AUBTN -Chapter 88 He’s a Robber, Right?

A stranger?

Yu Qing caught those three words.

But she also keenly noticed that when Lu Yan mentioned his father, there was a deep, bottomless loneliness in his eyes.

Looking at Lu Yan like that, Yu Qing felt an inexplicable pang in her chest.

After Lu Yan went to the study to handle official matters, Yu Qing, like a rabbit with grass growing in its heart, dashed straight into Su Hewan’s room in a flurry.

Su Hewan was sitting by the window, flipping through an ancient book.

“Wanwan! Wanwan! Something terrible happened… no, not terrible… I just have a question for you!”

Yu Qing plopped down opposite Su Hewan and began to recount what had just happened, embellishing and exaggerating every detail.

At the end, she leaned on the table, resting her chin in her hands, her face a mix of gossip and anxiety:

“So, tell me, what’s going on between Lu Yan and his dad? Who calls their own father a stranger? Their father-son relationship seems awful!”

Su Hewan put down her book, a faint smile playing on her lips as she looked at her: “Well, well, our big star Yu, didn’t you used to only care about where the good food was and how to survive? Now you’re so concerned about Lord Lu’s family affairs?”

She reached out and gently poked Yu Qing’s rosy cheeks:

“Come on, admit it—have you really fallen for him? Do you like this paper-thin character?”

Yu Qing’s face instantly flushed red, like a fully ripened tomato.

She grabbed Su Hewan’s arm and began to shake it like a koala, acting adorably:

“Aiya, Wanwan! Don’t tease me! I can’t even explain what this feeling is… I just feel bad seeing him upset. Just tell me to satisfy my curiosity! You’re a history major genius, you must know all this unofficial gossip, right?”

Su Hewan, dizzy from her shaking, sighed helplessly and rubbed her temples.

“Actually… there’s very little recorded in the official histories about Lu Yan’s family affairs.”

Su Hewan frowned slightly.

“The historical records only say that Lu Yan came from a noble family and that his father was the current prime minister, Lu Zhixing. As for his mother, there’s only a brief note saying she died of illness.”

“Maybe it’s related to his mother’s death!”

Yu Qing suddenly perked up. “Could it be that his dad killed his wife to gain power? Or favored a concubine over his wife?”

Su Hewan shook her head. “That’s impossible to know. Official histories are often written by the victors, and the family’s private scandals are even more deeply concealed. The book only briefly mentions that Lu Yan disagreed with his father politically and gradually drifted apart. The specific details… probably only the people involved truly know.”

“Ah?” Yu Qing slumped onto the table in disappointment.

Su Hewan looked at her friend’s troubled face and smiled.

She spoke slowly and deliberately:

“As they say, the person who knows you best is often not your friend, but your enemy.”

Yu Qing froze, then suddenly lifted her head, eyes lighting up.

“You mean…”

“In this world, if anyone knows the Lu family’s messes better than Lu Yan himself, and even holds secrets Lu Yan doesn’t know…”

Su Hewan extended a finger, pointing toward the neighboring courtyard:

“Who else could it be besides the Eastern Depot’s overseer, Shen Jue?”

Yu Qing slapped the table, suddenly enlightened. “Exactly! That sneaky… that handsome general Shen Jue definitely knows! He’s the best at gathering intelligence! And he’s been at odds with Lu Yan for so many years—he must have investigated Lu Yan’s entire ancestry top to bottom!”

“Bing—Go!” Su Hewan snapped her fingers.

Yu Qing immediately stood up.

“Perfect! Once we get Shen Jue involved, there’s no gossip we can’t uncover! Often, your opponent knows you better than you know yourself! I get it!”

“I’ll go ask Shen Jue right now!”

Watching Yu Qing storm off in a flurry, Su Hewan shook her head helplessly, though a fond smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Then she thought about Shen Jue’s personality…

“I hope Yu Qing comes back in one piece.”

It took less than the time of a single incense stick, and Yu Qing returned.

She left fast, and came back even faster.

But at this moment, she looked like a defeated, plucked chicken, lying on Su Hewan’s Luohan bed with no will to live.

Su Hewan put down her book, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at her friend’s utterly miserable face.

“So? Kicked out?” Su Hewan asked with a light laugh.

“If only I had been thrown out! At least then my soul wouldn’t have been tainted by the stench of copper coins!”

Yu Qing suddenly flipped upright like a carp, slapping the bed in frustration.

She took a deep breath, then straightened her face, imitating Shen Jue’s tone:

“Want to know about the Lu family? Sure.”

“Our Eastern Depot deals in intelligence. As long as the silver is paid, we can dig up everything—don’t just talk about the Lu family’s ancestors, even what color underwear old Lu Zhixing wore last night, we can find out for you.”

Su Hewan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The imitation wasn’t unrelated—it was an exact copy.

“And then?” Su Hewan asked with interest.

“Didn’t you ask the price?”

“I did! Of course I asked!”

Yu Qing was nearly in despair, gesturing wildly with both hands: “Do you know what that wretched eunuch… that black-hearted capitalist said? He said—”

She switched back into Shen Jue mode, holding up five fingers coldly:

“Ordinary intelligence starts at five hundred taels.”

“Information about Lu Yan…” Yu Qing’s voice shot up, filled with disbelief.

“Extra charge. One thousand taels. Not a single coin less, don’t even bother negotiating!”

After saying this, Yu Qing flopped back onto the bed like a deflated balloon, letting out a soul-deep wail:

“One thousand taels! And it’s silver! Is he a demon? Is he crazy poor? I can’t even scrape together a single tael, and he just casually asks for a thousand!”

“Heavens above! Earth below! This time-travel script is wrong! Everyone else who transmigrates gets domineering princes falling for them, mountains of gold and silver at their disposal. Why is it me who has to deal with this stingy iron rooster? Why is my life so bitter!”

Despair covered Yu Qing’s face entirely.

Su Hewan couldn’t stop laughing.

“He just doesn’t want to tell you on purpose!”

“So what do I do? Should I really go rob someone?”

Yu Qing buried her face in the soft pillow, her voice muffled: “Is it still in time to rob him now?”

Su Hewan got up and walked to the side of the bed, reaching out to ruffle Yu Qing’s messy hair.

“Alright, stop performing your tragic drama. He didn’t throw you into the Eastern Depot prison to feed you to the rats, which means Shen Jue is still pretty lenient with you.”

“Lenient, my foot! He did it for Lu Yan’s sake… no wait, he did it because I’m your best friend!”

Yu Qing lifted her head and protested angrily.

“Alright, alright,” Su Hewan soothed, stroking her friend’s hair.

“Don’t rush about the Lu family for now. When things settle down a bit, I’ll quietly find out some information for you. If that doesn’t work, we can check the old records in the Ministry of Personnel—we’ll find some clues there.”

At these words, Yu Qing instantly felt revitalized.

She threw herself around Su Hewan in a hug, eyes shining:

“You really are the best, Wan Wan!”

Su Hewan pushed her away with mock annoyance: “Cut that out, my dress is expensive.”