Chapter 118: Suffering an Injustice
Jingwu watched as the person sitting in the chair breathed their last, their soul floating in mid-air. Just as she was about to say something, she saw the soul in mid-air smirk, and the next second, it self-destructed, its soul scattered to the winds.
She watched this scene with a rare look of shock on her face.
In that instant, the mother and child kneeling on the ground suddenly came to their senses, their bodies went limp, and they looked around in confusion.
A moment later, the woman with graying hair stood up and started cursing at Lou Xuezhao, who had already died.
"A wicked woman! She is truly a wicked woman! Ever since she married into my family, she has refused to give my son any offspring, nor will she allow him to take a concubine. She even tries to drive away a maidservant. Now, my son is over forty-five years old, and he has not left any heir! Your Honor, you must do justice for me!"
The woman burst into tears and suddenly threw herself in front of the magistrate, pretending to wipe away her tears.
Upon hearing this, Jing Wu frowned slightly as he watched Lou Xuezhao slowly slide down from the chair.
That's not right. Her face shows a full and rounded children's palace, indicating that she has at least one living biological child. How could she not have given birth to any children?
A glint flashed in Jingwu's eyes, and he had an answer in his heart.
Her child with Lu Sheng!
Jingwu quickly made a hand seal, and after a moment, he understood what had happened.
After manipulating Lu Sheng to kill his mother, she returned to the Miao Kingdom and gave birth to her daughter at her maternal grandparents' home.
She stayed at her maternal grandparents' house for two years before her father ordered someone to bring her back. She had no choice but to entrust her child to her kind aunt and return to the Lou family alone.
All these years have passed, that child must be a teenager by now.
Jingwu blinked, wondering if Lu Sheng knew about the child's existence.
However, whether he knew it or not, his name had been cleared. As for whether he could still serve as an official in the capital, that depended on how the people in the capital handled the situation.
She had no intention of staying there any longer. After saying something to the magistrate who was being pestered by the woman, she turned and left.
The county magistrate, who was being pestered by the two men, watched them leave with great envy.
He was having a bit of a headache, unsure of how to report it.
How should this report be written?
The magistrate scratched his head, looking extremely annoyed.
Jingwu and Yuehuai walked onto the street. Looking at the vendors on both sides, she suddenly thought of buying a few outfits.
He turned around and looked for a clothing store. After a while, he found a clothing store not far away and turned to the boy to say something.
"I'm going there to buy some clothes, do you want to come with me?"
Yue Huai readily agreed and followed behind her toward the shop.
He looked up at the signboard that read "Ni Chang Ge" and immediately smiled.
"This shop is quite famous in the capital, I just didn't know it had opened here too."
"Really? Then it seems there must be a lot of styles inside." Jingwu's eyes lit up as he walked in, thinking about buying some clothes for his aunt and the others.
As soon as she entered, she bumped into a woman wrapped up tightly, who was gently comforting a young girl beside her.
"Shu'er, your father has another woman outside. That woman is always whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He's very strict with money now. If he sees you buying these clothes again, he'll definitely be furious. Just bear with it this once and buy two fewer outfits, okay?"
The familiar voice instantly caught Jingwu's attention. She looked at the two figures and fixed her gaze on the woman's protruding belly.
When Yue Huai saw that she had stopped, he also stopped and looked in that direction in the same direction as her. When he saw the two figures, he knew that something was wrong.
He had intended to distract her, but seeing her fixed gaze, he realized she had probably guessed who the two men were.
"No, the shopkeeper said this is the last one. If I don't buy it now, I'll never have the chance to buy it again." Jing Shu pulled the woman's hand and said coquettishly, "Mother, please buy it for me. It's only two taels of silver. Didn't you run into the Shao family a few days ago and ask them for some silver? Use that silver to pay first. Father definitely won't say anything."
Jing's mother, Shao Wanyan, frowned deeply and said hesitantly, "I need to save that money for my future doctor's visits. Shu'er, we can't go home now, so we have to cut back on our food, clothing, and other necessities. Otherwise, how will we survive?"
"Mother~" Upon hearing this, Jing Shu frowned, her beautiful peach blossom eyes slightly reddening, making her look pitiful.
When Shao Wanyan saw her like this, she immediately softened: "Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you! I've really spoiled you."
She sighed deeply, her words sounding reproachful, but her eyes held a deep tenderness.
