Shimen Fan (Part 1)
"What do you know?" I shook off her hand. "He suffered a head injury and had amnesia. What if he relapses and doesn't remember us? What if he can't find his way back?"
"But godmother—"
Feng Qiao pulled Huai Xu away: "Aunt, let's go find it right away. You've had a long day, sit down and rest for a while."
A gentle evening breeze rustled the wind chimes under the eaves.
I sat on the steps, leaning against a pillar. Fragments of memories from five years ago kept swirling and flashing in my mind, but I couldn't piece together the answer I wanted.
Did they catch him? — No, they couldn't...
Have you let go? — I can't let go...
Where have we gone, those of us who used to do whatever we wanted?
In the midst of chaos: I sat alone at the table drinking, when a figure approached from the opposite side, his face indistinct; I spoke to him, but his voice was muffled; I reached out to pull him, but he vanished into thin air in a flash…
I jolted awake, my head hitting a pillar. Looking down, I saw a short brown cloak draped over my shoulders—Lin Zhong's. A familiar figure, crouching under the hollyhock trellis. I breathed a sigh of relief, lifted my cloak, stood up, held my breath, and approached, then swung my hand hard at his back!
Failure at the last minute...
Lin Zhong grabbed my forearm with his other hand and pulled me to face him, saying without looking up, "Don't hit me, my hand hurts."
I can't say anything to them, and I can't hit them. This is just unbearable!
I stood there silently, a bellyful of curses welling up inside me, and blurted out, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have been so self-righteous and imposed my worldly preferences on you; I shouldn't have yelled at you so much. But putting all that aside, don't you bear any responsibility at all? Either you stay silent, or you talk like you're guessing games... It's exhausting, don't you understand?"
Lin Zhong lowered his eyes: "Understood."
"What do you understand?" I scolded. "I'm asking you—where did you go just now? You didn't even come back for dinner. Everyone has been busy all day, and we still have to go through the trouble of looking for you."
Lin Zhong looked up: "You sent them?"
"I didn't!" I quickly denied. "I told them not to go, but they insisted on going."
Lin Zhong slowly stood up: "I went into the mountains to look for that basket. When I found it, I saw that it was still early, so I went to pick some mushrooms."
Huai Xu and Feng Qiao were picking mushrooms a couple of days ago and accidentally lost my usual bamboo basket, which I've been nagging about for days. I glanced at Lin Zhong: "It's just an old bamboo basket, so what if it's lost? We can just buy another one at the market. Where are the mushrooms you picked? I'll go make you a bowl of noodles." With that, I put my hands in my pockets and headed to the kitchen.
Lin Zhong grabbed a section of my sleeve, then let go: "Master, I will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed since Xiong Tu left the inn.
According to the officers and soldiers of the patrol office, Yan Yi's rebellion was well-prepared.
A few days ago, internal strife broke out in the Luo clan, and people from the lower reaches of the Yongning River fled north, flooding into Yanzhou in large numbers. To prevent further bloodshed, Prefect Huang Xin risked lifting the border restrictions and raised funds and provisions for the winter to accommodate the refugees. Unexpectedly, this act of kindness was coveted by the chieftain, who led bandits into the prefectural government office, murdered the prefect, seized the money and provisions, and recruited the refugees into his army. The rebel army also launched a surprise attack on Meiling Fort, seizing a considerable amount of supplies and weapons, and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Changning army outside Yujing, with the fighting reaching a stalemate.
After saying this, Guo Cheng frowned deeply: "Sigh, I'm afraid this year's New Year will not be easy!"
I quickly asked, "Why?"
"'When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.' Xingwen and Junlian are separated by water. If this battle cannot be won quickly, a large number of refugees will surely flood into Nanguang when the weather turns cold. Qingniangzi, I am not trying to scare you, but to be on the safe side, you should make preparations as soon as possible."
I bowed to him and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Inspector."
The afternoon was clear and sunny. I called Huai Xu, and we went together to the prefectural government office to return the horse.
A few days ago, my husband and I went to Junlian to buy some goods. One of our two horses got frightened and vomited in the market. We took the horse to the local government office and asked Shiyu to look after it for a few days. We also borrowed his horse, "Dengyun," for transportation.
Turning to the street where the prefectural government office was located, one could see from afar that there were many guards on duty at the entrance of the government office.
Huai Xu clicked his tongue in amazement: "Godmother, it seems Inspector Guo was right. Look, even the prefectural government has increased its manpower for vigilance."
I led my horse toward the gatehouse, and two armed guards quickly approached, shouting, "Halt! Who are you? What brings you to the yamen?"
"Dengyun" snorted and leaped high into the air. Huaixu helped me regain control of the horse. I turned to look at the guards, my neck stiff, and said, "You—"
I grabbed Huai Xu and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, we are friends of Shi Yu, a close attendant of Prefect Wei. We borrowed his horse a few days ago and have come to return it today."
The guard's expression softened slightly, and he reached out to take the horse: "Leave the horse, and get out of here!"
Huai Xu hummed softly, putting his hand holding the reins behind his back. I quickly said, "We have another horse that we have left at the state office and need to retrieve. Please inform them."
The guards exchanged glances, and one of them turned to me, saying impatiently, "Wait here!" With that, he strode toward the gatehouse.
Seeing the two walk away, Huai Xu said angrily, "Godmother, I don't know where the prefectural government found these people. In broad daylight, they're interrogating us like thieves. What right do they have to do that!"
