TIGR Extra Chapter 139

The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

Extra Chapter 139 Side Story – Raising a Younger Sister Pt. 1

The first year of Jiajing.

The court was in turmoil over the Great Rites Controversy, and the stench of blood at Zuo Shun Gate still seemed to linger. As usual, after Lu Heng’s martial arts training, he went to the main hall to greet his mother, Madam Fan. As he entered, he overheard someone speaking to Madam Fan inside: “Madam, Master has sent a letter saying he’ll arrive in the capital the day after tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Fan asked: “The day after tomorrow? Did something happen during the military inspection? Why is he so delayed?”

“It seems Master picked up an orphan on the battlefield. Her father died in the battle, and her only surviving great-grandmother also passed away from illness. Seeing she had no one left and knowing that Madam has always wanted to raise a daughter, Master is bringing her back.”

At that moment, the curtain was lifted, and a swift wind blew in from outside, carrying fine sand with it.

Madam Fan had been in the capital for a year but was still unaccustomed to the northern climate. She turned her head, and upon seeing who had entered, smiled immediately: “You’re here. Your father sent a letter, come take a look.”

“I already heard.” Lu Heng just finished martial training. A sheen of sweat on his skin made his pale complexion stand out even more. His thick lashes framed a pair of particularly cool and deep eyes.

Lu Heng said: “Datong has always been the frontline of Mongol-Han conflict. How could such an orphan, whose relatives all died, just happen to be found by Father? Her origins are unclear, maybe she is an enemy spy. Father shouldn’t have brought her back, let alone delayed his journey because of her.”

Madam Fan was taken back. Truthfully, she did want a daughter, and after giving birth to two sons, she was no longer able to conceive. However, she also knew that Lu Heng was right. Her younger son had essentially grown up in Monarch Xing’s residence. He had a strong mind from a young age and spent five years alongside the famously cunning heir, becoming as shrewd as the demon himself.

Their family was no ordinary household. Monarch Xing had only just ascended the throne, and his foundation was unstable, so he was always walking a tightrope. The Lu family followed him from Anlu. Lacking trusted aides, the emperor promoted all his former officials from the Xing Mansion to crucial posts. If a spy infiltrated their household… the consequences would be unthinkable.

But in the end, Madam Fan couldn’t bear it. She said: “Even if it’s adoption, we must bear the responsibility of her parents once we take her in. How can we just adopt and then discard her at will? Your father brought her back from Datong. She’s a stranger in the capital, we can’t simply abandon a young girl like that. Let her stay in our home for now. Meanwhile, we can find her a reliable adoptive family. That way, this fateful encounter will be properly resolved.”

Truthfully, Lu Heng still disagreed. His mother might feel pity now, but once the girl stayed a while, she’d only become more reluctant to let her go. However, since the girl had already been brought here, they couldn’t throw her out. Lu Heng had no choice but to accept this lacking compromise: “Three months at most, no longer.”

Two days later, Lu Song indeed returned. Lu Heng now served as a junior officer in the Imperial Guards. He had morning duties at the garrison, and it wasn’t until he returned at noon that he learned his father returned.

With Father home, he naturally went to the main hall to pay his respects. But today, the Lu family’s main courtyard was unusually lively. As Lu Heng stepped into the courtyard, he could already hear laughter and cheerful voices from inside.

Lu Heng wondered what could be so amusing. But when he lifted the curtain and saw the young girl standing in the hall, he suddenly remembered, right, Father brought home a possible spy.

When Lu Heng entered, the room briefly fell silent. The young girl turned around and froze upon seeing the young boy at the doorway. Her gaze flickered subtly, as if unsure who he was.

Lu Heng noticed her expression, smiled faintly, then released the curtain and said: “Greetings, Father, Mother, and Elder Brother. I did not know Father was returning today and failed to properly welcome you, it’s my fault.”

