Could it be that My Lord is jealous?

Su Yao reluctantly paced back into the room.

Inside, Lu Huaijin was sitting on the couch.

Seeing her enter, Lu Huaijin spoke up, "Found the heart to return?"

"Why didn't my lord rest a little longer? It is a rare day off, and since you are injured, you really ought to recuperate properly."

Before Su Yao could finish speaking, Lu Huaijin reached out a long arm, grabbed her wrist abruptly, and with a slight tug, pulled her right to his side.

Caught off guard, Su Yao stumbled and fell directly onto his lap.

Lu Huaijin naturally wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

His posture was as though he intended to melt her into his very bones and blood.

"Let me go. What if I accidentally aggravate your injury?"

Lu Huaijin acted as though he hadn't heard a thing, gently resting his chin on her shoulder, and uttered a few words: "Then don't move around."

Hearing this, Su Yao instantly froze, not daring to even draw a full breath, terrified that a careless movement might genuinely touch his wound and cause a major disaster.

"Where did you go?" Lu Huaijin's voice resonated beside her ear.

"I went to speak with Miss Zhao," Su Yao answered honestly.

"Didn't you talk enough yesterday?"

Lu Huaijin's expression suddenly darkened, and his voice grew several degrees colder.

Su Yao turned her head to look at Lu Huaijin, asking, "My lord surely isn't feeling jealous, are you?"

The depths of Lu Huaijin's eyes resembled a bottomless, freezing pool; within that profound darkness lay a chilling possessiveness.

Su Yao felt her heart skip a beat as a heavy sense of foreboding washed over her.

Before she could even figure out how to respond, Lu Huaijin leaned down, pressing his soft lips heavily against hers, instantly robbing her of her breath.

After a bout of intimacy, mindful of the injury on his body, he did not dare to be overly unrestrained.

For the first time, Su Yao found that such intimate encounters did not have to be so exhausting.

Lu Huaijin unhurriedly straightened his robes, and then personally dressed Su Yao.

Chuntao and the newly arrived maid Qiuyue had already prepared the water...

The next day, news flooded the city from all directions.

It was heard that the men sent by General Zhao had arrived at the city gates, only to be blocked outside and unable to enter.

As it turned out, the dam near a village close to Tongzhou had suddenly collapsed, and countless refugees poured into the city gates like a tidal wave, causing severe congestion at the gates.

Scholars within Tongzhou city were also rioting, plunging the entire city into chaos.

Beset by troubles both internal and external, the situation was hanging by a thread.

After weighing his options, Lu Huaijin decided to send someone to escort Zhao Zhifu out of the city.

Learning that she was to leave, Zhao Zhifu specially came to bid farewell to Su Yao.

As fate would have it, the moment she reached the doorway, she bumped into Lu Huaijin.

Zhao Zhifu caught sight of the sachet hanging from Lu Huaijin's waist—one she had made with her own hands.

In an instant, a blush spread across her cheeks, her expression turning deeply coy as she softly called out, "Lord Lu."

Lu Huaijin's face maintained its icy detachment. He merely emitted a faint "Mn" in acknowledgment before stepping directly into the carriage.

Standing to one side, Su Yao looked reluctantly at Zhao Zhifu, then turned to Lu Huaijin, "My lord, I would like to see her off."

Lu Huaijin's expression remained cold, his gaze lingering back and forth between Su Yao and Zhao Zhifu.

A moment later, he finally gave a slight nod in agreement. "Changting, you do not need to accompany me today. Escort them to the city gate personally."

Su Yao took Zhao Zhifu's hand, her palms slightly damp with sweat.

Looking up, she saw the sky blanketed in heavy, pitch-black clouds pressing down oppressively.

The further west they traveled, the darker the sky grew. Fat raindrops came pelting down with a clatter, striking the roof of the carriage and producing a dull, heavy thud.

Gazing at the shifting, gloomy scenery outside the carriage, Su Yao felt her heart instinctively leap to her throat.

The carriage sped through the rain, and the road was already filled with puddles.

Changting was momentarily distracted, and the carriage suddenly jolted violently. Su Yao lost her footing, lunging forward and nearly falling to the ground.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhifu had quick eyes and steady hands, catching her just in time.

"Miss, are you alright?" Changting's voice came from the front of the carriage.

