Chapter 91

Jiang Xiurun was also surprised that Dou Siwu had recognized Qian’er just from her back, which gave her quite a shock.

Moreover, after Dou Siwu tightly embraced the person, he was elbowed several times. The moves exchanged were all the ones he had practiced and lost to Qian’er at the martial arts field in the academy.

This made him even more certain that the person in his arms was Qian’er, and he was overjoyed, eager to turn her around to see her face.

Qian’er, feeling caught, had no idea what Dou Siwu was up to. Could it be that he had seen the bounty for the thief Feng Wu and was trying to capture the two of them?

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but shout to Jiang Xiurun, “Young master, run!”

But how could Jiang Xiurun leave Qian’er behind? She immediately rushed forward and kicked Dou Siwu hard on the shin.

Although Jiang Xiurun wasn’t as strong as Qian’er, she made up for it with precise angles and cunning force. Plus, Dou Siwu was busy dealing with Qian’er and had no way to avoid Jiang Xiurun’s kick, which made him howl in pain.

Even so, he refused to let go of Qian’er, just glaring at his classmate Jiang, thinking, “Why is Jiang here too? Could it be that my sincerity moved Jiang, who had already left, to come back and rescue Qian’er from the river god?”

Now that he had tasted the sweetness of losing and regaining, even if Jiang Xiurun broke his leg, he wouldn’t let go.

Jiang Xiurun knew that arguing with such a blockhead wouldn’t get her anywhere, even if she kicked him all day. Seeing more and more people gathering around, she worried about revealing their whereabouts and whispered to Dou Siwu, “Who ordered you to capture us?”

Dou Siwu, overwhelmed with mixed emotions and tears streaming down his face, was stunned by Jiang Xiurun’s question: “Qian’er went missing, of course, I had to look for her. How could I let her feed the fish in the river?”

Seeing that he wasn’t after the bounty from the notice, Jiang Xiurun felt relieved and whispered, “Where is your carriage? Quickly take me and Qian’er away from here.”

Only then did Dou Siwu remember the cold river wind and how the two of them looked somewhat disheveled, their clothes barely keeping them warm.

Classmate Jiang was better off, wearing a fox fur coat. Qian’er, however, was pitiful, her clothes very thin. So, Dou Siwu quickly took off his cloak and draped it over Qian’er.

Then, with one hand tightly holding Qian’er and the other pulling Classmate Jiang, he led them both to his carriage.

Once inside the carriage, the master and servant asked in unison, “Is there any food?”

Dou Siwu, startled by their intense gazes, quickly pulled out some dried meat and flatbread from the carriage.

Jiang Xiurun and Qian’er hadn’t had a decent meal in a long time; last night, they had eaten the last bit of dried noodles they had left.

Now, suddenly faced with food, they grabbed the flatbread and bit into it fiercely, while the dried meat, too hard and delaying their bread-eating, was set aside.

After they had eaten their fill, Dou Siwu naturally couldn’t wait to ask Qian’er about what had happened after she fell into the water that day.

But after Jiang Xiurun gave Qian’er a look, she countered with a question instead of answering: “During the time Qian’er was missing, were there any changes in the court of Great Qi?”

Dou Siwu scratched his head and said, “Since Qian’er and Xu Ying fell into the river, the Master has been too distracted to attend the literary gathering. He even wanted to sell his paintings to raise funds to continue hiring people to look for them, and eventually, he became so anxious that he fell ill. A few of our classmates discussed it and decided that I should stay to look for Qian’er and the others, while the classmates would take the teacher back to Luo’an to seek medical treatment. Later, the prefect of great Qi’s border city seemed to send someone to ask me about the situation when Qian’er and Xu Ying fell into the river. Seeing that I was searching along the river, the person gave me some exchangeable notes for use in Wei, saying that if I needed more gold, I should just ask.”

Jiang Xiurun pressed her voice and asked, “Has there been any movement from the Crown Prince’s patrol?”

Dou Siwu, who couldn’t possibly know about the Crown Prince’s situation, just scratched his head in confusion: “I haven’t heard anything, but recently both the official and private roads into the capital have been tightly checked, and it’s said that it takes a long time to pass through the checkpoints.”

Jiang Xiurun pursed her lips. When Feng Wu heard the news of his brother’s assassination, the genuine relief and joy he showed couldn’t have been faked.

If Feng Liwu had really died, his entourage would have been in a panic, and the local officials wouldn’t dare to conceal the report, needing to quickly transport the Crown Prince’s body back to the capital. Why would they set up checkpoints and search everyone?

As Jiang Xiurun pondered this, Dou Siwu felt he couldn’t wait any longer. Especially when he saw the look Jiang Xiurun gave Qian’er when he asked earlier, it made him furious.

Qian’er was, after all, Jiang’s maid. No matter how much he adored her, he couldn’t just carry her off to his home.

Moreover, Jiang Xiurun, with his delicate and scholarly appearance, naturally attracted women’s affection. And his Qian’er, with her big eyes, high nose, full chest, and round buttocks…

Jiang Xiurun wasn’t blind; he must have noticed Qian’er’s charms too. With the close relationship between master and servant, if Jiang Xiurun had any lascivious intentions and wanted to take Qian’er as his concubine…

Given Qian’er’s loyalty, how could she possibly refuse?

