Chapter 55
Lu Huaying is very afraid of pain.
She couldn't help but cry when she was in pain.
However, she understood that learning martial arts was not easy. It required enduring hardship and perseverance. Only by training her muscles and bones and putting in hard work could she make progress. So no matter how bitter, tiring, or painful it was, she didn't feel wronged. She cried because it was hard work. After crying, she would whine a little and then continue practicing.
But she didn't know that losing her martial arts skills also hurt.
The pain is like being skinned and having tendons pulled out.
She struggled and resisted.
The guards caught up with her, grabbed her, and pressed her down in the mud. She couldn't move at all. Her father and elder brother stood in front of her, ignoring her cries and pleas.
After a sharp, tearing pain, Lu Huaying thought she was going to die from the pain.
However, she soon opened her eyes amidst the pain all over her body.
The Duke of Yan stood before the steps with a stern face, looking down at her.
“Feifei, your grandfather’s biggest worry before he died was you. He regretted indulging you and repeatedly told you that your father must not be soft-hearted. Only by crippling your martial arts and completely cutting off your thoughts can you give up.”
"A short pain is worse than a long one; temporary suffering can bring you a lifetime of peace and wealth."
An even more intense pain swept over her, and her father's words were like a sharp axe, shattering the last glimmer of hope in Lu Huaying's heart.
During the months when the old Duke of Yan fell ill, Lu Huaying took care of her grandfather without taking off her clothes. The old Duke of Yan had been a soldier for many years and had been tough all his life. After his serious illness, he suddenly aged. He often gazed at her, his aged face full of sadness and helplessness.
Lu Huaying knew that the old Duke of Yan was worried about her. Suppressing her sadness and fear of losing her grandfather, she tried to smile at him and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, Feifei will take good care of herself from now on."
The old Duke of Yan looked at her and sighed.
Now, Lu Huaying finally understood her grandfather's sigh.
Her beloved grandfather left a dying wish to cripple her martial arts skills.
The last glimmer of light was swallowed by darkness.
Lu Huaying broke down.
Lu Hongbi couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he pushed aside the guards and rushed over, reaching out to help Lu Huaying up.
As Lu Huaying looked at the hand he offered, tears streamed down her face. She raised her head, gritted her teeth, and crawled out on her own.
She wanted to climb out, to leave this house.
Without a word, she climbed over the threshold, leaving a glaring trail of blood behind her.
Raindrops hit her face.
Lu Huaying couldn't climb any further and tumbled down the steps, collapsing into the mud.
She was only thirteen years old. The Lu family was the family that gave her birth and raised her. Where could she go?
An unprecedented despair and pain enveloped her. She lay in the mud, her face pale and bloodless, her usually bright eyes now only clouded with gloom.
...
Lu Huaying is sick.
She couldn't eat anything, so Wang Yu and her maid cooked some light meat soup for her. She managed to drink a bowl, but then vomited it all up.
The Duke of Yan thought she was on a hunger strike and was so angry that he told Wang Yu to ignore her and wait for her to go hungry for a few days before she would obey.
A few days later, Lu Huaying lost consciousness and her condition worsened, leaving the doctors helpless.
The entire Lu family was startled, and the Duke of Yan personally went to the palace to invite the imperial physician.
Lu Huaying had practiced martial arts since childhood, so she had a solid foundation and managed to survive.
But her martial arts skills were ruined.
Wang Yu advised her, "Feifei, your father and elder brother are doing this for your own good. Now that you've lost your internal strength, listen to your sister-in-law and settle down to be a good third wife."
Lu Huaying looked at the pomegranate tree in the yard. Amidst the lush and vibrant green, the pomegranate blossoms were as beautiful as the sunset, burning brightly.
She closed her eyes.
Lu Silang is dead.
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...
Lu Huaying did not grant the wishes of the Duke of Yan and her elder brother. Instead of settling down as Lu Sanniang, she became even more rebellious than before.
