Just as they turned around, Madam Zhu suddenly spoke up, "You promised me, but you haven't told me yet."
"My dear Yuan'er, how is he? Where is he?"
“On the frontier.” Fang Heng turned his head. “Buried alongside countless frontier soldiers.”
Zhu's gaze was vacant, and she silently sat back down in her original seat.
As everyone left the cell, the cold and gloom faded away, and an overwhelming brightness swept over them, enveloping every inch of their skin.
"The sun is so nice." Jiang Sheng stretched. "Seeing this bright sun makes me want to sleep."
Madam Jiang couldn't help but chuckle, while the head of the He family looked on with surprise.
Only Zheng Ruqian hummed softly, "If I remember correctly, you also want to sleep on rainy days."
Jiang Sheng blushed, too embarrassed to stretch out his arms any longer, and darted into the carriage, wrapping his whole body in the curtain.
It looks just like that fat silkworm pupa.
Madam Jiang was the first to burst into hearty laughter.
The brothers all laughed along, and the head of the He family eagerly leaned closer, "What a lovely young lady! How wonderful she is! How old is she? Is she married...?"
The rest of the words were left unsaid.
He noticed that everyone had stopped laughing, and their eyes were fixed on him with suspicion and hostility.
Old Madam Jiang waved her hand, "Do you know why the He family cherishes He Xin, who is Xiao Heng's grandmother, so much?"
"Why?" Fang Heng couldn't help but ask.
“Because my aunt is the only girl in six generations of our He family.” The head of the He family had tears in his eyes. “In all these years, we haven’t seen another girl.”
He had three sons, and his brother He Chengzhang also had two sons.
“Lord He,” Wen Zhiyun suddenly spoke up, “the Prefect’s wife came to me a while ago to check her pulse, and it seems she is pregnant.”
The head of the He family was startled and turned his head in disbelief.
After receiving Wen Zhiyun's repeated confirmation, he dared not delay any longer and immediately called for a carriage, saying, "Let's head back home, hurry back home."
The siblings all laughed, and Zheng Ruqian, his face full of gossip, asked, "The He family has accepted the Prefect's wife?"
"There's no such thing as a family feud that lasts overnight," Xu Mo chuckled. "If the Prefect's wife could give birth to a daughter, she would surely become a hero to the He family."
The crowd burst into laughter again, but this time the laughter was filled with blessings.
Jiang Sheng had already climbed onto the carriage first, and Old Madam Jiang went in to accompany her.
The other brothers also sat down one after another. When it was Fang Heng's turn, Xu Mo grabbed him and said, "Third brother, I have something I want to tell you."
The only thing that could make the two of them so secretive is Wang Yuyao, who is imprisoned in the far suburbs.
The towering walls, heavy iron chains, and fist-sized brass locks remained.
This time, however, it was Fang Heng who unlocked the door.
Wang Yuyao was still sitting listlessly in the courtyard. Despite her young age, she already looked prematurely aged.
She mechanically swung her arms, and upon hearing the noise, she merely asked indifferently, "You're here again."
This time, however, there was no response from Xu Mo, nor were any food or water moved.
Wang Yuyao turned around in surprise, and what came into view was a young general with a straight posture. His indigo robe made him look heroic and spirited, with both the nobility of a young master from a prominent family in Fengjing and the fierceness of a frontier soldier.
He stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding a heavy iron chain in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.
He came back; he came back alive.
Wang Yuyao's expression broke down, from blank to astonished, from astonished to ecstatic, and finally she burst into tears.
He is still as good as ever, but she is broken beyond repair.
"Lord Xu, how cruel you are!" Wang Yuyao cried out in anguish, "You can kill me or torture me as you please, but you insist on destroying my heart."
From Anshui County to Fengjing, from a family facing great changes to turning against each other, the scenes of childhood sweethearts smiling together are still vivid in my mind, but in the blink of an eye, everything has changed.
Her mother turned ruthless, and she wanted to hate her too.
She eventually forced him to leave, and then traveled to Fengjing, but still could not get what she wanted.
Fate is like duckweed, drifting aimlessly, unable to fulfill the emotions of childhood, nor satisfy the desires of adulthood.
Suddenly, she no longer missed the Sun family as much, nor did she miss her mother as much.
Her life has been so tiring; she always had to shoulder all the responsibilities.
She had forgotten that for the first ten years, her father had also doted on her and showered her with love.
“Brother Heng, you’re finally back.” Wang Yuyao wiped away her tears and tentatively approached. “I haven’t seen you for so many years. I want to talk to you, okay?”
Her response was Fang Heng's icy demeanor.
“I know you hate me for forcing you like that back then, and I don’t want to explain too much. I just…” She finally leaned closer and drew the short sword that only a general could wear.
Fang Heng remained expressionless, neither responding nor stopping her, seemingly wanting to see what tricks she would pull.
Wang Yuyao tried to perform a sword flourish, but failed. She then mocked herself, "Indeed, one must be diligent in practicing martial arts. I can't remember almost everything you taught me back then."
"You hate me, right? You should hate me." She took one last look at the azure sky and the blinding sunlight, then plunged the blade into her own chest. "You hate me, I deserve what I got."
The frail, pale yellow body collapsed to the ground, its heart severed. Blood welled from the corner of the mouth of this man who loved beauty so much.
"Why did you go to such lengths?" Fang Heng frowned. "I have never hated you. What you have done has nothing to do with me. I just don't like it when you target my brothers and sisters."
If there was any affection between the two, then their parting on the hillside meant they became strangers.
"Oh, so that's why." Wang Yuyao gave a bitter laugh. "If I said it was because I was jealous, would you believe me? I'm jealous that they can be so comfortable with you, that they favor you, while all I can do is persecute you..."
Perhaps it was because she was bleeding more and more, or perhaps her heart was slowing down, but her breathing became more and more rapid. "Brother Heng, I saw Father and Uncle. They were smiling and saying they would marry me off to you as the general's wife. But why does fate like to play tricks on me? I can't be the general's wife."
"I'm leaving now, to see my father and uncle and aunt. I want to tell them that you're doing well..."
There are many kinds of evil in people: innate, acquired, caused by causes, and due to reasons.
Aside from a few born evil, the evil of most people can be traced back to its cause: perhaps it is the trick of fate, perhaps it is the torment of life, perhaps it is a coincidence, or perhaps it is out of helplessness.
But life has its causes and effects. Those who have done bad things will eventually be punished. Even in your carefree days, don't forget to count down the days.
If people could foresee the future, the ailing imperial family might not have ignored the second prince, the gentle and kind He Xin might not have elevated the illegitimate son to the status of the legitimate son, and the mad Liao family might not have trusted her maternal family so blindly.
Unfortunately, no one can do it, so the cause and effect continue.
Xu Mo watched coldly as Fang Heng buried Wang Yuyao on the spot before the two brothers drove back to the courtyard.
Everyone remained seated in the courtyard, not leaving.
He took a deep breath, walked a few steps to Chang Yan, cupped his hands and said, "Xiao Wu, I want to ask you for a favor. Could you... send me back to Anshui County as the prefect?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
