Red Autumn (Part 2)

When Bian Hongqiu woke up, cold sweat soaked his thin inner clothes.

He frowned, silently enduring this near-death heart palpitation. His mother's sharp screams cruelly scraped his eardrums, and he unconsciously reached out to pinch his neck.

These thin hands were the same as his mother's, and could pinch the equally fragile neck until it turned a horrible purple bruise.

He took a few slow breaths, his ears filled with his mother's harsh curses: "Damn it!" and then her frail face as she hurriedly hugged him, whispering about how scared and helpless she was. His mind was torn between these two voices, and he felt even more nauseous.

From behind the white veil, Song Jingyan's low and gentle voice came.

Perhaps because it was too familiar, his frayed nerves were gradually soothed by this voice. Bian Hongqiu opened his eyes, a drop of sweat sliding down his eyelashes. He lifted the white veil, and Song Jingyan's warm hand came up to him. After resting on his forehead for a few breaths, she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Song Jingyan spoke in a low voice, "Your Highness, did you dream about the princess again? Are you still nauseous?"

Bian Hongqiu nodded, paused, and nodded again.

Hengbo hurriedly handed over a cup of warm water, but Bian Hongqiu pushed it away.

His usual incense was burning in the cabin, making him feel even more like he was being watched by his mother.

Bian Hongqiu struggled to shake off the discomfort and said, "I want to get off the boat and take a walk."

Hengbo was stunned, and the words of advice stopped on his lips. He just looked at Song Jingyan.

Song Jingyan pursed her lips and said, "I will change clothes for Your Highness."

Bian Hongqiu took a deep breath, closed his eyes slightly, and let Song Jingyan do what she wanted.

Song Jingyan added an extra piece of clothing for him and took out a cloak. Before she could tie the cloak for Bian Hongqiu, Bian Hongqiu half-supported Hengbo's hand and escaped from the cabin with unsteady steps.

Outside the wing room, Hong Min, who had just returned to his room, was pulled out by Liang Wang's old subordinates to drink and get close to him.

Hong Min drank a few glasses of wine until he was in tears, and he complained incoherently, "My poor old mother is still waiting for me to return! And my elder and younger sisters are so devoted to me. Back then, my elder sister married a merchant as a concubine to support my studies, hoping that I would pass the imperial examination. But the world is such that people like me come from poor peasant families, without wealth or power. No matter how much education we put in, it's all in vain! My younger sister, unwilling to see me sink into this state, resolutely married the sixty-year-old Zhenbei Marquis as her concubine to help me rise to the top."

"If I...if I die on the way back to Beijing, wouldn't their efforts be in vain?"

Bian Hongqiu was walking too fast, and when he reached the corner, he had to stop and calm down.

Hengbo supported him and listened to Hong Min's crying. He almost couldn't help but show his contempt.

Bian Hongqiu had been ill intermittently since leaving Shangyang, and the people and events around him were often confused with the past. When he heard the unfamiliar voice, he asked, "Who is this?"

Hengbo knew that Bian Hongqiu was unconscious from his illness, so he replied, "Your Highness, this is the imperial envoy who has come to deliver the imperial decree to us. His name is Hong Min."

Bian Hongqiu leaned one hand against the wall, resting his forehead on the back of his hand, and recalled carefully for a moment.

He looks like a stupid guy with white flesh all over his body?

Since Bian Yu founded the country, the Prince of Liang's Palace has always been in a position of great importance - until his father's generation, or in other words, until the current Majesty consolidated power and regained control of the government.

Bian Hongqiu didn't know how many coincidences there were.

His father had passed away when he was born.

He was a posthumous child, and his mother went insane while she was pregnant - she was frightened to death.

When her mother was crazy, she would repeatedly talk about the past that made her unhappy: she resented that the family of Bian Hongqiu's maternal grandfather, whom she had never met, fell into decline so quickly that she could not live a ostentatious life in the capital where the powerful and wealthy gathered; she resented that her father married her as a princess but did not let her really feel happy, and even took her away from the prosperous capital to the desolate Shangyang without a grand wedding, to suffer the wind and sand.

On the rare occasions when she was lucid, her eyes were filled with tears and regret, and of course, hatred that Bian Hongqiu could sense. She said, "The Liang Palace is extremely powerful, and your father, commanding a large army, still refuses to restrain himself. I've tried to dissuade him many times, but he still insists on having his own way! Now, Your Majesty is free, and he'll die, leaving us mother and daughter alone!"

Bian Hongqiu was ignorant and had naturally heard what his father's former subordinates said.

They said their father was a hero, and their mother's words during her illness were unbelievable. Back then, when the King of Jingxi was plotting rebellion, Your Majesty was still young, the court was in jeopardy, and foreign tribes were eyeing him covetously. Only the King of Liang was willing to leave his comfortable home in the capital and come to Shangyang to guard the border.

