Chapter 43 She retaliates against Lou Yanxu, wanting him to taste the bitterness she once felt...
Sunlight streamed through the window. Lou Yanxu moved most of the documents and files onto the table, her voice tinged with coldness, "Can we do it now?"
The three assistant officials stood stiff as a board. No one in officialdom is completely clean, but it's rare to see such blatant evidence of corruption laid out before them. Now, they dared not refuse and answered in unison, "We will obey the orders of the magistrate."
She smiled coldly. With her iron fist, what did she have to fear from the power struggles in officialdom?
After finishing her work that day, the moon and stars were already sparse. As she passed Andingmen, she heard a wail. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a woman lying on the bluestone road, her skirt torn in a long strip, looking quite disheveled. Lou Yanxu stopped and took a closer look, only to find that it was Sheng Ling.
She clung to the legs of the chief steward of the Prince's mansion, pleading desperately, "Prince Cheng! I want to see Prince Cheng! Please let me see Prince Cheng!"
But the chief clerk gave her a cold glance, then kicked her aside with a long leg, saying, "Prince Cheng doesn't want to see you! Get out of here if you know what's good for you!"
When King Cheng apologized, he brought chests and chests of jewels and gold to the Marquis's mansion, which was the envy of everyone. Now, less than half a year later, everything has changed, which is truly lamentable.
The higher you're lifted up, the harder you fall. Lou Yanxu understood this principle long ago. Just as Emperor Xiaokang had elevated her to this position, he could also shatter her into pieces someday. She sighed and went over to help Sheng Ling up.
Sheng Ling was not in a hurry to react and stood up blankly. Lou Yanxu took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "Wipe yourself."
Feeling embarrassed at being caught, she lowered her eyes, accepted the plain handkerchief, and murmured, "Thank you, sister-in-law... thank you, Lady Lou."
Her face and hands were covered in dust, and there were several bloody scratches under her ears that stung painfully to the touch. Lou Yanxu had no choice but to take a handkerchief and carefully wipe them clean for her.
The street corner was deserted, the bright lights illuminating the long alley like water. Sheng Ling was so quiet she didn't breathe, enduring the pain in her body and heart, feeling as if her whole body was about to fall apart. Lou Yanxu felt her trembling, and as she trembled, a tear fell onto the back of her hand. She had cried.
She covered her face and squatted down, choking back tears as she asked, "Why are you willing to help me? Don't you know I took advantage of you back then?"
She has always been ruthless and unscrupulous. Lou Yanxu should have laughed at her when she saw this situation. The current situation only serves to remind her of how despicable she is.
"I also used you to get a divorce at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, so we're even now." Lou Yanxu turned away from her tears. Her actions weren't to forgive Sheng Ling, but rather to understand that everyone had their own difficulties. Perhaps mutual benefit was the most stable relationship. They had both used each other, and having more friends was always better than having more enemies.
At least Zeng's suffering was a shared concern, and Sheng Ling probably understood this as well. However, she couldn't control her emotions, and her crying continued for a long time, even getting more and more intense, making her gasp for breath.
Lou Yan waited quietly for her to calm down. Her trembling lips finally stopped, and she looked up with clear eyes. "There are people in Chang'an who want Xu Situ dead. I advise you not to get involved."
Lou Yanxu's gaze was deep and intense, as if a molten iron clamp was gripping her flesh, making it hard to breathe. "That person not only wants his life, but also mine. I can't get out of this situation now."
Chang'an was like a cage, where tigers, wolves, snakes, and leopards were imprisoned, and a bloody battle raged.
Her death, along with Xu Congjing's, and the death of her sister Rou's sister, will inevitably alert the real culprit, who will stop her at all costs. She was already being hunted down in Jiaozhou, let alone now that she has returned to Chang'an, which is tantamount to locking herself in a cage; it's either her death or his.
When Sheng Ling returned to Beijing, she had the same idea. Now that she has been reminded, there's not much more she can say.
The two walked side by side until they reached the gate of the Chenghua Marquis's residence. Sheng Ling took her leave, but when she reached the threshold, she turned back to Lou Yanxu's side and made up her mind to explain in a low voice, "Please forgive me for what happened before. Zeng killed my mother, and I will make sure she suffers. I will definitely take back the Marquis's residence."
"That's the bottom line," Lou Yanxu nodded, absentmindedly returning to her residence before gradually coming to her senses.
In the tidy courtyard, a gentle evening breeze carried the faint fragrance of flowers. She sat at the stone table, sipping her wine, when a hand reached out and snatched the glass from her, draining it in one gulp.
Lou Yanxu tilted her chin up, her thick eyelashes frosted with mist, and stared blankly at Xu Congjing, asking in surprise, "How did you get in?"
"I climbed over the wall to get in." Knowing he couldn't get in through the main gate, and worried that she might be harassed on her first day as an official, he resorted to this tactic. He sat down familiarly, poured himself a drink, and drank it down. The more she looked at him, the angrier she became, but she had no choice but to suppress her anger for the time being. "Are you going to keep bothering me?"
Xu Congjing remained silent. He meant what he said, he wouldn't let go, even if she fell in love with someone else, even if she loathed him, she should endure it. Of course, he wouldn't tell her these things. He simply took a deep breath and explained his purpose, "Were you given a hard time today? Do you need my help?"
