Chapter 56: Eating the Evil Fruit Red Rose is the only love in Wei Fuxian's life...
"... doting on his son and shielding the murderer led to a grave mistake. He was dismissed from his position as a member of the Jinwu Guard, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the Nanling Mountains."
"The criminal Liu Chang, who deliberately killed people and humiliated the people, is now nothing more than a pile of bones. He must be exiled to the Nanling Mountains and cannot be buried in the capital."
"Although the murderer, Cao's father, has confessed his guilt, he cannot escape his responsibility. He will be thrown into the dungeon and executed on a later date."
"I hereby order—"
Eunuch Zhao stood in the center of the hall, holding the imperial edict and speaking loudly. Before him, Lord Liu, stripped of his official uniform, knelt on the ground, his face pale. Beside him, Father Cao smiled, his expression relieved.
Cemetery in the suburbs of Beijing.
Wei Fuxian and his younger brother Wei Er stood under a tree, looking at the group of people in mourning in front of them from afar, with expressions of pity on their faces.
Madam Liu was buried today. Since Lord Liu had been exiled to Nanling, only Madam Liu's family had come to see her off. A white-haired old man sat at the grave, looking at it calmly, his eyes moist. He must be Madam Liu's father.
"Brother, the truth about the Liu family has been revealed, and it's time for us to leave." Wei Er looked at Wei Fuxian and whispered.
Wei Er was the one who witnessed Liu Chang hacking Cao He to death with a knife. After the incident, Wei Er was worried that Liu Chang would come looking for him, so he fled to Wei Fuxian and hid there for half a month. Madam Hongmei also turned a blind eye to it.
If Luo Qingling hadn't discovered something, Wei Fuxian could have continued to hide the truth. However, Prince Rong'an had intervened, and if he waited to find out the truth, his brother Wei Er would certainly be implicated. So Wei Fuxian decided to take Wei Er away from Caiyifang, but before doing so, he "in passing" reminded Luo Qingling not to hold Wei Er responsible later.
"Let's go." Wei Fuxian nodded. The imperial court had issued an order to hold them accountable, so they needed to leave quickly.
"Wait," Wei Er stood still, his expression firm. "Brother, there's one thing I haven't done yet. Although Liu Chang and Cao He are just drinking buddies with me, they are also friends I, Wei Er, have treated sincerely. If I don't tell them, I'll feel bad."
The next day, Dali Temple.
Xu Sheng, the Dali Temple official, sat in the hall, looking at the thin young man below, and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
Wei Er nodded vigorously. "That night, when Liu Chang, Cao He, and I were drinking, Cao He jokingly said that Liu Chang had all his limbs intact but couldn't enjoy the world, implying that Liu Chang had a hidden illness. Who knew that Liu Chang would actually draw his sword and hack him to death?"
"Afterwards, I was worried that Liu Chang would cause trouble for me, so I hid myself."
Wei Er spoke the truth with a sincere expression. Since the emperor had already issued a decree of punishment, Xu Sheng couldn't say much. He slammed the gavel and said, "The second son of the Wei family, knowing this and not reporting it, will be fined three hundred taels of silver and banned from entering the capital for three years."
Hearing this, Wei Er breathed a sigh of relief, and the stone in his chest finally fell.
On the side, Wei Fuxian and his younger brother Wei Er bowed and turned to leave.
"Young Master Wei, please wait a moment," an attendant followed. "The three hundred taels of silver have already been paid for the two young masters. Young Master Wei does not need to pay again."
Has anyone paid?
Wei Er looked at Wei Fuxian in shock, and the latter's expression understood. Wei Fuxian clasped his fists to thank his attendants, then left the Dali Temple with his brother and walked straight towards the city gate.
The sight behind me is burning.
Wei Fuxian suddenly stopped, turned around to look at the woman in the restaurant, and suddenly remembered that snowy night.
Ten years ago, outside the palace gate.
"Madam, please have mercy on me and my brother. Just one or two taels of silver will be enough." Wei Fuxian, dressed in tattered clothes, knelt on the official road with his brother, holding a broken bowl in his hands, begging the woman in red in front of him.
The woman came from the palace and must have no shortage of money. After Wei Fuxian spotted her, he knelt down to stop her. The two of them were in a stalemate for a while.
