Chapter 7 (You didn't know she practiced martial arts since childhood)
The young man was dashing and spirited, with relaxed eyebrows and bright, clear eyes. His dark face, with its distinct features, was adorned with a warm smile, pure and passionate enough to melt the snow on the mountaintop and soften the heart of even the most hard-hearted young woman.
Lu Huaying, however, remained unmoved and asked, "May I ask how old the young master is?"
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Pei Jingyao's eyes darted around, and he answered for him, "Third Sister, he's a year younger than you!"
Lu Huaying nodded: "The young master is about the same age as my cousin, so I will call you Sanlang from now on."
Chai Yong glared at Pei Jingyao with annoyance, then smiled at Lu Huaying and said, "Third Sister, you're not a whole year younger! You're only nine months younger."
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Night had fallen, and a gust of wind howled outside the window, causing the curtains to sway.
Pei Jingyao couldn't help but shudder. He glanced around the simple mud house, sighed inwardly, and looked dejected and frustrated: "Third Sister, now Cheng Can and the others know you're in Liucheng. They'll definitely tell the others..."
Lu Huaying was an exiled person. Without the permission and signed document of the Prefect of Xizhou, she could not step out of Liucheng. If the enemies of the Lu family came, wouldn't she be left with no choice but to wait for death?
It's impossible for Cheng Can and the others to all agree to keep it a secret, especially since they have seven or eight mouths; they might have already let the news out.
Pei Jingyao slapped himself across the face: "It's all my fault for being so talkative!"
Lu Huaying said calmly, "This day would come sooner or later. If it wasn't Cheng Can, it would have been someone else."
Four years ago, the Turks rebelled, and Lu Yujin, the eldest son of the Lu family, was appointed as the Grand Commander of Datong Road and led troops to suppress the rebellion. After arriving at the front line, Lu Yujin clashed with the Grand Commander and disobeyed orders on the battlefield, disrupting the Grand Commander's plans. The Tang army suffered a major defeat, and almost all of the four thousand men in the central army were wiped out.
Lu Yujin was defeated and committed suicide. The entire Lu family was implicated, and their enemies took advantage of their misfortune, collecting evidence of crimes committed by other members of the Lu clan and pinning it all on the Duke of Yan and his son. The entire Lu family was exiled.
From Chang'an to Qianzhou, to Xizhou, and then to Liucheng, Lu Huaying had grown accustomed to a life of constant fear. She understood that whether it was the bustling capital of the empire or the harsh small town beyond the Great Wall, what put her in dire straits was not where she was, but her identity.
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Pei Jingyao racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good solution. He sighed, gritted his teeth, and with a flash of anger in his eyes, he took Chai Yong's leave.
Lu Huaying stood at the door, watching them stride into the night, when she suddenly called out to Pei Jingyao, "Fifth Brother, wait!"
Pei Jingyao suddenly stopped and turned back to the door.
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Lu Huaying said softly, "Wulang, are you thinking of going to find Cheng Can to help me get revenge?"
Pei Jingyao's thoughts were read, and he blushed instantly: "Third Sister, Cheng Can and the others treated you like this, they can't pretend nothing happened, they have to apologize to you!"
Lu Huaying shook her head indifferently: "I don't need Cheng Can's apology. If you go to them tonight, they might apologize out of consideration for you, but they won't feel any remorse at all. They might even get angry and take revenge on me after you leave. A few hypocritical apologies are better left unsaid."
Pei Jingyao didn't want to let the matter drop, so he clenched his fist, his face full of indignation.
Lu Huaying smiled faintly: "Wulang, I am no longer the daughter of a former duke. When status is unequal, dignity is too much of a luxury for people of low status."
She has no right to talk about dignity with those domineering scions of wealthy families; she just wants to live peacefully with her family.
Pei Jingyao opened his mouth, but his tongue twisted into a knot.
This was the first time he had seen Lu Huaying smile since they reunited.
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Back then, Lu San Niang was noble and proud. Holding a horsewhip and riding a silver saddle, she wore a bright and dazzling seven-panel skirt. She rode her horse on the Leyou Plain, her hair flowing freely and her beauty shining brightly.
That was so unattainable.
She was a distant dream that the young Pei Jingyao dared not even approach.
Four years later, Lu San Niang, who had been humiliated by Cheng Can and his men, showed no anger or resentment; her expression was numb.
She told Pei Jingyao that she didn't need to apologize; dignity was too much of a luxury.