The difficulties were expected, and Lou Yanxu was prepared. She had already dealt with the three officials today and could handle things perfectly without her husband's help. So she insisted, "I can handle it."
"If you help her today, people will say that she is trying to climb the social ladder and that's the end of the story when they talk about the female official."
She absolutely could not rely on Xu Congjing on this path; otherwise, how could she establish credibility and authority, how could she prove to Emperor Xiaokang that the system of female officials was viable, and how could she prove that women could also hold up a world of their own? No matter how difficult it was, she had to grit her teeth and keep going.
Xu Congjing understood her meaning, but he still couldn't hide his worry. "Do you know that you've become a target?"
How could she not know that once she entered officialdom, Emperor Xiaokang would be waiting to see the outcome, and all the officials would be waiting to see her make a fool of herself. Everyone would be pointing at her and monitoring her. She would be surrounded by wolves and tigers, and if she made a mistake, she would be pierced by a thousand arrows. But she had suffered the bitterness of being powerless and dependent on others before, and now she dared not and could not back down. "Someone has to do this. So what if I'm the target? I'm not afraid."
Her father had hoped that she would bring the Lou family into the elite class through marriage, but she failed to do so. However, she has the potential to transcend social classes on her own, which must make her father feel even more gratified in heaven.
"Besides, aren't you the same? Every day you're on edge." Finally, she brought up the matter the magistrate had mentioned that morning, staring intently at Xu Congjing's expression, and asked him, "Did you do it?"
"No." He said firmly, his expression unwavering, then his eyes sharpened and probed after a moment. "You're worried about me?"
Lou Yanxu stood up, temporarily suppressing her doubts. She wasn't exactly worried, but rather felt a mixture of relief and disappointment.
She had loved him so deeply, but the passage of time had not erased it; instead, it had festered with hatred, growing and intertwining with it. She had never drunk the potion of forgetfulness, nor was she a heartless person. She often hoped for retribution, hoping that he would be heartbroken and devastated, but her own heart would also ache along with him.
Despite this, she said without hesitation, "If you did it, I will report you."
Yes, given that opportunity, she would act without hesitation, though her mind would be filled with a multitude of conflicting thoughts.
Painful, yet exhilarating.
She imagined she would hurt him with tears in her eyes, and then laugh heartily.
At some point, she went mad.
Xu Congjing glanced at her, then sighed with relief and smiled wryly, "Wanwan, if you can vent your anger, just go ahead and report it."
"I only beg you, please don't fall in love with anyone else, don't hold hands or kiss other men..." He suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, his right hand playfully pinching her earlobe, his obsessive and crazy words ringing in her ear, "I really will go crazy!"
Her hair stood on end instantly, and Lou Yanxu felt itchy and hot all over. She pushed him away abruptly and said coldly, "You have no right to interfere with what I do."
He staggered slightly, only managing to steady himself by holding onto the stone table. The thought of her being intimate with other people in the future made his heart ache, and he finally shed two tears, his eyes turning frighteningly red.
The two were locked in a stalemate when Wan Qing'an arrived. Upon seeing the strange man barge in, she drew her sword. A closer look revealed that the spark had already ignited a prairie fire. "Xu Congjing! You shameless scoundrel, breaking into your wife's boudoir at night! Have you no shame?!"
"I'll beat you to death today!" She charged at him with her sword, but was stopped by Lou Yanxu. "Qing'an! Qing'an, don't be impulsive."
Lou Yanxu vaguely sensed that Yun Lu was hiding in the shadows and did not want Wan Qing'an to offend the person in front of her.
"Go away." She called out to him, and when he didn't react, she raised her voice, "Go!"
Anger flashed across her face, and Xu Congjing dared not refute her further. He could only give her a deep look before leaping into the night.
Wan Qing'an stamped her foot, "Why are you still protecting him?"
"Yun Lu is lurking in the shadows, ready to make his move. How can we possibly defeat him?" In any case, she did not want Wan Qing'an to get involved in this matter.
One sentence brought tears to Wan Qing'an's eyes: "It's because I haven't trained enough, and I can't protect you." In her opinion, if she hadn't been unable to defeat Yun Lu, Lou Yanxu wouldn't have had to swallow her anger.
"It's alright." How could one rely on others for everything? Lou Yanxu didn't take it to heart. Suddenly, she noticed the pattern of the new hairpin in her hair, touched it a couple of times, and said, "I don't blame Wen Langjun, so whether you reject him or not, you don't need to consider me."
Wan Qing'an was taken aback. "How did you know?"
“I’m guessing you’ve never worn this style before.”
"I...I don't know how to tell you, but he's been acting very strangely lately, helping me, protecting me, and caring for me in every way. I don't know what to do..." Wan Qing'an scratched her head, looking troubled.
“What you think in your heart is your guide.” Lou Yanxu gazed at the vast night sky, her expression somber. “You asked me earlier what I thought of Xu Congjing…”
She thought about it for a long time without finding a result, and then suddenly the answer popped into her head.
She said, "I've made up my mind. I'm going to make him taste what I did back then."
She was determined to take the initiative and bring this all to a close.
Xu Congjing, it's time to prepare for the challenge.
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