The Imperial Guard’s Revenge - CH 27

Chapter 27 Unrecognized

Wang Yanqing inexplicably felt that this voice was very familiar, but she lost her memory, so she should not have had such a big reaction. Wang Yanqing stared in the direction where the voice came from and pursed her lips tightly, without making a sound.

Even though she was curious, she did not lift the curtain. The Ming Dynasty had strict etiquette, especially because this was the capital, the most disciplined place. As a female family member, she had absolutely no reason to open the curtain casually on the street. Besides, she didn’t know if the person was friend or foe. For safety, she couldn’t show her face rashly, so as not to cause trouble to Second Brother.

Although Fu Tingzhou spoke to Lu Heng, the noble kept paying attention to the carriage. However, after he finished speaking, there was no extra movement inside, and Fu Tingzhou couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Lu Heng laughed uncharacteristically. He restrained the somewhat restless horse and nodded lightly to Fu Tingzhou: “It turns out that it is the Marquis of Zhenyuan. The Marquis of Zhenyuan is not training in the military division, so what are you doing here?”

When Wang Yanqing heard the name in the carriage, her pupils dilated slightly, and she was surprised again. It turned out to be him. It turned out to be Fu Tingzhou, the Marquis of Zhenyuan. No wonder she felt it was familiar. The voice of the enemy, she naturally remembered it through the amnesia.

It was no coincidence that Fu Tingzhou appeared here. Qing Qing had been missing for almost half a month. These days, Fu Tingzhou didn’t think about tea or rice, and couldn’t sleep at night. The culprit, Lu Heng, first accused his immediate superior of a shady case, and then swaggered to Baoding Mansion to investigate the case. Fu Tingzhou didn’t believe that Lu Heng would care about a small case in another place. Even if Lu Heng suddenly found his conscience and planned to avenge others, it was a very simple case of adultery, however, he stayed in Baoding Mansion for almost ten days.

Fu Tingzhou really disliked Lu Heng, but he still recognized Lu Heng’s ability to do things. He was considered a genius in criminal investigation. Whether it was murder, money seeking, locating people or court infighting, if it was handed over to him, he could solve the case. It was also because of this that the emperor trusted him so much that he would let Lu Heng investigate anything.

With Lu Heng’s ability, did it really take so long to investigate an ordinary murder case? Anyway, Fu Tingzhou didn’t believe it. The student of the first assistant was still locked up in the prison, yet Lu Heng ran to Baoding to investigate an irrelevant case at this particular moment, and it was nearly ten days before he left. Fu Tingzhou couldn’t help being suspicious, especially since not long ago, Qing Qing was suspected of being taken away by Lu Heng.

The timing was so coincidental that Fu Tingzhou couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Fu Tingzhou looked Lu Heng up and down secretly and did not hide the target in his words: “Master Lu has been away for a long time. I didn’t know there was such a big case happening in another place that Master Lu was bothered to go out in person?”

“I don’t dare be bothered.” Lu Heng noticed Fu Tingzhou’s gaze, and his smile deepened, “I’m just sharing my worries for the king and avenging the people’s grievances, in no higher position than the Marquis of Zhenyuan. I have other errands, and I don’t have time to delay outside. Does the Marquis of Zhenyuan have any other matters?”

Lu Heng pretended not to know, and Fu Tingzhou was no longer polite. He directly placed his eyes on the carriage and asked: “Master Lu used to care about speed in investigating cases. Why did you bring a carriage this time?”

Lu Heng calmly said with a smile: “It is the womenfolk of the Lu family, who has ridiculed the Marquis of Zhenyuan.”

“Womenfolk?” Fu Tingzhou sneered and said aggressively, “Master Lu is famous for being pure-hearted and not close to women. Why do I not know. Since when did Master Lu have womenfolk?”

“There are many things that the Marquis of Zhenyuan doesn’t know, and it seems that there is no need to tell the Marquis of Zhenyuan about Lu’s personal affairs.”

Fu Tingzhou squinted his eyes and instinct told him that there was something strange in this carriage. If he missed it, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Fu Tingzhou said indifferently: “It turns out to be Lord Lu’s family womenfolk. I am ashamed to speak. Master Lu is only two years older than me, but he is my senior in officialdom. I have admired Master Lu for a long time. I wonder if I will have the opportunity to visit my sister-in-law today?”

After Fu Tingzhou finished speaking, he found that Lu Heng was looking at him with a smile. Lu Heng’s smile was definitely not a good thing. Fu Tingzhou was flabbergasted by this sight, and there was a sense of anger in his heart from being offended. Fu Tingzhou’s face sank and he said coldly: “Commander Lu, what is the meaning of this?”

When Lu Heng heard that Fu Tingzhou called her “sister-in-law”, his whole body felt very comfortable and overjoyed. Lu Heng’s eyes were bright and lustrous, he looked at Fu Tingzhou leisurely, and said with an indescribable smile: “I accept the kindness of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, but today Lu has other business, and it is inconvenient to stay for a long time. Let’s talk about it another day. The Marquis of Zhenyuan can rest assured that there will always be opportunities to meet in the future. On the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s wedding day, I will bring her to the door in person and toast a glass of wedding wine for the two.”

