Chapter 60
It wasn't that Luo Linchun was overthinking things; Xu Yuan and his group had been loitering outside the shop for several days.
Seeing that the shop was crowded, they didn't have a chance to make a purchase.
His return this time was due to someone informing him.
Fu'er's master is gone; he can now take his revenge.
Fu'er's powerful backer drove him out of Lingyang, and he could no longer do business.
He had been thinking that once that person left, he would be able to return to Lingyang to do business again.
Unexpectedly, the officials from the municipal government strongly opposed it.
He claimed that he had offended someone even their county magistrate couldn't afford to offend.
Therefore, Xu Yuan blamed all his hatred on Fu'er.
Furthermore, the people behind him also gave him a lot of benefits.
Xu Yuan certainly wouldn't give up this opportunity, which would allow him to vent his anger and also earn a large sum of money.
Furthermore, he also wanted to take his son back.
They could wait for several days, but still had no chance to make a move.
Those around him also lost patience.
"This girl is no ordinary person; she's someone we can't afford to offend. Let's just let it go."
Seeing that the person was about to leave, Xu Yuan hurriedly took out the silver ingot from his purse and shook it.
He said smugly, "Who cares who she is? As long as we get our hands on her, all this silver will be ours."
Seeing the money, the men became greedy and stopped talking about leaving.
"Brother Xu, that girl is protected day and night, making it very difficult to take action."
Xu Yuan smiled sinisterly, "No matter how difficult it is, there's always a chance."
"These days of guarding haven't been in vain; I've started to figure things out."
"We'll take action in a couple of days."
That night.
Ning Shiyu finished his official duties for the day and didn't go to sleep until after 9 PM.
Since arriving in Chang'an, he has been sleeping restlessly, waking up frequently.
Therefore, Mu Li dared not make a sound and stayed outside.
At midnight, just as Mu Liyu was waking up to change shifts, she heard a loud shout from inside the bedroom, "No!"
Mu Li and Zhuang Xing entered the inner room in a few steps.
"What happened, Master?"
Ning Shiyu was seen sitting on the bed, covered in sweat and looking terrified.
Mu Li knew at a glance that he had a nightmare.
I poured him a cup of tea.
After drinking, Ning Shiyu said calmly, "You may all leave."
After the two left, Ning Shiyu slowly lay down.
The dream he had just experienced still troubled him, preventing him from finding peace of mind.
In the dream, Fu'er and Zhu Ping were both dressed in red.
Fu'er, dressed in her wedding gown, looked as beautiful as if she had stepped out of a painting.
Seeing Fu'er being led by Zhu Ping, Ning Shiyu felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, the pain so intense that even his breathing trembled.
He felt as if he were isolated on another island, his throat burning as if blocked, unable to utter a single word no matter how angry he was.
The scene then shifts to Fu'er, covered in blood, lying in his arms.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold Fu'er.
Overwhelmed with despair and terror, and with a heart-wrenching pain, I finally cried out, "No!"
Even now, I still feel lingering fear. I let out a long sigh, thankfully it was just a dream.
But the image of Fu'er lying injured in his dream kept appearing in his mind.
Then she thought back to the time she was kidnapped.
I couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night.
The decision that had been delayed for so long finally had a clear answer at this moment.
The next morning after the court session, he went to the emperor to request permission to return to Lingyang to fetch his long-lost younger brother.
Emperor Zhaode was naturally pleased to hear that Ning Shiyu's younger brother had been found.
But when he heard that Ning Shiyu was going to go back to pick him up in person, his expression immediately changed.
"Yu'er, this is a trivial matter. You don't need to go in person. Just instruct someone in your household to do it."
"At the end of the year, the affairs of the court are very busy, and you have no time."
"National affairs are of paramount importance."
Ning Shiyu then reverted to his composed self as Vice Minister Ning, arguing logically, "Imperial Uncle, you promised Yu'er that once your political affairs are stable, you would let Yu'er have a proper rest."
