Chapter 808: Small Actions (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Zhao Wei was stunned for a moment.
For some reason, the secret letter in my hand felt incredibly heavy.
An indescribable sense of unease filled my heart.
"Xu Wenshi, tell me, has something serious happened?" Zhao Wei wasn't stupid. If the contents of this letter weren't important or sensitive, Xu Jie wouldn't have gone through so many intermediaries, having Xu Quan pass it on to her father. Xu Jie and her father, Zhao Fengcai, were colleagues; they had a dedicated channel for communication. Why go to all this trouble? Who were they trying to avoid?
Avoiding one's own lord?
Or should we avoid our father's lord, Wu Xian?
If it's the former, and this letter involves the lord's interests, Xu Wenzhu's actions would be tantamount to harming his own cousin. Given the increasing marginalization of the Xu family in Tianhai, Xu Jie would be incredibly foolish to offend Shen Jun unless he were kicked in the head by a donkey.
After some investigation, the answer became obvious.
The contents of this secret letter must not be known to Lord Wu.
In a flash, a gloom settled over Zhao Wei, even the joy of her victory was overshadowed, and her expression turned serious with a hint of sharpness. Xu Quan seemed not to notice, and with one hand pushed her to put the letter away, lowering his voice: "I'm not entirely sure what happened. It wasn't mentioned in my cousin's letter; he only instructed me to make sure the letter was given to you..."
His hand touched the back of Zhao Wei's hand.
The back of my hand was icy cold, and there was a slight tremor in it.
“Dawei, things aren’t clear yet, don’t overthink it.” Xu Quan glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he breathed a small sigh of relief. “Even if something really did happen, knowing my cousin’s character, he definitely wouldn’t stand idly by…”
His cousin had a good relationship with General Zhao in recent years; the two families kept in touch during all seasons and festivals, and every time he sent Zhao Wei a letter or some local specialties, he always made sure to include Zhao Wei. Otherwise, wouldn't Zhao Wei, who lived paycheck to paycheck, be starving every three days?
Xu Quan felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside him.
“Over the years, how much has my cousin cared for you? Compared to you, my cousin seems like someone he picked up off the street.”
At first, Xu Quan was a little jealous. Zhao Wei would steal his salary at the end of the month. His own cousin was siding with outsiders!
After doing it many times, he figured it out.
His cousin wanted to play matchmaker, something older men often do, but Xu Quan expressed his strong opposition.
Surely a marriage between two families wouldn't be necessary to sacrifice his own marriage?
That little devil Zhao Dawei, she never knows her own strength. I'm really afraid that if we have a conflict someday, she'll make me cut her losses immediately. But since his cousin hasn't explicitly said anything, he's pretending not to know. If his cousin doesn't mean it that way, wouldn't it be awkward for him to rush in and complain?
Little did they know, Xu Jie really had no intention of matchmaking.
His kindness towards Zhao Wei was purely a subtle way of showing goodwill to Zhao Feng, and also meant to apologize—it was his cousin's fault for being so careless with his words, giving people the nickname "Dawei," which made Zhao Wei never want to wear the Martial Tiger Tally again.
Only Zhao Feng had a good temper.
If it were a more hot-tempered old father, Xu Quan would have been bedridden for ten days or half a month before this matter was considered closed.
Hearing Xu Quan's useless words of comfort, Zhao Wei's lips twitched. If something had truly happened to Tianhai's family, Xu Wenzhu's act of helping to send a message was already more than enough; it was impossible for him to risk doing anything else. Because he was the head of the Xu family, he couldn't act recklessly.
"I'll go ask my lord for help."
Xu Quan scratched his head: "Won't this trouble the lord?"
Zhao Wei said irritably, "What else can we do if it's not troublesome?"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly.
Wu Xian was on high alert, making it difficult for her, as his daughter, to even catch a glimpse of Zhao Feng. Forcing a meeting would only bring unnecessary trouble to her father. Zhao Wei went to find Shen Tang with trepidation, and Shen Tang was startled by her unexpected face.
"Dawei, what happened to your face?"
"The army doctor said it's ringworm, and prescribed some medicine to apply topically for a while, and it will get better." Zhao Wei bit her lower lip, mustering her courage to reveal her purpose, "I really can't think of any other way, so I humbly ask for your help, my lord. This is the secret letter on the scroll..."
Zhao Wei took out the letter.
“Brother Zhaode is indeed a problem. He is suspicious by nature and has reservations about my relationship with Dayi. If Dayi continues to have frequent contact with me, he will be even more unhappy, which will also be detrimental to Dayi’s position under Brother Zhaode…” Shen Tang frowned, pushed the letter back, and after thinking for a moment, he came up with a solution. “However, there is a solution.”
Zhao Wei was overjoyed: "I will obey all your orders, my lord."
Shen Tang glanced at Zhao Wei.
"You might have to suffer a bit."
Zhao Wei was taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening.
"Mark those who aren't afraid of pain!"
How can a martial artist be without getting injured?
