Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Why didn’t you tell your parents about your marriage?
With his back to the dim prison door, Pei Wuyou slowly recalled.
"Last month, it rained for several days straight, and a suspension bridge in Yunshui County was washed away and half collapsed. That bridge was already dangerous, and normally there were roadblocks to prevent people from crossing. But who would have thought that on those heaviest rainy days, a few woodcutters from the county, eager to avoid walking a few miles of mountain road, would choose to cross that bridge."
"It had rained for several days straight, and the bridge was naturally wet and slippery. The leading woodcutter accidentally stepped on some moss and fell directly into the river. The current was strong, and the terrain was high upstream, so he was quickly swept away. The others behind him rushed to rescue him, but they also fell into the water. The bridge, unable to support the weight of so many people, collapsed."
"Several pillars of the county's families have perished. While this was an accident, it's also closely linked to my negligence as Yunshui County Magistrate. Overwhelmed with guilt, Wuji and I personally went to comfort and counsel the relatives. Everything was about to pass, but then Governor Fan suddenly arrived."
"He brought Xu Wenbin and several of his subordinates to the collapsed suspension bridge in Yunshui County, insisting the tragedy was caused by a flood. He insisted they report it to the imperial court for disaster relief funds to help rebuild Yunshui. While the continuous rainfall had washed away roofs and sheds, it wasn't enough to be called a flood. I should have stopped them, but seeing how young the children of the villagers who died were, I figured that if the imperial court distributed disaster relief funds, it would be a good thing for them and the county, so I acquiesced."
"But I didn't expect that later..."
Having said that, Pei Wuyou sighed heavily. His back was severely hunched, and there seemed to be a mouthful of thick phlegm stuck in his throat. He could no longer speak.
"The disaster relief money was indeed distributed, but it disappeared before it reached Yunshui County. Governor Fan then accused you of embezzling the money."
Pei Zhiji finished the rest of his words for him. He glared at him coldly, his tone cold and filled with a hint of disdain: "You've been an official here for decades, and such an obvious plot and trap could harm you to this extent."
Pei Wuyou's neck turned red after being rebuked by such a powerful junior. The closeness he had just felt when meeting his clansmen was gone. All that remained in his mind was the rumor in Shangjing that Master Pei was cold and heartless. He lowered his head and said nothing, feeling depressed and dejected.
Feeling that this was too much, Lu Suizhu gently nudged Pei Zhiji with her elbow.
He raised an eyebrow, but ultimately swallowed the sarcastic remark he was about to make, and pressed on with another question: "Embezzling disaster relief funds is a capital crime. Why hasn't your execution been carried out for so long? Is there someone secretly helping you?"
Pei Zhiji had suspected this a long time ago. As early as when he went to the capital, he sorted out the composition of officials in the five southeastern counties. He had a rough idea of the few officials who had not yet become Xiao Mao's minions. Now he wanted to confirm it.
"It was the Fanxi County Magistrate—Chen Zhue. He insisted on guaranteeing me during the court trial. That's why I've been able to survive until now."
No wonder this cell is different from the others. Lu Suizhu loosened her fingers that had been curled up just now, and she knew that her father's reputation as a clean and honest person was not false.
"Where is Pei Wuji?" Pei Zhiji asked.
Upon hearing the name, Pei Wuyou instantly knelt down from his standing position, pressing his knees heavily against the ground, crying bitterly. His withered hands tightly grasped the railing, trying to control himself from making any sound.
"Wuji...he's dead."
Lu Suizhu and Pei Zhiji looked at each other, with some shock in their eyes. After all, they were still a step too late.
The old man sobbed and gasped, weakly supporting his body, and struggled to get up from the ground, his eyes half-closed and blurred by tears.
"County Magistrate Shen was able to temporarily protect my life, but he was truly powerless to do so any longer... Wuji, he was tortured daily by Governor Fan, enduring countless hardships, yet he refused to sign my indictment. In the end, he couldn't endure the torture and passed away before me."
Lu Suizhu squatted down, feeling the pain of his grief, but when she opened her mouth she could only say these useless words: "The person has passed away, please accept my condolences."
The old man looked at the young man and woman in front of him, and seemed to remember something. He suddenly kowtowed heavily, and soon his forehead was covered in blood.
"Miss, Master Pei, I know you are all kind and good people. I beg you, please help me bury Wuji's body. It doesn't matter where you bury it, just don't let it lie exposed in the wilderness."
"I don't care whether this old man can be vindicated or whether he can live. But Wuji is my old friend. He has worked with me all his life and has always been my deputy without any regrets. He finally waited until the day when he could enjoy his retirement, but he didn't expect that he would be tortured to death because of me. I beg you, this is my last hope."
It was hard to bear to look at the tears streaming down her face. There was a gleam of sorrow in her wrinkles, and her chin was shaking from crying.
Pei Zhiji didn't insist on helping him up. He pursed his lips and shifted his gaze: "I will bury the person, but you must live well. With me here, you will be fine."
After they left, Pei Wuyou's eyes became empty again, still staring blankly at the window on the wall.
