A tavern in the West Market of Chang'an.
Lu Wenshan, pale and drunk, lay on his back on the table, with empty wine jugs at his feet. He looked like he hadn't slept all night; his eyes were bloodshot, his stubble was unkempt, and there were traces of blood on his clothes—he hadn't returned home all night.
"Waiter, bring me some wine! Are you worried I don't have the money to pay for it?"
Lu Wenshan clung to a wine jar, refusing to let go, his eyes red and swirling with incoherent shouts:
"Eleventh Sister... I'm so sorry—Eleventh Sister... If you go, please take me with you..."
If Lu Wenshan used to have some handsome features, now none of them have remained.
Seeing that the customers in the shop were afraid, and fearing that Lu Wenshan might get drunk and hurt people, the foreign merchant quickly reported to Wuhoupu.
Before long, a patrol officer arrived in a hurry, verified his identity, and found that he was Lu Jia's son who had violated the curfew the night before. He was immediately taken to the Dali Temple prison.
...
...
Wei Ying rushed over upon receiving the news. He was initially startled to see Lu Wenshan in such a disheveled state, and then became furious.
"Yuan Qi, what are you doing—have you gone completely mad? Breaking into the forbidden area on a rainy night, the Imperial Guards could have shot you dead right there in the street! What were you thinking?! Don't you care about the reputation of your Lu clan, the face of your Lu family?!"
According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, those who violated the law were to be flogged twenty times. Even though his identity was verified, Lu Wenshan still received twenty lashes. Not to mention that as a member of the Imperial Guard, he knowingly broke the law, which made his crime even more serious. Lu Wenshan was also subject to impeachment by censors, and he might very well lose his official position.
The scions of prominent families are closely connected; within the Lu family, their fortunes rise and fall together.
Although Lu Wenshan came from the prestigious Lu family, he was not a direct descendant. He had made such a big mistake, and he couldn't explain it to his clan alone.
Lu Wenshan looked utterly disheveled.
Wei Ying was so angry that he cursed, but he also remembered to send someone to inform the servants of the Lu family, and ordered the people from the Dali Temple to find a soft couch and carry Lu Wenshan onto the carriage.
After his sentence was served, sending Lu Wenshan home was not considered an act of favoritism or bending the law.
After being whipped twenty times, Lu Wenshan finally regained some consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw that it was the Lu family's carriage. He forced himself to get out of bed.
"No! I won't go back—"
"Are you crazy? Even if you're in good health, if you don't take proper care after twenty lashes, the festering wounds will be fatal—but what happened at home?"
Wei Ying suddenly realized something and turned to ask the servant of the Lu household:
"Has something serious happened at your residence?"
The servant, unaware of the details, lowered his head and confessed:
“My lord left the manor with his wife last night and has not returned. The old lady asked me to come and fetch my lord, saying that his wife’s illness has greatly improved and that he should invite his wife back to visit her.”
Has the youngest sister of the Lu family recovered from her illness?
Why ask Eleventh Sister to come and see the doctor when you're better?
"!"
Wei Ying, quick-witted and astute, immediately grasped the crux of the matter. Recalling Lu Wenshan's desperate, life-or-death demeanor, he couldn't help but gasp, instinctively taking a few steps back and sternly saying:
"You...you can't...no...how could you?! Your sister-in-law is your wife, how could you?!"
There are no secrets in Chang'an. No matter how well the Lu family covered it up, the news that Lu Xiaomei was dying was still spread by the doctors. For a time, even those who knew the inside story couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.
The rumor that the Lu family had married a fox spirit had been circulating in Chang'an for a long time. Some people didn't believe it, while others believed it wholeheartedly. But no one expected that when Lu Wenshan made his vows and faced pressure from the Lu family's direct descendants to marry the Hu family's daughter, Lu's mother not only didn't help to dissuade him, but instead agreed.
Wei Ying found Lu's mother's initial reaction strange, but now, connecting the dots, he could easily guess what method Lu's family was using to save people.
"I thought, I thought Eleventh Sister would be alright. It was just half a demon core. I could cherish her more in the future, and with time I could make up for it. But I never imagined that... it was all because of me, because of me..."
Lu Wenshan suddenly burst into tears in the street, attracting the attention of passersby. Wei Ying, barely suppressing his anger, shoved Lu Wenshan into the carriage.
"What have you done to your sister-in-law? Your younger sister is safe and sound, but did you harm your sister-in-law?"
"Eleventh Sister is here, with Madam Xu... She can no longer return to human form—she is deeply in love with me and is willing to give up her core to save me, but I have no face to see her again. I can only repay this kindness by being a cow or a horse in my next life."
Suddenly, Lu Wenshan remembered something and grabbed Wei Ying's sleeve:
"Xuancheng, I wonder how Eleventh Sister is doing? Madam Xu won't let me see her, and I won't go back. Please take me to see Madam Xu. I've heard that you're on good terms with Madam Xu. Please beg her for me, please beg her to save Eleventh Sister, okay?"
"Lu Wenshan! How could I not have known you were such a black-hearted, rotten-skinned villain! I, Wei, am truly ashamed to be associated with you!"
Wei Ying flicked his sleeves, gritted his teeth, and said:
"You come from a military background and are very skilled with your horse spear. If you really didn't want your sister-in-law to die, who in the Lu family could stop you? You just think that since your sister-in-law is a demon, it's no big deal to give your sister a whole demon core. Saying that you're sorry to your wife is just to make yourself feel better!"
Even a human will die if they lose half their heart, and demons are made of flesh and blood too. Is your brain filled with lead?! Don't you even understand this basic principle? You want me to beg Madam Xu for you? Lu Wenshan, you have quite the nerve, quite the arrogance!"
These words were spoken hastily and quickly, leaving Lu Wenshan utterly bewildered, seemingly unable to believe that things had escalated to this point.
"I……"
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