Cannon Fodder’s Strategy Script is Reversed – Chapter 56

Shen Qingyao did not directly agree to Shen Qinglin’s request. After all, they had to enter the royal court of the Nanzhao to rescue the person, and no one knew what might happen.

Shen Qingyao remained silent for a long time, feeling that she should ask Lu Zhao.

Shen Qinglin didn’t stay long and left. She was now mixed in with the Nanzhao envoy and had sneaked out to meet, so it was not advisable to stay too long.

Shen Qingyao sat alone at the table, lost in thought. She waited half the day but Lu Zhao did not return.

Little did she expect that Lu Zhao, whom she had been anxiously waiting for, had already met Shen Qinglin. One could say that Shen Qinglin had purposely waited for him.

Lu Zhao was intercepted, and seeing her attire, he was not surprised. Shen Qinglin was also unsurprised; after all, only someone who could let her meet Shen Qingyao would be aware of her identity. Sure enough, Lu Zhao remained calm and said lightly, “Second Miss Shen.”

Shen Qinglin smiled; this was actually her first meeting with Lu Zhao. If it weren’t for Shen Qingyao, the two of them would never have crossed paths, and it was natural for them to be somewhat distant from each other. Reflecting on the plot of the book she had read before crossing over and looking at this person before her who was so cool and refined, indeed worthy of the title of ‘White Moonlight’. Thinking again of the rumors she had heard outside these days, about how the new Governor dotes on his wife, and how he is afraid of his wife, it’s really hard to imagine how that soft and weak girl could really control such a person.

“You shouldn’t call me ‘Second Miss’ like that.” Logically speaking, he should call her ‘Second Sister’ along with Yaoyao.

Lu Zhao remained silent. He was older than Shen Qingli and even more so than Shen Qinglin. He would never call her ‘Sister’. Apart from facing Shen Qingyao, he always appeared uncommunicative to others.

Shen Qinglin had expected his reaction long ago and didn’t talk nonsense anymore. She took a deep breath and said seriously, “The Princess who will marry is arriving soon. At that time, Young Master should also accompany the envoys to escort the Princess Consort into Nanzhao, right?”

Lu Zhao looked at her and was more polite than with others. Hearing this, he nodded gently, “Yes.”

“That’s settled then.” Shen Qinglin smiled and continued, “Then I want Yaoyao to come with us.”

“Impossible!” This time, Lu Zhao didn’t even let her finish before decisively rejecting it. Even though Nanzhao was a friendly state, no one could predict what might happen when entering another country’s court. Lu Zhao would not let Shen Qingyao take such a risk.

“Would the Young Master really be willing to be separated from Yaoyao for so long?”

“I’m concerned about her, but I won’t take her with me.” Lu Zhao’s voice turned cold, completely ignoring Shen Qinglin’s attempt to provoke him.

Shen Qinglin also became serious. The system was on Shen Qingyao’s side, so Shen Qingyao had to go. She paused and did not give up persuading Lu Zhao, “Young Master has been searching for the whereabouts of the miracle doctor Kong Lin all along, right? If Yaoyao goes to Nanzhao with me, I can find him!”

As if afraid that Lu Zhao wouldn’t agree, she hurriedly added, “I just met Yaoyao, although she is lively, her vitality is weak. Her heart condition is getting worse day by day. Young Master should know!”

Sure enough, when it came to this, Lu Zhao didn’t immediately refuse.

As she said, Shen Qingyao’s health was deteriorating. Perhaps Shen Qingyao herself had not yet noticed, but recently, the frequency of her illness and discomfort had been increasing. Lu Zhao often saw this, but besides feeling sorry for her and coaxing her to drink bowl after bowl of seemingly useless medicinal soup, he had no other way.

He had been searching for the miracle doctor Kong Lin all along, but the man was eccentric and his whereabouts were unpredictable. It took Lu Zhao’s people several years to find out that he had appeared in Southern Frontier, but they couldn’t find any more specific information. If Shen Qinglin really could find the miracle doctor…

Lu Zhao’s expression changed, but he still didn’t relent, “How do you know the whereabouts of the divine doctor?”

Shen Qinglin grinned, gritted her teeth, and raised her eyebrows, “Three months ago, I saw him in the palace and even helped him with a small favor, which counts as him owing me a favor. But this man has a strange temperament. Until he finishes his business, he won’t leave easily. I can only bring Yaoyao over.”

