assassination
Lu Chang, mounted on his horse, looked at Li Muyun ahead, his expression unusually unpredictable.
The emperor ordered him to be appointed as a minor official of the seventh rank, so he had to put aside his work and spend his time in the Secretariat. Li Muyun asked him to go with her to Bingzhou for disaster relief, so he had to put down his books and follow the princess away from Pingdu, where he had only stayed for a few months.
Being constantly summoned and used like this is a feeling that's hard to bear!
Perhaps the resentment in that gaze was too deep, for it prompted Li Muyun to turn around and glance at it. The sarcastic smile that she had made most often in the past two years was now being delivered to Lu Chang without hesitation.
Besides the army that Li Muyun brought with him, the refugees who had previously stayed in Pingdu also left with him. As they traveled north, they encountered more and more refugees, all of whom were heading to Pingdu.
Logically speaking, with Danzhou as a defense, there shouldn't be any refugees coming here. Even if there were, there shouldn't be so many. After traveling for half a month, Li Muyun has already received over a thousand refugees.
She had money and food, and the people were just trying to survive, so they all followed her back.
If they ran out of food, they would settle in a prefecture or county where the local government had granaries. Those who knew what was good would open the granaries and distribute grain, while those who didn't would be reprimanded by the princess. She would say things like, "Let the refugees into the city. If they burn, kill, and loot in the city, I won't care," which frightened the officials into handing over their grain. There were also some stubborn ones who refused to open their granaries no matter what. So she would have her men pretend to be bandits and sneak into the officials' homes at night, "inviting" the adults out of bed one by one. If they still didn't give her a warrant to open the granaries, they would be beheaded.
The gleaming broadswords swayed in the moonlight as bags of grain were carried out of the granary.
Judging from her behavior, Lu Chang hadn't seen her for ten years, and her nature hadn't changed at all. In fact, her bandit-like demeanor had become even stronger.
With only a hundred li to go before reaching Danzhou, and nightfall approaching, Li Muyun, along with Lu Chang and several officials, camped out at Lingchuan Post Station. Because the two famine-stricken prefectures were not far from here, the post station had long been attacked by refugees, the postmaster had been killed, and the post station had been looted, leaving only an empty building.
Although Lu Chang remained calm, he was still shocked by the severity of the famine. Even the post station officials had been killed, which showed that there had been unrest in the area for some time.
If we hadn't come out on this trip, who would have thought that the two states were in such chaos? In the capital, amidst the revelry and celebration, how could we truly feel the turmoil beneath the surface when we saw those destitute refugees who were barely clothed and starving?
No one minded, and they found a room to sleep in. The troops were stationed outside the building, and the refugees rested nearby.
Because of his troubled mind, Lu Chang was very clear-headed, so he could hear clearly any noise outside.
The place where he lived was missing half a door, which made it easier for the assassin to commit the crime. As the assassin swung his knife down, Lu Chang flipped over and kicked the assassin's hand. The assassin lost his grip, and the knife flew up and fell to the ground with a clatter.
Noises also came from other rooms: the sound of tables and cabinets falling over, officials shouting angrily, and knives cutting into flesh, followed by the sound of soldiers' footsteps, thump-thump-thump—neat and orderly.
He kicked the knife again, piercing the assassin's heart, killing him instantly.
As the assassin fell, Fan Shuang was leading several soldiers in. He was an infantry captain in the Northwest Border Army and was deeply trusted by Li Muyun.
He was not surprised by the assassin on the ground, nor did he even glance at him. He simply clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Lu Chang and said, "Your Highness invites you in."
Lu Chang went downstairs and glanced around casually. He saw soldiers carrying the corpses from the post station down, including the body of an official, Geng Zhong, who had been sent by the emperor to accompany Li Muyun to Bingzhou for disaster relief.
Geng Zhong's body was placed separately to one side. He died a gruesome death, with more than a dozen large bloody holes stabbed into his body. Anyone with experience could tell that the wounds were not fatal, and that he bled to death.
Li Muyun sat in the hall, quietly watching him walk down.
The soldiers stood behind her, torches held high, like stars surrounding the moon. It was clear that after ten years, she had long since replaced Lu Zhi as a source of reassurance for the people and soldiers of the Northwest.
Standing on the second floor of the small building, one could see that the area where the troops were stationed was also not peaceful. Torches were lit in the darkness, women and children were crying, and the sounds of swords and spears were chaotic, which was similar to the scene when the imperial court massacred the border lord.
In front of everyone, Fan Shuang checked Geng Zhong's pulse and reported to Li Muyun that Lord Geng had been killed by the rioters.
The death of the imperial envoy did not cause the princess the slightest emotional fluctuation. She waved her hand and said lazily, "Write a letter to the court, saying that there was a peasant uprising and that Lord Geng had unfortunately died."
Fan Shuang asked, "What should be done with Lord Geng's body?"
Li Muyun remained silent, but glanced coldly at her subordinate, which startled Fan Shuang, who immediately replied, "Your subordinate understands."
Soldiers brought over twenty refugees, who still reeked of blood. The area where the army was stationed had quieted down, indicating that the murderers had been caught.
The twenty murderers, all young and strong men, were lined up and pinned down in the open space in front of Li Muyun.
Guo Siqi came to report that all thirty-two refugees, led by Zhou Da, had been killed, leaving twenty survivors.
