Chapter 139 Pride Abounds (Part 1) Do you really want me to go in and serve you? ...
Zhi Rou dreamt that she was lying in the snow, the white snow covering her eyes, her limbs stiff. Suddenly, a wolf brought something to her hand, bloody and throbbing, like a heart.
She opened her eyes and saw Wei Yuanzhan kneeling beside the bed, his hand firmly covering hers.
The oil in the lamp was almost gone, and the flickering light cast a weary glow on his face.
She twitched her fingers, and Wei Yuanzhan noticed. He slowly opened his eyes and called her name in a low voice.
He then sat up, the weariness gradually fading from his eyes, and he was now fully awake. He asked softly, "How are you? Thirsty? Wait for me." He released her and went to the next room.
A dull chill and pain crept up on her. Zhi Rou tried to get up, but her arm felt like it was studded with arrows, a piercing pain.
When Wei Yuanzhan returned, he saw her with her hands supporting her ribs, half-turned. He strode over, put down the water, and pulled her up by the waist.
"You have a rather deep wound on your arm, which the doctor has stitched up. You must not move around too much these days. As for the Ning residence, I have taken care of everything, so you don't need to worry about it."
He sat next to her, and it seemed he hadn't slept for long; his face was two shades paler than usual.
Zhi Rou's gaze fell on Wei Yuanzhan and remained fixed on him, quietly watching him as if she were stunned or still afraid.
Her appearance instantly made him frown slightly, and he reached out to brush her hair aside: "What's wrong?"
As his hand fell, it touched Zhi Rou's fingertips. She raised her finger to press him down, feeling a slightly cool touch on the back of her finger.
After a long pause, she opened her lips and said, "Water."
He realized what was happening and went to get the porcelain cup. As he turned around, he met that clear gaze again.
She was like a stubborn and focused little beast in a traditional Chinese painting. Wei Yuanzhan couldn't understand her, so he pursed his lips helplessly and sat down next to her: "Are you awake?"
Zhi Rou finished drinking the water, her voice now clear and her gaze more subdued: "You're not hurt again, are you?"
Wei Yuanzhan was taken aback for a moment, then took the porcelain cup from her hand: "Su Du brought more than a dozen people, so I don't need to lift a finger."
In Zhi Rou's memory, there was only him. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyebrows slightly: "Su Du?"
Wei Yuanzhan told her the whole story from yesterday.
"...When we arrived at the Ling residence, their people said you had left. So Su Du and I split up. He took his men to wait at the Ning residence, while I returned to Chongyuan Lane. When we heard the sound of arrows whistling from the other side of the river, Chang Huai and I rushed over. I suppose Su Du did the same."
The wound was still throbbing with pain. Zhi Rou bit her lip slightly, regulated her breathing, and asked, "Where is he? Did he go back?"
Wei Yuanzhan chuckled and shook his head: "He does have the air of an elder brother."
How could he leave? Last night, he and Su took turns watching over Zhirou. While he was inside, Su stood outside the door. Upon hearing her mutter a few words, he immediately stepped in and asked her what she wanted.
Until dawn, the two remained together in this way, without exchanging a word, yet they understood each other perfectly with just a glance.
Upon hearing his evaluation, Zhi Rou suddenly understood, and her eyebrows furrowed uncomfortably. After a while, she deliberately relaxed them.
"How did Su deal with those people last night?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuanzhan's eyes darkened.
Last night, Zhi Rou fainted in his arms, exhausted. He carried her onto the horse and took the reins from behind her. Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid on the back of his hand and realized that she was injured.
He turned his horse around and looked back. Under the boundless darkness, shadows crisscrossed, and a sweet, pungent smell wafted through the alley like a tide.
Su Du was ruthless and had no intention of leaving any survivors.
He should have reminded him, but he only glanced at him silently, then whipped his horse and rode away.
At this moment, Wei Yuanzhan's voice was very calm: "I don't know."
Zhi Rou frowned slightly and muttered, "The Wanyuan Merchant Guild... it's not simple that they were able to find Qinyang."
She had just woken up, and Wei Yuanzhan didn't want her to overexert herself.
He lifted her face, just like when they were children, and coaxed her in his tone, "What do you want to eat? Nothing greasy or spicy is fine," he smiled, "You don't really have much to choose from anyway."
After saying that, she got up, intending to go out and bring her some food. Before she could take a step, her sleeve slid down, subtly restraining him.
He glanced down and saw the person on the bed awkwardly withdraw their hand and touch the tip of their nose: "I want hot water."
Wei Yuanzhan looked at her for a moment.
