Chapter 42: The Crisis of Officialdom (Seeking Collection and Red Tickets)

  Leaving Lu Mu's place, Lu Qi returned to his own room. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Wei Shuang'er lying on the bed, her head wrapped in a white silk scarf, and her lower body exposed with bruised buttocks. The sudden sight shocked him.

  Ning'er sat on the edge of the bed, seeing Lu Qi push open the door and enter, hurriedly got up to welcome him. He helped Lu Qi take off his clothes and change into pajamas. As soon as he finished putting on his pajamas, Lu Qi stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Ning'er's waist, lowered his head and kissed his lips, and reached into Ning'er's clothes to caress him wantonly.

  Ning Er didn't expect Lu Qi to suddenly caress her without any reserve. In front of Wei Shuang Er, she was naturally shy but didn't dare refuse, so she could only silently endure Lu Qi's actions. On the bed, Wei Shuang Er gazed blankly at the embracing couple with beautiful eyes, she didn't have a shy reaction, there was only envy in her eyes.

  After a long time, Lu Qi finally let go of Ning Er. Ning Er's face was flushed with shame and she said in a soft voice: "I'll go to the kitchen to boil some water." After finishing speaking, she hastily left the room.

  Lu Qi looked at Ning Er's back and smiled, then turned around and walked to the bed. Wei Shuang Er had been anxiously waiting for Lu Qi's return on the bed. As soon as Lu Qi approached, she ignored her pain and quickly got up and knelt on the bed.

  "Wei Shuang'er pays her respects to Young Master."

  Lu Qi looked at her and said calmly: "You still know the rules, take off your clothes and let me see."

  Wei Shuang'er listened and immediately took off her top without hesitation, and in an instant, the spring light burst forth. Lu Qi looked at it with eyes that were instantly hot all over his body. Wei Shuang'er's body was as white as jade, with a smooth small belly, a slender waist, and a curved buttocks that tempted people. Especially the pair of jade balls on her chest were angrily erect, much larger than Ning Er's jade breasts. She was absolutely a seductive woman who could provoke men's animal nature. Lu Qi couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva secretly.

  "Long is okay, but are you clean?" Lu Qiang continued to insult with a cold demeanor, suppressing his lustful thoughts. He didn't want Wei Shuang'er to feel superior because of her beauty, which would make Ning'er feel inferior and sad.

  Wei Shuang'er was taken aback, her pale face flushing with a hint of redness. She hesitated for a moment before speaking in a soft voice: "Young Master, I am willing to swear to the heavens that except for my late husband, no other man has ever touched me. It's been five months since I last served in bed. I am already your woman, and I'm willing to let you examine me." After finishing her words, she turned around, got on all fours, and lifted up her red and swollen buttocks.

  A surge of desire/anger rushed to the top, Lu Qi hurriedly turned his head and bit his lip to calm down. He didn't expect Wei Shuang'er would be so obedient. After a moment's pause, he forced himself to sound calm: "Alright, since you're willing to stay in my room, rest and recover from your injuries first. In a few days, I'll send you to Miss Xin."

  Wei Shuang'er's body trembled, she straightened her waist and turned to face Lu Qi, asking in a shocked and soft voice: "Young Master, you want to send me to Mistress Xin?"

  Lu Qi looked at Wei Shuang'er's beautiful face, and his heart wavered. He suppressed his thoughts and calmly said: "Yes, you've made such a fuss, my mother and sister-in-law are very displeased, and I'm also embarrassed to see my brother and sister-in-law. Sending you to Miss Xin can ease the tension in our family."

  Wei Shuang'er hesitated for a moment, and said in a timid tone: "Young Master, I really hope to be with Ning Er sister together. I am willing to serve the madam wholeheartedly and beg for her forgiveness."

  Lu Qi furrowed his brow and said coldly, "No way, don't overstep your bounds. Miss Xin is your mistress, you should be serving her."

  Wei Shuang'er was intimidated by Lu Qi's indifference and hastily replied in a trembling voice: "This servant obeys."

  Lu Qi looked at her and saw that she was so obedient, his heart couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He reached out to support her jade-like shoulders and said in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, once we get to Miss Xin's place, you can rest and recover well. After a month, I'll let you serve by my bedside again, and also give you the chance to bear children."

  "Wei Shuang'er exclaimed in surprise: 'Your humble servant thanks you for your mercy, young master.'"

  Lu Qi intentionally or unintentionally took a glance at her snowy breasts, and Wei Shuang'er immediately understood and straightened her waist, maximizing the temptation of her breasts. Lu Qi almost spat out blood from his nose, hurriedly biting his tongue to suppress his desires.

  "Your body is beautiful, put on some clothes and rest, I'm a bit tired today, I'll soak my feet in a while and take a nap." Lu Qi said calmly.

  Wei Shuang'er was not familiar with Lu Qi, and she was afraid that being overly flirtatious would be annoying, so she didn't dare to use her feminine charm to coax him. She very obediently took the clothes and put them on, then lay down at the innermost part of the bed, and indeed did not want to move her body.

