Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 72

The dock in Qingzhou was huge. Before the ship even docked, Lu Sheng could spot the bustling crowds of people coming and going on the shore, making it much livelier than Binhe County.

Seeing so many people for the first time, Tangtang leaned in Lu Sheng’s arms, clutching her sleeve, and asked nervously, “Mother, is this Qingzhou?”

“Yes,” Lu Sheng held her small hand. “You’ll see your Niangqin soon. Are you happy, my darling?”

The little girl’s attention was diverted. Her eyes curved as she happily nodded, “Happy.”

The sailors began furling the sails, and the ship slowly approached the shore.

Lin Shuqing walked over and looked at Lu Sheng, asking, “Xiao Sheng, are you going to the White Crane Academy shortly?”

“Yes,” Lu Sheng nodded. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for me on this journey. Do you have time later? Let’s find a restaurant so I can express my gratitude.”

Having received a favor, Lu Sheng knew she had to repay the kindness.

Lin Shuqing’s brow was wreathed in smiles. “Xiao Sheng, there’s no need to be so polite with me. Since you’ve come to Qingzhou, I should be the one to treat you and fulfill my duty as a host.”

“Even so, I should thank you first,” Lu Sheng waved her hand. “You can treat me next time.”

This sounded like a polite refusal, but Lin Shuqing followed up on her words, asking, “How many days will Xiao Sheng be staying in Qingzhou?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Lu Sheng thought for a moment. “It should be at least seven or eight days.”

“Then in a few days…”

While the two were talking, the boat had docked. As Lin Shuqing was speaking to her, she glanced at the shore. When her eyes fell upon a carriage parked there, the expression on her face abruptly changed.

She turned to the side and apologized to Lu Sheng, “I’m afraid I can’t have lunch with you.”

Lu Sheng didn’t know why Lin Shuqing suddenly changed her mind, but seeing her severe expression, it seemed she had an important matter to attend to.

Lin Shuqing’s ship was moored a little distance from the public dock, so there weren’t many people coming and going on the shore.

Lu Sheng followed Lin Shuqing’s gaze and saw two carriages parked on the shore.

One carriage was similar to Lin Shuqing’s usual one—more refined and luxurious than an ordinary carriage. However, the other carriage was even more extravagant and dazzling.

That carriage was twice the size of a standard one, pulled by two sturdy, tall horses. The carriage frame was entirely made of pear wood, and even the external decorations like the carriage rivets and cover were intricately carved with gold. The carriage curtains were all made of expensive silk and satin. One look was enough to tell that the owner must be exceedingly wealthy.

“After we disembark, I’ll have A-Chang take you to the White Crane Academy,” Lin Shuqing said.

A-Chang was Lin Shuqing’s tall coachman and also her bodyguard.

“There’s no need to trouble him. We can just hire a carriage ourselves,” Lu Sheng politely declined.

“It’s your first time in Qingzhou, and you’re unfamiliar with the area. It will be more convenient to have A-Chang take you,” Lin Shuqing glanced at Tangtang. The cold sternness from before was gone from her face, replaced by her usual gentleness.

“The dock is chaotic and full of people. It might not be safe for you to take the child alone.”

Lu Sheng couldn’t argue with that and could only accept this favor once more.

“Then I’ll trouble A-Chang,” Lu Sheng smiled. “If you have time in the next few days, I’ll properly treat you to a meal. We’ll be staying at the Youlai Inn near the White Crane Academy.”

“Alright,” Lin Shuqing smiled brightly.

The group disembarked. Lin Shuqing bade farewell to Lu Sheng and the child. After watching them leave, she slowly retracted her gaze and turned to the exceptionally exquisite and luxurious carriage.

Seeing Lin Shuqing approach, a maidservant moved a gold-rimmed pear wood mounting block from the carriage frame to the side of the carriage, assisted her up, and lifted the curtain for her.

Inside the carriage, on the carved couch, a woman wore a bean-green dress embroidered with sprigs of Chinese rose. The peacock-green jade hairpin in her hair and the teardrop earrings on her earlobes accentuated the green, while the jade pendant necklace with a fortune pattern of similarly high-grade translucent jade hanging on her chest was even more luminous and dazzling.

The woman had a peachy complexion and was leaning diagonally against a silk embroidered cushion. Hearing the sound of the curtain being lifted, she raised her almond-shaped eyes and looked at Lin Shuqing with a slight curl of her lips, her posture vibrant and beautiful.