She lost her ambition and pursuits, and began to give up on herself and indulge in self-destructive behavior.
Lu Yujin said she was becoming increasingly moody and unrepentant.
Lu Huaying smiled and said, "Brother,
"You've crippled me, I accept my fate. From now on, I'll be a good cripple. If you're still not satisfied, brother, then break my legs!"
Lu Yujin turned and left.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Huaying turned fifteen.
She went out to play every day, drinking to drown her sorrows, wasting her youth.
That spring, the sun shone brightly, the earth warmed, and locust blossoms covered the branches.
Cui Xi said he knew a good hunting place. Lu Huaying had just had a fight with her elder brother and was in a bad mood. She whipped her horse and rode out of Chang'an.
A poorly dressed young man stopped them and grabbed her riding whip tightly.
She coldly turned her horse around and rode back to Chang'an.
Later, the censor impeached the Duke's mansion.
Cui Xi and his servants beat up Wei Mingsu.
Not long after, in order to retrieve the letter written by Wang Liuniang from Zheng Ba, Lu Huaying went to see Zheng Ba alone and spent the night trapped in the mountains.
Wei Mingsu sat outside the wooden house all night.
After returning from the mountain, Lu Huaying asked her servants to buy some of her favorite pastries and put them in her room, just in case word got out and the Duke of Yan would punish her by making her stand facing the wall in repentance.
But there was not a sound outside.
Wei Mingsu kept his mouth shut.
A question popped into Lu Huaying's mind.
As the white paulownia leaves fell and the weather began to get hot, Wang Yu fell ill. On the advice of the doctor, she took Lu Huaying to stay in the dormitory of Wangchuan Luyuan Temple to recuperate and escape the summer heat.
Wang Yu's sister-in-law and niece were also in Wangchuan to escape the summer heat. The women listened to the monks preach, performed rituals, and worshipped Buddha together every day.
One morning, Wang Yu took Lu Huaying to listen to a sermon.
She wasn't interested in Buddhist stories and was almost falling asleep when her cousin from the Wang family suddenly tugged at her sash and whispered, "Third Aunt, some of my cousins are coming to Luyuan Temple today. I heard it from my mother last night."
Lu Huaying frowned slightly and, taking advantage of Wang Yu and Madam Wang's inattention, secretly slipped out.
As soon as she stepped out of the door, the guest monk led several young men in brocade robes into the hall. Lu Huaying glanced around the corridor, then turned and hid in the main hall.
She had originally planned to wait until the young masters of the Wang family entered the house before quietly leaving the main hall. However, after the young masters entered the courtyard, one of them did not go inside but stood in the corridor talking to the monk in charge of receiving guests. She was caught in a dilemma when laughter erupted at the door. Wang Yu, Madam Wang, the young ladies of the Wang family, and the young masters of the Wang family all came out of the house and headed towards the main hall.
Inside the main hall, there is a long table with Buddhist scriptures that the scribes have just written, as well as incense, flowers, incense burners, and other items.
In a moment of quick thinking, Lu Huaying lifted the curtain and hid under the table.
Wang Yu and his wife stopped at the threshold of the main hall and chatted with several high-ranking monks who came over for a while. The monks went into the main hall and began to perform a religious ceremony outside. The atmosphere was solemn and dignified, and the Buddhist music was melodious.
Lu Huaying hid under the table for half an hour before the Buddhist music and chanting finally stopped.
The monks left one after another.
Lu Huaying sat under the table and dozed off for a while. She was awakened by footsteps and wanted to go out. She wondered if Madam Wang and the others had left yet. She crawled from one end to the other, trying to see through the gap in the curtain if Madam Wang and the others were still outside the main hall.
With a "bang".
The gold hairpin on her head touched the curtain and got tangled in the tassels. As she crawled forward, the hairpin fell off her head and landed on the carpet.
Lu Huaying's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly reached out to grab the gold hairpin.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared before my eyes.
A hand lifted the curtain that was blocking her view.
She looked up and met a pair of dark, calm eyes.
