Chapter 68 The Lamp of an Old Friend: "Money is an external thing. But freedom is of utmost importance..."
The Changzhou government office and its surrounding area were in turmoil all night, and only returned to peace at dawn.
The next day, everything proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.
Wei Zhan used some unknown method to force Prince Jing to sign and affix his seal, and Guo Chi and Zhu Xiaowei led the Imperial Guards to escort him back to the capital.
Cen Wei and Fang Hong took up their posts one after the other.
Changzhou was calm and peaceful, as if the rebellion had never occurred.
Only within the inn, the strong aroma of traditional Chinese medicine lingered all day long.
Xie Qinghe had been in a coma for several days, refusing to eat or drink. Doctors from all the counties and prefectures in Changzhou and the surrounding areas, whose names were known, were brought to him one by one, but there was still no improvement.
I tried different herbal decoctions, but either I couldn't drink them, or I vomited them up mixed with blood after struggling to get them down.
Ning Lu couldn't understand how someone who couldn't eat could produce so much blood to vomit.
"I used to praise you for being easy to take care of, but now it seems that even that was just an act."
Having said that, he made a move to pick up his soft, boneless paw and bite down.
There was a knock on the door, and Ning Lu stopped abruptly, turning her head to look at the person who had entered.
"Lord Cen."
As Xie Qinghe said, Cen Wei arrived before dawn that day and worked with Wei Chun and Wei Zhan to clean up the mess.
"How about it?"
"Still the same." Ning Lu judged Xie Qinghe's trust in Cen Wei based on his arrangements, and naturally showed him some respect. She stood up to greet the guest: "Sir, what brings you here?"
She looked at the person sleeping soundly on the bed.
In this situation, even if something happens, there's nothing he can do.
Cen Wei, mindful of the chill emanating from him, didn't rush forward. He merely glanced at Xie Qinghe from afar at the doorway before turning to Ning Lu: "I've come to see you."
"I?"
"With Prince Jing's arrival in the capital, Pan Xingxue is dead. The Su Yun lady in the dungeon can be released today."
"today?"
Ning Lu suddenly remembered that three days had passed since Prince Jing's rebellion.
She stayed inside the house, losing track of time.
"You're friends, would you like to go pick her up? I'll arrange it."
"Thank you, Master Cen."
Ning Lu readily agreed and didn't refuse much.
Originally, after leaving Liu Yunying's residence, she was supposed to go see Yu Lanzhou.
She hadn't sorted out the relationship, didn't know how to bring it up, and kept putting it off and avoiding it.
Later, Pan Xingxue was murdered, Prince Jing rebelled, and Xie Qinghe fell seriously ill. He was preoccupied with these matters and had no time for her.
Thinking of this, Ning Lu felt ashamed. She briefly explained things to Wei Zhan and then returned to the east wing to wash and dress. She took the box containing Liu Yunying's old belongings and went out.
Just as she reached the door, she bumped into Wei Chun, who was returning from his errands. Seeing Wei Chun staring intently at the object in her arms, she simply began to explain.
"I'll go pick up Yu Lanzhou."
"Please wait a moment, young lady. My master has asked me to give you something."
Before he could refuse, the man's figure disappeared, only to return in the blink of an eye, pulling out a two-thousand-tael silver note from his pocket and placing it on the box.
If her astonishment at seeing the thousand-tael silver note before was due to her lack of worldly experience, Ning Lu felt at ease upon seeing this enormous sum of money again today.
Having traveled through time and witnessed grand scenes of rebellion, two thousand taels of silver were nothing new to him.
only……
What does this mean?
"The master said that this was what he promised the girl."
Wei Chun waved his hand generously, displaying a lavish spending spree that left Ning Lu bewildered and at a loss.
"Xie Qinghe?"
My brain raced, trying to recall conversations with Xie Qinghe that involved money.
It seems like there was such a time.
