Chapter 34
◎husband. ◎
After swallowing the last bite of steamed bun, Ci Ying observed the people around her. They were staying in a medium-sized inn in Wuxiang. It was noon now, and there were not many people in the inn lobby. There were only one or two tables eating some noodles like them.
Li Sheng also looked at her, and finally his eyes fixed on Ci Ying's furrowed brows.
"What's wrong?" he asked, coughing.
Ci Ying said truthfully: "I am a little worried."
"Huh?" Mr. Li immediately understood that Ciying was worried about the friend she mentioned on the road.
Ci Ying whispered about Xie Ran's situation, "About two years ago, she wrote to me, saying she'd settled in Wuxiang, bought a house, and was teaching children poetry."
Mr. Li did not immediately understand what Ciying meant.
Ci Ying, however, looked down at the loose and dirty clothes of the people on the street and frowned, "This place doesn't look like what she described in the letter."
Mr. Li: "How do you say that?"
Ci Ying pondered for a moment, then uttered a final, almost vanishing sentence: "...too poor."
In all aspects, Ciying didn't even need to go to the local school to see the children studying, or go to the local academy to read the students' articles. She only needed to sit in the inn and watch the tired people coming and going, and look back at the malicious eyes in the inn who were looking at her.
The idea of a paradise on earth is mostly just a rumor. There is no such thing as a paradise on earth in this remote and poor mountain area where Xie Ran can indulge in his ideals and freedom.
Ciying paid the bill to the waiter, hoping that she was just overthinking it.
She had originally planned to rest in the inn for a day before heading into town to look for Xie Ran, but upon arriving in Wuxiang, she decided to go directly. She glanced at Li Sheng and whispered, "We'll go find her after you finish eating."
Li Sheng wrapped the remaining buns in a cloth and said, "Go now."
Ci Ying did not refuse and stood up to ask the waiter for directions.
"Hey, I'd like to ask which way is 72 Zhennan Road?"
The waiter, who had just received a few coins as a reward and was very grateful, could hardly conceal the strangeness in his eyes when he heard Ci Ying asking about the place.
"Why are you going there, young lady?" The waiter looked Ci Ying up and down. Li Sheng stepped forward a little, and the waiter's eyes became more restrained.
Ci Ying stopped Li Sheng and tugged at his sleeve without making any noise. She explained to the waiter, "My brother runs a silver shop. A few days ago, he gave me an IOU, saying a young lady owed him several hundred taels. He asked me to work with my husband to get it back. Following the clues, I heard the house the young lady bought is right here."
Li Sheng's eyes fixed for a moment, then he nodded in agreement with Ci Ying.
Hearing this, the waiter felt relieved, but he couldn't hide his disdain in his tone. "No wonder she's so rich. Turns out she's a swindler. But that woman isn't at 72 Zhennan Road anymore. The year before last, she opened a school and a child was killed. She refused to confess, so the county magistrate imprisoned her. Her house was confiscated long ago."
Even though Ci Ying had anticipated this, she couldn't hide the expression on her face. She forced herself to say, "What should we do? My brother told us to get the silver back this time. Is the prison... still there?"
The waiter nodded. "Yes, I heard from the people in the prison that they were tortured many times but refused to admit to poisoning the child's food. When they were arrested, several of their friends, both men and women, tried their best to protect them... but what was the use? The county magistrate poisoned their well and arrested them all."
Ci Ying clenched her fists and said, "Thank you, brother. We'll go ask somewhere else."
Li Sheng followed Ci Ying out of the inn. The girl had a cold expression on her face.
Li Sheng suggested, "Should we go take a look at the house first?"
Ci Ying shook her head. What’s the point of visiting the house again after what happened a year ago?
The house was either occupied by the county magistrate's family or had been sold to someone else, Ci Ying thought, and took Li Sheng to the embroidery workshop to exchange for two fine clothes.
Mr. Li: "You want to go directly to see the county magistrate?"
Ci Ying pondered: "No...you change first, we will create an identity for Xie Ran and then go and ask for information."
Ci Ying basically took the most luxurious clothes in the shop. Although they were not as good as the clothes she wore when she was a maid in Xie Mansion, they were already of a level that could attract the attention of most people on the street.
After all, Wuxiang...is poor, as she said before.
