"Young madam, you can ask me anything. I'm fine standing to answer," Chu Qing hurriedly dismissed the idea. How could a servant sit with her mistress? It would be improper if word got out.
"It's alright, it's just the two of us here. And if I tell you to sit, you sit. It's a mistress's command, and you cannot disobey." Feng Jin, adopting an authoritative stance, directly ordered Chu Qing to sit beside her. She had a lot to ask Chu Qing and speaking with one standing and one sitting would be awkward. Besides, her neck had only just started to feel comfortable, and she didn't want to strain it by looking up at Chu Qing all the time.
Unable to refuse, Chu Qing reluctantly sat on the chair, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles. Her entire body tensed up.
"You don't need to be nervous, relax a little." Feng Jin noticed Chu Qing's tension and took her slightly cold, trembling hand.
"Chu Qing, who did you learn your martial arts from?" She had witnessed Chu Qing's prowess firsthand and knew it was far more than the superficial skills Chu Qing had described.
"Someone Sun Momo found to teach this servant."
Sun Momo. Upon hearing those three words, Feng Jin's eyes narrowed instinctively. She quickly asked, "Among the group brought into Dong Chu before, were there others like you who knew martial arts?"
"Those who learned martial arts with me were not among them. As for anyone else, this servant doesn't know." They were trained separately, and they didn't even know how many spies Xi Liang had trained in total.
Feng Jin nodded slightly and leaned closer to Chu Qing. "Chu Qing, I see you're quite skilled in martial arts. Can you teach me?"
Chu Qing was stunned. After a long pause, she hastily waved her hands and refused, "Young madam, learning martial arts requires starting from childhood. You... it's too late for you to start now. Forcing yourself to practice might harm your health, so it's best not to learn."
Chu Qing's words were identical to Ling Mo Han's. The hope that had just ignited in Feng Jin's heart was extinguished in an instant. She wilted like a beaten eggplant, her smile vanishing completely.
"Young madam, you..." Chu Qing tentatively called out, seeing Feng Jin's crestfallen expression.
"I'm fine, just a little disappointed." The feeling of going from disappointment to a flicker of hope, and then to dashed hope, was truly unbearable. If she knew it would end in disappointment, she would rather have never had hope at all.
"Young madam, don't worry. With me here, I will protect you." Chu Qing patted her chest reassuringly. From now on, she would even risk her life to protect the young madam.
Feng Jin sighed helplessly. With no other options, she patted Chu Qing's shoulder. "It's truly my good fortune to have you."
"Meeting the young madam is my greatest fortune in this life." Since meeting the young madam, she felt like she was truly living as a flesh-and-blood person.
"It's all fortune, fortune." Feng Jin echoed Chu Qing's words, but she couldn't manage a smile.
"Young madam, why didn't Sister Cai Qing return with you?" Chu Qing had been guarding the two children and was unaware of what had happened outside.
"She can't return for now." With Lu Shi unconscious, it would be difficult to see Cai Qing. By the time Lu Shi recovered and after a few days of care, she still wouldn't be able to return. At best, Cai Qing would be back in a few days.
"Ah?" Chu Qing exclaimed in confusion. "Sister Cai Qing can't return for now? What does that mean?"
Feng Jin helplessly recounted the entire incident to Chu Qing. By the end, Chu Qing's mouth was wide open in surprise. After a long moment, she said, "Will there be gossip if Sister Cai Qing stays to take care of him?" A young woman caring for a man, unmarried as they were, would surely invite gossip. Men might be fine, but how could Sister Cai Qing, a woman, bear being pointed at?
"That's not an issue. We can just say they were already betrothed. It's only natural for a fiancée to care for her fiancé, so no one will idlely gossip about it." Feng Jin had already thought of an explanation when she agreed to let Cai Qing stay to care for Lu Shi. Besides, the two of them had mutual feelings for each other, and after Lu Shi's heroic rescue, she had clearly seen Cai Qing's anxious weeping outside the door. Their marriage was only a matter of time, so this explanation was perfectly fitting.
"The young madam is so wise, thinking of this so quickly." Chu Qing's admiration for Feng Jin grew. In her heart, Feng Jin was incomparable to anyone else.
"Of course." Everyone liked flattery. Feng Jin felt a sense of smug satisfaction.
"You're quite pleased with yourself." Ling Mo Han's untimely voice rang out, instantly dampening Feng Jin's fleeting joy.
"Can't you say fewer words? Why do you have to show up now and pour cold water on my good mood?" Ling Mo Han rubbed his nose. He hadn't meant to.
"Young General, Young Madam, this servant remembers having other duties and will take my leave now." As Chu Qing departed, she didn't forget to take the two children with her, leaving the couple with some private time. Ling Mo Han watched Chu Qing's retreating figure until she disappeared before looking away.
"Why are you staring at Chu Qing like that?"
"Is she the Xi Liang palace maid you took in?"
"Yes, didn't you know that already? Is there something amiss with your expression?" Feng Jin asked with some concern, Ling Mo Han's demeanor making her uneasy.
"Nothing. Her martial arts are truly impressive." He had witnessed Chu Qing's prowess firsthand, how she fended off more than a dozen assassins without them getting close. Truly remarkable skill. He hadn't expected the spies trained by Xi Liang to be so formidable. If such individuals infiltrated Dong Chu, dismantling them would not be simple.
"I didn't expect Chu Qing to know martial arts either. I only found out today, and she's so skilled." Ling Mo Han's eyes darkened as he looked at Feng Jin and asked in a deep voice, "Are you absolutely determined to keep her by your side?" As a spy from Xi Liang, Ling Mo Han was still uneasy about her staying by Feng Jin's side. He knew that if she were to betray them, her first targets would be Feng Jin and the children, causing him immense worry.