Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 82

The dragon boat race had long ended, and the river surface had returned to its usual tranquility.

Lu Sheng leaned diagonally against the railing, watching the unmoving ripples on the water. Before the sullenness in her heart could dissipate, someone ran over to bother her.

“What is it?” Lu Sheng turned her head to ask.

“Lady Lu, do you know that the sun and moon in the sky…” Ruan Ru glanced at the sky and started.

“Say what you mean, don’t beat around the bush and waste time.” Lu Sheng was already in a bad mood and truly couldn’t be bothered to listen to her circling.

Ruan Ru secretly sneered in her heart, she truly was a coarse, ignorant village woman.

“Sister Lu, do you think you are a good match for Sister Shu?”

Originally, Qi Zhenshu was often praised by Headmaster Ruan for her outstanding scholarship. Today, Ruan Ru witnessed her divine ability to solve cases, which only increased her admiration and affection.

In her view, Lu Sheng, this ignorant village woman, was worlds apart from the pure and graceful Sister Shu and was not a match for her in the slightest.

Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, turned her head slightly, and looked at her coolly. “What qualifications do you have to ask that question?”

Ruan Ru was momentarily speechless.

Lu Sheng turned her head back to the river, not sparing her an extra glance.

Ruan Ru bit her lip and spoke again, “Sister Shu is like an orchid and a jade tree, talented and beautiful. My mother said she…”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Lu Sheng interrupted her impolitely, hooked a look at her, and said mockingly, “Qi Zhenshu is my wife. I know better than you how wonderful she is. Save your breath, Miss Ruan. No matter how much you praise her, she won’t become your wife.”

“You!”

Her little secret ambition was exposed directly by Lu Sheng, and Ruan Ru was so embarrassed her face flushed red. She stammered for a long time, only managing one word.

“What about me?” Lu Sheng looked at her meaningfully, her tone mocking, “Do you want to say you never thought that way?”

“If you want to poach a wife, just say so. Don’t pretend to be an innocent, pure white flower. Being self-righteous at such a young age, the future Grandmaster of Tea Ceremony will truly belong to you.”

Ruan Ru didn’t understand Lu Sheng’s last two sentences, but they definitely didn’t sound like compliments.

Ruan Ru’s face flushed from red to white. She opened her mouth to argue but was speechless, not knowing what to say. In the end, she stamped her foot with resentment, glared at Lu Sheng, and ran away in shame.

She was tripped by the threshold near the door, and thankfully Lin Shuqing, who was passing by, supported her, preventing her from falling directly to the floor.

Seeing her with red eyes, Lin Shuqing hadn’t even had a chance to ask, “What happened to you…”

Before she finished speaking, Ruan Ru shook off her hand, half-covering her face, and ran down the stairs.

Lin Shuqing was about to chase after her to ask, but her peripheral vision caught sight of Lu Sheng on the balcony. She then called a maid to follow Ruan Ru, and she herself stepped into the room.

In the adjacent private room.

Princess Changning had A’Lu call Ruan Peng into the room and took Xiao Hong and A’Hong out, leaving only Yue Die for interrogation.

“Speak, who instructed you to murder Old Master Wu?” Princess Changning asked, looking down at Yue Die with cold eyes.

Yue Die knelt on the ground, her head slumped in despair, completely losing her previous pitiful demeanor.

She shook her head softly, her tone lifeless. “No one instructed me. I just wanted to kill him myself. I was intimate with Old Master Wu for five years. He promised to take me as a concubine, but last night he said his wife at home disagreed and asked me to wait longer.”

“I was unwilling to wait any longer, so I killed him.”

“Miss Yue Die, stop trying to deny it.” Qi Zhenshu said, her brows cold. “The set of murder mechanisms you designed could not have accurately inserted the dagger into the chest for an immediate kill without repeated adjustments. This is not something that could be done on a sudden impulse last night.”

“Also, this dagger has a special shape. It was clearly made specifically for murder.” Qin Feiyan pulled the dagger out of Old Master Wu’s body and examined it carefully.

This was a three-edged dagger. The style of the blade was originally adapted from the three-edged arrowhead used on the battlefield. Wounds inflicted by such a blade would bleed profusely even without removing the knife, making it a specialized weapon for assassination.

Qin Feiyan held the dagger in her hand, weighing it carefully. The hilt was much heavier than a typical one. It was likely intentionally fitted with a cast-iron hilt to ensure that the force would not cause the dagger to shift position when the cotton thread snapped.

“Miss Yue Die, this is not a dagger you could buy at an ordinary iron shop.” Qin Feiyan finished speaking, glancing specifically at Princess Changning, the intent to show off in her eyes unmistakable.