“Yu’er chose a time herself, and it is now.”
Emperor Zhaode was taken aback, and after a long while, he advised again: "You can't rest even though it's neither a holiday nor a festival."
“When you were in the Prince of Qin’s residence, you never raised such unconventional opinions. Now you are a high-ranking official.”
"How can you just take a break like that? The New Year is almost here in half a month. Can't you wait until then to take a break?"
Ning Shiyu looked respectful, but showed no intention of backing down. "Uncle, I have already been transferred to the positions of key ministers in the Six Ministries."
“Yu’er really wants to rest for a while and go back to see…her younger brother.”
He didn't say much, but knelt down in a gesture of respect, saying, "Please grant my request, Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhaode was furious when he saw that the man was determined to leave. "How long do you plan to rest?"
"It cannot exceed one month."
"If all the court officials were like you, would I still be the emperor?"
Ning Shiyu replied truthfully, "One month is not enough."
Li Jingsheng slapped Long An with his big hand, "Ning Shiyu, don't go too far. A month isn't enough. Do you want to resign?"
"If my uncle doesn't allow it, I can resign from my post."
He wasn't acting on a whim; he had finally avenged his great grudge.
He had thus completed the task assigned by his maternal uncle, assisting his younger uncle in ascending the throne.
But he lost the person he cared about most.
Since that day, his imperial uncle has forcibly arranged a marriage for him, claiming that the Zheng family's daughter is not suitable and that he will be given another marriage to a family of equal social standing.
Ning Shiyu knew his own identity, coupled with his current official position.
If you put heavy shackles on him, he will never be able to marry the person he most wants to marry.
At that moment, Ning Shiyu had the idea of leaving the imperial court.
He has carried too much on his shoulders over the years, and now he just wants to live for himself.
After last night's dream, he didn't want to wait any longer.
What seemed like a ridiculous dream only strengthened his resolve.
Emperor Zhaode saw that his nephew was determined to return to Lingyang, which was different from his resignation.
They had no choice but to allow him to return to Lingyang to rest.
Judging from his appearance, his return date is uncertain.
He was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his opponent.
After returning from the capital, Ning Shiyu didn't even go back to his residence; he went directly to the dock to return to Lingyang.
Ruyi Street.
With the Lunar New Year just five or six days away, Fu'er's shop is doing better and better.
Don't underestimate her small spice shop; sometimes several people are too busy to keep up with the demand.
Many of them are repeat customers.
That day, A-Gui went to pick up the goods early in the morning, but an hour had passed and he still hadn't returned.
The shop where I buy the goods isn't far away; it takes less than half an hour to walk there and back.
Moreover, his shop assistants also handle delivery.
As the number of guests increased, the requested spices still hadn't been brought back.
Fu'er had no choice but to send Cuiya to check.
It just so happens that her father was delayed by something today.
Dongyue was extremely anxious, but dared not leave Fu'er's side for even a moment.
Before Cuiya could even leave the shop, a female customer rushed in with the news, "Manager, one of your shop assistants has had his leg broken."
"Covered in blood, he collapsed on the roadside."
"Come with me quickly and take a look."
Without a second thought, Dongyue followed the female guest.
Fu'er and Man'er, the two sisters, were worried and didn't care about the shop's business. They handed Le Ge over to Cui Ya and left the shop.
The two people ahead were walking very fast, still on a small path.
Before the two sisters could catch up, he had vanished without a trace.
Neither of them dared to stop, as the path became increasingly remote.
In the end, we arrived at the entrance of an abandoned alley.
Fu'er's unease grew stronger. "Sister, I feel like something's not right."
"Let's go back to the shop."
Upon hearing this, Man'er also noticed something amiss.
As the two sisters turned to walk back, several people jumped out of the abandoned house and blocked their way.
Fu'er was extremely flustered, holding Man'er's hand tightly, with a dense crowd blocking their way behind them.
Before they could ask any questions, Xu Yuan emerged from the shadowy corner.
He laughed loudly and said, "This time, let's see if you can still escape."
