Confiscating property? A stunningly beautiful substitute bride empties the national treasury and is

"Really? Then I'll have to look at Brother Chuan in a new light."

Song Qingqian chuckled softly.

"Then you should call him 'Brother Chuan' a few more times, my husband likes to hear it."

As he spoke, Lu Jingchuan quickly took off his outer robe and pinned her down.

He gazed at her silently, his deep eyes filled with an indescribable tenderness, like a pool of spring water, rippling with starlight.

"Brother Chuan..."

Song Qingqian's fingers caressed his firm back like a dragonfly skimming the water, the movements slow and gentle, yet they made Lu Jingchuan's heart tremble slightly, and he just wanted to succumb to it. Of course, he also fully enjoyed this wonderful moment.

In the quiet room, only a single candle was lit. The flickering candlelight faintly illuminated two figures tightly entwined behind the bed curtains, filling the room with a sense of spring...

As soon as the hour of Yin arrived, Lu Jingchuan reluctantly planted a deep kiss on Song Qingqian's brow, gently comforting her:

"Qianqian, your husband has to go now. You can get some rest. I'll have Beifeng come and wake you up when it's time to leave. See you at noon!"

"Um…"

Exhausted, Song Qingqian mumbled a reply without even looking up.

Lu Jingchuan gently lifted the bed curtains, quietly picked up the robes scattered on the floor, and tiptoed out of the room.

She felt like she had only just drifted off to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Lu Lanyue whispered a reminder:

"Third sister-in-law, wake up!"

"Third Sister-in-law, Chu Hua and the others have arrived. Brother Beifeng said we need to pack up and leave."

"Okay, just a moment!"

Song Qingqian stared blankly at the bed curtains with a resentful look. She had indeed spoken recklessly; last night, she was almost dismantled and reassembled by Lu Jingchuan. It was true that one shouldn't be too flirtatious with a celibate man…

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group squeezed into the same carriage and set off, rushing to be among the first to leave the capital city.

Because everyone was dressed as a man and was very well covered up, the guards on duty did not make things difficult for them.

Qi Shuo rode his horse to the side to keep watch. Today, he not only changed into a new outer robe, but also had his beard shaved overnight. He followed quietly and had the air of a humble gentleman.

Song Qingqian turned to look at him, whispering to Lu Lanyue:

"Qi Shuo looks at least five or six years younger after dressing up. It's true that clothes make the man. He looks so energetic now, and the key is that he's not bad-looking either."

Lu Lanyue nodded in agreement: "He looks a little more mature than I saw in the portrait."

"Third Sister-in-law, did Third Brother send word back to the capital last night?"

Song Qingqian shook her head slightly and explained, "I don't know either. There were many things to do last night, and I didn't have time to ask. But even if he didn't send a message back last night, he will definitely make arrangements today. Don't worry about it!"

"Ok!"

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Lanyue continued to ask, "Third Sister-in-law, do you think Brother Qi will be reinstated and continue leading troops into battle when he goes back? Or will he be demoted?"

"It's been several years, after all. Things have probably changed a lot. General Qi's health is also declining. Do you think we could let Brother Qi take over?"

"Given the emperor's unpredictable nature, it's hard to say. It all depends on which prince Old Master Qi sides with. However, given the current situation, it's not clear which side he should be on."

Song Qingqian sighed and then explained, "Everyone has their own destiny. Staying may not be a bad thing, and going back may not be a good thing either. Let's wait and see."

"Lan Yue, you seem to care about him a lot, is there something going on in your mind?"

Lu Lanyue smiled awkwardly and quickly shook her head: "Third sister-in-law, don't make wild guesses. I'm just a little worried about him because of his current state. I don't have any other thoughts."

Song Qingqian nodded silently, pulled the blanket over her, and comforted her:

"Actually, it's okay if you do. It's just youthful innocence. When you reach a certain stage in life, there will always be people you care about. There's no need to be embarrassed."

"Yes, I understand!"

Lu Lanyue smiled faintly and remained silent.

Song Qingqian looked at her and sighed, "If you ask me, Lan Yue, you're just too introverted. That's not good. If you keep things bottled up inside for too long, you'll feel suffocated and it'll be too draining."

Sometimes when you encounter problems, you can talk about them and let others help you share the burden, which will make things easier for you.

"Besides, we're all family. Don't be shy. No matter what happens, family will only care about you and won't laugh at you, so feel free to speak up."

"Yes, thank you, Third Sister-in-law!"

Lu Lanyue nodded seriously.

Song Qingqian hugged her tightly, feeling somewhat helpless. Twins are usually like this: one is quiet, and the other is active!

As soon as the carriage reached the foot of Wolf Mountain, a gust of cold wind swept in, and the people inside quickly wrapped themselves tightly in their quilts.

Chu Hua complained to the others in a low voice, "The temperature here is much colder than in the borderlands. We haven't even entered the mountains yet. How will we stand it once we get there?"

"Sister-in-law, why don't we wait here for the exile procession?"

"Yes...yes! It's so cold!"

The others quickly echoed.

"We've only been out of town for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and everyone's already shivering from the cold. What will we do if we go into the mountains? No wonder they say that nine out of ten people who go into Wolf Mountain will die. I don't want to die..."