Jing Shu was in a great mood when she saw that she had bought clothes, so she started to cling to her mother and act coquettishly.
Jingwu stood at the door watching this scene, and couldn't help but recall his childhood when he overheard his master and senior brother saying that the Jing family was becoming increasingly indifferent. At first, they would send two taels of silver and two or three sets of clothes every month, but now they only sent two taels of silver every month.
She was only five years old at the time and didn't understand what those words meant. As she grew older, she forgot about it.
Seeing this scene now brings back those memories.
It turns out that the monthly allowance given by the Jing family was only enough for one piece of clothing for Jing Shu.
A short while later, after paying, Shao Wanyan led Jing Shu toward the store entrance.
When Jingwu met the woman's eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, the mother and daughter walked straight past him and headed outside, clearly not recognizing him.
Her brows were furrowed, and her gaze followed them until they were out of sight.
You don't recognize me anymore?
Jingwu couldn't believe it. She was, after all, her own daughter. Even if she was biased, did she really have no memory of her at all?
Seeing this, Yue Huai quickly stepped forward, picked up a piece of clothing, and changed the subject: "Awu, what do you think of this green dress for Shao Chengrui?"
Jingwu lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed his emotions.
Then, she turned her head to look at the clothes in his hand.
"Are you... sure you want to give this shirt to my older cousin?"
Seeing her surprised look, Yue Huai looked down and immediately twitched his lips.
He actually took women's clothing instead. If he actually bought it, Shao Chengrui would definitely think he did it on purpose and become even more hostile towards him.
Yue Huai hurriedly put the clothes back, and after examining them carefully, picked up a green men's garment.
"You've got the wrong one, you've got the wrong one, this one is the right one."
The shopkeeper watched the interaction between the two, trying not to laugh.
Seeing Jingwu carefully examining the garment, he wisely stepped forward to introduce it.
"This dress is made of the finest Yun brocade, and the embroidery was done by a skilled embroiderer from Suzhou. This dress is quite rare; there's only one like it in the entire Muyun County. And the price isn't high either, just ten taels of silver."
The shopkeeper, remembering how long she had stared at those two people, smiled and continued.
"The two customers who just bought it only had one left, but the fabric was a bit worse than yours, it was just ordinary fabric. However, the embroidery and style were the most popular in the capital at the moment. I originally had more than a dozen pieces sent over, but all the good ones were sold out, and only this one with the more ordinary fabric was left."
Jingwu looked at the garment and thought it suited his taste, so he nodded and gestured for it to be wrapped up. Then, he casually asked a question.
Do they come often?
The shopkeeper was slightly taken aback when he heard this, but then realized that she was referring to the mother and daughter from earlier, so he smiled and said...
"They've never been here before, but they've been coming quite often in the last two months. I heard they were originally from Pingyao County, and only recently moved here. They're a wealthy merchant, and the husband's surname seems to be Jing. However, Mr. Jing has taken a fancy to a widow, and they're currently very much in love."
A hint of surprise flashed in Jing Wu's eyes, then he remembered what Shao Wanyan had just said and tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"A widow."
"Yes, I did see that widow brought by Master Jing. Her temperament and figure are really not comparable to that lady from earlier." Seeing her interest, the shopkeeper continued with a smile, "Master Jing wanted to take her into the family, but that lady from earlier refused to let her in. This matter caused quite a stir."
Jingwu listened to these words with a calm expression, and pointed to a dark green garment hanging to the side.
"Let me see this one."
"Oh, alright." The shopkeeper smiled and quickly took the clothes down: "This dress, although the material is ordinary, the style is excellent. However, the color is a bit mature and does not suit you, young lady."
Jingwu took the clothes over, examined them carefully, and smiled slightly: "I'll take them; they're for the elders in my family."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately and quickly began wrapping the package.
Jingwu walked around the shop and picked out three or four pieces of clothing for each member of the Shao family, some made of high-quality fabric and others of ordinary fabric.
The shopkeeper was overjoyed and wrapped up all the clothes.
Yue Huai watched her pick out clothes with a smile in his eyes. He pointed to a light blue ruqun hanging on the side and said with a smile.
"This dress is quite nice too. I think it fits you well. Would you like to take it off and let me see?"
Jingwu followed his gaze and shook his head: "The fabric is too poor. Once we get to the capital, I need a dress made of fine fabric."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately ran to the side and brought out a pink dress.
