Chapter 9
Wen Shu's cries were heart-wrenching and broken, and Han Xiang's drowsiness vanished instantly. Even Pei Lingjun, who was washing the medicine, looked up.
A series of sounds rushed into my ears, amidst the chaos.
"According to the investigation by Pei Lingjun of the Xiaolong Guard, Wen Tao, the prefect of Anyang Prefecture, belongs to the ranks of the traitor Cai. By imperial decree, the traitor Cai and his associates shall be executed according to the law!"
Amid the chaos, countless sharp sounds pierced the eardrums: cries, pleas for mercy, and the furious sound of officials drawing their swords as they ransacked homes.
"Shu'er, I can no longer protect you. If you survive, take your younger brother back to Shanzhou..."
"No! Mother!"
...
Wen Shu suddenly opened her eyes. The surging blood in front of her was gone, replaced by a peaceful and serene scene, as if those betrayals and sins had never existed.
The brief memory of the bloodshed made her heart pound. Wen Shu looked up and said, "It's getting late, we should go back."
Before they could finish speaking, the person had already left. Hanxiang hurriedly picked up her fan and followed, only to find that the sullen young man had gotten there first.
Seeing Wen Shu leave looking distraught, Pei Lingjun hurriedly caught up and grabbed her wrist, calling out, "Lady Wen—"
"Get out of my way!" Wen Shu, with a strength she didn't know she had, brushed Pei Lingjun's hand away and staggered back a few steps, only to be caught by Han Xiang.
"Once you've recovered from your injury, get lost. It's best if you never show your face in front of me again. I don't owe you anything."
The woman's eyes were bloodshot, her emotions acting out of nowhere, at least to onlookers. Pei Lingjun noticed her resistance and silently took a half-step back. In that brief moment, Hanxiang glanced at him with a puzzled look, then helped Wen Shu away.
The courtyard was now empty. Pei Lingjun stared blankly at the woman's back, lost in thought. That one glance from her had contained intense hatred, as well as countless complex emotions, including pain and disappointment.
He had seen many people with such eyes in the Ministry of Justice dungeon. Each person's life experience could fill a thick biography, but why would such eyes appear on a naive young girl?
Did he really offend her before?
Pei Lingjun sighed suddenly, the note hidden in his sleeve twirling between his fingers. He shook his head helplessly; he had just wanted to ask her for help.
"Young lady, what's wrong?"
Hanxiang carefully observed her expression, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had calmed down.
"I just had a nightmare." Wen Shu's face was a little pale, her expression calm, or rather, more like exhaustion. "Hanxiang, what do you think would happen if Father, who has served as the prefect of Anyang for so many years, suddenly resigned?"
"Resign?" Hanxiang's eyes widened suddenly, then a strange smile appeared on her face. "How could that be? Master has been an official for half his life, and now he's even become a prefect. How could he possibly resign?"
"But a career in government is not always smooth sailing. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. The slightest mistake can lead to the confiscation of one's property and execution..." Wen Shu sighed. If she said some things, others would only think she was superstitious and might even ask someone to exorcise evil spirits for her.
Hanxiang comforted her, "Miss, please don't think too much. Master has been in the officialdom for so many years, he would never disregard the lives of the entire family."
"I hope so."
Hanxiang smiled and massaged her shoulders, saying, "But Miss doesn't seem to like that guy at the medicine shop very much. Should we find a time to send him away?"
"Alright, once things have calmed down, we'll dump him outside the city." Wen Shu paused, then suddenly remembered the twists and turns of her past life, and hurriedly said, "Hanxiang, do you remember that the Old Madam had a brother?"
"It seems there is such a person..." Hanxiang asked while pinching, "Why are you asking this out of the blue, young lady?"
What happened?
Wen Shu took a deep breath, her voice tinged with panic, "I suddenly remembered something from the past. Hanxiang, go back to the manor and ask the old lady's maid about that family. Where are they now? What is the status of their descendants? And what do they do?"
Hanxiang blinked, then asked in a daze, "Huh? Why?"
"Just go ahead and ask," Wen Shu said, calming herself down. "Be subtle, so as not to arouse suspicion."
Wen Shu thought, how could simply throwing him out of the city be enough? In her previous life, she had fed and cared for him to recover from his injuries, but he turned around and fabricated a false identity, becoming the grand-nephew of the old lady of the Wen family. She had actually thought he was her distant cousin back then.
Now that we've preemptively blocked Pei Lingjun's identity as a stand-in, will the calamities of our past lives be averted?
The carriage came to a slow stop. The master and servant had just returned to the mansion through a side gate when they were spotted by someone.
Wen Xi, the eldest daughter of the Wen family, is twenty-one years old. Years ago, Wen Tao arranged a marriage for her, but unfortunately, the groom died before she could marry him.
But after all, she was the eldest daughter of the prefect's family. Even if she had a slight reputation for being a jinx to her husband, no one dared to say it. At most, they would say that the other party was unlucky and died early.
After that, matchmakers came one after another, but Wenxi rejected them all.
I ran into Wen Shu at the gate of the mansion today, so I couldn't help but ask her about it.
When the servant leading the horse learned that the young lady had asked him a question, he told her everything. The maid who delivered the message whispered in her ear, and Wenxi said with a sneer, "Is that so? That medicine shop is not making ends meet. I'm afraid it will be difficult to support the three of them."
The maid chimed in, "That's right. Our household might even be losing money every year. Luckily, when she marries into the Qi family, that money-losing pharmacy will be taken along too..."
Before the maid could finish speaking, she received a warning look from Wenxi's personal maid. She suddenly realized that she had said the wrong thing, but it was too late to shut her mouth.
The palm whistled down and slapped her face, numbing half of her face. The lingering pain spread to the other half, and blood splattered from her mouth. Ignoring the pain, the maid knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Please forgive me, my lady! I misspoke! I deserve to be punished!" The maid cried and sobbed, kneeling on the ground and slapping herself in the face.
The two or three maids beside Wenxi lowered their eyes, seemingly unfazed, as if they hadn't heard or seen anything.
After countless slaps, half of her face was swollen like a steamed bun. Wenxi shook her hand and said slowly, "Alright, the people in the manor haven't taught you manners. Starting today, go help out in the front yard."
The work in the front yard was plentiful but poorly paid. The maid dared not object and resigned herself to her fate.
Ever since the maid entered Wenxi's courtyard, she knew this unspoken rule: she could not mention the Second Young Master Qi from the Prefect Qi's mansion in front of Wenxi.
That is, Qi Chengxuan, the fiancé of Fourth Sister Wen Shu who is about to get engaged.
The new maid, unaware of the rules, secretly inquired with Wenxi's personal maid, who only advised them with one sentence: "The more you know, the faster you die."
It cannot be mentioned.
To put it bluntly, it's love turning into hate.
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