Chapter 87 Why Can't I Fight Back? ...
As the moon set at four in the morning, everything was plunged into darkness.
He then gathered his cloak and went down to the attic.
The pillars under the eaves cast dappled shadows as he passed by, his face alternating between light and shadow.
As the light and shadow shifted, his face regained its usual coldness when he reached the bottom of the attic.
The guards below all left, leaving only Qingyang waiting. He stepped forward and draped a thicker cloak over Wei Zhang's shoulders, saying, "Your injuries have not yet healed. The doctor said you cannot be exposed to the cold. You should take good care of yourself."
Wei Zhang returned to Chong'an Hall, remaining silent the entire way.
As I stepped through the hanging flower gate, I subconsciously glanced at the dormitory.
At that moment, the dim candlelight in the room illuminated the girl's profile.
Xue Lanyi was sitting by the window, her head buried in her thoughts.
Wei Zhang was very familiar with this scene.
In the past, when he left early and returned late, he often saw her sitting by lamplight, either sewing shoes or embroidering a headband.
However, tonight...
She must be mending that torn wedding dress.
Seeing his master stop at the door, his eyes dark as he stared at the shadow in the window, Qingyang quickly said, "It's late and the dew is heavy, Master, you should go inside and rest early."
Should we go inside?
Wei Zhang withdrew his gaze and remained silent for a moment. "Send more men to keep an eye on Madam around the clock. Anyone who fails to keep an eye on her should be executed without reporting it."
No matter how far or high the moon is in the sky, if it wants to shine on this four-sided world, then it must only shine on this four-sided world.
Wei Zhang's eyes gradually turned icy, as always, "Everyone who heard or saw anything downstairs today will be punished..."
He paused, then changed his words, "Anyone who dares to speak nonsense outside shall have their tongue cut out and be executed."
Qingyang breathed a sigh of relief.
Today, on the Star Gazing Tower, the lady made such a loud noise to disobey Wei Zhang, and those below could hear it clearly.
Not only will the master lose face, but his authority in governing his subordinates and in the court will also be damaged in the future.
Qingyang had considered that his master would surely kill everyone present.
Now, with this change of tone, at least the brothers' lives have been saved.
Qingyang cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Yes, sir!"
He knew that the master had suddenly relented because of Xue Lanyi.
Qingyang remembered this kindness, so he couldn't help but add, "It's common for couples to quarrel. A couple is one that makes up before they get out of bed."
Qingyang's intention was to appease Wei Zhang and also to help Xue Lanyi out of her predicament.
He thought Wei Zhang would just let it go after hearing it, but unexpectedly Wei Zhang turned around and looked at him directly.
Wei Zhang's gaze always swept over Qingyang indifferently, rarely lingering on him formally.
His face remained stiff, with a hint of helplessness in his expression. "It wasn't me arguing with her."
“It’s common for women to scold their own men!” Qingyang blurted out, then realized he had said the wrong thing and was about to stop himself when he saw that Wei Zhang’s face showed no anger. Instead, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed a lot, and his eyes were full of inquiry.
Did his master listen to him?
Qingyang was surprised. He continued, his mouth half-open and half-closed, stiffly, slowly, and tentatively, "It's not uncommon for wives to beat their husbands in private, let alone scold them. There's a saying: 'Beating is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love.' Beating is out of disappointment, but the worst thing is when they treat each other with cold indifference."
Wei Zhang's relaxed brows furrowed again, probably because he found it unbelievable.
But soon, his furrowed brows relaxed.
Then, he hummed in agreement, put his hands behind his back, and went into the house, seemingly lost in thought.
Qingyang didn't understand what his master meant by "hmm," but he seemed to see a smile playing on his lips.
In the darkness, it flashed by in an instant.
Does that mean they accepted what he said?
With their own thoughts, the two entered Chong'an Hall.
Before Wei Zhang could even enter his bedroom, he was stopped outside the study by five ministers.
The ministers had been waiting here for a long time before they heard Yingqi reprimanding Lord Wei's concubines at home. They were all wondering if Lord Wei was in a bad mood today.
