Female General (VII)
Perhaps it was because of his tachycardia, but at a glance, Xiao Lin recognized the person in front of him as Qian Li.
Although Brother Wang had told the two of them before that Qian Li was sitting in a wheelchair, she was still stunned for a moment when she saw it with her own eyes.
"We are not bad people! We got the news from Master Tong Huantong and came back to save you! We know Chu Mo! We used to be waiters in this teahouse! We...we..."
Xiao Lin panicked and blurted out everything that came to his mind, fearing that if he missed even a single thing, Qian Li's crossbow would loosen even a little.
But even though Xiao Lin kept chattering, the sharpness in Qian Li's eyes did not diminish at all.
In an instant, he raised the crossbow again, and the arrow reflected the scorching sun, making Xiao Lin blink.
His expression was stern, and he showed no sign of backing down: "Words are useless! How can you prove it?"
"I, I can make tea soup!" Xiao Lin subconsciously raised his hands in surrender. "I can make Liu Xiangju's tea soup!"
Hearing this, the crossbow in Qian Li's hand suddenly dropped half an inch. His eyes were like an eagle, staring at Xiao Lin's every move.
Xiao Lin never thought that when she returned to Liuxiangju, someone would come to take her life. She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she couldn't even kneel.
As luck would have it, just a few moments after Qian Li appeared, Brother Wang's anxious voice was heard from the shop outside.
Xiao Lin immediately realized the special status of Qian Li. Before he could come to his senses, he grabbed the handle of Qian Li's wheelchair without authorization, and with his knees, he pushed him into the room with great effort.
"you……"
"You can't be seen by others, hide first!"
Even at this critical moment, Qian Li still refused to put down the crossbow in his hand.
But at this moment he was still obedient, and followed Xiao Lin's instructions silently, hiding behind a screen and keeping silent.
Xiao Lin had just closed the screen for Qian Li when Big Brother Wang pushed the door open and came in, grabbing the doctor and explaining frantically, "Doctor, it's him! Please save him!"
The doctor stepped over the threshold without hesitation.
Just as Brother Wang was about to follow, Xiao Lin stopped him at the door. "Brother Wang, Brother Wang! I'm glad I'm here. Go and do your own thing. I'm afraid all this blood will scare you. Don't let Boss Chu come back and see you're not working and deduct your wages."
"He's injured like this, how can we talk about wages!" But Brother Wang was chivalrous and brave, and he tried to break through Xiao Lin and squeeze in.
How could Xiao Lin dare to let him into the house? If one more person entered the house, Qian Li would be at greater risk of being exposed. Once he was exposed, Chu Mo might even go crazy.
So she had to lock Brother Wang's arms by herself, and it took a lot of effort to push him out the door.
He fell out of the room with a bewildered look on his face. Just as he was about to say something, Xiao Lin shot him back, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Wang. Mu You will be fine. You should focus on your work first. Thank you very much!"
Without waiting for anyone to reply, Xiao Lin closed the door, and the bright sunlight outside became a little dimmer.
Brother Wang lingered at the door for a moment, scratched his head, muttered a few words, and then left in disappointment.
Xiao Lin knew that this was inappropriate, but considering the lives of Mu You and Qian Li, she had no choice but to be an ungrateful person.
On this side, she solved the trouble of Brother Wang, and on the other side, the doctor immediately opened the cloth bag when he saw Mu You lying on the couch.
He held down Mu You's struggling left shoulder, clamped the cut linen fabric with his left hand and pulled it outwards. The fishy smell of rotten flesh mixed with pus and blood immediately rushed into the stuffy air.
Mu You let out a hoarse cry, and the chirping of cicadas outside the house suddenly died down.
The doctor then took out a sheep intestine bag from the medicine box, pulled out the wooden cork, and with a flick of his wrist, the medicine powder in the bag sprinkled on the bleeding arrow hole.
Mu You's limbs were bulging with veins in pain. He suddenly arched his back and bumped into the doctor's knuckles.
Xiao Lin couldn't bear to see this scene, and Mu You tried hard not to roar in order to calm her down.
Seeing his lower lip bleeding from being bitten, he grabbed the straw mat under him with his backhand, whimpering like a beast in his throat, beads of sweat rolled down his veins onto the couch, revealing a dark human shape.
At this time, even though Qian Li was hiding behind the screen, the pain that Mu You was suppressing in his heart was still clearly visible.
He initially held the crossbow tightly, but suddenly loosened his hand completely.
Mu You was definitely not a man of steel. Under the pain of broken bones, he could only struggle for a few moments before he suddenly became exhausted and fainted.
Seeing this, Xiao Lin wanted to go forward to help him, but he knew that he could not help him share the pain, so he could only stand aside with his back turned, tears in his eyes.
Mu You's heavy breathing echoed countless times before he heard the doctor's voice amidst the intermittent chirping of cicadas: "Alright, remember to change the medicine from now on."
The heat dried up Xiao Lin's tears, and he felt his cheeks were tight. He blinked his eyes a few times helplessly, rubbed his facial features, and moved closer without stopping.