Naturally, Lu Song wouldn’t hold it against his twelve-year-old son. He waved a hand and said: “You’ve just started at the Imperial Guards. It’s time for humility and observation, how could you ask to leave for such a thing? Come in. Lu Heng, this is your younger sister, Wang Yanqing. Her family all perished in the war. Seeing she had no one left, I brought her home. She’ll be staying with us for a while, you mustn’t bully her.”

Wang Yanqing finally understood who the boy was and immediately lowered her head to greet him: “Second Brother Lu.”

She realized that this boy was different from Madam Lu, he didn’t seem to welcome her. So she didn’t dare to call him just Second Brother but also added his surname.

Lu Heng looked down at her. She was young, malnourished, and very small, not even reaching his chest. Lu Heng gave a light smile and said: “Alright.”

An orphan whose family was destroyed, all alone in the world, yet able to read people’s expressions and swiftly discern their attitudes to act accordingly? Lu Heng didn’t quite believe it.

She must be a carefully trained spy. What kind of force was behind Datong, that they would train little girls as agents and painstakingly send them to the capital?

What exactly were they after?

Because of Lu Heng’s earlier remarks, Madam Fan was worried he wouldn’t like Wang Yanqing. Now seeing the two children getting along, she was clearly very relieved. Madam Fan smiled joyfully and said: “As long as you two get along well. Yanqing is only seven years old and rather thin, so we must nourish her quickly. Did you study at home? Do you know how to read?”

Wang Yanqing timidly shook her head. Madam Fan thought that made sense, she came from a military household and had only her grandmother to depend on. How could she have had the chance to read and write? Madam Fan realized her oversight and regretted unintentionally poking at the girl’s wounds.

Madam Fan pretended that it was completely normal for a seven-year-old to be illiterate and said: “Seven is just the right age to begin learning. Since you haven’t studied yet, it’s perfect, we’ll have a teacher start from the beginning. I heard the Chen family is currently looking for a tutor for their daughter. How about we send you there to study together with Commander Chen Yin’s daughter?”

Lu Heng suddenly interrupted Madam Fan and said: “Mother, Commander Chen’s household has both legitimate and concubine-born daughters. Their eldest legitimate daughter is already nine. If she goes there, she might not be able to keep up. Since I’m at home anyway, I’ll teach her.”

Madam Fan was startled. Lu Heng hated being troubled the most, yet he was actually volunteering to teach someone? Lu Song, upon hearing this, frowned and said: “You’re still learning as an apprentice in the Imperial Guards. How will you have time to teach?”

Serving in the Imperial Guards as a junior officer was officially called supervised fieldwork but informally meant being an apprentice. Of course, Lu Heng wasn’t kindhearted, he wouldn’t want to do such a troublesome thing even if he had the time. But if he didn’t interfere, Madam Fan would send Wang Yanqing to the Chen family to mingle with a bunch of young ladies from Imperial Guard families. Those girls were defenseless. If anything happened, wouldn’t she be able to learn everything?

Better that Lu Heng go through the trouble and watch over her personally.

Lu Heng said: “Half a day of fieldwork is enough. The Supreme Commander said that all members of the Imperial Guard must be proficient in official writing. I need to practice drafting case files and reports anyway, I might as well teach her on the side.”

Was this really something one could do on the side? Madam Fan was doubtful. Lu Song, however, was concerned about something else: “Did Supreme Commander Wang Zuo assign you this task?”

Lu Heng nodded: “Yes.”

The Supreme Commander was the superior of all superiors. Lu Song heard people say that Wang Zuo greatly admired Lu Heng’s talent and appearance, and personally taught him how to draft interrogation records, case files, and official handovers. Lu Song thought it was an exaggeration, he didn’t expect it to be true.

Lu Song kept a serious face and advised: “It’s rare to receive such favor from Commander Du. You must study diligently and live up to his expectations.”

Lu Heng cupped his hands and replied: “Yes, Father.”

Because Wang Zuo was mentioned, the conversation diverted. The matter of hiring a tutor for Wang Yanqing was left unsettled, and Lu Heng teaching her was quietly accepted.