Everyone bowed respectfully, filled with trepidation.
When Wei Zhang approached with his hands behind his back, everyone saw that Lord Wei had no angry expression and his face was calm, but not frosty, which was actually a very good attitude.
His expressionless face is truly refreshing.
The crowd then rushed forward.
"Lord Wei, the memorial recommending the late Crown Prince Mu Qinghong to succeed to the throne has been prepared. Would you like to take a look?"
"Furthermore, the instigators who framed the former Crown Prince's faction for treason, Grand Tutor Xu and General Zhou, have been imprisoned in the Dali Temple. There are witnesses and physical evidence. Has Your Excellency taken a look?"
The ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice hunched over and crowded around Wei Zhang, vying to report back.
They are about to enthrone a new emperor.
Whoever acts most appropriately at this time will become a meritorious official under the new emperor in the future. How can we not put in a lot of effort?
However, they only supported Wei Zhang, pushing the protagonist who was to succeed to the throne, Mu Qinghong, to the very back.
Mu Qinghong staggered a couple of steps after being shoved, and landed on the spot dejectedly.
Back in Peach Blossom Valley, when he and Yue Niang were living in poverty, they heard that the current emperor was seriously ill and on the verge of death.
The Mu family had few descendants, and after Mu Qingyun's death, there was no one left in the clan to succeed him.
The only remaining legitimate descendant of our ancestors is Mu Qinghong.
This is Mu Qinghong's only chance after years of enduring hardship and biding his time.
He then secretly left Peach Blossom Valley to inquire about the situation at a teahouse, where he encountered Wei Zhang's subordinates.
Or perhaps, Wei Zhang's subordinates were simply waiting for him to come to them.
Wei Zhang wanted to find Xue Lanyi through him, and Mu Qinghong wanted to rely on Wei Zhang to obtain the throne. The two naturally reached an agreement.
Now, Mu Qinghong has fulfilled her promise to help Wei Zhang find Xue Lanyi.
Now it's time for Wei Zhang to fulfill his promise.
Mu Qinghong was born to be the crown prince, the supreme ruler, and was destined by Heaven. He must seize this opportunity.
He lifted the hem of his robe and strode forward, following the group of ministers, wanting to hear the results of their discussion.
Wei Zhang was in front and had already entered the study.
The last minister was about to close the door.
No one turned to look at Mu Qinghong.
Mu Qinghong nearly hit his nose on the door panel, and he quickly braced himself against the door with both hands.
"Brother-in-law!"
He blurted it out.
Wei Zhang was taken aback and looked back in surprise, only then noticing that Mu Qinghong was also there.
Seeing that Wei Zhang reacted, Mu Qinghong waved to him, "Brother-in-law, may I come in?"
Wei Zhang disliked useless people appearing in his presence, as they would delay the progress of his work.
But this time, it seems as if something has tripped them up.
Before he could speak, Mu Qinghong slipped into the crowd and walked up to him. "Brother-in-law, I can help you grind the powder, copy it, or do whatever you need, anything..."
In short, he is the future emperor, and he must know the current political situation.
Now that Mu Qinghong has come this far, nothing is more important than the throne.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he walked to the desk and pulled out a chair for Wei Zhang.
"Brother-in-law, have a seat!"
Mu Qinghong bowed and gestured for him to proceed.
His smile was innocent, but everyone looked at each other in silence.
The matter at hand was of great importance to the nation and its people, involving lives. Whether to reveal it to Mu Qinghong, and how much to reveal, was uncertain to everyone, and they secretly looked at Wei Zhang.
Wei Zhang stood still.
Mu Qinghong enthusiastically picked up the teapot and poured him tea, saying, "I heard from my sister that your husband likes Biluochun tea. What a coincidence, my sister likes it the most too..."
Halfway through his sentence, a strong and powerful hand pressed down on the teapot.
"go out."
Wei Zhang remained calm, ultimately unmoved by his repeated calls of "brother-in-law."
But at the end, he added, "Go see your sister."
