Chapter 1
The autumn wind was howling, the night was as cold as water, the bark on the beams was slowly falling off, and the mice were chirping non-stop. The man passed through the damp and dark passage and opened the door of one of the cells.
"Miss Lu, nice to meet you again." The bailiff looked at Lu Ling with a smile, "Since we haven't finished explaining the matter, let's continue."
Two yamen runners escorted Lu Ling out of the cell, followed by her unconscious mother and a tearful maid.
"Miss! Miss!" The maidservant shouted but her voice was not loud.
Lu Ling looked back but didn't say anything.
Lu Ling has been taken to the execution platform twice today. As the saying goes, three times is the limit, and he is likely to be punished this time.
Lu Ling knelt on the ground, speechless. The voice of the person on the stage was clear and melodious. Lu Ling would never forget this person's voice. It had once made her linger, tossing and turning, lost in it. Now, recalling it made her feel sick.
"Lu Ling, did you know that your father once secretly stored military weapons in his own basement?" The voice of the person on the stage was resounding.
Lu Ling looked up and sneered, "Shouldn't you know better than me whether my father has hidden weapons?" Lu Ling glared at the man on the stage, "Lord Shen?"
The person on the stage snorted, "Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me whether you know about this or not."
"So what if I know, so what if I don't know, it's all up to Lord Shen's words." Lu Ling knew that if she went into the cell, she would die, it wouldn't be up to these people to decide, but so far, they didn't dare to touch her.
"Miss Lu." The person on the stage stood up. "If you admit it, His Majesty might spare your life because you are willing to sacrifice your relatives for the greater good. Otherwise, you know what your fate will be."
Lu Ling curled his lips into a smile and said sternly, "No, that's it. Why are you forcing me?"
You know my temper.
"Still not admitting it!" Shen Wangyou slammed the table heavily, "Come here, torture him."
The torture instruments were already prepared, and two yamen runners inserted Lu Ling's hands into the cage. His fingers, connected to his heart, were pinched painfully, and the pain in his hands spread to his heart, but Lu Ling remained unyielding and knelt on the ground.
Shen Wangyou walked out at some point.
As autumn approached, the weather had turned cooler, but a thin layer of sweat appeared on Lu Ling's forehead.
In just a quarter of an hour, Lu Ling's hands had lost sensation. It was painful, but far less painful than the pain in his heart.
Lu Ling never imagined that the person he once loved with all his heart would be the executioner who killed him and his family.
May it hurt a little more, maybe I can forget all this if it hurts a little more.
Lu Ling was awakened by the water. He thought he was dead, but when he opened his eyes and saw the person in front of him, he realized that he was not dead.
The person who had originally left had already walked to Lu Ling's side. Shen Wangyou leaned over and said to Lu Ling, "Miss Lu, it's better to confess as soon as possible, otherwise it will not be just torture in the future."
Lu Ling looked up and met Chen Wangyou's affectionate eyes. Lu Ling had seen his own reflection in these eyes countless times. The eyes that were once full of tenderness were tinged with the color of power at some point.
Lu Ling felt both strange and familiar.
"Chen Wangyou, have you ever understood me?" In fact, Lu Ling wanted to ask: Shen Wangyou, do you understand me? But she was afraid of hearing a negative answer, afraid of wishful thinking, afraid of being laughed at by Shen Wangyou, afraid that she was the only one who took this relationship seriously.
Shen Wangyou was stunned. He didn’t expect Lu Ling to ask him this.
He squatted down and looked Lu Ling in the eye, then raised his hand and gently wiped off the stains on Lu Ling's face. The eldest lady who usually loved cleanliness was now in this filthy prison, and she didn't know how she could bear it.
"Miss Lu and I almost got married, so I naturally understand Miss Lu." After saying that, Shen Wangyou stood up and called for his men to take Lu Ling back.
Judging from the situation today, I'm afraid I won't be able to ask anything.
Lu Ling walked back to the cell and didn't react. Shen Wangyou said he understood her. Lu Ling smiled bitterly. If he understood her, he would not betray her, let alone lie to her.