“If Lu likes to drink, I will let someone prepare old wine. It’s better to seize the occasion than to choose another day. Why not today?”

Lu Heng looked at him, the light in his eyes was dark and deep, and he continued: “Why, does the Marquis of Zhenyuan still want to forcibly break into the Lu family’s carriage?”

Fu Tingzhou stared at Lu Heng coldly, and Lu Heng just smiled and looked at Fu Tingzhou calmly. If he offends the Imperial Guard’s family at the foot of the capital, then he really didn’t want to live. Fu Tingzhou finally took a step back and said: ” I don’t dare. Blame me for being impatient. I wanted to congratulate Master Lu too much. If there is any offense, please be magnanimous and forgive me.”

The people who went to the city gate returned, and the city gate guard cleared a path so that Lu Heng and others could enter the city. Lu Heng sat high on the horse, his fingers loosely wrapped the reins, and said: “The Marquis of Zhenyuan is young and ambitious, but in the officialdom, moving too fast may not be a good thing. It will be best for the Marquis of Zhenyuan to find time to settle down. Lu is certainly a step forward. I will take my leave.”

Lu Heng nodded down to Fu Tingzhou, then turned his horse’s head mercilessly and walked towards the city gate. Chen Yuxuan hurriedly clasped his fists at Fu Tingzhou and hurried to catch up, followed by the carriage and entourage.

Lu Heng said that the other was young and arrogant, which was really a joke. Fu Tingzhou sat still on the horse, watching Lu Heng’s team pass in front of him. When the carriage passed by, Fu Tingzhou stared at the curtain closely, paying close attention to the slightest change. However, the curtains just hung quietly, and there was no unusual movement in the carriage.

Fu Tingzhou frowned. Could it be that he guessed wrong, and Qing Qing was not there? He was not reconciled, turned around, and said loudly to the carriage: “From Fu Tingzhou, I send my best regards to the Madam and Miss.”

Fu Tingzhou thought to himself that even if Qing Qing was controlled by their people, after hearing his voice, there would have been movement. If there was any sound of fighting or cry for help in the carriage, even if he offended the emperor, he would hijack the carriage to save the person. However, the carriage just drove quietly, just like driving womenfolk, encountering an outside male without speaking or presenting themselves, there was no response from start to finish.

Fu Tingzhou’s voice was not low, and many people heard it. The Imperial Guards in the team looked unhappy, and Chen Yuxuan also looked back, lowered his voice and said to Lu Heng: “Commander, what exactly does the Marquis of Zhenyuan want to do? It was too much to offend the woman’s carriage several times.”

Lu Heng heard it too, he sarcastically curled the corner of his lower lip, and said lightly: “Don’t worry about him, he’s just a clown jumping on a beam.”

In the past, when Lu Heng returned from business trips, he went directly to the guardhouse, but today he brought Wang Yanqing with him. He asked Chen Yuxuan to take the file back to South Fusi, and he turned around to send Wang Yanqing home first.

The servants quickly removed the threshold, and the carriage drove into the Lu Mansion and stopped in front of the second gate. Wang Yanqing didn’t need the support of a maid, so she walked out of the carriage with her skirt. As soon as she saw Lu Heng, she frowned tightly and said complaining: “Second Brother, you are right, that person is indeed despicable and frivolous.”

This was the inner courtyard of the Lu family and there was no need to worry about being heard and seen, so Wang Yanqing no longer hid it, and directly expressed her dislike for Fu Tingzhou. Lu Heng heard her clearly, but still pretended not to know, and deliberately asked: “Who are you talking about?”

“Who else could it be?” Wang Yanqing angrily walked to Lu Heng’s side, scolding as she walked, “Of course it’s Fu Theif. How can anyone relentlessly look at other people’s women at the city gate. You clearly refused, but he still didn’t hold back, talking to me as my carriage passed by. At that time, I took my Second Brother’s face into consideration and endured it. If there is another time, I will never forgive this thief.”

Lu Heng’s mood was appropriately reconciled, but he still pretended to soothe Wang Yanqing: “He acts in such a stateless manner, Qing Qing, don’t be angry. He didn’t see your face today, so he didn’t go crazy yet. When he sees you in the future, it will definitely be more ugly. In the future, if he talks nonsense, Qing Qing should not believe him.”

Wang Yanqing nodded. Originally when Second Brother said that Fu Tingzhou started stalking her as soon as he saw her, she didn’t quite believe it, thinking that Second Brother was exaggerating. She didn’t expect to see today that this was actually true. Wang Yanqing also heard when Lu Heng and Fu Tingzhou were talking. She thought of her Second Brother congratulating Fu Tingzhou on his new marriage and asked strangely: “Second Brother, is he going to get married?”

Lu Heng didn’t mention that Fu Tingzhou was in his grieving for his grandfather and answered in one word: “Soon.”