"Do you think he will be unable to get over it?" Lu Suizhu looked back frequently, her brows knitted together, still a little worried.
Pei Zhiji, however, remained as cold-hearted and stubborn as ever: "Life and death are determined by fate, and cannot be forced."
He walked in front with very fast steps, and Lu Suizhu no longer said anything about him being indifferent. Instead, she felt that his indifference was actually a kind of pessimism.
Many things seem like a burden to Pei Zhiji, but he likes to force himself to take on many unnecessary responsibilities. In short, after getting along for a long time, Lu Suizhu found that there were more and more contradictions in him.
"Master Shen, why did you come here suddenly?"
"I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look and opened the door."
He was calm and dusty, with his cloak still on. He had just returned from Yunshui County and had not even had a sip of water when he rushed here.
Hearing the familiar voices outside, Lu Suizhu's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Pei Zhiji beside her, pointed outside, and swallowed: "It's my father."
Looking around, there was really no place to hide. Pei Zhiji "weighed" the pros and cons and decided to feed the tiger himself, so he pushed the door open and went out to explain.
Lu Suizhu was struggling internally. Pei Zhiji had a special identity and came here secretly to investigate the case. Today's incident happened suddenly, and she didn't know whether all the people standing outside were her own people. She absolutely couldn't let him be exposed in front of everyone like this, so she made up her mind.
"You hide first, I'll go out and hold my dad back."
Without waiting for Pei Zhiji to agree or refuse, Lu Suizhu went out directly to face the group.
Chen Zhuo, who was chatting with Li Zhubu and several yamen runners, was stunned when he saw Lu Suizhu coming out of the prison.
Li Zhubu, who was sitting diagonally behind him, froze in his expression. He quickly reached out to take out the key bag hanging on his waist, and found it was empty. He immediately closed his eyes and hit his forehead with the ring.
After inspecting the cells, it was already dark when he returned to Chen's house. The little yellow dog had stayed on Xiaofeng Mountain for a long time and suddenly returned to the house. He barked with great joy when he saw people coming and going.
Lu Suizhu stood motionless in the study, watching Chen Zhuo pacing anxiously on the floor. The soles of his shoes, which were already flimsy, were about to catch fire. He would pick up the teacup and put it down again.
Uncle Zhang and Aunt Li were whispering outside the door, peeking in. "Something was wrong when the father and daughter came back just now. The mistress isn't home, and the master has a bad temper. I hope nothing has happened."
"Dad, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stolen the cell key." Lu Suizhu took the initiative to admit his mistake.
After calming down for a long time and losing some of his composure, he walked closer to his daughter and waved his hand in front of her.
Lu Suizhu closed her eyes.
In the end, Chenzhuo just smoothed his daughter's hair and tucked it behind her ear with clumsy movements. His throat was still hot when he opened his mouth.
"Wenjia, you're married... why didn't you tell your parents?"
Just after returning to Fanxi and before entering the county, he met Xu Wenbin. He reconstructed the events on Xiaofeng Mountain to about 70% of their originality, which made Shen Zhu feel mixed emotions.
The fact that his daughter had not been with him since she was a child had always been something he and his wife could not get over. When she finally came home, she was still polite and distant. Now, he even learned about such a big thing as her marriage from an unrelated outsider.
How can parents not be heartbroken by this?
In the past, he always advised his wife not to be anxious. No matter how many years they had been separated, they were still blood relatives and everything would be fine if they took their time. But now, he could no longer comfort himself in this way. He was obviously heartbroken and anxious, but he didn't know where to start. His mouth was full of blisters.
marriage?
I was still thinking about how to deal with the prison incident, but suddenly I turned to this even more unexpected thing.
She turned her back to Chen Zhuo, and her pretty and lively face was filled with sorrow and gloom. If she denied it, would she have to tell her father everything about Pei Zhiji's trip?
If you admit...
Seeing her so silent, hesitant, and confused, Shen Zhu couldn't control his anxiety. He whispered behind her, "Did he treat you badly, or... is there something you're hiding?"
"No, he treats me very well."
"So what's the secret?"
He tested her calmly and cautiously, looking so serious that it seemed as if Lu Suizhu would faint if she answered him again.
Just when things were tense, Aunt Li knocked on the door: "Master, someone is looking for you outside."
"What's up?"
Aunt Li paused again, and stammered for a long time: "A very handsome young man came outside, saying... saying... "
"Aunt Li, you are not so old that you can't speak clearly, right? Who is here?" He was irritated and spoke in a bad mood.
"He said...he said he is our son-in-law."
Aunt Li folded her hands together and forced a smile.
Two peach trees were transplanted outside the Shen residence. It was the flowering season, and the tender pink branches grew diagonally, leading directly to the winding alley.
Pei Zhiji stood under the peach tree for a long time before being invited in by Zhang Bo. A petal fell on his shoulder and lightly wrapped around the brocade thread.
When he entered, he gave Chen Zhuo a junior's greeting and said, "I am Pei Zhiji. Sorry to bother you."
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