “Where are my clothes?”
“Cut… to pieces…” Ming Shu dared not turn her head, but her mind was still filled with what she had just seen.
How sinful.
Cut to pieces?!
Lu Chang took a breath and said, “Go find me some clothes.”
Ming Shu nodded vigorously and rushed outside, calling for Wei’s servants to bring clothes. They arrived quickly with a set of undergarments and an outer robe—new clothes that Wei Zhuo had never worn. Though they were of similar height, Wei Zhuo was more robust than Lu Chang, so the clothes were a bit loose on him, but better than nothing.
Lu Chang struggled to dress himself, but with only one arm usable, it proved difficult. Ming Shu heard the rustling for a while and, realizing he must be having trouble, simply walked back to the bedside. Sure enough, he had only managed half, and was awkwardly trying to get his right arm into the sleeve…
“That’s enough, stop moving around or you’ll tear open the wound and cause more trouble,” Ming Shu sat on the bed, deliberately fixing her gaze on his face while smoothly holding out the right sleeve for him.
They sat face to face, their breaths mingling, both blushing. Ming Shu helped him put on the undergarment, then reached behind his neck to adjust it, carefully pulling his long hair out from under the collar strand by strand. Lu Chang lowered his head to watch her, and as the hair fell, he called out as if in a dream: “Ming Shu.”
Ming Shu looked up.
The close proximity caused her nose to brush against his nose bridge, and the haziness in Lu Chang’s eyes instantly transformed into surging ocean waves.
Ming Shu’s breath caught, and she instinctively tried to escape, but the sudden movement accidentally jarred his wound, causing him to lower his head with a muffled groan. She was startled and quickly said, “Brother? Did I hurt your wound? Let me look, let me see…”
Lu Chang covered his wound and kept his head down, making Ming Shu increasingly worried as she bent down to check his expression.
But he was fine—she caught sight of his slightly curved lips.
Ming Shu straightened up, furious: “Lu Chang, that’s enough!”
Lu Chang looked up: “What did you call me?”
“Lu Chang! Is that not allowed?” Ming Shu put her hands on her hips, “Lu Chang, Lu Chang, Lu Chang!”
Did he still expect her to call him “Brother”? Pah, what kind of loving and stern older brother was he? He wasn’t one at all!
“Yes!” Lu Chang responded promptly and decisively.
To him, that “Lu Chang” was like heavenly music.
“…” Ming Shu was speechless with frustration.
“Don’t move, let me look at your injury,” but then he reached out, his fingertips lightly brushing over the marks on her neck, his expression changing again.
Fierce enough to devour someone.
Wei Zhuo had also risen early today, and his subordinates had already reported that of the four attackers who had ambushed Madam Zeng and Ming Shu yesterday, two had been captured by the Imperial Guard’s encirclement, while of the other two, one had died in the fight and one had escaped.
The two captured men had been taken to the interrogation hall in the Commander’s mansion, and he was just about to head there when suddenly a servant came to report—
“Commander, Minister Lu, the Head of the Chancellery, requests an audience outside.”
Wei Zhuo’s steps faltered.
News had traveled fast—Lu Wenhan had come first thing in the morning.