She was still wearing the clothes she had worn during the fight, and the exposed skin, which he had cleaned for her during the night, was still there, but the rest could not be cleaned.
Sensing her unspoken meaning, he frowned: "Can you manage on your own?"
There are no other women here.
Zhi Rou's cheekbones flushed, and she almost blurted out, "Of course!"
Her response startled Wei Yuanzhan for a moment. When he realized what she was thinking, he couldn't help but chuckle and looked at her with a teasing gaze: "The wound shouldn't get wet, be careful."
This bathing ritual ultimately differed greatly from what Zhi Rou had envisioned.
Hot soup was prepared in the side room, and a brand-new undergarment hung on the screen. Wei Yuanzhan stood with his back to the main room at the junction of the side room, and his voice came through the steam: "If you need anything, call me."
Zhi Rou suddenly felt her face burning again, and she hid behind the screen with unusual restraint: "What could possibly be wrong with me?... Don't stand there."
"If I don't stand outside, do you really want me to come in and serve you?"
Zhi Rou suddenly gritted her teeth; she couldn't reason with him. She had no choice but to turn around and quickly take off her clothes. Because of her injured hand, she gasped for breath a few times as she entered the bath.
Before long, the sound of light rain could be heard inside the room.
This is not the first time this has happened.
Back in Changfeng Camp, Wei Yuanzhan's ears were so red they almost bled, but now he lowered his eyes in deep thought, without a single daydream, only knowing that Rou was restless and uneasy.
Unable to resist any longer, she finally broke the ice and asked, "What did you say to Pei Cheng and the others?"
"What?"
The voice was too low for Wei Yuanzhan to hear clearly.
Zhi Rou cleared her throat and asked again.
He said, "I said, 'Your daughter ran into an old acquaintance and they hit it off, so she accepted his invitation to stay at his house for a few days. She asked me to tell you all to stay here and not to worry.'"
"They believed it?"
"They were desperate, so they had no choice but to believe."
Zhi Rou chuckled softly, then her voice came from behind the screen: "Wei Yuanzhan, I had Pei Cheng investigate Yongning Lane. Do you have any leads?"
"Changhuai has gone to investigate, and there's no one in that house you mentioned."
Unexpectedly, this was the answer. Zhi Rou remained silent for a moment, then heard him say, "I will go there myself."
“I’ll go with you,” she replied.
Wei Yuanzhan lowered his eyes and did not respond.
In the next room, Zhi Rou scooped her loose hair out of the bathtub, and water droplets dripped down her black hair onto the floor.
Reflecting on the recent events, she gradually began to believe Su Du's words, and the feelings in her heart were indescribable.
"Wei Yuanzhan, if... he is not a traitor, but has been wronged, what should I do?"
There was a hint of confusion in his voice.
Wei Yuanzhan remained silent for a moment, then turned his face away.
In this corner, the sky is warm and gentle, and the light filtering through the window spills onto the screen, casting an extremely hazy shadow.
Most of the time, she is as warm and scorching as the sun, but now, trapped in the shadows, she makes one's heart ache for no reason.
“Do what you do best,” Wei Yuanzhan said.
"...What am I best at?"
Should we try?
Zhirou lowered her eyelashes.
"If I do something wrong and implicate innocent people... is it worth it?"
She had promised her father that she would never implicate the Song family. But her father had managed to establish her and her mother's lineage and protect them for ten years. Once her true identity was revealed, in the emperor's eyes, it would be considered deceiving the emperor.
Her father trusted and protected her, and she could not repay kindness with enmity; if she were always innocent, she would not be able to swallow the various grievances her mother suffered.
“Nothing in this world is ever perfect,” Wei Yuanzhan said firmly, gazing at the silhouette on the screen. “Whatever you do, I will be with you. Through thick and thin, we will never be apart.”
Zhi Rou paused slightly, her hand resting on the rim of the bucket involuntarily clenching tighter.
He is a man who never breaks his promises.
Faced with such a sentiment, she didn't know what to say. She felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest. When she came to her senses, her eyelashes gradually became wet.
After a long pause, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, a smile blooming on her lips, and said out of the blue, "I can't bear to."
The Song family, or Wei Yuanzhan, will be safe and sound.
After noon, Wei Yuanzhan told Zhirou to rest and went outside himself.
Her lost strength had long since returned, and the stitches in her arm were properly healed. She didn't feel she needed to stay there any longer. She took a sip of tea, got up, and prepared to go back.
As soon as I opened the door, I ran into Su Du.
Thanks to his timely rescue, Zhi Rou's attitude towards him changed. Although she was still somewhat distant, she couldn't help but smile at him. Seeing that Chang Huai and the other two were not there, she invited him into the house.