“Oh, why aren’t you going with your former lover, but coming here to me instead?” The woman’s voice was like the song of an oriole, melodious and captivating, but her tone carried a hint of mocking amusement.

“Shen Jiaying,” Lin Shuqing’s eyes darkened, her voice clearly showing displeasure.

Shen Jiaying, the only daughter of Lifeng Money House, was engaged to Lin Shuqing and was her fiancée.

Shen Jiaying seemed oblivious to the warning in her words. She slowly raised her hand, picked up a golden fork from the low table, speared a piece of fruit, leisurely put it into her mouth, and after chewing and swallowing, her thin lips opened.

“Her appearance is quite delicate and lovely. So, it turns out Qiniang prefers this type,” Shen Jiaying’s eyes curved in a smile.

Lin Shuqing sat against the bench on one side, keeping a straight face and closing her eyes as if taking a nap, choosing to ignore her.

“The child in her arms is also interesting. Why do I think the child resembles you somewhat?” Her almond eyes narrowed. Although her eyes were smiling, there was no joy in them, but rather a chilling coolness. “Could she be Qiniang’s child?”

“Shen Jiaying!” Lin Shuqing instantly turned and glared at her, suppressing her anger as she softly reprimanded, “Stop your wild talk and ruining someone’s reputation. My relationship with her is completely innocent!”

Shen Jiaying’s eyes flickered, and endless tenderness and envy surged in her eyes again. “Qiniang is truly deeply in love.”

“I’m warning you, don’t touch them!” Lin Shuqing’s eyes were icy. “Otherwise, we’ll have to…”

“Qiniang, you’re wronging me. How could I be such a narrow-minded person?” Shen Jiaying blinked her almond eyes, feigning innocence, and interrupted her. “Even if Qiniang keeps a mistress outside, I wouldn’t do anything, after all…”

She paused, looking at Lin Shuqing’s pupils filling with anger, and curled her lip, saying, “After all, we had an agreement beforehand, didn’t we?”

Their marriage was only a bargaining chip, a tool, a partnership, a business; it was anything but love.

“It’s good that you remember,” Lin Shuqing said with four words in an icy tone, unwilling to discuss Lu Sheng with her any further. “Why are you looking for me today?”

“Since Qiniang has returned from out of town, I, your fiancée, naturally have to come and welcome you, don’t I?” Shen Jiaying smiled charmingly.

Lin Shuqing’s brow furrowed even tighter. Shen Jiaying’s eyebrow lifted, and her smile became mocking, saying, “We have to keep up appearances, right? Otherwise, how can we make some rats unable to resist jumping out?”

Today was the entrance examination for the White Crane Academy. Lu Sheng had asked Lu Zheng earlier, and the exam was divided into two sessions: morning and afternoon.

By the time the carriage arrived at the White Crane Academy, it was already noon. Lu Sheng found a nearby noodle restaurant, ate with the child, and then went to a teahouse across from the academy and requested a private room.

The private room’s window faced the stone steps behind the academy’s main gate. When the academy opened in the afternoon, Lu Sheng would be able to see it from the teahouse window immediately.

Tangtang started getting sleepy again after eating. After Lu Sheng coaxed her to sleep, she also rested for a while on the long chair.

Clang, clang, clang.

The crisp sound of a gong rang out. Qi Zhenshu neatly packed her brush and ink into her writing case before slowly walking out of the classroom.

Qi Zhenshu was looking down, thinking that the policy essay earlier could have been supplemented with more content. She could still revise and perfect it when she returned later.

She walked out of the mountain gate lost in thought until a familiar childish voice brought her back to her senses.

“Niangqin!”

Qi Zhenshu looked up in surprise and gazed forward in the direction of the voice. Before she could see clearly, her daughter’s soft arms wrapped around her calves.

The little girl happily hugged Qi Zhenshu’s leg and said sweetly and softly, “Niangqin, A-niang and I came to see you!”

A deep shade in her eyes instantly brightened. Qi Zhenshu didn’t care about the writing case in her hand, picked up the child, and instinctively looked in the direction she had come from.

Three steps away, Lu Sheng was wearing a goose-yellow dress, looking at them with eyes curved in a smile. Her crystal-clear eyes were like a pool of fresh water, brimming with the freshness of spring, softening everything around her.

