Chapter 20 (Will Wei Mingsu be in more danger than Zhou Qin?)
As dawn broke in the east, a sandstorm swept across Liucheng, and the morning light shone through the yellowish dust, casting a yellow glow on the windows.
The candle in the lantern had burned out, and grains of sand drifted into the room through the cracks and landed on the table.
The man who had been sleeping lightly on his desk opened his eyes, raised his head from among the piles of official documents, his face pale and bloodless.
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He slowly sat up, his back taut and straight, and brushed the sand off the documents.
As the sand fell, the sunlight shone through, making each grain gleam with golden light.
In that instant, the scene of my first meeting with Lu Huaying flashed through my mind.
Wei Mingsu met her on his very first day in Chang'an.
That day, the snow in the city had not yet completely melted, the spring breeze still carried a chill, and the willow tips had just begun to sprout tender green shoots. The people of Chang'an were already eager to take off their winter clothes and put on spring attire, and the whole city set out for spring outings. Crowds of people came and went in and out of the city gates in an endless stream, dust billowed on the main roads, and carriages and horses roared past.
Wei Mingsu, carrying his luggage, walked on the road into the city, dressed in old clothes, looking travel-worn.
Suddenly, a commotion arose behind them, alerting pedestrians to make way. The people walking quickly moved to the side of the road, and the crowd became crowded together.
A chaotic, rapid hoofbeat came from the direction of the city gate. Amidst the swirling dust, a column of men and horses galloped past on the main road at breakneck speed. The men on horseback were all dressed in fine clothes, whipping their horses as they raced wildly.
Such a spectacle drew the attention of passersby.
"Where are these young noblemen running so fast? Where are they in such a hurry to go?"
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"Are they accompanying one of the kings on a hunting trip out of the city?"
One of them shook his head and said, "You've all guessed wrong. It's Lu San Niang from the Duke of Yan's mansion who wants to eat cherries. These young noblemen are all rushing to the manor outside the city to find cherries in order to please her. The cherries in the mountains ripen early."
"Which group are they? I just came back from Leyouyuan. The eldest son of the Pei family went out of the city to look for cherry blossoms. He was running too fast on his way back and fell off his horse, breaking his leg. He was carried back to the manor! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"He fell for nothing! Although the Pei family is a prestigious family, it is still not as good as the scions of the Five Clans. How could they be worthy of a girl from the Lu family?"
"Over the years, the Cui, Zheng, and Wang families have all had daughters marry into the royal family, but the Lu family is the only one that refuses to marry their daughter to a prince. They are truly aloof."
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"I heard that Young Master Lu is going to marry a daughter of the Wu family, and Third Sister Lu is going to marry a young man from the Wu family..."
Someone chuckled and whispered, "Where did you hear that? The Wu family is from a humble background. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, would they have achieved their current status? How could the Lu family possibly be related to them by marriage?"
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Wei Mingsu brushed the sand off his body and continued walking.
A clear bell rang out from the city gate, and a procession of ceremonial servants, divided into several groups, escorted an oxcart as it slowly approached.
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"Look! Look! It's Lu San Niang leaving the city! The Lu family has half a scroll of their ancestral alchemical text. Their sons and daughters have been taking elixirs since childhood. The boys are as handsome as Pan An, and the girls are as beautiful as celestial beings!"
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Wei Mingsu was pushed back a few steps by the suddenly excited crowd, and the oxcart slowly passed in front of him.
A valiant servant, armed with a sword, rode around the oxcart. Through the gaps in the brocade robes, waist knives, and saddles, a fair hand lifted the curtain, revealing a string of gold beads on a white wrist, and a young man inside...
The woman glanced casually outside, the golden hairpin on her head swaying slightly, shimmering with golden light.
The curtain fell.
That fleeting glimpse of his elegant demeanor still lingers in my mind.
The crowd froze, their eyes following the departing oxcart for a long time.
Wei Mingsu lifted his leg and walked past the several dazed pedestrians, turned around, turned his back to the oxcart, and continued walking towards the city gate.
That was the first time he met Lu Huaying.
