After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 69

Wang Xiang had never expected that he would dare to intercept someone under the Crown Prince’s command. His face darkened as he reminded, 

“Adviser Lu, I am acting on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince. Does Prince Yan’s estate intend to bypass the Crown Prince?”

Lu Huating, however, remained on horseback. 

“Does Commander Wang have a written decree or verbal orders?”

“This… it is a verbal order from His Highness,” Wang Xiang admitted.

Lu Huating retrieved two sheets of paper from his sleeve and unfolded them before Wang Xiang. 

“I have a signed confession from a spy and a written decree from Prince Yan. According to Da Chen’s law, for the Crown Prince’s troops to arrest someone, complete documentation is required. Otherwise, it is the unlawful detention of a good citizen. Commander Wang, do you wish to implicate the Crown Prince in such a scandal?”

Wang Xiang, having only received verbal instructions from Li Xian, had rushed over without preparation. He hadn’t anticipated that Lu Huating would come prepared. 

“I am merely fulfilling my duties. Adviser Lu, there’s no need to make this difficult. Our goals are aligned.”

Rainwater dripped from Lu Huating’s jaw as he reined in his horse and said, “Prince Yan’s estate oversees the drafting of Da Chen’s laws. Violating the law knowingly is not an option. Return and complete the paperwork; I will not obstruct you then.”

The soldiers under Wang Xiang’s command stirred uneasily. Wang Xiang, unable to come up with a rebuttal, raised his hand to calm them.

Lu Huating dismounted and walked toward Qun Qing.

On the swaying wooden boat, Qun Qing’s sky-blue dress was thoroughly soaked, clinging to her form. Her black hair stuck to her pale, porcelain-like face, and raindrops dripped steadily from her lashes, giving her the appearance of a shattered porcelain Guanyin statue.

Lu Huating’s gaze then shifted to the boy who sells fish beside her. The boy, using his clothes as a makeshift rain cover, huddled close to her. His wide, clear eyes met Lu Huating’s, revealing a handsome, youthful face—not the young doctor from before, but still striking.

Lu Huating hesitated momentarily, then looked back at Qun Qing’s somber expression.

Finally, Qun Qing raised her eyes to him.

Her first glimpse was of water dripping from Lu Huating’s jaw—a stark image of his rain-soaked dishevelment after a hard ride. In the struggle against the Crown Prince, she could not find any compelling reason. 

“I’ve already stated that I have no intention of competing with you. What is the point of arresting me, Adviser?”

“You think saying you won’t fight is enough to end it?” Lu Huating’s faint smile was gentle but carried a cold undertone.

“The medicine I entrusted Su Run to pass to you—did you not receive it?” she asked.

“It’s not enough,” Lu Huating replied flatly.

She hadn’t expected him to demand the whole pill. Qun Qing froze momentarily, sneering coldly in her heart.

He crouched down and, with his sleeve, grasped her wrist. Qun Qing struggled, but Lu Huating tightened his grip. He pulled up her sleeve, accepted the shackles handed over by Jian Su, and deftly clasped them onto her wrists.

“Adviser, do you truly intend to torment me?” Qun Qing no longer resisted as the cold shackles clasped her skin. She said calmly, “Then I will come for you when the time is right.”

“And when will that be?” Lu Huating looked up at her.

“When I’ve resolved the Crown Prince’s matter,” she replied, glancing toward Wang Xiang. For Li Xian to send so many soldiers after her, the worst-case scenario she had anticipated had indeed come to pass.

Her escape had clearly been discovered by the “Heaven” in the palace, who reported her identity to Li Xian.

Dozens of soldiers from the Eastern Palace had arrived, demonstrating Li Xian’s intense anger—his determination to take her back.

“You enjoy making false promises and deceiving people,” Lu Huating remarked indifferently. With a click, he secured the shackles. He then pulled down her sleeve, neatly concealing them. “I don’t believe you.”

The troops under Wang Xiang’s command had already surrounded the riverside. Lu Huating stood up, turning his back to the crowd. 

“This is my prisoner. Let’s see who dares to interfere.”

His voice was not loud, but it carried a biting chill.

With her hands bound by the cold weight of the shackles, Qun Qing was unsure of Lu Huating’s intentions, but she felt an odd sense of security.

She had a premonition that, for now, she would neither die nor be taken back to face Li Xian’s interrogation.

Wang Xiang said, “Adviser, you are putting me in a difficult position.”

Lu Huating turned to him. “If I were you, I would have already turned back to fetch the paperwork. You’d be halfway there by now.”

Wang Xiang’s face turned ashen. He gave Lu Huating a long, hard look before turning his troops around. 

“Let’s go.”

Qun Qing said, “For unrelated persons, I ask the Adviser to let them go.”

