Searching for old friends, fraught with danger
Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing packed their bags and quietly left the inn, heading to Wangjia Village, the hometown of the former Minister of War, located on the outskirts of the capital.
Wangjia Village was not far from the capital, and they arrived quickly in a horse-drawn carriage. When they arrived at Lord Wang's house, they saw a dilapidated courtyard with crumbling walls and a tightly closed gate.
Shen Qingci stepped forward and gently knocked on the door: "Excuse me, is this Lord Wang's home?"
After a while, the door opened, and an old woman poked her head out: "Who are you? What do you want with Lord Wang?"
“Madam, we are friends of Lord Wang and have important matters to discuss with him,” Shen Qingci said.
The old woman looked Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing up and down, and said, "Please come in first."
They followed the old woman into the courtyard and saw Lord Wang sitting on a stone bench, reading a book. Lord Wang's hair was gray, and his face was haggard; he had long lost his former glory.
When Lord Wang saw Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing, he was somewhat surprised: "Who are you? I don't know you."
Shen Qingci quickly said, "Lord Wang, I am Shen Qingci, and I was once a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. I have come to see you on the behalf of the old servant."
"The old servant?" Lord Wang was taken aback for a moment, then remembered something. "You mean the old servant of the Zhenbei Army? How is he?"
Shen Qingci sighed: "Lord Wang, the old servant has sacrificed himself to protect us. Before he sacrificed himself, he told us that you have evidence of Li Linfu embezzling military funds, and asked us to ask you for this evidence to clear his name and all those who were framed by Li Linfu."
Upon hearing this, a flash of grief and indignation crossed Lord Wang's eyes: "Old servant, you died a terrible death! That traitor Li Linfu deserves to die a horrible death!"
He paused for a moment and said, “That’s right, I do have evidence of Li Linfu’s embezzlement of military funds. Back when I was Minister of War, I discovered that Li Linfu was abusing his power to embezzle military funds and line his own pockets. I collected evidence against him and wanted to expose him to the emperor, but he beat me to it and falsely accused me of colluding with foreign enemies, so that I was dismissed from office and sent back to my hometown.”
Lord Wang rose, went into the room, took out a wooden box, and handed it to Shen Qingci: "This contains evidence of Li Linfu's embezzlement of military funds, including accounts, letters, and so on. With this evidence, you must expose Li Linfu's true colors before the Emperor and avenge us."
Shen Qingci took the wooden box and said solemnly, "Lord Wang, please rest assured, I will definitely do it."
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the courtyard. Lord Wang's expression changed drastically: "This is bad! It must be Li Linfu's men! How did they find their way here?"
Shen Qingci's heart tightened, and she quickly said, "Lord Wang, please take the old lady and hide. We'll deal with them."
Lord Wang nodded and led the old lady into the inner room. Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing gripped their weapons tightly, ready for battle.
Soon, a group of soldiers rushed into the courtyard, led by a man dressed as a captain. He saw Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing, a smug glint in his eyes: "Shen Qingci, Su Yunqing, you really are here! The Prime Minister anticipated you would come to see Lord Wang and told us to wait for you here. If you know what's good for you, surrender obediently and come back with us to see the Prime Minister."
Shen Qingci snorted coldly: "Don't even think about it! That treacherous Li Linfu framed loyal officials and was corrupt. We will not let him succeed."
The captain sneered, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Get them!"
The soldiers rushed forward and engaged Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing in fierce combat. Shen Qingci, wielding a wooden stick, fought off the soldiers, while Su Yunqing assisted by throwing stones at their eyes.
However, there were too many soldiers, and Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing gradually became exhausted. Just then, the door to the inner room opened, and Lord Wang rushed out, wielding a long sword: "Scholar Shen, Miss Su, I'm here to help you!"
Although Lord Wang was old, his martial arts skills remained superb. After joining the battle, he quickly felled several soldiers. Seeing this, the captain was furious and personally rushed forward to fight Lord Wang.
After a fierce battle, Lord Wang pierced the captain's chest with his sword. The captain fell to the ground, barely alive. The other soldiers, seeing this, were terrified and fled in all directions.
Shen Qingci and Su Yunqing breathed a sigh of relief. Lord Wang looked at them and said, "Scholar Shen, Miss Su, you should leave quickly. It's no longer safe here. Li Linfu will definitely send more men to hunt you down. You must keep this evidence safe and present it to the Emperor as soon as possible."
Shen Qingci nodded: "Lord Wang, please take care. We will."
They bid farewell to Lord Wang and, under the cover of night, quietly left Wangjia Village and returned to the capital.
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