Chapter 35

The old man warmly invited Wei Mingsu into the house.

The old man was extremely excited when his neighbor from four years ago suddenly returned. He spoke in a strange accent of Heluo Mandarin and in a strange accent of Hu language, rambling on and on in a way that Wei Mingsu could not understand.

"So the person who bought the neighboring courtyard was Mu Langjun. Is Langjun going to settle down in Xizhou from now on?"

The old man went into the house, poured a can of wine, and handed it to the taciturn Wei Mingsu.

Wei Mingsu accepted the wine but shook his head.

The old man's gaze swept over the silver strands at his temples, and he let out a soft "Eh," thinking they were unmelted snowflakes. He rubbed his eyes, stared at them for a while, and then looked back at his face with pity.

"Young Master Mu, has your wife remarried?"

The old man spoke with regret.

Wei Mingsu took a sip of the cold wine.

The old man sighed: "Does she still think you're too poor?"

Wei Mingsu shook his head.

"Was it her brother who took her away?"

The old man's homemade wine had a very strong flavor; after drinking it, it felt fiery and burned all the way to his lungs.

Wei Mingsu still shook his head.

The old man asked with a long face, "Did you do something to hurt your wife, young master, and make her sad?"

After finishing the wine in the earthenware jar, Wei Mingsu looked up at the snow-covered ground outside the door and said, "She doesn't like me."

The old man was taken aback, sighed softly, and comforted him, "Young Master Mu, try to think more positively."

He paused for a moment, then poured Wei Mingsu another can of wine.

"Young Master Mu, your wife comes from a prestigious family and is so beautiful, while you are just a poor scholar copying scriptures. Her being with you is too conspicuous! Four years ago, when you went to the temple to copy scriptures during the day, the sons of wealthy families in the city came to find her with their servants, carrying loads of silk and valuable gold and silver! Your wife is a young lady from a wealthy family; she can't do anything—chopping wood, cooking, sewing, washing clothes, raising chickens, feeding sheep, farming—she's too pampered and can't live a life of poverty. I knew then that you two were not a good match and wouldn't last! Whether you are Han Chinese from the Central Plains or from our Western Zhou tribes, marriage must be between equals! A chieftain's daughter cannot marry a poor boy without cattle, sheep, or pastures. You and your wife are not destined for each other. Take it easy and marry a better wife later!"

The old man learned the Heluo dialect four years ago, so he wasn't very fluent. He was also very straightforward and didn't mince words.

Wei Mingsu didn't actually understand what the old man was saying, nor did he listen attentively.

He just needed to find a place to calm himself down.

Sitting in the same spot he had sat in four years ago, drinking the same cold wine he had drunk four years ago, and listening to the old man he had met four years ago chattering on and on, he had a fleeting illusion as if he had returned to four years ago.

The happiest days of my life.

I saw her again.

She is still alive.

What more could one ask for?

Wei Mingsu slowly finished the wine in the earthenware jar, stood up, left the money for the wine, and said goodbye to the old man.

Tong Jin and his entourage were talking in the courtyard when they heard footsteps and brought their horses over.

Wei Mingsu took the reins, and the group mounted their horses and left the alley.

It was already late at night, but pedestrians were still hurrying by on both sides of the road. During the Wuzhe Assembly, the chanting of sutras at Dayun Temple continued all night long. During the day, more than a dozen oxcarts loaded with money would be brought out to distribute to all the people participating in the assembly. Some people were worried that there would be too many people and they would not be able to get any donations, so they would go to the temple gate to queue up in the middle of the night.

Wei Mingsu loosened the reins and suddenly asked his companion, "Does the Zhang family think that Lu Sanniang is my family member?"

Tong Jin paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "My lord, the Ma, Zhang, Gong, and Gao families in Xizhou are all inquiring about your family background and origins. They've heard about what happened four years ago. I heard some rumors today that you've kept Lu San Niang by your side, and the Zhang family considers Lu San Niang to be your person."

Lu Huaying's current status is too low to warrant a marriage proposal or a wedding ceremony. Wei Mingsu simply did not immediately send her back to Liucheng, which led everyone to speculate that she had used her beauty to rekindle his old feelings and win his favor.

Wei Mingsu frowned and remained silent.

After walking for a while, in the silent snowy night, suddenly the sound of long arrows piercing the air rang out.

The sound of the wind.

Tong Jin realized something was wrong and immediately kicked off the stirrups and lunged forward. Wei Mingsu also heard the noise, loosened the reins, and dismounted. Several arrows grazed past them and struck their horses, which neighed and collapsed onto the snow. Tong Jin used both hands and feet to pounce on Wei Mingsu's back and drew his sword.

Behind the earthen walls on both sides of the road, the sound of bows being drawn echoed, and more than a dozen arrows rained down on them.

"Protect my lord!"

The attendants hurriedly drew their swords, shouted, and spurred their horses forward to surround Wei Mingsu and Tongjin on the ground. Two attendants reached out and pulled them onto their horses, and they were the first to charge out, while the others stayed behind to stop the assassins.

They were riding Turkic horses, and the two horses galloped away, quickly moving out of range of the arrows.