When dozens of copper coins were thrown into the little beggar's bowl, the little beggar's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, miss, thank you, miss..." The beggars on the side were jealous and gathered around. Ci Ying did not despise them and put ten copper coins in each person's bowl. She counted them carefully, exactly ten, and then put them into each broken bowl in front of her.
Ci Ying was well-dressed and beautiful, and her demeanor was obviously not that of an ordinary person. Now she was spending money like water, and the beggars around her almost surrounded the girl.
Li Sheng secretly protected Ci Ying and took the opportunity to observe the surroundings when she coughed.
The place where they were located was relatively central, so there were many beggars there, and there were also many people setting up stalls and watching the show around. Some of them were jealous and even came up to pretend to be beggars.
Ci Ying also smiled and handed out copper coins, looking like a Bodhisattva who didn't care at all.
His clothes and behavior almost have arrogance written all over his face.
Li Sheng secretly observed the people around him, and sure enough, when Ci Ying gave out about one or two taels of silver, some people quietly left.
Ci Ying must have noticed this too. After she had distributed the food to everyone, she gently touched the head of the little beggar who had been there first and whispered, "Why are you so thin? Have you not eaten in a while?"
The little beggar nodded hurriedly, and Ci Ying put ten copper coins in again with a distressed look. The little beggar immediately covered his bowl with his hands: "Thank you, sister, that's enough, that's enough..."
Ci Ying said softly, "Nothing. This is my first time in Wuxiang. I wonder if there's anything delicious there. Can you take me out for a meal?"
She was actually a rich lady who felt sorry for the little beggar on the street.
Everyone around was furious, hating that their good fortune had been snatched away by the little beggar. The little beggar hesitated and said, "I, I haven't eaten it, but I have heard of it."
"Then sister will take you to eat." Ci Ying smiled with her eyes curved, as if this was what she had thought from the beginning.
The little beggar nodded hurriedly. "The roast goose at Dongjia Restaurant is delicious... I've tried some left behind by others, and it's delicious. There's also hawthorn cake, which is sour, but not quite the same flavor as hawthorn. Sister, this is your first time in Wuxiang. What are you doing here?"
Ci Ying took the handkerchief, covered her mouth with it, smiled, and leaned over to whisper a few words into the little beggar's ear.
The little beggar's face changed and he seemed to want to say something but stopped.
Mr. Li heard it.
Ciying said, "Two years ago, my brother's fiancée had a quarrel with him and came to Wuxiang alone with a few guards. My family asked me to persuade my sister-in-law to go back."
After sending the little beggar away, Li Sheng looked at the setting dusk and said softly, "Rest for one night. If nothing goes wrong, someone will come to visit tomorrow."
Ci Ying lowered her eyes, her expression no longer as innocent as it was during the day. She thought of the worst possible scenario: "What if the county magistrate refuses to release me?"
Mr. Li was silent. Everything Ciying did today was a gamble.
She wore luxurious clothes, spent lavishly, and behaved like a young lady from an official family. The brother she mentioned did not sound like an ordinary person. She was just gambling that the county magistrate would release Xie Ran after hearing the rumor without even Ciying proving her identity.
Ci Ying whispered, telling Li Sheng and also sorting out her own thoughts: "The little beggar is pale and skinny, bony, and ragged, yet he says the twenty copper coins in the bowl are enough. This means that the money will definitely not reach him. Then who will get the copper coins..."
Li Sheng met Ci Ying's eyes, coughed lightly, and said, "The news will reach someone."
Judging from the inn waiter's description of the county lord's behavior, if nothing unexpected happens, someone will come to test his authenticity tomorrow.
Ci Ying frowned, hid the silver bracelet inside her sleeve, and took out the only pearl hairpin she brought with her on this escape. Her slender fingers stroked the round pearls on it, and no one knew what she was thinking.
At the same time, Zhu Guang quietly slipped into the prison. Under the dim candlelight, Zhu Guang saw Xie Ran's face clearly.
Xie Ran was carving something on the wall with his back to him. Zhu Guang looked closely and found that it was the first sentence of the Three Character Classic.
——"Man is born good."
A breeze blew by, and Xie Ran seemed to feel something. When he turned around, Zhu Guang saw Xie Ran's face.
