Chapter 51: Cherish
The world outside the window is still pale.
Shen Zijie's headless body was dragged away roughly, leaving a discontinuous, thick, black and sticky bloodstain on the dirty ground, like an ugly scar.
Several jailers carried buckets of water and began to splash and wash the execution platform. Clean water mixed with blood flowed down and seeped into the soil, leaving behind large, dark brown, glaring stains.
All traces of Shen Zijie are being quickly and cruelly erased.
Only the distraught figure, abandoned by the whole world, was left at the edge of the execution ground, trembling slightly in the cold wind of early autumn.
On the evening of the third day, an old, hunched-backed man working as a handyman in the imperial prison slipped through the back door of the Shen residence under the twilight and thrust a small, stained, coarse cloth bag into Wen Youqing's hands. His cloudy eyes were filled with fear and pity. He dared not say much, only whispering, "Master Shen... before you leave, ask me to give this to your wife." Then he quickly disappeared into the sunset.
Wen Youqing untied the cloth bag tremblingly.
There are only two things in it.
A palm-sized piece, charred and deformed by the intense fire, yet its edges still vaguely revealed a fragment of fine wood. Its cross-section was rough, riddled with holes from insects and decay, and streaked with gray sand. It was the very embodiment of the "rotten wood and gravel" that Shen Ziji had lamented in his Rhythm Notes!
The other was a neatly folded white silk handkerchief. Unfolding it revealed dried blood! It was the legacy he had left behind, written in his final moments, a silent accusation and resentment he hadn't spent his entire life carving. He simply feared she wasn't doing well.
There is no time to wallow in pain.
The Shen family's last vestiges of dignity were stripped away, and the order to confiscate their property followed. The once-glorious mansion was instantly reduced to utter devastation by the ferocious search of the soldiers. Precious calligraphy and paintings were violently torn down, expensive porcelain was shattered, and servants fled in panic.
Wen Youqing was dressed in plain mourning clothes, half-supported and half-escorted by two expressionless old women, standing in a messy courtyard, watching everything belonging to her and Shen Zijie being sealed and carried out of the mansion.
There was no expression on her face, as pale as an ice sculpture, except for her bottomless eyes, which stared fixedly at the gate, as if they wanted to burn through the cold vermilion lacquer door.
But in the end, due to the reputation of Chen Zijie and Wen Youqing, they left her a small house and basic living supplies.
After a few days of confusion, the Cui family sent someone to deliver a "funeral gift." The person's attitude was respectful and his words were polite. Along with the funeral gift, there was also a simple and elegant scroll.
Wen Youqing sat alone in a deserted room, a few sparse green bamboos outside the window. She unfolded the scroll with an expressionless face.
This is Cui Junji's own handwritten eulogy. Every stroke is so powerful it pierces the paper, and the brushstrokes are so precise and precise, revealing the master's style. The opening line laments the friendship of their comrades, praising Shen Zijie for his "unparalleled talent and unwavering character." The middle section laments the "God's envy of talented individuals and the treacherous frame-up." Every word is filled with sorrow, every sentence with tears, as if expressing the uncontrollable grief and indignation over the loss of a dear friend. Finally, four powerful, thickly ink-dipped characters occupy the most prominent position on the scroll:
Integrity and righteousness will last forever!
Wen Youqing's gaze, like a cold blade, slowly swept across the four ink-drenched characters that seemed to embody all the righteousness in the world. The corners of her lips twitched upwards extremely slowly and stiffly.
Is this true or false?
It's time to go see him and bring my son back.
—
As soon as he entered Cui's mansion, he met Wang Dingan. Fortunately, the road was wide, and Wen Youqing stood to the side to avoid him slightly.
The maid took many twists and turns and finally arrived at the inner courtyard.
After all, Cui Junji was injured because of Shen Zijie's matter, so she should show all the courtesy she should have.
As soon as she entered, she sat down there, and she caught Cui Junji's eye. She was born with a pure and beautiful face, but fate seemed to have drained some of her color away. Her skin was the texture of thin-bodied official kiln porcelain, pale and slightly translucent. Pale blue veins were faintly visible under her eyes, like fine cracks under the surface of ice.
The once moist lips had lost their color and were pursed into a flexible arc. Only the long crow-feather eyelashes, when drooped, cast a small, quiet shadow, and occasionally trembled, like the wings of a startled bird skimming over a cold pond.