"Miss, your hand." The maid looked at the red marks on Lu Ling's hand, and tears fell down.
"Nothing, has mother woken up yet?"
The maid shook her head.
After a while, Mother Lu slowly woke up. Lu Ling was afraid that his mother would be sad if she saw the wound on his hand, so he put his hand behind his back, forced a smile, and said, "Mom, you're awake."
Lu's mother is in poor health. Yesterday, officials came and turned the Lu family upside down. Lu's father has not returned since he attended court. Lu's mother could not bear the shock and fainted on the way to the prison.
"Ling'er, how's your father? Is he okay?" Mother Lu held Lu Ling's shoulders with both hands. "What about you? Did they do anything to you?"
"Mother, don't worry. Father should be fine now, and I'm fine too. They don't dare to do anything to us now." Lu Ling said calmly.
Lu Ling looked normal, and his mother didn't ask any more questions.
After that, Lu Ling did not show his hands, so his mother naturally noticed something was wrong.
"Ling'er, what's wrong?"
Lu Ling avoided her gaze, pursed her lips, and after a while, she exhaled and said, "Mom, it's okay. It's just that this place is too damp and makes me uncomfortable."
Mother Lu sighed and said, "You have loved cleanliness since you were a child. You take a bath twice a day at home, and your room is spotless. It's really unfair for you to be here now." Mother Lu's eyes turned red as she spoke.
Lu Ling said that his original intention was to cover up the fact that he was tortured, but he didn't expect that it would still make his mother sad.
Lu Ling comforted her, "Mother, things are different now. Although I like to be clean at home, I can stand this kind of environment."
In the past, Lu Ling really loved cleanliness and couldn't even tolerate the slightest stain.
It was not until she started practicing martial arts at the age of ten that Lu Ling stopped feeling uncomfortable with stains.
Tears streamed down Mother Lu's face. "Ling'er, I know you're strong-willed, but I'm your mother. You don't have to act like this in front of me."
Mother Lu raised her hand and touched Lu Ling's wet hair. She choked up and asked, "Did they torture you?"
Mother Lu could tell at a glance that Lu Ling was lying.
Lu Ling met Lu's mother's eyes. Her mother, who loved beauty and was confident, was now in tears, with a dull look in her eyes.
Lu Ling felt a pain in his heart and reached out to hug Lu's mother.
Tears burst out at one point: "Mom, it hurts!"
Not only my hands hurt, my heart hurts too.
Although Lu Ling is the only daughter of the Lu family, her father and mother did not spoil her. She learned all the necessary etiquette. Her father even asked Lu Ling to learn all the military tactics and weapons on the grounds of strengthening her body.
Fortunately, Lu Ling himself also loves to wield swords and guns, and he actually enjoys it.
When Lu Ling was ten years old, she began to learn military tactics. From then on, she was no longer so close to her mother, let alone act like a spoiled child.
Lu's mother initially complained to Lu's father that he was making his daughter suffer, but Lu's father didn't take it seriously.
"Hey, where is our Ling'er hurt? Let mother see it quickly."
Lu Ling shook his head and said slowly: "I'm fine. This little injury is not as painful as my martial arts training."
"Ling'er, your father must have been wrongly accused. He has been an official for many years and has never done anything corrupt or unjust. I believe that His Majesty will find out the truth and give justice to your father and the Lu family." Mother Lu said in a firm tone.
"Mom, I believe in father."
Two days later, Lu Ling was interrogated again, but this time the interrogator was different.
"Lu Ling, are you going to recruit or not?" the person on the stage said in a loud voice.
Lu Ling scoffed, "What do you want me to do?"
"Of course it's about your father's secret hoarding of weapons."
"I! Don't! Confess!"
"Why should I admit to something my father didn't do?"
"You still dare to be so stubborn! Come on! Punish me!"
"What? Lord Wang is going to be tortured into confessing?" Lu Ling stared at the board next to him.
"Beat him until he confesses." Wang Li raised his eyebrows and shouted to his subordinates.