......
Covered in blood.
Zhu Guang left quietly. The wound on her ear had already scabbed over. She reached out and touched it, remembering the slap from Mo Yu. This seemed to be the first time Mo Yu had hit her since she was a child. One of the pearl earrings that Tofu Lady had given her was also missing. Zhu Guang was so upset that she lightly kicked the stone lion in front of the prison.
After the girl in black left, the stone lion quietly broke its foot.
*
The next day.
As expected, someone came to the inn. The waiter looked at Ciying with a sad look, and every word he said was a lie to Ciying.
Ci Ying pretended to be embarrassed and said in front of the official, "My sister-in-law did owe my brother money. Alas... we were just having a fight. That's what happened. My brother didn't let me say it, but I couldn't help myself yesterday."
No one could say anything about Ciying's smiling apology. Xiao Erben was just pretending, but when he saw Ciying's gentle smile, he turned around and left with a red face.
Li Sheng raised his hand and pinched Ci Ying's face: "You, my brother will have something to say about you when we get back."
All of this was seen by the officials. After looking at each other, they became more respectful. After all, the pearl hairpin on the young lady's head was obviously not an ordinary item.
Ci Ying readily took Li Sheng's arm, with only coldness in her lowered eyes.
County government office.
The county magistrate was nearly forty years old, thin, with a pointed head, and could barely hold his official hat.
When he saw Ci Ying, he didn't even ask about her identity. He just took a look at her clothes and then knelt down to pay his respects.
Ci Ying smiled gently, as if she was used to it. After paying her respects at the county government office, she softly said, "Get up."
She didn't care and sat on the armchair beside her, looking around curiously. After getting up from the county magistrate's office, she adjusted her hat and said, "I wonder which family this lady is from..."
Ci Ying hesitated and said, "Didn't my sister-in-law tell you where she came from?"
The county magistrate hurriedly shook his head: "Of course not, if...if the young lady and her sister-in-law told us, we...Alas, the young lady can't blame us. The child died in that courtyard, and this humble official is also helpless."
Ci Ying looked nonchalant, and didn't seem to want to seek justice for her sister-in-law. She hummed and said, "She's always been like this, so I naturally trust you, sir. But my brother has been thinking about her all these years, so that's why I sent me to look for her. But don't worry, sir. I'll go back and have a good talk with you."
The county magistrate quickly adjusted his hat and said, "I dare not."
He had no doubt about Ciying's identity. Everything else could be fake, but how could that demeanor be real? Moreover... The county magistrate carefully took a look at the pearl hairpin on Ciying's head. According to the records in the book, it was a tribute!
The county magistrate was trembling. Fortunately, Ciying didn't seem to care. He said cautiously and tremblingly: "The lady's sister-in-law's face might..."
Ci Ying's eyes fixed for a moment, and she smiled as she waited for the county magistrate to finish speaking.
"Maybe... there are some scars, but they weren't caused by us. They were caused by her. She cut herself."
"You're disfigured?" Ci Ying covered her mouth.
The county magistrate clenched his hands, and Li Sheng quickly nodded at Ciying's forehead, "Don't gloat over other people's misfortunes."
Ci Ying smiled and said, "Brother, you are just greedy for her face. She is not worthy of you. Now..."
Li Sheng only said to the county magistrate: "Excuse me, my wife..."
The county magistrate hurriedly said, "Young lady is straightforward."
Anyone with eyes can see that the young lady is the one in charge here, and this sickly guy is at most a son-in-law.
Ci Ying thought for a moment, then took out a silver note from her purse and handed it to the county magistrate. "Well done, this is your reward. Give me the person. It's my sister-in-law who has caused trouble for you this year."
The county magistrate was stunned when he saw the five hundred taels of silver on the table. Yesterday, when he heard the young lady giving out copper coins, he thought it was a show. Today, he wanted to find out more about it. However, this young lady was not only extraordinary, but also wore tributes on her head. She could just give out five hundred taels of silver at will. How could he have any doubts in his heart?
"Don't worry, young lady. I'll send him out right away. I'm not sure if you'd like to stay in Wuxiang for a few more days. I'll take you there myself."
Ci Ying was about to agree when Li Sheng interrupted her: "Brother said we should go home soon. He will be angry if we don't go back."