She didn’t mention the matter of asking for Shen Qingyao’s help, only Shen Qingyao’s condition. If Lu Zhao really cared about Shen Qingyao, there was no reason not to agree.

Sure enough, Lu Zhao hesitated a bit. After a moment, his gaze fell coldly on Shen Qinglin and he said slowly, “Second Miss, you are now mixed in with the envoy, but why isn’t Lin Yingqiu with you?”

Lin Yingqiu, the name of the head of the assassins back then. The number one assassin of Mingyue Tower. Shen Qingyao didn’t know these things, but this name was somewhat famous throughout the world.

Shen Qinglin’s calm expression changed, her eyes flickered, showing a moment of panic. She had concealed Lin Yingqiu’s disappearance extremely well, and almost no one knew about it. She had deliberately not mentioned this person, but she was still caught in a lapse by Lu Zhao.

Not right, perhaps it wasn’t a mistake after all. Shen Qinglin’s heart sank as a chill rose from the soles of her feet. Perhaps, Lu Zhao had known about this matter early on. He guessed that taking Shen Qingyao to Nanzhao was related to this, but couldn’t understand the reason. Hence, he merely gave her this mild warning.

Shen Qinglin suddenly realized that this person truly resembled the aloof second male lead from the books, possessing exceptional intelligence. He could support the protagonist to rise to glory but also stir up storms across the realm. Once he decided to turn evil, even the protagonist might need to keep a distance—a troublesome scenario indeed…

Her palms suddenly felt numb, Shen Qinglin’s throat went dry, unable to speak for a long time.

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By the time Lu Zhao finished handling many matters and prepared to return to his own courtyard, it was already dark. Shen Qingyao waited for a while but seeing no sign of him, she gave up waiting and slowly changed into fresh clothes, lying down on the bed without touching the spread of dishes.

“Miss, won’t you eat a bit first?” Cui Qiao stood beside her, the dishes had already been remade thrice, all of Shen Qingyao’s favorite dishes, yet she hesitated to eat. Cui Qiao didn’t dare to insist but also feared she might harm her stomach. Cui Qiao brought in a bowl of sweet porridge; Shen Qingyao accepted it but after a few sips, found it tasteless.

Shen Qingyao held a newly acquired book and was deeply engrossed. When she heard this, she shook her head. “Not eating first, I’m not hungry yet.”

She glanced outside; the person she wanted to see still hadn’t returned. She was almost done with her book. She sighed and couldn’t help asking, “Why hasn’t Elder Brother Lu Zhao returned yet?”

Lu Zhao happened to hear this as he entered. His expression softened slightly, revealing a smile.

Cui Qiao covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh, thinking, “Miss, you’ve asked that about eight hundred times.”

Upon seeing Lu Zhao, she didn’t speak, just quietly retreated.

“So, Yaoyao misses me?” Lu Zhao walked over leisurely, sat down at the bedside, and playfully flicked the tip of the girl’s nose. Then he frowned. “Why aren’t you eating?”

Seeing him, Shen Qingyao giggled before speaking. She tossed aside her book, got off the bed, and pulled Lu Zhao towards the table. “Eat! Why aren’t I eating? I’ve been waiting to eat with Elder Brother Lu Zhao!”

She couldn’t help but complain, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, why did you only just return now? I’m starving! You don’t know! Cui Qiao and them have changed the dishes three times! Each time they made something different! I’m so hungry!”

Lu Zhao chuckled at her nonsense, feeling both amused and helpless. “If you’re hungry, just eat first. Why wait for me?”

But Shen Qingyao turned her head, her eyes determined. “No! It’s so pitiful to eat alone! I’m fine because I have Cui Qiao and them to accompany me. But if Elder Brother Lu Zhao comes back late, and the food gets cold, having to eat alone would be too sad!”

Lu Zhao lowered his head, lightly laughing twice. “Ah, that does sound quite pitiful.”

“See!” Shen Qingyao pushed him to sit down, diligently serving him a chicken leg in his bowl. “It’s okay! From now on, I’ll wait for you to eat together!”

Lu Zhao understood her intentions and didn’t blame her for starving herself waiting for him. Instead, he silently vowed to come back early to accompany her, no matter how busy he was. As he reached to serve Shen Qingyao some food, he noticed that the girl seemed a bit different from usual.

“Yaoyao, is there something you want to tell me?”

