Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 65

Dark night, sparse starlight.

Three Elephants Alley.

The night wind whistled through the alley, carrying a chilling cold. Lu Yu pulled her clothes tighter and hurried home.

Crack!

The sound of a breaking branch echoed behind her.

Lu Yu turned back vigilantly. Behind her was a dark, hollow alley, with no sign of any living thing.

Turning her head back, Lu Yu seemed to notice something, quickening her pace and turning into another alleyway.

And at the moment she turned the corner, three figures quickly darted out from the shadow of the alley she had just left, chasing in the direction she had gone.

Upon closer look, these three were the Scar-faced man, the Skinny man, and the Tall man that Lu Sheng had seen at the dock.

“She noticed us!” Scar-faced man shouted, “Hurry up and chase! Don’t let her run away!”

The three ran about three zhang (approx. 10 meters) down the alley, only to see a dead end wall ahead, with no sign of Lu Yu.

“What’s going on?” The Skinny man panicked. They clearly saw her run in, how could she be gone?

Scar-faced and Tall man exchanged glances, both frowning in confusion.

Just as they were wondering, Lu Yu’s voice rang out from the direction they came from.

“Looking for me?”

“You smelly bitch, are you playing tricks on us?!” The Tall man directly jumped up and cursed.

“Playing tricks on you?” Lu Yu sneered, “I want to kill you!”

“Kill us?” Scar-faced man mocked, “With just you, this crawling-into-bed slut? I’d be more likely to kill you.”

“Big Brother, stop wasting words with her.”

The Skinny man raised the stick in his hand and swung it at Lu Yu. Before he could get close, a burly man leaped out from the wall beside them.

The burly man was dressed in black, standing over eight chi (approx. 2.7 meters) tall, and was about twice the size of the Skinny man.

When the Skinny man saw him, his body started shaking like a sieve.

This burly man was Governor Peng’s enforcer. The Skinny man had personally witnessed him twist someone’s neck at the warehouse yard.

The man grabbed the Skinny man’s arm and, with a twist of his wrist, snapped his arm clean off.

The Skinny man let out a cry of pain and immediately fainted. The two men behind him were also scared out of their wits by the sight, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.

“I was wrong, I was wrong, please spare my life, Miss Lu.”

“Spare us, please spare our lives, Miss Lu.”

“Spare your lives?” Lu Yu squinted at them, looking sinisterly as if looking at maggots on the ground, her voice icy, “Didn’t you just say you wanted my life?”

“It was my foul mouth, Miss Lu, you are generous, please don’t take it to heart.” Scar-faced man slapped himself hard, then continued to beg.

Lu Yu completely ignored what he said, and spoke directly to the burly man: “A-Kun, the rest is up to you.”

After she spoke, she walked out of the alley on her own, no matter how miserable the screams behind her were, she acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing. She dusted off the dirt on her clothes and walked home unhurriedly.

The weather was getting warmer day by day, and fewer people came to buy sanjiu (bulk liquor) for warmth in the morning. The mornings were no longer as busy as in winter.

Life was stable, and nothing major happened again until the tenth day of the second lunar month.

Having been at the shop for over a month, Liu Yun had opened up a lot. Lu Sheng took advantage of the free time to teach her how to keep accounts. Now, she could basically handle the shop’s affairs.

That day, as soon as Liu Yun started work, she took out a cloth bag from her pocket and handed it to Lu Sheng.

“Xiao Sheng, here are five liang of silver, please take it.”

“Sister Yun, where did you get so much money?” Lu Sheng asked in surprise.

“This is Yu’er’s wages.” Liu Yun lowered her head to look at the cloth bag in her hand, her tone a little low, “She changed jobs a few days ago and is earning a bit more.”

“Wages?”

Lu Sheng really couldn’t imagine a job where someone working for others could earn such high wages.

“Yu’er was favored by Governor Peng of the dock bosi (maritime customs), and is now a warehouse supervisor at the depot.”

Liu Yun explained briefly and didn’t want to say more. Seeing this, Lu Sheng didn’t press further. However, hearing Liu Yun’s words, she immediately thought of the three ruffians she had seen at the dock that day.

Lu Sheng had a gut feeling that the person they were cursing for climbing into Governor Peng’s bed was Lu Yu.