"Moon Lady has made soup for my sister, it's simmering in the kitchen right now, it'll be ready in a while, I can go with my brother-in-law for now..."
"go out."
This time, Wei Zhang's eyes darkened slightly, and his heavy voice pressed down on Mu Qinghong.
Wei Zhang was clearly displeased, and even the air around him seemed to thin out.
Mu Qinghong felt embarrassed under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
After all, they were members of the imperial family, of legitimate blood, yet now they were being ordered around by a mere subject.
This minister was once just his most insignificant advisor.
His fingers, gripping the teapot handle, turned slightly white.
A beam of cool light fell on his fingertips, and he suddenly came to his senses, looked up, and met Wei Zhang's deep and brooding eyes.
He felt a chill run down his spine, let go of her hand, and instinctively reached for the fish tank on the desk. "Since my brother-in-law doesn't need me, I'll go feed the fish. I think they're hungry."
He chuckled dryly twice.
Wei Zhang ignored him and sat down at the desk.
Mu Qinghong was completely bored and had no choice but to carry the fish tank outside.
The empty study was very quiet; even the sound of his slow, deliberate footsteps was clearly audible.
The crowd watched him leave warily.
Only after he quietly closed the door did rustling sounds of discussion rise from inside the room.
Mu Qinghong was very familiar with this kind of discussion.
Even through the door, he could tell that Lord Li was flattering him again; Lord Zhang was fuming with anxiety; everyone was speaking in hushed tones, clearly discussing crucial details…
From a young age, Mu Qinghong was held on her father's lap while listening to discussions in the imperial study.
For more than a decade, he had become very familiar with the character of each court official.
There is nothing he cannot hear or discuss.
Right now, he can't even enter his ministers' study?
Mu Qinghong glanced angrily into the study.
Two guards immediately stood in front of the door, brandishing knives and looking menacing.
Mu Qinghong was so frightened that she staggered half a step.
In this capital city of Shengjing, no one dares to eavesdrop on the Duke of Wei's words.
Still shaken, Mu Qinghong smiled and said, "I... I just wanted to ask you two brothers where I can get some dried bread?"
"Steamed bun?"
"Yes, feed the fish, feed the fish." Mu Qinghong pointed to the fish tank and nodded respectfully.
The two guards looked at each other and then suddenly laughed. "The Duke raised some red-scaled fish a few days ago, and only these two survived."
The master treats these fish with utmost care, feeding and tending to them personally every day. These fish are more precious than people; how could he possibly feed them steamed buns?
"Go and take a look at the second shelf of the small kitchen's eight-treasure cabinet. There's a blue and white porcelain double-eared jar inside, which contains shrimp roe and crab paste—that's fish food."
"Shrimp roe? Crab roe?" Mu Qinghong was slightly taken aback.
"You don't recognize shrimp roe and crab paste?"
The guard on the right raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Mu Qinghong's patched coarse linen clothes, his disdain undisguised. "If you don't recognize her, have Granny Liu from the kitchen find her for you. Don't feed her the wrong food!"
If anything happens to the fish, and the Duke blames you, be careful...
The slightly older guard on the left pulled his colleague aside, shook his head inwardly, and gave him a meaningful look.
Being older, he was more knowledgeable and recognized the hunched-over young man in front of him.
"Young master, please go ahead, lest you delay the fish from feeding." The older guard gestured for him to proceed, then sighed inwardly.
Thank you.
Mu Qinghong nodded absentmindedly in thanks and left.
He was certainly familiar with shrimp roe and crab paste, but such delicacies seemed far removed from his reach.
It was so far away that he didn't react for a moment.
He walked into the kitchen dejectedly with his head down, placed the fish tank on the counter, and then rummaged through the cabinet to find some fish food and shook some into the fish tank.
Two fish gathered together, drawn by the food. Their scales were very bright, with pure colors and a shimmering, iridescent sheen.
The fish tail is thin and translucent, shimmering and sparkling in the water like clouds and mist.
It's really beautiful.
But no matter how beautiful they are, they're just two red-scaled fish swimming in a river. What's so noble about them?
