Chapter 81
Lu Huaying came out of the house but did not go back to her room to rest.
She first went to visit the wounded soldiers, counted their numbers, and gave them the medicine that A-Yu had given her.
She only went home after she finished her work.
The next day at noon, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the village; Tong Jin and Sha Bo Na had returned.
Poisoned, Nie Zijie hid in the deep mountains, and Shabona led his men to surround the forest. They then asked the local magistrate to send troops. Liangzhou had been plagued by war for a long time, and its people were known for their martial spirit. The magistrate gathered several hundred brave laborers from the surrounding area to help. With the help of hunting dogs, they found Nie Zijie hiding in a cave after being poisoned.
They then brought Nie Zi back.
Wei Mingsu instructed that if Nie Zijie could be captured alive, he should not be killed, but escorted back to the capital and handed over to the Dali Temple for punishment, as he was involved in several cases. Furthermore, they needed to interrogate Nie Zijie to find out how he knew about Wuzhi.
Tong Jin ordered his men to untie Nie Zi, who had been gagged and bound hand and foot, and take him away to the courtyard to report to Wei Mingsu.
Wei Mingsu had not yet gotten up.
He was injured yesterday. This morning, A-Yu came into the house to bring him medicine. He looked very unwell, and A-Yu was worried about disturbing his rest, so he didn't come into the house again.
He knocked on the door to ask for permission, but there was no response from inside. He and A-Yu exchanged a glance and then pushed the door open to enter the room.
...
When Lu Huaying heard that Nie Zijie had been captured, she came to meet with Sha Bona.
Shabona smiled broadly: "I heard that the merchants and government officials in Chang'an have offered a reward of one thousand taels of gold for the capture of this assassin. When will you pay it? I am a Hu person, your government officials won't go back on their word, will they?"
Lu Huaying said, "Don't worry, since Chief Secretary Fan promised to give you a reward, he won't treat you unfairly. He'll give you half of the thousand taels of gold."
"How much gold will the imperial court reward? Also, Governor Wei will have to give me a reward, right? He can cover my expenses on my way to the capital. I'll put them all on my tab, so he can't renege on the debt later."
As Shabo spoke, he took out the yellow hemp paper used for bookkeeping.
No matter how much or how little money he received, he wanted every single penny of the reward; not a single penny less.
Lu Huaying was stunned for a moment, then took the yellow hemp paper, admiring Shabona even more.
He was Sabao's disciple, the leader of the caravan, and a wealthy merchant, yet he was so meticulous in his calculations! He even remembered the bowl of mutton soup he ate at the inn and the few peaches he bought.
Shabona laughed and said, "What? Are you feeling sorry for Governor Wei? Even though we are friends, we still need to keep things clear."
The Sogdians were skilled at business. Fathers and sons, and brothers, separated their households very early on. Even if they lived together, they kept separate accounts for every single transaction.
A thought flashed through Lu Huaying's mind, and she said, "I'm wondering if we could do business together."
Upon hearing about doing business, Shabona immediately broke into a smile, his brown eyes gleaming with shrewdness: "What kind of business?"
His purpose in coming to the capital this time was to open up new trade routes in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The two discussed in hushed tones as they entered the village.
Ayu rushed over, looking anxious, and said, "My lord is ill. He has a high fever and his body is burning hot. There are no doctors here, so we can only feed him some ephedra pills."
Lu Huaying was startled and quickened her pace into the courtyard. She stopped at the gate and asked her personal guard, "How is Governor Wei? Is his injury serious?"
The guard shook his head and whispered, "Tongjin said it wasn't caused by a knife wound, but by a cold."
They braved the rain to enter the village. Wei Mingsu had a fever at the time. The village was remote and there were no doctors. They did not bring any doctors with them, so they just boiled ginger soup and drank it.
Just now, when they knocked on the door, Wei Mingsu did not respond. They were a little worried, so they went into the room to check and found Wei Mingsu lying on the bed with a burning fever.
Lu Huaying recalled that last night, he was angry because of what she had concealed. She felt a little guilty and wanted to explain quickly and leave so as not to make him angry. She did not pay attention to his expression.
He was already sick at that time.
Lu Huaying entered the house.
Wei Mingsu, lying on the bed, was pale, listless, and drowsy. He was still giving instructions to his companions about going to the capital. He spoke intermittently for a while, then, upon hearing footsteps, he raised his eyes and glanced at Lu Huaying.
"Why did you come here?"
He asked in a hoarse voice.
Lu
Hua Ying just wanted to see him and was afraid of disturbing him, so she didn't plan to go up to him. But when she heard him ask, she walked to the bedside and said, "A Yu said you were sick, so I came to see you."