Princess Changning raised her eyes, her gaze entirely devoid of fluctuation. Qin Feiyan rolled her eyes upward and turned her head away in disdain.

Just as the two were staring at each other, Yue Die suddenly sprang up and snatched the dagger from Qin Feiyan’s hand.

On the balcony.

Lin Shuqing walked up to Lu Sheng, first looked at Lu Sheng, and then followed her gaze toward the river.

White clouds were reflected in the water, rising and falling with the waves. The river water was clear and transparent, revealing the aquatic plants at the bottom, with small fish occasionally swimming leisurely among them.

After watching for a while, Lin Shuqing took out a bag of malt candy balls from her bosom and handed it to Lu Sheng.

“Hmm?” Lu Sheng looked at the round candy balls, turning her head to her in confusion.

When Lin Shuqing walked over, Lu Sheng had already heard her footsteps, but Lu Sheng was in a bad mood, so she deliberately pretended not to hear.

“If you’re unhappy, eating a malt candy ball can make you feel much better.”

Lin Shuqing’s eyes were gentle, and her tone was even more tender and soft, making it hard for Lu Sheng to refuse.

“Why do you carry this child’s snack with you?” Lu Sheng’s expression softened, and she smiled lightly, taking a piece of candy and putting it in her mouth.

“It’s a habit.” Lin Shuqing’s eyes curved into a slight arc, watching Lu Sheng’s action gently.

The crispy candy ball melted instantly in her mouth, leaving a sweet and fragrant taste of malt sugar on her tongue.

This taste made Lu Sheng think of her little darling at home again.

Not seeing her for several days, she really missed her a bit.

Thinking of her daughter, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Lu Sheng’s stern face.

The tenderness in Lin Shuqing’s eyes deepened. The worries that always weighed on her heart seemed to slowly dissipate with Lu Sheng’s smile.

Since the last time she parted with Lu Sheng, or the last time she saw the warm family of three on the shore from the boat, Lin Shuqing had deliberately tried to avoid excessive contact with Lu Sheng.

She didn’t go to see Lu Sheng for a meal as promised, nor did she return to Binhe County.

Lin Shuqing thought that if she stopped seeing Lu Sheng, the inappropriate feelings in her heart would silently disappear.

For two months, she dedicated all her energy to dealing with the thorny issues at home.

The deliberate restraint only allowed her to occasionally think of that bright smiling face in the dead of night.

Lin Shuqing thought she had let go, but the moment she saw Lu Sheng on the road again, she couldn’t help but ask her to travel together.

The gentle, warm breeze wafted from the river, slowly blowing open the dust-covered door in Lin Shuqing’s heart.

At this moment, she suddenly wanted to ask Lu Sheng, ask her if she still remembered her.

“Lu Sheng.” Lin Shuqing’s lips parted slightly, and she called out warmly.

“Hmm?” Lu Sheng turned her head to look at her.

A hint of expectation flashed in Lin Shuqing’s eyes. “Do you remember anything about your childhood?”

“Childhood?” Lu Sheng didn’t know why she suddenly asked about her childhood.

Lu Sheng remembered her own childhood, but she could barely recall anything about the original host’s childhood.

“Not really…”

“Watch out!”

Qi Zhenshu’s exclamation interrupted Lu Sheng’s unfinished words. Her expression immediately froze, and she quickly turned and ran toward the next room.

The light in Lin Shuqing’s eyes suddenly dimmed. She watched the anxious figure disappear at the door, where Shen Jiaying was standing gracefully, her eyebrow slightly raised, with an expression of having watched a good show and still wanting more.

The disappointment on her face vanished, and Lin Shuqing immediately put on a cold expression.

“Tsk tsk, that face change is faster than the opera performers in the South Alley.” Shen Jiaying clicked her tongue in admiration.

Lin Shuqing walked up to her with a stern face, suppressing her voice. “Shen Jiaying, I don’t think the twenty-first of the sixth month is a good day. I think we should postpone it for a few days.”

“What do you mean?!” Shen Jiaying frowned unhappily.

The twenty-first of the sixth month was the day the two families had set for the nà zhēng (presenting the betrothal gifts). Once the betrothal gifts were accepted that day, the wedding date could be set.

Lin Shuqing telling her now that she wanted to postpone the nà zhēng meant she wanted to postpone their wedding date.

“No meaning.” Lin Shuqing’s expression was deep, but her tone was unusually flat.

“What? Is Miss Lin Seven trying to burn the bridge after crossing the river?” Shen Jiaying scoffed.

“It is clearly Miss Shen who doesn’t want me to cross the bridge safely.” Lin Shuqing said with a cold face, then lifted her foot to leave the room.