Thinking of this, a bad premonition flashed through Lu Sheng’s mind.

But remembering the scene that day, she also felt that the three ruffians’ words might not be trustworthy.

In the evening after dinner, Lu Sheng talked to Qi Zhenshu about what she saw at the dock, asking her to help analyze it.

“Do you think the person they were talking about at the time was Lu Yu?” Lu Sheng sat next to Qi Zhenshu’s desk, speaking to her with a serious expression.

“It sounds very much like it, but there shouldn’t be only one warehouse supervisor at the dock.”

A newly appointed female warehouse supervisor who had been almost beaten to death indeed matched Lu Yu, but it didn’t rule out the possibility of someone else.

“By the way, they also said they were going to deal with Lu Yu. I saw the look on their faces, it didn’t look like a joke. Should we warn Liu Yun?” Lu Sheng said, frowning again, “But it’s been almost a month since I met them, is it too late?”

“Hard to say. We can’t confirm that the person they were talking about is Lu Yu right now.”

“Then what should we do?” Lu Sheng was worried.

Qi Zhenshu pondered, “You can tell her tomorrow that you saw those people, and give her a heads-up. A place like the depot, where people are mixed and complex, it’s always good to be careful.”

“Okay.” Lu Sheng thought for a moment and then asked, “Does that warehouse supervisor have a lot of power?”

Qi Zhenshu nodded, “The dock’s warehouse storage is directly under the jurisdiction of the Prefecture’s Water Transport Department, and is not managed by the county. The dock’s depot is governed by the Depot Governor. The Governor is a seventh-rank official, the same rank as the County Magistrate.”

“Below the Governor are the warehouse supervisors, who are considered xuli (minor officials/clerks). Although they do not have official rank, they hold real power. The flow of goods, and the docking and movement of ships at the depot are all managed by them.” Qi Zhenshu paused here, “Because they are only xuli, the appointment and removal of warehouse supervisors can be directly decided by the Governor.”

The country of Xiliang has a dense network of waterways, and most of the freight transport is done by water. The Water Transport Department is the most lucrative yamen (government office) besides the Ministry of Revenue.

As the saying goes, ‘fertile water does not flow into outsiders’ fields,’ most warehouse supervisors are the Governor’s close confidantes.

“Then for Lu Yu to become a warehouse supervisor, does it have something to do with that Governor Peng…”

Lu Sheng didn’t finish the rest of her sentence, but Qi Zhenshu took over, “More or less, but it can’t be definitively said that it’s exactly as they said.”

Places with more interests are more prone to corruption. Governor Peng’s reputation in Binhe County is indeed not good. If Lu Yu truly has a connection with him, the issue might not be simply about innocence.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about her.” Lu Sheng said.

The most she could do for Lu Yu was to give a reminder, she shouldn’t interfere too much.

“The clothes you ordered a few days ago are ready, I’ll bring them for you to try on.”

Qi Zhenshu was leaving for Qingzhou in a few days. Lu Sheng noticed that her spring clothes were a bit old, so she had a few new sets made for her.

“Try them on and see. If anything doesn’t fit, I’ll take them to the shop tomorrow to have them altered.”

There were three sets of clothes in total, two white and one light blue, all made in the style of jiaoling changshan ruqun (cross-collar long shirt with skirt), which was perfect for wearing at the academy.

“Try this light blue one.” Lu Sheng smiled and handed her a set of clothes.

Qi Zhenshu’s original clothes were all white, except for white. Lu Sheng thought it was too monotonous, so she secretly added a set of different color for her.

A long-sleeved white undershirt, a light blue ankle-length skirt, paired with a light blue long shan (outer shirt), with magnolia embroidered on the skirt and outer shirt.

Qi Zhenshu looked at the clothes, pursed her lips, “I have never worn clothes like this.”

“Just try it.” Lu Sheng stuffed the clothes into her arms, smiling, “You will definitely look beautiful in this. I spent a long time picking out this fabric.”

Her lively eyes shone like stars, filled with a hint of expectant light, making it hard to refuse. Qi Zhenshu sighed softly and took the clothes into the inner room.

The light blue dress was soft and beautiful, and the woman’s appearance was stunning. Compared to before, the color lessened the aloofness of white and added a sense of elegance and approachability.