It was Wei Mingsu.
Before Lu Huaying could react, everything went black, and the curtain was drawn back down.
Outside the curtain, a pair of old boots gently kicked the gold hairpin, pushing it under the curtain.
Lu Huaying paused for a moment, then picked up the gold hairpin.
The young master of the Wang family was still outside the main hall. She sat under the table for a while longer. As the outside gradually quieted down, the old boots returned to the table, and she gently tapped the table twice with one hand.
"There's no one outside."
Wei Mingsu said in a low voice
.
Lu Huaying crawled out from under the table, first hiding behind Wei Mingsu and peeking out. Sure enough, there was no one at the door or in the courtyard. She breathed a sigh of relief, started to walk out, but suddenly remembered the question in her mind and turned back to look at Wei Mingsu.
"Cui Xi told me that you informed the censor that I had released dogs that killed the villagers' livestock. Was you really the one who informed on me?"
Wei Mingsu lowered his head, placed a roll of yellow paper on the table, and did not answer.
Lu Huaying smiled and said, "I know it wasn't you. You wouldn't slander someone else."
Wei Mingsu's expression remained unchanged; his calm and reserved face showed no sign of distress. He put down the yellow paper, offered no explanation for himself, and turned to walk out through another door.
Lu Huaying stared blankly at his retreating figure as he turned and left without hesitation.
That blockhead!
The less Wei Mingsu tried to explain, the more Lu Huaying felt she hadn't misjudged him. She went back to her room and instructed her servants to go to that village to inquire about the situation.
A few days later, servants returned from the village, confirming Lu Huaying's suspicions: the informant was indeed not Wei Mingsu, but one of the villagers. The censor sent men to the village to inquire about Cui Xi's hunting trip. They saw Lu Huaying and Cui Xi leaving the city together and mentioned her when they filed their complaint. Later, for some unknown reason, the censor only impeached Lu Huaying.
Fearing retaliation from the Lu family, the villagers went to Wei Mingsu for help.
At that time, Wei Mingsu had just been beaten by Cui Xi. He told the villagers to be careful with their words in the future and promised to take the blame himself.
Lu Huaying thought that Wei Mingsu was not only dull, but also stupid.
Several sons of the Wang family also settled in Wangchuan and invited their cousins and Lu Huaying to go on a trip to the mountains. Lu Huaying did not want to see them, nor did she want to accompany Wang Yu to listen to the monks preach. She jumped up and climbed the big tree in the corner of the courtyard and hid among the dense branches.
Her cousins couldn't find her, so they left disappointed.
The trees provided shade and made it cool. Lu Huaying fell asleep without realizing it, but was suddenly awakened by a burst of shrill laughter coming from the neighboring yard.
She parted the leaves and looked down into the yard.
In the neighboring courtyard, a desk and mats were set up under the curtains of the corridor, where scribes sat copying Buddhist scriptures. Several young men in fine clothes and monks passed by the courtyard. One of the young men recognized Wei Mingsu, his eyes widened, and he walked up to him, shouting excitedly.
The other people also came over to greet Wei Mingsu, their tone somewhat sarcastic.
The big tree faced the courtyard, and Lu Huaying, perched on it, could see the faces of those young masters. They all wore smiles, but those smiles were full of contempt and mockery.
Wei Mingsu faced them, his back straight and slender, his left hand still pressing on the corner of the yellow paper, his right sleeve rolled up, which he forgot to put down when he stood up, and there was a stain of ink on the back of his hand.
The young men ridiculed him for making money by writing scriptures.
He said calmly, "I am from a poor family and have been making a living by copying scriptures for nearly ten years."
The young man was at the prime of his life, and he was taken aback that the classmate could so frankly admit that he was poor. He hesitated for a moment, then said goodbye and left with a smile.
Wei Mingsu sat down and continued writing the sutra.
Lu Huaying rested her chin on her hands, leaned on the tree branch, and watched his back. Suddenly, she no longer felt bored.
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