Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1018: Sowing Discord

Cheng Yaojia saw that her husband was injured, and in a flurry of panic, she suddenly knelt down before Song Qingshu, saying, “Marshal, please let him go. You just promised…” 

Lu Guanying, witnessing this, shouted angrily, “Why are you kneeling to this Jin scoundrel? I, Lu Guanying, am upright and unyielding. Whether you want to kill or t0rture him, it’s up to you, no need for you to plead with him.” 

Cheng Yaojia, feeling anxious, quickly explained, “Lu Lang, you’ve misunderstood. The marshal is not a bad person.” After saying this, she hurriedly looked at Song Qingshu, “Lu Lang was just speaking out of desperation, I hope the marshal won’t take it to heart…” 

Before she could finish, Song Qingshu interrupted, “I have my own measures regarding this matter. Please, madam, go to the next room and rest for a while. I have some words to discuss with your husband.” 

“Marshal!” Cheng Yaojia exclaimed anxiously. 

Song Qingshu smiled at her, “Don’t worry, I won’t harm him.” 

With his assurance, Cheng Yaojia reluctantly left, looking back three times as she walked out. 

“What exactly did you do to Yaojia?” Seeing the expression on his wife’s face while talking to Song Qingshu, Lu Guanying’s heart filled with suspicion. After the door closed behind his wife, he could no longer hold back and asked. 

Song Qingshu picked up his tea, blew on it, and chuckled at his words, “I’ve done quite a lot to your wife. I’m not sure which one you’re referring to?” (G: bro…)

He had embraced and cuddled with Cheng Yaojia, even undre$sing her and then dre$sing her again, and throughout the whole process, some skin contact was inevitable. By that measure, he wasn’t lying; he had indeed done quite a few things with her. 

Lu Guanying’s eyes widened in rage, trembling as he glared at him, “You despicable scoundrel, only know how to bully her with underhanded means.” 

“Underhanded?” Song Qingshu shook his head, “I did those things quite openly, and your wife didn’t seem to opp0se it at all.” 

For the sake of national righteousness, Cheng Yaojia was willing to sacrifice her purity and let him be frivolous with her, so strictly speaking, Song Qingshu’s words were indeed factual. 

“You!” Lu Guanying was so furious he was shaking all over. 

“Stop with the ‘you you you’ and ‘I I I’. What exactly did I do to your wife? You can ask her yourself in the future. Right now, I have something to ask you.” Song Qingshu set the teacup back on the table and stood up, walking over to him. 

“Bah!” Lu Guanying spat a thick phlegm and sneered, “Do you think I would tell you, you Jin scoundrel?” 

Song Qingshu stepped aside lightly to avoid his spittle attack, “Are you not ashamed? At your age, still spitting everywhere. Don’t blame me for not warning you; at your age, if your phlegm is this thick, it’s clear your body has quite a few issues. Don’t let your wife end up widowed at such a young age.” 

“I #￥%#@!” Lu Guanying was so infuriated by his sharp tongue that he felt like his lungs were about to explode, but for a moment, he couldn’t think of how to retort. 

“During your mission to Yangzhou, did you have any contact with Li Kexiu?” Song Qingshu, feeling pity for Cheng Yaojia, had no patience for a scoundrel like Lu Guanying and got straight to the point. 

“Hmph!” Lu Guanying snorted coldly, turning his head away, pretending not to know anything. 

“Have you reached any consensus with Li Kexiu?” Song Qingshu asked, staring intently at his face, trying to glean something from his expression. Unfortunately, Lu Guanying maintained his haughty demeanor, and this time he didn’t even bother to snort. 

After asking several questions, Lu Guanying didn’t even open his mouth. Song Qingshu wasn’t surprised: “Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, I’ll have to use my own methods.” 

Lu Guanying glanced at him arrogantly and finally spoke, “Feel free to use any severe t0rture. If I even frown, then I’m not a hero.”

“Severe t0rture?” Song Qingshu’s expression was strange as he laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t use t0rture on you. If I leave any marks on you, how would I explain it to your esteemed wife?” 

Hearing him mention his wife again, Lu Guanying angrily said, “Don’t you dare bring her up again!” 

Song Qingshu smiled faintly, his eyes beginning to darken like ink: “Look into my eyes, yes, just like that… To what extent have your Southern Song delegation and Li Kexiu discussed?” 

Lu Guanying trembled all over, his gaze gradually becoming hazy as he muttered, “We… we are just putting on a show for the outside world; the real envoy is someone else, and it is they who are in contact with Li Kexiu. I don’t know how far the discussions have gone.” 

Song Qingshu was startled; it turned out that the Southern Song was playing a trick of openly repairing the road while secretly crossing the river. 

‘No wonder I was puzzled earlier; the envoys sent by the Jin and Qing states were all high-ranking officials, showing their importance to Li Kexiu. Why did the Southern Song only send a mere official from the Privy Council, showing no sincerity towards Li Kexiu?’ 

“Who is the real envoy?” Song Qingshu hurriedly asked. 

Lu Guanying shook his head: “I don’t know.” 

Song Qingshu furrowed his brow and then changed the question: “Where is the real envoy staying?” 

“Y… Yuqing Temple.” It was clear that Lu Guanying’s face showed signs of struggle; even though he was now in a daze, he realized that this secret must not be disclosed. 

“Yuqing Temple?” Song Qingshu stood by the window, looking at the pitch-black night sky. 

The open envoy was settled in a Buddhist temple, while the hidden envoy was concealed in a Daoist temple; it was indeed a clever scheme. 

“Come, take him away and keep a close watch on him,” Song Qingshu instructed the guards, who then dragged Lu Guanying out. 

Next door, Cheng Yaojia had been worried about her husband’s safety and rushed out upon hearing the commotion, shaking Lu Guanying’s arm: “Lu Lang, Lu Lang, what happened to you?” 

Unfortunately, the soldiers from the Jin state would not heed her commands and continued to drag Lu Guanying away without hesitation. Left with no choice, Cheng Yaojia ran to Song Qingshu: “Marshal, what happened to Lu Lang? You promised me you wouldn’t harm him…” 

Before she could finish, she began to cry, her soft nature unable to withstand the fear and panic she felt upon seeing her husband with his eyes tightly closed, unaware of his fate. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. 

Seeing her cry like a weeping pear blossom, Song Qingshu felt a twinge of guilt and instinctively reached out to wipe the tear stains from her cheek. 

When his finger touched her skin, Cheng Yaojia trembled all over and quickly stepped back a few paces, looking at him in horror. 

Song Qingshu had acted on impulse, but seeing her intense reaction made him realize his actions were inappropriate. The more he explained, the more awkward it became, so he decided to change the subject directly: “Don’t worry, Gentleman Lu is fine; he just fainted from exhausting his True Qi during the intrusion and from the mental strain. He just needs to rest for a night.” 

Upon learning that her husband was unharmed, Cheng Yaojia finally breathed a sigh of relief. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked, “I wonder when we can leave?” 

“Since Gentleman Lu has fainted, you should also rest here for the night. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to escort you out,” Song Qingshu replied.