Seeing that his first attack had missed, the man behind the earthen wall threw away his bow and arrow, cursed, drew his sword, and jumped off the wall.

The remaining attendants went to meet them.

A fierce battle erupted, and blood flowed from the fallen bodies, gradually staining the snow red.

...

Two horses carried four people back to their quarters.

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves and shouts, the attendants drew their swords and rushed out.

Wei Mingsu jumped off his horse.

The attendant noticed that blood was seeping from the lacerations on his blue robe caused by arrows, and quickly stepped forward with some medicine to stop the bleeding.

He took the medicine and said, "Go and meet the people behind."

The six attendants accepted the order and left.

Wei Mingsu strode into the dormitory, but instead of returning to his own courtyard, he headed straight north.

The courtyard was quiet, and the lights in the room were still on. The flickering candlelight cast the silhouette of the person writing alchemical texts by the window onto the glass.

Snowflakes fell silently.

Wei Mingsu stopped and stood in the snow, silently gazing at the blurry figure in the window.

"Ah Lang." Tong Jin walked over quickly and whispered, "I've checked several sentry posts, and everything is normal here in the barracks. Nothing has happened."

Tick-tock.

Blood streamed down Wei Mingsu's arm and spilled onto the snow.

Wei Mingsu covered his wound and said, "Go and take a look."

"Don't mention the assassin tonight."

He added another sentence.

Tong Jin walked up the steps and knocked on the door: "Third Sister Lu, it's me, Tong Jin."

The figure by the window put down his pen, stood up, and opened the door for his companion.

Wei Mingsu had retreated to the courtyard gate and stood in the darkness, watching Lu Huaying stand at the gate talking to her companion.

Tong Jin advised Lu Huaying to go to bed early, went into the room to look around, and then came out.

The door closed.

Tong Jin returned to Wei Mingsu's side: "My lord, Lu San Niang has been writing alchemical texts all day. Don't worry, there are sentry posts all around this courtyard."

Wei Mingsu remained silent, clutching his wound as he turned and walked into the vast expanse of snow.

He returned to his room, took off his tattered blue robe, sat down, applied hemostatic medicine to himself, and wrapped it with gauze.

An hour later, several blood-covered henchmen returned and reported, "My lord, we killed two, the others escaped. The military advisor from Xizhou arrived late, and even after arriving, he didn't help us capture them! After the assassins fled, they asked a few simple questions and took the bodies away. I demanded that the military advisor investigate the assassins' whereabouts, and only then did he reluctantly admit that those people were unfamiliar faces, and no one in Xizhou recognized them; they might have been mixed in with the military advisors."

Those who entered the city were from among the people attending the Unobstructed Assembly.

Another attendant said, "My lord, the accents of those assassins sound familiar to me; they must be from inside the pass."

Tong Jin sneered, "Commoners are allowed to enter the city, but they are not allowed to carry weapons! The people who assassinated the young master tonight were carrying bows and arrows and broadswords. Without anyone acting as an inside agent, how did they get into the city? If the young master is assassinated, everyone in Xizhou will be implicated!"

The attendants were all very indignant and suggested that the military advisor from Xizhou be arrested and interrogated, as they were sure they could find out something.

Wei Mingsu remained calm and waved his hand: "Those who are injured, go find a doctor. The rest of you, go back and rest. Keep your men in check and do not allow them to clash with the Xizhou Prefecture troops."

The attendants withdrew.

Tong Jin was also preparing to go out.

Wei Mingsu stopped him and asked, "Are you injured?"

Tong Jin shook his head, tugged at his clothes, and laughed, "No, the clothes underneath aren't torn."

Wei Mingsu nodded.

Tong Jin whispered, "My lord, the people of Xizhou all came to participate in the Wuzhe Assembly at Dayun Temple. There were Hu people, Han people, all sorts of people. Nothing went wrong at Dayun Temple, but you were assassinated. After we escaped, the Xizhou military advisor appeared with a few soldiers. Could they be colluding with us?"

Wei Mingsu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let's investigate the deceased's identity first."

The military advisor's perfunctory attitude in Xizhou is easy to explain. He arrested the chief clerk, and everyone in Xizhou was dissatisfied with him. The military advisor wished he would die by the assassin's blade, so he did not show up to save people when the assassination occurred, and was unwilling to investigate the assassin afterwards. It is not necessarily that he colluded with the assassin.

They nodded in agreement.

Wei Mingsu lowered his head, wrote a letter with his injured hand, handed it to his colleague, and solemnly instructed: "Make preparations, and in a couple of days have Afu send Lu Sanniang back to Liucheng. After she finishes writing the alchemy scripture, find a reliable person to send this letter and the scripture back to the capital together. Remember this, no matter where I am at that time, this letter must be delivered."

Tong Jin paused for a moment, took the letter and put it away, then asked, "Are you afraid those people will come again, Ah Lang?"

Wei Mingsu raised his eyes and looked at the north-facing window. His gaze seemed to penetrate the low wall in the courtyard and reach the profile of the person writing in front of the window.