...
“Ah Lang”.
The short boy yawned and went into the house.
“I kept watch in the cell all night. Lu San Niang fell asleep. The doctor said she was too weak to be interrogated again in a short time.”
Wei Mingsu, who was reviewing official documents, gave a faint "hmm" and asked, "Did the coroner re-examine the body?"
The young man noticed the dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had been reading official documents all night and was so exhausted that he had only taken a short nap on the desk. He felt a pang of sympathy but dared not offer any advice, replying, "The assistant and the coroner went to examine the body."
Wei Mingsu put the prepared confession aside, took out a piece of hemp paper with a name written on it, handed it to the boy, and said, "Go and invite them."
The soldiers of Xizhou Prefecture knocked on doors one by one, following the names written on the hemp paper.
The young noblemen were invited into the hall one by one for questioning.
Chai Yong and Pei Jingyao were also invited over.
Before it was their turn, Pei Jingyao, looking completely dejected, asked, "Sanlang, do you think this Prefect Wei will take revenge on Sanniang as my sister-in-law said?"
When the word "revenge" came up, he thought of his older brother, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Chai Yong shook his head: "I can't tell, but at least he's genuinely investigating the case."
That night, Pubu sent back news that he could hardly believe: "Just now, the Registrar and the County Magistrate asked Governor Wei whether they should report the disappearance of the ten soldiers to the Governor of Xizhou so that they could send people to arrest them. Governor Wei said it was unnecessary. Lady Lu is the most suspicious. The ten soldiers only fled because they were afraid of being held responsible for their poor protection."
He gave Pei Jingyao some instructions.
There were also government-affiliated scribes who were under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat and the Imperial Library. They received professional calligraphy training, studied different scripts, and some even studied under famous calligraphers. They were known as "regular script scribes".
After Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains, the profession of sutra copyist arose in order to make offerings, recite Buddhist scriptures, and accumulate merit.
Chai Yong came to his senses, wondering why Wei Mingsu had asked this. He nodded and recounted in detail the events of that day and how Wu Yanxing later fell seriously ill after drowning.
Chai Yong couldn't help but secretly glance at him a few times. The man in front of him was just like the rumors in the capital. On the surface, he was a stern and aloof scholar with dark and deep eyes. He had a kind of cold indifference that was not swayed by external gains or losses. He couldn't imagine that this man had dared to disregard the difference in status and propose marriage to the Duke's mansion a few years ago.
“Pubu, take my letter and go out of the city. You’ve seen the bailiff and those guards; try to find out where they are.”
As a folk scribe, Wei Mingsu copied Buddhist scriptures neatly and beautifully, comparable to the works of official scribes. He could write both gentle and neat regular script and vigorous cursive script, combining strength and gentleness, and became famous for a time.
Chai Yong wrote several letters and handed them to Pubu, giving him instructions.
Chai Yong couldn't help but worry about Lu Huaying: Wei Mingsu was so vengeful towards the teacher who taught him classics and history, how would he treat Lu Huaying who had deceived him?
Chai Yong regretted it deeply. He should have suspected the soldiers earlier. Now that they had escaped, he feared that the officials of Liucheng would insist on the original verdict in order to shirk responsibility.
Wei Mingsu, as expected of someone who had worked as a scribe, wrote very quickly. After Chai Yong finished speaking, he had already written it down. He changed to another sheet of paper and asked, "Young Master Chai, when you were preparing to depart from the capital, was the Prince on the list of those escorting the scriptures?"
"Young Master Chai, the governor requests your presence."
Pubu acknowledged and left with the letter.
Wei Mingsu came from a humble background. As a child, he studied Buddhist scriptures with monks in a temple. Later, he became a disciple of a high priest and studied classics and history. Later, as Qiu Shenji's deputy, Wei Mingsu forced Prince Li Xian to commit suicide in Bazhou. The high priest was heartbroken and deeply ashamed, so he expelled Wei Mingsu from his school, leaving behind the words "This treacherous and shameless brat" before resigning and returning to his hometown.
