Chapter 6: Wei Xun Flees at Night (Part 1)

  The sudden arrival of Yan's wife left the three people in the room stunned.

  Lü Linggui was so anxious that she almost cried. Although this little girl was only eleven years old, Mrs. Yan's strict family education also made her know that a man appearing in the boudoir and lying on her own small bed was utterly improper.

  Qin Xu couldn't help but lament that his luck had really gone downhill. First, he inexplicably arrived in the chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms and became a minor clerk in Lü Bu's army, which was on the verge of becoming a wandering bandit; afterwards, he got entangled in a mystery that almost overturned historical common sense; finally, he was knocked unconscious by an eleven-year-old girl and slept in someone else's bed; to make matters worse, he was even caught by the girl's mother.

  Good heavens! Don't play with me like this! Qin Xu now only wants to silently shed tears at a 45-degree angle towards the sky.

  "Who are you? Why are you here?"

  Yan rushed into the room and was also stunned. On his daughter's bed lay a man!

  Perhaps it was consideration for her daughter's reputation, perhaps it was Qin Xu's age and the tight war robe on her daughter that made Yan Shi feel at ease, or maybe it was because Cai Yan was also in the room, which didn't allow Mrs. Yan to lose her composure again. Instead, she stared fiercely at Qin Xu and asked sternly.

  Lü Linggui, who had never seen her mother like this before, was immediately stunned and lost all her previous spoiled and arrogant demeanor. She looked at her mother's severe gaze with trepidation, and suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for Qin Xu, whom she had been "resenting" just moments before.

  "I... uh..." Qin Xu racked his brains to think of an excuse. Facts are more powerful than eloquence, after all, who let himself appear on someone else's daughter's bed? At this time, even with a hundred mouths, he couldn't explain it clearly, and could only drag it out one moment at a time, slowly thinking of a countermeasure.

  "Madam, there is more to this matter!" Cai Yan suddenly spoke up to Madam Yan.

  "Thank goodness! How could I forget that there's another Cai Yan, the great beauty Cai!" Qin Xu heard Cai Yan's words and really wished he could hug this beautiful woman tightly and kiss her a few times. Yes, with Cai Yan around, things might take a turn for the better, it all depends on what she says next. Anyway, Qin Xu's downfall to his current state is mostly because of Cai Yan.

  "Miss Cai, how are you also here? You aren't..." Madam Yan's expression was as if she had just discovered Cai Yan's presence, and her tone was slightly softer.

  "Madam, you've misunderstood Miss Ling'er. " Cai Yan heard the tone of Mrs. Yan's voice soften and knew that she didn't want the matter to become public knowledge either. Pointing at Qin Xu's waist token that had fallen beside the bed, he interjected: "This person is a chief clerk from General Lü's estate, not a bad person. It was Miss Ling'er who wanted to find someone to test her spear skills, but unexpectedly there wasn't even one house guard in the backyard, so she went to the front courtyard armory and temporarily found him. Who would have thought that General Lü's spear technique is indeed exquisite? This man was accidentally injured by Miss Ling'er, and with her kind heart, she couldn't bear it, so she brought him back to the room to treat his wounds."

  "Accountant?" Madam Yan's eyes shone with doubt, sizing Qin Xu up and down. However, the waist token of General Fen Wu's mansion was impossible to fake, so Madam Yan naturally recognized it. It's just that Qin Xu's demeanor didn't seem like he had any martial arts skills at all, which made her ask in doubt: "If you're looking for a sparring partner to practice your martial arts, how did you end up finding someone like...?"

  Mrs. Yan was indeed well-bred, and in this situation, she didn't forget to take care of Qin Xu's self-esteem as the chief steward, without explicitly saying that Qin Xu's physique was not impressive.

  Cai Yan saw the suspicious look in Mrs. Yan's eyes fade away by about 70-80%, then stepped forward and grasped Lu Lingjie's arm, saying warmly: "Who made him a chief clerk anyway? Before General Lu rose to prominence, wasn't he also a chief clerk? I suppose Sister Ling thinks that all chief clerks are more or less the same as General Lu."

