Chapter 66

May Aqin live a peaceful life.

Lu Qin slowly curled up.

When Lu Hua saw that Lu Qin's face had turned pale, she was terrified. She ran over and banged on the door of the Lu residence, which brought out several servants.

The servants hurriedly helped Lu Qin back to her room. Lu Hua, still shaken, immediately mounted her horse and went to fetch the doctor.

Upon hearing the commotion, Master Lu rushed over, still holding a pair of walnuts he hadn't had time to put down.

Lu Qin glanced at the pair of walnuts. From childhood to adulthood, her father would only play with walnuts to keep calm when he encountered a difficult situation or heard bad news that was hard to digest.

She guessed that her father had learned of Hao's crime, so she broke free from the servants around her and knelt down at his feet.

"Father, please, I beg you, think of a way to save Jing Shi..."

Seeing her like this, everyone was startled. Some helped her up, some knelt down, and even Master Lu threw the walnut aside and used both hands to lift her up.

"Qin'er, calm down, get up quickly."

Master Lu carefully placed Lu Qin by the bedside and then immediately sent everyone out.

Seeing that Lu Qin's eyes were moist, he placed his hands on her shoulders and earnestly analyzed the situation for her.

"The Hao family has been punished for multiple crimes, which has also affected their relatives. We have only escaped this calamity by chance. If you still want to protect the child in your womb, you must not interfere, nor can you say that the child is Hao's bloodline. Do you understand?"

Lu Qin naturally understood Hao Jingshi's intentions, but she didn't expect her father's reaction to be so cold.

She raised her head blankly, her empty eyes staring back: "Father, my husband and I have no ill feelings towards each other. You should understand that divorce is his only choice... My husband has always been very loving and considerate of me. Now that he is in trouble, how can I just stand by and watch?"

Master Lu sighed and said, "Father knows, Father understands, and you also have feelings for him. But this matter involves the entire Hao family, and it is not just the fault of the son-in-law alone. We do not know the reasons behind it, so we cannot act rashly."

"Besides, the emperor's decree is hard to disobey. If you were to plead their case at this critical juncture, you would only bring trouble upon yourself. Right now, you can only take care of yourself so as not to disappoint your son-in-law's good intentions."

Lu Qin listened blankly, her heart growing colder and colder. For a moment, she suddenly realized that as long as the royal family's suspicions persisted, Lady Hao would hardly have a peaceful end.

It turns out that this was what the fortune teller meant by being too entangled, and this was the real, unavoidable disaster.

If she had known this would happen, she should have forced her way in that day and said everything she wanted to say, instead of just leaving.

But how can one possibly finish speaking?

Lu Qin's tears fell in a stream: "On the road to exile, my husband will surely suffer endless torment. He is such a proud man... I... I can't even know if he's alive or dead, how can I live peacefully..."

"Silly child." Master Lu hugged her tenderly and wiped away her tears.

"Look on the bright side. The son-in-law has practiced martial arts since childhood and is also skilled in medicine. How could he die so easily?"

"But..." With one hand crippled, can he still fight ten men at once like before? He was exiled to a desolate land where he couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone medicine. What use is his medical skill then?

Lu Qin choked up after saying just two words. She had worried too much. In the past, she always felt that he was as solid and unyielding as a rock, someone she could rely on. But now she felt that he was like a willow, causing her a lot of worries.

Her words caught in her throat, and before she could finish speaking, Lu Hua suddenly barged in, dragging a doctor with her. She shouted arrogantly, "Brother, don't be afraid! I've brought people to rescue you!"

Lu Qin was startled by the loud shout, and her sad expression froze on her face. Then, several servants at the door knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying with bitter faces that they really couldn't stop him.

Master Lu knew that Lu Hua meant well, so he waved his hand and dismissed the servants, inviting Lu Hua and the doctor into the house.

Lu Hua swaggered in, not forgetting to greet Master Lu with a cheerful smile. The doctor walked in cautiously, looking like a dried-up piece of meat next to Lu Hua.

Master Lu patted Lu Qin on the shoulder and whispered, "Just focus on your pregnancy. When the time is right, your father will naturally find a way."

Lu Qin fell silent, mechanically pulling at the blanket.

The doctor was about to take her pulse, so she stretched out one hand. The doctor took out a soft handkerchief and placed it on her wrist. She stared at the handkerchief, lost in thought.

She hadn't seen a doctor for a long time. Over the years, whenever she had any illness, it was Hao Jingshi who treated her.

The thought of him made her heart ache, like a dried-up riverbed or cracked earth.