Wang Yanqing became more and more annoyed after hearing this: “And he is still nagging ceaselessly?”

“Yes, he wants to enjoy the blessings of having several partners and asks you to be a concubine.” Lu Heng truly admired himself. He really had a talent for making up lies. The timing and logic of this set of rhetoric were consistent, and even Fu Tingzhou’s reaction could be explained. Fu Tingzhou was not a fool either. Lu Heng knew that there was no way to avoid Wang Yanqing and Fu Tingzhou meeting, so he simply slandered Fu Tingzhou’s image first. After his credibility completely collapsed with Wang Yanqing, even if Fu Tingzhou produced more evidence to prove that he was Wang Yanqing’s adoptive brother, Wang Yanqing wouldn’t believe it anymore.

Lu Heng sighed for a while, clenched Wang Yanqing’s hand, and said: “Don’t think about him. You have been in the carriage all day, you should be tired. Go back and take a break. I’ll go to South Fusi to take a look first, and I’ll come back to accompany you in the evening.”

Wang Yanqing nodded, retracted her hand obediently, and watched Lu Heng leave: “Second Brother, go get busy. Be careful on the road and come back early.”

Lu Heng walked a long way, and when he turned back, he could still see a gleaming white shadow standing under the veranda, who waved at him after sensing his line of sight. Lu Heng smiled faintly, turned around, and strode out.

After Lu Heng arrived in South Fusi, the people inside were going crazy. As soon as Guo Tao saw Lu Heng, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried up to meet him: “Commander, you are finally back. Today, the head auxiliary sent someone to put pressure us again, but Zhao Huai still refuses to talk. What should we do?”

“What about the others, did you get any useful information?”

Guo Tao quickly cut down and refined his experience during this period and reported it to Lu Heng. Lu Heng strode from South Fusi and when Guo Tao finished his report, Lu Heng arrived at the palace where he worked: “Zhao Huai is not a courageous person. If he dares to provoke like this, it is most likely because someone has provided him with the words. Oh, they all have a lot of backbone, but if they want to gain reputation, they will have to see if I will allow it.”

“Commander, what are we going to do next?”

“Don’t do anything, keep everything as it is.”

Guo Tao was stunned for a moment, and almost didn’t follow Lu Heng’s footsteps: “What?”

Lu Heng took off his robe, sat on the seat, and impatiently loosened the armor on his sleeves: “All actions will remain the same, if he is hungry, you will starve him, and if you need to frighten him, frighten him. In this way, he will think that we only have these few tricks. If we order him around again and again, it will be clear that we have no other ways to deal with him. The more you threaten him, maybe he will be more pleased with himself, then he will become brash.”

Guo Tao frowned, thinking to himself, what kind of new way of torturing people was this? Guo Tao asked tentatively: “Let him become brash, then what?”

Lu Heng put down his sleeves and looked at Guo Tao with a smile in his pair of amber eyes: “Then we can slaughter the plump sheep.”

Guo Tao saw Lu Heng’s determination to win in his look, and the stone in his heart finally fell away. If the commander said this, then there must be a way. Guo Tao stopped worrying and made arrangements after holding up his fists. He had just taken two steps when Lu Heng stopped him: “Collect a copy of the information about the people in the prison and bring it to me before the end of the day. Mainly organize Zhao Huai’s.”

Guo Tao stopped and looked at Lu Heng in surprise. The details of Zhao Huai and the others could not be clearer to the commander. Why did he still want to read the written materials? However, Lu Heng glanced at him again, secretly accentuating his tone: “Why haven’t you left?”

Guo Tao woke up like a he was in a dream and hurriedly responded. Lu Heng counted the rush and the time he stayed in Baoding Mansion. He left Beijing for a total of nine days. The nine days were not long, but in an eventful place like the Imperial Guards, it was enough to accumulate a lot of official duties.

Lu Heng picked up important official documents to address. Even though he was very fast, by the time he looked up, it was already dark outside. The biographies of Zhao Huai and others had already been sent, and Lu Heng glanced at them, picked out the parts that were not suitable for Wang Yanqing to see, and burned them with a candle. He burned more than a dozen pages of paper until he was finally satisfied. Lu Heng flipped through the remaining official documents casually, it didn’t matter if they were delayed for a few more days. He closed the file with peace of mind and walked outside the house.

When Lu Heng left, the people in South Fusi wondered why the commander left so early today. Lu Heng ignored the prying eyes, took his horse from the stable, and walked back to the house in the night.

After Lu Heng returned to the mansion, the main courtyard was lit. This time he didn’t make any fuss and walked straight to the bright place.

Wang Yanqing took a nap after returning in the afternoon. After getting up, she took a shower and changed her clothes and now she was full of energy. She had no appetite herself, so she sat in the house and waited for Lu Heng to have dinner together. When she heard movement outside, she immediately put down her things, got up and walked to the door.

As soon as Lu Heng approached, he happened to see Wang Yanqing holding a lamp and lifting the curtains from inside the room: “Second Brother, you are back.”