He said that Prince Jing might not actually be able to come up with two thousand taels for her, but the Censor's office could.
These two thousand taels were clearly the price Prince Jing offered to buy his life.
baffling.
"I cannot accept it."
"This is what the master ordered."
"When did he give the order, given his condition?"
"On the way to the government office the day Prince Jing rebelled." Wei Chun answered fluently, which surprised Ning Lu.
"The master said he promised you this, and the young lady should be able to use this money." Wei Chun crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, imitating Xie Qinghe's deep expression, and spoke slowly in a low voice.
She definitely needs it.
Ning Lu ran her fingers over the box in her arms, which contained 1,687 taels of silver.
The letter left by Liu Yunying clearly states that it was money she had saved to redeem Yu Lanzhou from servitude.
Now, she occupies this body, but she can no longer occupy this affection.
Moreover, Yu Lanzhou had helped her a lot, so she naturally wanted to return the money to her.
She tapped her fingertips on the metal clasp, pursed her lips, and looked at the silver notes in her bosom, which were clearly in the style of those in the capital, still hesitating.
“Of course, if you feel guilty, young lady, you can take this as a thank you for taking care of my master along the way.” Wei Chun’s eyes darted around, and he whispered in her ear, “You can also take it as your salary for working for half a month.”
Rolling her eyes at his sly, affectionate gaze, Ning Lu pocketed the silver note: "Consider it a loan from him."
Looking up at Wei Chun, who seemed lost in thought, she quickly explained, "I told Xie Qinghe myself that I wouldn't make things difficult for you."
“In that case…” Wei Chun stepped aside to make way for her: “Miss, please come back soon.”
"Wait! Lord Wei!"
After taking two steps, Ning Lu stepped back in front of him, blocking his way as he turned to leave: "Did he say anything else?"
Wei Chun, puzzled, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What I mean is, did he give a lot of instructions that day? These past few days, you've all been working in an orderly fashion, each doing your job properly, as if… it's always been like this.”
Upon hearing her words, Wei Chun immediately realized what she wanted to ask.
A fleeting look of seriousness crossed his eyes, then he tightened his arms and took a half-step back, adopting a pained and troubled posture.
“Young lady, you don’t know this. My master has been living a life of constant danger. It was like this in Changzhou, and even more so in the capital. He handles everything as if it were his last. It has truly been difficult.”
Okay, I forgot this person's greatest talent is being a smooth talker...
It's better not to ask.
Ning Lu pouted, ignored him, and walked away.
It was getting late, and by the time she arrived at the dungeon and the two of them returned to their lodgings, it would be evening again. So she simply sent a guard to take Yu Lanzhou home in a carriage.
When Ning Lu arrived at the courtyard, Yu Lanzhou had already arrived.
The sky was a pale blue, and it looked like snow was about to fall.
She stood alone, elegant and unadorned, yet her ethereal beauty was undeniable.
"Lanzhou! What are you doing standing here?"
"They said you'd be here soon, so I wanted to wait for you."
"Have you been waiting long?"
"soon."
Yu Lanzhou pulled her cloak tighter, scrutinizing the person before her, a look of bewilderment and confusion creeping into her eyes.
Ning Lu followed her gaze and looked herself over again: "Is something wrong?"
A well-tailored pale yellow floral jacket, a lambskin scarf around her neck, and a jade pendant engraved with the character "谢" (Xie) hanging at her waist—she looked every bit the playful and charming young girl.
This is a pattern sent by Xie Qinghe from the best cloth shop in Changzhou. It's an outfit that Ning Lu likes, but Liu Yunying would never try.
Times have changed, and after many twists and turns, Ning Lu knew that all her efforts to cover it up would be in vain. She smiled apologetically and gestured inside, saying, "It's cold outside, let's talk inside."
A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the air, carrying a biting chill.
Once Yu Lanzhou was seated, Ning Lu didn't beat around the bush and pushed the box in her arms in front of her.
"You found it?"
