8 Goodbye
After the carriage stopped, Qingdai helped Su Wanting get off.
The dock is bustling with vendors carrying loads on their shoulders, women leading their children, and boatmen carrying cargoes. Everyone's face is filled with the flavor of life.
Su Wanting watched all this, and a long-lost smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Miss... no, Miss Awan," Qingdai looked at her smile and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's find a place to stay first. I've already asked around. There's an inn up ahead. It's clean and cheap."
Su Wanting nodded and followed Qingdai to the inn.
The inn wasn't big, but it was very clean. The proprietress was a warm, middle-aged woman. Seeing them come in, she quickly came over to greet them. "Are you two here for a visit, young ladies? There's a room upstairs with a great view of the river."
They followed the proprietress upstairs, and the room was just as the proprietress had described, clean and tidy, with a view of the emerald green river when they opened the window.
Su Wanting walked to the window, looked at the boats passing by on the river, and her heart gradually calmed down.
In the following days, Su Wanting began to learn to adapt to her new life.
She no longer wore those gorgeous dresses, but changed into coarse cloth clothes; she no longer lived a life of luxury, but followed Qingdai, learning to wash clothes, cook, and take care of the room;
She even found a job helping to copy books in a bookshop in town. Although the wages were not much, it allowed her to support herself.
The owner of the bookstore was a gentle old man. Knowing that Su Wanting could read and write well, he took good care of her.
Occasionally, when he was free, the old man would talk to her about the customs and folkways of the south of the Yangtze River, and some poems and songs. Su Wanting gradually opened up her heart and was no longer as taciturn as before.
She also learned to row a boat.
Once, Qingdai said she wanted to go to the market across the river to buy something, so Su Wanting rented a small boat and rowed the boat herself.
The boat was moving slowly on the river, the wind blew on her face, bringing with it the coolness of moisture. Su Wanting suddenly felt that life could be so simple and so happy.
She thought that she could live a stable life in the small town in the south of the Yangtze River, never return to the capital, and never think of Xiao Cixiao again.
That evening, Su Wanting came back from the bookstore. As she walked to the door of the inn, she saw a group of people gathered there, talking.
She walked over curiously and heard someone say, "Have you heard? There's news from the capital that the Su family's case has taken a turn for the better!"
The corrupt officials who framed Lord Su back then, due to internal strife over the uneven distribution of spoils, revealed everything that happened back then!"
"Is this true? Doesn't that mean Lord Su has finally been vindicated?"
"Yes! I heard that the court has ordered a retrial of the Su family's case! And that Young Master Su seems to be released as well!"
When Su Wanting heard these words, her body shook violently.
She couldn't believe her ears, and quickly grabbed a passerby and asked anxiously: "Are you serious? Is there really a turning point in the Su family's case?"
Seeing her anxiousness, passersby nodded and said, "Of course it's true! This news came from a merchant from the capital, it can't be wrong!"
I heard there's an old minister who once received favors from Lord Su and has taken the initiative to write a petition requesting a retrial of the case!"
Su Wanting's tears fell instantly.
Her father's injustice was redressed, and her brother could come back! She had waited for so long, and finally this day had come!
Qingdai was so excited that she cried, "That's great, Miss Awan! The Marquis and the Young Master have finally been vindicated! Can we go back to the capital now?"
Su Wanting wiped her tears and shook her head.
She looked at the night scene in Jiangnan, looked at the peaceful life before her, and said softly: "No, Qingdai. I will feel relieved once the grievances of the Su family are cleared. As for the capital, I don't want to go back."
She was afraid that after returning, she would recall the painful past and meet Xiao Cixiao again.
She is no longer the Su Wanting of the past. She just wants to stay in this quiet town and live her own life.
But she didn't know that even though she didn't want to go back, some people had to come.
A few days later, Su Wanting came back from the bookstore and saw a familiar carriage parked at the door of the inn. It was a carriage commonly used by officials in the capital for travel.
Her heart tightened, and she had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, as soon as she walked into the inn, she saw the proprietress leading a man in official uniform towards her.
When the man saw Su Wanting, his eyes lit up and he quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Your humble servant greets Miss Su!"
Su Wanting was stunned.
She didn't know this man, but he knew her.
"Who are you?" Su Wanting looked at him warily, "I don't know you."
"I am an official of the Imperial Censorate," the man said quickly.
"Lord Xiao sent this official here. Lord Xiao heard that the Su family's case had taken a turn for the better and that the young lady was still alive, so he specifically sent this official to bring her back to the capital."
Xiao Cixiao?
When Su Wanting heard this name, she felt like a needle was pricking her heart.
She thought they would never meet again in this life, but unexpectedly, he still found her.
"Tell Master Xiao," Su Wanting's tone was cold and without a trace of emotion, "I'm not Miss Su, my name is Awan. I won't go back to the capital with you, please go back."
After saying that, she turned around and walked upstairs without even looking at the official.
The official stood there in a daze, not expecting her to refuse.
He looked at Su Wanting's back and sighed helplessly.
He knew that Master Xiao had sent him this time out of a sincere desire to take Miss Su back and make amends for their past mistakes. But it seemed that Miss Su really didn't want to forgive Master Xiao.