  Lu Qi exhaled softly and turned around to sit on the edge of the bed. A moment later, Ning Er carefully pushed open the door and looked inside, taken aback for a second. She had thought Lu Qi was indulging in the beauty's body, but unexpectedly, the room was so proper. This sudden change made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, although deep down, she didn't like Lu Qi's straightforward transfer of affections.

  She happily carried the wooden basin into the house, serving Lu Qi to wash his feet. As she washed him, she looked up at Lu Qi and saw a pair of warm and gentle eyes looking back at her. She blushed and lowered her head, her beautiful eyes welling up with happy tears that she struggled to hold back. Her delicate white hands gently massaged the large feet in the basin, and in this moment, she felt like a very happy little woman.

  The morning sun shines brightly, the sky is clear and vast. Lu Qi is training soldiers in the city's outer training grounds. Today's military training involves cooperation between knife-shield soldiers and long-spear soldiers to attack the enemy. The formation is simple: the knife-shield soldiers are at the front, swinging their knives to slash the wooden target's head, while the long-spear soldiers follow up with a spear thrust straight into the target's heart. Those who hit the target thirty times in coordination will be considered qualified and allowed to leave.

  For this simple military training, a messenger named Du Meng boldly raised doubts. Lu Qi explained that it was an emergency training for the task of escorting grain taxes. The soldiers were mostly ordinary people, and short-term training could not make them strong warriors, so they could only conduct formation training. The characteristic of the formation is to gather a large amount of power to resist the enemy together, letting the knife-shield soldiers and long-gun soldiers form an offensive and defensive entity, plus the coordination of archers, three in one is the most suitable for flat land battles, and the grain tax was transported on the main road. Du Meng suddenly realized his mistake.

  At dawn, Lu Qi followed Wang Zhubo's orders and waited at the county border in the direction of the capital to escort high-ranking officials of the imperial court. This day was also an unexpected day for Lu Qi, as it turned out that two other military officers were going with him.

  According to Wang Zhubu, they were all newly appointed the day before yesterday and had a good background. One was called Lei Yang, who was personally sent by Magistrate Ma of Chizhou Prefecture, and the other was Song Quan, who was the grandson of the elder of Qili Township and was appointed by County Magistrate Sun. Shitai County has jurisdiction over Wangjiangpo Township, Shitan Township, Dongliu Township and Qili Township.

  Wang Zhubu warned Lu Qi that he must not rely on his high official position to offend the two Hu Jun county lieutenants, especially Song Quan. The reason is that Song Zonglao is highly respected in Shitai County and has a deep foundation, while Sun Daren, who was promoted by the superior, does not manage much but is still the superior and can dismiss him as Hu Jun county lieutenant if he offends the county lieutenant.

  The last words of Wang Zhubu touched Lu Qi's unease. Wang Zhubu said that Shizai County can only appoint three Hu Jun county lieutenants at most, and originally wanted to appoint a few people, but unexpectedly just appointed Lu Qi as the Hu Jun county lieutenant, and now two more have been appointed. From now on, if there are still people who want to be appointed as Hu Jun county lieutenant, Wang Zhubu frankly said that he cannot keep Lu Qi in office, letting Lu Qi prepare himself mentally.

  Looking at the sunrise in the east, Lu Qi's heart was gloomy. He had never been interested in being a protector of the county, and he didn't even look down on the official position of the county. However, humans are creatures that get addicted to power, and the small position of county lieutenant gave him a taste of the sweetness of authority. He wasn't concerned about the size of his power, as long as he had an official position to prop up his face, he was content. What he couldn't bear to part with was the command of the hundred soldiers, which was an opportunity for him to hone his military skills. Once he lost his position as county lieutenant, he wouldn't be able to see these soldiers again, and his short-lived career as a protector would become a laughing stock in Shitou County. How would his family members, who had already gathered around him, look at him, the head of the Lu household?

  All sorts of gains and losses, as well as worldly pressures, were brewing in Lu Qi's heart. He irritably pulled out his sword halfway, using the cold gleam of the blade to dispel his frustration. As he gazed at the blade, he seemed to sniff out a bloody smell, and a fierce and savage nature quietly rose up from the bottom of his heart. In his heart, he coldly laughed twice - if someone had set their sights on the position of Protector County Lieutenant, it meant that Shitou County was too peaceful, and needed some bloodshed to sound an alarm for certain people.

  He sheathed his sword and looked up at the left wing. This morning, he had met with two military county lieutenants, and the result of the meeting was very unpleasant for him. One of the lieutenants, named Lei Yang, was as fierce-looking as his name suggested - thick eyebrows, piercing eyes, and a prickly beard. He was in his thirties, with a sturdy build. When Lu Qiuke greeted him politely, he responded with a haughty nod, without even saying a word of courtesy.

  That Song Quan county lieutenant looks quite the opposite of Lei Yang, with a delicate eyebrow and eyes like some women, his body is still somewhat sturdy, in his mid-twenties, his complexion is sallow as if he has an underlying illness. When meeting Lu Qiuli, he responded indifferently with just two sentences. Although his reaction was slightly stronger than Lei Yang's, Lu Qiuli found him even more disgusting than Lei Yang. This kind of person can lead the army to suppress bandits, perhaps because he is clever and cunning.