"Shh," I whispered, "There was someone just now who looked familiar to me; he seemed to be one of Luo's personal guards."
"Huh?" Huai Xu was taken aback and lowered his voice, "Could it be that something happened at the prefectural government office?"
I also had my doubts: "It's hard to say."
Huai Xu grew anxious and grabbed my arm, pressing me for an answer: "But godmother, what could have happened? When we came a few days ago, Lord Wei and Shi Yu were both perfectly fine!"
"Calm down." I patted her hand. "We'll talk about it when we meet."
Huai Xu held me tightly: "Godmother, I'm a little worried... worried that I won't be able to see you again."
Upon hearing this, I felt even more uneasy. After a moment's thought, I said, "Regardless of whether we can meet or not, if we need to go inside to get the horses later, I'll go, and you stay outside."
"Godmother!"
As we were talking, Luo Zhong, dressed in official robes, emerged from the gatehouse and walked towards us.
"We'll see how things unfold," I said, brushing aside Huai Xu's restraints, and stepped forward, "Your Excellency, Prefect!"
"Qing Niangzi!" Luo Chong took my hand, his smile somewhat restrained, his gaze sweeping over my back. "My niece Huai Xu is here too. Come, come, please come inside."
I smiled and said, "The prefectural government is a solemn place, and the officials are all busy with official duties. How could a country bumpkin like me dare to disturb them? Let her wait here, and I'll change my horse and leave."
"Alright." Luo Chong nodded and winked at his attendant.
The man understood, walked towards "Dengyun," skillfully placed his hand on the horse's neck, stroked its mane, took the reins from Huaixu, and led the horse over at a leisurely pace.
Luo Chong and I walked side by side in front, with our entourage following behind. As we entered the prefectural government office, we encountered several sweepers with white cloths on their faces and carrying incense burners and mugwort leaves in their hands. They hurried past us.
"Cough cough—" I coughed twice, covering my mouth and nose with my sleeve, "It smells so strong, like mugwort."
Luo Zhong's face was somber: "Three days ago, a sudden epidemic broke out in the yamen, and it spread very quickly, with several people already in critical condition. Now, following the doctor's orders, we are fumigating with mugwort at dawn to ward off evil spirits. If Qing Niangzi is aware of this, please do not spread it."
I suppressed my surprise: "Lord Luo, rest assured, Qingcheng will keep this a secret. I wonder if Lord Wei and Shiyu... are they alright?"
"They both contracted the virus, but fortunately their symptoms are mild, and they are currently being isolated and treated in the backyard." At this point, Luo Zhong looked at me and said, "There's no need to worry too much; good people are always protected by heaven."
“Yes.” I nodded and said, “Lord Luo should take good care of his health. Now that Lord Wei is ill and the situation in neighboring Yanzhou is critical, the peace of Nanguangxidong depends entirely on the leader.”
An excited look suddenly appeared in Luo Zhong's eyes, which vanished instantly with a long hiss of "Ascending Clouds".
He sighed deeply and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam Qing. What's meant to happen will happen eventually..."
I turned to look behind me, and there was a follower who was gripping the reins tightly with one hand and stroking the horse's back with the other. He bowed his head and said solemnly, "Your subordinate is incompetent. Please punish me, Your Excellency."
Luo Chong glanced at him and said coldly, "Let it go this time, but be quick-witted and don't let it happen again."
"yes!"
Luo Chong pointed to his attendant and then said to me, "Qing Niangzi, the stables are just ahead. Let him change your horse. I have some official business to attend to, so I cannot see you off any further."
I quickly took his hand and said, "I wouldn't dare, sir, official business is more important."
My attendant quietly stepped aside, leading the horse to the front of me: "Lady Qing, this way please."
"Thank you for your trouble." The man before me was tall and imposing. Looking at his back, my doubts resurfaced. I turned back to look at Luo Zhong, who had already reached the corner leading to the back courtyard corridor. Without thinking further, I gritted my teeth and called out, "Lord Luo, please wait!"
Luo Zhong's body stiffened, and he turned to look at me; his attendant also turned around, staring at me with a wary expression.
I hastily clasped my hands in a fist and said to him, "Brother, the yellow-maned horse in the middle of the west shed is mine. Please change into a saddle. I have a few words to say to Lord Luo."
The person opposite me tensed their jaw, let out an "Oh," and looked up behind me.
"Qing Niangzi, what is it now?" Luo Chong arrived quickly, his voice carrying a hint of reproach.
"Lord Luo, please don't be offended," I said with a smile. "Actually, besides taking care of the horse, I also wanted to see Lord Wei today."
"But now he has contracted the plague and it is unknown when he will recover. Therefore, I implore Lord Luo to help inquire about the payment of the 'judge' commission in the market."
"It's not that Qingcheng is being unreasonable. Lord Luo, you know that my Huaixu is also of marriageable age. We're trying to save up some money before the New Year."
Luo Chong glanced at them and asked urgently, "How much commission does the prefect owe you?"
The shadow of my attendant crept over my feet, and I answered breathlessly, "It's hard to say. It's calculated based on the market transaction volume, but the period has already lasted for half a year."
"Then—" Luo Chong raised his voice, "shall I go and ask for you?"
I cupped my hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Lord Luo."
Luo Zhong looked behind me again: "Give her the horse."
My attendant silently approached and handed me the reins.
Luo Chong then said, "Qing Niangzi, return the way you came as soon as possible and wait at the gatehouse. I will ask Prefect Wei and then send someone to deliver a message to you."
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