The county magistrate looked at Ci Ying and pursed his lips, then said reluctantly, "Alright, please prepare a carriage for us, we are leaving now."
After saying that, Ci Ying tugged at Li Sheng's sleeve, and Li Sheng nodded.
The county magistrate wiped the sweat from his face. This son-in-law is quite...impressive.
......
In the carriage.
The car curtain was lifted, and Xie Ran saw Ci Ying. Just as she was about to speak, Ci Ying covered her mouth with her hand.
Mr. Li was negotiating with the county government outside. After a brief greeting, the carriage started moving.
Everything seemed like a dream, Xie Ran looked straight at Ci Ying.
Xie Ran's face was covered with scars, crisscrossed together, extremely scary. One scar even went through his eye. Ci Ying reached out and touched it with heartache.
The whistling sound of the wind penetrated Ci Ying's ears. Her eyes finally turned red. She hugged Xie Ran into her arms and whispered, "I'm sorry, if I had come earlier..."
Xie Ran hurriedly shook his head, his voice hoarse: "Ciying, thank you for saving me."
Ci Ying's tears fell on Xie Ran. She touched Xie Ran's face and couldn't believe the pain Xie Ran had to endure to draw those cuts one after another.
Xie Ran also touched Ci Ying with her hand, but she always felt that it was fake.
She whispered, "I didn't think you would really come."
Ciying shook her head, and Xie Ran whispered, "What a pity... Ciying can't see my duck anymore."
Ci Ying shook her head again. She hugged Xie Ran distressedly and said softly, "It's okay. We can raise ducks in the future. We can raise lots of them."
Xie Ran leaned in her arms and smiled. A year of inhuman torture made the once cheerful Xie Ran become a little silent. She thought of the Three Character Classic she had carved with her fingernails in prison, and then looked at Ci Ying.
......
In prison.
Blood flowed out in large amounts. Seventy-six people died in the remote Wuxiang village overnight.
Zhu Guang stepped on the black gauze hat of the county magistrate and kicked it together with the head of the county magistrate. On the severed head, there was engraved the sentence that Xie Ran had carved in prison with his bloody fingertips.
“Man is born good.”
*
It was half a month later when the news reached Chang'an.
The little beggar shrank back, trying to identify the person in the painting: "Yes, it's my sister."
Mo Yu looked behind the screen and asked, "What else happened? Tell me one by one."
It was the little beggar's first time to visit such an elegant place. The flowers were flowers, the paintings were paintings, and the faint fragrance kept drilling into her nose. She shrank her body and trembled as she said, "Sister, sister said that she and her husband came to Wuxiang to look for someone..."
The person behind the screen slowly raised his eyes, smiled lightly, placed the brush on the pen holder, and stood up.
The little beggar raised his eyes and saw a person who looked like an immortal.
Like the snow stretching across thousands of mountains beyond Wuxiang, she stood tall and graceful in the light, dressed in a snow-white dress, with a faint and shallow smile in her eyes, and her voice sounded like the music of immortals.
The little beggar heard the man in front of him say, "You must have heard wrongly. I am her husband. How could she call someone else her husband?"
The young man spoke in a gentle voice. The little beggar nodded subconsciously, but then hesitated and said, "But, but I remember..."
The older brother in front of her was smiling gently, but the little beggar's intuition told her that she couldn't, couldn't say any more. She abruptly changed the subject: "I must have heard it wrong. Sister, sister, you must be talking about her husband... in..."
Mo Yu said, "Chang'an."
The little beggar quickly continued: "Chang'an."
Xie Huaijin wrapped two candies in a handkerchief and handed them to the little beggar: "Yes."
The little beggar took the candy and followed Mo Yu timidly.
Xie Huaijin whispered, "Mo Yu, look, does he look like Zhu San?"
Mo Yu patted the little beggar's head and shook his head: "He is much more obedient than Zhu San. He slaughtered seventy-six people in one night. He is too bold, sir."
Mo Yu's meaning was very clear, he wanted to bring the person back.
Xie Huaijin didn't say anything.
He just looked towards Wuxiang and said softly, "One step too late."
The letter was presented to him 12 days ago, and he guessed at that time that she would definitely go to Wuxiang.