Pei Jingyao thought that if Lu Sanniang had cried and complained to him like Wang Yu had, he might feel better. He suppressed his heartache and said, "Sanniang, it's my fault. If my elder brother were here, Cheng Can and the others wouldn't dare to act so recklessly."
Lu Huaying's shoulders trembled slightly, her face was obscured, and her wet eyelashes were also shaking.
Pei Jingyao was somewhat dejected. Sure enough, Third Sister cared more about his eldest brother. Her expression changed when he mentioned his brother. Just the day before yesterday, he had been secretly pleased that he was the one who met Third Sister, not his eldest brother, and that he had finally caught up with Third Sister in height. It was all wishful thinking.
Lu Huaying was silent for a moment, then asked, "Wulang, could you help me pass on a message to someone?"
Pei Jingyao felt a surge of bitterness in his heart and nodded.
"Do you have any connection with the heir apparent of the Duke of Qi?"
Pei Jingyao was taken aback, thinking that Lu Huaying wanted him to deliver a message to his elder brother. He came to his senses and said, "I have only met the heir of the Duke of Qi a few times. The heir of the Chai family often goes drinking with him in Datong City. I can have him pass on the message."
Lu Huaying changed her clothes, but she still reeked of alcohol, and water droplets dripped from her towel. She said, "Remind the young master to be careful of Cheng Can."
Pei Jingyao was somewhat puzzled, but nodded and said, "Third Sister, I promise you. However, you may not know this, but Cheng Can and the heir of the Duke of Qi are close friends. Whenever there is a banquet at the Duke's mansion, the heir will invite Cheng Can. I have also heard that the heir is going to act as a matchmaker for Cheng Can."
The implication was that he and Chai Yong would help pass on the message, but sowing discord would be useless and would not bring revenge on Cheng Can.
Lu Huaying understood his unspoken meaning and said, "That's all we can do."
Pei Jingyao left, puzzled.
Lu Huaying went to Lu Hongbi's room to take a look, then returned to her room.
Wang Yu was not asleep. Hearing her footsteps, she immediately opened her eyes: "Feifei, does the heir of the Duke of Qi still hold a grudge against you?"
Lu Huaying sat down to dry her hair and shook her head: "No."
Wang Yu's tone was full of unease and worry: "Then why did Cheng Can say that he was avenging the Duke of Qi's heir?"
Lu Huaying sat in the darkness, water droplets streaming down her long hair and cheeks. She reeked of alcohol, was exhausted, cold, and hungry. Her shoulders, arms, neck, and face were covered with marks left by Cheng Can and the others, especially her wrists, which looked as if they had been crushed.
She lay down with her back to Wang Yu, enduring the excruciating pain as she rubbed the marks on her hands, and smiled: "Sister-in-law, those seven or eight strong young men are all sons of meritorious officials listed in the Lingyan Pavilion. How can they feel at ease humiliating me, a mere young woman, without first finding an excuse to accuse me?"
Tears welled up in Wang Yu's eyes, and she turned around, her back to Lu Huaying.
Lu Huaying fell asleep.
She had a dream. In the dream, there was a lively banquet with bright candlelight. She occupied a long table by herself and drank a lot of wine, but she was not drunk. The heir of the Duke of Qi came over aggressively to provoke her, but in the blink of an eye, he was drunk and passed out. Suddenly, several people ran over, picked up the wine jar, and poured the full jar of yellow wine on her. She was soaked and shivering.
Lu Huaying woke up from the cold. Her hands and feet were icy, but her face was burning. She felt dizzy and lightheaded. She took a deep breath, sat up, suppressed the urge to vomit, got up, found a blanket, and wrapped herself tightly in it.
The wind has stopped, the moonlight is dim, and the long night is silent.
Lu Huaying lay back on the bed, touched the pestle hidden by her pillow, felt a little more at ease, closed her eyes, and fell asleep amidst the pain.
...
the next day.
They added stones to their baskets, hoisted them onto their shoulders, gritted their teeth, and used all their strength to lift them up.
The laborer lay on the city wall, glanced at the shattered stones below, trembled all over, and felt his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his chest.
"Third Sister, watch out!"
Suddenly a gust of wind blew by.
The other laborers hurriedly dropped their loads and made way for each other.
The laborer looked up, his face full of gratitude: "Th-thank you!"
Chai Yong, standing beside him, withdrew his gaze, seemingly lost in thought: "Wu Lang, do you really understand Lu San Niang?"
Falling off the city wall with a load of stones strapped to his body would surely result in a shattered skull! If he were caught and taken down with him, he would also be killed!
Lu Huaying helped him stand up.