But no matter what the explanation was, Song Jingyan remained silent.

Thousands of miles away in the capital, His Majesty's attitude was as ambiguous as Song Jingyan's silence: no matter when or what, there was no reward or demotion. Even the necessary imperial edicts were so brief that it was impossible to judge His Majesty's intentions. Shangyang had been pacified long before his father's death, but the capital did not reduce the number of soldiers and supplies. Even Xi Zhongting, His Majesty's "trusted and important minister" whom Song Jingyan often mentioned, had worried about the military expenses. They never had such troubles.

As for why Bian Hongqiu thought Hong Min was a fool, there was indeed a reason for it.

Officials in the capital knew that delivering imperial decrees in Shangyang was a thankless task; being chosen was considered unlucky. And this unfortunate fellow, surnamed Hong, perhaps somewhat educated, had just arrived in Shangyang and hesitated over whether to pay homage to the late Prince Liang and his wife as a lowly official. He'd first mentioned it, then tossed it around for days, racking his brains. When Song Jingyan led the group to accompany him, he couldn't help but say in front of all the Prince Liang's former subordinates, "But I don't know what His Majesty will do to you all after we return to the capital. If it really comes to the point of stripping you of your titles and punishing you, I wonder if my visit will leave anyone with something to talk about."

After speaking bluntly, he also "asked for advice" from Song Jingyan: "Excuse me, Miss Song, should I continue to pay homage to the prince and princess?"

Song Jingyan's father was an old man who followed the former King of Liang. He gradually took over the affairs of the King of Liang's Palace when he was ten years old. He had dealt with thousands of people since he was a child, but he had never met someone as "honest" as Hong Min.

She was stumped by Hong Min's question. Suppressing the dissatisfaction of the others, she smiled and said, "Your Excellency is the imperial envoy from the capital, so naturally it is Your Excellency who makes the decision."

Bian Hongqiu recalled.

They and the people brought by Hong Min looked at each other outside the mausoleum. Song Jingyan was afraid that Hong Min would say more shocking words. In order to prevent Bian Hongqiu from feeling uncomfortable, she asked someone to send him back to the mansion first, and she dealt with the imperial envoy herself.

The ship was parked on the river, swaying with the waves.

Bian Hongqiu's body swayed even more violently, and the scene before him became distorted. The brown hull blurred into the rising earth-yellow wind. He felt like the child who couldn't even walk steadily. He felt Hengbo's hand gradually tightening, so he turned his head to look—that withered hand, veined with blue veins, was clearly his mother's hand!

He opened his eyes wide in bewilderment.

"...the imperial envoy who issued the decree..."

The voice in my ears became clearer: "I am afraid! I am afraid! These people are here to kill us, but the people your father left behind are just sitting there waiting to be killed, and you're blaming me for being a burden to you! But son - if I hadn't done this, you would have been strangled to death by the people sent from the capital!"

Bian Hongqiu's thoughts were in a mess. The "imperial envoy" in Hengbo's words overlapped with the deadly messenger in his mother's words. He reached out and grabbed his neck again, gasping for breath, and his head began to ache.

"Imperial Envoy, haven't you returned to Beijing yet?"

Hengbo didn't know what he was talking about, and didn't have time to ask. He was just busy trying to pry his hands apart to prevent him from hurting himself.

Bian Hongqiu was originally very ill, but at this moment, he didn't know where he got the strength from. He shook off Hengbo's hand and staggered down the ship.

Hengbo was so anxious that he stamped his feet on the spot, not knowing whether to chase the person first or turn back and call Song Jingyan.

Bian Hongqiu ran faster and faster. The people guarding the exit didn't dare to stop him. They bowed their heads and saluted. When they looked up again, he was gone.

He got off the boat and wandered around like a headless chicken.

These days, most people wore simple clothing, barely enough to cover their bodies, and their faces were gaunt, with nothing but skin and bones. Suddenly, a pink butterfly fluttered down to earth, drawing everyone's attention.

More and more people followed the "Pink Butterfly". Bian Hongqiu was immersed in his own panic and did not notice anything wrong.

As he was turning around, he finally ran into another person who was also rushing around.

He took a few steps back, clutching his shoulder, and came to his senses.

Across from him, Meng Shizhuang shrugged his right shoulder and looked up to see a "fairy".

The fairy looked a little sick, but her complexion was better than that of many others. Her cheeks were slightly pink, her eyes were confused, and the only word that could be seen on her clothes was "rich".

The fairy arched her brows, her eyes sparkling with water, and she spoke in her throat: "I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention to the road."