"Here is the prescription. Give it to him on time. He may have a fever tonight, so remember to apply wet compresses." Then, the doctor washed his hands in clean water, put away the medicine box, and the moment he stood up, a piece of yellow paper appeared.
Xiao Lin accepted the prescription carefully and respectfully sent the doctor away.
However, after turning around, Mu You was still unconscious, and his pale face made Xiao Lin's eyes look much duller.
She quietly brushed away the hair stuck to his temples by sweat, and grasped his sleeves to dry him back a little.
"It's all my fault. It's all my fault. I had to come back and hurt you..."
Xiao Lin suddenly choked up and Qian Li pushed the wheel out at the right time.
Seeing Mu You's frail appearance, he felt a trace of guilt: "I'm... sorry... I thought you were sent by the Wang family..."
As Qian Li's voice grew closer, Xiao Lin couldn't help but feel a surge of blame—it was him! It was him who had caused Mu You to become like this!
She ignored him and just watched over Mu You, fearing that he would have any reaction and she would miss it.
Qian Li was still talking to himself, with guilt in his eyes: "Well... when Yinxi comes back, he will definitely find a way to save him..."
"Yinxi?" Xiao Lin suddenly looked up, his red eyes staring directly into Qian Li's. "Who is Yinxi?"
"Chu Mo, that's Chu Mo. His surname is Chu, his given name is Mo, and his courtesy name is Yinxi."
Yinxi? Why Yinxi?
"Then...where did Boss Chu go?"
Unexpectedly, Xiao Lin's words had just slipped out from between his teeth when Qian Li's expression inexplicably dimmed, his eyes drooped, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
What's wrong? Why that expression? Did Chu Mo encounter some kind of accident?
Xiao Lin's heart beat faster and faster as he began to guess.
First, he took Qian Li to the backyard of Liu Xiangju without their knowledge, and then he went away without telling them where he was.
What exactly is Chu Mo thinking?
However, before Xiao Lin could curse a few more times in her heart, Qian Li's next words told her to shut up -
"He...went to see his deceased wife..."
After these words were spoken, Xiao Lin stood still, not moving.
What? Dead wife?
What is going on?
So Xiao Lin asked, "Dead...deceased wife?"
"Hmm." Qian Li's expression was unusually indifferent. He then pushed his wheelchair and rolled it in front of Xiao Lin. "You didn't expect that he, such a cynical man, also has a wife?"
How should she put it? Actually, she knew that he had a family, and it was said that he was the daughter of Lord Jiang. She had just replied quickly, but Qian Li picked up the conversation.
Seeing that Mu You was still not awake, Qian Li let down her guard again. She simply moved a stool over and looked at Mu You while listening to him slowly tell her about Chu Mo's past.
However, his words were gentle, as if the turbulent past had become insignificant dust in the hearts of the two.
Afterwards, Qian Li pushed the wooden wheel again and told the story of Chu Mo, just the time when Chu Mo was just a thing -
"He and I have known each other since childhood. I was born into the Qian family, a well-known wealthy businessman in Tianling. Even though I have a fortune, I have never been able to pass the imperial examinations."
"Yinxita is a member of the Chu family. His father, Chu Shaopu, was the foremost historian of our dynasty and a close confidant of the late emperor. Even the current emperor has to respect him. It is this prominent family background that has fostered his wildfire-like ambition in his youth."
"I grew up with him and we had a very good relationship. I was often bullied because I was the son of a merchant, but he always stood up and saved me from danger..."
Xiao Lin was so engrossed in listening that he even blinked a little slower.
Then, Qian Li suddenly chuckled, his brows raised in a gentle arc: "He has a pair of phoenix eyes, right?"
"Um."
"Almond-shaped phoenix eyes, look scary, don't they?"
"Well... a little..."
"Strangely enough, his phoenix eyes, identical to his grandfather's, gave me more than anyone else's gaze. Ever since I met him, I no longer feared the cold glint in his eyes, because I saw sincerity in them, saw that in his heart, everyone was equal in status, and saw his willingness to dedicate himself to his country and achieve his ambitions."
Xiao Lin's heart trembled, and he remained silent.
"He has always been determined, and he has achieved success. He and his wife also met when he was at the peak of his ambition."
Qian Li suddenly mentioned Chu Mo's wife, and Xiao Lin finally resonated with her: "Jiang..."
"Jiang Ying, the second young lady of the Jiang family, is both talented and beautiful, a rare beauty."
"Since she's so good, why did Boss Chu win her heart? Could it be that they were already engaged?"
However, Qian Li shook his head and smiled slightly, his tone becoming more relaxed: "No, no, no, not only are they not engaged, they even secretly got married without telling the family elders."
"Ah?" Xiao Lin exclaimed, never expecting Chu Mo to do such a ridiculous thing, "He..."
After all, eloping was considered shameful in the old days.
Qian Liyi saw the confusion in her eyes, so he continued to explain, "I know what you want to say. You want to ask why he would do such a thing to ruin her reputation? Is that right?"