Covered in blood, Shen Tang went to see Wu Xian's general. The general had never met Shen Tang before, and now that he finally had a chance, he dared not be negligent. Upon hearing that a young general whom Shen Tang valued had been seriously injured was in danger, he asked in confusion, "Are we short of a physician?"
Shen Tang shook her head, her expression filled with pity and heartache, and said softly, "No, she wants to see her family."
"Family?"
Why would someone who wants to see their family come to him?
Shen Tang quickly gave his answer: "She is a woman of great righteousness."
The general's expression changed: "Zhao Feng's daughter?"
Shen Tang lied without blinking, solemnly saying, "Dawei's injuries are very serious, and the military doctor has already gone there. Although she is a martial artist, she has not been practicing for long and her experience is not as good as that of the veteran general. This time, her heart meridian has been injured and her martial energy has been blocked. I don't know if she can make it through... I thought that if Dayi came, it might give her more will to live. I would like to ask the general to help send a message."
Her words implied the importance of her female warriors, saying she would be heartbroken to lose even one. If even righteousness couldn't save Dawei, then at least they could see each other one last time. As a benevolent lord, she was very kind-hearted.
The general dared not delay upon hearing this.
They hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message to their lord.
Wu Xian did not obstruct the process after receiving the news.
Although Zhao Feng had recently caused him trouble, and he had developed a grudge against Zhao Feng, the two had grown quite distant, but they had also shared many wonderful times of mutual trust. If Zhao Feng were to miss seeing his daughter one last time because of him, then it would truly be the end.
Wu Xian had no suspicions and sent a message to Zhao Feng.
When he heard hurried footsteps outside the tent, Zhao Fengzheng was idly picking his toes. Hearing the noise, he assumed it wasn't coming for him.
"General Zhao, the lord has sent a message!"
He was still bewildered when the tent flap was lifted.
"Is there something you need, my lord?"
The visitor was a personal guard of the lord, whom he knew very well.
The fact that the other party came meant that Wu Xian was looking for him.
As Zhao Feng was pondering this, his personal guard delivered news that struck him like a thunderbolt, causing his legs to buckle and he to slip off his stool: "General Zhao, a battle report has arrived from the front lines. Your daughter, Zhao Wei, is seriously injured and unconscious, her life hanging by a thread. Please come immediately!"
Zhao Feng's ears were filled with thunder.
He couldn't hear any other sounds from the outside world. When he came to his senses, he was already on his way to the front lines. His warhorse was moving at its maximum speed, and the strong wind blowing in his face stung his face, which was also covered with several dried tear streaks.
He felt like this body no longer belonged to him.
Controlling the reins is entirely based on instinct.
Several times he was nearly thrown off his horse.
Such a mistake would be almost unimaginable for a seasoned veteran. After an unknown amount of time, he saw the makeshift camp. Zhao Feng practically tumbled off his horse, a sight that terrified Xu Quan.
"General Zhao!"
Xu Quan hurriedly went to greet him.
They caught Zhao Feng's limp body just in time. His face was frighteningly pale, even more so than the corpses on the battlefield.
"General Zhao!"
Xu Quan called out again.
This sound brought Zhao Feng back to his senses a little.
"Wen Shi, take me to see Dawei." His voice was weak and frantic. Most of his weight was on Xu Quan, and he didn't even have the strength to take a step. As tears rolled down his cheeks again, he could barely speak, "Dawei... Dawei..."
Xu Quan: "..."
Oh, this time we've really messed up.
However, he dared not tell Zhao Feng the truth here. He dragged and pulled the man to a small tent, shoved him inside, and then made a hasty escape. He was afraid that Zhao Feng would realize what was happening and take his anger out on him.
"Dawei—"
Zhao Feng stumbled and almost fell.
The piercing wailing startled Zhao Wei, causing her hand to tremble.
Zhao Feng: "..."
Zhao Wei: "..."
Shen Tang: "..."
At this moment, Zhao Wei was sitting on the bed, bandages wrapped from the top of his head to his upper body, revealing only his eyes. He held a dark, murky liquid in his left hand and a wooden spoon in his right. Shen Tang was sitting on a small stool. The two of them stared at Zhao Feng alone.
Just as Zhao Feng was about to speak, Shen Tang preemptively said with a gentle smile, "The great cause has arrived so quickly?"
It took Zhao Feng a while to regain his ability to speak.
He said blankly, "Yes, your humble servant has arrived."
Shen Tang was inwardly anxious, but he slowly got off the stool: "Since you're here, I won't disturb your father-daughter reunion. Brother Zhaode is very loyal and efficient."
The rest is self-explanatory.
Let Zhao Feng fill in the blanks with his own imagination.
Zhao Feng clasped his hands in a daze and respectfully saw Shen Tang off.
He watched the curtain being lifted and then lowered again, instantly conjuring up a series of rumors in his mind: [Zhao Wei injured] → [Zhao Wei seriously injured] → [Zhao Wei critically injured and dying]. Thankfully, he had a beard, so outsiders couldn't see his expression.
Zhao Wei was also shrewd; she blinked her innocent, bright eyes.
"Father, what was that just now—"
Zhao Feng straightened his chest: "It's nothing!"