The women huddled together, sobbing softly in the cold. Bei Feng glanced at Song Qingqian cautiously, wondering whether she should leave or not.

Song Qingqian glanced at the group, remained silent for a moment, and then asked Beifeng, "Where is the meeting place you and your master agreed upon?"

Bei Feng said bluntly, "Young Madam, behind the first mountain, the plan was to meet at noon, but..."

"Since no one wants to leave, let's just wait here. Let's light a fire and warm everyone up!"

"Young Madam, this place is too dangerous. What if there are pursuers sent by Li Yixiao?"

Song Qingqian shook her head and said, "They've already left the city. He wouldn't go to such lengths for just a few people. Let them rest."

"Row!"

North Wind nodded respectfully, and after unloading the carriage, he started a fire to keep everyone warm.

From a distance, the exiled group saw the group of people sitting around the fire and were overjoyed. Sure enough, the county magistrate had not lied to them and had safely escorted them out of the city.

"mother!"

Several people saw their relatives and rushed over, throwing themselves into their arms and crying loudly.

Sun Wuyin saw the group frown deeply, somewhat incredulous. How could this be? He had never seen anyone escape safely after being sent to the county magistrate's mansion.

Then his resentful gaze fell on Song Qingqian. It must be her doing. No one can get what they want when Song Qingqian is around.

"Where...where is my Meimei? Why can't I see my Meimei?"

"My Ying'er isn't here either, what happened?"

Several elderly women, unable to find their daughters, anxiously grabbed them and kept asking questions.

"They...they weren't rescued!"

Qiao Xiyan pouted and explained in a low voice.

"What do you mean you weren't rescued? Didn't the county magistrate say he would bring you here safely? Why is my Meimei nowhere to be seen now that you're all here?"

With a pale face, Old Madam Du held onto Qiao Xiyan tightly and relentlessly pressed her for answers.

Qiao Xiyan's arm ached from being grabbed, and she angrily shook her off, explaining:

“That county magistrate is a beast in human form. He didn’t want to bring us here safely. He imprisoned us and wanted to sell us. It was…it was the young lady from the Lu family who saved us.”

Qiao Xiyan continued to explain, "We're missing several people. I told Lu Xiaoniangzi to send people, but Meimei and the others haven't been rescued yet. She didn't go to rescue them, saying... saying it's not her business, she has no obligation to rescue them..."

With a few words that seemed to have a thousand pounds of weight, Qiao Xiyan spun the flames of war onto Song Qingqian.

Sure enough, after these women released them, they came to the Lu family in a menacing manner, looking for Song Qingqian to demand an explanation.

"Song Qingqian, you little bitch, come out here!"

"Tell me! Why did you save everyone else but not my Meimei? Where is your conscience? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Upon seeing the group of shrewish women, Lu Yunqi, without hesitation, stood in front of the carriage and shouted:

"Where did this stray dog ​​come from, daring to act wildly in front of my carriage? Are you all tired of living? Looking for a beating?"

“We’re looking for Song Qingqian. Who do you think you are, being so unruly? You dare to curse us? We’ll beat you to a pulp.”

"Let's see who dares!"

Song Qingqian lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, staring directly at the group, and scolded them:

"I, Song Qingqian, am upright and honest; even if lightning strikes me, it won't hit me!"

"As for you, since you're so capable, why didn't you let your daughters come along? If they hadn't gone, there wouldn't be so much trouble."

"Besides, they were all there at the time. I said whoever wanted to save people could do it, and I didn't stop them. You don't blame them, but you blame me. Do you think I, Song Qingqian, am easy to mess with?"

Those families were instantly silenced by the insults, exchanging bewildered glances. The Du family matriarch muttered resentfully:

"Then why did you save so many people but not my Meimei, my poor daughter, sob sob~"

Song Qingqian said speechlessly, "She was taken away at the time, and I don't know where she was taken. The other girls were rescued because they were locked up together."

“My Lanyue was arrested at the time, and I had to save my family members. I didn’t have time to save them. Why don’t you ask them?”

Song Qingqian smiled, pointed at Qiao Xiyan, and said:

“The two of them were arguing the loudest at the time. I told them to go and save the person if they knew what was going on, but they were too cowardly and afraid of dying to do so. If you want to blame someone, blame them!”

"Besides, we're not far from the city now. If you really feel sorry for your daughter, go and talk to Sun Wuyin. Maybe he'll let you go back to rescue her!"

"This……"

The families were at a loss and didn't know what to do.

Song Qingqian continued, "Considering that you are both emotionally distraught from losing your daughters, I will not pursue the matter further. You know what you should do."

"If things can be managed, then everyone can live in peace. But if you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for turning ruthless."

"Yes...I'm sorry!"

After apologizing, the women didn't go after Sun Wuyin; instead, they stood before Lu Jingchuan, sobbing and pleading:

"Young General Lu, we know you are incredibly powerful and able to leave the exile group without permission. Please help us, please go and save my daughter! I... I'll kneel down before you!"

"Young General Lu, please help me! I only have one daughter, Yu Ning. How am I supposed to live without her?"