After the figures of Hu Maolin and his entourage disappeared from sight, Hu Qinzhu timidly peeked out from behind Su Buchi.
Most of the alcohol on her had already dissipated, and the effect of the drug had worn off by about seventy to eighty percent. Her mind was clear. Recalling what had just happened, a shy blush involuntarily crept onto her face.
"Thank you, Lord Su, for your timely help. Qinzhu is extremely grateful..."
The fragrance of Su Buchi's clothes on the blue shirt wafted around Hu Qinzhu's nose. Since she rarely got so close to a man, her voice became even softer.
"Lord, I will wash your clothes and send them back to your mansion in person."
Hu Qinzhu lowered her head and spoke softly. However, Su Buchi just waved his hand indifferently, and there was a rare hint of wariness on his face.
"It's just a piece of clothing. Miss Hu, you don't need to take it to heart. Just let it go."
This Hu Qinzhu schemed and contrived. After failing to get close to Li Ying and Lu Xunguang, she settled for the next best thing and set her sights on him. Su Buchi was by no means a stupid man who was infatuated with beauty. He could see through her little tricks.
That was exactly why he mustn't give her a chance to come and go with him under the pretext of returning the clothes as a token of gratitude.
Hu Qinzhu sensed the undisguised alienation in Su Buchi's tone. Her face blushed again, and she immediately felt extremely embarrassed.
Seeing that Su Buchi was about to turn around and leave, she couldn't wait any longer. She quickly lowered her voice and called out, "Lord Su, wait a moment. Please listen to me!"
She simply stopped hiding anything and honestly and seriously told the whole story of how she had been tricked by her elder brother and how she had made an agreement with Li Ying to defect.
Hu Qinzhu spoke sincerely, but Su Buchi looked thoughtful. He frowned tightly and sized her up with a scrutinizing look.
"Lord Su, if my elder brother knows that it was you who helped me today, he will surely trust me more. By then, I will surely fulfill my agreement with Boss Li. We can work together from inside and outside, and our great plan will succeed!"
Seeing that Su Buchi still looked hesitant, Hu Qinzhu's knees went weak, and she was about to kneel down. She even wished she could swear to heaven.
Su Buchi rarely interacted with women. He was extremely embarrassed by her behavior. Afraid that their tug - of - war would be seen by outsiders and cause more trouble, he had to help her up and reluctantly agreed, deciding to wait and see her performance before making a final decision.
Only then did Hu Qinzhu stop crying and smile. She bowed to him again and then left, looking back three times at every step.
As for Hu Maolin, he searched everywhere in the mansion of the Minister of Rites but found nothing. Soon, a servant came to report that the young lady had drunk a bit too much and felt embarrassed, so she had left for home early with her servants. He apologized for the lack of courtesy.
Since the elder brother had said so, naturally no one had any more doubts. The matter was soon forgotten, and no one mentioned it again.
After the banquet, Su Buchi found Li Ying and told her everything that Hu Qinzhu had said to him.
"Miss Li, although I've agreed to this matter on the surface, the Hu siblings have ulterior motives. We don't know what else they're secretly planning. We must be on guard. You must be extremely careful."
Li Ying nodded and felt quite sorry.
This matter was originally a deal between her and Hu Qinzhu. By accident, it had involved Su Buchi, a true gentleman. She said softly, "Thank you, Uncle Su, for your advice. Ying understands."
Su Buchi knew she was sensible and didn't say much more. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard an announcement from outside. It turned out that the maid beside Hu Qinzhu had come to visit.
The three people in the room exchanged a knowing look. Li Ying waved her hand and let the maid in.
What Hu Qinzhu had sent was a brand - new long gown, exactly Su Buchi's size.
Li Ying recognized at a glance that it was a new style of ready - made clothes from the Lu family's silk store. Presumably, it was a gift of thanks from Miss Hu to Su Buchi.
Along with the long gown, there was also a delicate small box. Written neatly on it in delicate small regular script was "For Li Ying".
When she opened it, there was a small box of perfume inside.
Li Ying took a deep breath. The refreshing fragrance of white gardenia rushed towards her. It was fragrant but not overly showy, making people feel relaxed and happy.
Under the porcelain jar, there was also a small floral note, explaining that this perfume was made from the Lan Ye gardenias that Hu Qinzhu had carefully cultivated. By chance, she had obtained the seeds from Sichuan. The flowers were highly fragrant and rare in the capital.
She had carefully cultivated them for several years until they were lush. Then she had picked all the flower heads and used the fat - absorption method to preserve this refreshing fragrance unique to summer nights. Now she was sending it, just hoping to make Li Ying smile.
Su Buchi said, "This Miss Hu is really considerate."
Li Ying took a bit of the perfume and applied it on her hand. It was very moisturizing and as white as jade. It was obvious that Hu Qinzhu had really put a lot of thought into it.
She nodded and praised, "Yes, this Miss Hu is really a delicate - minded person."
She put away the perfume and picked out a few gifts to send back with the maid. After the maid had gone far away, Lu Xunguang finally asked, "Ying, do you really trust this Hu Qinzhu?"
Su Buchi also stared at Li Ying with a puzzled look in his eyes, hesitating to speak.
Li Ying smiled sweetly. She played with the perfume in her hand and then slowly picked up the floral note.
"Remove the first words of each sentence. Lu Lang, Uncle Su, take a look. What message is this letter conveying?"
When the two of them leaned over to look, they were shocked to find that it was clearly the sentence "Wait for the opportunity. The target is the emperor."
"Is... is this the message from Miss Hu?"
Su Buchi looked surprised, and then his expression turned extremely solemn.
The target is the emperor.
That scoundrel Hu Maolin actually had his eyes on the Son of Heaven. Did he want to use the emperor's anger to get rid of the newly - prominent Lu family?
"Ying, can this person really be trusted?"
Lu Xunguang also looked thoughtful and waited for her answer.
Li Ying smiled gently.
"Sending gardenia to you, hoping you understand my heart. Miss Hu is using the flower to convey a message and show her determination."
Li Ying couldn't tell these two men about the scars on Hu Qinzhu's body, but she already trusted her about fifty or sixty percent. Now that she saw that Hu Qinzhu hadn't followed her elder brother's plan to harm Lu Xunguang and had sent the perfume and the secret letter, she was even more certain.
Seeing her like this, Lu Xunguang didn't say much more. He just said in a deep voice, "I wonder what exactly 'the target is the emperor' means. What evil plan is Hu Maolin secretly hatching?"
"Ying, don't be afraid. I'll take care of everything."
Almost instinctively, he first gave Li Ying a reassurance. Li Ying smiled, nodded, held his hand back, looked at the sky, then got up and walked straight towards the kitchen.