“Who is unrelated?” Lu Huating retorted.

Qun Qing addressed the boy, “In my bundle, there’s a yellow cloth pouch. Untie it and take it with you.”

The boy followed her instructions, pulling out a heavy pouch. Lu Huating glanced at it and saw that it contained all the silver coins she had brought.

These funds were likely meant for purchasing a residence after leaving the palace.

“Wait a moment,” Lu Huating interrupted.

Qun Qing said, “He still has parents at home.”

“My family’s long gone,” the boy muttered softly. “If they were alive, I wouldn’t have to scrape by on a boat.”

“Take him along,” Lu Huating ordered.

At the ferry dock, a passenger boat swayed gently as it came to a stop.

The group dismounted and boarded the boat. Qun Qing sat quietly, closed her eyes, and said nothing. Her lips had turned visibly pale. Lu Huating glanced at her before stepping behind a pillar, where he softly instructed Jian Su and Zhu Su, who were stationed there, 

“Go ask for some sugar water.”

Hearing this unexpected order, both of their mouths fell open simultaneously.

Lu Huating frowned, puzzled. “What is it? Don’t understand plain words?”

After some effort, Zhu Su managed to get a small bowl of brown sugar water from a woman with a baby.

Since Qun Qing’s hands were bound, Lu Huating brought the bowl to her lips.

“What is this?” Qun Qing asked.

Lu Huating’s dark eyes carried a hint of amusement. “Poison.”

Unexpectedly, Qun Qing didn’t hesitate. She opened her mouth and drank it all. A faint sweetness lingered as an aftertaste. Watching her unflinching reaction, Lu Huating’s expression shifted slightly. Still smiling, he remarked, 

“What happened with that little doctor to make the lady so desperate?”

Qun Qing remained silent. Moments later, her stomach churned violently, and she turned to vomit over the side of the boat.

Lu Huating’s expression darkened. Wen Su emerged from the shadows and quickly supported Qun Qing’s body, patting her back. “Chief Advisor, Lady Qing is severely seasick.”

Lu Huating watched as Qun Qing curled up like a fish out of water, her face pale and exhausted. His dark eyes narrowed. 

“Find a secluded spot, remove the shackles, and change her out of those wet clothes. Let her rest against the pillar.”

Wen Su helped Qun Qing to a spot and returned shortly after. 

“Lady Qing seems to be in considerable discomfort.”

Lu Huating went over and saw Qun Qing slumped against the pillar, her body folded in on itself. He knelt several times to lift her, but she kept slipping. Finally, he sat on the ground himself, gathering her into his arms.

As he cradled Qun Qing on his lap, Lu Huating noted how light and delicate she felt, sparking an odd memory of the day in the fourth year of Shenglin when he had recovered her body. Lu Huating drooped his eyelashes, pulled his left hand out from under her overlapping skirt, held her in his arms, and slowly peeled a tangerine

The tangy citrus scent wafted to her pale face.

The sharp, sour aroma reached Qun Qing intermittently, easing her dizziness. Too fatigued to resist, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

In a fragmented and surreal dream, she saw her mother’s face.

Zhu Ying was weaving a decorative knot while speaking coldly. 

“What’s the use of crying? Solve this chess puzzle, and then you can eat.”

She was locked in a dim embroidery room, clutching a white chess piece, her small face streaked with tears.

On the table lay a chess manual and a board.

Zhu Ying glanced at the white piece in her hand. “No one cares about the life or death of a single chess piece. If you want to survive, there’s no other way but to carve out a path for yourself.”

Outside, Shi Yuming knocked on the door. “Mother, Mother, your pot is burning!”

Zhu Ying’s expression shifted. She stood up and left, her injured foot causing her to walk slowly.

Qun Qing stared at her mother’s retreating figure, wondering why Shi Yuming didn’t have to solve chess puzzles to eat, while she was subjected to this torment.

Yet in the darkness, a beautiful hand appeared, placing a black piece on the board.

Qun Qing stifled her sobs and placed her white piece down.

The opponent played exceptionally well. She had to focus entirely on the game. Move after move, the board gradually emptied, and her tears stopped unknowingly.

Time passed unnoticed until dawn broke. Sunlight poured into the embroidery room, dissipating her feelings of grievance.

She suddenly realized she had won the game, creating a path for herself.

Her mother hated tearful young ladies the most. If Zhu Ying were here, she wouldn’t tolerate her wallowing in sorrow.

Qun Qing opened her eyes to find sunlight falling on her eyelids. Startled, she realized she had slept through the night.

As she shifted slightly, she froze.

She was covered with Lu Huating’s outer robe, and next to her lay a now-dried orange peel.

The cheery voice of the boy who sells fish rang out, “We’ve arrived at Jiangnan Road!”