Shen Jiaying reached out and grabbed her hand, her face also losing its pleasant demeanor, her tone heavy. “If I recall correctly, Old Master Lin has been quite hale recently.”

Although Lin Shuqing was already managing the household, Old Master Lin had not entirely let go. The Lin family was not yet entirely under Lin Shuqing’s control.

Shen Jiaying bringing up Old Master Lin now clearly implied a threat.

“Suit yourself!” Lin Shuqing shook off her hand, threw down those three cold words, and walked to the adjacent private room.

Lu Sheng pushed open the private room door and saw Qi Zhenshu gripping her own arm, a glaring red stain seeping onto the white sleeve.

At this moment, Princess Changning was supporting her shoulder, guiding her to sit on the chair behind her.

Seeing this scene, Lu Sheng instantly realized that the injury on Qi Zhenshu’s hand was from taking a blow for Princess Changning.

She froze for a moment, then quickly walked to Qi Zhenshu.

Princess Changning saw her approaching, released Qi Zhenshu’s arm, and called A’Lu to find a doctor.

On the floor of the private room, Qin Feiyan had Yue Die’s arms twisted behind her back, pinning her in a half-kneeling position, and asked sternly, “Who exactly are you?”

She had been momentarily distracted, allowing Yue Die to snatch the dagger from her hand.

If Yue Die were just an ordinary person, even if Qin Feiyan had been distracted, she wouldn’t have been able to grab the dagger. But Yue Die’s movements just now were agile and swift, clearly indicating she possessed martial arts skills, completely unlike the seemingly weak woman who couldn’t lift a hand.

Yue Die closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and played dead, completely ignoring her question.

Princess Changning’s expression was cold. She told Qin Feiyan, “Hand her over to Qingzhu.”

This Yue Die was no ordinary person, and Qin Feiyan alone would not be able to get any information out of her.

“Understood.” Qin Feiyan answered, pushed the person out the door, and handed her over to the secret guard waiting outside.

The wound on Qi Zhenshu’s arm extended from her elbow to her wrist. It wasn’t deep, but it was very long, and blood was subtly seeping out from the areas not covered by her palm.

The moment she saw the wound, Lu Sheng quickly grasped Qi Zhenshu’s wrist, and a scene instantly flashed in her mind.

“Her wound went directly from her wrist to her elbow.” Her deskmate said while gesturing on her own arm. “It was that long.”

“I think just because she took that blow for the Princess, the Princess fell in love with her.”

“The situation was so dangerous back then. You said she was a frail scholar, yet she didn’t care about her own danger and was willing to take a knife for the Princess. If I were the Princess, I would also be moved enough to pledge myself to her.”

When her deskmate talked about this part, she didn’t mention the time or place. Furthermore, Lu Sheng had thought her arrival had already changed the direction of the story in the book, so she never expected the exact same thing as in the original plot to happen.

But the same thing had happened. Could it be that some things were beyond her ability to change?

Recalling the tacit cooperation between Qi Zhenshu and Princess Changning just now, a sudden panic rose in Lu Sheng’s heart.

Her hand trembled uncontrollably, and she felt as if all the blood in her body was flowing back to her heart. Her face instantly turned pale.

Her icy fingertips were covered by a wave of warmth. The warmth slowly flowed through her body from the back of her hand, and Lu Sheng returned to her senses in a daze.

Qi Zhenshu rubbed the back of her hand and said gently, “Don’t worry.”

Lu Sheng suppressed the surging emotions in her eyes and forced a smile.

“Thank you, Scholar Qi.” Princess Changning walked up beside them and bowed her head in thanks to Qi Zhenshu.

“It’s nothing,” Qi Zhenshu replied. “It was an urgent situation. Princess, you don’t need to take it to heart.”

At the time, Yue Die had snatched the dagger from Qin Feiyan’s hand and, taking advantage of their inattention, turned to stab Princess Changning on the side.

Qi Zhenshu happened to see it, and as she was standing right next to Princess Changning, she instinctively pulled her. Unexpectedly, she was cut by the incoming dagger on her arm.

“This is the second time Scholar Qi has saved me.” Princess Changning sighed with emotion. “I also owe you thanks for the last time at the restaurant.”

Both now and the previous time at the restaurant were critical moments related to her life, and both times Qi Zhenshu had been the one to intervene and save her.

Had she not thoroughly investigated Qi Zhenshu’s background, Princess Changning would surely suspect her of premeditation.

“They were all just coincidences.” Qi Zhenshu said calmly, without any intention of taking credit.

Princess Changning looked at Qi Zhenshu, her admiration deepening.

And upon hearing Princess Changning’s phrase, “I also owe you thanks for the last time at the restaurant,” Lu Sheng’s body instantly froze in place as if struck by lightning.

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