Added Chapter 24 (Wood is Dead)
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Chai Yong's gaze fell on the laborer's ears, which were larger than average, and he remembered seeing this laborer in front of the earthen house before: "After Third Sister was arrested, you went to her house."
Pei Jingyao also recognized the laborer in front of him and said, "He came to see my sister-in-law and Brother Lu."
The laborer, wearing straw sandals, straightened his back as he looked at the two noblemen in brocade robes and said, "I am Third Sister's friend! She saved me! I also want to help Third Sister!"
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After Lu Huaying was taken away, Pei Jingyao went to take care of Wang Yu and Lu Hongbi. The people living in that alley came to visit the uncle and aunt every day. They were all common people of low status, along with a group of barefoot children. They couldn't help much, but once inside the house, they would either sigh and curse the officials for their disregard for human life, or cry with Wang Yu. The uncle and aunt were both in poor health, and Pei Jingyao was worried that they would be too heartbroken, so he instructed his attendants not to let anyone into the mud house.
Wang Yu did not recognize the big-eared laborer. When he arrived at the earthen house, he was stopped outside by his attendants.
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The laborer waved his hand and said, "When Third Sister got into trouble, everyone in the alley wanted to help, but we have no money or power, and we don't even know where the government is. We heard that you, Young Master, are looking for the Prince's entourage, so we inquired around the city. The Gan family's child said he saw a group of unfamiliar people, and they spoke in the Heluo dialect saying they were going to Xizhou. Later, we asked a few more people, and the laborers who were doing hard labor at the city gate that day also said they saw those people. They must be the people you are looking for, Young Master!"
Chai Yong, Pei Jingyao, and the others were taken aback, but then their faces lit up with joy. They were just worried about not being able to find any clues about the missing soldiers when the laborers brought them news!
"I'll send people to Xizhou to search; we must find those people!"
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Pubu said, "Your Highness, Governor Wei has given an order that none of us can leave the city. What should we do?"
Remembering this, Chai Yong frowned and thought for a moment, then looked up at the laborer and asked, "May I ask your honorable surname, sir?"
The laborer laughed heartily and said, "Young Master, I've been begging for food in Liucheng since I was a child. I have no father, no mother, no surname, and no name. I have big ears, so everyone calls me Big Ears!"
Chai Yong cupped his hands in thanks to the laborers: "Brother, you are so kind and righteous to Third Sister. I thank you on behalf of Third Sister. I know the Governor of Xizhou. I can write a letter to ask him to help arrest those soldiers."
Big Ears patted his chest: "I've been to Xizhou, I know the way! I can deliver the message for the young master!"
Chai Yong immediately wrote a letter, which the laborer took and stuffed into his pocket. He turned to leave, but Chai Yong stopped him and asked Steward Gu to give him some money and bring him a horse.
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Big Ears climbed onto the horse's back and said, "Young Master, there's no need to thank me. Third Sister often feeds the children of the Gan family. Without Third Sister, they would have starved to death long ago. They found out the news themselves. Third Sister is my savior. It's only right that I do this for my benefactor when she's in trouble!"
Chai Yong and Pei Jingyao watched as the figure of Big Ears on horseback disappeared into the distance.
Pei Jingyao couldn't help but sigh, "Although this big-eared girl has never been to school and can't read, she's much better than some educated people. And those barefoot kids in the alley are helping Third Sister all the time."
The alley was inhabited by poor people. During the lean season, every family struggled to make ends meet, and people starved to death every year. Those children endured hunger from a young age and rarely had a full meal.
One day, a girl fainted from hunger outside the mud house, and Lu Huaying gave her some food.
Later, some children were starving to death and went to beg Lu Huaying for help. Lu Huaying made them do some errands and pick beans, and then gave them some food.
Sometimes, when Lu Huaying herself had nothing to eat, she would teach the children to go to the market to help the merchants unload goods, carry luggage, and fetch water in order to get some food.
The reason why the children in the alley could understand and speak some of the Heluo dialect was because Lu Huaying taught them.