Mu Qinghong's hand holding the long-handled spoon trembled slightly.
The tofu and shrimp soup simmering in the stove behind me was boiling, bubbling away one after another.
The heatwave rolled faster and higher.
Suddenly, Yue Niang's smiling face appeared in Mu Qinghong's mind.
When she first got pregnant, she said she wanted to eat shrimp.
The western region is short of water, and fish and shrimp are scarce. He wrote thirty paintings and calligraphic works for people, but did not manage to buy a single shrimp.
They returned to Beijing, and he managed to get twenty shrimp.
Moon Lady was worried that her sister's body wouldn't be able to withstand not eating or drinking for nine days, so she removed the shrimp's veins, made soup, and brought it to her sister.
She swallowed hard, but only took a small bite, saying it was the best sweet shrimp and that her sister would have a great appetite after eating it.
Moon Maiden didn't know that Chong'an Hall was never short of shrimp.
Even the two small fish only eat shrimp roe and crab paste!
On what basis?
The chosen one of heaven, of royal blood, the Crown Princess who should be above all others, why is she inferior to two worthless fish?
Mu Qinghong stared intently at the two fish leisurely swallowing shrimp roe, her pupils constricted and her breath trembling.
He dropped the long-handled jade spoon, grabbed half a dried-out steamed bun from the table, tore it off, and threw it into the fish tank.
Throw it away with all your might.
Keep throwing.
Soon, the water surface was covered with soaked steamed buns, blocking out the air.
The red-scaled fish, lacking oxygen, kept flipping upwards, using its head to push aside crumbs of bread, and intermittently exhaling bubbles.
They were almost suffocating, but they just wouldn't eat the mountain of steamed buns.
They're just two beasts, what's there to pick on?
Mu Qinghong suddenly grabbed a fish and pinched its gills tightly with her fingers.
The fish was forced out of the water, its mouth agape, its tail thrashing wildly.
Mu Qinghong took the opportunity to stuff the steamed bun into its mouth, squeezing it in like cotton.
The fish's belly was stuffed full, its mouth couldn't close, and steamed buns kept spilling out from its cheeks, tinged with blood.
In the unlit room, Mu Qinghong looked at the little fish's body, which was stretched to the point of transparency and about to burst, and smiled with satisfaction.
Outside the window, dappled shadows of trees swayed and fell on his face, flickering in and out of focus.
His smile grew increasingly eerie, morbid, and arrogant, and he let out a loud laugh.
"who?"
At the back window, the patrolling guards immediately noticed and approached, swords at their sides.
There was a faint, trembling sound in the air, like the sound of a knife being drawn.
Mu Qinghong jolted awake and glanced at the little fish dangling on her fingertip, barely alive.
He killed the fish belonging to the Duke of Wei.
He was so frightened that he flung his hand away and ran outside.
Before dawn, the air was quite cold, the chill penetrating to his very bones. Only then did he belatedly realize that the two red-scaled fish, being in pairs, had a symbolic meaning.
If Wei Zhang knew that he had choked the fish to death, would he blame him?
Will they not support his ascension to the throne?
Mu Qinghong wandered aimlessly around the courtyard, when suddenly she caught sight of a woman's beautiful profile through the bedroom window.
"Ah, elder sister..."
He felt as if he had been granted a pardon and stumbled back to his dormitory.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he hesitated.
Nine days have passed since he returned to Shengjing from the Western Border, and he still hasn't come to see Xue Lanyi.
Xue Lanyi is not stupid. By now, she must know that Mu Qinghong betrayed everyone, ruined her marriage, and indirectly caused the deaths of Xie and Lu.
Will his older sister blame him?
Feeling guilty, he hesitated for a long time before taking a deep breath and gently knocking on the door.
"Wei Zhang, I've said everything I needed to say. You don't need to waste your time anymore!"
A cold, arrogant voice rang out from inside the room.
Mu Qinghong cleared her throat. "Ah, it's me, sister."
The person by the window stiffened slightly, and after a moment, blew out the light.
Xue Lanyi's attitude towards Mu Qinghong was even more resolute than her attitude towards Wei Zhang.