I wonder how he is now.

"Miss is feeling unwell due to grief and fear, and her emotions are too agitated. There's nothing else wrong with her." The doctor took her pulse and said incisively, "It's not good for a pregnant woman to think too much. You should try to avoid getting upset."

Lu Qin snapped out of her daze, listened to the doctor's words, and slowly nodded.

Upon hearing this, Lu Hua became excited: "So you're pregnant! Congratulations, brother!"

Lu Hua bowed respectfully, his face beaming as if it were Chinese New Year. Lu Qin looked at him, feeling a mix of wanting to cry and laugh, her expression quite unpleasant.

After talking with the doctor, Master Lu asked someone to see the guest out, and Lu Hua took the opportunity to say goodbye.

Fearing that Lu Qin would still be depressed, Master Lu specially stayed by her side, but Lu Qin had long lost the desire to talk and just stared blankly.

She felt like crying every now and then, but later she ran out of energy to cry and remained in a daze until night.

When longing overwhelms her and she falls ill, she can't help but stroke the red string on her wrist again and again, and then she takes out the divorce papers from under her pillow, wanting to see Hao Jingshi's handwriting.

By the dim light, Lu Qin carefully unfolded the paper and stroked each word carefully. After reading it, she still felt it wasn't enough, so she took out the sachet as well.

She slowly untied the sachet and carefully pulled out the note inside. It had been so long that the note had turned yellow and the ink had faded.

She unfolded it little by little, and the black words on the paper gradually became visible.

Deer, Qin, Cheng, Nuo, Shi, Xian, Hao, Jing, Shi, Yi, Ge, Yuan, Wang... Huh?

Lu Qin stared at the note, her hands gradually trembling, and tears welled up in her eyes like a flood.

She noticed an extra line of small characters written in fresh ink below that sentence, in Hao Jingshi's handwriting.

May Aqin live a peaceful life.

...

Lu Qin grew thinner and thinner day by day, and Master Lu saw it and felt heartbroken.

He tried everything to cheer up his daughter, but to no avail, so he asked Lu Pan'an, a man of similar age, to comfort Lu Qin.

“When her mother passed away, she developed this heartache, which she never fully recovered from. Later, her son-in-law was a miracle worker and cured her. Now that he has met with misfortune, she…sigh.” Master Lu sighed repeatedly. “I really don’t know how to comfort Qin’er. Pan An, please go and persuade her for me. You’ve seen how the two of them get along, and you should know what can and cannot be said. You’re better than me.”

Seeing that Master Lu had grown a few gray hairs, Lu Pan'an quickly replied, "Father, don't worry. The Lu family has been incredibly kind to me, and I certainly can't stand by and watch my sister suffer like this. I will do my best to persuade her. You haven't slept for days, so go and rest."

Master Lu nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and then went back to rest.

Lu Pan'an pondered for a while, then went to Lu Qin's room. After lingering there for a while, he felt it was inappropriate to enter rashly, so he leaned against the window and called out.

"Sister, I've come to visit you. How are you?"

Lu Qin was in a daze and didn't hear his voice at all. Only after the nanny reminded her did she put on her clothes and invite Lu Pan'an to the front hall for a chat.

Lu Pan'an gracefully sat down, looked at her haggard face, and sighed, "In my memory, my sister was lively, clever, and indomitable. But seeing her today, she is quite different. I am truly saddened."

Lu Qin said calmly, "Xi Shi once told me that during the time she was ill, you sought medical help everywhere and couldn't sleep at night. Do you still remember what that was like, Brother Lu?"

“I remember.” Lu Pan’an’s eyes narrowed as he recalled, “It felt like a hundred swords piercing my heart. I only wished I could suffer in her place.”

“I feel the same way.” Lu Qin lowered her eyes. “People are all made of flesh and blood. Jing Shi has been devoted to me and has been very attentive to me. Now that his life is uncertain, how can I possibly smile?”

“I understand what you’re saying, sister,” Lu Pan’an said with a smile. “You don’t know yet, do you? Your godfather has asked the brothers in the family to find out where Young Master Hao is. The brothers used to be bandits in the mountains, so they can find out any information. So please cheer up and try to find out the truth.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qin finally slowly raised her head and looked directly at Lu Pan'an.

She felt that the deadlock was unsolvable, that he had no other choice, and that she couldn't change anything, so she desperately wallowed in her grief.

Lu Pan'an's words were like a lifeline for her, allowing her to catch her breath.

Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Lu Pan'an felt relieved and said, "My godfather is very concerned about you, but he was afraid of saying something wrong that would make you even more upset, so he dared not come. Today I saw that he has grown a lot of white hair, and I felt very bad. Fortunately, my sister has come to her senses, so I can go and say something to put his mind at ease."

After he finished speaking, he stood up to say goodbye to Lu Qin, but Lu Qin called him back.

Lu Qin felt deeply ashamed: "It is my fault for being unfilial. I only cared about my own grief and made Father worry about me. I will go with you to visit Father. Please wait here for a moment while I have the nanny do my hair and makeup."

Lu Pan'an was overjoyed: "That would be perfect."

Lu Qin beckoned for the old woman to come over, and together they went to the dressing table. Lu Pan'an sat back down in his chair and waited in the front hall.

After a while, Lu Qin came out, holding her head. She had been eating very little and sleeping poorly lately, and her body was starting to feel weak again. After sitting in front of the dressing table for a long time, she felt dizzy.

The old woman helped her up and said, "If you're not feeling well, Miss, don't force yourself. This old servant can go and call the master over."

Lu Pan'an echoed, but Lu Qin insisted, "I'm fine, I have to go there myself."

She took two firm steps, but after speaking, her vision blurred and she collapsed.

...And then he collapsed right after saying that.

They're hopeless.

When Lu Qin was groggily regaining consciousness, this thought was the first thing that popped into her head.

She touched her groggy head, sat up, and found herself not in her boudoir, but in a desolate wilderness.

Right... every time she fainted before, she would turn into an unselectable spirit and drift away to another place... Could it be the same this time?

If you're going to drift, can't you at least drift to a nice place? What kind of awful place is this?

Lu Qin broke out in a cold sweat and immediately sobered up. She stood up and looked around.

Fence... dilapidated house... broken haystack... and a group of people dressed in reddish-brown ochre clothes.

The group of people, with their long, disheveled hair and shackles on their hands and feet, were dragging their heavy, slow steps forward; they were clearly exiled prisoners.

As Lu Qin watched, she suddenly realized that Hao Jingshi, whom she was thinking about, must have arrived on the road where Hao was being exiled.

The lead constable impatiently urged them to "hurry up" and hurled insults at them.

Lu Qin's heart tightened, and she quickly ran to the vicinity of the crowd, scrutinizing the faces of each person. Although they were all wearing the same ochre clothes and had the same disheveled appearance, she still recognized Hao Jingshi at a glance.

Among the group, he was the only one with a straight back, glancing sideways at the constables as if he were ready to die.

Upon suddenly seeing the person she had longed for day and night, Lu Qin's lips trembled, and she murmured, "My husband..."

Hao Jingshi couldn't hear her voice. He looked at the constable and snorted coldly, "Aren't you afraid of the backlash and having your mouth rotten when you say these things?"

"Jing Shi!" Upon hearing this, Master Hao, who was standing nearby, grabbed his sleeve anxiously. "Shut up! Apologize to the master!"

Hao Jingshi stubbornly turned his head away: "Who does he think he is? If he has the guts, he can kill me."

Seeing that he was still throwing a tantrum, Master Hao had no choice but to apologize and plead for him.

The constable did not accept it. He took a few steps in front of Hao Jingshi and snorted contemptuously.

"Oh, Young Master Hao, you're really stubborn. Even now, you still dare to be arrogant. But then again, how can you adapt to going from a noble young master to an exiled commoner in a single day?"

As he spoke, the constable drew his sword, patted it against the man's face, then flipped his wrist to raise the sword upright, leaving a two-finger-wide bloody mark on the man's face.

Hao Jingshi frowned, remaining motionless.

"Do you think I'm stupid? If I kill you and give you a quick death, I won't be able to explain myself. I won't grant your wish!" The constable continued to pat Hao Jingshi's face, saying smugly, "Beg your grandfather, and your grandfather will let you go. Otherwise, your grandfather will slash your face with scars. If these wounds get infected, oh, you'll die a painful death."

Lu Qin watched the bailiffs' actions and gasped in shock.

Seeing that he was about to continue humiliating Hao Jing, she ran over in three quick steps and suddenly rammed into his stomach.

At the same time, a strong gust of wind swept by, causing the constable to stumble and lose his sword, which rolled down the slope.

The constable started cursing and spat at Hao Jingshi: "I can't be bothered with you, consider yourself lucky."

Lu Qin slowly turned her head to look in Hao Jingshi's direction. Her consciousness became light and airy. She knew she was going back again, so she tried her best to remember the scenery around her.

"My husband, wait for me, I'll be back for you soon..."