"Young lady, this is made of the finest Yun brocade. The fabric is excellent, and the style is also beautiful. This outfit will definitely suit you well. Please take a look."
Jingwu reached out and touched the embroidery on it, then nodded: "This one is fine. Wrap it up."
"Alright." The shopkeeper said with a smile as he worked, "Miss, if you want to make clothes again next time the season changes, you can tell me in advance and I will have the embroiderers come to your house to take your measurements and make them custom-made."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu suddenly thought of something: "Can you deliver your clothes to my door?"
"Of course! Miss, tell me where you live, and I'll deliver it to you."
Pingyao County.
"Huh?" The shopkeeper was taken aback, then stammered, "This, Pingyao, Pingyao County is too far away. Miss, are you joking?"
Jingwu blinked and looked at her very seriously, as if to say he wasn't joking.
Yue Huai almost burst out laughing. He walked over to her and whispered, "The escort agency here is run by an acquaintance of my maternal grandfather. I asked him to send someone back to Pingyao County."
Jingwu thought about it for a moment and thought that would be fine, so he nodded: "Okay."
As long as it gets into the Shao family's hands, nothing else matters.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he keenly remembered something: the girl had been staring at the mother and daughter, and she said they were from Pingyao County. Could they be acquaintances?
Her eyes darted around, and she cleverly didn't ask any questions, quickly finishing the task.
"Shopkeeper, could you please deliver these clothes to the county magistrate's office for me? My surname is Jing."
Jingwu picked up the clothes meant for his uncle, aunt, and two other cousins, gave them some instructions, and then turned and walked out with Yue Huai.
"Okay, sure." The shopkeeper agreed, but after watching the person leave, he suddenly realized, "Jing?"
She pursed her lips. Wasn't this the same surname as Master Jing? Luckily, she didn't blurt it out, otherwise it would have been awkward.
Jingwu and Yue Huai carried two large bags of clothes and headed towards the escort agency.
Yue Huai handled all the negotiations; she was only responsible for following behind and watching.
A short while later, the two men came out of the security company.
Jingwu then belatedly realized, "I forgot to buy you clothes. How about we go back now and pick out a couple more?"
Yue Huai smiled and said, "No need. My clothes are all made by the embroidery workshop under the Han family. Once you arrive in the capital, I'll take you to have some clothes made."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu carefully examined the clothes he was wearing.
It is indeed different from those outside; the fabric, style, and embroidery are all of the highest quality.
"Alright."
Jingwu agreed and then walked forward.
This time, by sheer coincidence, they ran into Shao Wanyan and Jing Shu again.
The two men stood outside a jewelry shop, pointing at a beautiful woman and cursing her, while a very impatient middle-aged man stood beside them.
Jingwu could tell at a glance from the bewitching aura emanating from the beautiful woman.
She is not human.
"Enough! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in the street!" the middle-aged man roared, roughly pulling Shao Wanyan away. "Have you had enough? Go back inside!"
"Jingming, you have no conscience! You actually..."
"Shut up!" Jing Ming's face turned cold as he turned to the stunned girl and said fiercely, "Take her back right now, or you won't get your monthly allowance next month."
Startled by the shout, Jing Shu quickly tugged at her mother's sleeve: "Mother, let's go back first."
Shao Wanyan was furious at the person in front of her, but she couldn't bear to scold her daughter, so she swallowed her anger and went back with her daughter.
As soon as the two left, the beautiful widow gently stroked Jingming's arm and spoke softly.
"Sister, do you not like me? It's true, I'm a widow, and I'm not good enough for you. But Brother Ming, my heart for you is as clear as day and night, you have to believe me."
Jing Ming's eyes were a little dazed. He held her hand and gently comforted her, "I believe you, of course I believe you. Luo Yan, there is no such thing as being worthy or unworthy. I will definitely take you into my household."
Xiao Luoyan buried herself in his arms with a shy expression and gave a soft, coquettish sigh.
The two walked arm in arm down the street until they were out of sight.
Jingwu watched the two people's backs, his expression indescribable.
"It's a flower fairy, probably based on a camellia."
Yue Huai tilted his head to look at her face and spoke softly.
"Um."
Are you going to tell him?
Jingwu paused for a moment, his expression remaining completely calm. After a short while, he said, "That flower demon only absorbed some of his essence; it won't kill him. Let them make a scene."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com