As expected, Ciying was already in Wuxiang at that time. If she had delayed for two more days, if she had hesitated even a little longer, his people would have found Ciying. Thinking of this, the young man's face showed an expression that was not sure whether it was appreciation or regret, but both were very calm.
After Mo Yu left, he stood in front of the window.
......
Husband.
Ci Ying was naturally trying to create momentum. A single official lady was naturally less intimidating than one traveling with her husband. Naturally... naturally, she was just trying to rescue Xie Ran.
Thinking of this, the young man stroked the white jade ring on his hand, slower and slower, until it finally stopped at one spot.
The flowers fell down the tree, the weather outside turned cloudy again, and it looked like it would rain again tomorrow.
Maybe it will rain at night.
Xie Huaijin whispered Ci Ying's name. It was late at night and the candlelight was dim. The young man had long black hair and his inner clothes were slightly open. He pushed open the door of the study and looked towards Ci Ying's former residence.
The November rain was already a bit chilly. The young man stood alone under the corridor, thinking about some things in the past.
Suddenly he looked to his side, as if he always felt that Ci Ying should be by his side.
Raindrops were dripping on the corridor, the sky was gloomy with rolling clouds, and the wind was whistling from far away, surrounding a young man in snow-white clothes.
Where next?
Wuxiang goes south and north.
After what happened to Xie Ran, Ci Ying would no longer choose remote places. The places he passed along the way flashed through Xie Huaijin's mind one by one. Finally, the young man stroked the white jade ring and smiled gently.
"Ciying, is it Yangzhou to the south, Jiangnan to the south, or... Anhuai?" Xie Huaijin calmly instructed the people behind him: "Go and find the whereabouts of Lingyue and Lingshuang, and report everything about the past two years."
Several shadows emerged from the darkness and disappeared in an instant.
Mo Yu came up and said, "Sir, something happened in the palace."
The young man looked at the rain outside the corridor without turning around.
After a while, Mo Yu lowered his eyes and said, "...Su Xueruo is pregnant."
Xie Huaijin's faint laughter came from the corridor.
He turned around with a faint smile and looked at Mo Yu: "Is anyone in the Su family in trouble?"
Mo Yu: "...No, the Su family's wife came to the palace a few days ago and had a very pleasant conversation with the Empress. The Emperor promoted dozens of people from the Su family and filled the positions previously vacant in the Lin family."
"What do you think?" Xie Huaijin asked calmly.
Mo Yu frowned. "The Lin family also wants to join the pirate ship. The Su and Lin families want to recreate the battle at Su's tomb with the Wang family. When Su Xueruo's unborn child is born and the emperor is critically ill, the three families will support Su Xueruo's child to take the throne."
As for the Xie family, there is no place for the Xie family anymore.
Mo Yu said coldly, "They've been trying to contact General Wei these days, but General Wei has never accepted their invitation. However... the Wei family's side branch seems to be trying to get closer to the Wang family. Sir, should we take action?"
Xie Huaijin skipped over it and asked about Mobei.
Mo Yu shook his head. "As you guessed, Yuwen Shu is cunning and has been spreading false information in order to lure Yuwen Fu into the trap. Yuwen Fu escaped from the prison and is now hiding in an alley."
Xie Huaijin ordered: "Leave one life."
Mo Yu agreed and waited for Xie Huaijin's instructions on the alliance between Wang Sulin and his family, but after waiting for a long time, nothing came. The young man saw the worry on his face and said calmly: "It's not a big deal. Instead of worrying about this..."
Xie Huaijin didn't finish his words, but looked at Mo Yu's left sleeve with indifferent eyes.
After the young man stood up and left, Mo Yu took out the pearl earrings from her sleeve. They were still stained with blood. Mo Yu lowered her eyes, thinking back to the day when he opened the door...
Mo Yu stopped thinking about it, his brows turned cold, he walked to the lake and let go of her hand.
On a rainy night, the blood-stained pearl earrings slipped from the hands of a young man in black brocade clothes and fell straight into the water. The raindrops in the lake created ripples that looked like the girl's tears that day.
The bright red tears and blood that flowed from his ears dyed Mo Yu's hands red.
Mo Yu closed her eyes, and finally jumped into the lake to look for the small earring.
Zhu San made a mistake, it was his fault.
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