"I'm fine, Brother Changting. The rain is heavy, please be very careful yourself."

Regaining her footing, Su Yao hastily thanked Zhao Zhifu.

Zhao Zhifu looked at Su Yao, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, "Su Yao, you don't need to thank me. The reason I treat you well is simply because you can help me. But if one day, you try to contend with me for the lord, I..."

Before Zhao Zhifu could finish, Su Yao interrupted with a firm, "I will not contend with you."

At that moment, the sound of the rain drummed relentlessly like rolling thunder. Changting, outside the carriage, could not hear the conversation between the two women inside at all.

"Miss Su, Miss Zhao, the rain is simply too heavy. Let's take shelter here for a moment," Changting's voice echoed again.

The carriage slowly came to a halt, and the group sought refuge in a dilapidated temple.

The ruined temple was already packed with people seeking shelter from the rain. Changting scanned the crowd with a vigilant gaze, a subtle unease stirring in his heart.

"Who are these people, Brother Changting?" Su Yao sensed something amiss and asked in a low voice.

"They must be refugees who managed to enter the city over the past few days. There are still many outside the city walls. Miss Su, Miss Zhao, stay close behind me and make sure not to get separated."

After a short while, the rain eased up slightly, and they hurriedly resumed their journey.

However, Su Yao quickly realized that their carriage had somehow been targeted by a group of refugees.

The refugees glared with fierce, malicious eyes, scrutinizing Su Yao and the others intently.

Noticing this, Changting hastily escorted the two women back into the carriage, eager to leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.

Yet these refugees were desperate people at the end of their rope; filling their stomachs mattered far more to them than any sense of morality.

Suddenly, a loud crash rang out.

The refugees rushed fiercely toward the carriage.

Their combined strength was so immense that it dragged the carriage to a halt, preventing it from moving forward.

Peering through the carriage window in terror, Su Yao saw the refugees swarming densely, a vast, oppressive sea of dark figures.

Following that came a deafening crash as the carriage was overturned onto the ground by the refugees.

Screaming in terror, Su Yao and Zhao Zhifu were violently thrown out.

The group of refugees instantly surrounded the two women.

Reacting swiftly, Changting immediately pulled Su Yao behind him, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.

Meanwhile, the refugees swarmed forward, frantically climbing into the carriage and snatching whatever they could find in the bundles.

"My bundle!" Zhao Zhifu cried out loudly at the sight, going recklessly after them to retrieve her belongings.

Managing to pull herself up from the ground, Su Yao saw this and hurriedly pleaded with Changting, "Changting, go and help her!"

Changting looked at Zhao Zhifu's anxious expression with a deeply furrowed brow.

He glanced back at Su Yao, hesitated for a second, and said, "Miss Su, Miss Zhao, wait right here for me. I'll go get the bundle back."

In the distance, the rapid sound of approaching hoofbeats echoed.

Looking closely, Su Yao saw that the leader of the approaching horsemen was none other than Lu Huaijin.

Yet the churning mob of refugees separated them by a vast distance.

Zhao Zhifu gripped Su Yao's hand tightly in panic, her fingertips turning white.

Slowly, Su Yao loosened her grip on Zhao Zhifu's hand.

With her gaze fixed entirely on Changting, Zhao Zhifu felt her hand suddenly go slack and instinctively looked back.

"Su Yao!"

Zhao Zhifu gasped in shock.

She saw Su Yao being shoved away by the pushing refugees, step by step drifting further and further from them.

Su Yao's expression was tranquil. She gave her a gentle smile and seemed to be saying something.

However, there were simply too many people around; Zhao Zhifu could not hear her at all.

She could only watch helplessly as Su Yao's slender figure receded further into the distance amidst the jostling crowd of refugees.

"Su Yao!"

Overcome with panic, Zhao Zhifu took a step forward, intending to give chase.

If she pursued Su Yao right now, she might still be able to catch her.

Yet at that very split second, a thought flashed through Zhao Zhifu's mind.

She recalled the promise Su Yao had made to her, and then remembered the instructions the Empress Dowager had given her.

Her footsteps abruptly halted as she watched the sea of refugees firmly separate them.

"Su Yao..."

Zhao Zhifu murmured under her breath.

Tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry!"