Xiao Lin nodded.
"He had no choice. Ah Ying was quite famous in the capital and was a talented woman. The Jiang family had long been visited by high-ranking officials. Lord Jiang was a worldly man who wanted to marry his children to high-ranking officials. Naturally, he looked down on Yinxi, the grandson of a mere historian."
Xiao Lin: “…”
Outside the window, cicadas were chirping and the heat was raging, but it seemed as if all of this was blocked outside by the wooden door - it was surprisingly cool inside.
Qian Li took a deep breath and continued, "Originally, Ah Ying was promised to the Zhao family, who were members of the Queen Mother's faction. The Jiang family had been the Zhao family's lackeys. When Yinxi learned of this, he immediately came to ask for her hand in marriage, but he was repeatedly kicked out. Even the gifts he brought were smashed to pieces..."
"I went with him once, and I asked him why he was still asking for trouble if the Jiang family didn't want him. There are countless beauties in the world, so wouldn't it be enough to just pick someone of equal status?"
"But he was stubborn, born stubborn. He braved the rain and went to the Jiang family again. But when we arrived at the Jiang family's gate, we couldn't even get a cup of hot tea. We were turned away."
"Later, fearing I wasn't feeling well and couldn't stand the rain, he reluctantly returned home with the gift. That was the first time I'd seen Yinxi like this. He was more broken than the broken leaves of an old locust tree, more desolate than bent weeds. I couldn't even see his eyes. Those phoenix eyes, once filled with youthful spirit, had lost all their light from then on."
Xiao Lin wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat and eventually slid down his back along with the sweat.
"Boss Chu must love his wife very much, right?" Xiao Lin thought so.
"Yes." Qian Li smiled and replied, "He loves her very much. Everyone around him can see his overwhelming love, except Lord Jiang, who turns a blind eye to it."
"What about Miss Jiang? Isn't she going to do anything?"
"Of course she did her best to see Yinxi. Yinxi loved her deeply, and so did she. So that day, as soon as we turned the corner, she left the house without permission, walked through the rain and fog, and hugged Yinxi in her arms. The weather was bad that day, and there were no people on the street, but I think that even if there were a lot of people, they would never let go in front of everyone watching..."
"Actually, it was Ah Ying's idea to leave. She didn't want to marry into the Zhao family. Even if it meant facing the stigma, she wanted to marry Yin Xi. But Yin Xi refused."
Xiao Lin was puzzled and asked immediately, "Rejected? Why?"
Qian Li suddenly slapped the armrest, making a muffled sound. "In ancient times, a woman's reputation was more important than anything else! He loved her, so he didn't want her to become the topic of conversation after dinner."
"So they can't be together anymore?"
"No." Qian Li closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Yinxi is extremely talented. Although we have been studying together since childhood, no one in the academy can match his academic performance. When I failed the exam, he made it to the gold list and became famous throughout Tianling City."
"But even so, he still can't marry Miss Jiang, right?"
"Yes, he can't marry her. Without Lord Jiang's permission, he can't marry her."
"Then..." Xiao Lin couldn't help biting his upper lip, "How did you accomplish it in the end?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said this, Qian Li raised his head and stared at Xiao Lin, scaring her so much that she was at a loss.
He said, "Damn the Wang family, the one who wants to kill me, the Wang family."
What? Wang family?
No wonder he mentioned the Wang family at Lord Sun’s banquet before. It turns out that Chu Mo used to be a member of the Wang family!
Xiao Lin felt a tingling sensation on his back, all the way to the back of his neck.
"At that time, the Wang and Zhao families were vying for power in the imperial court. Lord Jiang leaned on the Zhao family, while Yinxi caught the eye of the Wang family. It was they who stepped in, resisting the pressure from the Zhao family and forcing Ah Ying's original marriage back. But even so, Lord Jiang still refused to allow Yinxi to marry his daughter. Ultimately, Yinxi followed the Wang family's wishes and, upon his appointment as an official, married into the Jiang family."
"I don't know what tactics he used, or if Ah Ying said something harsh, but when Yin Xi took office, he brought Ah Ying with him. Without the elders' permission, the two of them were rumored to have eloped..."
Qian Li said a lot and Xiao Lin listened for a while, but it was these few words that fragmentarily encompassed half of Chu Mo's life.
Unexpectedly, the man who is usually serious can become a young man again.
But there was one thing Xiao Lin couldn't figure out despite his hard thinking.
Qian Li mentioned the Wang family. Since Chu Mo is from the Wang family, why would they kill his best friend now?
Just like Qian Li said, Chu Mo was just the grandson of a historian. How did he attract their attention with such an unremarkable background, and how did he break up with them?
So, she boldly asked, "Is Boss Chu really that powerful? So powerful that the Wang family would protect him even if it meant offending the Jiang family and the Queen Mother?"
"Yes." Qian Li was extremely firm and decisive. "Even if it costs them their lives, they will recruit him."
"W-why?"
"Because his father-in-law was chosen by the late emperor, Qianjilang..."
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