Seeing that Gu Xingzhao was interested, Xu Shisan didn’t even think twice before trying to tempt her with the Xu family’s treasure vault. After all, this was the first time he’d seen her show interest in something other than money. As long as he could lure her to his house, it was as good as winning her over.
Gu Xingzhao’s temple throbbed with annoyance. Just moments ago, she had felt a bit of fondness for Xu Shisan, thinking he might be a descendant of Lu Qing and his family. But now, she just wanted to throw a slipper at his grinning face.
She abruptly ended the video call, tossed her phone aside, and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to sleep.
On the other end, Xu Shisan stared at his now dark phone screen and sighed deeply. “Sigh…”
He looked at his reflection in the blank screen, scrutinizing his eyes, nose, and mouth. He couldn’t understand—he wasn’t bad-looking, so why was she still not interested?
From childhood, people had always flocked to him, eager to win his favor. Before meeting Gu Xingzhao, he’d had a different pretty girl by his side every day, living the high life. But now, despite throwing money her way, all he got was rejection.
At this moment, Xu Shisan almost forgot that what he really wanted was the jade pendant Gu Xingzhao always wore around her neck.
Late at night, the exiled group had all fallen asleep, save for the guards on watch. The Lu family, as usual, had four people standing guard, ready to respond to any disturbance.
As the cold night wind howled, two shadowy figures crept toward the prisoners. Spotting anything of value, they stuffed it into their clothes. One of them saw a half-eaten coarse cake in a prisoner’s hands and, daringly, reached out to grab it, only to have his wrist seized by the prisoner.
“Thief! Catch the thief!”
At the shout, the other figure immediately tried to flee, but was quickly pinned to the ground.
Du Hangwu woke with a start and rushed over with his men to investigate. He recognized the two figures—it was a pair of refugee children, no older than eleven or twelve. Likely starving, they had tried to steal food. Perhaps they had even been sent by adults, hoping that their youth would earn them leniency.
But Du Hangwu wasn’t feeling charitable. “So young, and already stealing? Cut off their hands.”
As he drew his blade, ready to carry out the punishment, a terrified adult scrambled forward, falling at his feet. “Please, spare them, sir! These are just hungry children, I beg you, have mercy!”
A woman knelt before him, tears streaming down her face. “We’re desperate, sir, please, spare my child!”
The sound of their desperate pleas echoed through the stillness of the night.
Lu Qing, being a light sleeper, woke up to the commotion. He lifted the tent flap and asked his eldest son, Lu Zhou, “What’s all this noise about? What’s going on?”
Lu Zhou replied, “It seems there’s been a theft, Father. Don’t worry, I’ll go check it out.”
Lu Qing, knowing Du Hangwu was on watch, didn’t think much of it and considered calling his son back. But Lu Zhou had already gone.
By now, most of the prisoners were awake, and a crowd of refugees had gathered, begging the officials to show mercy.
Du Hangwu and his men, surrounded by pleading refugees, stood over the two captured children. Lu Zhou, taking in the chaotic scene, frowned deeply.
“Master Du, my father sent me to ask if there’s any trouble.”
Du Hangwu hadn’t expected to rouse Lu Qing, nor for Lu Zhou to inquire on his behalf. He quickly responded, “It’s nothing serious, just two refugee children caught stealing. Please inform Master Lu that it’s under control, and he needn’t worry.”
Du Hangwu had initially intended to cut off the children’s hands. After all, attempting to steal from an official exile convoy was no small matter. If he didn’t make an example of them, others might start thinking they could get away with anything. But now, with Lu Qing involved, he hesitated. He didn’t want to appear cruel in front of the former high-ranking official.
Seeing Du Hangwu’s discomfort, Lu Zhou reassured him, “Please handle the situation as you see fit, Master Du. My father was just curious about the disturbance, nothing more.”
Relieved, Du Hangwu nodded as Lu Zhou left.
Meanwhile, the refugees whispered amongst themselves, staring in the direction Lu Zhou had gone. Someone ventured a bold guess, “Could the ‘Master Lu’ they’re talking about be the exiled Grand Chancellor Lu from the capital?”
“Impossible, right?”
“But think about it—why would the officials treat a prisoner with such respect if it weren’t him?”
“I heard that Grand Chancellor Lu is favored by the heavens and has the gods on his side!”
Everyone gasped in awe. “Gods!?”
Someone suggested, “Why don’t we go ask Grand Chancellor Lu for help? Maybe he could give us some food or money—or at the very least, save these two children from losing their hands.”
“But he’s an exile himself. Can he really help us?”
The first man had already made up his mind. “Didn’t you see how the officials treated him? Like they were serving him! Even if he’s fallen on hard times, he’s still got power.”
“True!”
“Let’s go beg Grand Chancellor Lu to help us!”
A large group of refugees began to follow the man, while Du Hangwu and his men tried to stop them. But they couldn’t exactly draw their blades on people who, though troublesome, hadn’t caused any real trouble yet.
Soon, a dozen refugees gathered near the Lu family’s tents. Seeing the tents reserved for officials, they became even more convinced of Lu Qing’s influence. Even if they couldn’t get food, perhaps they could at least take some tents for shelter. If they didn’t need them, they could always sell them for money.
With their plan set, the refugees knelt in front of the Lu family’s tents. Leading the group was a man in his fifties, thin and ragged. “Please, Grand Chancellor Lu, save the children!”
The others echoed his cries, their voices mournful and pitiful. “Grand Chancellor Lu, have mercy! Please, give us some food!”
Seeing this, more refugees gathered from the distance, not even knowing who “Grand Chancellor Lu” was but joining in the cries anyway.
Lu Zhou and the other guards outside the tent were at a loss. They had no idea how to deal with this sudden situation, and their faces were full of confusion.
Inside the tent, Lu Qing frowned. Hearing the desperate cries from outside, he wanted to go see what was happening, but Lu Xingyan stopped him.
“Father, it’s best if you don’t go out.”
The father and son exchanged a look. Both knew that even if Lu Qing went out, he wouldn’t be able to help. They couldn’t do anything for these refugees.
Once they gave aid to one group, more would come. And where would it end? If they started handing out help now, they’d never be able to stop.
After an internal struggle, Lu Qing finally sighed. “Fine… Let the officials deal with it.”
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