  "Ling'er, you silly girl! There are many chief clerks in the army, can they all be like your father, proficient in both literature and martial arts? From now on, never casually find someone to compare with again, a daughter should have the demeanor of a daughter!" Madam Yan's mouth corner revealed a warm smile, as she reached out to stroke her daughter's head. Seeing that her daughter was only eleven years old, but already taller than herself, for a moment, Madam Yan's eyes were filled with loving affection.

  "I really admire Cai Yan's talent for speaking nonsense!" Qin Xu listened to Cai Yan's words, which not only subtly praised Lü Bu's exceptional martial arts skills but also quietly commended Madame Yan's excellent teaching methods. At the same time, it indirectly complimented Lü Lingqi's kind heart. Speaking straightforwardly, Madame Yan's motherly love was overflowing, and she even began to teach her daughter about women's etiquette in front of Qin Xu, an outsider.

  "Cough, cough!" Qin Xu had no intention of interrupting the loving scene between Yan's mother and daughter, but was worried. Madam Yan has arrived, how much longer can Lü Bu stay hidden?

  Yan's wife rushed over in a hurry, Qin Xu had already guessed that something must have happened to Wei Xun. At the banquet for Lü Bu's marriage to his concubine, or rather, at the grand ceremony where Lü Bu, representing the military power of Chang'an City, formally allied with Wang Yun, representing the civil power, it was impossible that only Yan's wife would come here. Yan's wife was easily deceived by Cai Yan's few words and completely believed her. But Lü Bu was not so easy to talk to. If he saw Qin Xu, before anyone could speak, he might have made sure Qin Xu never spoke again. Qin Xu did not dare take the risk on this matter.

  "You were promoted to be the chief clerk at such a young age, you must have some extraordinary abilities. Haven't asked your courtesy name yet? Do you have a style name?" The restored elegant and dignified Mrs. Yan indeed had her charm. A few light words could make Qin Xuan, who possessed memories of two lifetimes, feel good about her.

  No wonder Lü Bu followed Ding Yuan to fight all over the world, and he could rest assured that he would leave his backyard to Yan's wife. With Lü Bu's personality, he had a good relationship with most of the generals in Bingzhou, except for Lü Bu's own military strength, which gave people an absolute sense of security, and believed that this kind of charm was not unrelated to Mrs. Yan's diplomacy.

  "Humble and young, I, Qin Xu, have not yet received a courtesy name. Thanks to the mistaken love of General Lü, I have been fortunate enough to serve as the chief clerk of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, an official under the jurisdiction of the General's mansion." Qin Xu adjusted his collar and paid respects to Lady Yan.

  Strictly speaking, Qin Xu belongs to the Youlin Riding sequence, but it is not considered a formal official position of the Great Han. In the reward for Lü Bu's assassination of Dong Zhuo, the title of Fēng Wǔ Jiāngjūn was just enough to open his own private office, that is, he could have his own private team; Yí Tóng Sān Sī was able to give this official team a formal position, with both civil and military officials, entering the Great Han sequence, but not receiving a salary from the court, but rather Lü Bu himself paying out of pocket. It's somewhat similar to Lü Bu's private soldiers.

  Mrs. Yan listened to Qin Xu's words, and a few intimate smiles also appeared on her face. On the one hand, Qin Xu's identity belonged to the category of "one of us", and on the other hand, Qin Xu had been a successful businessman in his previous life, who could speak to people in their own language, and had a kind and gentle quality that was similar to Mrs. Yan's, making her feel more intimate with him.

  "Master Qin, you don't have to leave, please sit down and rest on the side." Madam Yan saw Qin Xu wanting to bid farewell and leave, as if she thought of something, waved her hand and said: "You were hurt by Ling'er, it's me, this mother, who didn't teach her well. I'll ask my husband to come over later, we still have things to discuss."

  "Lü Bu? Really coming over?" Qin Xu had mixed feelings about his own judgment, hoping that Lü Bu would also believe Cai Yan's words.