Some say that Xiao Jijiu resigned hastily and fled back to his hometown because he was afraid of being retaliated against by Wei Mingsu.
Half an hour later, Pubu returned with a letter: "Your Highness, Governor Wei issued an order this morning that from today onwards, none of us who came from the capital are allowed to leave Liucheng. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed without mercy!"
His eyes suddenly widened.
It was already afternoon when Chai Yong came out of the house.
"I think Governor Wei is indeed investigating the case seriously."
"Why?"
"Sanlang, do you think Cheng Can might know that Governor Wei knew Sanniang before? Four years ago, he was studying at the Imperial Academy, and Governor Wei's teacher was apparently the headmaster of the Imperial Academy."
Pei Jingyao thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand. The Lu family used to look down on Governor Wei. If word gets out that he's proposing marriage, they'll definitely laugh at him. He's not the same person he used to be, and he might get angry out of embarrassment. Don't worry, I definitely won't let it slip this time..."
Lu Huaying is currently being held captive in Wei Mingsu's courtyard. I've tried several times but haven't been able to find a chance to visit her. I don't know how Lu Huaying is doing now.
The Li Tang dynasty revered Laozi, the founder of Taoism, as their ancestor and declared Taoism to be the family religion of the Li family. Due to political needs, the Empress Dowager rejected Taoism and respected and promoted Buddhism more. Buddhist temples were built in various places, and the demand for copying Buddhist scriptures increased day by day. However, the copyists in the folk had not been trained and there was no strict copying system in the government, so the quality of the copied Buddhist scriptures varied.
It is said that one's handwriting reflects one's character, but this cannot be applied to Wei Mingsu.
"Did the prince drown before entering Liucheng?"
Chai Yong frowned.
Wei Mingsu then asked about their experiences after leaving Luoyang, focusing on details that no one else paid attention to, and sometimes asking the same questions repeatedly.
"We can't just sit here and wait..."
There were also scribes in the common people, mostly scholars from poor families who were forced to make a living by copying Buddhist scriptures for temples and wealthy families to earn a living.
Chai Yong paced back and forth.
Chai Yong got up and went inside.
As the questioning progressed, Wei Mingsu's voice became so hoarse that he could no longer utter a sound. He put down his pen, and Chai Yong assumed he was about to leave. However, Wei Mingsu simply picked up his teacup, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and continued asking questions.
He said to Pei Jingyao.
Is Wei Mingsu in even more danger than Zhou Qin?
This case is full of suspicious points. How could Wei Mingsu not see something amiss? His serious investigation is not necessarily to help Lu Huaying. He can gather all the evidence in the shortest time to overturn Lu Huaying's case, or he can easily destroy all the evidence that is favorable to Lu Huaying!
His gaze swept over Wei Mingsu's hand.
Chai Yong's face darkened.
Wei Mingsu was writing at his desk when he heard footsteps approaching. He nodded slightly in greeting.
Wei Mingsu picked up his pen and asked, his voice hoarse.
Those were rough hands; Wei Mingsu had been a sutra copyist for many years, and his fingers were covered in calluses.
Throughout history, scholars have always respected their teachers above all else. Wei Mingsu forced his teacher to resign, betraying his teacher and ancestors, making him a target of public condemnation and scorn. Indeed, as his teacher said, he was shameless and had repeatedly slandered his teacher before the Empress, preventing him from returning to Luoyang.
The short boy called out to him.
Wei Mingsu said he would follow the rules, and he really did investigate step by step according to the rules, and Zhou Qin's side seemed to have temporarily calmed down.
Chai Yong felt a chill run down his spine, and an ominous premonition grew stronger.
"By the way, Wu Lang, don't tell anyone that Governor Wei knows San Niang."
Unfortunately, the ten guards managed to escape during the chaos.
I was too happy too soon today.
Chai Yong paused for a moment, thought for a while, shook his head, and said, "I only found out the day before we set off that there was an extra prince in the entourage coming to Xizhou."
Chai Yong said in a low voice, "Now that Governor Wei has power, he certainly doesn't want people to mention his past when he was down on his luck."
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