After coming to the capital, Wang Yanqing saw towering city gates and tall buildings she’d never seen before, silks and brocades she’d never imagined. She also came to know what noble military families like the Lu family were truly like. Only then did she realize that the emperor and Empress Dowager were real people, and that the Lu family was closely connected to them.

Even their casual conversations contained many words that Wang Yanqing didn’t understand. It made her feel dizzy and even more afraid.

The Lu family had a very simple household, just Lu Song and Madam Fan, husband and wife, with two sons. There were no daughters, no sisters-in-law, and no elderly aunts. The eldest son, Lu Wen, was already fifteen and had no particular reaction to her arrival. It made no difference to him whether she was there or not. But Second Young Master, Lu Heng, was quite mysterious according to the servants.

It was said that he had studied alongside the emperor when he was still Prince Xing and was very favored by Empress Dowager Jiang. It was also said that he was decisive even at a young age, and that upon entering the Imperial Guards, he was well regarded by the Supreme Commander. Wang Yanqing didn’t fully understand what all of this meant. She didn’t know what a Supreme Commander, only that it was a high official, and that if Lu Heng was an apprentice under such a person, then he must have a bright future.

The older maids sat by the wall, chatting away, saying that Wang Yanqing was truly fortunate. Entering a family like this, even if only for a short while, was enough to change her destiny. What more, Second Young Master Lu Heng was personally going to teach her to read and write. He studied with the current emperor himself, didn’t that make Wang Yanqing the emperor’s classmate by extension?

They thought Wang Yanqing couldn’t understand them, but in fact she understood everything. That afternoon, once Lu Heng returned from the Imperial Guards, she would go to him for her studies. Wang Yanqing kept her little face composed and didn’t feel happy at all.

The maids all envied her good fortune, but Wang Yanqing felt that Lu Heng didn’t like her.

If he didn’t like her, why would he teach her to read? Wang Yanqing couldn’t understand.

After Lu Heng returned, although Wang Yanqing was afraid, she didn’t dare make him wait. She quickly moved outside Second Brother Lu’s room and cautiously knocked on the door: “Second Brother Lu.”

Lu Heng turned and, seeing it was her, looked momentarily surprised before remembering, he’d saddled himself with this burden. Today he needed to study case files and had no time to waste. He asked: “Do you know how to write?”

Wang Yanqing timidly shook her head. Lu Heng picked up his brush and wrote a neat character on the paper: “王” (Wang). Come and copy this character. Once you’ve learned it, you can leave.”

Wang Yanqing tiptoed into Lu Heng’s room and placed the inkstone and brushes that Madam Fan prepared for her yesterday on a side table. Then she carefully picked up the character Lu Heng had written and moved to the side. She glanced at Lu Heng, then at the character, clearly uncertain.

Lu Heng was surprised to see her take the initiative to copy the character at another table. She was surprisingly perceptive, as if she could read others’ thoughts. Lu Heng pointed to a chair opposite him and said: “Use that.”

Wang Yanqing felt relieved and scurried over to the chair. But she was young and frail, and even with all her strength, she couldn’t move it. Instead, she accidentally dropped it, and the chair leg scraped loudly against the floor. Wang Yanqing froze and fearfully looked at Lu Heng. He sat across from her, propping his chin up with one hand, looking at her with an amused expression.

Wang Yanqing dared not make another sound. Bit by bit, she dragged the chair over to the other desk. Finally, she managed to climb onto the deep black wooden chair and let out a long breath of relief.

Then, mimicking Lu Heng’s earlier movements, she grounded the ink, moistened the brush, and began to write.

Lu Heng flipped through the case files, secretly observing her out of the corner of his eye. After watching for a long time, he confirmed that she truly didn’t know how to write.

If she couldn’t write, then how did she send back information? By sound, gestures, spoken messages?

Lu Heng couldn’t figure it out. Watching her grip the brush like chopsticks, he couldn’t take it anymore and said: “That’s not how you write.”

Wang Yanqing jumped in fright and turned around in panic. Lu Heng was caught off guard by her large, shiny black eyes. He paused, this girl was plain-looking, but her eyes were strikingly beautiful.