When they heard that Lu Huaying had been sentenced to death, the children cried and spontaneously tried to find out news about her every day.
Pei Jingyao, a scion of a wealthy and privileged family, was somewhat moved, but...
They cared about the group of barefoot children, but they never expected that the children would actually find out some useful information.
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In his eyes, his elder brother was a learned and virtuous man, yet he did such a despicable thing.
Chai Yong patted Pei Jingyao on the shoulder and said, "Many righteous people come from humble backgrounds... You can't judge a person solely by their family background."
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As soon as Big Ears left the city, the news reached Wei Mingsu.
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"Yes. I heard them say with my own ears that a Gan family child next door to Lu San Niang saw a group of strangers who said they were going to Xizhou. Prince Chai wrote a letter and sent that servant to deliver it to Xizhou."
Wei Mingsu put down his pen, his tone decisive, and said, "Go to Xizhou and have the people there intercept the laborers and his letter, but don't alert the Protectorate."
"yes!"
The messenger immediately mounted a fast horse and galloped towards Xizhou.
Wei Mingsu lowered his head and wrote several letters, then knocked on the window.
They entered the house together.
"Send the message out; the person is in Xizhou. People from Jiaohe, Puchang, and Tianshan should immediately withdraw and all rush to Xizhou."
Tong Jin nodded and let out a long sigh, saying, "My lord, the person is indeed in Xizhou! You sent everyone out to gather information in Xizhou, and now that it's confirmed they're there, they'll definitely be able to catch those missing soldiers!"
Wei Mingsu calmly said, "Go and deliver the message."
"yes!"
Tong Jin turned around and went to deliver the letter.
After a while, Afu came in carrying a plate of roasted mutton and flatbread, followed by the doctor.
The doctor put down his medicine box and applied medicine to Wei Mingsu's arm.
Wei Mingsu had no choice but to put down his pen, roll up his right sleeve and place it on the table, holding a scroll of official documents in his left hand, and ask Afu, "Is the room over there clean?"
Afu said, "Don't worry, Master. Everything has been cleaned up. The spices and wine have all been thrown away, the bedding on the bed has all been changed, and even Lu Sanniang's clothes have been changed. No one is allowed to go in except for me and Tongjin."
Wei Mingsu grunted in acknowledgment and looked down at the official document in his left hand.
The doctor applied the prepared medicine to his wound.
"Will Zhou Qin's medicine leave any aftereffects?"
Wei Mingsu suddenly asked a question.
The doctor was stunned, not understanding what he meant.
Wei Mingsu, still looking at the official document, said, "Third Sister Lu."
The doctor then realized what was going on and replied, "Those strong medicines are very harmful to the body, but as long as you don't take too much, they won't leave any lasting effects."
Wei Mingsu nodded.
After the doctor finished applying the medicine and left, Afu placed the flatbread on the table.
Wei Mingsu glanced at the roasted meat on the plate and asked, "What is Lu San Niang eating?"
Afu said, "Ah Lang, she's a prisoner, and she eats the same food as those guards."
Wei Mingsu lowered his head, rolled up his right sleeve to cover the burns, and said, "Take it away. From today onwards, you will personally oversee everything that Lu Sanniang puts in her mouth. Remember, whatever she eats or drinks, I will eat too. Bring half of her food over here."
Afu paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, picked up the mutton and flatbread, and went out.
When Tong Jin returned after delivering the letter, he noticed that the mutton and bread on the plate were untouched and asked, "Why haven't you eaten, sir?"
Afu glanced in the direction of Lu Huaying's room and said, "My lord said that from now on, whatever Lu Sanniang eats, he will eat too. He wants me to take care of her. The meat must be stewed in the same pot, and the tea must be brewed in the same pot. Is it because I didn't do my job well that my lord is angry?"
Tong Jin frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head: "You're so stupid! The young master is afraid that someone will poison Lu San Niang, so he told you that Lu San Niang's food and drink must be from the same pot and bowl as the young master's, so that no one will dare to poison her!"