“Um…” Shen Qingyao put down her bowl, looked seriously at Lu Zhao. He wasn’t in a good mood when he returned, she noticed. So she decided to cheer up her Elder Brother Lu Zhao first. Now that he asked, Shen Qingyao slowly asked, “Today, someone came to see me. It was my Second Sister, Elder Brother Lu Zhao knows, right…”

Lu Zhao nodded lightly. If not, he wouldn’t have let her in.

“Second Sister said… Brother Lu Zhao will be sending Princess Yonghe to Nanzhao later. Nanzhao… I haven’t been there yet.” Shen Qingyao looked at Lu Zhao’s expression, cautiously saying, “I also want to go. Is that okay?”

Lu Zhao’s smile faded slightly. He didn’t outright refuse as before. He always had more patience with Shen Qingyao than with others. He asked, “Why does Yaouyao want to go? Although Nanzhao isn’t far from Lingnan to the eye, to enter the royal court, inevitably there will be some hardships on the road. I’m worried it will be tough for you.”

“I’ll be fine!” Shen Qingyao said loudly. After a moment, she realized she sounded a bit too excited, so she awkwardly put her hand on Lu Zhao’s arm, holding onto him. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, I’m not afraid of hardships! Besides, look at us traveling from the capital to the south this way; I didn’t find it difficult at all!”

Shen Qingyao was somewhat hopeful. If possible, she still hoped to help her Second Sister, after all, it’s not easy to find someone who truly loves each other and shares life and death.

Lu Zhao lowered his eyes. Not difficult indeed, just more dangerous than this time.

Before he could speak, the girl said gloomily again: “Moreover, my Second Sister told me that Nanzhao has several beautiful princesses! If I don’t go, I can’t rest assured!”

Shen Qingyao frowned, what she said was sincerely from her heart. She thought, Princess of a foreign land and a handsome envoy — this setup is asking for trouble! Whether I help my Second Sister or not is secondary; the main thing is to protect Lu Xiaozhao!

The system, hearing her thoughts, scoffed disdainfully. [You’re aloof, you’re great, and I’m just a tool, a GPS radar, you don’t have to care if I live or die.]

Lu Zhao chuckled softly at her words, feeling somewhat relieved. At least she talked about princesses of Nanzhao; she didn’t arrange any princes of Nanzhao for him like Xiao Jing. He was thankful the young girl had finally come to her senses.

A decision was subtly forming in his mind. Since the miracle doctor was in the royal court, and Shen Qingyao wanted to go herself, so he might as well take her along. However, he didn’t easily relent to let her revel in her victory.

Lu Zhao looked at her calmly, pretending not to understand, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s wrong with the princesses of Nanzhao? Is Yaoyao worried about something?”

“Don’t play dumb! You clearly know!” Shen Qingyao widened her eyes, looking fierce and threatening. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, when you go to Nanzhao, don’t pay attention to them! No princesses allowed!”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “And it’s better not to pay attention to any princes or kings either! Your face attracts too much attention, both men and women!”

“…”

“So fierce?” Lu Zhao sighed, but his eyes filled with amusement. “Everyone outside is already saying I dote on my wife and fear her at home. If I listen to you and take you along, and then ignore everyone else, won’t the rumors get even worse?”

“Rumors?” Shen Qingyao tilted her head, how could this be just rumors? It’s clearly the truth! “I don’t care! You’re not allowed to go alone! You must take me with you!”

Unable to reason with him, Shen Qingyao started acting spoiled, throwing herself into Lu Zhao’s arms, gripping his waist tightly, as if to say she would stick to him from now on unless he agreed.

Lu Zhao chuckled softly, gently prying her off a bit to look at her flushed face. Unable to resist, he pressed his lips against hers.

“Alright, I’ll take you with me. I will ignore everyone except for you, Yaoyao!” His nose brushed against hers as he softly agreed.

Shen Qingyao’s senses overwhelmed, looked at Lu Zhao’s face so close to hers, suddenly filled with thoughts that were chaotic and inappropriate. Especially with him speaking so intimately close to her nose, it made her breath quicken. She turned her head slightly, whispering softly, “You… don’t have to be so absolute. You can still pay attention to those who deserve it…”

“No, I can’t,” Lu Zhao smiled, leaning in again to gently kiss her lips, then parting them to deepen the kiss. Amidst the intertwining of lips and teeth, Shen Qingyao heard him say again, “I must listen to what Wife says, after all, who made me fear her at home…”

Shen Qingyao, in a daze, thought, Is this how someone afraid of wife at home should act? D*mn these rumors!

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