Li Muyun glanced at these people and asked curiously, "We've been treated to good food and drink all along the way, and you still want to kill me?"
Some of the bolder ones, even with their faces pressed to the ground, still stubbornly shouted, "So what? We're killing you corrupt officials! If you hadn't embezzled disaster relief funds, we wouldn't have had to sell our wives and children, and we wouldn't be in this situation today!"
Li Muyun clapped her hands: "Great excuse!"
She raised her chin: "Kill them!"
With a slash, the trachea was cut open, and twenty people died instantly.
Seeing that Lu Chang was staring at her, Li Muyun said, "Does the librarian feel there is something amiss? You wouldn't be going to submit a memorial to His Majesty accusing me of indiscriminately killing innocent people, would you?"
Lu Chang said, "Your Highness, I will obey your arrangements."
Mu Yun ignored him and stood up, as calm as ever: "Let's disperse and get some rest. We have to travel tomorrow!"
She went upstairs first, then returned to her room. She kicked the door, and the already precarious structure collapsed.
Several officials followed in turn. After such a commotion, everyone was exhausted. Fortunately, the rioters were killed, and they could finally get some rest for a quarter of an hour.
Lu Changyi was also feeling a bit tired and was about to close his eyes to rest when a gust of wind blew behind him. He opened his eyes and a fist was thrust towards him. He caught it with a swift movement and rolled over. When he caught the second fist, he finally saw who it was—it was the eldest princess who had gone to sleep early.
Li Muyun grabbed his right hand and checked his pulse. Sure enough, he had recovered.
She closed her eyes, at least... at least she had done something for her deceased parents.
The tension from just moments ago vanished completely. The arrogant princess who had decided life and death with a single word in the courtroom was gone. Standing before Lu Chang was the girl who, more than ten years ago, jumped off her wedding carriage, dressed in red wedding attire, and fled to the Northwest to join the army.
Even after more than ten years in the military, she was still a woman. She had a woman's gentleness and love, compassion, sympathy, and tears that came from the bottom of her heart.
She had thought that the war had erased most of her humanity, but looking at Lu Chang, who was becoming more and more like her teacher's wife, Mu Yun still raised her hand and gently stroked the young man's forehead.
There's a scar there, with new flesh growing over it; you wouldn't notice it unless you looked closely. When Lu Chang was little, he fell from a tree and hit his forehead. Instead of seeing the family doctor, he went to see Li Muyun, who was only a mediocre doctor.
Li Muyun was quite bold and pleased that his younger brother trusted him so much, so he found some medicine that he didn't know about and applied it to the boy's face, leaving an indelible mark on the handsome young man's face.
Lu's parents never said a bad word about Mu Yun, not because they were afraid of her status as a princess, but because they didn't take the scar seriously.
"What's wrong with a man having some scars? You're not someone who makes a living off your looks!" Lu Zhi glanced at his son and told him to quickly get ready and follow the soldiers to the field to dig sweet potatoes.
Madam Lu, however, was rather rough. She found a thick wooden stick and beat the injured Lu Chang again. It wasn't because he was naughty, but because when he fell from the tree, he tore off a large section of apricot tree branches.
The apricot tree had been growing in the yard for almost ten years. It was planted by Lu Zhi for his wife, just after they got married.
Mu Yun gently embraced Lu Chang, just like ten years ago, holding the child who had lost both parents in her arms, wanting to give him some comfort.
Lu Chang stiffened, but did not refuse. He gently patted Mu Yun's back and said, "Sister, it's been a long time."
Neither of them liked to dwell on the past, and this pitiful warmth was fleeting. Lu Chang asked her, "Why did you take me north?"
Li Muyun said, "You'll know later."
Lu Chang knew her temperament; if she didn't want to talk, no one could get an answer from her. He then asked, "Were those fifty-two refugees actually assassins sent by the capital?"
Mu Yun nodded.
"Is he one of Yang Fujin's men? He wants to kill you?"
That wasn't a mistake. After all, they've been staying at home for too long and aren't clear about the situation. They still need to be brought out and put to the test.
"Yang Fujin still wants me to guard the Northwest, and he doesn't dare to touch me yet. The murderer is someone else."
Lu Chang pondered: Who else wanted to kill Li Muyun? Who else had their eyes on this land in the Northwest?
“It’s Li Ling!” Mu Yun said.
Prince Li Ling of Runan?
Before leaving Pingdu, Lu Chang knew that Li Ling had gone to the capital to report on his duties, but how could it be him?
His heart sank. After all, he was an outsider excluded from the political arena. The difficulties he had faced were beyond his comprehension. He looked up at Mu Yun and vaguely guessed the answer to the question he had asked her at the beginning.
She came to pull him into the game.
"The road ahead won't be easy, but Qingqing, it's time for you to take the first step."
A bitter taste welled up in his heart and spread throughout his body. When it reached the tip of his nose, he gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge to cry. Lu Chang knew that he had been hiding in his cage for far too long. Only today did Li Muyun drag him out. She asked him if he wanted to continue to live in his own self-imposed prison.
Li Muyun asked him again, "Don't you remember the arrow that was shot at your father?"
Lu Chang's eyes reddened as he said, "Your Highness, it was the late emperor who killed my entire family, and you are the late emperor's sister."
Mu Yun smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter whose sister I am. What matters is that I am a citizen of the Great Wei."
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