Ah Fu relaxed first.
She sighed, then her face filled with panic: "What if someone poisons Lu San Niang? My lord will be in danger! No way!"
He carried the mutton back to his study.
"Ah Lang, it's too dangerous! What if someone poisoned Lu San Niang's food?"
“They wouldn’t dare,” Wei Mingsu said without looking up. “If they poisoned me too, it would alarm the capital. The next people they would send would be Suo Yuanli and Lai Junchen.”
Then all the high-ranking officials in the entire Xizhou region might lose their positions.
"Go get the food."
After saying that, he snorted coldly, took the half-eaten pancake, and went out.
Wei Mingsu stood in front of the door and looked at it for a long time.
He walked out with half a pancake in his hand, but when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, pulled his leg back from the threshold, turned around, and looked Lu Huaying up and down several times with a critical eye.
He slowly straightened his back, sat there lost in thought for a while, then suddenly pressed his hands on the table, stood up abruptly, and swept his sleeves across the table, scattering the papers, inkstone, and paperweight all over the floor.
Through the crack in the door, Lu Huaying took the doctor's medicine and lay fast asleep on the carpet. Moonlight shone through the window paper onto her face, and she breathed slowly, her eyelashes occasionally trembling slightly in the moonlight.
Without saying a word, Wei Mingsu strode out of the study, through the corridor, and toward the bedroom where Lu Huaying was imprisoned.
"Don't go, wait for me."
Sunlight shone on the window paper covered with a layer of sand. Wei Mingsu sat for a long time, picked up half a pancake, and ate it bite by bite.
They starved to death.
He withdrew his gaze, turned around, and slowly walked back to his study. He tidied up the scattered papers on the floor, put them back on the desk, rolled up his sleeves, adjusted the lamp wick, and continued to peruse official documents.
Afu found Lu Sanniang's expression of worrying that he would steal all the sesame cakes incredibly funny, so he vividly described it, even glaring at her with his eyes wide open, his lips tightly pursed, and mimicking Lu Huaying by crossing his arms and shrinking back.
Even if her death is imminent, she cannot go hungry. The taste of hunger is too bitter, and she does not want to die of starvation.
When the guards saw him, they quickly clasped their hands in salute. He waved his hand, signaling them to leave, and walked towards the door.
That's great.
He repeated the command.
People in Chang'an say that Lu San Niang died in Qianzhou.
He then read letters, wrote letters, and reviewed official documents.
Afu walked in and saw her eating a pancake. She was immediately stumped: there was only a pancake, how could she share half with her husband?
Wei Mingsu said, his low, hoarse voice suddenly becoming stern, yet there was not a trace of anger in it, only a desolate feeling that weighed heavily on one's heart.
"That's how things come from the same pot!"
Afu carried half a pancake and some water back to the study.
He forgot about her and met a gentle and considerate woman who truly loved him.
He frowned, thought for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He stepped forward, snatched the pancake from Lu Huaying's hand, tore it in half, and returned the other half to her.
The young woman dug the pit, cried sadly for a while, then steeled herself, lay down in the pit, and squeezed in with Wei Mingsu.
He did not die.
As he spoke, he gradually sensed that something was amiss. When he looked up, he saw Wei Mingsu sitting upright, motionless, neither eating the flatbread nor reading the letter, as if he had turned into a stone statue.
Lu Huaying held the remaining half of the pancake, stunned for a moment.
Wei Mingsu lowered his eyes and shook his head.
Wei Mingsu opened his eyes.
The young woman dragged him along, walking through the wind and sand, crying as she went.
The guards heard a loud noise coming from the study and rushed in.
Wei Mingsu's steps suddenly slowed down, stopping in front of the crack in the door.
She hugged Wei Mingsu and wiped his face clean.
The young woman dragged Wei Mingsu along for a long time until she was exhausted. She collapsed on the sand, felt Wei Mingsu's pulse, leaned against his chest and listened for a while, tears falling onto his clothes.
