Chapter 16 (Wei Mingsu did not recognize her)
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The more her father and elder brother tried to control her and forced her to be a dignified and quiet noblewoman, the more willful and rebellious she became.
After her grandfather passed away, Lu Huaying moved into the Yan State Duke's Mansion in Chongrenfang, Chang'an.
Chongrenfang was located on the east side of Zhuque Street, adjacent to the Imperial Palace on the west side, and close to the East Market, one of the two markets in Chang'an. It was a place where imperial relatives, high-ranking officials and powerful families lived.
Every day, young men living nearby would come to the Duke of Yan's mansion to ask Lu Huaying to go out and play. A group of young men in brocade robes and their powerful servants, along with more than twenty tall horses with their manes trimmed into flower shapes, would surround Lu Huaying, who was wearing a hairpin, and they would march through Chongrenfang to go on an outing to Qujiang, to drink in the East and West Markets, to watch monks preach at the temple, and to ride horses in Leyouyuan.
Lu Huaying didn't want to marry any of the young men from the families of high-ranking officials. When they were happy, they would drink and laugh together, but when they got tired of each other, they would part ways and no one would owe anyone anything.
After the women of the Lu family were reduced to a lowly status, many people took advantage of their plight and sought revenge against Lu Huaying.
Among those people were strangers who were jealous of the five families' social standing, some were people like Cheng Can whom Lu Huaying had no recollection of and had never even glanced at before, and some were boys she knew who had accompanied her boating on the Qujiang River.
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Lu Huaying was not afraid of the humiliation and ridicule from those young masters; she was only afraid of seeing one person—Wei Mingsu.
Back then, the person she deceived and hurt the most was Wei Mingsu.
Through a group of fierce-looking, knife-wielding henchmen, Wei Mingsu's gaze fell on Lu Huaying's face.
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His gaze was indifferent, merely a casual glance, devoid of any emotion, yet Lu Huaying felt as if a massive mountain had pressed down upon her.
Countless images flashed before her eyes like a tidal wave.
In the winding green hills of the Wangchuan hunting grounds, the young man gripped Lu Huaying's whip tightly, his strength nearly pulling her off her horse. The boys shouted at him, and several whips lashed down on his face, leaving bloody welts on his cheeks, but his eyes revealed a stubborn arrogance.
At the solemn Buddhist ceremony at Luyuan Temple, Lu Huaying crawled from one end of a long table to the other, her hairpin falling off her head. With one hand lifting the curtain, she had nowhere to hide and met the dark, calm eyes of the young man.
At the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match in Chang'an, which was bustling with spectators, Lu Huaying and the young men in brocade robes walked into the field with smiles. A young man led a horse over, helped her onto the horse, and his face, which was turned to the side, was covered in dust.
Before the precipitous canyon, countless huge boulders slid down the high hillside, but the young man seemed oblivious, calmly walking forward step by step amidst the incredulous shouts of everyone.
Under the starry sky of the grassland, the young man reached out and pulled Lu Huaying into his arms, his eyes tightly closed. Lu Huaying gently blew a breath into his earlobe. With his eyes still closed, his face flushed red, and his body tensed up all night.
Inside the Duke's mansion, the young man, who had never bowed to power, slowly knelt down, abandoning all his pride and arrogance, and humbly pleaded.
Lu Huaying's mind was a complete blank, her consciousness was confused, her hands and feet were ice cold, and she couldn't move at all.
Before I could even react, the pressure on my body suddenly eased.
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Through the gap, the hem of the green robe flashed, sand fell, and dusty boots walked past, leaving Lu Huaying with a back view that had become unfamiliar.
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She was the person Wei Mingsu hated most, the most unbearable memory of his life. Four years had passed; he should have forgotten her long ago. Besides, she had changed; she had been tortured, her body covered in wounds, barely recognizable. He couldn't possibly recognize her.
Wei Mingsu did not turn around.
...
A flurry of footsteps echoed at the doorway.
Upon receiving the letter from the Chief Clerk, the Registrar of Household and the Magistrate of Liucheng County led all the officials of Liucheng to the city gate to welcome Wei Mingsu.
The name he thought would never appear again was written on the paper, stroke by stroke; it wasn't his imagination.
The magistrate of Liucheng County beside him was also stunned and stood there dumbfounded.
His voice was slightly hoarse, his tone calm, and he was clearly exhausted. But his questions were like thunderbolts, making the magistrate and the others break out in a cold sweat.
The magistrate of Liucheng County was sweating profusely under his official robes and stepped forward to apologize.
Why is there no confession?
"The Prince has been murdered, and I deserve to die! Please, Governor Wei, come in. I will first explain the whole story to you!"
One by one, the magistrate of Liucheng County and the officials in charge of household affairs recounted the events of that day.
Lu San Niang.
The official in charge of household affairs looked around and his gaze fell on a figure in a blue robe in the crowd. His eyes swept over the sideburns that were exposed under the turban, and he was stunned for a moment before his eyes widened.
The inn fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Zhou Qin sneered, turned around, and left.
He showed absolutely no mercy, so how could anyone dare to utter a single word of dissent? They all turned pale and nodded in agreement.
Zhou Qin remained silent, and the others dared not speak first.
Both of them felt a chill run down their spines, and they quickly suppressed their surprise and stepped forward.
They're closing in!
The courtyard was filled with people. Lu Huaying, who had been beaten to a pulp, was carried out. Her attendants on both sides held curved swords and glared at each other, creating a tense atmosphere.
Zhou Qin's lips curled into a smile, but he remained silent.
Wei Mingsu said calmly, "The Commander-in-Chief is busy with military affairs and cannot spare the time. I have been entrusted by the Commander-in-Chief and dare not be careless. Please forgive me if I have offended anyone."
Wei Mingsu glanced at the paper, confirmed the suspect's identity, put it back, and remained indifferent.
Wei Mingsu's sudden appearance in Xizhou caught him off guard. In Luoyang, the two had almost no contact; they were neither friends nor enemies, and he couldn't figure out who the other was.
Wei Mingsu glanced at the others: "Where are you all?"
A soldier from the garrison came to report that Wei Mingsu had arrived at the post station, so the group quickly turned back to the city.
The man turned his head and looked at them.
A smile spread across Zhou Qin's lips: "So Governor Wei is also here to investigate this case."
He never followed any rules when handling cases; he would first subdue the criminals, and they would write any confession they wanted. Moreover, Wei Mingsu arrived too quickly; he hadn't heard a thing and hadn't made any preparations, so he couldn't produce those documents.
Wei Mingsu looked exhausted, his eyes lowered. He didn't interrupt them. After they finished speaking, he picked up a yellowed piece of paper that the county magistrate handed him.
Wei Mingsu lived up to his reputation; his style was incredibly decisive! Before they could even exchange a few pleasantries, and before he could even probe Wei Mingsu's background and intentions, Wei Mingsu launched his attack right away!
Zhou Qin's expression darkened slightly.
Everyone hurriedly apologized and ushered Wei Mingsu into the house.
"I heard this case has been closed? Is the whole story clear? Is the cause of death and murder weapon confirmed? Are the witnesses and physical evidence clearly recorded?"
Zhou Qin glanced at the two men and asked coldly, "Prefect Wei, why did you take my prisoner away?"
There was no confession, not even an interrogation.
He asked.
Wei Mingsu seemed unwilling to deal with Zhou Qin, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the Registrar, the County Magistrate, and the other officials one by one.
“There must be procedures for handling cases.” Wei Mingsu and Zhou Qin exchanged glances and said, “Since there are procedures, let’s handle the case according to them to avoid criticism. What does Vice Minister Zhou think?”
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