When Lu Heng realized this, he was taken back. Wang Yanqing was thin and small, with skin was coarse from the harsh, dusty border climate, like a stunted bean sprout, devoid of beauty. And yet he had thought her eyes were beautiful?

Lu Heng couldn’t forgive himself.

Wang Yanqing only saw Second Brother Lu walk over and tell her she was wrong, then suddenly stop. She looked at him cautiously and asked tentatively: “Second Brother Lu?”

Lu Heng snapped back to reality, masking the emotional ripple in his heart. He reached out to adjust her brush, guiding her hand across the paper: “Horizontal strokes should be straight, vertical strokes upright, centered and graceful, all in one motion This is your surname. Write it well.”

Only then did Wang Yanqing realize that the character she had been copying all this time was her own name. After Lu Heng demonstrated once, she remembered the feel of his hand guiding her and continued practicing. She filled several pages, and her characters started to take shape.

Finally, Wang Yanqing wrote a character she was completely satisfied with. She jumped down from the chair and ran over to Lu Heng, nervous yet hopeful: “Second Brother Lu.”

“Hm?”

“Look.”

Lu Heng glanced down and nodded: “Not bad. Now that you’ve finished today’s lesson, you may leave.”

Lu Heng couldn’t have been more perfunctory, yet the little bean sprout didn’t move. After finishing a page, Lu Heng looked down at her with an unreadable expression: “Is there anything else?”

“Second Brother Lu.” Wang Yanqing nervously wrung her hands and asked cautiously, “How do you write your surname?”

The first two characters Wang Yanqing ever learned in her life were her own and Lu Heng’s surnames. After returning to her room, she practiced those two characters repeatedly. Second Brother Lu’s surname was harder than hers, but she was determined to get it right and show him tomorrow.

Lu Heng didn’t expect that a casual remark would leave him with this little burden. Every day after returning home, while studying case files, he would write a few characters for her to practice. The two shared the room without disturbing each other, and just like that, many days passed.

During this time, Wang Yanqing ate and slept well and dressed in the attire of a noble’s daughter. Like unearthing a gem from a gamble on rough jade, she suddenly transformed into a fair and clean-faced doll.

Madam Fan had no daughter. Her two sons had grown up and become distant. Just when she felt emptiness at home, this sweet and obedient little girl arrived. Madam Fan grew increasingly fond of Wang Yanqing, going out of her way each day to cook and sew for her, being far more attentive than she had ever been with Lu Heng.

It was only one day while reading case files that Lu Heng looked up and realized Wang Yanqing might actually be rather good-looking. He hadn’t lost his mind last time, her eyes really were beautiful.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. Madam Fan was extremely reluctant to send Wang Yanqing away, and Lu Heng, having coldly observed all this time, confirmed that Wang Yanqing knew nothing and had no contact with the outside world. The thing she did most each day was simply practice characters he casually wrote down. Calling such a little girl a foreign spy seemed a bit far-fetched.

When the three-month period ended, Madam Fan didn’t find a new adoptive family for Wang Yanqing, and Lu Heng didn’t bring it up again either. The matter was silently left behind, as if by unspoken agreement.

But Wang Yanqing didn’t know that. She remembered the old maids in the Lu Mansion saying that she wouldn’t stay long, and that Madam and Second Young Master would eventually send her to another household. One day, after finishing the characters Lu Heng assigned her, she brought them to him for review. Watching his expression carefully, she softly asked: “Second Brother Lu, when I go to another family in the future, will I still be able to learn how to write?”

Lu Heng paused, put down his hand, and asked: “Why do you say that?”

“I heard the maids say the Lu family didn’t plan to adopt a foster daughter, and I’ll have to go to someone else’s home.”

Lu Heng looked into those beautifully shaped, bright, lively eyes that were now filled with nervous unease. He suddenly felt something hit his heart. It was a completely different feeling from when he practiced martial arts each morning. When he trained, he could vent all the extra energy in his body, but now, there was a force rushing through his chest with nowhere to go.

