47: They ran away? They escaped...

Lu Qianyuan, having finished his day's duty, had just left the Pacification Bureau Yamen and couldn't help but look back. Tang Jingzhong, standing beside him, glanced at him disdainfully, then mocked, "Chief Lu, are you only satisfied if people from the Southern Division come, take you back for a day and a night of interrogation, and then send you to the Imperial Prison?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Lu Qianyuan felt awkward from the retort. "The problem is that Young Mo's wedding is just a few days away. Don't tell me the Pacification Commissioner insists on waiting until Young Mo's wedding day to make an example of us.

"To be precise, he might only make an example of you." Tang Jingzhong wore a smile that showed he enjoyed watching drama unfold. "I'm just a Clerk. Offending people was the work of you and Captain Mo. So why would the Southern Division people arrest me?"

"Seriously, you have no loyalty!"

"I'm married. I have a wife at home."

"What, are you planning on taking a concubine?"

"Not exactly. I'm just reminding you, a bachelor, that I have a family and thus, limitations."

"...Are you trying to infuriate me?"

Lu Qianyuan forcefully suppressed the urge to draw his wild goose feather saber and hack the guy, letting out a long breath. "But given the current situation, we save who we can. I'm not worried about Young Mo anymore. Now it's just you left..."

"Don't be silly, I was just joking." Tang Jingzhong patted his shoulder. "You and Captain Mo are responsible for the actions, but compiling evidence and collecting documentsthat's all my work. Do you really think the Pacification Commissioner is stupid enough to let me go? Don't worry, my wife knows my intentions. She married me knowing the risks from the start. If something happens to me, I've already made arrangements for her."

Lu Qianyuan said nothing, knowing that Tang Jingzhong had just been jesting. Seeing him lost in thought, Tang Jingzhong sighed softly, "You should make some preparations too. Misfortune shouldn't befall our families. We chose this path, and having someone understand is rare enough. It never hurts to plan ahead. I was thinking, if something truly happens to us, why don't I have my wife take your Aunt and your Maternal Uncle's family out of the capital..."

"There's no need for that." Mo Yingqi appeared behind the two of them at some unknown point, giving both Lu Qianyuan and Tang Jingzhong a fright. "Why do you two look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Nonsense! Why did you run over here again?" Lu Qianyuan rubbed his chest while glaring irritably at Mo Yingqi. "Scaring people can kill them! Don't you make any noise when you walk?"

"What do you mean 'ran out again'?" Mo Yingqi looked helpless. "You two are here whispering conspiratorially, and you blame me for walking silently? Besides, did I run out? I escaped... Forget it, let's not talk about that."

Tired... he wasn't physically tired, but if this continued, Mo Yingqi felt his ability to think would be completely stripped away. There was nothing he could do; those two sisters were truly terrifying.

Mo Yingqi's current state was: first despising King Zhou, then questioning King Zhou, then understanding King Zhou, and now... he feared he was about to become King Zhou himself.

"You... wait, Captain Mo, you need to practice moderation every day." Tang Jingzhong frowned, pointing at Mo Yingqi's somewhat ghastly-looking neck. "This is the first I've heard of someone getting overheated and getting marks on their neck."

"...Can you stop pretending you don't understand?" Mo Yingqi stretched his limbs. "Right, I ordered food and wine from the pavilion. Want to come over to my place and eat?"

"Wait, aren't you afraid the two Highnesses will look for you?" Lu Qianyuan rested his hands on his wild goose feather saber. "Besides, you don't even drink wine; you just eat the dishes every time..."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't drink a drop ever again."

Thinking of the two times alcohol had caused trouble, Mo Yingqi felt a headache just hearing the word 'wine,' let alone drinking it. Lu Qianyuan and Tang Jingzhong exchanged glances, unsure what was wrong with him, but still smiled. "Alright, consider it a celebration of your upcoming marriage."

"But is there a need to go specifically to your place? Wouldn't it be better to go straight to the pavilion?" Tang Jingzhong asked curiously. "Are you afraid of being recognized, or afraid of the Highnesses tracking you down?"

"Uh, both, and I feel like I need to discuss something with you guys."

Mo Yingqi actually... didn't really have anything important to discuss. He just wanted to come out and relax. The two sisters were too clingy. Even when they weren't... doing that, the three of them in the Bedroom courtyard were stuck together like glue.

They were excessively clingy. Luo Yongan was gentler than before, while Luo Yongning was more lively. Although they possessed incredibly similar appearances, they gave him two distinct feelings.

He experienced what it meant to be rapturously happy and what it meant to linger endlessly. Not to mention that since childhood, the two sisters could coax him into submission even during his most rebellious phases, knowing everything about him intimately.

With just a few words, coupled with gentle whispers and affection, Mo Yingqi truly understood what it meant to be utterly disoriented.

"Sis, why did you actually let Yingqi go out?"

Inside the Princesss Residence at this moment, Luo Yongning sat on a Soft Couch, looking displeased. "We finally managed to keep Yingqi by our side, so why did you insist on letting him go out?"

"He's just going to see his two Pacification Bureau friends. Why are you making such a fuss?" Luo Yongan was quite calm, answering without lifting her head as she drank tea. "Besides, the wedding is in three days. There are still many things to handle during these three days. We have a long time ahead of us."

"But I don't want to wait! I don't want to leave Yingqi for a single moment!" Luo Yongning stood up excitedly. "Sis, we clearly agreed to make Yingqi unable to leave us step by step, so why are you still..."

"Can you sit down first? Why is your temper still so impatient?" Luo Yongan glanced up at her sister. "Yongning, let me ask you: if you had to choose between being full for one meal or being full for every meal, which would you pick?"

Luo Yongning was surprised, not quite understanding what her sister meant.

"Ah, you. Back then, when I told you to study more, you insisted on dragging Yingqi out to play." Luo Yongan put down her teacup, picked up a Round Fan, and lightly tapped the table. "I understand how you feel. I, your older sister, want to do this even more than you do, but what then?"

"Things must be done step by step. What I want is for Yingqi, in the end, to willingly stay by our side, even if he knows that the two of us have gone mad for him."

"We need to make him feel secure and happy, letting him exclude everything else so that his eyes and heart only hold us. When we reach that point, neither of us will need to pretend, and Yingqi... won't need chains, nor a cage, nor imprisonment. He will stay by our side forever and never leave again."

Having said this, Luo Yongan looked up at her sister, a smile on her face, but her eyes, completely undisguised, emitted a crazy glow.

And in her beautiful peach blossom eyes, the reflection of her sister showed that same shocking gaze, one that dared not be met directly!

"So, Yongning, at this stage, when we should loosen the reins, we must loosen them a bit." Luo Yongan smiled slightly. "Not to mention, throughout the capital, we have many eyes and ears..."

"If I want him to, Yingqi will be back by our side in no time."