He pulled the mazar over to sit down: "Father heard you were injured at the front and came to see you. Where are you injured?"
It was as if he wasn't the one who had just come to attend the funeral.
Zhao Wei stammered and couldn't say anything, so Zhao Feng imagined it was probably an injury in a place that couldn't be spoken of, but her father's mention of it did make his daughter embarrassed. He tried to make amends: "It's good that the injury isn't serious. Take good care of yourself and don't leave a scar."
Zhao Wei nodded: "Yes, I've got it."
At this moment, Zhao Feng looked down at the mud at his feet, trying to suppress the sob in his voice: "It's good that you're alright..."
Good heavens, that scared him to death!
Seeing Zhao Feng deliberately covering his forehead and blocking his eyes, Zhao Wei knew he had gone too far and felt so guilty that he couldn't sit still.
However, she did not forget the purpose of her trip. She pulled out the letter Xu Quan had given her from under her pillow: "Father, actually my injuries are not serious. I will recover in a few days. I called you here specifically for this matter. This was sent by Prefect Xu Wenzhu."
Zhao Feng did not notice anything unusual about his daughter.
Out of curiosity, I took it: "Did Xu Wenzhu send this?"
Zhao Wei nodded: "Mm."
Zhao Feng asked, "What is it?"
While asking questions, he opened the seal that had not been removed.
Jianshu flicked its hand and opened the book.
Zhao Wei shook her head and craned her neck to look closer: "I don't know about this one..."
Then, the father and daughter fell silent.
Although it was delivered by Xu Jie, the handwriting was that of Madam Zhao Feng, and it was written by her own hand! Zhao Wei keenly noticed that her father's hand holding the book was trembling slightly, and his face was terribly gloomy. The oppressive atmosphere made Zhao Wei's heart tremble.
"Father—"
Zhao Fengdao: "Don't worry, it's alright."
He closed the book and shattered it into dust with a gust of wind.
Zhao Wei was so startled that she sat up straight.
Why destroy it?
"If we don't destroy it, are we going to use it to confront Lord Wu?"
"But Mother and the others—"
Zhao Wei gripped the fabric on her knees tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"I have a plan, don't worry."
Only after confirming that Zhao Wei was out of danger did Zhao Feng feel relieved. He lifted the curtain and saw Shen Tang still there. He paused, then asked softly, "Does Lord Shen have any free time right now?"
Shen Tang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"The greater good, follow me."
With Gu Chi around, any problematic spies had already been eliminated. Zhao Feng's private conversation with her on her own turf wouldn't reach Wu Xian's ears. For some reason, Zhao Feng seemed distracted, and it took several calls from Shen Tang to bring him back to his senses.
"You're so prone to daydreaming, are you facing some difficulties?"
Shen Tang's voice is gentle and full of care.
Zhao Feng recalled the sealed, unopened letter, knowing that Shen Tang hadn't read it and therefore wouldn't know what had happened. He sighed, exhaling a breath of stale air, his hands still trembling: "I just received a letter from home... my eldest son has been seriously injured..."
The daughter's serious injury was a lie; the son's injury was real.
Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat several times.
She'd developed PTSD from Qi Shan's antics, and hearing about these messy things made her worry that he was behind it all, but outwardly she showed no sign of anything amiss: "Your son? Is your son still alright?"
Zhao Fengdao said, "I've escaped with my life, but... this matter is somewhat related to Lord Wu..."
Shen Tang: "..."
Good heavens, could it really be Qi Yuanliang who did this?
She pressed on, forcing herself to ask.
"Why are you bringing up Brother Zhaode again?"
Zhao Feng exhaled a breath of stale air: "My son has no talent, so I didn't bring him to the battlefield this time. I only left him at home to take care of the family. Someone was spying on the house, which frightened the child. He got into a fight with them and was injured in the chaos..."
It's called surveillance, but it's all for the good of us.
In reality, Zhao Feng's old house was surrounded by soldiers.
The entire family, young and old, is only allowed to enter, not leave.
Zhao Feng had a son who suffered a difficult birth and had always been in poor health. He was prone to choking on his own when startled and often needed a doctor to come to his house for treatment. This time, the siege of the old house frightened him so much that he fell ill. His eldest son got into a conflict with the guards over getting a doctor. In the end, the guards, fearing that someone might die, sent someone to fetch a doctor, and the two sons survived the crisis.
If it weren't for Xu Jie's efforts, the news wouldn't have reached Zhao Feng's ears.
Looking at the exhausted Zhao Feng, Shen Tang didn't know how to comfort him, but she was secretly relieved that Qi Yuanliang probably wasn't behind it. Otherwise, given Zhao Feng's tendency to court death, even the King of Hell would be a regular at his doorstep: "What does 'righteousness' mean?"
"I earnestly request Mr. Shen's assistance!"
|ω`)
Tangmei is now afraid that Yuanliang will cause trouble again.
P.S.: It wasn't Wu Xian who did it; he's not that stupid. Zhao Feng killed someone to avenge his adjutant; that person had a complicated background.
(End of this chapter)
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