"Prevention is better than cure."

He said softly.

The closer you get to him, the more dangerous it is.

Wei Mingsu smiled self-deprecatingly.

Four years ago, he had nothing.

Four years later, he was a cruel official whom everyone wanted to kill. From Luoyang to Xizhou, assassins came one after another to kill him.

The old man next door is right.

He doesn't deserve it.

...

A heavy snowfall overnight blanketed Xizhou in silver.

The bloodstains that fell in the yard were buried by the falling snowflakes in the middle of the night.

Lu Huaying got up, drank a bowl of soup, and sat down by the window.

Afu carried the medicine into the house with a big smile on his face: "Third Sister Lu, my husband instructed me to send you back to Liucheng in a couple of days."

He was very happy. As soon as Xiao Suniang arrived in Xizhou, the young master wanted to send Lu Sanniang away. In the young master's heart, Xiao Suniang was still more important!

Lu Huaying was taken aback and said, "My alchemical text is not yet finished."

Afu's smile faded, and a hint of wariness crept into her expression as she worried that Lu Huaying might linger. "My lord said you can write it even if you return to Liucheng."

Lu Huaying asked, "Are my brother and sister-in-law also going back to Liucheng?"

Afu nodded and said, "Your household registrations are the same, so of course you'll go back together."

Lu Huaying felt relieved.

With the dust settled, it was time for them to return to Liucheng.

Her reaction was calm; she didn't burst into tears or make a scene.

&

Ah Fu couldn't believe it and waited for half a day.

Lu Huaying sat at her desk, writing diligently.

Afu waited until noon, but her tears never came.

In the afternoon, Afu reminded Lu Huaying, "Third Sister Lu, remember to pack your luggage."

Lu Huaying smiled and said, "I don't have any luggage."

Afu, being from a poor family, felt a pang of sympathy for her upon hearing this and comforted her, saying, "My lord said you can take everything you need back as payment for writing the alchemy manual. Once you finish writing it, you'll receive additional rewards, so your hard work won't be in vain."

He didn't mention that all his current remuneration came from Wei Mingsu's salary, as Wei Mingsu had instructed him not to tell anyone these things casually.

Lu Huaying stared at her own handwriting on the paper, lost in thought for a moment.

The official in charge of household affairs in Xizhou wanted to obtain the alchemical text from her. She knew that once the text was completed, the credit would definitely go to the official in charge of household affairs and the governor, and would never fall on her head.

Wei Mingsu also asked her to present her alchemical texts, which surprised her. At first, she didn't think much of it, but after writing a few volumes, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: Was Wei Mingsu helping her?

A clanging sound came from the doorway, and Afu began packing his luggage.

Lu Huaying composed herself and continued writing.

...

Tong Jin asked his attendant to relay the message to Chai Yong.

Wei Mingsu prepared to send someone to escort Lu Huaying back to Liucheng.

"Please have Sister Wang and Young Master Lu pack your things. We'll set off together in two days."

Chai Yong was somewhat surprised and hurriedly went to tell Wang Yu and Lu Hongbi.

Wang Yu was both surprised and delighted. She couldn't help but clasp her hands together in the direction of Dayun Temple, and then turned to exchange a glance with Lu Hongbi.

Lu Hongbi did not show any joy.

...

The assassination attempt on Wei Mingsu on a snowy night caused no shock.

When officials in the western state heard about the assassination, they reacted coldly.

"Serves you right."

"A scourge lives on for a thousand years, how come he wasn't killed?"

The officials in charge of security in Xizhou passed the buck, and the task of investigating the assassin's identity was passed around like a football, ultimately coming to nothing.

The day before leaving Xizhou, Afu checked his luggage one last time. He was going to Liucheng the next day and was worried that he would forget things.

Tong Jin returned from outside and entered Wei Mingsu's study, saying, "My lord, things have been taken care of in Liucheng. The magistrate of Liucheng has failed in his duty, and now the official business in Liucheng is being handled by a man surnamed Ma. He comes from the Ma family and has a decent reputation."

Wei Mingsu nodded without saying a word.

"My lord!" A panicked voice came from outside the window. The attendant stopped at the door and said, "Xiao Si Niang tried to force her way in, but we stopped her. She refuses to go back..."

The attendant was somewhat embarrassed.

“My lord, Xiao Si Niang asked you if you wanted to keep a mistress in a secluded house. She also said that she has heard that Lu San Niang is here with you, and she must see Lu San Niang today.”

Wei Mingsu didn't look up and said, "Let her in."

The attendant breathed a sigh of relief, replied "Yes," and turned to leave.

Soon, a series of hurried footsteps echoed through the snow.

They looked up and out.

A woman with slightly dark skin, wearing a red cloak, carrying a plain-colored dress, strode into the courtyard, rushed up the steps, stopped in front of the door, panted a few times, and looked up at Wei Mingsu.

Wei Mingsu looked down at the official document, his face expressionless.

The woman's gaze fell on Wei Mingsu's cold face. She became somewhat timid, clenched her fist tightly, mustered her courage, and stepped forward.

"Prefect Wei...where is Third Sister?"