Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 176 - 175: The Lady’s Boldness

Only the two of them remained in the main room.

Lu Qing had been contemplating how to spend the night.

Over the years, whether at Shanqing Temple or as Emperor Jin’s Golden-faced Imperial Censor, he had encountered situations of inconvenience while traveling and overcame them without difficulty.

But Zhu Yu was different.

No matter how courageous she was, even dressed as a man, she was undoubtedly a woman.

She had been wearing rain-soaked clothes for the past few days, always damp all over, needing dry clothes at night to prevent illness, regardless of injuries.

Previously, staying at post stations or inns didn’t pose such worries, yet today Bai Qihong had already done his best to provide a main room for five people, and they couldn’t demand more.

Unexpectedly, Yan Daoxin, normally so careless in his duties, was thorough this time and immediately went to the side room to find a place to rest without saying a word.

Retracting his gaze from the doorway, Lu Qing was about to tell Zhu Yu he’d step out to let her change clothes when she pointed at him and ordered, "Take off your clothes."

Lu Qing was momentarily stunned, and although he quickly realized Zhu Yu was holding the porcelain bottle Yan Daoxin had left and intended to apply medicine, his heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

"Wife, being so bold and straightforward, I’ll respectfully comply." He curled his lips into a smile and leisurely took off his outer robe, slowly untying his belt and slipping out of his inner garments.

Zhu Yu, seeing his intentional mischief, rolled her eyes at him, dug out ointment from the porcelain bottle, and carefully applied it to the nearly healed wound on Lu Qing’s left chest.

Despite the exceptional effects of Yan Daoxin’s earlier assistive medicine, combining internal and external applications, a penetrating sword wound that would typically take months to improve had healed significantly in half a month. Still, looking at the wound, now not red, no longer bleeding, enveloped by newly formed granulation, the previous night in the Li State camp with its bloodshed flashed quickly before Zhu Yu’s eyes.

Thinking about how this wound was dangerously close to Lu Qing’s heart and lungs, a slight deviation might have left him a cold corpse by now, Zhu Yu felt a tightness in her chest, as if someone had tightened her chest bindings.

Her fingers gently applied ointment near Lu Qing’s wound, sensing the muscles tense beneath her touch, she quickly stopped and asked, "What’s wrong? Did I hurt your wound?"

Lu Qing slightly averted his eyes, "The ointment is a bit cold."

Realizing she hadn’t hurt him, Zhu Yu was relieved and finished applying ointment to the chest wound, moving around to his back to treat the wound there.

In her past life, despite a blank personal life, she considered herself experienced with countless encounters, though never with anyone still breathing.

She believed herself accustomed to scenes, indifferent to the similarity of bodies, her heart at peace.

Yet, when applying the ointment, touching the chest muscles, firm like cast iron, the flicker of oil lamp cast a warm, amber glow on his skin, tightly packed abdominal muscles resembling forged jade armor, the waistline’s contour hinting at old scars spreading from the back like a dragon’s tail.

Confronted with all this, she shamefully felt uneasy, only displaying a facade of calm.

Switching to his back, Zhu Yu nonchalantly continued applying ointment to the wound.

Unlike the front, the wound on his back didn’t appear so terrifying amid other knotted old scars.

Following Yan Daoxin’s advice, Zhu Yu used dry cloth strips to wrap the treated wounds at the front and back to prevent dampness leading to other ailment.

Having completed the bandaging, Zhu Yu checked to ensure proper handling.

Upon checking, the front covering with cloth strips concealed what needed to be hidden, yet inexplicably, she felt even less at ease.

Lu Qing dressed again, wearing his inner garments, walked to the doorway, faced the door, and said to Zhu Yu, "You should change out of those wet clothes too, let me know when you’re done.

We need to travel tomorrow, so let’s rest early tonight."

Zhu Yu hurriedly grabbed her things and went inside to change quickly.

Not that she worried Lu Qing would act ungentlemanly; it’s just within such a small room, disrobing brought a degree of discomfort.

If they were genuinely married, it wouldn’t be an issue; yet since their marriage, contrary to his teasing words, Lu Qing’s conduct had been respectful, making Zhu Yu slightly uneasy.

As to why Lu Qing had been so "aligned as guests" post-marriage, Zhu Yu secretly pondered.

Perhaps Lu Qing’s plans with Lu Chao were indeed significant, leaving little room for personal affections, fearing future vulnerabilities or complications, neglecting such matters.

To her, this appeared the most reasonable explanation.

Like her past life, solely focused on work, never considering relationship matters, nor had time for family.

Having changed clothes, she called Lu Qing back.

Despite the room’s sufficient space for two people, the roof had a hole that Bai Qihong helped repair simply during the day.

Now much of the room had been soaked by previous leaks, with only a section against the wall remaining dry.

Considering Lu Qing’s status as a Prince, an adopted son of the current Holy Emperor, completely frail and valuable, Bai Qihong had provisioned drier straw layered thinly on the ground, providing highest treatment given the dire circumstances.

Lu Qing gathered the spread straw, narrow and thick enough for someone to lay sideways, signaling Zhu Yu to sleep there.

"What about you?" Zhu Yu asked.

Lu Qing didn’t reply, instead lay down beside the straw on the unsaturated ground, hands behind his head as a pillow, not seeming to mind resting on the cold, hard earth, clearly accustomed to such conditions.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu didn’t hold back, lying back-to-back with Lu Qing on the dry straw.

Truthfully, lying on the straw was uncomfortable, its thickness far from soft, feeling through her clothes slightly prickly, harsher than any previous mission accommodations.

Exhausted from the day, though initially concerned about sleeping, Zhu Yu soon drifted off after laying down.