"Perfect, let me take care of it all today."
When the two saw who it was, they were so frightened that they froze on the spot.
Xu Yuan, his face grim, slowly approached Fu'er.
Man'er blocked Fu'er behind her, "Didn't you already leave Lingyang?"
"If you leave, can't you come back?"
"My current predicament is all thanks to you two sisters. Today I will take your lives."
Man'er quickly reassured him, "Xu Yuan, don't do anything rash. We've been husband and wife for a while now."
Xu Yuan grabbed Man'er by the neck and said through gritted teeth, "You still know we are husband and wife? How did you treat me when I begged you time and time again?"
Seeing how he treated her sister, Fu'er, in a moment of panic, grabbed Xu Yuan's crotch without thinking.
Then he pulled Man'er up and ran away through another fork in the road.
Xu Yuan's men all gave chase.
The two sisters ran faster and faster, while the person in front became anxious, fearing that all their efforts would be in vain and they wouldn't get the money.
They didn't care about the two sisters or who they wanted to kill.
A short knife was thrown out, and it looked like it was about to pierce Man'er's back.
Fu'er heard a sharp whooshing sound and turned around.
The knife tip was aimed directly at her sister's back.
She staggered and turned around, pushing her sister aside, but she was a beat too slow.
With a soft "thud," the cold blade pierced straight into Fu'er's shoulder blade.
She groaned softly as excruciating pain swept through her entire body.
Man'er smelled a pungent odor of blood. She looked up at Fu'er and saw that her coat was stained red with blood.
She felt a sharp pain in her chest and cried out, "Fu'er!"
The mournful sound pierced through the alleyway, making Dongyue, who was running, feel a tremor in her heart.
Turning around, I saw that the intersection that had led me there was nowhere to be found.
A sudden realization snapped him back to reality. Remembering his responsibilities, he quickly turned back.
Following Man'er's cries for help, they rushed over after several scrambles.
Seeing Fu'er with a knife wound in her shoulder, covered in blood, collapsing into her sister's arms.
Only then did he realize he had been tricked, and he was filled with fear.
He pulled out the soft whip from his waist and began to lash it fiercely.
Xu Yuan and his men were getting flustered by Man'er's cries of "Help!" and wanted to deliver another blow.
Unexpectedly, they were attacked by soft whips and scattered stones. By the time they reacted...
Xu Yuan and his men were all frozen in place, their bodies numb and limp, unable to move.
When Dongyue touched Fu'er's hands, she found them growing colder and colder.
So frightened that his hands and feet suddenly became unresponsive.
She knew that if Fu'er died, she and the people of Songtao Garden would probably not survive.
It was Man'er who spoke up, reminding everyone, "Quickly take Fu'er to see a doctor."
One sentence calmed Dongyue down considerably. She first pressed several acupoints on Fu'er's chest to stop the bleeding.
Then he signaled to Uncle Jiu and carefully carried Fu'er on his back to Ning Residence.
Doctor Wu had been staying at the Ning residence the whole time. When he saw how serious Fu'er's injuries were, his heart sank.
Not daring to delay even slightly, he had Dongyue help him draw the sword.
Man'er waited anxiously outside, and after an unknown amount of time, she heard the sound of blood splattering inside.
Man'er burst into tears, "Fu'er, it's all my fault for dragging you down."
"You absolutely cannot get hurt."
An hour later, Doctor Wu and Dongyue emerged covered in blood.
Man'er rushed forward and tightly grabbed Doctor Wu's sleeve, "Doctor, how is my sister?"
Dr. Wu's expression was solemn and tense.
Looking at Dongyue again, she saw that Dongyue had her head down, tears welling in her eyes, but she dared not answer.
Man'er knew something was wrong and knelt down in front of Doctor Wu, pleading, "Doctor, you must save my sister."
Doctor Wu gently helped Man'er up and sighed, "Saving the young lady is my duty, but the knife tip is poisoned and has already spread to her internal organs."
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