She closed the door, turned to him and bowed: "Thank you for last night."
Su stared at her for a moment, then nodded.
Zhi Rou then said, "I'm going back to the capital."
"When?" He stopped in front of the chair and waited until she answered before sitting down.
"In the next few days."
Being away from home for a long time inevitably makes one miss family; having gained a lot in Qinyang, it's definitely time to set off again.
Sudu said naturally, “You are not fully recovered from your injuries and cannot ride a horse; renting a carriage makes you vulnerable to robbery. Come with me.”
Zhi Rou hesitated for a moment before sitting down opposite him: "Okay."
The brother and sister each held onto one side of the table, their close interaction unprecedented. It was hard to tell who was more shy; on the surface, both appeared perfectly normal.
Knowing that she had stayed at the Ling residence the night before, he didn't ask her anything. It was Zhi Rou who brought it up first: "Lord Ling is not quite what I imagined."
Upon hearing this, Su Du raised his eyebrows and looked at her. His eyes were like a wolf's, bright and sharp, much like hers.
"You don't need to hide things from me about Mother's affairs," Zhi Rou said frankly.
Su remained silent for a long time, his hand unconsciously clenching into a fist on the table. Seeing her staring at him, he finally spoke: "What else did he... say to you?"
Zhi Rou said, "Chang Yu once had a 'young strategist' under his command, surnamed Song, who came from Changxi. Song Lang, the Director of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, was also from Changxi."
Su Du had already received Ling Zifu's advice, so he was not surprised to hear this.
She then said, "I have some past dealings with his tenth son, but I have only met Song Lang twice at banquets. The man I captured earlier said that the mastermind behind him was 'Lord Song.' I will investigate whether this is true or not when I return to the capital."
Su Du immediately said, "I'll do it."
"What?"
He changed his tone, trying to be as gentle as possible, and said, "Leave this to me. You don't need to worry about it."
"Why?" Zhi Rou raised her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Are you afraid I'll alert them?"
It was a slightly mocking tone.
Su Du neither agreed nor disagreed.
Seeing his expression, Zhi Rou felt a surge of anger rising in her chest. She didn't want to look at him anymore, but after a short while, she casually agreed, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
He was not one to lie easily, but she was a master at it. Su was wary and didn't expose her, instead changing the subject: "How did you and Lord Ling begin talking about the past?"
Zhi Rou remained silent for a while.
She couldn't fathom their maternal grandfather at all. Her dark eyelashes fluttered, and she said casually, "I was rude first, but Lord Ling didn't hold it against me."
"Excuse me?"
“There was a portrait of my mother when she was young in his study, which I took away.”
There was something that Zhi Rou couldn't understand.
“He seemed to cherish that painting... but my mother and I lived in Luozhou for nine years, and later went to the capital, and never saw anyone from the Ling family come looking for us.” It was as if he had forgotten his mother.
Su didn't ask her anything further, and naturally didn't answer that question.
He could only think ironically to himself that, for Ling Shu, the family's reputation was naturally more important.
Meanwhile, in Yongning Lane.
A withered tree leans against the roof tiles in the courtyard, and the surroundings are desolate. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows through, and the window frames make a dry rustling sound.
Wei Yuanzhan stepped out of the house and inspected it. Indeed, as Chang Huai had said, it had the appearance of a place that had been uninhabited for a long time.
As he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a bone-like object in the corner of the courtyard wall.
Like a whistle, half of it is covered by mud and is difficult to detect.
I strolled over, bent down and pinched it; a faint, almost imperceptible scent of hay still lingered between the bone whistles.
Yes, someone has been here.
He was slightly startled and tried to follow the horse tracks, but there were no traces on the ground. No wonder Chang Huai, with his meticulous nature, was so certain that this was an empty house.
Wei Yuanzhan wondered, if Zhi Rou was not mistaken, what was the intention of the seventeenth prince of Bei Li who came to Yan Dynasty?
After Zhi Rou and Su Du finished talking, they went outside together. Zhi Rou said, "I really can't ride a horse these past two days. Once I'm feeling better, I'll send someone to let you know. Where are you staying?"
Su Du was following behind her, dusting off his sleeves, when he heard this and paused.
Seemingly surprised by her question, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he spoke ambiguously, "I'll know when you're healed. Rest now, and don't wander off." With that, he left.
Zhi Rou stood there in confusion for a moment, then let out a muffled laugh: "What is this..." She looked around for Wei Yuanzhan.
As she passed the kitchen, she saw Lan Ye step out of the door. Upon seeing her, his legs seemed to knot together, and he immediately turned backward.