  Since it's been explained clearly, Yan Shi didn't dwell on the matter and instead asked Lü Linggui: "Ling'er was practicing martial arts in the backyard, maybe she saw your cousin?"

  "Taboo uncle?" Lü Linggui subconsciously glanced at Cai Yan and said in a low voice: "No... no, I've always been with Sister Yan, I haven't seen my taboo uncle."

  "Poor kid, too naive. How can you talk like that when making up a lie? Isn't this obviously telling others that you know the truth?" Qin Xu watched Lv Linggui's hesitant appearance and felt anxious in his heart. Although Qin Xu was also unsure whether Lv Linggui had participated in Cai Yan's "seduction" of Wei Xun, this behavior made it clear to anyone with discerning eyes that there was something fishy going on. He couldn't help but secretly curse his bad luck.

  It's true that no one knows a daughter better than her mother, and Lady Yan was not one to be trifled with. Seeing Lv Linggui in this state, she knew that something must have happened. However, as a loving mother, she only listened to the brief description of Wei Xu's miserable situation from Lv Bu's report, and at the time, she was more worried about Lv Linggui's safety, so she didn't make any subjective judgments. Seeing her daughter in this state, she thought that Lv Linggui might have some unspoken secrets that she couldn't bring herself to say, so she spoke warmly: "Your cousin has always been quite good to you, and this time he was humiliated and lost face greatly. If you know something, don't be afraid, just tell your mother."

  “…this…” Lü Lingxue pouted, and a mist suddenly welled up in her large eyes. With Cai Yan supporting her arm, she leaned on Cai Yan's shoulder and actually started to sob quietly.

  Not only did Yan Shi hastily get up and rush to his daughter's side, embracing Lü Linggui in his arms, but even Qin Xu was left staring blankly.

  From the previous conversation, Qin Xu had already sensed that Lü Linggui had a good impression of Wei Xun, and now seeing Lü Linggui's appearance, he almost suspected that Wei Xun might have done something to wrong this little girl.

  "My former maid, Xiaotao, once secretly told me that my uncle would touch her here when no one was around. After that, I never saw Xiaotao again." Lv Linggui pointed to her own already developed breasts, her eyes reddening, her voice choking with sobs: "Later, I asked my uncle about Xiaotao's whereabouts, and he said Xiaotao had entered a military restricted area and had been... Waaahhh..."

  "This..." Mr. Yan didn't know how to comfort his daughter at this time, and he was very resentful of Wei Xu in his heart.

  "There was another time when I went hunting in the suburbs with my attendants, and found that my uncle led soldiers to kill all the people in a village, sparing neither old nor young...” Lyu Linggui's small face turned somewhat red, almost burying her face into her chest.

  "What else?" Yan Shi asked anxiously. Wei Xu was already suspected of killing the good and taking credit, and from what Lv Linggui said, it seemed that there was more to it than that.

  "They also made those soldiers lie on top of those aunts and sisters, moving wildly. Just like...". Lv Lingui's small face had already turned red to the point of bleeding.

  What was that? Yan Shi naturally knew what Lü Linggui meant, but with Qin Xu sitting beside her, she lightly coughed and a hint of shyness appeared on her dignified face.

  "This Wei Xu, actually kills the good and takes credit for it, plundering the villagers! No wonder every time he is ordered to go out of the city to suppress bandits, he always returns with a full load." Yan's face turned red, as every time Wei Xu returned from suppressing bandits, he would bring back many gifts for Yan, making Yan very fond of this cousin. Who would have thought that these gifts came from those innocent villagers, leaving Yan momentarily unable to accept it.

  Yan's expression was more serious than ever before. He turned to the door and said, "Go, inform General Lü that Wei Xu is a beast! Hmph!"

  Is there still someone at the door?

  Qin Xu only felt that he was really lucky, if just one sentence had offended the Yan family, with his small body, he wouldn't have been able to run away. But what came next was a voice that made Qin Xu feel like he had wandered around the Ghost Gate for a circle.

  "It's unnecessary!" A stern voice came from outside Lv Linggui's chamber: "Wei Xun, this scoundrel, cannot move for the time being!"

  "Dad!"