After the thirty strokes of the cane, Lu Ling had already passed out. This time, Lu Ling was not revived by being doused with water, but was instead taken back to the prison.
Five days later, the weather had gradually turned colder, and the news that Lu's father had been executed reached Lu Ling and his mother, while the rest of the Lu family were exiled to the border.
As soon as the eunuch who read the imperial edict left, someone else came to the prison.
It was Lu Ling’s cousin Chu Liuyun.
"Cousin, what's going on? Why is father going to be executed?" Lu Ling asked with red eyes.
"Ling'er, privately storing military weapons is a serious crime, not to mention the heavy losses in the southwest battle. In addition, the military weapons are in the Lu Mansion, and the Lu family has no evidence to prove that they were framed. Your Majesty will definitely impose severe punishment." Chu Liuyun said.
"Ling'er, I will do my best to save you. You and your aunt will be exiled to the frontier soon. The journey will be dangerous. I will send people to secretly protect you. You and your aunt must be careful."
Lu Ling couldn't think so much now, he just wanted to save his father.
"Cousin, can't it be changed? Does my father have to die?" Lu Ling asked.
Her father would not admit to something he had never done, so the case would not have been closed so quickly. However, within just one month, the matter had come to a conclusion.
It shouldn’t be like this, Lu Ling thought.
Mother Lu also looked at Chu Liuyun, waiting for an answer.
Chu Liuyun was silent for a long time, and finally shook his head.
He didn't want to lie to her.
The emperor has already issued an edict of death, and it cannot be changed.
After Chu Liuyun left, Lu Ling hugged his mother and did not sleep all night.
"Ling'er, you've been smart and strong-willed since you were little. Now that something like this has happened to our family, and we've been exiled to the frontier, you're bound to suffer a lot along the way. Mother doesn't want you to do anything great, she just wants you to be safe and sound."
Mother Lu patted Lu Ling's hand and continued, "You must learn to be patient and be careful in everything."
Mother Lu sighed and said, "Your father must have been wrongly accused. If you have the ability, help him overturn the verdict. If not, try your best to escape and stay away from the court."
Lu Ling had a premonition in his heart, but he didn't dare to think too much about it.
Three days later, Lu Xing will be beheaded.
On this day, a large group of people came to the prison and shouted, "Lu Xing is dead, it's time for you to go on your way."
When Mother Lu heard this, she was heartbroken. She only said to Lu Ling, "Live well," and then rushed forward.
For a moment, everyone present was stunned. No one would have thought that Mrs. Lu would hit the wall at this time.
The paint-chipped pillar was covered in blood. Mrs. Lu slipped down from the pillar. Lu Ling ran over and held Mrs. Lu in his arms.
"Mom! Mom! Don't you want Ling'er anymore?" Lu Ling's voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were red.
Mother Lu leaned on Lu Ling's chest, raised her left hand and stroked Lu Ling's face.
Lu Ling's tears fell drop by drop, and even Lu Ling herself didn't notice.
Mother Lu wiped away Lu Ling's tears and said to her, "Ling'er, don't cry... I'll go and accompany your father. He'll be scared alone. We... will bless you in heaven. You must be well."
Lu Ling wiped her tears hastily and replied: "Okay, okay, I won't cry."
"It's just...it's just that how could mother bear to leave me here alone."
"You are well-behaved and sensible. I have never worried about anything since you were a child. I believe you will be able to live a good life..." Mother Lu's tone became slower and slower, and her voice became smaller and smaller.
Before he could finish his sentence, his hand slid from Lu Ling's face and his eyes closed.
Lu Ling just held Lu's mother's body in his arms for a long time without moving.
It was already dark, and heavy rain had begun to fall outside. The originally dark cell was illuminated by the lightning outside, and a hint of blood spread in the cell.
The maid next to him was already crying. Lu Ling felt that his tears had dried up and he couldn't cry anymore.
In one day, Lu Ling lost his father and mother.
The jailer who came to escort the criminal did not expect such a thing to happen, and hurried to tell the adults.
Perhaps because the adult was considerate, Lu Ling was not exiled that day.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
