Chapter 334: Chapter 342: Profound and Solemn
“Daughter-in-law, I cannot agree to this matter. Qi Luo has not fulfilled her responsibilities, and punishment is warranted. I know you are kind-hearted, but without rules, there is no square or circle,” Han Yu spoke rather softly, but his meaning was unequivocally inflexible. It would be strange if Su Wenyue would agree.

“What rules and not rules? Qi Luo is my person, and it is the rule that she listens to my words. Her duty is to work for me. I will not listen to your flawed reasoning. You are not allowed to take Qi Luo away, otherwise, I’ll never let this go!” Su Wenyue also had her own principles, and since she had said that she would take responsibility for this matter, she would not go back on her word.

The conflict of principles between the two, Han Yu found his wife’s rarely assertive attitude both adorable and vexing, but mostly he felt helpless. If his wife were to reason, he could come up with countless arguments to convince her, but if his wife was unwilling to reason…

Han Yu did not argue about this with his wife. He had seen his wife’s stubbornness and knew that it would be inappropriate to damage their feelings over this. However, naturally, Han Yu was not going to give up so easily. On issues of principle, especially concerning his wife’s personal safety, there was no possibility for compromise. His gaze then turned to Qi Luo who was standing aside.

“Daughter-in-law, how about we do this? Since we both have conflicting opinions, and we each have our own principles, let’s let Qi Luo decide for herself. If she also believes that she has done nothing wrong, then I will no longer pursue this matter,” Han Yu proposed. His seemingly calm words were loaded with many implications, and just one look from him sent shivers down Qi Luo’s spine.

Su Wenyue was prepared for a good fight with Han Yu, but she didn’t expect Han Yu to shift the battlefield, turning his spearhead towards Qi Luo. She cursed Han Yu for his nastiness in her heart, as Qi Luo would never dare to go against Han Yu’s wishes: “That’s not fair, you’re cheating. How can Qi Luo dare to disobey you?”

“Indeed, only you would dare to do so. If it were anyone else, they would have been dealt with by me long ago.” Han Yu habitually stroked Su Wenyue’s head, subtly changing the topic.

However, what kind of person was Su Wenyue? Although there had been times when Han Yu had managed to fool her in the past, those were definitely only a minority of occasions. Any slight differences in intellect, most of the time, were Su Wenyue deliberately feigning ignorance despite being aware. Now that she had made up her mind, she would not be confused by Han Yu.

“Don’t change the subject. Qi Luo is my person now. Only I can command her; no one else has the right to interfere, not even you!”

Qi Luo saw that the two masters almost started arguing over her, and she felt grateful that the Madam spoke up for her. Regardless of whether she was actually at fault or not, it was not worth causing a rift between her masters over her. Besides, she knew the Master’s temperament. If he really set his mind on dealing with her, there was no escaping. It was better to admit her mistake voluntarily and possibly earn forgiveness. Thus, she fell to her knees with a thud.

“Thank you, Madam, for holding me in such high regard, but the fault is indeed mine, and I am willing to accept the punishment!”

“Go then.” Han Yu nodded, apparently satisfied with Qi Luo’s response. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome for him to punish Qi Luo given his wife’s rare firm stance.

“No, wait…” Before Su Wenyue could finish, Qi Luo had already left. Su Wenyue glared fiercely at Han Yu, resolute that if he did not give her an explanation, she would not let the matter rest.

Han Yu understood his wife’s standpoint and touched his nose, “Daughter-in-law, we need to be reasonable. Qi Luo has violated the rules I set, and punishment is certain. I was not planning to allow her to stay by your side anymore, as she failed even the most basic task. But for your sake, I will spare her this time, only with a slight punishment. Let’s consider this a compromise from both of us, how about it?”

What else could she do! Su Wenyue knew that if she insisted, the matter would definitely become deadlocked. It was already good that Han Yu was willing to take a step back. And it was only a slight punishment—later, she could compensate Qi Luo. What she did not know was Han Yu’s idea of a “slight punishment” was not so simple.

Since Han Yu took Zhai Li and others into his fold, he had established his own underground forces, similar in nature to the secret guards of the Aristocratic Families, and Qi Luo was part of this. Because of the nature of the secret guards, it was decided that the rules here would be much darker and crueler than those for ordinary servants, unimaginable to an average person.

Seeing his wife like this, Han Yu knew he had pacified her. As for how his wife would understand it, that was her business. He would definitely not remind her. He did not want his wife to know too much of those dark and cruel things.

Since they had found out from Qi Luo where Liu Xiu was staying, both Su Wenyue and Han Yu decided to immediately go and bring him over for transfer. The Imperial Court was actively searching, and although Qi Luo said that the doctor was reliable, it was safer to have Liu Xiu recover on their own land. Alternatively, depending on Liu Xiu’s own wishes, they could help him contact Deng Chen.

“Daughter-in-law, rest assured, I will have someone take care of this. You needn’t worry about the following matters, just have a good sleep, hmm?”

After coaxing his wife to sleep, Han Yu tucked her in, and then carefully left the room. As soon as he did, his originally gentle expression became cold and stern, with a hint of chill and ruthlessness. Han Yu’s blame was not only directed at Qi Luo, who still had some justification. He knew his wife’s temperament was such that once she decided on something, not even eight buffalo could pull her back. That’s why he sent people covertly to follow her, but still, they had not been put to good use.

“I failed to properly protect the Madam. Please punish me, master,” Qi Feng did not make excuses. Regardless of the circumstances, his failure to protect the Madam was a fact, a truth he understood from the first day he joined the secret guard.

“Speak, what’s your reason?” Even though Han Yu was quite angry, he did not lose his temper. Qi Feng had skill and loyalty, and there must be a reason he did not fulfill his task.

Only then did Qi Feng recount the day’s events, emphasizing the person lurking in the shadows, “Although I did not discover any traces, I had an intuition that the Madam also sensed something amiss. But neither of us managed to find any trace of that mysterious person. Not knowing whether the person was friend or foe, I dared not act rashly, which gave others the opportunity.”

Han Yu knew there must be a reason, and he found the account quite troubling.

Meanwhile, Han Yu’s men found the place but did not see Liu Xiu. “Doctor, where is the injured man from before?”

“That young master? I bandaged him up well, and he left after he woke up. With such a severe injury, how could he move around like that? I tried desperately to stop him, but the young master was insistent on leaving, as if he had some concerns, and I was helpless,” the doctor spoke with a sense of helplessness, seemingly having made a great effort to fulfill his duties, his face showing concern—yet a glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes, unnoticed because he was looking down.