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

After about half an incense stick's time, Xiao Zhuozi anxiously approached Sun Wuyin's carriage and respectfully spoke:

"Sir, the situation is extremely serious. Thirty-one people are missing, ten of whom are officers and soldiers."

"They're probably all buried in snow. If we send people to rescue them now, getting more than half out shouldn't be a problem!"

"My lord, the exiles are crying out for help. We must appease their anger if we don't provide relief! Besides, Hu Dou and the others are still buried in the snow..."

Sun Wuyin sat in the car, looking at the snow piled up to a height of more than a person, and was worried. If he had to rescue people, he would definitely not be able to make his way today.

The speed is already much slower, and if it continues to be delayed, he'll have a hard time explaining himself if his superiors blame him…

If he doesn't save them, so many lives are at stake; he can't just turn a blind eye!

As he was pondering, he turned his head and saw Song Qingqian walking over with a gloomy face. She then asked:

"The Lu family is missing too?"

Xiao Zhuozi quickly nodded: "Lu Lanyue and the young general have disappeared, and the Lu family is looking for them anxiously."

"What? Qi Shuo is missing too? That won't do, we have to find him!"

Sun Wuyin was hoping that Qi Shuo would speak well of him to the Emperor when he returned. If Qi Shuo held a grudge and went back to say all sorts of things, it would greatly affect his official career.

"First, order everyone to stay put. Don't leave until we find the person!"

He then cheerfully said to Song Qingqian, "I was just having Xiao Zhuozi take some men to poach people, and it just so happens that Miss Lu is here. You can go with them. If there's anything you need, just let them know!"

"Little Zhuozi, take all the men in the exile team between the age of twenty and fifty to search for the person. If any of them are unwilling to go, do not hesitate to whip them!"

"As for the officers and soldiers, ten men will suffice to guard the exiled convoy. Now hurry up and go!"

Xiao Zhuozi nodded hurriedly: "I'll take care of it right away!"

Lu Jingchuan went deep into the snow to search for people, so Song Qingqian could only come to the soldiers, since there was strength in numbers.

She had originally planned to say a few more words, but Sun Wuyin was so agreeable that she was saved a lot of trouble. She then turned and left.

When the exiles heard that they were going to rescue someone, more than half of the families with all members refused to send anyone. After all, everyone usually looked after their own interests and they had no obligation to rescue this person!

Seeing Xiao Zhuozi arguing with them, Song Qingqian led the others directly to the place where they had been buried by the avalanche.

Wang Beimu looked at the small part that Song Qingqian was fiddling with in her hand, preventing them from digging in the snow, and asked with some confusion:

"Young Lady Lu, what are we waiting for? What is this thing?"

"An avalanche search and rescue device, that can locate all buried people within 50 meters."

As Song Qingqian explained, she operated the machine, then pointed to a spot on the side and spoke:

"There's a person buried six meters ahead of here. A few of you are in charge of digging!"

"You guys dig here, about three meters ahead..."

Looking at the snow piled up higher than a person, someone muttered resentfully:

"It's buried so deep, let alone whether we can dig it out, even if we do, it probably won't survive. Is it worth wasting time?"

"If you're not going to dig, shut up and get out of the way! Don't block my way!"

Song Qingqian gave him a cold glance, and the man shut his mouth unhappily, but he still muttered to himself with amusement.

Song Qingqian was too lazy to waste words with him and led the others directly onto the snow.

While we were measuring, we had them dig from the top down. This was not only more accurate, but also saved a lot of time!

*

In the mountain valley at this moment.

Lu Lanyue held the shivering little girl in her arms, watching Qi Shuo digging out the snow.

Half an hour passed, and Qi Shuo had only dug less than a meter. He returned, panting, and sat down beside Lu Lanyue, saying:

"There's too much snow. We'll have to think of another way!"

"Brother Qi, don't worry. My third sister-in-law is very resourceful; she will definitely find us. The most important thing for us now is to keep warm!"

"My third sister-in-law said that when you encounter extremely cold conditions like snow-capped mountains, you must not let yourself suffer from hypothermia, do not fall asleep, and always keep yourself awake while waiting for rescue!"

Listening to her rigid explanation, Qi Shuo nodded. Although that's what she said, they still had to save themselves if they could!

"Cold...so cold..."

The little girl in my arms trembled and murmured to herself; she was already starting to drift off to sleep.

Lu Lanyue frowned as she looked at her torn cotton-padded coat, reached out and pulled out a bit of stuffing, examined it carefully for a moment, and asked anxiously:

"Brother Qi, this...this isn't cotton, what is it?"

Qi Shuo reached out and pinched it, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and explained:

"This is reed. No wonder they don't go on the carriage at night because it's so cold, but instead huddle together by the fire. It turns out they're wearing cotton-padded clothes made of reeds..."

Lu Lanyue said with a sense of loss, "This heartless government office really schemes for everything. The problem is, it's not even warm. We're wearing down jackets and we're still cold, let alone them."