...
But Philip died.
&
Afu sneered: "Did you do this on purpose last night, trying to seduce your husband and get him to exonerate you?"
The paint on Lu Huaying's face had long been washed off, but the whip marks had not completely faded. She was dressed in simple clothes and was not fully healed, looking slightly haggard. However, these scars did not make her look ugly at all; instead, they made her even more charming.
He was busy until evening, dealing with the soldiers coming and going to report things. He didn't return to his study until the early hours of last night, and only slept for an hour. After a busy day, he was exhausted. The burn on his right hand felt like it was being torn apart. He supported his forehead with his left hand and fell asleep without realizing it.
The young lady woke up and saw Wei Mingsu awake. She paused for a moment, wiped her face, and a bright smile bloomed on her face, which was streaked with black and white from tears and sand.
He looked inside.
Lu Huaying closed her eyes, and a smile slowly appeared on her pale face.
"The wood is dead."
"go out."
All around were endless golden sand dunes. The way we came was nowhere to be seen, nor was the way out of this desert. The sky and the ground were both shrouded in a yellow haze.
In his dazed state, Wei Mingsu heard her soft sobbing. He tried to stand up, but couldn't open his eyes.
Afraid that Lu Huaying might not be honest, Afu didn't close the door completely, leaving a crack.
Lu Huaying was baffled and clutched the remaining half of the pancake tightly.
“Ah Lang, when I took the cake just now, Lu San Niang held on tightly and wouldn’t let go, like a starving ghost reincarnated.”
The young woman made up her mind, wiped her eyes, let go of Wei Mingsu, and while crying and wiping away her tears, she dug a hole in the sand.
With a rustling sound, the west wind blew into the study, and a stack of yellow hemp paper on the desk was blown to the ground.
...
The young woman lay in his arms, letting the sand cover her face and body, motionless. Her long black hair was buried in the sand, and her thick eyelashes, straight nose, and upturned lips were all covered with a layer of sand.
“Wood, it’s my fault. Don’t go far. Wait for me. I’ll dig a hole and bury us together. If we both become ghosts, we’ll have each other in death. I can’t let you be a lonely ghost in Xizhou.”
Wei Mingsu slowly lowered his head, and just before he touched her face, he raised his hand and brushed away a grain of sand from her hair.
Lu Huaying was eating a flatbread. The flatbread had come out of the oven that morning, but the weather had turned cold, and it was dry and hard when it was handed to her. She took a bite, drank some water, and swallowed it.
Ah Fu could only reluctantly go and serve the food.
Afu was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe and retreated.
Wei Mingsu is engaged?
He is about to marry his real wife.
Wei Mingsu read the letter on the table without lifting his eyelids, his right hand pressing down on the paper, and his left hand picking up half a pancake and putting it into his mouth.
...
Afu raised his head: "Lu Sanniang, I advise you to stop daydreaming. Our young master has long forgotten you! He hasn't mentioned you at all in the past few years! Moreover, our young master is engaged to a young lady from a scholarly family. She is gentle and considerate to him, and he will marry no one else! He will marry her as soon as he comes to his senses! Give up on your dreams!"
It felt as if sand and dust were brushing against my face.
The soldiers exchanged bewildered glances. The deputy captain mustered his courage and stepped forward, asking, "Governor Wei, shall we interrogate the prisoner?"
"Wood, we can't get out of here, it's all sand... We're going to die in Xizhou."
Wei Mingsu was lying on the ground.
Afu looked at Lu Huaying with a hint of disdain in his eyes: "I'm not trying to steal your food!"
"Wood, you're not dead!"
Four years ago, Ah Lang was humiliated by the Lu family.
She picked up the unconscious Wei Mingsu and put him in the pit, only to find that the pit was not long or wide enough for one person to lie down. So she had no choice but to continue digging while crying.
When Wei Mingsu woke up, the sand blown by the west wind had already buried him and his wife.
She hugged Wei Mingsu and closed her eyes.
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