Just when Wei Fuxian thought there was no hope, the woman in red leaned over, stretched out a finger to lift his chin, raised her eyebrows and said nothing.
She has delicate features and a bit of charm.
It was the first time that Wei Fuxian saw such a beautiful woman. He stared at her intently, his eyes full of amazement.
"Oh."
The red-dressed woman chuckled softly, looked directly at Wei Fuxian and said, "I think you're quite good-looking. How about staying with me? I'll ensure you live a life without worries."
Wei Fuxian didn't remember how he answered, but in the end he still followed Madam Hongmei away.
Later, Madam Hongmei established the Caiyi Shop, and her business became more and more prosperous. Wei Fuxian naturally became Madam Hongmei's lover. The two slept in the same bed for ten years and were as close as husband and wife.
Of course he loved Madam Hongmei, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to bring up the matter of signing a contract to sell himself. For this reason, Madam Hongmei ignored him for a few days because she thought Wei Fuxian loved her money.
After some consolation, Wei Fuxian "married" Madam Hongmei as she wished.
For ten years, a full ten years, the two lived together like an ordinary couple.
If his younger brother Wei Er had not witnessed the murder and refused to report it, Wei Fuxian would not have worried about implicating Madam Hongmei and would not have taken the initiative to leave, cruelly ending this marital relationship that was not recognized by the world.
Madam Hongmei naturally knew what he was thinking. Wei Fuxian thought that she must be as deeply in love with him as he was, otherwise why would she pay the fine for his brother Wei Er after he left?
Red Rose is Wei Fuxian's only romantic encounter and his only love in his life.
Because he loved her and knew how much she cared about the reputation of Caiyifang, his departure would definitely be the best outcome for Hongmei.
Madam Hongmei is a smart person. She loves Wei Fuxian and also loves Wei Er. However, Hongmei is not stupid. She knows the consequences of harboring a murderer and cannot ruin her own future. Therefore, no matter how much she loves him, she can only let him go.
In the restaurant.
Mrs. Hongmei looked at the figure gradually moving away, tears streaming down her face.
Wei Fuxian left.
All the decisions he made from now on had nothing to do with her, Hongmei, or Caiyifang. The fine was her last act of helping Wei Fuxian. After today, they would never see each other again.
*
The next morning, Luo Mansion.
"My wife, my wife——"
Aunt Zhao hurried in from outside the courtyard, looking excited as she approached Luo Qingling, who was sitting at her desk reading a book. Aunt Zhao asked excitedly, "Madam, do you know who's here?"
"Apart from Deng Yesi and Duan Qingyi, who else in the capital would take the initiative to come to my house to find me?" Luo Qingling silently turned a page of the book, glanced at the noisy Aunt Zhao, with a hint of blame in his eyes.
It couldn't be Qin Yanheng, right? He wouldn't come to her so blatantly - even though the story of the two of them catching monsters and solving cases together had already been written into storybooks and spread throughout the capital.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Zhao shook her head and said mysteriously, "It's the eunuch who works for the Saint."
Eunuch Zhao?
Luo Qingling was startled and quickly stood up and walked towards the main hall. Why was Eunuch Zhao here? Could something have happened to my father? Could it be that the saint had shown mercy and transferred my father back from the frontier?
Passing through the corridor, the dark blue official uniform in the main hall appeared before our eyes.
It was the figure of Eunuch Zhao.
"Hello, eunuch." Luo Qingling knelt down and bowed his head slightly.
Eunuch Zhao, dressed in a dark blue official robe, turned around and saw her. He hurried forward to help Luo Qingling up. Then Eunuch Zhao took two steps back and saluted Luo Qingling solemnly.
Just as Luo Qingling was becoming more and more confused, a young eunuch came up from the side of Eunuch Zhao, holding a red brocade box. Seeing this, Eunuch Zhao raised his hand and took out a golden imperial edict from the brocade box. After clearing his throat, he raised his voice.
"Luo Qingling, the noble daughter of the Luo family, is both talented and beautiful. She has solved unsolved cases and is a heroine among women. Today, I reward her with ten miles of gold, silver and treasures, and a city south of the Yangtze River. I hereby decree—"
How many?