When the government office was mentioned, Qi Shuo's expression changed several times. If he thought the government office was bad, it had saved his life and had always treated him well. If he thought the government office was good, it seemed like the government office had done some inhuman things...

Lu Lanyue hesitated for a moment, then took off her robe and pulled the little girl into her arms, covering her small body with the robe.

Seeing that the two were still shivering from the cold, Qi Shuo took off his outer robe and was about to drape it over them when Lu Lanyue quickly pushed it away, saying:

"We don't need to. Qi Shuo, you should get dressed quickly and make sure you don't get sick."

“认识她？”

Qi Shuo looked at the baby girl in her arms with a meaningful gaze.

Lu Lanyue nodded and said helplessly, "It's the Qiao family's granddaughter!"

"The day we got back, it was the Qiao family that Third Sister-in-law was targeting!"

"Then why bother with her? Just leave her aside! We've already done more than enough by saving her life!"

Qi Shuo spoke coldly and indifferently, draping one side of his outer robe over Lu Lanyue's body, while he draped the other side over himself, his body pressed tightly against hers.

A wave of unfamiliar scent washed over her, and Lu Lanyue instantly lowered her head, her face flushing red. She explained nervously:

"She's just a child, why bother arguing with her? She's not even as old as our Yu'er, what could she possibly know? Isn't it all up to the family to raise her?"

"Lan Yue, you're still too kind. Some people's badness is ingrained in their bones and can't be changed!"

Lu Lanyue nodded, without refuting, and spoke in a low voice:

"We've already saved her, we can't just watch her die, can we? Besides, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so it's a good deed!"

"Heh~ You're quite good at comforting yourself!"

Qi Shuo chuckled softly, then turned to examine her closely. The light in the valley was dim, flickering across the girl's profile before settling on her.

Qi Shuo's gaze followed the girl's delicate neck, and as he looked at her flushed cheeks and ears, he pursed his lips and unconsciously swallowed.

Then he unconsciously turned his head, his breathing slightly rapid. Temptation always exists without his awareness.

In the quiet space, two hearts, pressed close together, were pounding wildly, and both were somewhat at a loss.

"Cold?"

Qi Shuo suddenly asked.

"fine…"

Lu Lanyue shook her head shyly, her hands holding the little girl trembling slightly, whether from the cold or from nervousness.

"That means you're still cold. My body temperature is high, so if you hold me tight, you won't be cold anymore..."

Qi Shuo turned his head and looked at her without revealing his expression; the hot breath he exhaled clearly showed that his body was burning hot at the moment.

No...no need...

Lu Lanyue continued to shake her head timidly. They had known each other for so many years, she shouldn't be afraid of him, but suddenly being so close made her not only scared but also incredibly nervous.

No, she must be overthinking it. She's misinterpreting things. Brother Qi is an upright man; how could he possibly have such thoughts? Perhaps in his eyes, she and Xie Yue are just like the girl next door!

"It's only natural for an older brother to protect his younger sister in a critical moment. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I'll eat you up?"

Qi Shuo casually pulled the girl in Lu Lanyue's arms aside, took Lu Lanyue's hand, and wrapped it around his waist.

Lu Lanyue looked at him in shock, speechless with astonishment. Her mind was completely blank, and she had lost all ability to think...

"I feel really warm, see! I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

Lu Lanyue nodded blankly, her body trembling uncontrollably. She mechanically lowered her head, not daring to look anywhere.

At this moment, her mind was filled with the image of secretly watching Huo Chong and Chu Hua's passionate entanglement that day.

Brother Qi was saving her and warming her up. Her mind was too impure. How could she have such filthy thoughts? How could she face him in the future?

Sensing Lu Lanyue's unease, Qi Shuo pulled his robes tighter and hugged her even more tightly.

She was the wife his mother had chosen for him before she died. Thinking of the relationship between the two families, Qi Shuo unconsciously swallowed.

If he were to marry Lu Lanyue, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone? The Lu family's exile was merely a temporary measure. Given the personalities of Lu Jingchuan and his wife, they are destined for greatness.

He didn't know whether he liked Lu Lanyue or not, but he felt very uncomfortable every time he saw the way Lu Lanyue looked at that Huo family boy.

Qi Shuo looked past Lu Lanyue with a determined gaze at the snow that filled the cave entrance, wondering how long it would take them to find it!

Lu Lanyue looked at Qi Shuo, who was tightly hugging her, and felt a little dizzy. What was going on? Why was Brother Qi becoming more and more blurry? Her two heads kept switching back and forth, and she couldn't seem to overlap them...

Her breathing became increasingly difficult, and she raised her hand to touch his cheek, trying to make him stop moving, but his figure became more and more blurred!

"Brother Qi, please stop swaying! I... I can't see you clearly anymore!"

"Lanyue, you're oxygen-deprived!"

Qi Shuo hurriedly laid her flat on the ground, covered her with both of their outer robes, and then went to dig snow in front of them!

The accumulated snow was as hard as stone. Half an hour passed, and Qi Shuo, sweating profusely, finally dug a small hole leading to the outside world.