Upon reaching the foot of the city wall, the laborer took a breath, his trembling legs stepping up the steps, one by one.
...
Pei Jingyao suddenly stood up.
Chai Yong shook his head: "You don't know that she has practiced martial arts since she was a child."
The laborer who had taken her load touched it several times before deciding to try again. The laborer who had been carrying stones filled the basket, bent down, picked up the load, gritted his teeth, and took a big step forward.
Everyone stood there, dumbfounded.
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On the city wall, Lu Huaying's figure flickered. Instead of dodging, she ran towards the fallen laborer. With a flick of her arm, a dark figure threw out a hemp rope used to tie up the load, which wrapped around one of the laborer's legs. She then leaped over, grabbed the laborer's other leg, and pulled him back.
The laborers looked at each other in bewilderment: "Could she have been born with superhuman strength?"
Some people were so crushed they couldn't straighten their backs.
"What's so great about it? I could pick just as many!"
Lu Huaying was not far from the laborers; she could have easily dodged them with a simple movement.
Some people staggered a few steps, then, afraid of hurting their backs, put down their loads and silently carried the stones away.
"Big ears!"
"Come on, let's snatch her load and take a look."
She reacted quickly and immediately put down her burden.
“My brother fell off the city wall while he was working and he is still unconscious.”
Several stones rolled down from where the laborer had fallen, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.
When the captain of the garrison called roll, he saw Lu Huaying standing in the crowd again. He frowned, smelled alcohol on her breath, and his face darkened. He scolded, "Have you been drinking? Get back here!"
The laborers stared wide-eyed, their expressions turning into disbelief.
The laborers who had taken her carrying pole ran to the side and took turns testing it. After several attempts, they discovered that not only did it lack any mechanism, but it was also worn out from prolonged use and was not as sturdy as their own carrying poles.
The soldiers shouted, "Hurry up! Keep working!"
The soldiers below the city wall immediately shouted to warn the others.
Lu Huaying untied the hemp rope from his legs and glanced at the laborers sweating profusely on and below the city wall.
"Get out of the way!"
Lu Huaying switched to a different carrying pole, still filling two baskets to the brim with stones, and carried them toward the city wall.
Lu Huaying continued to carry the load.
Those who knew the laborer who had fallen were frantic, stamping their feet and shouting his name, but could only watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolded.
Wang Yu was extremely apprehensive about their visit and said, "Third Sister has gone to the city gate to do hard labor in place of Second Uncle."
Chai Yong and Pei Jingyao took a stroll around the market, shaking off Wu Yanxing's spies, and then went to visit Lu Huaying.
After Lu Huaying finished carrying a load of stones, she sat down to rest. Suddenly, several laborers rushed over, snatched her load without a word, and ran away.
Big Ears stared blankly at her retreating figure.
Only a few of the strongest men remained, refusing to give up. Everyone around them watched, and they refused to admit defeat. They gritted their teeth and finished carrying each load, panting heavily.
Pei Jingyao breathed a sigh of relief at the city gate.
The captain of the garrison walked away.
Lu Huaying shook her head, standing ramrod straight: "I didn't drink alcohol, it was just medicated wine I applied."
Sometimes, a rumbling sound would suddenly come from under her feet, as if someone had deliberately thrown stones at her feet.
She said nothing more and turned to leave.
Pei Jingyao breathed a sigh of relief.
The other laborers stopped what they were doing and waited to see her make a fool of herself.
One of the men followed Lu Huaying back and forth a few times, saying, "I don't believe a woman is stronger than a man! Her load must be different from ours, with some kind of mechanism that allows her to lift it without effort!"
Pei Jingyao rolled his eyes at him: "At least I know more about him than you do."
Pei Jingyao was stunned.
The laborers were indignant. Lu Huaying was young and thin, yet she carried more stones than they did. How could that be?
Wherever she went, there were whispers and strange looks following her.
She did not chase after them, but gestured to the soldiers maintaining order.
The next moment, his heart jumped again!
The laborers, not wanting to be whipped, continued carrying stones and loads.
Lu Huaying picked up a load of stones, set it down steadily, avoided the purplish-red marks left on her shoulders, and strode uphill.
Lu Huaying stepped over the stone without stumbling or faltering; her movements were as light and graceful as a crane spreading its wings.
At the foot of the city wall, Pei Jingyao, who had come looking for him, witnessed the laborer fall and shouted anxiously.
The laborer couldn't catch his breath, his body swayed, and the basket shook violently back and forth. He and the stones in the basket rolled down with a clatter.
The guard frowned and said, "Come here and get another set."
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