Luo Qingling couldn't hide her shock. She stared at the imperial edict in Eunuch Zhao's hand with her mouth slightly open, frozen in place, unable to move. Aunt Zhao quietly pinched Luo Qingling's lower back from behind, signaling her to accept the edict.
Eunuch Zhao handed the imperial edict to Luo Qingling with a smile, congratulated him repeatedly with a smile, and then swaggered out of the Luo Mansion with the little eunuch, leaving Luo Qingling in a daze.
"Aunt Zhao, how much did the father-in-law say as a reward?" Luo Qingling was still in shock.
When a princess gets married, the ceremonial procession is only ten miles long. Now, she can get the same treatment as a princess for solving only three cases. What an honor it is.
"My lady, you heard it right. The saint has rewarded you with ten miles of treasures and a city!" Aunt Zhao stretched her head to look at the imperial edict in Luo Qingling's hand, and pointed a finger at the words on it.
Wait, the city in Jiangnan... Luo Qingling seemed to realize something, and her eyes slowly widened.
The saint is giving her a reason to go on a southern tour with Qin Yanheng!
Luo Qingling didn't care to be shocked. She was only thinking that now she could legitimately accompany Qin Yanheng to Jiangnan to investigate her father's accidental murder of a high-ranking official. She was about to return to her room to pack her things, but as she did so, she felt a bright yellow piece of paper fall from her hand. It looked like it was the letter Eunuch Zhao had handed her along with the imperial edict.
What is this and why didn't Eunuch Zhao tell her specifically?
Luo Qingling tore open the letter, fearing she might have missed some news. She shook the paper and read it quickly, her expression growing increasingly puzzled, prompting Aunt Zhao to look over as well.
"This... Madam, the next step will not be to arrange a marriage, right?" Aunt Zhao opened her mouth wide.
"How could that be? Who is the Saint going to marry me?" Luo Qingling's hands were shaking.
"Prince Rong'an, the story of your wife and the young prince is spreading throughout the capital. I'm sure the Saint and the Queen already know about it by now." Aunt Zhao always said whatever she wanted to say without any scruples.
Luo Qingling folded the letter abruptly and stuffed it into his sleeve, blinking his eyes.
Queen, why did you invite her to join the royal family dinner tonight? Not to mention that she and Qin Yanheng haven't even started dating yet, and besides, she doesn't have any feelings for Qin Yanheng, so he shouldn't have the same feelings, right?
What exactly does the Queen mean by this?
At the same time, inside the palace.
The Queen sat in the hall, blowing gently on the teacup in her hand, then took a sip of tea. She looked up at the young man beside her and chuckled, "Why, after begging your father, you're now begging your mother? The imperial decree has been issued. If you want to add anything now, it's too late."
Qin Yanheng said nothing, just sat there silently peeling the cake, then looked up and put it into his mouth.
Seeing her son's feigned indifference, the empress couldn't help but laugh. The sage had long ago ordered Qin Yanheng to embark on a southern tour, but after two months, he still hadn't set off. The empress, assuming her son was out having fun again, sent someone to investigate.
Who would have thought that he would be investigating a case with the young lady from the Luo family? It turned out that with a beautiful woman by his side, he was reluctant to leave.
The Queen had been reluctant to intervene. After all, Qin Yanheng had always had his own ideas. If he disliked the young lady from the Luo family, he certainly wouldn't have kept her around for so long. She didn't know what their current situation was, but Qin Yanheng had his own plans, and the Queen only needed to wait for him to speak.
Last night, Qin Yanheng made a rare return trip to the palace, and the first thing he did was to request an imperial decree on behalf of the young lady from the Luo family. The emperor and the empress thought their son had finally come to his senses and requested an imperial decree granting a marriage, but to their surprise, he only requested a fiefdom in Jiangnan and some treasures. The empress was slightly disappointed.
This is such a clear reason to give Mrs. Luo a reason to accompany him on the southern tour. I wonder if she can see her youngest son get married this year.
For this purpose, the Queen secretly slipped an invitation under the imperial edict and asked Eunuch Zhao to deliver it to Luo Qingling.
At the family dinner tonight, she wanted to see what kind of young lady could make that naughty little prince behave so abnormally.
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