Qi Zhenshu urgently took two steps forward, stood in front of Lu Sheng, and her tone contained an uncontrollable joy. “Why are you here?”

As she spoke, her gaze couldn’t help but examine Lu Sheng. Although they had only been apart for seven days, she had a feeling as if a year had passed.

Qi Zhenshu lifted her arm, wanting to embrace the person in front of her, but constrained by being outdoors, she restrained the impulse in her heart and looked deeply at Lu Sheng.

Lu Sheng’s eyes flickered. She took a step forward, stood on her tiptoes, and gave her a big hug.

“I said I was going to come and see you.”

The girl’s tone was soft and intimate, filled with endless affection and longing.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, filtering through the leaves on the branches and scattering down, turning into specks of golden light.

Her heart felt as if it were soaking in a hot spring, warm and swelling. It was the first time Qi Zhenshu experienced the feeling of being missed.

Lu Sheng nestled her face in Qi Zhenshu’s neck, breathing in the long-missed scent of soap and ink.

The gentle breath brushed against the exposed skin, like a bird skimming across the lake, stirring up ripples that spread in circles throughout her heart.

Qi Zhenshu’s back stiffened. A touch of red appeared on her earlobes. Following the desire in her heart that she could no longer suppress, she encircled her arms around Lu Sheng and called out softly with great tenderness, “Lu Sheng.”

“Mhm.”

Then the two fell silent, quietly enjoying the long-awaited embrace.

After a long hug, Lu Sheng released her, utterly satisfied.

Qi Zhenshu looked at her intently, concerned. “When did you arrive? Have you been waiting for long?”

“We arrived at lunchtime.”

Seeing the lover she had been thinking about, Lu Sheng was also full of joy. She took the writing case from Qi Zhenshu’s hand and wrapped her arm around Qi Zhenshu’s. “We had lunch at that noodle restaurant you mentioned. The shredded chicken noodles are indeed good.”

In Qi Zhenshu’s previous letter, she had specifically told Lu Sheng that, according to her instructions, she would eat some meat every day, and she had also found a good noodle restaurant where the shredded chicken noodles were a specialty.

“That sour radish was delicious too,” the little girl tried to interject.

Niangqin was only paying attention to A-niang and talking to her, ignoring herself.

“There’s also a shop next to it that specializes in jujube cake,” Qi Zhenshu looked at her daughter and smiled. “We’ll buy some for you on the way back.”

She often saw mothers bringing their children to buy from that shop when she walked past it.

“Thank you, Niangqin!” The little girl was overjoyed to hear about good food.

Qi Zhenshu squeezed her small hand, then suddenly remembered something. She turned to Lu Sheng and asked, “Did bringing her here interrupt her studies?”

“I asked Sister about the course progress. When you have time, you can tutor her and teach her what will be taught in class these few days.”

When Lu Sheng planned to bring Tangtang, she had already anticipated that Qi Zhenshu would ask about the child falling behind in her lessons.

“That’s fine,” Qi Zhenshu pondered briefly.

The results of the White Crane Academy exam would only be posted in five days, so she had some free time during these days.

Noticing her thoughts immediately and looking at her daughter who was no longer speaking, Lu Sheng was amused and quickly advised, “Let’s go out and walk around for the first two days, and then start studying the day after tomorrow.”

“Have you been anywhere interesting since you arrived in Qingzhou these past few days?”

“No,” Qi Zhenshu shook her head.

Since arriving in Qingzhou, apart from coming out for meals, she had been studying indoors every day.

“I knew you wouldn’t go anywhere,” Lu Sheng couldn’t help but instruct her again. “In the future, don’t just stay home and read during your days off. Go out and walk around more. Staying cooped up inside is not good for your health.”

“I understand,” Qi Zhenshu replied with a curved brow.

She thought for a moment and suggested, “I heard there’s a cherry blossom forest in the south of the city, not far from here. It’s in full bloom now. We can go there for an outing tomorrow.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Lu Sheng said happily. “Then before we set off tomorrow, let’s buy some braised snacks and pastries. Is it far? Do we need to rent a carriage in advance?”

This would be the family’s first outing together, and Lu Sheng was already a little impatient.

“There’s a livery stable at the street corner. I’ll go inquire early tomorrow.”

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