The officials could only go back to report. Xiao Cixiao, who was far away in the capital, was silent for a long time after learning that Su Wanting refused to return to the capital.
He looked at the sky outside the window and felt a sense of panic for the first time. He felt like he was really going to lose her.
He decided to go to Jiangnan in person and bring her back.
The plum rain season in the south of the Yangtze River comes lingeringly, and the drizzling rain weaves into a dense net, covering the bluestone roads of the small town.
Su Wanting sat in front of the window of the bookstore, holding a brush in her hand, but she didn't write a single word for a long time. The words of the official from the Censorate just now were like a stone thrown into the calm lake of her heart, and the ripples that spread out lasted for a long time.
Xiao Cixiao knew she was still alive.
This realization made her fingertips feel cold, and even the ink in the inkstone seemed to have frozen.
"Miss Awan, this is the Analects that I need to copy today. Do you think it's enough?"
The old man from the bookshop came over with a stack of rice paper. Seeing that she looked dazed, he asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? If you are tired, go back and rest first."
Su Wanting came back to her senses and forced a smile: "Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm fine, I was just a little distracted."
She took the rice paper, pressed it on the table, and forced herself to focus on the tip of the pen. Only by immersing herself in the brush and ink could she temporarily forget the suffocating feeling brought by the two words "Xiao Cixiao".
But the more he tried to avoid it, the clearer his memory of Xiao Cixiao became.
She remembered his ruthlessness on their wedding night, his indifference when he married Liu Tingting, and his inaction when his father was critically ill...
Those images were like thorny vines, wrapping around her heart, tightening more and more.
She didn't understand why Xiao Cixiao was still looking for her. He refused to help the Su family when they fell, and now that the Su family's injustice was about to be redressed, why would he pretend to be so?
Was it to make up for her guilt, or was it for the Su family's possible restoration of power? Either way, she didn't want it.
"Miss Awan, have you heard? There's new news from the capital!" A scholar who often came to the bookshop to read came over and said excitedly,
"It's said that it was Minister of Revenue Li Song who framed the Marquis of Yongning! He embezzled the annual tribute from the Northern Di people and, fearing the Marquis of Yongning would expose him, forged a letter of treason and turned against him!"
Su Wanting's hand holding the pen suddenly stopped, and the ink drop fell on the rice paper, spreading out a small black area.
Li Song? She remembered this man. When her father was still in the court, he had mentioned him to her many times, saying that Li Song was cunning and might cause great disaster.
Unexpectedly, my father eventually fell into his hands.
"What about now? Has Li Song been arrested?" Su Wanting couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling slightly.
"Not yet!" The scholar sighed, "Li Song has the support of his relatives and the protection of people in the court. Even if the evidence is about to come out, no one dares to touch him!
However, I heard that there is an old minister named Wang Yan, who once received the favor of Yongning Hou. This time, he risked his life to submit a petition. His Majesty has ordered the Dali Temple to conduct a thorough investigation. I believe that it won’t be long before Yongning Hou is cleared of all charges!
Wang Yan… Su Wanting's eyes warmed slightly. She remembered this Lord Wang. When she was a child, her father took her to a banquet at the palace, and Lord Wang praised her for her good handwriting.
Unexpectedly, when the Su family was in the most critical moment, the one who stepped forward was this old minister who had long since retired to the second line.
And what about Xiao Cixiao? As an imperial censor, his duty was to impeach corrupt officials and supervise all officials. But during the days when the Su family was wronged, he never said a word and never picked up a pen.
"Oh, there's another piece of news!" the scholar continued, "I heard that Xiao Cixiao, the Imperial Censor who used to rely on the Yongning Marquis to pave the way for him, has been having a hard time lately!
Without the Su family's connections, his impeachment memorial against Li Song was not only rejected, but he was also scolded by the emperor, who said he was "making groundless accusations"! Now, few people in the court are willing to associate with him!
Su Wanting's heart skipped a beat, then sank again.
She had long anticipated that Xiao Cixiao's career would be hindered.
He was able to be promoted quickly in the past because of the connections and resources of the Su family. Now that the Su family has collapsed, he has lost his backing and is naturally unable to move forward.
But she didn't feel any gloating in her heart, only numbness.
His good and bad, his honor and disgrace, have nothing to do with her anymore.
That night, Qingdai came back from outside with a note in her hand, her face solemn: "Miss Awan, someone just stuffed this into my hand and said it was for you."
Su Wanting took the note, unfolded it and saw a line of familiar handwriting on it, which was written by Xiao Cixiao.
His writing was sharp, carrying his usual arrogance, yet the content revealed a hint of urgency: "Wanting, the Su family's old case is about to be cleared. I know you blame me, but I have my own difficulties. I have already set off for Jiangnan. When I get there, I will tell you in detail."
Su Wanting looked at the note and applied a little force with her fingers, causing the note to be deformed.
Hardship? What hardship could he have? Was it hardship that made him watch her father die of illness? Was it hardship that made him watch the Su family fall?
She threw the note into the candle flame and watched it turn to ashes in the flames.
The firelight illuminated her face, which was expressionless.
Xiao Cixiao, you are too late.
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