Dressed in a simple white silk garment, she looked like freshly frozen snow beneath the moon. Her shoulders were thin and her body was thin, her sleeves were empty. Her steps were slow and gentle, yet not unsteady, revealing the cool resilience of a bamboo joint. Her neck was most striking: slender and fragile, yet like a crane gliding across a cold shore, possessing an unbending integrity.
Her beauty lies in the sharp edges that refuse to give up even after being broken into pieces. Her fragility and fortitude have long been integrated into one, forming a cold and indestructible brilliance all over her body.
"Have you cured the poison?" Cui Junji was finally brought back to his senses by these words.
"It's time to solve it. If you don't, everyone in the world will know that it was the Wang family who poisoned it." Cui Junji joked.
Wen Youqing didn't want to waste time talking, "I'm here to pick up my son."
Cui Junji had thought about it, but he hadn't thought about it so early. "How can you take care of your son in this state? I'm afraid you don't even have a servant in your house right now. How are you going to take care of him?"
"I still have some money, so I can support myself and my son."
The emperor had almost wiped her out, and the Wen family couldn't possibly take her in anymore, yet she still had a way out! Cui Junji was surprised and admired her, but he still said, "It's not that easy. When he grows up, he can go to a private school..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Wen Youqing, "I will take him away from the capital, anywhere is fine, but let's stay in Xunyang for the next few years."
Things were getting further and further away from what he had imagined. Without the support of her parents and her husband's family, how could a woman survive? How could she survive? The rumors and gossips outside were enough for her to endure!
"I know what you want to say, thank you, but it's not necessary. I can live well, and my son will live well too. I'm taking him away today."
Seeing that he couldn't get away with it, Cui Junji could only compromise temporarily, "If you encounter any difficulties, remember to come to me."
Wen Youqing never thought that her son could walk and talk now.
Looking at the little girl in gorgeous clothes walking towards him, Wen Youqing felt mixed emotions.
Wen Youqing squatted down and looked at her son seriously. He looked so much like her, with not a trace of her own sternness or self-control. Wen Youqing held out her hand, waiting for his little hand to reach out. "Hello, my name is Wen Youqing. What's your name?"
Mrs. Li, who was standing by, found it funny when she saw the mother and son meeting. How could a mother greet her own child like that?
But blood ties are magical. The little pink ball stretched out her hand and said, "Nihao, my name is Xier."
"Xier?" Wen Youqing looked at Li inquiringly.
"You're so careless that you haven't given him a name yet. So I took it upon myself to give him a nickname, 'Xi', which means 'cherish'. You should give him a name." Mrs. Li truly loved this child, treating him like her own twin. She had raised him for almost six months and was truly reluctant to let him go. She had to leave so suddenly that she loaded two large carts with food and supplies.
Even a noble lady like Mrs. Li couldn't help but nag when she saw that the child she raised was going to be sent away, and she told Xier all her preferences one by one.
Wen Youqing was overwhelmed by this and could only admire: "Compared to this, I, as a mother, really don't measure up."
"You..." Li, who was about to scold her, saw the bloodshot eyes and pale skin of Wen Youqing and sighed, "You have so much to do, and now you are free. You will have a lot of time to spend together in the future."
Wen Youqing bowed solemnly, "Thank you, Madam Cui."
Li couldn't bear it after all. Thinking of Wen Youqing's crazy behavior on the execution ground, she felt uneasy and warned, "You will definitely not want to hear this, but I still have to say it. You are a woman, and the family of a criminal. Living alone must be very difficult. You must find a supporter for yourself and your child. The final verdict is not important. It is enough for the people to know that Lord Shen is a good official. This alone is enough for you to find a good one. If you are willing, I will keep an eye on it for you. What do you think?"
It was well-intentioned, and Wen Youqing knew that if she wanted to survive here, she had to abide by the rules. But she was truly fed up. After a long silence, she said, "Madam, if something were to happen to me, you would treat Xier like your own child, right?"
Ever since Li Wenqin had Cui Junji's "favor," her personality had become much more innocent and straightforward. Upon hearing this, she immediately said, "If you're so determined to die, you're always trying to make something out of nothing. Just leave the child behind and don't even acknowledge him."
Afraid of irritating Wen Youqing, Li Wenqin slowly softened her tone, "A biological mother is always the best. Lord Shen is gone, but your bloodline is still there. Raising him is also for Lord Shen."
Weakness filled Wen Youqing's arms. She lowered them and looked at Xi'er, who was still playing with the maid in the distance. She finally nodded, "Well, I will live well. Shen... Lai Xi, I'll leave it to Madam."
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