Chapter 18 (Holding her riding whip in his hand)
The shadows of the soldiers were cast on the ground by the moonlight. The courtyard was quiet. A gust of wind blew by, and a few scattered bird calls came from somewhere.
Wei Mingsu sat under the moonlight, his shoulders bathed in a soft glow, like a layer of lingering snow. His back was thin and straight, and his figure was slender and graceful.
A short boy came over carrying a lamp and placed it on the table.
Lu Huaying's gaze slowly moved upwards from Wei Mingsu's dusty boots to his old, faded blue robe, which looked like it had been washed many times. His legs were slightly apart, a black belt was tied around his tight waist, and his sleeves were rolled up. He held a pen in one hand and wrote words on the paper, one stroke at a time. The back of his hand was rough.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
In the courtyard of Wangchuan Temple, filled with slender bamboo, the bamboo shadows were serene and tranquil. Lu Huaying, returning from her outing, fearing her sister-in-law Wang Yu's scolding, took off her wooden clogs and carried them in her hand, quickly walking up the steps. A spring breeze blew by, lifting a corner of the curtain, revealing a slender and upright figure sitting on a mat inside, copying Buddhist scriptures. The sunlight streaming into the room through the window fell on him; he was quiet, solemn, and ethereal.
The more serious he became, the more Lu Huaying wanted to tease him and see him show a look of fear and unease. So she lifted the curtain and walked in with a smile.
A fifteen-year-old girl, adorned with a hairpin and wearing a seven-panel skirt, exuding the colors of spring, her bright and dazzling radiance was already before one could even get close.
Wei Mingsu's pen did not stop for a moment, but his eyes lowered.
Lu Huaying tiptoed up behind him, about to startle him with a shout, but he turned slightly to the side as he wrote, without raising his eyelids, and said softly, "My lady has gone to listen to the monk's sermon. I will take my leave."
His tone was very respectful, and he displayed a cautious and serious attitude.
After saying this, he picked up the Buddhist scriptures and pen and left.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
A cold, calm question pulled Lu Huaying back from her reverie.
Wei Mingsu sat at the table, looking at the words on the paper, and asked indifferently.
In that instant, Lu Huaying couldn't help but wonder if she had ever actually met Wei Mingsu? Were her memories from four years ago just figments of her imagination during a period of mental confusion?
She gazed at Wei Mingsu's face; the former refined elegance was gone, replaced by the stoicism honed by time, an imposing aura, and a deep weariness.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
Wei Mingsu once said that he never wanted to see her again in his life. Judging from the indifferent and weary expression on his face, four years had not diminished his disgust for her; he still did not want to see her.
So he pretended not to know her, and when he confirmed her identity, his tone was completely emotionless.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
Lu Huaying withdrew her gaze, banished the tangled thoughts from her mind, and nodded earnestly, saying, "Yes."
This was the first time she had been interrogated since she was nearly beaten to death by the guards in the chaos, and she had to seize this hard-won opportunity.
As soon as she spoke, she realized that her throat was dry and burning, as if it were being cut by a knife, and her voice was hoarse.
The short boy untied the water pouch from his waist, poured a bowl of water, walked up to Lu Huaying, fed her a few sips, and said, "Third Sister Lu, tell me what happened on the day the Prince was murdered, the more detailed the better!"
As the water slid down her throat, Lu Huaying couldn't help but swallow large gulps, choking and coughing violently.
This paragraph contains an image. Please visit the correct website, disable ad blocking, and exit your browser's reading mode.
Lu Huaying coughed for a while, then slowly said, "That day, the Prefect was seeing off the Prince and the Heir Apparent, and he asked me to perform a dance..."
She began by recounting how she was led by the Sihu to perform a dance. She mentioned that when she changed into a Western Liang men's robe, she put the pestle and clothes together. Then Chai Yong and Pei Jingyao came over, and she asked them to go to the banquet to perform a knife dance. After the banquet, Wu Yanxing's attendants suddenly came to find her again and asked her to write the "Dan Jing" on the spot.
Lu Huaying recalled the whole incident many times, and she recounted all the details she remembered in detail.
Wei Mingsu listened quietly, taking notes and occasionally dipping his pen in ink.
Lu Huaying spoke intermittently, pausing to rest after every few sentences before continuing. He didn't urge her, but waited silently, looking at the notes he had taken.
She spoke, and he wrote.
As Lu Huaying finished speaking, she raised her eyes and said, "Prefect Wei, I did not kill the Prince."
No one cared about her testimony, no matter how much evidence there was.
Insufficient funds; with just a word from the officials, she became the murderer.
Would Wei Mingsu care?
