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Zhou Qing did not intend to hide it. After all, she still had wounds on her body. If she insisted on lying, her parents and brother would definitely be more worried; it was better to tell the truth.
“Today, I went to the Puji Temple with Princess Zhaowei. But I didn’t expect to encounter mountain bandits. Thankfully, the Jin Yi Guards arrived in time, so we were saved. However, because of this, I and Luo Yu had a dispute. I then decided to go home for a while to nurse my baby.”
Mother Xi could not believe it. Her daughter was pregnant. Moreover, no one knew her daughter’s nature better than her. If it was only a simple argument – and no other reason – Qing’er would never go back to their home.
Pondering over this, she could not help but be worried.
Meeting her mother’s worried gaze, Zhou Qing said, “Mother, you don’t have to think about it. I know what I’m doing. If I continue to stay in their house, I will always be in distress. It will not be good for the baby.”
Mother Xi wanted to persuade her again, but Father Zhou felt that his daughter’s words were reasonable, so he tugged the cuff of his wife’s clothes, preventing her from continuing.
Today was a terrifying ordeal for her, just when she left the city. Zhou Qing was extremely exhausted; she felt that all the strength in her body had been drained away. She just took a hasty shower, laid down on the bed, and unconsciously Xie Chong’s face appeared in her mind.
In her previous life, Zhou Qing remembered very clearly what she saw on the watchtower.
Xie Chong would get married at the end of this year. The wife was surnamed Ning, maiden name Yuwu. She was the first to find out that Luo Xiaobao was an imposter. But she did not reveal this discovery, letting the Luo family thrive. Therefore, Zhou Qing did not have any good feelings toward Ning Yuwu. It could even be called disgust.
Xie Chong wanted her to go to the Xie residence every day to blend herbs. Even if he did not care about his reputation, he had to take into account his future wife’s feelings. As long as she persisted until the end of the year, Zhou Qing could keep her distance from this ambiguous commander.
Thinking of this, Zhou Qing let out a heavy sigh. Putting aside those tangled thoughts in her mind, she closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.
Back at the Luo household – compared to her – Luo Yu had a sleepless night. He could not help but recall what Qing’er said, and his doubts about Xinyue became more intense. The two siblings grew up together. Luo Yu was clear on his sister’s selfish nature. Could she really be hiding something big?
Recalling the white cloth wrapped around the woman’s neck, he was both anxious and remorseful. The handsome face became twisted and hideous.
The next day, just after dawn, Luo Yu got up, did not even bother to eat breakfast, and directly rushed to the Imperial Court.
The storm in Puji Temple was not small. The Zhenfu Division had limited manpower to interrogate so many prisoners, so some of the mountain bandits were sent to the Imperial Court and the Ministry of Punishment. The bandit who wanted to rape Zhou Qing was also among them. After being whipped a few times, he recounted what happened at that time.
Luo Yu listened to the side and learned that Luo Xinyue pushed Qing’er to the mountain bandits. She even slandered her sister-in-law as the County Princess, and let the mountain bandits hold her hostage. Such tactics were clearly to put the person to death! If the Commander had not been skilled in archery and shot Zhenshan Hu dead, how could his Qing’er survive?
He felt as if his heart had been pierced; the bitterness in his mouth was overwhelming.
Although Luo Yu’s official position was not high, he was a recorder of the Imperial Court. He was the one who processed the case files. After the interrogation, all the recorders did not leave. They remained to carefully organize the case files, establishing an adequate report.
Holding an ink brush in his hand, Luo Yu’s fingertips were slightly trembling. He did not know who he should blame, Luo Xinyue for being ruthless or himself for being stupid.
The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his breathing fast, his whole face was swollen red, and he had an obviously unstable look on his face. A colleague beside him noticed his situation; he could not help but advise him, “Recorder Luo, if you are not feeling well, you go back to rest first. Today’s case has been recorded. I can sort out the rest.”
Luo Yu shook his head. At this moment, he did not want to go home at all. He was afraid that when he saw Luo Xinyue, he would not be able to resist the urge to kill her.
Zhou Qing had lived for two lifetimes, and her patience with Luo Xinyue had reached its limit. In Puji Temple, she almost lost her life because of this woman. If she would not take revenge, she would have trouble swallowing this grievance.
Didn’t Luo Xinyue want to enter the residence of the Marquis of Changxia?
That being the case, Zhou Qing had to meet the head wife, Hua Shi. If she found it satisfactory, she would agree to have Xinyue enter their household, sending a palanquin to carry her to their house. Luo Xinyue would be like a maid who has sold her body. Her life would be in the hands of the head wife. Even if Wu Yongye loved his concubine, he would not go against his wife.
Musing over this, Zhou Qing had done Luo Xinyue a big favor. Even if she could enter the house of Marquis of Changxia as a concubine, in the end, what would happen to her would depend on her own destiny.