Wei Mingsu said calmly, "I'm fine, I just caught a cold. I'll rest today and leave tomorrow."
Lu Huaying looked worried and said, "Shabo and I will be watching over Nie Zijie, so don't worry, just get some rest."
Nie Zijie has already been captured, so they can slow down their journey and don't need to rush.
Wei Mingsu said wearily, "Mm."
Lu Huaying withdrew and went to check on the place where Nie Zijie was being held. Wei Mingsu was ill.
She needs to be even more careful to avoid any mistakes due to everyone's negligence.
In the afternoon, Wei Mingsu was drowsy and sleepy. Tong Jin fed him some ephedra pills to treat fever caused by typhoid fever.
The next day, Wei Mingsu still showed no improvement.
They decided to stay an extra day.
By evening, Wei Mingsu's condition had not improved; his high fever persisted, and he also experienced convulsions.
Tong Jin stood by the bed and called out "My lord" several times, but Wei Mingsu did not respond. He said anxiously, "I will go to the nearest county to fetch a doctor!"
Lu Huaying frowned and bent down to help Wei Mingsu up.
He was trembling all over.
She said urgently, "We can't wait until tomorrow! You go find a doctor first, and we'll set off too."
They mounted their horses and galloped towards the nearest county to the south.
Everyone else got busy too. Shabona personally escorted Nie Zijie, while Lu Huaying and Ayu helped Wei Mingsu onto the carriage and they left the village.
Wei Mingsu fell into a coma.
Lu Huaying covered him with a blanket and wiped his sweat, hoping that Tongjin could find a doctor soon.
She gazed at him.
His hair was loose, with silver strands falling down his temples, and his face was thin.
Wei Mingsu had suffered a lot in the past. He could write Buddhist scriptures and grow vegetables in the fields. He was rarely sick before. Since their reunion, he has been frequently injured, but he was still conscious even when he was seriously injured. This time, he caught a cold, but neither he nor anyone else took it seriously, thinking that he would get better in a couple of days. Unexpectedly, his condition worsened.
The carriage jolted, and Wei Mingsu frowned.
Lu Huaying hesitated for a moment, then lifted the quilt, helped Wei Mingsu up, and let him lean against her.
He suddenly trembled, and she opened her arms and hugged him.
He's really thin.
I wasn't this thin before.
His face was sweaty and his lips were dry.
Lu Huaying put her arm around his shoulder and wiped his sweat.
The carriage swayed slightly, and Wei Mingsu suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Lu Huaying.
Lu Huaying smiled at him.
The night was deep. Outside, soldiers held torches, and the flickering light fell into the carriage through the windows. She held him, her heart filled with tenderness and concern.
“Feifei…”
He said in a low voice.
Lu Huaying was taken aback, responded, and bent down to take out the water bag, intending to feed him some water.
Wei Mingsu stared into her eyes, refusing to drink.
“Feifei…”
He was talking in his sleep.
Lu Huaying moved a little closer.
Wei Mingsu said, "Feifei... I won't let you go hungry..."
Lu Huaying was stunned.
A wave of sourness and heat surged up, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
“Wooden Head, I’m not hungry…” Lu Huaying hugged Wei Mingsu and said softly over and over again, “I’m not hungry… Wooden Head, Feifei isn’t hungry.”
Wei Mingsu closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep again.
Lu Huaying hugged him, feeling a little like she was about to cry.
She took a deep breath and continued to wipe Wei Mingsu's sweat.
Outside the car window, there were the sounds of frogs and insects, and the mountains stretched quietly under the moonlight.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of horses' hooves came from the dark night ahead, and Tong Jin returned with the doctor.
The group stopped directly at the foot of the mountain. Lu Huaying lifted the curtain and helped the doctor into the carriage.
The doctor had already heard about Wei Mingsu's symptoms from his companion and brought along all the possible medications. After taking his pulse, the doctor poured out a few pills and fed them to Wei Mingsu.
Lu Huaying felt uneasy.
After a short while, Wei Mingsu's breathing became steady.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They continued south and entered the city at dawn. The county magistrate, having received the news, rushed over, welcomed them into the post station, and invited all the county's doctors to come.
By the time we settled in, it was already dawn.
Everyone hadn't slept all night, and Tong Jin advised Lu Huaying to go and rest first.
Lu Huaying shook her head and stayed by Wei Mingsu's side.
Wei Mingsu did not wake up.
He started talking in his sleep again.
"I'm sorry..." His face was filled with pain. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Lu Huaying hugged him and whispered, "Wooden head, wooden head... Feifei is here."
Wei Mingsu gradually calmed down.
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