After all, Wei Zhang was an outsider, while Mu Qinghong was her younger brother whom she had never doubted.
They were not blood-related siblings, but their bond was stronger than that of blood-related siblings. They slept in the same bed when they were young, and later studied together under their uncle, the Emperor.
On that day in Peach Blossom Valley, Xue Lanyi even suspected that Yue Niang was a traitor, but she never suspected Mu Qinghong.
Now, upon sensing his presence again, Xue Lanyi felt utterly disgusted and tried to get up and go to the bed.
Mu Qinghong suddenly pushed the door open.
He moved quickly and knelt before Xue Lanyi. "Sister, I have no choice. Yueniang is pregnant! I can't keep running away with her endlessly. I can't bear to watch them suffer!"
"Sister, I have my reasons! I have my reasons!"
Mu Qinghong looked up at Xue Lanyi pitifully, her fair and round face naturally exuding innocence.
At this moment, Xue Lanyi only felt irony.
Back then, Xue Lanyi risked her life to send him out of Shengjing, and Wei Xuan waited for him in the western border for five years.
Not to mention that although the former princeling faction was just a small spark, they had been working hard to protect him, including Lu Lin and Xie Qingyun.
In the end, Mu Qinghong was the first to give in, stepping forward and pushing all those protecting him off the cliff.
He has his reasons, but who doesn't?
Xue Lanyi's eyes welled up with tears as she thought of Wei Xuan, who was now imprisoned, and Lu Xie, whose bodies were barely cold. "If you hadn't told Wei Zhang the location and mechanisms of Peach Blossom Valley, how would we have been found? With Ah Xuan handling things, we could have stayed safely in Peach Blossom Valley. Why would we have needed to run around like this?"
"But Xuan-ge has been poisoned! Nobody knows how long he can hold on. What if... what if Xuan-ge dies from the poison..."
Snap!
Xue Lanyi slapped him across the face.
The crisp sound echoed in the dormitory.
This is the person Wei Xuan has been protecting with all his heart and soul for nearly six years.
This is her most innocent and harmless younger brother.
"Do you have any conscience?" Xue Lanyi's eyes widened as she looked down at the person kneeling on the ground.
Heart?
Upon hearing this word, Mu Qinghong paused in her eagerness to explain.
His face was stiff, and his thoughts flowed slowly in his eyes, as if he were seriously considering the question.
Does he have a heart?
He must have had that past.
He once worked diligently to govern the country, cared about the people's suffering, and loved the people of Dayong with great enthusiasm.
However, the people of Dayong don't seem to love him that much.
The reforms were originally intended to secure benefits for them, but after their complete failure, they all called him a traitor and a rebel.
During his six years on the run, he stole food, slept under bridges, was cursed and beaten by refugees and displaced people, and fled from place to place.
In the end, he covered his face with mud and dared not reveal his appearance again.
Because once those lowly people discover his identity, they will not sympathize with him, but will only report him to the authorities for a reward, or come up with more ways to humiliate him, making a prince who has fallen from grace crawl between his legs or bark like a dog. They will only be more excited.
So, what is the use of the heart?
"I just don't want my wife and children to suffer the same humiliation in the future. Am I wrong?" Mu Qinghong rolled up his sleeves and extended his arm to Xue Lanyi.
The former crown prince was once pampered and precious, with fair and delicate skin. His elders said he was even more delicate than a girl.
But now his arms are covered with scratches and teeth marks, and his skin is much rougher. The wounds, big and small, have not healed well over the years.
He gave a bitter smile. "My sister is pampered and spoiled in the Duke's mansion, with all the good food and drink provided for her. Even if the Duke of Wei is not good, he still gives her some leeway. My sister feels humiliated by such a life and can't stand it. She wants to fight for a better future."
"Sister, have you ever thought about my situation? My life is a thousand times harder than yours, so why can't I fight for it?"
Mu Qinghong even showed jealousy in her eyes when she looked at Xue Lanyi.
He was jealous that Xue Lanyi, also a "fugitive," lived a wealthy life.
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