Meng Shizhuang narrowed his eyes slightly, then silently darted around, glancing at the group of people who also treated the "fairy" like fat meat, but missing the person he most needed to obey. He breathed a sigh of relief, then confidently put the "fierce demon" back on his face. "What are you mumbling about? Don't you have eyes?"

Bian Hongqiu had never faced such a situation alone.

He looked back and couldn't see Song Jingyan at all.

He clutched the skirt at his side and raised his voice: "I'm sorry..."

Meng Shizhuang didn't listen and interrupted Bian Hongqiu: "What's the use of saying sorry? You broke my hand, compensate me..." He opened his mouth to say copper coins, but his eyes fell on the dazzling pearl flowers in Bian Hongqiu's hair, and he changed his words: "Compensate me with silver!"

Bian Hongqiu knew that he was being blackmailed and was about to argue in a not very powerful voice, but he accidentally glanced at Meng Shizhuang's deformed right hand and suddenly became speechless.

He observed Meng Shizhuang carefully.

This person looked about the same age as him, but was more than a head shorter than him. His eyes and posture were lifeless, like a drooping bean sprout.

He looked down at his chubby arms again. This... he actually had so much strength?

Bian Hongqiu apologized, "I, I have a great doctor at home. Come with me and I'll ask him to take a good look at you."

Meng Shizhuang sneered and looked at him with a rather offensive look: "You're wearing so much red, but you're actually a black-hearted person. You want to trick me into a deserted place and let me bleed?"

“No, no!”

Meng Shizhuang was too lazy to talk nonsense. He pulled out the empty scabbard of the dagger from his sleeve and was about to put it around Bian Hongqiu's neck.

"Will you pay me? If not, I'll break your hand too!"

Bian Hongqiu doesn't have the habit of carrying a purse with him.

He looked around again and noticed that the crowd behind him was shrinking, but he still didn't see anyone familiar.

Then he turned back and said to Meng Shizhuang, "We have to wait a little longer."

Meng Shizhuang's eyes were always attracted by the pearl flowers on his head, so she simply reached out and said, "What are you waiting for? Give me this as compensation first..."

Before he could finish his words, a medium-sized stone flew out and hit the back of his hand.

Hengbo came running over breathlessly: "Who is so presumptuous in front of His Highness!"

This region was full of ruthless outlaws, but it was rare to see such a distinguished figure, accompanied by a large group of neatly dressed and armed with swords. Many who wanted to take advantage of the situation hesitated, remembering the long-standing rumors of the general from the west who had committed murder. For a moment, they didn't dare to test these nobles, suppressing their urges and slipping away. Meng Shizhuang's fingertips brushed the delicate silk covering the pearl flower, a touch reluctant to withdraw.

The guards brought by Hengbo made way as they were well-trained. Song Jingyan came from behind, her body bathed in light. Her concerned eyes first fell on Bian Hongqiu: "Is your highness alright?"

Bian Hongqiu shook his head: "I bumped into someone, and I have to ask Mr. Zhou to come and take a look at him."

Song Jingyan smiled and said, "I'll take care of it. Your Highness should go back and take your medicine."

Bian Hongqiu always followed her arrangements. She turned around and glanced at Meng Shizhuang, then followed Hengbo back to the boat.

Seeing so many people around, Meng Shizhuang didn't dare to act rashly. However, she really wanted to take advantage of the situation, so she deliberately raised her chin and said in a bad tone, "Your child bumped into me. Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

Song Jingyan still had that smile on her face.

"Give him two coppers."

She said to the little waiter behind her.

The person who followed the order had obviously dealt with this situation before. He actually opened his purse and threw two copper coins in front of Meng Shizhuang.

Two copper coins flew from the maid's fair palm, shattering the sunlight and blinding Meng Shizhuang, causing her eyes to turn red. Then, with a crisp "ding-dong" sound, they fell, rolling a few times before landing right at Meng Shizhuang's feet. Meng Shizhuang lowered her head, not sure if she was looking at the coins or at her own cracked skin exposed through her straw sandals.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Song Jingyan again.

In the dilapidated temples in the city that have not been licked by fire by nobles, there are tattered Buddha statues and scrolls.

The craftsmanship of the sculpted Buddha statues is not very good, but there are a few scrolls that are worth looking at.

Meng Shizhuang saw a statue of Guanyin that was not dirty or damaged, and felt that he could understand what "saving all sentient beings" meant.

Now looking at the "Buddha" in front of me, I feel a strange feeling in my heart.

However, he was also aware that he was blackmailing someone. He stared at the two copper coins on the ground for a while, then picked them up and held them tightly.

Watching Meng Shizhuang's swift turn, Song Jingyan didn't do anything else and walked back with her men: "Your Highness must be accompanied by someone. There must not be a next time."

The people around him nodded in agreement.