Zhi Rou raised an eyebrow, turned around, and blocked Lan Ye's path from the other side, grinning, "Why are you running?"
He swallowed hard, forcing a smile: "Fourth Miss has misunderstood..."
"Where is Wei Yuanzhan?" she asked directly.
Lan Ye scratched his head, unable to think of an excuse to deceive her. The next moment, he heard her ask, "He went to Yongning Lane, didn't he?"
After a moment of silence, he pitifully lowered his face and said, "Fourth Miss, please don't make things difficult for me. I don't know anything."
Zhi Rou thought for a moment, then turned and went to the front yard.
Lan Ye hurriedly caught up with her: "Fourth Miss, Fourth Miss! The master instructed us to guard you well. There are more than seven or eight people in that merchant caravan; they're probably searching the whole city right now."
Zhi Rou stopped and stood quietly under the eaves: "Does he mean I can't leave here?"
Lan Ye nodded silently.
"No. Pei Cheng and the others won't get any news about me; they'll become suspicious sooner or later."
Besides, she had promised Pei Cheng that she would return by 7:30 PM that day.
She'd already been staying overnight a day too long; adding this now wasn't like her. Chu Lan was also a thoughtful person; if he hadn't seen her for a while, he'd definitely come looking for her.
She didn't want any more trouble, nor did she want others to worry.
"Fourth Miss, please wait a little longer. Wait until Master returns, then you can discuss it with him, okay?" Lan Ye pleaded, "A little longer won't make a difference..."
He breathed a sigh of relief after persuading Zhirou to stop.
Footsteps approached from behind; it was Changhuai returning from feeding the horses. He had been watching from afar for some time when Changhuai nudged Changhuai's shoulder and said, "You've got it."
Lan Ye shrugged him off, her long, narrow eyes giving him a cold look: "Get lost." She pulled off her boots and walked forward.
Changhuai quickly caught up: "Did you take care of the house that Master asked me to clean?"
"Isn't it just for Su Du and his gang to stay? These are grown men, do they need to make such a fuss?"
“He saved the Fourth Sister, they are friends,” Changhuai said.
Lan Ye stopped in his tracks, a glint of doubt in his eyes: "Have you forgotten the battle of Lingcheng? We and the army led by Young Master Song were almost completely wiped out. My friend?" He scoffed.
“It’s true that he saved Fourth Miss last night. But if Fourth Miss hadn’t brought him to Changfeng Camp when he was on the verge of death, who knows if he would still be alive today? Instead of staying in the Northern Frontier, he ran to our territory. What are his intentions?”
Chang Huai had not forgotten the rift between them, but he made a more rational assessment: "On the battlefield, he and we each served our own masters... If I were him, I would have done the same."
Before returning, Wei Yuanzhan made a special trip around Yanmen Street.
The Wanyuan merchant group inquired about Zhirou everywhere. Several refined-looking men sat in a teahouse, showing her a portrait and asking her questions. When asked, they said they were looking for relatives and friends.
Lan Ye stood outside the door, craning his neck to look. When he saw Wei Yuanzhan leading his horse back, he rushed over and took the reins in his hands.
"Master is finally back. Fourth Miss was in a hurry to leave, and I couldn't persuade her to stay..."
"Where is she?" Wei Yuanzhan strode across the threshold.
Turning my head, I saw Zhi Rou sitting leisurely on a stone bench beside a tree, her injured arm draped over the table, her other hand twirling a teacup, sunlight streaming down, quietly reflecting in her eyes.
His brow relaxed instantly, and he walked over. She stood up.
Upon hearing her voice, Wei Yuanzhan whispered, "Young Master Wei, are you going to imprison me?"
He looked down at her, a familiar amusement gleaming in his eyes. He smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
As if to contradict her, he deliberately lowered his voice, "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be here."
After saying that, he straightened his body, which had been leaning slightly towards her, and stepped back a little.
Zhi Rou's ears burned, but she didn't show it on her face. She kept a two-step distance and walked beside Wei Yuanzhan: "You've been to Yongning Lane?"
"Um."
Is there anything unusual?
He rubbed his fingertips together, his expression unchanged, and said, "No."
Zhi Rou, unsuspecting, said slowly, "I have to go back. Although Qinyang City is large, if I stay here indefinitely, it's only a matter of time before they come looking for me. I need to settle things at Ningzhai first."
“Who said we were going to hide here?” Wei Yuanzhan stopped and looked at Zhirou.
She paused, listening to him say, "Write a letter and have it delivered to the Ning residence by Lan Ye, instructing him to make preparations. We will leave the city tomorrow as soon as the city gates open."
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