Lu Heng leaned down, pulled her into his lap, and said in a low voice: “You won’t. You’ll always stay in the Lu family. You won’t go to anyone else’s home.”

Wang Yanqing’s eyes lit up instantly, and she asked expectantly: “Really?”

“Really.”

Wang Yanqing smiled faintly, her eyes suddenly sparkling like a star-filled sky: “Thank you, Second Brother Lu.”

Lu Heng looked at those beautiful eyes and suddenly found himself curious about how she would look all grown up. He asked: “I notice you always call my brother, Eldest Brother, but why do you call me Second Brother Lu?”

Wang Yanqing froze and stammered: “I was afraid Second Brother Lu wouldn’t like it…”

“No need to be afraid.” Lu Heng said. “If you want to know something in the future, just ask me directly. Don’t guess on your own. Since you’ve come to the Lu family, that means you’re my little sister. From now on, just call me Second Brother.”

Hearing Lu Heng’s words, Wang Yanqing looked like she had received a priceless treasure and happily agreed. Lu Heng looked at her fair and rosy cheeks, still carrying a trace of baby fat, and asked: “Then what’s your name, I mean your nickname?”

Wang Yanqing thought for a moment and earnestly said: “Grandmother called me Qing Qing.”

“Qing Qing.” Lu Heng slowly rolled the two characters over in his mind, his lips and teeth forming the sounds. He felt an inexplicably lingering tenderness, as if he were calling his wife. With a faint sense of possessiveness, Lu Heng said to her: “Qing Qing, if you want me to keep teaching you, that’s fine, but you mustn’t give anyone else this name. This nickname belongs only to me.”

Wang Yanqing didn’t think that was an unreasonable request, so she agreed without hesitation: “Okay.”

Lu Heng was very pleased with her obedience and said: “Qing Qing is such a good girl. As a reward, I’ll teach you how to write the characters for Qing Qing.”

Wang Yanqing sat on Lu Heng’s lap, her little hand held in his as it moved across the paper. Lu Heng’s fingers were long and strong, with sharply defined joints, completely different from her small, chubby hands. The tall desk and chairs that once seemed out of reach now suddenly felt much smaller.

Wang Yanqing had never seen her father since birth. After arriving at the Lu Mansion, she wasn’t close to Lu Song either. This was her first time being so near to a male elder. She suddenly felt that Second Brother was a very kind person. Even if Second Brother didn’t liked her before, she still liked him.

Wang Yanqing quietly asked: “Second Brother, can I ask you a question?”

“What is it?”

“Is the Supreme Commander a very high-ranking official?”

This puzzled Wang Yanqing for a long time. She often heard members of the Lu family use the terms, commander, supreme commander, and director. All these sounded very similar, but when people spoke of them, their expressions were completely different. Wang Yanqing had long wanted to know what they meant.

Lu Heng was guiding her hand to write and casually spared a bit of attention to answer: “Very high, a Second-rank official. He’s the highest-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard.”

“What does the Imperial Guard do?”

“The Imperial Guards…” Lu Heng paused for a moment, unexpectedly unsure how to respond. He was born into an Imperial Guard family. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and even five generations before, all the men in the Lu family had been part of the Imperial Guards. But what exactly were the Imperial Guards?

Lu Heng thought for a moment and said: “The Imperial Guards are a group of people who exist so that you, Qing Qing, can grow up in peace.”

Wang Yanqing made a sound, half understanding. She lifted her head, her chubby face tilted upward, and earnestly said to Lu Heng: “Second Brother, one day you’ll also become a great official.”

Lu Heng couldn’t help but laugh. Looking down at her adorably fair and soft face, he softly replied: “Thank you, Qing Qing. I’ll take your words as a good omen.”

|| Author’s Note: In the main story, Lu Song did not go to Datong Prefecture to supervise the war. In this parallel universe, he went to Datong and happened to meet Wang Yanqing. Don’t ask how he met her, just know that he did, and decided to adopt her.

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