“Beautiful.” Lu Sheng praised with a smile.

Seeing her eyes curved in a smile, Qi Zhenshu didn’t feel awkward about the clothes anymore.

As long as she liked it.

The night was black as ink, the moonlight faint and yellow, and the starlight sparse.

Creak~

Thump!

The sound of a heavy object falling startled Liu Yun, who was sleeping on the desk. She suddenly raised her head and looked outside.

The oil lamp on the table had long been extinguished. It was pitch black outside, making it impossible to see anything.

Liu Yun shivered and pulled her outer shirt tighter, hugging herself tightly, staring at the direction of the door.

It wasn’t until the familiar faint sound of footsteps outside the courtyard rang out that she finally relaxed a little, swallowed, and her voice was a little hoarse, “Yu’er.”

As she spoke, Lu Yu pushed the door open. Hearing her voice, she quickly replied, “It’s me, go back to sleep, don’t worry about me.”

It was darker inside than outside. Lu Yu couldn’t see that Liu Yun was still sitting at the table. She pulled out the tinder from her pocket and only then saw the person.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Lu Yu quickly walked to the table and lit the oil lamp, frowning and scolding, “Didn’t I tell you not to wait for me?”

She had told Liu Yun a long time ago not to wait for her in the evening, but she still saw Liu Yun awake every time she returned late.

She had disciplined a few disobedient porters at the depot today, which had put her in a bad mood. When she got home, she was relieved to see the light out, thinking Liu Yun had listened to her, but only realized she hadn’t once she entered the door.

Her eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness, felt uncomfortable from the sudden light. Liu Yun raised a hand to shield them. After slowly recovering, she replied, “I was doing needlework and accidentally fell asleep.”

As Liu Yun spoke, she reached out to put away the work basket and clothes on the table.

Lu Yu grabbed the iron kettle on the table, poured a cup of water, and drank it in one go.

As they got closer, Liu Yun smelled a faint scent of alcohol on her, and asked, “Drinking again.”

“Yes.” Lu Yu poured another cup of water and casually said, “Not much, just two cups.”

Catching sight of the spring shirt on the table, the expression on Lu Yu’s face softened a little. Seeing the size and style, it must have been made for her.

“Needlework strains your eyes. From now on, don’t do it yourself, just buy ready-made clothes from the shop.” Lu Yu sat down and said.

She earned a lot now, completely able to afford clothes from the ready-made clothing shop. There was no need for Liu Yun to do it herself anymore.

The hand collecting the clothes paused. Liu Yun lowered her head, carefully putting the clothes into the work basket, and softly replied, “Okay.”

In the past, whenever she gave Lu Yu new clothes, the person would immediately hold them up to herself, happily celebrating for a long time.

Now, there was no trace of joy to be seen.

Putting away the disappointment in her heart, Liu Yun picked up the wooden basin nearby, “I’ll go fetch you water.”

“I’ll go myself, you get some rest early.” Lu Yu took the wooden basin from her hand and walked out.

“I heated water for you on the stove.” Liu Yun reminded her, turning to take off her shoes and getting into bed.

A warmth arose in her heart. The anger Lu Yu had accumulated at the depot was completely swept away, and she didn’t feel as tired anymore.

When she finished washing up and got into bed, Liu Yun hugged her from behind.

“Still awake?” Lu Yu turned over, embraced her, and closed her eyes, “Go to sleep.”

“Yu’er.” Liu Yun softly called her name.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yu was already sleepy.

“After this month, can you please not go to the dock depot anymore?” Liu Yun whispered.

Lu Yu opened her eyes, completely awake, and asked, “Why?”

“I’m scared.”

Liu Yun didn’t say more, but Lu Yu understood what she meant. She hadn’t told Liu Yun much about the dock, but after years of being together, even if Liu Yun didn’t say it, she could tell her worries at a glance.

“I’m doing well at Xiao Sheng’s shop, and my wages are enough for us to live on.” Liu Yun paused here, softly pleading, “Can you find a more stable job later, okay?”

Although Lu Yu was earning more, she was also getting increasingly busy, and returning home later and later. The person who used to be a teetotaler now drank often, sometimes getting completely drunk.

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