Thinking this, Dou Siwu felt his heart hanging in suspense again. He didn’t care how Qian’er had been in danger and escaped, or where Xu Ying was. He just turned to Classmate Jiang and loudly declared, “When Qian’er went missing, I realized my feelings. I have decided to marry Qian’er. Please, Young master, give me Qian’er’s contract. I will treat her well.”

Jiang Xiurun, initially preoccupied with her own thoughts, didn’t understand what Dou Siwu was saying at first. When he repeated it, before she could respond, Qian’er had already punched him.

In Qian’er’s view, she was ugly and not the gentle, considerate type, so she had long given up on the idea of marriage.

Her only wish was to save up for her sister’s dowry.

She had thought that although Young Master Dou was a bit of a blockhead, he was actually a good person.

At least, after she and the young master had been missing for so long, while the other students had gone back, he had stayed to search along the river, truly someone worth befriending.

Who would have thought that just as she was starting to feel a bit of affection for him, he would use her for amusement and mockery.

The Dou family was a prominent household in Luo’an. Even if Dou Siwu was a bit of a fool, he could choose from among the daughters of noble families. Even if he couldn’t, he could later take a maid or servant as a concubine, choosing someone delicate and pretty.

How could he possibly choose her? He wasn’t some country bumpkin who couldn’t find a wife!

Thinking this, she became annoyed, and her fist, as big as a bowl, swung towards him.

Dou Siwu didn’t expect that his heartfelt confession after a life-and-death separation would result in a rain of punches. The carriage was too narrow to dodge, so he could only hold her hand and pull her into his embrace.

Now, with anger rising, he didn’t care that his classmate was in the carriage and kissed Qian’er fiercely on the cheek.

Just as chaos erupted in the carriage, someone suddenly jumped onto the speeding carriage, and then the carriage curtain was abruptly pulled open.

Jiang Xiurun and Qian’er both screamed in surprise, truly shocked.

It seemed as if the gates of hell had opened today, with the dead coming back to life.

Appearing in the carriage was none other than Feng Liwu, who should have been assassinated.

He had ridden his horse to catch up and, as he approached the carriage, faintly heard the sounds of a man and woman struggling and panting, which made his heart tighten.

So, without stopping the carriage, he jumped onto it and pulled open the curtain to see a man and woman tangled together in a rather unsightly manner.

However, it was the Dou family’s young master kissing the ugly maid, while his young tutor was pressed against the carriage wall, mouth agape, watching the spectacle.

Jiang Xiurun had repeatedly dreamed of Feng Liwu coming back to life at night. For some reason, when she first woke up and hadn’t yet distinguished reality from dreams, she always felt a bit better.

But now, when he really appeared before her eyes, as if he had fallen from the sky…

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t speak, feeling a lump in her chest and her body momentarily frozen, staring straight at Feng Liwu.

Feng Liwu couldn’t wait for her to throw herself into his arms. With a long reach, he pulled her away from the chaotic carriage, wrapped his arm around her waist, and jumped back onto his horse, steering them into a nearby grove. He dismounted and pressed her against a tall tree trunk, greedily and carefully examining her face.

It had been a long time since they last met. Compared to the enchanting woman in his memory, she was dirtier and much thinner.

Her expression was one he had never seen before—wronged, with red-rimmed eyes, lips slightly trembling, and tears welling up but not falling, staring unblinkingly at him.

Her slender fingers kept touching his eyebrows, nose, and chin, as if to confirm he wasn’t an illusion.

But Feng Liwu didn’t need to touch her to know that this was his genuine young tutor! Even the most masterful disguise couldn’t replicate half of her charm.

All the worries of the past days dissipated, and he just wanted to hold her tightly and kiss her cherry lips.

But Jiang Xiurun covered his mouth with her hand and finally choked out, “Your Highness, wait a moment. I haven’t washed for several days, and I just ate a flatbread with pepper…”

But Feng Liwu wasn’t listening. He pinched her chin and fiercely captured her lips and tongue, greedily entwining and wrapping around them…

What did it matter if she was fragrant or foul? At this moment, what was more important than holding her tightly and feeling the heartbeat in her soft chest against his?

Feng Liwu felt that in the days he had lost her, his chest had been empty. Now, holding her in his arms and tasting her, he felt most at ease!

As for why Feng Liwu appeared before her so quickly, it was actually quite simple.

At the fork of the Li River, while Dou Siwu was searching the outer river, Feng Liwu was also searching nearby with his men.

To fake his death and lure out the true culprit behind Qin Zhao, he had been setting a trap.

But although Qin Zhao had sent out letters, he hadn’t met anyone, and the place he sent the letters to was an empty courtyard.

There was no way to know if Jiang Xiurun was in Qin Zhao’s hands or if she was alive or dead.

In his desperation, Feng Liwu had also, unconsciously, come to the place where Jiang Xiurun had disappeared and, like the idiot Dou Siwu, had gone into the river to search for any clues.