The key was also presented.
She placed her hands on the table, smiled, and looked at Yu Lanzhou with anticipation.
"Open it and take a look."
"This is... a silver note?"
In the short time that followed, Ning Lu gathered up the loose silver coins and replaced them with the two thousand tael silver note.
Yu Lanzhou opened the box, and what came into view was a silver note of the same denomination as her contract, and the land deed underneath.
What does this mean?
“You’ve been in prison for a long time and suffered a lot of injustice. I think I should send you a gift to bring you good luck and get rid of the bad luck.”
Seeing Yu Lanzhou's lips trembling and her voice choked with sobs, Ning Lu straightened her posture and sat up straight.
“I know this is a very important matter. Perhaps you want to make the decision yourself.”
"You didn't... lose your memory?"
"So you're not going to mention it to me at all?"
Ning Lu asked playfully.
Yu Lanzhou's eyes sparkled with stars as she clutched the wooden box in her bosom, speechless.
After a long while, she lowered her eyes slightly, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.
The beautiful woman, who had been dignified and elegant since their first meeting, suddenly burst into tears. Ning Lu was at a loss and rummaged through her clothes, only managing to pull out a plain handkerchief embroidered with Xie Qinghe's mark. She awkwardly handed it over.
Sitting on the opposite side, Yu Lanzhou secretly shed tears, did not take it, and suddenly looked up.
Ning Lu.
"Um?"
After instinctively responding, Ning Lu realized something was wrong and intertwined her fingers, stirring them frequently.
"The jailers and yamen runners all call you Miss Ning. I only found out today, before I was released from prison, that they call you Ning Lu."
Yu Lanzhou seemed to wake from a dream, and chuckled in a daze: "It just dawned on me that the story they were telling about Xie Qinghe and the female assassin is related to you."
"At first I didn't believe it. How could amnesia make a person lose all their habits? But I couldn't find any other reasonable explanation."
Ning Lu stirred her sleeves faster and faster. She opened her mouth, but then realized that she couldn't speak as freely about time travel as she could with Xie Qinghe when facing Yu Lanzhou. So she lowered her head again.
So I told myself, it's okay.
Yu Lanzhou sighed softly: "I still have some savings. You shouldn't have to bear the burden of past promises. That's not something you should be carrying now."
"That's not how it works."
Ning Lu suddenly looked up: "Money is an external thing. But freedom is of utmost importance."
"Everyone's freedom is important."
She pushed the wooden box in front of her back to Yu Lanzhou's side and put the key into her hand.
"Whether it's Liu Yunying in the past or Ning Lu now, they both agree to exchange these material possessions for your precious youth."
A rustling sound came from the courtyard as the items Ning Lu had asked Cen Wei to prepare were brought into the courtyard one by one by the guards.
The small courtyard, which still looked dilapidated at midday, was suddenly filled with all sorts of things and came alive.
Fearing that Yu Lanzhou would continue to refuse, Ning Lu stood up and pointed outside.
"These guards will be watching around. Just give them any instructions."
"Are you leaving?"
It's getting late today.
Xie Qinghe's health is most affected in the early morning and evening, and she was worried about him.
Feeling guilty for prioritizing romance over friendship, Ning Lu swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"If you feel uneasy about your place, once things have settled down in a few days, I will go to Yongning Temple to bring Hongyu here to keep you company."
Unlike their interactions in the dungeon, their meeting today was always separated by a visible but intangible wall.
Ning Lu vaguely knew the reason for this estrangement, but didn't know how to bring it up. She practically ran away and crawled into the carriage, not daring to meet Shang Yu Lanzhou's gaze again.
When we returned to the inn, the last glimmer of dark blue in the sky was swallowed up by darkness.
Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the bright moon.
Inside the main room, there were many people, and the sounds of coughing were chaotic and rapid.
Xie Qinghe?!
Ning Lu couldn't help but quicken her pace, running swiftly into the house.
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