Not Your Typical Villianess

Chapter 115: A double edged sword 3

The General's mansion, Ningzhuo

Su Liya sat on a cushioned seat by the bed and kept watch of Lu Yaozhu, the Doctor reported that there were no complications. The wounds were deep but weren't too serious, after some days great they would be healed and Lu Yaozhu would be good as new.

The physician that was called in was a famed military physician retained by Lu Yaozhu. He was surnamed Shen and was in his fifties. His hair had started greying in some areas, so far she had met him twice. During both times it was when he was called over to check on Lu Yaozhu, Physician Shen seemed rather easygoing.

Physician Shen was loyal to the Lu family, he had served under the late Duke of Wu for decades. Lu Yaozhu trusted him greatly, physician Shen offer served as the chief military doctor during Lu Yaozhu's military campaign. After doing a thorough check up on the general, he wrote down a prescription and left.

Lu Yaozhu couldn't be moved because of not just his injury but to avoid drawing any attention to his condition. Yu Tao offered to keep watch of his master but was turned down by Su Liya. She preferred to keep watch of him herself, at least until he regained consciousness. 

Lu Yaozhu slept for four hours, it was nearly night when he woke up. Rong Rong and Baozhai went about the room and lit the lamps before it was dark. They added more coal and wood to the fire, or was colder at night in the winter, most especially in Ningzhuo. 

When they were done with the lamps and the heaters, they quietly withdrew. Lu Yaozhu wasn't dressed in thicker clothes because of the injury on his stomach, to keep him from catching a cold, Su Liya stood and shut the window properly. She saw Lu Yaozhu's eyes flutter open, as she walked back to her seat.

She increases her pace until she stood at the bedside, "how are you feeling, Yaozhu? You have been out for hours, would you like some water".

Lu Yaozhu blinked a few times to clear the sleep away from his eyes then nodded. His mouth felt dry and his throat was itchy, She picked up the pitcher of warm water and Cup on the bedside table and poured him a cup.

"Help me up please" 

"Okay" She dropped the cup on the table and came forward to help him seat up. He hissed as she helped him up, she rolled up a blanket and placed it behind him. When he was more comfortable, she passed the cup of water to him. He drank quickly and passed it back to her, indicating that he wanted some more.

Two more cups later and his mouth was no longer dry and the previous discomfort in his throat was no longer felt. Su Liya pulled the blanket around him up, "you must be starving, are you ready to eat?"

Lu Yaozhu nodded and smiled, "sorry for making you worry, your suspicion was right. The informant was working with Deputy Sun, we were attacked during the exchange. They tried to make it seem like they had followed the informant and was trying to stop him from giving me the records.

"I would have fallen for that if I didn't notice the callous on the informant palm, which spoke of years of sword use. The informant claimed to be an assistant at the ministry of revenue branch office, would an assistant have callouses? I wasn't expecting to be attacked and just wanted to play along with the informant when a crowd of masked men descended on us.

"Three of my men were killed, the three other men I came with escaped with me but one was fatally injured. He died not long letter so it, it was already daybreak and the three of us were all injured we could move around rashly. Luckily one of our men sported one of the secret guards you sent to find me or who knows how everything would have turned out".

Su Liya sat on her vacant seat thoughtfully, " You said that the records were fake then this was Deputy Sun's original plan. He wanted to stir you in the wrong direction by giving you a doctored record and to stop you from getting suspicious of that, he staged an attack to throw you up. How well planned".

"Good to see that you are impressed, I would if one half of my body didn't feel like it was on fire"

Su Liya winced, "sorry dear, but look on the bright side... At least you are alive. There is hope as long as one is living, only the dead are hopeless. We will try to get the real records and if we don't we can always trick them into revealing their true nature. So cheer up Yaozhu".

Lu Yaozhu glanced and her and smiled.

******

Three weeks later, Ningzhuo

No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't get a hold of the original records, which was nerve recking for the both of them. Everything changed after the secret meeting with the Wu family. The secret meeting took place at Mu restaurant, Su Liya and Lu Yaozhu went together under the pretence of enjoying the local delicacies together.

After over three months in Ningzhuo, the stories of the harmonious relationship between the young governor and his beautiful wife had spread. It was rumoured that the couple loved each other very deeply and the governor doesn't notice any other woman but her. 

The Governor in just a few months had approved a lot of projects which greatly improved the standard of living of the people of Ningzhuo. The governor and his wife were in synch with each other, as the governor's wife was kind and easygoing. She had done her fair share of actions to improve the lives of the common folks. 

Such as sending down some necessities to the villages affected by lizards and the rest, she had also started a small soup kitchen for the homeless. All these actions endeared everyone to the governor and his wife, that they were dubbed the role models for the younger generation. 

Lu Yaozhu and Su Liya going out to Nu restaurant to eat didn't seem strange and no one paid them any mind. Lu Yaozhu had kept his search for the original records of the accounts book secret and instead made his investigation of the fabricated account book an open secret to anyone who wanted to know.

This had Deputy Sun fooled since as far as he knew he had Lu Yaozhu fool and was just waiting for the young governor to make a move. He had left enough bread crumbs to give Lu Yaozhu the illusion that the account books were authentic.

He had already arranged with Prime Minister Shi, once Lu Yaozhu felt assured of the "evidence" recorded in the doctored account book that proved his father and him guilty of embezzlement. They would go forward with their plans, Lu Yaozhu would take proper channels and report him. 

Following the set down rules, the court would send down an edict for their arrest and then they would be transported to the capital to be tried and arrested. All this needed to play out for their plan to work, he needed Lu Yaozhu to let down his guards and walk right into his plan.

Once Lu Yaozhu was put high up, he would fall to the pit of pits. The Lu family would fall so low that not everyone the Empress or crown prince can save them. If his plan worked carefully, the Empress would lose her position. The Empress losing her position would be easy since she did not have a legitimate son. 

The crown Prince shared not a single drop of blood with her and as such the Emperor couldn't pardon her with consideration to her son's achievements. The Empress and the Lu family are done for and all because of their most powerful member. The Lu family only had themselves to blame for their downfall, they should have considered the paranoid emperor's feelings.

Who said that good things happened to loyal officials, that was far from the truth. At times great timing and crafty plans were necessary to once survive and unbeknownst to Deputy Sun and the Shi family, Lu Yaozhu wasn't fooled.

Lu Yaozhu was not yet fully healed but his wounds weren't tender anymore and didn't hurt as much. Lu Yaozhu and Su Liya were escorted to a private room at the far end of the restaurant where they met with the Head of the Wu family. While a decoy couple were placed in the governor's private room at the restaurant. As far as any onlooker know, the loving couple was eating in the private room. 

No one knew that, they were led out through a secret pathway leading to the secret box owned by the Mu Family by Mu Chen. The Mu families representative was already seated in the room when they arrived. 

Mu Chen gave them a half now and gestured Inside, "please go in, the Mu Family's representatives are waiting".

"Thanks" the couple replied and walked past him. Lu Yaozhu took the lead while Su Liya followed closely.