She didn't know.
With the pen tip making the last dot on the paper, Wei Mingsu picked up all the papers filled with writing and examined them intently, one by one.
The short boy leaned down: "What did you say?"
Lu Huaying opened her eyes in a daze and said a few words.
The soldiers of Liucheng Prefecture glanced furtively at Wei Mingsu, who was standing at the door with his hands behind his back, and whispered, "Only Zhou Shilang's attendant fed her some medicine."
Wei Mingsu remained silent, standing at the doorway, watching the doctor apply medicine to Lu Huaying.
The boy repeated, "She said she wanted wood!"
After taking the doctor's medicine, Lu Huaying became drowsy and her fever subsided slightly. Perhaps because her wounds were too painful, she kept making incoherent murmurs.
...
A poorly dressed young man stood by the roadside, clutching her riding whip in his hand.
A figure darted out of the woods and blocked their path.
Footsteps sounded at the door. The medic quickly entered the cell, examined Lu Huaying's injuries, frowned, and his expression turned serious. He turned back and asked, "Was she given some kind of potent drug? She's so badly injured, and she still took that kind of drug. She could die if we're not careful!"
After a while, Wei Mingsu understood what Lu Huaying's hoarse voice was saying.
After a while, he asked, "What did she say?"
She seemed confused, mistaking the doctor for someone she knew, and asked in bewilderment, "Wooden head... why do you have gray hair?"
Several galloping horses neighed and slowed down. Lu Huaying had left home after arguing with her father and elder brother, and had randomly chosen a horse that wasn't familiar to her. The horse suddenly slowed down, and she was almost thrown off. She clung tightly to the horse's neck, raising her whip, when suddenly a hand grabbed her tightly.
He lowered his eyes, looking at Lu Huaying's limp hand.
Wei Mingsu remained silent.
Lu Huaying had a fight with her elder brother at home and felt upset, so she rode her horse out the door.
Lu Huaying leaned back on the stool, the stars shining brightly overhead, the moon and shadows flickering and overlapping before her eyes, her vision gradually blurring.
Her hands were covered in wounds, and the tips of all ten fingers were bitten raw. When the doctor accidentally rubbed her hands while applying medicine, she trembled and her brows furrowed.
She looked over.
"Third Sister, I know a good place. When Emperor Taizong was alive, he often went there to hunt deer!"
"It must be medicine brought from the capital!" The boy walked back to Wei Mingsu's side and whispered, "My lord, I heard from the people of the capital that before Zhou Shilang tortures prisoners, he feeds them a kind of medicine. After taking it, the prisoners are more alert and excited, and their pain is ten times stronger than before they take the medicine!"
Before he could finish speaking, he remembered that Wei Mingsu was also a notorious cruel official, and a chill ran down his spine. His voice suddenly lowered.
Lu Huaying nodded, and the group sped off toward that desirable place.
She fell from the stool to the ground.
The boy called to several guards to carry Lu Huaying back to the prison.
"Oh no! She's fainted!"
"Clang."
Wei Mingsu walked over silently, exuding a chilling aura. The doctor was so frightened that he stood up and bowed to him.
Wei Mingsu stood expressionlessly for a while, then suddenly lifted his leg and walked into the cell.
A group of young men on horseback surrounded her. Seeing the melancholy on her face, they suggested going hunting in the countryside to clear her mind.
"Young Master, Lu San Niang just said something... I didn't quite catch it..." The boy scratched his head, looking puzzled. "She wanted wood!"
Lu Huaying immediately steadied herself, calmed the horse, and tried to pull the whip back, but the hand still held on tightly with great strength, almost pulling her off the horse.
Wei Mingsu stood motionless, the dim light reflecting off his temples, the silver strands in his black hair gleaming coldly.
Four years ago.
Orioles sing sweetly, the spring breeze is gentle, and the whole city of Chang'an is filled with the fragrance of locust blossoms.
A moment of silence.
The doctor sighed deeply, a look of pity on his face: "That kind of heinous medicine..."
Lu Huaying galloped on her horse, feeling the wind blowing through her and listening to the birdsong in the forest. She felt half of her gloom dissipate. Just as she was getting into a good mood, a whistle suddenly came from the roadside.
In spring, the mountains and forests are lush and green, and hundreds of birds sing in harmony.
The short boy stepped forward to help her sit up. When he touched her arm, he was startled by the heat. He lifted her onto the stool, but she slipped down again, like a lump of mud. Several people came to help, but they couldn't lift her up.
Please move the original, unmodified content to the official website of [website name - implied]. If it's already there, please disable ad blocking and exit browser reading mode.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
